The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-23 00:00:00

ARRIVAL OF TROOPS FROM ABYSSINIA.

On the arrival of the Crocodile at Portsmouth with the
33rd Regiment on board, a scene was witnessed in the
harbour which has not had its parallel since the return of
the troops engaged in the suppression of the Indian Mutiny.
People on shore shouted and waved handkerchiefs ; others
in watermen's wherries stood up and cheered and waved
handkerchiefs and hats ; and the crews of the Victory,
the St. Vincent, and the Duke of Wellington, manned
the rigging to the honour of the men who only three
short months since were toiling up towards Magdala.
The Crocodile was speedily berthed alongside the south-
eastern jetty of the dockyard, a great rush of people to
the gates being the consequence ; and before the ship had
been an hour alongside the jetty, notwithstanding the
strict rule for admission carried out at the dockyard gates,
she was crowded with visitors. In the waist of the ship
were berthed about a dozen horses, and here among the
others was a small, quiet, chesnut horse, not more than
thirteen hands high, and said to be the favourite
charger of Theodore. Of course it was a special
point of attraction, and remains of what was once a
" flowing mane " shewed, by only a few hairs being
left, the interest which had been centred in the
animal. This horse was captured by some men of the
33rd, who afterwards sold it to Adjutant Edwin Sandys
Watson, who has, it is said, since been offered the
fabulous sum of 1,000 guineas for it. There is said also
to be a great quantity of money and " loot " on
board the vessel ; but the only visible relics of Magdala
were a few rough-looking spears, a score or so of shields,
and a few trappings of horses. Among the latter the ap-
pointments of Theodore's horse, before spoken of, were
the most costly. The idea that Theodore committed
suicide is scouted by many men of the 33rd ; indeed, a
general concurrence of opinion is given that he
was shot by some of their own corps. He was found
face downwards ; he was wounded in his leg,
in the throat, in the chin, and through the chest. In his
hand was found a revolver bearing on it an inscription
that it had been presented to King Theodore by her
Majesty the Queen. The description of the entry into
Magdala, as given by Michael Magner, a bugler attached
to Staveley's division, is, that he was the first
man in, that he was followed by a private named James
Burgin, and that by these men an officer named Connor
was next assisted under the gateway. Magner,
it appears, was only armed with a " cheeseknife," as he
terms his sword ; and seeing one of the Abyssinians well
armed, and pointing his gun at him, he asked Mr. Connor
to " shoot that coon," which he did, and he (Magner)
appropriated his arms and ammunition. The final assault
took place against the gate just at that time, so that the
attention of the followers of Theodore's desperate fortune
was diverted from this trio to the greater danger, and to
that fact Magner attributes their personal safety. The
scene between decks of the Crocodile was one of the most
extraordinary imaginable. Sun-burnt, bearded veterans,
but half-clad, were to be seen grouped with well-dressed
females, detailing the history of the siege. The berths of
the troops were besieged by anxious inquirers, and
all over the ship, in fact, there were tellers of, and
listeners to, one story. Just before three o'clock an
" assembly " sound told those who were on board that
the 150 Dragoon Guards, under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Conyer Tower, were about to parade
on the jetty opposite to the ship. A few minutes later as
fine and as smart a body of men as ever fell in for a
church parade was formed, and a minute or two after,
saluted by hearty cheers from their comrades on board,
and by visitors both on shore and on the Crocodile, the
men, many of them bearing relics of the campaign
through which they have passed, marched for the
Landport station of the South-Western Railway, and
left by train for Winchester. The health of the men of
the 33rd has been remarkably good throughout the voyage.
All with one consent speak in the highest terms of the
i manner n which the campaign was conducted, and d
the admirable arrangements of General Napier ; and, as
a matter of course, anecdotes of personal adventures are
abundant. There was never the slightest doubt among the
troops of the final result. All their fears were that Theo-
dore would give them the slip, and that a long and weari-
some campaign would have been the result.

UNITED IN DEATH. —Two boatmen, when rowing
on Sunday morning near the bridge of St. Cloud, dragged
out of the Seine two corpses of a man and woman, both
young, tied together with a rope. The 11odies were taken
to the Morgue with a view to identification.

DEPARTURE OF THE BISHOP OF LICHFIELD.—
The Bishop of Lichfield will leave England for New
Zealand on the 2nd July, and having made such arrange-
ments as may be possible for the appointment of his
successor there, will return to England in about six
months. He has introduced to his clergy of the diocese of
Lichfield the Right Rev. Dr. Trower, late Bishop of
Gibraltar, by whomthe see of Lichfield will be administered
during his absence.

A strange case of attempted poisoning has been
clis,-losed at Ilanchest.T Moro the stipendiary magistrate.
An old farm labourer, named Reddish, while working on his
brother's ground, was accosted by a man named Wilkinson,
who asked for work. Reddish referred him to his brother,
tut on leaving for the day was again accosted by Wil-
kinson, who asked him to have .some beer. He consented,
but when the beer was brought he found something swim-
ming on the top. Ile refused to drink, recognising Wilkin-
eon as the son of a woman who held his insurance policy,
which had been delivered up in consequenc of failure in
business. The beer was subsequently found to contain
opium. These facts having been brought before the magi&
trate 111114.50.11 was coAngtied f otria4