The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-16 00:00:00

REPLY OP THE FEDERAL COUNCIL TO THE I
SWISS RESIDENTS IN LONDON.

The Federal CJuncil of witzerland have sent the
following reply (a translation) to the address of the Swiss
residents in Loudon, agreed to at a public meeting on the
2d inst.
"Berne, Jan. G. 1857.
"The Swiss Federal Council to the Consul-General of
the Swiss Confederation at London.
"Monsieur,—We acknowledge the receipt of the pa-
triotic address which, signed by a great number of Swiss
at London on the 2d inst., announces at the same time
a truly magnificent donation of 2,2831 13e. GI, in.
eluding 540/. from Swiss residents at Liverpool, to
he distributed amongst the defenders of the country or
their families. You add, M. Consul-General, that 1,540/.
of the above sum has been sent to the banking-house of
Messrs. Marcuard and Cie., with instructions that it be
placed at our disposal.

"The noble language of this addrese, and the glowing
sentiments expressed therein, have profoundly
touched us. We see here a new proof that, in trying
circumstances, all the Swiss is one ; that thd children of
the country breathe but for her, whether they live in
their native land or tr ad a fireigu soil,
"This sentiment of confraternity, which manifesti
itself in the days of prosperity as in those of adversity,
is an eloquent testim my in favour of the Confederation
and it, institutions which secure the happiness of all.

"We beg you, Con,ul-General, to be the inter-
preter of our lively gratitude to our compatriots for the
patriotic devotion which they have displayed. We ask
you aiso to address, in our name, our siocertst thanks
to the Swiss both of Landon and Liverpool, for the
generous offering which they have placed upon the altar
of the country, and to inform them that a central com-
mittee will be entrusted with the distribution of these
and similar gifts conformi►bly to the intentions of the
noble donors. _ _

" We conclude by adding our voices to those of the
signers of the address in praying God to protect and
preserve our dear country.
" Receive, 111. Consul-General, the repeated assurance
of our distinguished consideration. In the name of the
Swiss Federal Council,
"The President of the Confederation,
(Signed) " C. FIRNEROD."
"The Chancellor of the Confederation,
(Signed) " SCIIIESS."

The sum subscribed by the Swiss in London was
2,0841. 175., which, with 540/. sent from Liverpool,
amounted to 2,6241. 17s. The total amount of contri•
butions received and notified to the Federal Council
from Swig, residing abroad, including the above, is now
about 11,0001. sterling.

CONVEYANCE OF MAILS.—The charge for the convey-
ance of the Post-office mails was, in the year ended
March, 616,5961.
FIRE. —Yesterday morning, about one, a fire broke
out at the Fortune of War public-house, East-street,

Manchester-square, in the occupation of Mr. Chapman,
licensed victualler, and was nearly attended with the
loss of several lives. It was first observed by a police-
constable in the lower part of the house, when he gave
an immediate alarm, upon which the inmates, who were
a,leep, appeared at the windows. Mrs. Chapman was
at the first floor, n hen she was urged to wait till the
arrival of the engines, but she refused to do so, and got
out. She grasped hold of the lamp-iron and dropped
from it. A police-constable tried to save her, in doing
which they were both thrown to the pavement. They
were both so seriously hurt that it was necessary to take
them to the hospital. The barman lowered himself

from the second floor by tying two sheets together, but
before he reached the paveinent the fire escape arrived,
by which he was rescued from his perilous position.
WINE DUTIES REDUOTION.—Mr. Oliveira, M.P., in a

communication dated Oporto, Jan. 5, says :—" At Lis-
bon the prices of wines have very much risen in conse-
quence of the last vintage having been a very short one,
and stocks held by merchants are much reduced ; whilst
here, in Oporto, the stacks are reduced to about 80,000
pipes, and only 15,000 have been entered as the produce
of last vintage, and the exports last year were 42,000
pipes. Many influential persons both in Lisbon and
Oporto favour the principle of a reduced duty in Eng-
land, and it is not improbable that local committees will
be formed in both cities to correspond with the committee
in London, and to assist in bringing about a mutual re-
duction of tariff. The new Chamber has amongst its
members a considerable number who are inclined towards

free trade principles, and they intend to advocate their
views. The export of cattle from Oporto increases very
much, having last year amounted to 4,268 head, ai
under :—To London, 3,427 ; to Liverpool, 127 ; to
Southampton, 712."

AGRICULTURAL DWELLINGS IMPROVEMENT AesoclA•
TION.—The Annual meeting of the Association for Im-
pro►ing the Dwellings and Domestic Condition of Agri-
cultural Labourers in Scotland was held on Tuesday, in
George-street Hall ; the Duke of Buccleuch presiding.
Sir John Forbes read the third annual report,
which stated that the directors had been in communica

tion with parties in different part, of Scotland, urging
the necessity of increased accommodation for agricultural
labourers, and referred to the plans which they had sent

for cottage accommodation. He congratulated the
meeting on the beneficial results which had followed the
operations of the society during the three years of its
existence, and the warm interest which was now begin
ning to be felt in its proceedings by noblemen and gen-
tlemen in every part of Scotland. The Duke of Buc-
cleuch, seconded by Sir Alex. Maitland, moved that the
report be approved of, and that the thanks of the meet-
ing be given to the directors and the hon. secretary, the
Rev. Harry Stuart, for their exertions in conducting the
business of the association. The Earl of Leven, seconded
by Sir W. Gladstone, moved "That the progress of this
association during the last season in promoting the erec-
tion of new labourers' dwellings and bothies, as well as
in improving and repairing the old ones, has been highly
satisfactory. Office-bearers for next year were then ap-

