The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-03 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, MARCH 3, 1868

ously indignant if their victims show any signs of
life, and hence the rage and mortificaticn that have
been only too fully revealed when the ex-King of
HANovER presumed to meet his former subjects,
and to hint at the probability of one day rejoining
them as heretofore. This will not do, and the in-
dignation and irritation that have been the conse-
quence in Prussian circles have given rise to much
comment, and occasioned many rumours to be set
afloat which bear more less probability, as the case
may be. One of the last and least probable of these
is that the Prussian authorities have solicited Queen
VICTORIA to use her influence with her cousin King
GEORGE to persuade him to refrain from making
any more attempts to repossess himself of his
Crown, in order that the Berlin Government may
not be compelled to resort to extremities in his case.
This is the first time that these worthies have ever
shown any dislike to dealing harshly with German
rivals, and they would no doubt be only too glad to
find a pretext for not keeping to their engagement
as to compensation, as if they did not think that
they did not outrage public opinion too much by
doing so. As for the notion that our Government
can interfere either in the way of insinuation or
advice it is quite an untenable one, as a little con-
sideration will show. In the first place, it is not
our business to meddle with the princes of Germany,
and dictate to them their line of action in order
that they may not swerve from the line laid down
by Prussia ; and another thing to remember is, that
as we did not interfere to save King GEORGE from
the full effects of the horrors of war, it would be
quite out of character to come to the aid of
his oppressors now, and forbid him to take
part in those meetings and reunions which
afford him some solace in his sad condition.
Most likely it would have done no good if any re-
presentations had been made to the conquerors of
the German provinces, but at the same time they
offered a direct insult to us in thus needlessly per-
secuting one who was closely related to our
Royal Family. These ideas of generosity or evi-
dences of delicacy of feeling are, however, quite
ignored by the rulers of Prussia ; and another
instance of this allusion of magnanimity was illus-
trated in their dealings with llesse-Darmstadt.
The best and wisest way then is to let them
alone, and if no respect for the good opinion
of England, alai. the wishes of our Royal Family
here and on the Continent, can influence them in
the right direction, or arrest their course when in-
clined to pursue the wrong one, by all means let us
not seek to aid their course, or bid them good sneed
in their work of oppression. Were the Crown of
King WILLIAM half so secure as his Ministers would
make it out to be, the ex-King of lIANovER might
have a banquet every day of his life, and declare
over and over again that he would die is kis old
quarters, without giving rise to a single surmise on
the part of BISMARCK, or setting the official journals
of Prussia in a rage ; but when people have shaky
foundations to rest upon they become suspicious.

Seldom has a more striking instance been afforded
of the wonder-working rapidity of the Atlantic
Cable than was yesterday given by the transmission
of a question and answer in six hours. An ex-
change of ideas, not only between two continents,
but two hemisphere, is even, in our cwn day, a
matter of some consideration ; and that it should
be effected in a briefer space than could have secured
a reply by post from one end of London to the
other is certainly a marvel ; yet an inquiry having
been despatched from the Tines office relative to
the rumoured impeachment of the PRESIDENT, at
five o'clock yesterday afternoon, the answer
came back under the broad Atlantic by eleven
o'clock at night. After this PUCK'S "girdle
round the earth in forty minutes" is in
1 fair way of being realised. The news of the im-
peachment is authentic, and we learn by REUTER'S
Telegrams of an earlier date that the House of

