The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-07 00:00:00

INDIA, CHINA, AND JAPAN.

By the latest mails from Asia we have advices from
Bombay to August 11 ; Madras, August 5 ; Calcutta,
August 6 ; Ceylon, August 10 ; Hong Kong, July 24, &c.
The Times of India says that the working of the tele-
graph line between India and Great Britain is at present
highly satisfactory.
The Bank of Bombay inquiry still continues.
Major-General Rivers, who has resigned his appoint.
ment as agent of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, and
Mr. Rushton, the chief engineer of the company, who
has also resigned, were entertained at a farewell dinner in
Bombay on the 10th.
A Mr. Walter Jamieson Meyer, who represents himself
as the agent of the London Post Office and charged with
the getting up of a Post Office Directory for India and
the Colonies, has been examined at the Bombay Police-
court and remanded on a charge of obtaining money under
false pretences.
Some 400 men have waited upon the Commissioner of
the Southern District of Calcutta to complain of the
treatment of the zemindars, and to urge upon Government
the need of help in the prospects of distress they already
feel.

The Calc,d'a Englishman says that rain has fallen in the
north-western provinces, and generally all over India.
The prospects of all the crops, especially of indigo, had
greatly improved. In places where the Khureef crops
had suffered largely from drought, fresh sowings were
being actively made.
The Madras Athena um says that the prospects of the
crops from the interior and from the districts round about
Madras are very favourable, and all anxiety about scarcity
in the presidency may be set at rest for this season, unless
there should be too much rain, which might prove as
hurtful as a drought. At present, however, there seemed
not much to fear.

The Colombo Observer says that the great event since the
departure of the previous mail had been the unveiling, at
Kandy, of the statue of the late Sir Henry George Ward,
G.C.M.G., who was Governor of Ceylon from May 18:55
to June 1860, and who " in the five years of his govern-
ment did more to promote the material progress of the
island than any other ruler, at least since the time of the
only other governor to whom a statue has been erected.
Sir Edward Barnes."

The Shanghai Recorder is informed upon good authority
that Sir Rutherford Alcock purposes returning to England
during the present year. It is not stated whether he in-
tends to resign his office, or whether he may return home
for a time with the object of assisting in the revision of
the treaties.

TIIE LAST JOKE.—In an essay on "practical
jokes" in Chambers's Journal there is a good story of a
French auditor of accounts, who was a great practical
joker all his life, and even played a trick after he had lost
the power of enjoying it. He left four largo candles to be
carried at his funeral, and they had not been burning
fifteen minutes before they went off as fireworks.
TIIE FENIAN EXPLOSION AT CLERKENNVELL.—
Friday and Saturday were appointed by the Relief Com-
mittee for the distribution of the sum of £B,OOO, which
was voted by the House of Commons as a remuneration to
those persons whose houses and property had been
destroyed by the late outrage at Clerkenwell. The
claimants who attended and received the amounts awarded
to them expressed the utmost satisfaction at the liberal
course pursued towards them.

Mr. Gladstone has caused the following letter to be
sent to somebody who bad asked him what he proposed to
do with the revenues of the Irish Church :—" Mr. Gladstone
desires mo to acknowledge the favour of your letter of the
22d, and, in reply to the question therein contained, to state
that he has many times publicly stated that in his opinion
the disposable property of the Irish Church should not,
when it is disestablished, be employed in the endowment of
any other Church. Mr. Gladstone fears that those few
who aro unaware of this are perhaps not very willing to be
informed."

The following extraordinary advertisement ap-
peared in the Observer of Sunday :—" The Tornado Out-
rage.—The crew of the British steamer Tornado, piratically
seized and plundered, in neutral waters, by a Spanish
frigate, more than two years ago, appeal to the electors of
the United Kingdom, and solicit them to require from all
candidates for a seat in Parliament a pledge that they will
call the present Government to account for its cowardly
sufferance of the Tornado outrage, and that they will
support energetically the claims of the crew upon the
Government of Spain."
SUFFOCATION OF THREE CHILDREN. —At a
cottage near Llangefin, Anglesey, a most melancholy
accident has occurred, three children having been
suffocated. The father and mother put their three
children to bed in the same room. To make them secure
the mother locked the door. On their return they found
smoke issuing from the walls. The father burst a window
which had no opening, and was horrified to find that the
three children had been suffocated. In all probability the
children had lit some matches, and ignited some wheat
stalk that was in the room.

TilE BABE IN THE WOOD. —A party of gentlemen
were out shooting a few clays ago in a wood near Clscres,
in the neighbourhood of Rouen, when one of the dogs sud-
denly came to a set and attracted his master's notice. The
object which had drawn the animal's attention was found
to be a little girl, only a few hours old, which had been
abandoned, quite naked, and left to die of cold or hunger.
The persons present immediately held a consultation, and
decided on jointly adopting the poor infant. They corn.
menced proceedings by giving her the name of Hubertine,
in honour of the saint of sporting.

