The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-12 00:00:00

HAY MARKETS.

SMITHFIELD.—Meadow hay, £2 to £5 ; clover, £3 105
to £6 Os Od ; and straw, £1 8s to £1 16s Od per load.
A fair demand.

CUMBERLAND.—MenAow hay, £2 2s to £5 Os; clover
do., £3 lOs to £5 18s; and straw, £1 8s to £1 16s per load.
Trade dull.

WIIITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, £2 Os to £5 Os; clover,
£3 10s to £6 Os Od ; and straw, £1 8s to £1 16s per load.
Supply good.

TIIIS DAY'S SHIPPING.

LONDON, Dec. 12.—Wind this day IA noon —South-
Westerly; rather fresh breeze, 'with dull, dirty weather,
but mild.

COWES, Dec. 12.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Saxonia,
screw steamer, from New York, and proceeded for Bremen ;
passed Cape Race Dec. 4.
QUEENSTOWN, Dec. 11.—Wind W.S.W.—Arrived—
Etna, steamer, from New York.
PLYMOUTH, Dec. 11 —Wind W. SW. —Sailed —Mel-
bourne, screw steamer, for Halifax; Her Majesty's ship
Hero, for Halifax; Her Majesty's ship Greyhound, for
Haliifax.

DIRTMOUTIT, Dec. 11.—Arrived—South Carolina; from
Antwerp for New York.

CARDIFF, Dec. 10.—Wind S.W.— Sailed—Transit, for
Callao.

KINGROAD, Dec. 11.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Mary
Dundee, from Montreal.

ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
SOUTHAMPTON, Thursday Morning.
Arrived—Wonder, steamer, from Havre ; Georges, from
Cherbourg ; Atalanta, steamer, from Jersey.
No sailings.

(BY SUBMARINE AND MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Thursday Morning.
Arrived, Dec. 11—Parsons, from Rouen ; Teaser, from,
Rouen; Tweedside, from Bassein; Catherine, from Paler-
mo ; Marseilles, from Calcutta ; Fergus, from Quebec ;
Ben Nevis, from Colombo ; John Banshaw, from Messina.
Arrived, Dec. 12—Eclipse, from Seville; Cristin, from
Guernsey.

DIAL, Thursday Morning.
Passed—Lope di Vega, screw steamer, from London, for
Corunna ; Caroline, from Shields, for Gibraltar; Q. F. L.
M., screw steamer, from the west, for London.

FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LIST.

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SPAIN AND ITAL F.

From the diplomatic documents laid by the
Italian Government before the Chamber of Depu-
ties at Turin, we select the following despatch of
the Minister of Victor-Emmanuel at Madrid to
M. Calderon-Collan tes, Minister of Foreign Affairs :
" Madrid, 24th Nov.
"Monsieur le Ministre—Having made known to
my Government the non-acceptance by the Cabinet
of her most Catholic Majesty of the last conciliatory
means proposed, vs ith the friendly support of
France, for putting an end to the long differences
on the subject of the Neapolitan archives, I have
just received orders to apply for my passports,
and quit this capital.
"In now making to you, Monsieur le Ministre,
this painful application, I feel the more lively regret
that a few days ago I thought I might consider the
difference as solved, since the formula so happily
fixed on by the French Ambassador, and adopted
in its textual tenour by your Excellency, had been
completely accepted by my Government.
" In the midst of those regrets, however, I take
with me, in leaving Spain, a great consolation in
the sympathies, as lively as spontaneous, the con-
stant marks of which I have been so happy as to
everywhere meet with in this generous nation, so
well able from its own heroic antecedents to justly
appreciate the noble efforts made by Italy to
complete and secure her national independence.
Those sympathies, so marked and so reciprocal,
as well as the evident interests of our respective
nations, lead me to hope that the unfortunate inter-
ruption of ordinary good relations between the two
Governments will not be of long duration. In the
meantime I am authorised to leave Baron Cavalchini
charged with the archives and with the business of
the mission.

" Personally, I can only take with me on my
departure the grateful remembrance of the courtesy
and obliging consideration of which I have been the
object on your part, Monsieur le Ministre, as well
as on that of the other functionaries with whom I

have had the honour of finding myself in relation.
" I beg your Excellency to accept the fresh assur-
ances of my high consideration. " TECCO."
The following is a circular from Baron Ricasoli
to the Italian representatives at foreign Courts :
" Turin, Nov. 30.

