The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-30 00:00:00

M. GunoT has recently published a volume, of

biographical. sketches, the , most interesting of which is
hat devoted to the Princess of Lieven.
There is one person besides the editor of the France. who
has a right to feel aggrieved at our victory in Abyssinia,
and that is Herr Schweinfurt, the German Abyssinian
traveller, who, a few days before ,thogood news reached
us, published a letter proving incontestably that Mag&la
was inaccessible and impregnable. It had been reached
and it had been taken before he wrote, and his bogie
turned out to be of the same unsubstantial character as the
poisonous fly and all the other chimmras dire with which
we had been threatened. Herr Schweinfurt may, how-
ever, console himself with the reflection that a greater
German than he once blundered in a similar manner. It
was Hegel who proved algebraically by "a plus b" that
there could not be more than eleven planets.
The 'Vienna correspondence of the Independence Berge
wishes to guard its readers against alarmist news from the
Lower Danube. He admits, however, that movements of
troops have taken place, and that in consequence, of the
armaments punned in Servia, and the equivocal action of
Roumania, the Porte has ordered the corps d'armec
stationed at Schurnla to unite itself to the corps d'arnde
stationed in Albania and Bosnia ; but these two corps
d'arniee will remain on their normal footing, and their
effective will not exceed 45,00 men. The cantonments of
these troops will extend along the frontier of Bulgaria.
The Liberte asserts that the British Government is doing
its utmost to bring about a reconciliation between Turkey
and Persia, but that Russia is doing hers to foment the
quarrel, and that, according to present appearances, a war
is inevitable.

The startling news from the Colonial Office, to the effect
that the attempt upon the Duke of Edinburgh's life was
planned by a gang of conspirators in this country, gives a
more painful aspect to that dastardly deed of violence. It
shews the widespread nature of the organisation, and the
complete unity of the desperate band which has declared war
against society. It also, as the Telegraph points out,
opens up one or two other curious and disagreeable ques-
tions. At the late trial of Barrett more than one witness
spoke of a leading conspirator named Farell or Farrel,
who was supposed to have gone abroad. It will be inte-
resting to ascertain if that person and the Sydney assassin
are one and the same, or merely associates in a dark fra-
ternity of crime. It has also been stated that Mr.
D'Arcy M`Gee was murdered in obedience to
instructions despatched from New York. Should
Vie assertion be confirmed, it will follow . that -the
leaders of the bloodthirsty brotherhood are served
with blind obedience, by willing tools, at the remotest
points of the British Empire, and that the dark tribunal
prononnces its sentences of doom in full security that they
will be carried out. Even while we believe ourselves to be
gaining ground in our conflict with this strange and lowly
conspiracy, its magnitude seems to grow upon our
sight, and the blow at royalty itself attests the
power of a despotic tyranny which literally spans
the globe. The intelligence likewise adds to the regrets
which had been previously expressed relative to the
failure of the police to bring to justice the perpetrators
of the Clerkenwell outrage. Once more the administration
of Sir Richard Mayne is criticised from no very friendly
point of view, and suggestions are made that the aged
chief of the police, who is 72 years of age, should retire
upon his pension.

The single contest between the two veteran earls on
Tuesday evening drew half the House of Commons to
the bar and galleries of the Upper Chamber. Lord Derby
was himself again, and his dangerous illness and resigna-
tion of office seemed for the time to have been forgotten as
his voice rang clearly through the House, challenging to
single combat his political friend of five-and-thirty years
ago—his political opponent of to-day. To the younger
members of the distinguished assembly it must have
sounded strangely to hear the rival statesmen speaking of
the events of a generation ago as though they were of

yesterday, instead of having convulsed the two great

parties in the State long before many a present peer and
commoner was born. A great point of interest in Lord
Derby's speech was the expression of his opinion that
under any circumstances the Government ought not to
resign until theyhad appealed to the constituencies created
by the Reform Act of last year. It is evident that Mr.
Disraeli has lookel at the matter in the same light
for some time past, and has resolved that no action of the
present House of Commons shall induce him to surrren-
der the Premiership until he has tested the opinion of the
householders in boroughs and the £l2 occupiers in coun-
ties, whom he wa3 in a great degree instrumental in placing
upon the new reg'sters. The right hon. gentleman will
therefore le kund in Downing-street for nearly anottia.
twelve months, perhaps longer.
PRIXcE Aunruit.—His Royal Highness Prince
Arthur will, it is understood, terminate his studies as a
cadet, at Woo'.wich, at the next midsummer vacation
of
Roal Higss will
the Royal Military Academy. His y
subsequently be attached to the Royal Engineer establish-
ment at Chatham for the comp'.etion of his studies, and a
suite of apartments will be prepared for him and his atten-
dants at the residence of the captain-superiuten.dent of the
dockyard.