Representatives has adopted the Article of Impeach-
ment charging CAC PRESIDENT with having violated
the Tenure:of-Office Act, by removing STANTON
from the Secretaryship, and appointing THOMAS
without the consent of the Senate. Another Im-
peachment Article has.been adopted, charging the
PRESIDENT with an infraction of the Army Bill, by
inducing General EMORY to obey orders not sent
through General GRANT, as Commander-in-Chief.
The party is, it would seem, united in
their action, and the trial is expected to
go on next week. It will be observed
that the great offences with which Mr. JOHNSON is
charged all relate to the infringement of the Acts
passed by the Radicals themselves, and not yet
tested by the decision of the Supreme Court. They
set up doctrines and theories of their own, opposed
not only to the prevailing traditions of American
policy, but to both the spirit and the letter of the
Constitution of the United States. Any invasion of
these newly-framed Acts is, however, high treason ;
and while they are utterly indifferent to the subver-
sion of old constitutional theories, they are rigid in
exacting the strictest and most literal fulfilment of
the terms of the new acts. Some of these acts about
which they are most clamorous have failed to
receive the Presidential assent. Mr. JOIINSON
has condemned them as unconstitutional, and
he has explained his opposition by reasons and
arguments founded on constitutional law, against
which the State lawyers have nothing to say. The
idea of impeaching the head of the State for the
infraction of laws whose own legality is uncertain,
would certainly, in a calmer state of political feel-
ing, appear preposterous. The Supreme Court
must be the actual arbiter, and thus even should the
requisite two-thirds majority be attained in the
Senate, the conviction of the PRESIDENT will be
practically worthless. So high is the Radical feel-
ing running against the.,PRESIDENT, and all who
support him, that it is rumoured that a warrant for
the arrest of General THOMAS for violation of the
Tenure-of-Office Act has been applied for at
the Supreme Court. The excitement respecting the
struggle between STANTON and JOHNSON is very
great, and politicians of all sides are throwing
themselves into the breach. So far back as Fe-
bruary 22 prominent Senators were writing to
STANTON, advising him 'to disregard JOHNSON'S
order of removal. As we heard some days since by
the Cable, STANTON, on receiving the order of dis-
missal, referred it to the Senate, who immediately
passed a resolution, by 29 votes to 6, denying the
PRESIDENT'S right to remove the Secretary. This is
qcuaibtieneat
are
ew
todobcetritnheas, and ifthememb ers
should ofthe
immovable,
they
in common consistency be elected by the popu-
lar vote in the same manner as the PRE-
SIDENT and ViCe-PRESIDENT. It is scarcely worth
while to agitate the whole country to muster the
leading men of all the States, and to go through the
various ceremonials belonging to the installation of
the chief public officer in the country if his office is
to be a mere sinecure. 'What is the use of the PRE-

SIDENT taking the orthodox oath to preserve the
Constitution if he is to be virtually powerless ? A
Minister, with a hostile Cabinet, even among our-
selves, with the House of Commons to assist him,
finds it impossible to carry on the busi-
ness of the State. How, then, 'would it be
possible for an American PRESIDENT to fulfil
the duties of his office if his policy is perpetually

th warted, his orders disobeyed, and his wishes dis-
regarded by his colleagues ? No one in his senses
would dream of so framing a constitution, since it
is certain that an inevitable deadlock must result.
It is something quite new that so unwieldy a body
as a Legislative Assembly should have the direct
control over the Executive, and regulate the ap-
pointment and removal of its members. If the
PRESIDENT is in every respect subservient to the Con-
ress, what becomes of his Presidency ? Over what
does he preside? Certainly not over the Cabinet,
whose members may defy him with impunity; not over
the national affairs, since questions of peace and war
are decided by the verdict of Congress ; not over
the army, since unless his orders are transmitted
through the chosen channel he is to be liable to im-
peachment ; not over the diplomatic service, since
his appointments are regularly disputed and often
annulled; certainly not over the internal admitiis-
tration of the country, since the Reconstruction Act
leaves Congress supreme, not only over PRESIDENT
and Ministers, but over law, equity, and the Constitu-
tion. If these theories are to be carried into practice
and endorsed by popular vote, Congress would do
better to take the hint given them by the good
citizens of Boston and abolish the Presidency alto-
gether.

