The Sun.
London, England, 1868-01-08 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

lFrom the Anglo-American Times.)
Where there is much smoke there must be fire,
and in spite of the denial from Madrid, SJILIC nego-
tiations have passed between Spain and the United
States relative to Cuba and Porto Rico. In New
York the report now is that the Spanish Govern-
ment proposed the sale of these islands to the Ame-
rican Minister at Madrid for $150,000,000 in gold.
The first fifty millions to be paid on delivery, fifty
at the end of a year, and the remaining fifty at
the end of six years. Cuba was eagerly sought
by the Southern States as a means of extend-
ing slavery. if now purchased by the United States
the chief object would be to destroy one of its last
strongholds. But in view of the opposition to Mr.
Seward's annexation policy in the house of Repre-
sentatives, we imagine the probabilities are against
such a negotiation being completed. The telegraph
announces from Havannah that the public heart is
beating with anxiety at the intelligence ; and well
it might, as it would mean the extinction of slavery,
and citizenship with the freest and most powerful
of nations instead of subjection to the most de-
crepid. The Nation considers that the money would
be better spent in educating the freedmen now in
the States instead of acquiring more, as it is of
greater importance to the race that those now free
should be so elevated and enlightened as to
turn out well, than that others in slavery
should at once be liberated. Some speculators
have already purchased the Guajaba islands
near Mevitas, which they intend to colonise,
and to cultivate :80,000 acres. Touching the
extension of territory, the Nation says—" Our
great trouble is the abundance and variety of our
rascals ; and we do not see that we shall either
' confound their politics or frustrate their knavish
tricks' by giving them more territory to operate
over. We do not hesitate to say that every inch of
ground added to our domain over which we cannot
enforce law and order is not a blessing, but a curse ;
not a help to civilisation, but to barbarism."
The Prince of Wales left, in a diamond pin, an
apple of discord in the United States. Mr. George
Ward Nicholls was the most active gentleman in
procuring a picture by the artist, G. L. Brown,
for presentation to his Royal Highness ; and the
Prince, on receiving the gift, handed to Mr. Nicholls
the diamond pin. In reviewing the position, Mr.
Nicholls said that one gentleman only could be the
possessor—that there were none more worthy than
himself—that the pin was handed to him, and pos-
session was nine points of the law, so he did what
most persons would do under the circumstances---
he kept it. The artist, however, saw things in
quite another light. It was in recognition of th,3
picture that the Prince had bestowed the gift. The
picture represented the painter, and Mr. Nicholls
was little more than the carrier, therefore the pin
was intended by the Prince for him. General
Kuollys was appealed to, and exerted the little rea-
soning powers which a service in the army left him
to arrive at a right decision, which was favourable
to Mr. Brown. On this Mr. Henry Ward Beecher
interposed, and the powerful logic of that gentle-
man swung the equerry round the circle, and the
general, after taking more than the time of a Chan-
cery judge for consideration, has now, after nine
years' wrangling, adjudged the pin to Mr. Nicholls.
Perhaps the Prince will take compassion on the
disappointment the artist must naturally feel, and
forward to that gentleman the soothing syrup of a
little gift.
Advices from Mexico state that Juarez has sent
a message to the Mexican Congress, in which he
praises the United States for aiding the defeat of

the European intervention ; and declares that
Mexico never solicited the renewal of European
relations. Father Fisher has been realeased. The
British Minister was preparing to leave. An
unsuccessful attempt had been made at Jalapa
to create a revolution in favour of Diaz. There
was a rumour that Juarez had ordered the publi-
catio❑ of all treaties made by European nations
with Governments pretending to represent Mexico.
Don Juan Bustamente appears to have secured his
election as Governor of San Luis Potosi by means
so discreditable as to have shocked eve❑ the Mexi-
cans. Romero will succeed L2rda de Tejerda in
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as complications
have arisen with the Southra Republics under the
present Ministry. Porfirio Diaz was on the road
to the capital with the trophies captured at gae-
retaro.

A barrister writing to the Times, dated Te:nple,
Dec. 31, expresses his strong opinion of the illega-
lity of the seditious and intlanunatory publications
of the Fenian pr.ms. After quo!:ing the gre It la
authorities, he says :
" These dicta and decisions have been illustrated by so
many cases that the law resp3cting sedition may b 3 said to
be clear, well defined, tolerant, and politic. Gan there be
a doubt that the time has now c 3113.3 for its stern.vindica-

tion ? Is this foreign conspiracy t) be carried on in the
midst of us under the pretext that there are Irish griev-
ances to redress? Have we n) duty to perform to wards
the loyal people of Ireland ? May not their affections bo
be estranged when they see and hear the Government
abused, calumniated, despised, and menaced every morn-
ing of their lives? When murder is "openly paraded as
Patriotism, the martyr's crown held forth as the reward of
convicted assassins, and the prayers of the, whole Catholic
population solemnly implored for the souls of those who
have subverted the Monarchy and plunged their country
in anarchy and bloodshed, do we not offer a most pitiable
spectacle to the rest of the world in allowing this mischief
to go on and prosper with impunity."

