The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-08 00:00:00

THE MALTA AND CAGLIARI TELEGRAPH.—We
are sorry to report another interruption to th# line of tele-
graphic wire between Malta and Cagliari. By a telegram
dated yesterday, from the last-named place, we learn that
communication ceased at two o'clock on the morning of the
6th, and that the fault in the cable was apparently further
off than last time.

THE PENINSULAR MAILS.--SOUTHAMPTON,
March 7.—The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-
ship Tagus, Captain Hall, sailed hence to-day, with the
mails for Vigo, Oporto, and Lisbon, eight passengers,
£1,500 in sovereigns for Lisbon, and a general cargo. The
Alhambra, Captain Steward, is due on Friday next, with
the mails from the abovenamed ports.
The Independance, of Brussels, states that Prince
Napoleon has given orders that a complete hydrographical
survey of the Red Sea shall be eommenced in the spring.
Captain Russell,' formerly aide-de-camp to Admiral Par-
ceval Deschenes, will be charged to superintend the
operations.
It has been intimated that, looking to the fact
that by the Fraudulent Trustees Act lately passed the
offence for whieh Mr. Strahan and Sir John Paul were
sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment would now be visited
by a punishment limited to three years, the infliction in
their case will be commuted to a period of four years.
Their liberation will, consequently, take place in October
next.

MR. GLADSTONE.—We have reason to believe
the return home of the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone will
take place sooner than was expected. A letterwas received
in London yesterday from Paris, in which the right hen.
gentleman expressed it to be his intention tot ewe the
French capital last evening, so as to be in town to-day, in
order to take his seat in the House of Commons at the
meeting of the house this afternoon. Mrs. and Miss Glad-
stone accompany the right hon. gentleman ; also his prtvat e
secretary, Mr. Lacaita, and the Hon. Arthur Gordon, son
of the Earl of Aberdeen, who was attached to the mission
of the right hon.' gentleman to Corfu.
Two FEMALES FOUND DROWNED.—Yesterday
Mr. Woodman' the chief constable of the parish of Cam-
berwell, waited upon Mr. Carter, the coroner for Surrey,
with information that two females had been found drowned
in the Grand Surrey Canal. The bodies were taken to the
dcadhouse at the workhouse to await the coroner's inquiry
and to be identified.
FATAL STREET ACClDENT.—Yesterday an inquiry
was instituted by Mr. Wakley, at the Royal Free Hospital,
into the circumstances attending the death of a man named
Chapman, aged 23, who while crossing Margaret-street, in
a state of intoxication, was run over by a four-wheel cab,
and received such severe injuries to his head and neck that
he died soon afterwards. Verdict—Accidental death.
TORTURE IN PERSlA.—Letters from Teheran,
dated New Year's-day, mention that his Majesty the Shah
had applied torture of the most revolting barbarity to ex
tort moneys out of the brother and nephew -of the late dis-
graced Minister, the Sader Azam, which had had the effect
of making them disgorge about £50,000, but that his Ma-
jesty would not rest content until this sum was doubled.
SCENE IN A SCOTCH CHURCH.—There was a
scene in the parish church of Keith on Sunday last,
which rather astonished the minister and congregation.
Just as the minister was about pronouncing the bene-
diction, a young man stood up in the middle of the church,
and proclaimed with an audible voice, that the girl who
stood by his side was his wife, and forthwith placed
on her hand the marriage ring, emblem of the union be-
tween Donald Coutts and Jessie Rose. They are a good-
looking young couple. Jessie, it is said, had been under
enagement to another Lothario, who would have forbidden
the banns ; hence the necessity of making short work.
They are both strangers, though presently residing in
Keith, and belong, we believe, to Strathspey. Coutts is a
carpenter by trade.—Ba4s7tire Journal.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT CAMBERWELL.—An
alarming and destructive fire broke out on Sunday night,
shortly before; 12 o'clock, and which for nearly hours illu-
minated the southern side of the metropolis, destroying in
its progress a great amount of property. The scene of its
operation was Diamond-place, Southampton-street, Cam-
berwell, and the premises in which the disaster commenced
were in the tenure of Mr. Crouch, a furniture dealer. The
engines from Southwark-bridge-road, Waterloo-road. Far-
ringdon-street, and other stations, were soon in attendance,
but the firemen were unable to get the flames under until
the premises and their contents were destroyed. The origin
of the fire is unknown.