Mr. TRAIN, if he is a hero and a martyr in the
United States, is not playing a very brilliant role in
Ireland. He started, it will be remembered, on a
lecturing tour, from which he no doubt expected to
derive both fame and profit. Alas for the vanity of
mortal expectations his career has been checked at
the very outset by insignificant but immovable ob-
stacles. He has been refused the use of the public
rooms at Waterford, Limerick, and Clonmel, and at
Sligo, where he had actually commenced his lec-
ture. Thus slighted in the provinces, he is return-
ing to the capital, and intends to appeal to the
classes whose sympathies are more ready than their
shillings, so that by putting a very low price on his
tickets he may secure an audience remarkable for
quantity if not for quality. Another disappoint-
ment has befallen the distinguished American. He
applied to the High Sheriff of Sligo to be put as
one of the six aliens on the jury appointed to try
" Colonel" NAGLE. The High Sheriff, with extra-
ordinary want of perception, refused to place Mr.
TRAIN on the list, and thus another affront is added
to the catalogue of offences committed by Bri-
tannia against Brother Jonathan. Seriously speak-
ing, it is au encouraging sign of improving times
that so wild and mischievous an agitator has
not created any actual disturbance, but that
the world goes on very much the same
notwithstanding his wrongs and his achievements.
Another hopeful sign is to be found in the proceed-
ings at the Downpatrick Assizes. Three Orange-
men were convicted by the magistrates for taking
part in an illegal procession, and one of them, a
country gentleman of some standing and Grand
Master of the County Down Orangemen, was sen-
tenced to one month's imprisonment, and to find
bail for future good behaviour. Two other
leaders of the movement were included in
this wise and salutary decision, which we
hope will do practical good. We cannot
modify the bitterness of political and religious
animosity in [reland suddenly, but we can at least
insist on its outward repression. This is the first
step towards a better state of things, since with
every such display fresh provocation is given, and
the feud is kept up. Coming close upon the
Fenian prosecutions, this decision proves that the
authorities are resolved to uphold and to administer
the law with strict impartiality and rigid justice.

LATEST INTELL iGENCE.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.
(By Atlantic Telegraph.)

WAsHINGToN, March 2.

The house of Representatives has adopted the
Article of I npeachmont charging President Johnson
with having violated the Tenure of Office Act by
his order removing Mr. Stanton. from the Secre-
taryship of War, and appointing Adjutant-General
Lorenzo Thomas as his successor, without the con-
sent of the Senate.

The House has also adopted another Impeach-
ment Article, charging the President with having
violated the Army Bill by trying to induce General
Emory to obey orders not sent through General
Grant, the Commander-in-Chief of the Army.
NEW YORK, March 2.
The Inman steamship Etna and the National
steamship Pennsylvania have arrived out.
Gold, 141 f. Sterling exchange on London, 109 i.
Five-Twenty United States Bonds, 1882, 1104 ;
ditto, 1885, 1084; Ten-Forty Bonds, 101 ex coupon.
Illinois, 139 ; Erie, 66}. Cotton—middling up.
land, 23c. Petroleum—standard white, 26c. Flour
—extra State, $lO 20c. Cora--old mixed, $1 18e.

TURKEY.
CONSTANTINOPLE, March 2.

Ruchid Pasha, the Minister of War, resigned
yesterday, and is replaced by Namyk Pasha, Go-
vernor of Bagdad.
Omer Pasha will act ad interim until the arrival
of the new Minister.

Another important change is expected in the
Cabinet.

INDIA AND CHINA MAILS.
MESSINA, March 3.
The Messageries:lmperiales steamer Moeris, with
the above mails, passed here yesterday evening.

EXPLOSION OF AN ENGLISH
MERCHANTMAN.
ANTWERP, March 3.
The English schooner Mary Ann, Captain Mar-
shall, laden with naptha and petroleum, caught fire
this morning, in consequence of an explosion on
board. The ship was entirely destroyed, and the
captain and crew perished.

ANOTHER SUPPOSED FENIAN OU7BAGE.

