The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-21 00:00:00

THE ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS.

Notwithstanding all the stir about Church matters, the
number of suits in the ecclesiastical courts of England and
Wales in a year is small. Last year there were but 11 suits (pro-
per) in the Arches Courts of the provinces of Canterbury and
York, and three in diocesan cousistory courts. Throe
suits were about church rates; ono was on pew rights; one
related to the right to the key of the church; ono was for
the desecration of the churchyard ; two were for forcibly
entering a church ; ono for making allegations without
obtaining a faculty; three were suits under the Church
Discipline Act; one required the party concerned to answer
articles, and one related to a sequestration for debt. There
were as many as 176 applications or "suits" for facilities
for the alteration, erection, or rebuilding of churches, re-
moving bodies, erecting tablets, and the like, but these wore
probably in g-neral lisle more than matters of form. Ire-
land, with its little society of Church people, has also its
return of suits. Au act was passed in 1864 for the union of
the diocesan courts, and for regulating the procedure in the
ecclesiastical courts ; and in the first year and thirteen days
under the now Act, the period ending at Michaelmas, 1866,
the latest return we have seen gives a list of 29 suits,
the number in nll England in the year 1866 being only
16. The Irish list is remarkable. Thirteen of the s4it4
were in matters of dilapidations ; as many al 14
more were in matt ,rs of sequestration, 13 for debt,
and one for non-residence ; the remaining two related to
pew rights. The Irish suits for faculties for altering churcho
removing. bodies, &ce., were only 44 in number,

D. Temple writes to the Rock to say that, although
the existence of the Irish Established Church is a grosi
injustice to the Irish now, the Legislature did right at th 9
time of the Union

The quotation of gold at Paris is about at par, and
the short exchange on London is 2M. 17}c. per £1 sterling.
On comparing these rates with the English Mint price of
£3 ris.loid. per ounce for standard gold, it appears that
gold is about the same price in London and raris.

THE LATE SOUTH WALES RAILWAY
COLLISION

The inquest on the body of John t*eorge, one of tne
unfortunate passengers in the special cattletrain which was
run into by the up mail train from Milford to Paddington
on the night of the sth inst.,near Newnham, has been held
at Gloucester. It will be remembered that the deceased
was one of eight cattle drovers Ao were travelling in a
third-class carriage attached to the rear of the twenty-
five cattle trucks which farmed a special cattle train from
Carmarthen to Gloucester ; that the carriage in which they
were travelling was smashed to pieces bythe engine of the
mail train whichran into it; and that three men, including
the guard, were killed on the spot, all the others receiving
frightful injuries. The deceased was conveyed to the
Gloucester Infirmary, where he died on Friday last, and
the inquest was adjourned until after the elections, and
held on Friday afternoon. The deceased was about 4C
years of age. The jury returned the following verdict
" Accidental death ; but the jury are of opinion that
where there is a special goods train, or any train not
specifically set out in the time-bills, the fact of thei
departure should be telegraphed to the stations in advance,
and that means should be taken to prevent, if possible,
any discrepancy in time, such as is shewn to exist in this
case between the Lvdnev station clock and the guards'
timepieces."

GOVERNMENT CANTEENS.

The question of whether the inspectors of weights and
measures have any right to interfere with those of soldiers'
canteens is raised by a dispute which has arisen between
the Lords of the Admiralty and the Kent county magis-
trates in the Greenwich district. Some time since, the
inspector of weights and measures paid a visit to
the Royal Marines canteen at Woolwich to carry out
his duties, but the authority as contained in his warrant
granted by the magistrates was disputed, and he retired.
The matter was reported at the ensuing meeting of magis-
trates, and was deferred until the Admiralty authorities
were communicated with. At a court just held the
question was brought before the magistrates. It was
stated that the Lords of the Admiralty had decided that
in each division of the Royal Marines the weights and mea-
sures used at the canteen should be carefully examined and
rectified once a year, under the direction of the barrack:
master, and that the local inspector, if he applied, should
be informed that the barracks were not within his jurisdic-
tion. It would be very inconvenient for the local
inspector to interfere with the barrack authorities
at his discretion, and that at Hounslow it had been
ruled that the local inspector should not visit the
canteen. After considerable discussion, the magistrates
declared they had no doubt whatever as to their
power to give the inspector a warrant to enter the canteen
and test the weights and measures in use ; but at the same
time, if they received an assurance from the Board of
Admiralty that ample provision was made to examine and
rectify the same as often as necessary, and were assured
also that it would be a matter of convenience for the
barrack authorities, they would have no objection to with-
hold their warrant so far as the canteen was concerned,
until it should appear necessary fo put it in force.