The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-09 00:00:00

ROMAN CA71101.10 PRISONERS.

There are 400 Roman Catholic prisoners in the
house of Correction at Westminster. Five years
ago a priest of their owu ChurclL,,wassern vie.p.s ~f
ot per-
mitted to perform for them t
ne could only see them indivi-
dually. A small party of the justices, however,
made a resolute fight against this intolerant
arrangement, and after two or three defeats
succeeded in putting themselves into a majority,
and the Roman Catholic service is now per-
mitted to be performed for the Roman Catholic
prisoners. But, as everybody knows, the service
of that Church requires for its due celebration cer-
tain accessories, and notably music, which is
especially calculated to waken in the mind devo-
tional emotions. A Catholic lady, feeling this,
offered to present a harmonium, and attend
and play it gratuitously in the prison services ;
but the visiting justices refused permission,
although they bad lately purchased a similar
instrument for use in the Protestant chapel.
This has naturally excited considerable indig-
nation among the Roman Catholics generally,
which has found expression in two pamphlets, one
of which employs the weapon of ridicule ; the other
preferring serious argument. The former is a comic
poem, very cleverly written, entitled " Biddy,"
illustrated by the humorous pencil of Doyle, and
which professes to relate the prison adventures of an
Irish female convict. The other treats of " The
Conversion of the Visiting Justices," and describes
what progress has been made, and claims what further
is due. We trust that a portion, at least, of the
claim will be very soon admitted. Notice has been
given by Mr. E. W. Cox that at the next sessions
be will move " That the visiting justices be em-
powered to permit the use of all things requisite for
the proper celebration of the Roman Catholic ser-
vices is the prison at Westminster." If this should
be carried, there will remain to be performed but
one further act of justice, the payment of the
Roman Catholic priest for his care of 400 Catholic
prisoners, as the Protestant clergyman is paid for
the care of a less number of Protestant prisoners.—
Lazy 2irnes.

MIFFING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.
...

(BY TELEGRAPH.)

GRAVESEND, Saturday liforning.
Arrived, May 8 —Eider, steamer, from Geesternunile ;
Esther, etoamor, from Paris ; Sado, steamer, from Lisbon.
Arrived, May 2—Lion, steamer, from Goestemunde ;
Dolphin, steamer, from Antwerp; Adler, steamer, from
Bremen ; Ana, steamer, from Cadiz ; Lion and Coucordia,
steamers, from Bordeaux.

Sailed—Murillo, steamer, for Seville ; Holland, steame r
for Ostend; Seine, steamer, for Boulogne.

DEAL, Saturday Morning.
Passed, May 8 —Elizabeth Nicholson, for Port Phillip
Sir P. Seymour, for St. Vincent; Candidate, for Barba-
does ; Priscilla, for Berbice ; Nile, screw steamer, for
Singapore; Proteus and Victoria,- of Cardiff—all from Loa-
don.

During the time the steam dredging machine was
at work in Chatham harbour clearing away an ob-
struction near the entrance to the third dock, in
which the ironclad turret-ship Monarch is building,
the machine came in contact with the half of an old
vessel, which is believed to have sunk in the river
upwards of a century since. Attempts have since
been made to remove the obstruction by charges of
gunpowder, for which purpose divers of the Royal
Engineers have been down and placed the charges
beneath the vessel's bottom. The explosion of the
powder has, however, had very little effect on the
hull of the vessel, as only a few of the timbers have
been blown up, and attempts are now being made
to raise the obstruction by means of large 'flooring
lighters. It is a singular circumstance that the
existence of a sunken vessel so near the outlet of one
of the docks does not appear to have been known to
any of the dockyard officials.
FIVE PERSONS DROWNED.—The Orkney Herald
reports that on Saturday last a boat, containing Captain
Atkinson, of the barque Excelsior, four of his crew, and
one pas eager, was capsized off the Ophir coast. The
captain alone was saved. The boat was returning from
the shore to the barque, after some provisions had boon
purchased at Kirkwall. The barque was bound to Now-
haven (U.S.), front Sunderland.

A Sunderland fishing coble, manned by three
men, Was lost off that port on Welzmqay night. The
bodies Kaye not Dom remora

PREFERENCE SlilLitES.
Great Eastern. E. Comities Ex., No. 2, 861
Great Northern, 5 per cent. rd. at 5 per cent. pm., 1071
Lancashire and Yorkshire, 6 per cent., 131
/ IVES LEASED AT FIXED RENTALS.
Midland, Bradford Pref., 9%
VL:toria Station and Pimlico, 176
roastON RA.ILWAYb.
Central Argentine, 121
lireat Luxembourg, 101
San Paulo, lint., gua. 6 per cent., 171
Routh Austrian qui Lombardo Venetian, 141

YOILICIUDI hilk4lr.b,
Don Pedro, N rfh Del Rcy, 2 pin
St. John del Rey, Urn, WI

DOCKS
London and ;t. Katharine, 45
Ditto, Debonture Stock, 87
ISANhS.

Alliance, Um., 12f I
Chartered !ler. of twilit, London, and China, 28
Imperial Ottoman. Al.ll
London Chartered Banc of Australia, 24i
Loudon and Cod lay, 52
London Joint Stook, 351
National rrovinolal of I,:mrland,
d and .4d issue. 39
Standard of British South Africa, lira., 11
Union of Australia, 4i

Foreign Mail Packet List,

MAILS DUE.

Australia and New Zealand, via Bouthamptou.....3tay 23.
Ditto, via Mar/sallies •••.. •••illsy 13
Ditto, via Panama .. nay 2).
Brazil, Buenos Ayres, and Monte Video ..... June. 4
Ditto, by Frani% packet
Cape Verde. by Brazil paotet • ••...
.ape of Good Elope. Asoension. sag St,. Rehm May. 13.
China, Penang. and Singapore, via liou.haulpton.• May 9.
Ditto, via Marseilles ..........a .► .6 ..... May 1,1.
Pattland June t.
Lilbraltar, via klo idiot (Upton .. .• May 9.
lama, via Soiititaniptea ..... . ••• ..... •••••• ••• NlaY V
Ditto, via Marst:ll es
Malta, Egypt, AL.. • .• • May g,
Ditto, Marseilles..
Mauritius, CapJ of Goof Hope, and Natal, via
Southampton
Ditty. Ilarreiuem
Newfoundland ...... ...•.
t'Jrtugal . •• • • J une 4.
Ditto, by pr to ship to Oporto .
Ditto tto to Lisbon
United States, 4 anada, California, &a, by British

packet
Ditto, by L. Lited :it:oes packet
Ditto ditto 'New YwIE)
Ditto ditto .2.:Ny York)
Ditto ditic (Baltimore)
Ditto, by Canadian packet ty 15.
West Coast of A:: is a, 31adebea, and Teneriffo May It
Wert Indies and Pvitic (except Mexico and Baha-

Ma.B) “stae.,o4.42.e•ai