This morning, about three o'clock, a desperate
attempt was made to shoot two
policemen o
n
Fins-
bury-square
o by a man named 'Thomas
John Hills, a retired policeman, passed O'Heaon on
his way home, at which time ho was
e
talking with
some other men. As soon as Hills had proceeded
a short distance off he heard the report of a pistol,
and the rush of a bullet passed him. Ile went
back in company with constable Alaley to O'Heaon,
when a struggle took place, the man discharging
another shot at the constable following without
effect. Before the fellow could be secured five bar-
rels of the revolver were discharged in the affray.
Hills alleges that he ii quite unknown to O'llea.on,
but the latter says he is quite " prepared to do" 10
years for him. The prisoner was examined at Clerk-
euwell Police-court, but the above facts being
proved he was remanded. Of cour.-.e he is suspected
to be a Fenian.

LOSS OF A FISHING BOAT AND FIVE LIVES.—
By the arrival of the steamer Islosman at Glasgow, we
learn that a fishing boat belonging to Eriskor, South Uist,
containing five mon, was lost with all hands between
South Uist and Burrow. The boat Ras out at the cod
fishing. The mon, with one exception, were married, and
the widows and families are unprovidod for. —G lasgow
Morning Journal.

CORRESPONDENCE FROM PARIS.

(FROM OUR 'OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

PARIS, MONDAY, March 2;

The excitement which prevailed last week has died
away. The Emperor, who was dangerously ill according
to one report, who had fractured his skull according to
another, has been out riding in the Bois de Boulogne, and
thus one cause of agitation has been disposed of. The
semi-official papers announce that Baron Budberg has
given the most pacific übterancea on behalf of his Govern-
ment, which shews that Russia sees her time is not yet
come. Prince Napoleon's journey is the only morceau left
for the pessimists, and they can't make much of it.
With all their ingenuity, they can't torture the Prince's
visit to Berlin into a sign of impending war with Prussia.
Of course:there is the usual paragraph in the papers—which
is for the French journals what the enormous gooseberry
is for yours—about the manufacture of arms. There is
grande acticitt, we are told, at Ste Etienne, where 12,000
workmen are engaged in manufacturing chassepots, and
are under a contract to deliver 900 a day, and 15,000
fusils ct tabailere a week. But for all this there really
teems no reason to believe that peace will be disturbed
this year, though, with such huge standing armies as there
are throughout Europe, no wise prophet will risk his repu-
'ation by uttering a prediction on the matter.

I hear that there has been a very stormy scene in the
Corps LJgislatif to-day. J,SrOme David did not preside, in
order that he might have an opportunity of replying to
any questions. His place was taken by M. du Miral. At
the commencement of the sitting, M. Flavin, in the midst of
constant interruptions, declared that the Jury of Honour
had stated M. Kerveguen's accusations against the Paris
newspapers to be false and calumnious. Jules Simon then
got up and asked by what right David (who was acting as
President of the Chamber in the place of M. Schneider,
who has lost his voice) left the Chamber, and declared the
sitting at an end while members were speaking. David
defended himself in the best way he could. The whole
affair was very noisy. Every place was filled, and the
crowd in the Salle des Pas-Perdus was enormous and some-
what unruly, in spite of all attempts to keep order.
We have not heard the last of M. Kerveguen's charges.
The manager of the Revue des Deux Mondes has declared
his intention of prosecuting M. Granier de Cassagnac, pro-
prietor of the Pays, for defamation. Other of the journals
implicated have boldly challenged Cassagnac to publish
everything, and they engage that they will not prosecute
him. After all, the Revue has taken the wisest course,
since it will make the accuser of his brethren suffer for his
calumnies.