DREADFUL DEATH OF AN OLD MAN BY FIRE.—

—Yesterday Mr. Wakley held an inquest at the Royal Free
Hospital on John Crane, aged 64, who met his death by fire
under the following dreadful circumstances. The deceased
was a person of very eccentric habits, and at the same time
given to drink. On the day of the shocking event, about
midnight, his fellow lodgers were alarmed by his cries for
help, and upon getting out of their beds to see what was the
matte; they found him standing on one of the uppc r land-
ings enveloped in flames, the whole of his clothes being on
fire. They extinguished the fire as quick as possible, but
not before the sufferer was burned in a frightful manner.
He was conveyed to the hospital, where everything that
medical skill could do was resorted to to save his life; but
he gradually sank and soon died. It could not be proved
how the fire originated. An open verdict as to the origin
of the fatal occurrence was recorded.
COLLISION IN THE CHANNEL.—LOSS OF THE
TIIALIA, STEAMSHIP.—A telegram was posted at Lloyd's
on Saturday afternoon, from Dartmouth, announcing that
a very Serious collitio. had taken place in the Channel
between the Thalia, Ifbn screw steamship, and the Beagle,
Captain Barter, bound to Oporto, which resulted in the
foundering of the Thalia, with a valuable cargo. The
collision took place early in the morning, about 30 miles
S.W. of the Eddystone Lighthouse. The steamer was
making her way up Channel, from Cadiz, for the Thames,
and the brig was bound down. Both ships sustained con-
siderable damage, and such was the injury the Thalia had
received, that the pumps could not keep her free-of water,
and she went down in some 40 fathoms ; the crew suc-
ceeded in getting on board the Beagle. The latter lost her
bowsprit, her cutwater and stern were crushed, with other*
damage, and she sprang an extensive leak. She succeeded,
however in reaching Dartmouth in the course of the fore-
noon. Wine formed a great portion of the Thalia's cargo,
and her loss will involve a large amount.
CHARGE OF ROASTING A MAN TO DEATH ON
BOARD A STEAMER.—John Buchanan, chief engineer of
the screw steamer Bogota (jhst arrived at Liverpool from
the Pacific), was charged before the local magistrates yes •
terday with causing the death of a stoker (Thos. Launder),
by having him tied to a ladder in front of the furnace on
board the above vessel. The outrage was reported to the
police authorities on Sunday by several persons who had ar-
rived in the Bogota, and no time was lost in the apprehension
of the prisoner. Mr. Clough (superintendent of police)
stated that, so far as he had at present been informed,
Launder had disobeyed some orders, and when about five
hours' sail from Rio the prisoner instructed the second en-
gineer to tie Launder to an iron ladder in front of the fur-
nace. The heat was fearful, and in half an hour Launder
died (as the doctor on board said) of apoplexy. His body
was thrown overboard without removing the clothes, and
before the doctor had examined it. At the request of Mr.
Aspinall, barrister, the case was remanded until next day,
bail for Buchanan's appearance being refused.
FATAL AFFRAY IN MANCHESTER.—A few mi-
nutes before one o'clock on Sunday morning a policeman
received information that two men had just been stabbed in
Spinning-field. He went to the spot and found the men,
one in the house No. 59, and the other in the street a short
distance off. The constable immediately fetched Mr. Hand-
cock, surgeon, Bridge-street, who pronounced one man to
be dead, and the other was removed in a cab to the Rayal
Infirmary. A youth, named John Brown; who saw the
affray, states that he was going home about half-past 12 on
Saturday night, when'he noticed there was a disturbance
in Spinning-field. He went to the spot, and found that a
man and woman, named John Mackie and Jane Cooper,
were quarrelling in the house No. 59. Mackie accused the
woman of having stolen his handkerchief as he was going
home along the street, and he wanted it back. She denied
having it, and they then stepped out of the house, when the
woman struck Mackie on the head with a candlestick. The
occupier of the house, John Wharrior, came out, and asked
Mackie where his coat was. Mackie replied angrily, and
Wharrior struck him. Mackie then rushed at his assailant,
with a shoemaker's knife in his hand, and in the struggle
Wharrior was stabbed in the beck. The injured man was
carried into the house, and the woman Cooper, with a man
named r.enson, followed Mackie. Cooper carried a poker,
with which she struck Mackie, who kept running backwards
holding the open knife before him. The woman also got up
to him and struck him in the face. Benson then attempted
to seize the knife. Mackie and he struggled together, and
Benson was stabbed several times in the abdomen and thigh.