" Sir,—His Majesty's Minister at Madrid has
received from the King's Government the order to
quit that capital, leaving to a secretary of legation
the task of despatching current business. I think
right to give to his Majesty's legations some ex-
planations on an event which hto modified the state
of our relations with Spain:
" You are aware that the Spanish Consul of
Lisbon received orders to take possession of the
archives of the late Neapolitan consulate. This
measure gave rise to a rather long discussion be-
tween the two Governments. It was adopted, it
appears, without the knowledge of the President
of the Spanish Cabinet, and M. Calderon Collantes,
Minister of Foreign Affairs of her Catholic Majesty,
was pleased at first to reduce it to very small pro-
portions. But we soon learned that similar orders
had been given to a great many Spanish consuls.
laving thus acquired the conviction that the inci-
dent referred to was not purely accidental, but was
one of a series of measures announcing a firm de-
termination on the part of the Minister of her
Catholic Majesty, the King's Government thought
right to address observations to the Cabinet of
Madrid.

" Spain had, in fact, no right to the Neapolitan
archives, which had become the property of the
Italian Government; and the Spanish Cabinet,
which had declared that it would not intervene in
any manner in the affairs of Italy, gave by that act
direct support to the pretensions of the ex-King of
Naples. It thus in reality assumed a position which
was quite different to its declarat ions. It conferred
the rights of a belligerent Power on a pretender
who had fallen from his throne by a revolution, and
had left his former territory after a regular capitu-
lation ; and it prevented the Government of King
Victor Emmanuel from exercising part of the rights
and fulfilling part of the obligations which had
been confided to it by the will of the Italian popula-
tions.

"In consequence of the prudent counsels of
the French Government, which in a friendly man-
ner offered its good offices, the Spanish Govern
meet declared that it was ready to give up to the
local authorities the documents relative to the
private affairs of Italian subjects; but it added
that it did not think right to restore those of a
public character.
" After the profound discussion which had been
entered into on the legal question, this distinction
was not admissible. At the point at which the
negotiations had arrived, it was not possible to
accept the restitution of a part of the documents
without at the same time admitting the right of
Spain to retain the other part. The legal question
—that which had become the most important—
would in that way have been implicitly decided in
a manner unfavourable to the King's Government.
At one moment the Cabinet of Madrid itself ap-
peared to admit the justice of this reason.
" On its part the King's Government, acknow-
ledging the efforts which France had constantly
made to terminate the misunderstanding in a
friendly spirit, thought right to show itself all the
more conciliatory in matters of form, from its hav-
ing been obliged to be firm on the merits of the
question. In consequence, M. Calderon-Collantes
proposed to give up to the local authorities all the
documents contained in the archives, accompanied
by the declaration that the Spanish Government
had acquired the conviction that the said papers
only concerned private interests.
" In insisting for a direct restitution, the King's
Government might have appeared to call for an
express act of recognition from Spain. But that
idea was far from us, for his Majesty's Ministers
have too profound a sentiment of the dignity of
the country, not to be convinced that Italy could
not accept a recognition obtained by such expe-
dients. I therefore consented to the solution pro
posed, recommending, however, the King's Minis-
ter at Madrid to insert in his reply some reserves
destined to prevent any erroneous interpretation.
" To my great astonishment, this proposition of
his Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
her Catholic Majesty was not approved of by his
colleagues, and Baron Tecco was called on to with-
draw the two notes in which the legal question was
developed.
"Evidently, it was impossible to consent to this
demand without imposing a condition which would
give to the transaction a character of perfect reci-
procity. I therefore only accepted the proposed
solution, subject to the Spanish Government, on its
part, abstaining, in the orders to be given to its
consuls, from mentioning that the archives did
not comprise political documents. The Spanish
Government having refused to admit this last con-
ciliatory measure, I was obliged to submit to the
King an order for the recall of his Minister from
Madrid.

" These explanations will enable you to give
to the Government of - all the information
it may desire on this affair. You will besides
take advantage of the opportunity afforded to
you to remark on the attitude which the King's
Government has maintained towards Spain
down to these latter times. When in November,
1860, her Catholic Majesty's Government re-
called its Minister from Turin, the King's Govern-
ment, wishing to give a proof of the value it attached
to the continuation of friendly relations with the
Court of Madrid, did not follow the example set it,
but preferred to depart from established usages,
rather than interpret in a hostile spirit the resolu-
tion of the Spanish Government.
" Since that epoch, whatever was our desire to
see the Government of her Catholic Majesty re-es-
tablish completely its relations with us, we have
never, as I have had the honour to tell you, solicited
from the Spanish Government an act of recognition
which it would have been natural to expect from it,
on account of the analogy between the events which
have occurred in Italy and those which consolidated
constitutional monarchy in Spain. We have, more-
over, carefully abstained from throwing on the
Spanish Government the responsibility of the en-
couragements given by some subjects of her Catholic
Majesty to the desperate efforts against the order

-= :;::

may,_...-- :.'t,._

R.E.POR 7'.

