The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-13 00:00:00

REMARKS.

During the last twenty-four hours a general slight decrease in
)ressures has occurred, but readings are still high : the highest is at
Brest, and is four-tenths of an inch above that at Nairn. On the N.
Lnd E. coasts temperature has risen. There has been a continuance
'ince yesterday morning of light winds from N.W. to S.W. On the
W. coast of France the wind is north-easterly and moderate. The
arcather on the south coast of England and on the Continent is fine : it
s generally overcast in our other districts. Thunder is reported from
Valencia. A little rain has fallen in the N.W.

CHARGE OF •LIBEL AGAINST " ECHOES

FROM THE CLUBS."

In the Court of Queen's Bench, on Friday, the charge
of libel against Echoes f om, the Clubs was set down for hear-
ing. The charge arose ut of an article which stated that
certain letters had been written by Captain Rintoul, an
ex-officer of the 4th Dragoon Guards, to Mr. Drake, a
quartermaster in the same regiment. Mr. Drake died on
the 4th of March, and the letters then came into the pos-
session of Lieutenant Harran, one of the officers of the
regiment. The libel was to the effect that Lieutenant
Harran had obtained these letters by exercising his influence
ov, r the widow of Drake, notwithstanding they were marked
".private, confidential, and to be destroyed," and that he,
in alliance with Colonel Shute, had divulged their con-
tents. The Attorney-General informed the court that it
had been agreed that an apology should be made by
the Echoes, which apology was accepted by the officers of
the regiment.

THE ARCHITECT OF THE NEW LAW

COURTS.

The appointment of Mr. Street as architect of the new
Law Courts gives great dissatisfaction to tho Builder, which
supports Mr. Barry's claim to the position. Mr. Street's
design, it is stated, is only excellent in one respect—in
the elevation - and even that the Builder criticises. In
every other respect the commission pronounced against it.
Mr. Barry has addressed a letter on the subject to the
Treasury, in which he says:—" I write in no spirit of hos-
tility to my friend Mr. Street ; but it is impossible not to
see that my design has boon selected as the best, for what I
have done, in respect of those important points which the com-
petitors were told were of vital moment. The solid grounds
of the judgment in my favour aro plainly and intelligibly re-
corded, so that all the world may judge of their import-
ance; while Mr. Street is to be appointed, from an (esthetic
preference for his elevation alone, in defiance of the clearest
statement that such a preference was not to determine the com-
petition. Moreover, as Mr. Street's elevation is inconsistent
with the plan approved, and cannot therefore be carried out,
he is selected, not for what he has done, but for what he may yet
do,— a gruund upon whi hhe might as well have been chosen
without any competition at all.

Ir. G. N. Browne, secretary to the Midland Rail-
way Company, died at Quarn, near Derby, yesterday.
The poet Longfellow arrived at Carlisle last night.
Ho was cheered by a largo crowd at the station. An address
was presented to him by the members of the Mechanics' In-
stitution.

The Liverpool Chamber of Commerce have resolved
to ask the members for the borough to move in the House of
Commons that before the contracts for the conveyance of
the mails to the West Indies and to the Brazils and River
Plate are renewed, tenders should be invited from steamship
owners willing to undertake the service.

Among the Parliamentary papers issued this morn-
ing was a report from the Commissioners of Customs, dated
Juno 6, to the Lords Commissioners of her Majesty's Trea-
sury, on the Revenue Officers Disabilities Bill. In their
opinion the measure is highly objectionable, and they regret
that the proposition should have been entertained. The
bill was read a second time on Wednesday; when none of
the Government officials were present.

A sad accident occurred at Wig am. A considerable
number of women and children, attracted by the antics of a
performing monkey, were gathered together in a narrow
thoroughfare, when a horse, frightened by the noise of a
barrel organ, dashed into the crowd, and the vehicle to which
the alarmed animal was attached was dragged over the bodies
of ten p^on~, chiefly children, several of whom aro dan-
gerously hurt.

From a return publishel this morning it appears
that the militia establishment of the United Kingdom and Ire-
landin the year 1867 was composed of 4,686 officers, 5,027 non-
commissioned officers, and 124,622 privates; but the number
in training on the day of inspection was only 67,731 officers,
non-commissioned officers, and men, the Irish contingent not
having been called up for training last year. It seems, how-
ever, that no less than 1,347 officers, 310 non-commissioned
officers, and 26,202 men were required to complete the
cstab:ishmnt in England, W. les, and Scotland, leaving
Ireland out of the calculation.

An amazing story of life in the Black Country
comes from Wolverhampton, having been told in the Police-
court. Two young women appear to have become enamoured
of a man, and they decided to settle the point as to whose
sweetheart he should be by a fight, conducted after the
manner of the prize ring. They accordingly met on Mon-
day morning, on a ',Lee of waste ground, partially stripped,
and set to work. How it would have ended cannot be told,
as the police made their appearance and put an end to the
fight. This disgusting exhibition was witnessed by a large
number of no rloubt hugely-gratified spectators, among
who•n was the worthy object of the two women's passion.
Although Sir John Pakington pledged his word that
the trial:: which are to come off on Tuesday at Shoe-
buryness should be fairly and honestly conducted, a writer
in the Telegraph believes that the trial between the
Plymouth Breakwater Fort Target and the Woolwich and
Rodman guns is to be so carried out as to conceal
rather than to arrive at the truth. Lord Elcho and
other members have repeatedly complained to the
War Minister that the costly target now being
erected at Shoeburyness bears no analogy or re-
semblance to the fort of which it professes to be a sec-
tion • and the writer points out that it is intended to fire
at the Plymouth Fort Target at 200 yards' range, but
with charges so reduced as to make the distance between
gun and target equivalent at first to 1,000 yards, and
secondly to 500 yards' range. Sir John pledged his word
to Lord Elcho, in the House of Commons, that the trial
between gun and target should be at a distance of 200
yards ; that it should be made with full battery charges ;
that the largest guns a'; Shoeburyness, including the
Rodman, should be brought to bear on the target ; and
that it should be submitted to the fire of salvoes. The
writer condemns the manner in which these experiments
are carried on the nation's money being lavishly spent in
"a solemn farce," with no consolation to the British tax-

payer.
The Lancet, which a few months back, in calling atten-
tion to certain of our workhouses, produced so much sensa-
tion, has, we are glad to see, taken up other matters
that require to be looked into. Its sanitary commission
now calls for the reform of the metropolitan barracks
which the Horse Guards are lodged. The arrangement,
construction, and situation of those at Regent's Park
are pronounced to be most faulty. Ventilation is
very poor ; neither lavatories, urinals, nor latrines
are at hand. Eating, drinking, and sleeping are
carried on in the same room. Real comfort
can be obtained only in the public-house. The married
quarters are worse than even those intended for single
men, and there is absolutely no ventilation. The hos-
pitals have repeatedly been condemned, but are still
tolerated, merely being patched up now and then. The
water supply is intermittent. The men themselves, being
alive to the danger they run, adopt precautions such as
flushing the drains, which—though about to be provided
with traps—have until now been loft open. The com-
missioners recommend the removal of the barracks to
more convenient spot, Tb.q yudi &c 44 may bQ aad
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