4-1,1
-44(-CD

THE BISHOP OF LONDON AND TILE
WORKING CLASSES.

The Bishop of London lately laid the first stens of tug
church of St. John the Evangellst,•which is situated in
Grove-strcet, Commercial-road East. The distriet is
inhabited almost exclusively by the poorer wage- class,
dock labourers, &c. ; the district assigned to the new
church being a portion of the parish of St. George's-in-the-
East, and the church Will, when completed, afford
accommodation for 650 persons, and all the sittings will
be free. For the convenience of the spectators a large mar-
quee, capable of bolding about 1,N3, bad been created
over the spot where the ceremony took place, and on
the arrival of the bishop, about lio, or at most 200, people
were comfortably seated in chairs, leaving a considerable
space within the marquee unoccupied. Those within had
been admitted by tickets ; but without the hoardings, and
where- it was impossible to see what was going on, was
collected a large crowd of persons of both sexes. This the
bishop at once saw, and as soon as the opening -hymn—
" 0 Lord of Hosts, whose glory fills," sung to the grand
Old Hundredth tune —was over, his lordship quietly
suggested to those who had charge of the proceedings that
it would be as well if the erowd outside, for whose
spiritual help the church was to be raised, were allowed to
occupy the vacant space inside, and stayed the further
progress of the ceremony until the suggestion could be
acted upon. The gates were opened, and an eager crowd
of men, women, and youths entered and filled the mar-
quee. Some were in their shirt sleeves, some without
hats, many of the women without bonnet or shawl, and
some with sleeves tucked up as though they had just left
the wash-tub to see the sight. They made little noise,
however, but quietly took their places, standing through-
out the whole of the proceedings, and observing the utmost
possible order and decorum. The usual ceremony was then
proceeded with , but it was destined to ha ve another break, for
just as his lordship was about turning to thestone, Mr. J. W.
Jones stepped forward and explained that a working men's
committee was in existence to aid in -.building the
church, and in the name of the working men begged his
lorieiesurs acceptance of a silver trowel which had been
subscribed for amongst themselves, and a read a short
and pithy address which had been prepared by them
asking bis lordelip's acceptance of the gift. The bishop
thanked the working men for their gift, assuring them that
he should cherish it as one of his dearest treasures, and
proceeded to lay the stone in the customary manner. The
ceremony over, his lordship delivered an impassioned and
ellottuent undress, which was listened to with the most
breathless attention by-all present. The offertory at the
close amounted to £31135. 34d. .

THE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION OF
THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH.

On Wednesday the annual meeting of the Grand Lodge
of Free and Accepted Masons was held at Freemasons'
Hall. The Most Noble the Grand Master took his seat
on the throne, and was supported by the Right Hon. Earl
De Grey and Ripon, as Deputy Grand Master, Lord De
'Paley, Provincial Grand Master of Cheshire, and other
eminent masons. There were also about two hundred
brethren of different lodges present. After having been
installed as Grand Master for the twenty-fifth time, and
having been saluted in the customary manner on his re-
election,

The Earl of ZPI'LANF, rose and said : Brethren, I beg to
return my twst since e thanks for the honour you have
conferred upon me for the twenty-fifth time in electing me
as your Grand Master. I assure you that I feel proud,
most proud, for the situation I have so long held, and I
thank you for bearing with me in my necessary absence
from the last three grand lodges. I feel, I assure you,
that it is time you should find some other person
to take the position I have so long held. (No.) I cannot
last for ever, but as long as I have power, and you
choose to elect me, I will endeavour to perform my duties.
I feel grateful for your confidence so long reposed in me
• by yolr kindness ; but I feel I have not deserved it, for I
am aware of deficiencies at my time of life. I have now
a motion to make in this Grand Lodge, and trust it will
meet with the unanimous support of the brethren. It has
come to our knowledge that a most atrocious and dastardly
attempt has been made on the -life of the Duke of Edin-
burgh, son of oni gracious Queen, and I now move tliat
loyal and dittiful address be presented to her Majesty;
pressing our abhorrence at the attempt that has been
made on the life of her illustrious son, and also expressing
our earnest hope that the-Greet Architect of the -Universe-
will restore his Royal Highness to her in perfect Leilth
and safety. If this meets with the sanction of the Grand
Lodge, I will cause an address to be prepared, which I shall
have great pleasure in presenting to her Majesty. (Loud
cheers.)