I mentioned yesterday that Baron Ilaussmann had been
worsted in his endeavours to construct a boulevard
through the Montmartre Cemetery. He has just come off
only second best from an encounter with Le Verrier, the
astronomer. The Baron proposed to make a new road
close to tho Observatory, which, as your readers will re-
member, is at the end of the Luxembourg gardens. Le
Verrier protested against this, on the ground that it would
interfere with his observations. The Baron replied that in
order to meet the astronomer's difficulty he proposed to
transport the Observatory to one of the hills in the neigh-
bourhood of Paris. This ikLe Vcrrier's reply : " Trans-
port Paris where you like, but don't touch the Observa-
tory." Short, this ; but hardly sweet.
Here is another good story. Some time ago a composer,
with dishevelled hair, and as thin as a skeleton, called
upon Rossini and obtained permission to play a piece of his
own composing. He sat himself down to the piano,
banged, ran up and down, bent himself double, threw his
nose into the air, and at last stopped exhausted. " What
do you call that ?" said P.,ossini. "It is a funeral march
which I-composed on the death of Meyerbeer. What do
you think of it, divine maestro 1" "It is not so bad ; only it
would have been better if you had been dead, and Meyer-
beer had written the march."

Speaking of composers, I may mention that Auber,
inspired by the great success which has attended his
" Premier Jour de Bonheur," has set to work upon a
new opera, in three acts, of which the first part will
be ready in a few days. Not bad this for a man in his
84th year. Ono of the actors has made a good thing of the
first-mentioned opera. 116 young tenor, Capoul, has
so charmed the audience at the Op&a-Comique that the
director of the opera has made an engagement with him
for five years, with a bonus of about £1,500 upon the
original terms. Still on theatrical matters, I may men-
tion that the production of " Hamlet " on the Paris
stage is likely to be very successful.

The Times publishes to-day what we imagine to be the
quickest piece of telegraphing ever known. It states that
in consequence of the doubt thrown upon the intelligence
received through Reuter's agency of the impeachment of
President Johnson, the editor telegraphed yesterday
(Monday) afternoon, at five o'clock, by the Atlantic cable,
to a trustworthy authority at New York, and received at
e'.even o'clock the same night the following reply! "Trial
will go on next week. Party is united." Six thousand
miles in six hours, including delivery of message arni
writing of reply, is certainly not bad, even in these rapid
times.

The news thus received supplements the cable telegram
sent by Ile,uter, and that, again is supplemented by the
ordinary mail news. We are now able to form a
connected idea of the situation. On February 21 the
President issued an order removing Stant,n from the War
Office, and appointing Adjutant-General Lorenzo Thomas
to the vacant post. Mr. Stanton referred the order to the
Senate, which, by 29 against C votes, passed a resolution
denying the right of the President to remove the Secretary.
At the same time prominent senators wrote to Stanton
advising him to disregard the President's order ; and, it is
further rumoured, that application was made at the
Supreme Court for a warrant to apprehend Thomas for
violation of the Tenure of Office Act, which was lately
passed in order to prevent the President from dismissing
Ministers of State without the consent of the Senate.
On the 25th ult., a resolution to impeach the Presi-
dent was introduced into the House of Represen-
tatives, and was referred to the Reconstruction
Committee, which subsequently reported in favour
of impeachment. The House afterwards adopted the
article of impeachment against Johnson for violating the
Tenure of Office Act, and also for having violated the
Army Bill by endeavouring to induce General Emory to
obey orders which had not been sent through General
Grant. The trial, as we now learn frOm the Times; is to
co on next week ; so that the Republican party are deter-
mined to lose no time. The impeachment has also been
brought by Thaddeus Stevens and Bingham before the
Senate, and was referred to a committee, presumably only
in order to ascertain'the mode of proceeding, as the Senate
has no option in the matter, but simply acts as a jury, the
House of Representatives being the prosecutors. In order
for the impeachment to be successful, two-thirds of the
Senate must decide against the President. As the removal
of Stanton has already been declared illegal by nearly five to
one, there can scarcely be any doubt that the verdict will
go against Mr. Johnson. It will then remain to be seen
if he will resist by force of arms the deposition whicE
will be pronounced against him. The crisis is immensely
important _

- -
The official St. Petersburg paper Inralide publishes a
iong account of negotiations which have been going on
between Austria and Montenegro. The principality has
long been anxious to obtain a port on the Adriatic, anal the
Prince has promised the Austrian Government ti.:,t if
this is granted he will abstain from any co-operati‘m ,vith
the Danubian provinces in their threatened insum,,tion
against Turkey. But Austria declines to grant tip. con.
cession, and so, naturally, Montenegro will seize every
opportunity of obtaining that which she so sorely needs,
and to which she is so reasonably entitled.
The Berlin correspondent of the Times, writing before
the news of Prince Napoleon's journey to the Prussian
capital was known, says that Russia has backed out of the
Eastern question for the present, and has instructed her
agents in the East to do their utmost to prevent an outbreak
at present. Russia finds that Prussia is not prepared to
gO with her, and so she must postpone her plans for a
while.