THE GLOUCESTER MUSICAL FESTIVAL.—The pro•
gramme of the Gloucester Musical Festival, which com-
mences to-day, promises one of the most interesting enter-
tainments which the union of the three choirs of
Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester has produced. The
list of the stewards comprises more than 100 of the prin-
cipal gentry, and the list of performers such vocalists as
Tietjens, Liebhart, Sainton-Dolby, Drasdil, Sims Reeves,
Santley, and such instrumentalists as Sainton, Blagrove,
Carrodus, Willy, Collins, Howell, Radcliff, Crozier,
Lazarus, &c. The chorus includes 250 carefully-selected
singers from the cathedral and other choirs throughout the
west of England. There is said to be every prospect of a
large gathering,

A scandal which it is difficult to explain to Eng-
lish readers is being talked of in a Belgium country town
called Boom. The curate of the parish, M. llylen,
has been called to account for having outraged
decency by performing the Cresarian operation upon
one of his parishioners, in order to baptise her
unborn child. The reverend gentleman has published
in a local journal a vindication of his conduct. lie knows,
he says, that ho transgressed the law, and must take the
consequences, but be has obeyed his ecclesiastical superiors,
and ho cites a circular of the Archbishop of Malines, which
seems to bear him out. By way of extenuating his conduct,
however, he asserts that it is not the first time he assumed
surgical functions. During the cholera, he says, "I operated
several tinn- s." Moreover, he has studied the matter
thoroughly; he operated. in a proper manner, and all was
over in five minutes. To ensure a due regard to decency
"a score of persons, men and women," were present. M.
Ilylen explains that he is unable to pay the fine to which.he
has become liable ; but ho relies with confidence on the
women of hidparish to find him the means of doing sck
A STRAY TELEGRAM.—It is not often that docu-
ments so important as telegrams go astray for want of
owners ; but the curious fact did actually occur the other
day in Haddington, and under circumstances so singular
as to be worth recording. A message was " wired"
to the station, directed to the "Liberal Agent" at
Haddington. In the present state of county
politics, the station-master doubtless felt that he
had in this address a• somewhat difficult problem
to solve. Agents of ono kind or other are neither
few nor unknown to fame in the county town ; but
the question remained as to which of these gentlemen
could be held to answer the title implied in the superscrip-
tion of the telegram. First one practitioner was tried and
then another, and we don't know how many more beside ;
but all denied the " soft impeachment." Ultimately the
unfortunate missive, finding no recipient for its " Liberal "
secrets among the agents of Haddington, was returned to
the shelter of the telegraph office. Beyond this we are
ignorant of its wanderings, and for aught that we know to
the contrary it may still be in search of the " Liberal
Agent."—Haddingtonshire Courier.
MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCE.—A young man,
named Alexander Campbell, aged 21, of Highgate, a
clerk in the service of Messrs. Bowman, solicitors,
Lincoln's-inn-fields, recently went into Wales for his sum-
mer holiday. He left there for the purpose, as was sup-
posed, of returning home to his mother. To her surprise,
however, she received on Thursday last her son's
travelling bag from Potter's receiving house for the
London and Suburban Parcels' Delivery Company,
Islington, but without any tidings of her son. The bag
contained a label or note, saying, " If any person should
find this bag, and take it to Mrs. Campbell, York-place,
Highgate, there is sufficient money in it to pay them for
their trouble." No money was in the bag when it reached
Mrs. Campbell, and it appears the missing young man is
in the habit of labelling his property in that manner. He
was highly respected by his employers and all who knew
him, and his absence is quite unaccountable. Up to
Saturday nothing had been ascertained of him. He is
sft. Bin. high, fair complexion, light hair, and light blue
eyes, pock-marked, and was dressed in black, with speckled
e_traw batAnAlicle-spring boots.

s

I
Tat

HER MAJESTY.

PENSION WALLIS, LUCERNE, Sept. 5.
The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise,
Princess Beatrice, and Prince Leopold, and attended
by the Marchioness of Ely, Colonel Ponsonl y, &C',
drove out in the neighbourhood.

lIOLBORS THEATIZE.