oointed.— Witness.
THE RUSSIANS IN CIRCASSIA.—The Gazette of the
Caucasus relates in the following style the mighty deeds
of the Nogais Militia : " Forty men of that body,
under the command of Major Doubiaga, and accompanied
by Captain-Lieutenant Potouloff, left Fort Kaladjinski,
situated on the Great Laba (a southern tributary of the
Kouban river), in order to march to the banks of the
Chedok, a stream that flows into the Little Laba,
where a detachment of Russian troops was engaged in
the constructlon of a new fort. This small force had

already passed without opposition over a great part of
the distance between the two forts when it was attacked,

about a league from the Chedok, by a troop of 300
Circassians. To alight from their horses, to form a
hollow square, and open an effective fire, was for our
40 brave fellows the work of an instant. The splen-
did coolness of Major Doubiaga was the best en-
couragement for his men ; as for M. Potouloff, known
as a crack shot in the Caucasus, he had already emptied
the saddles of eight men, when several bullets hit him in
both his legs and his head ; he incontinently attempted
to get up again, but being unable to stand, he sat down
and recommenced shooting. The Circassians did not
dare to attack this handful of brave fellows in close fight,
and were satisfied with firing on them from a distance ;
nevertheless the position of the Nogais became critical ;
three of their comrades had already fallen, and 25 were
wounded more or less severely ; among the latter were
Major Doubiaga and M. Potouloff ; 14 men alone re-
mained on their legs. The firing had lasted upwards of
hall-an-hour, and the Circassians were preparing to cut
down the militiamen, when by a providential chance
two sotnias of Cossacks from the fort of Chedok, and
one sotnia from that of SAladjinski, where they had
heard the firing, arrived in aid of their comrades. When
they saw the Cossacks issuing from the forest, the Cir-
cassians took to flight, and thanks to the speed of their
horses, which had time to rest during the combat, they
escaped from certain death. The Cossacks pursued them
as far as the River Shodze, and killed more than a score
of them." It may be as well to compare this boastful
narrative with the statements of our Constantinople cor-
respondent to-day about the indifferent success of the
Russian arms in Circassia.
CONVICTION AND SENTENCE FOR WILL FORGERY.—
At the; High Court of Justiciary, Edinburgh, on Wednes-
day last, Dr. Dionysius Wielobycki, who had been con-
victed on the Friday previous of forgery and uttering of a
fabricated will, was sentenced to 14 years' transportation.
The prisoner, originally a Polish refugee, had for 12 or
13 years practised as a homoeopathic physician in E lin-
burgh, his income having latterly approached to 1,2001.
He had borne a respectable character, and had generally
won the confidence and regard of his patients. He had been

called some years ago to attend a family of elderly per-
sons in Portobello, of whom only one, Miss Isabella
Darling, now survived, and so great influence had he
obtained over them that he had managed to secure pos-
session of all their funds, about 4,0001., with the view of
investing them for their benefit. Thomas Darling, who
died in April, 1856, left his property by will to his two
sisters, Margaret and Isabella, excluding his nephews
and nieces by other sisters. Margaret died in the Oct.
following, and, after au opinion had been obtained from
counsel to the effect that, Margaret having died intes-
tate, the nephews and nieces could not by Thomas's
will be excluded from their proportion of Margaret's
share, the prisoner next day uttered a document pre-
rending to be a will of Margaret conveying her properay.
to Isabella. From the evidence it appeared that Is
bella, a weak, facile, and ignorant woman,
scribed the will from scrolls supplied by 9
g da forgery
uttered by the prisoner and
challenged as
the pri-
soner forged the signature, and that, after it had been
eb apdr torna ran-
scribed
the agent for the nephews
t the claimants for
and a compromise was made w
d to their rightful share.
soner and. Isabella Darling destroyedah it between them,
prisoner had got a
that the
The evidence also showed_
1,2001., vvhich nearly amounted
sums from the family for medical
ceived considerable
that they had also intrusted to
will in his, favour fromisabella Darling, that he had re-
which they had
hm attendance,abcuts
or acknowledg
oaog/e.nicni'nlotee;and silver coin,
of the farelily in dismis-
lraiosanrtd.ed
former and employing
1111 the without
correspondencereceivin g any receipt
a new law agent, and in
sing the
transacting
their pecuniary affairs, for a year and a half,
was eitherwritten by the prisoner or by Isabella from
scrolls supplied by him, Isabella stating in the witness-
box that she very often did not understand what the
doctor gave her to write. In passing sentence, the
Lord Justice Clerk remarked that the offence was
not only o f the gravest description of the class of for-
gery, but i t was all the more flagrant that it had been
committed by a medical adviser intruding himself into
the pecuniary affairs of his patients. The judges at the
trial had i a this case consulted all the other judges of the
Court, and they found them all firmly and decidedly of
opinon that, notwithstanding the recommendation of the
jury to leniency on the ground of former good character,
no exception to the course of practice could be made in
this case, and the Court felt they had uo alternative but
to sentence the prisoner for the period of 14 years. IThe
trial and its result have occasioned great sensation in
Edinburgh, where the prisoner was extensively known.