TOR TRADE.

of things now established in Italy. 'We have main•
tained the same silence with regard to the insults
which a portion of the Spanish press daily heaped
on the Government, and even on his Majesty, our
august master, personally.
"In re calling our Minister from Madrid, we have
therefore ceded neither to a movement of vexation
nor to a sentiment of exaggerated susceptibility.
This determination has been imposed on us by the
duty of protecting the national dignity, which can-
not permit, without protest, the Court of Madrid to
continue to injure the rights and to thwart the in-
terests of a nation bound to Spain by ancient
friendship.—Accept, etc.,

" RICASOLI."

VIE NORTH BRITON.-OFFICIAL

TO THE LORDS OF THE COMMITTEE OF PRIVY COUNCIL

My Lords,—On receiving your instructions I proceeded,
in conjunction with Capt. Harris, Nautical Assessor to the
Board of Trade, to hold an inquiry into the loss of the
North Briton, on the morning of the sth of November last,
on the coast of Labrador. The North Briton was an iron
screw steamer, built in 1853 on the Clyde ; her gross ton-
nage was 2,187 tons, and she was owned by the Montreal
Ocean Steamship Company, trading between Liverpool and
Quebec. She left Quebec on her homeward voyage on the
2d of November, commanded, on this occasion, by Mr. WI.
Grange, who holds an extra master's certificate of com-
petency, granted in 1851, and who ordinarily comman3s
the ship Hibernian, belonging to the same company. The
ship was fully and properly equipped for the voyage.
She had:a crew of ninety-nine men,.all told, and carr:ed
121 passengers and general cargo. Her draught of
water on leaving Quebec was 22 feet forward and 21 f
6 inches aft. The vessel grounded going dawn fig
river St. Lawrence, off Hare Island, while in charge of a
pilot, but she came off the next tide, and proceeded on her
voyage, having apparently sus'ained no damage. At 3 p.m.
of the 3d she was off Cape de Monts, distant about 31 miles,
and from thence took her departure, shaping her course
east, for the west point of Anticosti, and cont:nued on that
course till 2 p.m. on the 4th, when, under the impression
that they had entered the Canadian Channel, the course
was altered to E.S.E. till 4 p m., when land was seen on
the beam, supposed to be in the vicinity of Thunder Point.
The weather, which had previously beep boisterous, had
moderated, but was somewhat thick with drizzling rain, so
that no accurate bearings could be obtained. At this time
soundings were taken with 90 fathoms of line, but no bot-
tom was found, which seemed to confirm the master's sus-
picion that the land seen was somewhere in the neigh-
bourhood of Thunder Point. The ship was then hauled
off the land S.E. and by S., to regain the fairway of
the channel, the engines were slowed to half speed,
and soundings were taken every half hour till 7 pm.
The course was then altered to S.E. and by E. till mid-
night, up to which time sounding's continued to be taken
also every half hour. At midnight the lest soundings gave
65 fathoms, when the master, hav:ag then no doubt that '
he was in the fairway of the Channel, gave orders to steer
E.S.E. and to go on at fall spec]. The maste-, who had
been on deck since 4 a.m,, then went below, having fur-
ther directed the second mate, who came on wa' eh at
night, to slop the vessel and take a cast of the lead at 1
a,m., which, order, after consulting his charts, the maser
deemed to be unnecessary, and countermanded. About 1 2G
a.m. on the morning of the sth the vessel stack. The
master, who was in bed, rushed on deck, and saw breakers
on the port bow. He found that the engines had been
stopped, and on the impulse of the moment gave an order
to reverse, but as the ship began to strike heavily, the order
was recalled before it could be obeyed. Finding that the
water was rushing into the engine-room, orders were at
once issued to clear away the boats, and promptly attended
to. The original intention was to get the beat over,
lower them level with the gunwale, and await day-
light ; but fearing, from the rolling of the ship, that they
might be starved, they were 'owe- ed into the water and
passed astern. This was more easily accomplished on the
one side than the other, as, owing to the ship having a list
to port, it required more time to free the starboard boats.
From a careful inquiry into this part of the case I ant
clearly of opinion that no undue time was lost in this ope-
ration, nor did any impediment mist from the mode in
which the boats were stowed. The master attempted to
tranquillise the passengers, and begged them to remain in
the saloon till daylight, but not succeeding in his attempt,
and fearing injury from the falling of the masts if they re-
mained on deck, the women and children were placed in
two of the boats, one of which remained near the ship, and
the other made its way to Mingan Island. At daylight it
was found that the sh'p had grounded on a reef cff
Perroquets Island, upon which a lauding was effected.
No life was lost, some of the boats that had drifted
from the ship during the night having been ulti-
mately picked up. Every effort was made W save property
and mails, but, unfortunately, one of the schooners
which had been engaged for this purpose, and on board &I
which the purser had gone in charge, parted from her
anchors and was driven on shore. The luggage had to In
thrown overboard, amongst which was the log of the Nort t
Briton. On the 11th, the. Anglo-Saxon, which had be, i
intercepted, arrived, and took off the passengers and part
of the crew, and brought them home, with such of the
luggage and mails as were finally secured. After a most
careful review of the evidence given in this case, and after
an anxious consultation with my nautical colleague upon
the courses alleged to have been steered, I fled great diffi-
culty in arriving at a satisfactory conclusion as to the cause
of the loss of this ship. Great vigilance and caution seem
to have been displayed by the master in the navigation
his ship up to midnight of the 4th. I cannot, however,
but regard it as unfortunate that the master, who had, on
going below at that hour, left orders that the second ma'e,
who was then in charge, should stop the vessel to take
soundings at one a.m. on the sth, should have seen fit, on
examining his charts, to countermand an order so properiy
given in accordance with his wonted caution. It
is just possible that a cast of the lead then taken might have
warned him of his danger, but looking at the irregular
soundings that prevail throughout the Canadian Channel,
even that precaution might have shown a result calculated
to mislead him. This is the solo omission that I can lay to
the charge of the master, and I am reluctantly compelled to
say that, so far as this single omission goes, be must be pro-
nounced in default. At the s tine time I feel bound to add
that, on a review of his previous vigilance, I arrive unwila
lingly at this conclusion. It is necessary here to refer to two
circum stanceswhich lead me to express myself thus guardedly
in regard to the conduct of the master. It would appear
from the evidence of Captain Aiton, maser of the steam-
ship Jura, which met the North Briton to the eastward of
Cape de Montis on the 3d of November, that an 17 ausually
high tide prevailed in the St. Lawrence and over the whole
seaboard of North America on that day. How far this may
have influenced the current in the Canadian Channel, so as
to have deceived a skil:al and practised navigator in his
reckoning, it is impossible to say, but that so
some extent it must have affected the navigation
of the ship, there would appear to be :little doubt. The
other circumstance to which I would allude is the repot I
which reached Quebec before the sailing of the North Bri-
ton, that the North American, one of the same line of
steamships, was supposed to be on shore on Natasheinan
Point, and Captain Grange was desired to ascertain the
truth of the rumour, and to render assistance if necessary.
For this purpose he must, of course, have taken the pas-
sage which he did—by the Canadian ;Channel ; and thus
instructed by his company's agents at Quebec, he consi-
dered himself almost without discretion in the choice of
this passage, rather than the longer one by Cape Race. In
arriving, therefore, at a conclusion, these two circum-
stances must be fairly taken into consideration along with,
the other facts of the case, and may induce your lordships
to return to Captain Grange his certificate, with a caution,
which, in opinion, will meet the merits of the case. The
result of this inquiry following so closely upon the heels of
that which took place into the loss of the Canadian, seems
certainly to stamp the passage by the Canadian Channel
and the Straits of Belleisle as one fraught with danger and
difficulty, except during the height of the season and in
the clearest weather. It may well become a question for
serious consideration, whether the saving of a single day ie.
the length of the passage compensates for the risk to life
and property which it seems to entail.-1 have, &c.,
T. S. RAFFLES, Stipendiary Magistrate.
Liverpool, Dec. 7, 1861.
I concur in the above report and recommendation,
Hr. HARRIS, Nautical Assessor.

