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

k.,......

treaties were also before the Chamber, among
them that with the Sandwich Islands, wherein it is

proposed to exchange, free of duty, the most im-
portant articles produced in either country.
The intelligence appears to have been an error
that the blockade of Mazatlan by 11.8.M.'s ship
Chanticleer had been raised, nor has it been con-

firmed that the Admiral had ordered Capt. Bridge
to report at Panama. The correspondence between
the British Captain and the Mexican General

Corona has been published, as well as the procla-
mation of Captain Bridge and the letter of the

United States Consul. The paymaster of the vessel

refused to obey the summons of the Mexican autho-
rities to appear before a civil court. On the 20th

June a demonstration was made by the Chancticleer

manning and arming the boats, when Gen. Corona
drew up his force; but as the seamen were not
landed, the anticipated contest did not take place.

Thy herald appears to approve the British eapt,ain's

high-handed proceedings, and to hold them up as
an example to Americans ; but Captain Bridge, un-
less he cm shov strong grouud3 ia ju3tificatiol,

will find that his G-)vernment view the uLttter iii

another light. Doubtless he can ; for he would b.)
uiad, except under the strongest provocation, to
proclaim the blockade of a port and threaten the

bombardment of a town.

The Electoral College Bill was passed over the
President's veto by 45 to 8 in the Senate, and on
the same day by 134 to 36 i❑ th 3 House. The
Tariff Bill has received its quietus for this session, not-
withstanding the efforts of the lobbyists. The Pre-

sident signed the Tax Bill, with a protest attached,
as the bill gives power to a subordinate officer to
remove tax assessors and collectors. The bill fixing

he military peace establishment has also been

passed. The army is now to number 30,000 men,
consisting of 30 infantry regiments, cavalry 8, and
artillery 4. It contains a clause to which many of the

Southern members strongly objected, providing for

the distribution of arms to the Militia of the South.

Most of the Southerners condemn the issue of arms,

saying that they prefer the U. S. army and dread
the arming of neighbours against each other. Mr.
Hendricks asserted that the object was to control

the election by force, which Senators Morton, Nye,
and Ilowe indignantly denied, affirming that the
protection intended was against the rebels. It led
also to a warm debate in the House, where some

leading Republicans—Mr. Washburne, for instance
—disapproved the measure.

The Supreme Court will settle the question
whether a State has a right to withdraw its assent
when once given to a Constitutional amendment,
as the case of New Jersey is to be tried. Reverdy
Johnson, Curtis, O'Connor, affirm the right, as do
many other constitutional lawyers. But the oppo-
site opinion is held by men with names as strong,
and it can only be decided after argument before
the Judges. The question is now connected with
the 14th amendment to the Constitution, which has
been ratified by Congress, and declared to be part
of the Constitution of the United States. Practi-
cally it embodies the plan of reconstruction first
proposed by Congress, and so obstinately refused
by the Southerners, who would neither confer suf-
frage on the negroes nor consent to be deprived of
the three-fifths vote admitted by the Constitution
on behalf of the blacks when slaves.
To what height the flight of Republican genius
may eventually soar before it succeeds in seating
Grant in the presidential chair we may faintly con-
jecture from the announcement of the Secretary of
the National Republican Committee, W. E. Chand-
ler. lle forwards a plan, approved by 33 Senators,
headed by Ben Wade and a legion of the Repre-
sentatives, among whom we see many distinguished
names, to organize a Society of Singing Soldiers,
each minus a leg, or an arm, or otherwise
disabled in the late war for the Union, to
take part in the coming campaign. Special
contributions are invited to defray the expenses
of organizing, drilling, and sending on excursions
the maimed howlers, to be forwarded to Horace
Greeley, Tribune office, New York. If it were not
for election times, and for the great names whose
owners say they heartily approve of the suggestion,
we would suppose the scheme a Democratic hoax to
take a " rise " out of the Republican party ; but
as it is the practice, this adaptation of it may prove
an effective dodge.
The time fixed for opening the Troy and Green-
field Railroad, from Shelburne Falls to the tunnel,
is the 10th of August, when festivities will take
place along the line, and the usual speech-making
and prophesying will come off. On the 12th of
August the contractor's bids for the $5,000,000
propriated this year will be opened, and the coun-
cil will proceed to make a contract, if they can. 115
is very doubtful if suitable guarantees for the fulfil-
m3nt of such a contract can be given, and it may
be that the further squandering of the State's money
will be stopped on this account.—Springfield
lican.