He ran a few yards, then fell down, and died in a few
minutes. Mackie was appreehended shortly afterwards in
his own house. He lives at No. 54, Spinning-field, and is
a shoemaker. He said he had done all in self-defence. The
deceased was a married man, a joiner, and lived in lodgings
in the same street. The injuries received by Wharrior are
not dangerous.-IMlanchester Guardian.
THE MINISTERS OF SOULOUQUE.—After the
Emperor himself had escaped a mob surrounded the Con-
sulate, where some of the ex-Ministers had taken refuge.
For three days and nights the mob guarded in all directions
every door and possible means of escape. At length, on the
night of the 17th, a fire broke out in the city, and the idea
was suggested to the multitude to set fire to the Consulate,
and thus compel the rekgees to come forth. Hearing this,
the French Charge d'Affaires, utterly exhausted and worn
out, with the full consent of the British Consul, sent off a
boat to the Melbourne, requesting Captain M'Crea to come
to his immediate assistance. Within half an hour 150 men
of the Royal Artillery, commanded by Captain M'Crea,
landed, and, larching in perfect order and silence up two
different streets, closed round the Consulate and separated
the crowd from the breilding. In an instant the savage yells
which had predominated gave way to doubt and wonder.
The Ministers of the new Government, having been in-
formed of the landing of the British troops, galloped down
from the palace in full uniform, escorted by troops, when,
on questioning the officer commanding the Royal Artillery,
and receiving his explanation, the Minister replied that,
under the extraordinary circumstances of the country, the
British officer had acted perfectly right, and he was thanked
in the name of the President. A conference was at once
held at the Consulate, and the Republic accepted the respon-
sibility of guarding the building, and a proclamation was
issued warning the people not to surround it. Captain
M'Crea, as the result of this arrangement, re-embarked his
troops, and the Consulate was guarded by the troops of the
Republic. On the two following nights the Mitnisters of the
ex-Emperor escaped in disguise.
METROPOLITAN TOLL AND ROAD REFORM.—
A lengthy statement has been submitted to the chairman of
the Metropolitan Toll Commission (Lord Evereley), on the
state of the roads, and the best means of keeping them in an
efficient state of repair. It appears that the destruction of
the roads is attributable to the formation of the carriage
wheels, and therefore it is politic that the toll on carriages
should be maintained as at present, being regulated by the
shape and breadth of the wheel. Bearing this object in
view, as a patent caoutchouc wheel, invented by Mr. Davies,
by reason of its moderate cast, promises extensive applica-
tion, and to encourage the use of such wheels, as well as to
mote out equality in the law, it is proposed that carriages
with caoutchouc wheels, for business or pleasure, be not
liable to tax or toll. It is then essayed to show the destruc-
tion committed on the roads by iron-tyred wheels, and re-
ference is made to the narrow roadways in corroboration—
instancin g the north end of Chancery-lane, New-street, St.
Martin's-lane, and other places--showing that in these nar-
row ways, where the horse is compelled to keep in the centre
of the road, the sides are worn into ruts, and require fre-
quent repairing, whilst the centre remains good and per-
fect. The method of throwing down loads of broken granite
or flint, for the roads to be made by the traffic, is described
as "barbarous and inhuman," by reason of the cruelty to
the horse, causing lameness and other calamities. The ad-
vantages of caoutchouc wheels are then stated to be, that
the formation of good roads would result as a measure of
policy and necessity. The rolling machine would effect
this instead of the carriage wheels, and as the material
(caoutchouc), going over the ground like a soft cushion, is
not destructive, the roads would be much cleaner than they
now are, and an immense amount would be annually saved
to the cotintry in road-making.