j .

CHARGE OF ASSAULT AGAINST A SCHOOLMASTER.
—At the Leeds Town-hall, on Tuesday, before J. Wilson,
Esq., and C. J. Maclea, Esq., Mr. R. H. V. Sebright, mas-
ter of the St. Marie's Roman Catholic day school, Rich-
mond-hill, was charged with assaulting Wm. Dyson, pupil
teacher, on the morning of Friday last. The boy stated
that Mr. Sebright had beaten him very severely on the
head, so that he was obliged to stay at home the whole of
the afternoon. The boy's mother also deposed that her son's
face was very much swollen, and that "it was the colour
of the fire, it was so red." Mr. Sebright, in answer to the
charge, said the boy's statement was substantially cor-
rect, but he submitted in extenuation that he had boxed
the lad's ears under great provocation. He had been
a schoolmaster eighteen years, and it was the
first time he had struck a pupil teacher. For the last 18
months this lad had been a great to him ; he had hitherto
acted kindly towards him, and had remonstrated with him
upon his conduct at the request of his parents. At the time
when the offence complained of took place, Dyson was
superintending a writing class ; he asked him to move about,
instead of standing in one place, which ho refused to do
and being aanoyed at this and other instances of bad con-
duct, ho had, he acknowledged, boxed the prosecutor's ears
with the palm of his hand. The lad's statement with re-
ference to standing still was that he had stood in the class
for the purpose of pulling out a pen which had become fast
in the holder. The magistrates said they were of opinion
the evidence proved that the defendant had exercised undue
severity, and that it was a very dangerous practice to strike
boys on the head. They should fine him 205., including
cats, yr ogyenclaye Unprioollllaoll4