Colonel Edmund Rice, formerly of the 19th Mao'
sachusetts Regiment, and now of the 40th United State
Infantry, has been ordered to Springfield to superinte
the manufacture at the armoury of 200 bayonets of a Del
pattern of his invention. Colonel Rico's bayonet has bee°
favourably received at the War Department, and has beet;
strongly recommended by many of the most distinguisheu
officers of the army. It is extremely novel in desig'°:,
and proposes to meet very different uses from flit
traditional long sharp slender weapon first introduced
•
the siege of Bayonne. The bayonet invented by Coloned•
Rice is, in fact, a steel trowel, 9in. long, and Sin. or 4ie
wide. It certainly is not as imposing as the old fashil;
but claims to be more useful. it is designed to enau r
troops to cover themselves very rapidly. In the last 0'6.,
the troops did this with knives, spoons, fingers, and the;.,
bayonets, with which, however, they could not scoop Tr,
the earth. This provides them always with facilities Joia
entrenchment. Colonel Rico estimates that a lino e°ll'
throw up twenty inches of dirt in ten minutes, so tlitt
troops need never be caught out of shelter. That t1;c1
weapon would not answer all the purposes of the e't
bayonet must be admitted ; but it is urged that t"„ 0
weapon is now obsolete ' • that not a hundred 111;4
were killed by it during five years of war ; that y,
rebels persistently threw theirs away, and that tilceir
were kept in the hands of the troops only by Ponl'itti
ing those who lost them, and charging them 'tit
the expense of new ones. That if this was sO wer
muzzle-loaders—the old bayonet will be still less l'ecibe
sity with the breech-loader ; while at the same tirae the
urgency of being covered will be vastly increased by net
deadlier efficiency of the new arm. Colonel Rice's beY°il,o
is intended to be worn habitually in the sheath e_it the
side ; the guns are to be stocked at the ramroad, au",,/el
bayonet will only be fixed on guard, &c. This D'bt,
weapon certainly makes a good case for itself at first sigre.
and, however the Ordnance Department may come t°
gard it, we have no doubt officers of infantry will ge
rally look on it with favour.—Springfield Republican.
Charles W. Lowell, just elected speaker of t bo,°,
Louisiana House of Representatives, was born at FaroeitTa
ton in 1834, was educated at Bowdoin College, and wa,ifl
the Maine Legislature in 1861-2. He served in the We'
Ullman's Brigade, in the Department of the Gulf. re-
Lincoln University, at Oxford, Connecticut, D.
cently conferred the degree of Master of Arts upon
I.'oci
Bassett, principal for 13 years of the Waterbury eeltiree
high school. This is the first instance that such e.,rl ed
has been conferred upon a coloured man in the lA'
States.
At the recent commencement of Hobart CAt, of
a class of eleven were graduated, the honorary degrb's,
LL.D. was conferred upon Professor John Broclols
Trinity College, Hartford • that of D.D. upon the
Rev. William H. H. Bissell, Bishop of Vermont, the r,.30 te4
0. R. Howard and T. S. Rumsey. The trustees e`
of
as president the Rev. James Stone, son of Dr. St :0i
Brookline, Massachusetts, a graduate of Ilarvel,ear4
lately professor in Kenyon College. Ho is only 2 aecl
old, but a man of great culture and force of charactel,
much is hoped of him in his new position. fool
William Warren has been chosen Senator
Alabama for the term ending in 1871. atiriog
Gail Hamilton leaves America for Europe
this month, to be absent a year.

Births. I,o3.gehi
KENICETT—On. the 6th inst., at Tilgate Forestscf" ISt-
Crawley, the wife of the late Charles Kennett, B
ertOr Hussars, of a son.
SELFE—On the 6th inst., at St. John's Villas, i-loglr
road, Brixton, the wife of J. Henry J. Selfe, of a
ter. Gritno
WYNDHAM—On the 6th inst., at Southover "taaV
Lewes, the wife of Charles Wyndham, Esq., (3' -
ter.

•
Marriages. °
ger'
BOYD—DENNY —On the 7th inst. at St. James's' Due'sl
the Very Rev. Dr. Boyd, Dean of Exeter,
relict of the late Rev. 11. Denny, brother of Stlrld°''''
Denny, hart. A nto areW /,4,
CLEVE RTON— PITTS —On the 6th inst., at St• .---- Jane,
Plymouth, John Henry Cleverton, Esq , 11-N*,
second daughter of Thomas Pitts, Eq.:
Deaths. xtrillia°
ANDREWS—On the Gth iust at South Ilacknen ,' - ofet
Andrews, Esq., many '' of New Go, Chtito
years
London, aged 79. , at 05
.D
BALMAIN—On the 7th inst., Joseph Balmain, 5T6,2
residence, 181, Prospect-place, Maida-hill, age st;sseP
BEARD—On the Gth inst ,at St. Michaels, Lovres,
t
Edward Beard, Esq., aged 70. Vir•C'
TIOMSON—On the 7th inst., at 13, Compton-
Mr. John Thomson, aged 48. street,

Lonn : Printed and Published by WlLLlfilq
ofdo No. 112,t Strand, Printer, at Tan sux obe 3'
sira.na, in the Precinct of the So Toy, tbe
iintut 8, 16439.