The negotiations between Prussia and Denmark are by
no means ended abruptly. According .to a letter from
Vienna, they have only just begun. The Danish Govern-
ment declines the friendly offices of all other Powers, and
will carry on the affair with Prussia alone.
Great preparations are being made for the marriage of
Prince Humbert of Italy. It will be a magnificent affair.
The King will give a ball, at which all the guests, except
the Italian deputies and the town councillors of Florence,
will have to appear in Court dresses. Victor Emmanuel
took part in the Carnival, and did his best to make him-
self agreeable. His reception was rather cold. Having
been loved a long time in spite of himself, now that he is
seeking to make himself loved he finds the task difficult.
The Neapolitan guides are likely to have a good season.
Lent is always the time when there are most visitors at
Naples, and this year the eruption of Vesuvius has drawn
a large number there who are all eager to " do" the vol-
cano. Unfortunately, there is just now considerable diffi-
culty in getting t) the top, and the feat is so dangerous
that guides lace been known to refuse large sums of
money offered by foolhardy mountaineers.

Erom the prc.c;Aings at the latest meeting of the East
London Distress Relief Committee it aweared that the
charitable contributions of the wealthier classes had
almost ceased, and the balance remaining in hand was
barely £lOO. Mr. Samuda, M.P., stated that a deputa-
tion of shipwrights had asked him to explain to the com-
mittee that their union arrangements did not include relief
to men out of work. Statistics were given to show that a
great proportion of the distress was not due to the state of
affairs in Millvvall in particular, but to a general de-
pression of all branches of trade. The committee deter-
mined eventually to adjourn for a week, and the greater
part of the relief is in the meantime suspended'

From the list of Ministers present at the first Cabinet
Council held under the presidency of Mr. Disraeli, it
appears that Mr. Walpole's place at the board is not to be
filled up. Neither the Postmaster-General, the President
of the Poor-law Board, nor the Chancellor of the Duchy
of Lancaster is to be included in the imperium in imperio.
Lord Palmerston and Earl Russell gave these three high
functionaries seats in the Cabinet, and excluded the First
Commissioner of Works and the Chief Secretary for
Ireland. Both of these were in the Cabinet of Lord Derby,
and the arrangement has not been disturbed by the present
Premier.

No appointment has yet been made to the Secretaryship
of the Poor-law Board. It is, perhaps, of more impor-
tance than at first sight might appear who may be chosen.
The forthcoming bill amending the Poor-law Act touches
many ticklish questions. It will be introduced in the
Upper House by Lord Devon, who is well qualified to
expound and to defend its provisions. But when it goes
down to the House of Commons it will be of much impor-
tance to have a man to defend its details who is thoroughly
au fait, and who for the time being has nothing else to
think of.

There is an on ditto the effect that the new Premier
intends to advise her llajesty to confer a peerage on Baron
Rothschild, whom Lord Chelmsford, when Sir Frederick
Thesiger, for many years endeavoured to exclude from the
House of Commons on the ground of his Hebrew extrac-
tion. After what Lord Chelmsford has said about the
admission of Jews to Parliament " unchristianising " the
Legislature, it would be difficult for him to sit in the House
of Peers with Baron Rothschild. Before the Baron was
admitted to the Commons, Sir F. Thesiger had become
Lord Chancellor, and even from the woolsack he endea-
voured to prevent the Jew bill from becoming law. No
wonder that no love was lost between him and Mr.
Disraeli.