The second season, under the direction of nig
Fanny Josephs, commenced on Saturday evening
in the most, encouraging manner. A brilliant
audience assembled on the occasion, the attraction
being a new drama from the peu of Mr. IL J.
Byron, entitled "Blow for Blow," which we may
at the outset say was successful in every particular.
With commendable discretion all sensational effects
have been avoided, and in their places wa
have a powerful and well-written play—the
language vigorous and telling, and the numerous
characters supported in such a manner as to call
forth universal satisfaction. It is not a matter of
frequent occurrence that everything should turn
out so highly satisfactory, but such being the hapPY
result of Miss Josephs's inaugural night, it is to
be hoped that the same good fortune will attend
her during the entire season. The new piece is
divided into a prologue and three acts, and the
story is so extremely well told that the interest
of the audience is kept up until the curtain
descends on the denouement. The action of the
piece commences in the office of Mr. Craddock, an
attorney, practising at Portsmouth, who, tempted
by speculation, has invested on his own account
some trust money confided to him, and which has
become irretrievably lost. The money is demanded,
and to make good the sum Craddock forges the
name of a client to a blank cheque, which he has
dishonestly obtained. A cringing, cunning clerk,
John Drummond, one whom Craddock has picked
to use his own expression, " out of the gutter," has
witnessed Craddock practising the signature
affixed to the cheque and preserved the blot-
ting paper used on the occasion. Craddock
has two daughters—Alice, who has clandestineli
married a ne'er-do-well named Petheriek
and Mildred, who is beloved by Harry Linden' 3
lieutenant in the navy. The former the father hag
discarded, and the latter he is pleased to find has
secured the love of a man who at no distant daY
must, by the death of his father, become a baronet.
Drummond aspires to the love of Mildred, he declares
his passion, and is repulsed by the girl on the in-
stant. Linden overhears Drummond vilifying
and as he will not apologise the lieutenant admin.
isters to him a sound horsewhipping. This creates
a feeling for revenge, which is very soon gratified'
The forgery of the cheque is discovered, Craddock
denies that ho is the forger, but Drummond pr°-
nounces him to be the man, produces the fatal bit
of blotting paper as proof, and the attorney is taken
to prison. Linden, notwithstanding, declares his
intention of still marrying Mildred, and thus ends the
prologue. The drama now commences after a lap
of five years is supposed to have occurred. Mildred,
the young wife, has died; Sir Harry Linden hag
married a second wife, reserving from her the fact
that he has ever been married before. The old level
however, was sincere, and his only regret is thab
Mildred died when he was at sea, and thus he is t
times unhappy. Lady Linden seeing these dark
clouds at times pass over her husband's usually
happy disposition is disturbed by them, but on all
occasions she is satisfied by the declaration of
her husband. Drummond still craving for reveng
fin
for the horsewhipping he got five years ago
out Alice Petherick, Mildred's twin sister, and, as
the likeness between them is extraordinary, he in:
vents a vile plot against Sir Harry Linden, An('
prevails upon Alice to join in it, and thus revenge,
as he tells her, the neglect of Linden, which Pr°.
duced her sister's death. This she consents to do,
and in the midst of Sir Harry Linden's supretile
happiness Drummond enters, and tells him his first
wife still lives. Alice enters, dressed preciselY as
Mildred was when Linden first saw her, and 11°
comes to the conclusion that Alice is the person re-
presented. Drummond having gratified his re-
venge, now begins to think of making something
out of it. Ile treats with the baronet for the re':
moval of Mildred, and at the instance of a good old
friend, Dr. Grace, Linden appears to join in the
business. Drummond, elated at his success,
partly intoxicated, and then he lets slip certain ob-
servations that lead Dr. Grace to discover the vil9
thing. Lady Linden has sought out Alice, or, as She
,_..
is now looked upon, Mildred, and the depth of her
grief induces Alice to disclose the whole transte_s
tion, the more readily as she finds, too, that sileolfn
been deceived by John Drummond for his
villainous ends. Drummond is hurled front a bal-
cony into the street by Alice's father, and 1131
,PaPcii;
ness once more is restored to Sir
Harry a n`:l ';
Linden. Alice receives the forgiveness °I. her
father, and all ends in the inost aPPr
j°_sveci,_
manner, dramatically speaking. There
and
Kitty under-plot between Charley SPragg9 „ad
Kitty 'Wobbler, which is cleverly introduced.%
P
kept up ; thus we have a proper admixture of g
with the usual quantity of melancholy. The 110'1.,
was in every respect unexceptionally good. . 0
Lydia Foote, who acted the dual parts of Altode
Petherick and Mildred Craddock, has seldom nl'as
an opportunity of so fully developing her powers 04
an actress. tier impersonation of the parts 00
nature itself--a higher compliment We "D ic-
pay her. Miss Jane Rignold made a most i\sitisg
cessful debut as Lady Ethel Linden, and d.
the kirj„
Weathersby was particularly good as trapv-
hearted, genial, little lady's maid. Mr. ruin-
(Sir harry Linden), Mr. C. Cooper (John G.
I •
mond), Mr. Parcelle (Dr. Grace), and l‘ir.• best
the hg
Honey (Charley Spraggs) each deserve .0
whit
commendation for the excellent manner, 1. :1,4000
they supported their respective parts. filu
nge
0
was elegantly put upon the stage, and we ,rent
much pleasure • in pronouncing it a very
success.