Scievola does not see the gain to Toryism from Fe-
nian proceedings. Anything tending to associate
liberty with license in the mind of the British public
is, in the opinion of the Government, cheaply pur-
chased by the lives of a few labouring families and
of some stray policemen, even throwing in a Judge
or a Cabinet Minister and a company or two of
soldiers. It would be folly in a partisan Govern-
ment to interrupt proceedings which directly attain
the end they have in view.
Those who read an article " On Protection of
Naturalised Citizens Abroad" we reprint from the
Springfield Republican, will see that this lead-
ing organ of Republican opinion in New Eng-
land takes the same view as that expressed
by us, and gives the same reason. It is
almatter for negociation, for, to use the words
of our contemporary, " European Governments
cannot safely recognise our naturalisation in an
unqualified way. We might change our laws so as
to permit naturalisation the day a foreigner touches
the soil, and then all that able-bodied subjects of
any other Government would need to do in order
to escape military service for life would be to take
a trip to this country, and carry back naturalised
papers." This was the first objection that presented
itself to our mind, but it is one easily to be removed
by negociation.

A steamer has left Dubuque, lowa, with barges
in tow, on which are 800,000 bushels of wheat, for
shipment at New Orleans to Liverpool. Dubuque
is high up the Mississippi, fully three-quarters of a
degree North of Chicago, and this experiment is to
test whether wheat cannot be carried to Europe

cheaper by this route, when grown near the river,
than by rail to the seaboard.
Mr. Getz, Representative of Pennsylvania, moved
in the House on the 12th Dec.—" 'Whereas it is re-
ported that the cities, Boston and Pittsburg, have
recently elected Democratic Mayors, and this being
an indication on the part of the people of those
cities of a spirit of disloyalty, therefore, Resolved—
' That the select committee on Reconstruction be
directed to inquire whether the States in which these
cities are located have Republican forms of Govern-
ment, and whether they do not need reconstruc-
tion.' " We think the state of mind of this Con
gressman would form a much fitter subject of in-
quiry, even if he moved this in joke. Any per-
son who has the misfortune to differ in opinion
from Mr. Getz indicates a spirit of disloyalty,
and requires reconstruction. If this is not the
idea on which despotism is grounded, we do not
know what is. If such be Mr. Getz's spirit of legis-
lation, the sooner he is reconstructed himself the
better.

On Wednesday, the 11th December, the National
Republican Committee met at Washington, and

called the next Presidential Nomination Convention

at Chicago, the 20th of next May. The decision
was controlled by the friends of General Grant, of
whose success there can be little doubt.

Captain Long, of the American whale ship Nile,
has fired the imagination of Arctic explorers by his
discovery of the Polar continent. It appears that
the tempests of last spring and summer broke up
the circle of ice around the central sea from which
rises this land. Two vessels penetrated into these
waters—the one from Dundee, the other from Bos-
ton. Though the Scot stopped, after getting fur-
ther north, as he asserts, than any other vessel, the
Bostonian sailed on till he came in sight of land,
which he traced and measured, without landing,
" up to the 73d degree north latitude, and it still
reached away to the northward in all the magni-
ficence of snow cliffs and mountain peaks." Capt.
Sherard Osborn, who names the continent Kellett's
Land after the Admiral, by whom it was sighted in
1850, recommends an Arctic expedition, in which,
we fear, he. will receive but little support.
A very singular case of disappearance occurred at
Washington, Dec. 17. Colonel Eli Parker, of
Genera( Grant's Staff, was on that day to have been
married to Miss Minnie Sackett, of Washington,
whose mother, with General Grant and Staff, and
a large circle of friends of bride and bridegroom,
were assembled at the Church of the Epiphany, at
half-past 10 a.m. All was ready but the bride-
groom. Messengers were despatched in every direc-
tion, and to all his usual resorts, but in vain—and
the wedding party was compelled to disperse. No
tidings of the Colonel has been received, and the
mysterious disappearance is as yet wholly unex-
plained. There is a rumour that his body had
been found under the ice in the Potomac—another
that he had been seen in Baltimore—a third that
he had married somebody else in Buffalo. Colonel
Parker had issued reception cards for his friends in
New York, at the Metropolitan Hotel, and at his
residence in Washington after the return from his
bridal tour. He had borrowed from Mrs. Grant
one of the General's military sashes, to wear at the
wedding, and his wedding suit was ready.

General Grant has been nominated for the Pre-
sidency by the Union League of Philadelphia after a
strong opposition, o❑ the ground that he should first de-
fine his position before the League took this step. This
was the view of William B. Thomas and Thomas Webster,
jun. The resolution was —" That having confidence in
the ability, integrity, and patriotism of General U. S.
Grant, and believing that his political principles are in
consonance with those of the Republican party ; and grate-
ful for the services he has rendered to the country in
every post of duty to which he has been called, we do
hereby nominate him as tho candidate of this league for
the office of President of the United States."

Births.

PHaLIPS—On the Gth inst., at Weymouth, the wife o
Captain It. Iloskyns Phelips, Madras Staff Corps, of a
son.

STUART—On the 6th inst., at 25, Wilton-crescent, the
wife of Lieut.-Col. Crichton-Stuart, 31. P., of a son.

Marriages.

Coop:—CoTToN— On the 7th inst., at St. George's, Han-
over-square, Frederick Lucas, eldest sou of Francis
Cook, Esq., of Doughty House, Richmond, and Mont-
serrat, Ciutra, to Bessie, eldest daughter of Dr. Cotton
of 46, Clarges-street, Piccadilly.

LEWIS—JERvors --On the 6th inst., at Chalton, John D.
Lewis, Esq., of Westbury House, Hants, and Membland.
Devonshire, to Teresa, eldest daughter of Sir Jervois C.
Jervois, Bart., of ldsworth, Hants.