The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-03 00:00:00

PENALTIES.

For any offence against this act, by candidates
themselves, the party offending to be for ever ineli-
gible to hit in the house of Commons, and forfeit
£5OO. By electors, to be disqualified for ever from
voting, and to forfeit £lOO, and in default of pay-
ment, to be. imprisoned for one year, or any less
term at the discretion of the court. By a non-
elector, to be for ever debarred from acquiring, the
right to vote at any election, to forfeit £lOO, or
suffer one year's imprisonment, or a less term as
aforesaid.

TIIE FASHIONABLE LIE, " NOT AT MOUE."—
" I never," says a lady, " sent that message to the door'
but once, and for that once I shall never forgive myself. It
was more than three years ago, and when I told my ser-
vant that morning to say ' Not at home,' to whomsoever
might call, except she knew it was someintimate friend,
I felt my cheeks tingle, and the girl's look of surprise mor-
tified me exceedingly. But she wont about her duties, and
I about mine, sometimes pleased that I had adapted a con-
venient fashion by which I could secure time to myself,
sometimes painfully smitten with the reproaches of con-
science. Thus the day wore away; and when Mr. Lee came
home ho startled me with the news that a very dear and in-
timate friend was dead. It cannot be,' was my reply,
' for she exacted of me a solemn promise that I would alone
sit by her dying pilloW, as she had something of great im-
portance to reveal to me. You must be misinformed ' • no
ono has been for me.' Here suddenly a horrible suspicion
crossed my mind. She sent for you, but you were not at
home,' said Mr. Lee innocently; then he continued I am
sorry for Charles, her husband ; he thinks her distress much
aggravated by your absence, from the fact that she called
your name piteously. He would have sought for you, but
your servant said she did not know where you had gone.
am sorry. You must have been out longer than usual,
for Charles sent a servant over three times.' Never in all
my life did I experience such loathing of myself, such utter
humiliation. My servant had gone further than I, in
adding falsehood to falsehood, and I had placed it out of
my power to reprove her by my own equivocation. I felt
humbled to the very dust; and the next day I resolved,
over the cold clay of my old friend, that I would never
again, and unPr any ciftmatances, say 'Not at home.'"

The military store steamship Lord Panmure, H.
T. Moore, master commanding, has arrived at Wool-
wich from Dublin and Pembroke, and yesterday
discharged at the arsenal some curious specimens of
Chinese ordnance, captured and brought home from
that country, amounting to 240 tons, among which
are 30 brass and metal guns, corresponding with
our 12-pounders, mostly in a damaged state. There
is also one iron cylinder, which has been used as a
gun, of about the same calibre, having a number of
thick rings or hoops down the length of the barrel.
It has the appearance of having laid some time im-
mersed in water, and is thoroughly eaten into with
rust and corrosion. There are likewise two metal
siege guns, weighing about five tons each. At no
time since the Russian war has a greater activity
been perceptible than at the present moment in
Woolwich arsensal in the preparation and export
of ammunition and war materials for the defence
of our coasts and for China. Shot and shell of
the largest size in use are seen rolling from
the factories to the water's edge by means of the
Boxer slides, and are shipped with great rapidity on
board various light schooners for the west, whence
those destined for China are transhipped for their
destination. Upwards of 1,000 tons arc now ready
for departure.
The weathe7 at Portsmouth yesterday morning
was bright and clear, with rather a fresh breeze at
W.S.W. After noon, however, it became more
overcast, and several sharp rain squalls passed
over, the wind freshening each squall. Tile baro-
meter had risen 6;!, tenths from the same time the
day previous, and had evidently jumped up too
quickly to denote any lone continuance of the fine
weather which showed itself during the fore part of
the day. At sunset it looked wild and threatening
away to windward. It is reported that a sloop,
with her crew of four hands on board, went down
of her anchors off the "Norman" yesterday, but no
particulars have come to hand. From information
received from Bracklesome Bay we learn that a
French brig, the Olinda, Capt. Dupost, from Havre
for Pernambuco, drove ashore off Witteriag, in the
bay, at 1 a.m. yesterday. The captain and one
man had been washedoverboard and lost. The pilot
of the brig had been brought ashore since she had
stranded, dead. Hopes were entertained of saving
the vessel and cargo, if the weather moderated. M.
Van Den Burgh, the French Vice-Consul, had pro-
ceeded to the scene of the disaster, to take charge
of the vessel and her crew. The whole details had
not come to hand when our parcel left last evening.
The schooner Merlin, Capt. Coplin, from London
for Terceira, was yesterday, 11 miles south of the
Needles, thrown on her beam-ends by a squall, and
totally dismasted. The wreck was cub away to save
the vessel, and a try-sail set abaft the stump
of the foremast. By dint of great exertion, the
schooner was anchored outside the Dean Sand,
when a steamer was despatched to her assistance
and she was towed into Portsmouth harbour yester-
day. Tho steamer which was brought up in St.
Helen's itoads yesterday, during the gale, proved
to be the Sultan, from Vigo, &c., for Southampton ;
she proceeded yesterday morning. 'We understand
that sho received considerable damage from the gale.
A letter received at Plymouth from an officer on
board a merchant ship, dated at Shanghai, August
14, says—" For upwards of a month past we have
been in a very unsettled state here. From July 29
to August 1 every ship that had guns and small
arms kept them loaded, hourly expecting the
Chinese to descend on the town and ship. On
Saturday night, July 30, the French Consul had
four fieldpicces and above 200 men to guard his
resinence. As for ourselves, we were walking the
decks from 8 p.m to 2 .I.rn. fully armed. Our alarm
was increased as the morning advanced, for about
9 o'clock we heard the command pass from ship to
ship Tell the men of war to be prepared as the
junks are getting ready to run down the river and
set fire to our shipping.' At this time the Chinese
were shouting with all their might, and discharging
their heavy ordnance. I think there must have
been 10,000 of these noisy rascals in the junks.
Howevszr they showed more d seretion than valour,
and did not attack us. Our leave to go ashore is,
however, suspended."
Nearly the whole of the_required number of ad-
ditional labourers ordered to be entered in Chatham
Dockyard have been received, but there are still
vacancies for first-class shipwrights and joiners.
The classification of the riggers employed in the
dockyard has been made, the whole of that body
receiving the increase of pay ordered by the Ad-
miralty.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Commander George Durbin, to
the Coastguard; John S. Adams, assistant-surgeon
to the Chatham division of Marines; J, M. Bateson,
assistant-surgeon to the Diadem; E. J. Butler,
assistant-surgeon to the Mutine ; and James Clark-
son, assistant-surgeon to the Fawn.