According to the Manchester Guardian, the youthful
Prince Leopold, on account of whose precarious health the
Queen has prolonged her sojourn at Osborne, though stated
to be convalescent, is still in a very delicate condition. It
is understood that from some abnormal peculiarity of con-
stitution, the inner membrane of the skin is so fragile that
the least violence or blow of any kind causes suffusion
which it is difficult to arrest, and the consequences of
which are fatal to health or enjoyment. It took several
weoks to stop the hemorrhage with which he has lately
been afflicted ; and now that it has ceased his condition ii
one of great prostration.

Prompted by the Reform League, a requisition, contain-
ing nearly 2,500 names, has been presented to the Maybr
of Birmingham, asking his worship to call a town meet-
ing to assist in any way the repeal of the ratepaying
clauses of the Reform Act. His worship has consented
to do so. This is another indication that the principle
represented in the " personal payments of rates" will meet
with some hearty assailants in the present session.

The trial of another alien, " Captain" Mackay, will
excite no little interest in Cork. Notice has been served
upon him in Kilmainb am Gaol, informing him that he will
be tried at the asLizea which are to commence on the 9th
of March. His solicitor has communicated to Mr. Adams,
in London, the fact of his approaching trial, and of his
claim to be indicted before a jury composed one half of
aliens. The American Government has, however, de-
clined to aid Mackay by counsel, on the ground that he
violated British law on British soil. He is a native of
Boston, in the United States.

A. curious illustration of the manner in which we are
obliged to govern Ireland has been presented in the distri-
bution of special rewards to the constables who captured
Mackay. One of them has received a silver medal, and
two others have been decorated with chevrons. The pre-
sentations were made in military fashion by Colonel
Wood, the Inspector-General of Constabulary.
Mr. John Mitchel, who may be supposed to know some-
thing of the Fenian conspiracy, tells us that "the whole
concern has run right up against a wall, and cannot take
one step further.'' In the United States, all is "confu-
sion and disarray." From the first, the organisation has
been a fraud. It was madness to attempt to free
Ireland when England was at peace with the whole world,
and it was a mere delusion to expect assistance from
the Government of the United States. The authorities at
Washington were and are familiar with all the proceedings
of the Fenians. They have "arranged with the Canadian
overnment for a joint defence of that frontier ; and in
every seaport keep so vigilant a guard that not even a single
ship of considerable size, to say nothing of a fleet of trans-
ports, can possibly go out, or get ready to go out." The
result is, that the Brotherhood are " impotent to do any-
thing," and the hero of '4B therefore declines to accept the
leadership of such a hopeless enterprise.

The Telegraph, reverting to the Speke disappearance,
which, by the way, is the subject of a cutting cartoon in
the Tomahawk, states that one circumstance which created
much comment at the time has now been explained. Mr.
Spel:e purposely threw away his hat in Birdcage-walk in
order to strengthen the belief in his death, but he did not
recollect that his sister lived near the spot. Therefore, the
rumours occasion:A by the discovery of the hat in that
place wore (7ue solely to a curious coincidence.

There is a lengthy letter in the /Arad from the Bishop
of Grahamstown, who points out the advantages of the
scheme lai More the Lambeth Conference for the organi-
sation of the Colonial Church. In the first place, the
Cover! Inuit proposal is based on the principle that
nothing shall be done except according to fixed
rules, which shall be determined by the general
consent of those whom they affect. Again : The
judicial system proposed for the Colonial Church is
framed upon the principle marked out in the judgment
of the Privy Council in the case of Long v. the Bishop
of Capetown. That was to the effect that where any
religious or other lawful association had agreed on the
terms of its union, and constituted its tribunal, the
decision of such tribunal should be binding when it had
acted within the scope of its authority. The recommenda-
tions of the report would leave the constitution of all dio-
cesan and provincial tribunals to the synods, in which
nothing can be decided except by the common consent of
bishops, clergy, and laity. It is difficult in the mind of
the Bishop to conceive how any more liberal provision
could be made.

SUICIDE. —On Saturday afternoon Mr. F. G.
Smith, who has held the office of secretary of the Scottish
Union Fire and Life Insurance Company for upwards of
thirty years, destroyed his life under very painful cir-
cumstances. Mr. Smith for some time past has been
suffering from great depression. Some time on Saturday
he entered the office of the company in Cornhill with a
small paper parcel in his hand, and proceeded to his pri-
vate room on the second floor, where he remained. About
four o'clock the messenger of the office took some papers
to his room, and, knocking at the door, Mr. Smith opened
it, and took the papers from him ; at the same time he said
to the messenger that as it was a wet afternoon he would
not go out. Ile then locked his door. The messenger
noticed at the time a remarkable change in the demeanour
of Mr. Smith, and was mentioning the circumstance to a
person on the staircase, when ho was startled by the report
of firearms proceeding from Mr. Smith's room. He ran
and tried to open the door, but finding he could not, he
raised an alarm, and called in the police, who broke open
the door. They found the unfortunate gentleman lying
on the floor in the agonies of death. He had discharged a
barrel of a six-chambered revolver under his right ear.
The ball passed through his head, and lodged in the ceiling
of his room. Medical aid was, of course, sent for, but he
WM dead. The pistol was quite new, and appeared to
have been purchased that morning.
DARING AND EXTENSIVE ROBBERIES AT YORK.—
A few days ago we reported the apprehension at Popple-
ton, a village in the neighbourhood of York, of three men,
named respectively Ingrain, William, and George Bib
borough (the former being the father of the two latter, and
all having earned an unenviable notoriety as poachers), on
the charge of robbing the granary-of Mr. Thomas Kirk, a
farmer, of the same village. The robberies from the same
place had been carried on in a systematic manner for some
time, and it was only after a three Weeks' watch by the police
authorities that the men were caught. Their resistance to
the police-officer (whose name is Smith) was excessively
violent, his head being cut in such a manner, and the
violence inflicted on him so great, that he was obliged to
let the man go, and their apprehension was subsequently
effected. In the search which was made of the house
occupied by the elder prisoner, considerable property
was found belonging to Mr. Kirk ; but an unexpected
discovery was also made of a vast number of
articles belonging to the North-Eastern Railway Com-
pany,' consisting mainly of cloth, brass buttons, brass
handles, nails, screws, &c. The possession of the property
by Ingram is traced through his sons, several of whom
have been iii the employ of the company ; whilst a traction
engine found in the course of construction, on Ingram's
premises, is presumed also to form part of the property of
the same company. On Saturday the prisoners were
brought up at York before the West magistrates,
on the charge of robbing 'Mr. Kirk, and for the assault on
the police-officer, but, by nqucst, the case was adjourned
until next Saturday, when the number of charges against
the men, it ii anticipated, \ ;ill have been materially in-
creased. Before the bench, opposition was offered by
Superintendent Kane to the elder prisoner's signing a
deed of gift of his property to a relative, on the ground
that the property so assigned might, to some extent, have
been stolen, and that if a conviction were obtained that
which had not been would revert to the Crown. The
bench ruled that the prisoners could sign anything they
chose until after their conviction. Through the same
apprehension another case of delinquency by one of the
servants of the company has been discovered, and, unfor-
tunately, several other persons who remain in its employ
are likely to become implicated,

e 0
Ca)

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, March 2.
19-e Queen drove out yesterday afternoon, ac-
companied by Princess Louise and Princess Bea-
trice, attended by the Duchess of Atha)leand the
Hon. Colonel De Ros.

Prince Leopold went out, attended byMr. Duck-
worth.

her Majesty walked and rode this morning, ac-
companied by Princess Louise, Princess Beatrice,
and Prince Leopold.

Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales
drove out, attended by the Countess of Morton.
The Prince of Wales, attended by Col. Kings-
cote and Captain Ellis, hunted with her Majesty's
staghounds yesterday.