The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-18 00:00:00

TILE SUN, LONDON, FRIOAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER,' XlB, 1868.

encouraging, and we may reasonably hope that the
exprience of future years may show even more
promising returns.

Mr. CHILDERS is determined not to give in, but
to fight on, whether he gets the best or the worst of
it. Last night he addressed the electors of Ponte-
fract, and went over the old ground of accusing the
Government with extravagant expenditure. Ac-
cording to what appears in the portion of his speech
as yet received he is repeating what Jae said before
with additions. His great argument is, that the
late Government reduced with one hand; if they
increased with the other, but he fails to show that
the result of all this was very good for the country.
A. nation like England cannot afford to have no-
tions of " cheese-paring economy" put before the
vital interests of the community, and it is
a fact not to be disputed that when the RUSSELL-
I GLADSTONE Administration went out it left many
important matters in a state of great inefficiency.
The Conservatives had a difficult task to perform
to rectify the errors of their predecessors, and to
remedy those evils which had been brought about
by ignorance or negligence. So great was the de-
ficiency in the Naval Department that Sir JOHN
PAKINGTON, even at the advanced stage of the ses-
sion at which the new Ministers came in, had to
make mention of it in the House ; and in the army
things were also in a state of great neglect.
Those who speak at election meetings have an ad-
vantage over those who discuss public questions in
the House, that they cannot be answered at once,
and therefore the meeting separates, and they have
the last word, and nothing spoils the effect of their
communications. It is, however, a fact which the
most devoted partisan cannot dispute, that most
of the expenses at which the new school of politi-
cians are railing at were occasioned by the direct
action of the former Government, and those that
were not they are responsible for from
having left the defences of the country in
so imperfect a state. Mr. CHILDERS seems
very proud of the manner in which his friends
reduced the army—they gradually decreased the
number by sixteen thousand, and the marine in the
same proportion ; but this is an achievement whose
wisdom is by no means clear, and, indeed, in the
existing circumstances of Europe it may be called
most injudicious. It is true that the arch-apostle of
peace presided at the councils of the late Adminis-
tration in spirit if not in person, but the people
of England have always believed it to he the duty
of their rulers to be prepared for emergencies. We
cannot be a first-rate Power and keep our resources
on the level of second-rate States, and those who
expect to do so will come to grief themselves, and
bring discredit on the work they perform so in-
efficiently. We shall have another opportunity of
referring to this topic when the rest of Mr. Cum-
DERS' speech comes to hand, and it is a subject
that will well bear investigation and inquiry.

'CORRESPONDENCE PROM PARIEk'

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.).,

PARIS, THURSDAY, gepteintiejiTt
•
The speech of the King of Prussia at Kiel is natuial.-"ii
the topic of the day here, but it would be a mere waste of
spacf to repeat the expressions of opinion. The few words
I spoken by King William may readily be construed either
as a defiance or as a pardonable expression of pride, and
the journals here accordingly interpret them according to
their wishes. There is no deviation from the old tone. The
independent papers all say that the King, whilst flourishing
the sword, prognosticates peace, and the Constitutionnel
remarks that the King said no more of his army and navy
than any other monarch might have done. The Indipendance
Beige gives perhaps the best summary of the whole
matter. The words by which the King of Prussia
declared his confidence in the maintenance of peace, ex-
pressed his real meaning. But, as is his custom, the
bellicose monarch could not refrain from adding that the
best security for peace was to be found in his brave army
and navy. It is the addition of this flourish, which the
Independence Beige thinks has nothing to do with the
King's real sentiments, that has impregnated the whole
speech with the smell of powder.
The real significance of the two test elections, the Jura
and the Var, may now be fairly estimated. The influence
brought to bear in each case sufficiently proves that
neither the return of M. Gravy for the Jura, nor the defeat
of M. Dufaure in the Var, can be deemed very remarkable.
M. Gravy had formerly administered the Jura department
in a manner which had preserved for him a lively remem-
brance in the minds of the people. He had likewise rela-
tions in the district, and carried on a certain amount of
business there. In short, it was only necessary to mention
his name to the population. M. Dufaure, on the other hand,
had appeared in the Var but twice in a public capacity.
He is a man of high political character, known and
respected by all who have any connection with political
affairs ; but this is not enough for a country election. To
be successful in the rural districts of France the candidate
must be personally known. To ensure success the local
committees ought to have frequently presented him to the
electors, upon whom his simple manners, his good sense,
and accomplished speaking must have produced an impres-
sion. But M. Dufaure accepted the candidature only at
the end of August and did not arrive in the Var until the
fifth of September. Then but ten days intervened before
the period of inactivity which is prescribed by law to
precede the voting. There was evidently no opportunity
to counteract the desperate efforts of the Minister of
the Interior. It is astonishing that M. Dufaure, under
such circumstances, should have made such an excellent
second. It is not at all surprising that he did not come
in first. It is probable that if the local independents
take their measures in time, they may carry this
department at the next election.
The statement that General Dix is about to retire from
the American Embassy here is contradicted by some of
the papers.
The Marseilles strike has ended in a compromise. The
masters have granted an increase of wages, and the work-
men have withdrawn their other demands, which were
calculated, in the opinion of the masters, to weaken their
authority and infringe the right of property. The strike
lasted ten days.
A correspondent of the Independence Beige says he has re-
ceived trustworthy information that in consequence of the
agitation in several provinces of the Ottoman Empire,
orders have been sent to the French Ambassador at Con-
stantinople and to the commander of the French fleet in
the Levant, to afford every assistance in upholding the
authority of the Sultan and in guaranteeing the integrity
of his empire.
The same writer is responsible for the statement that
the Chevalier Nigra, deeply discouraged by the relations
between Italy and France, has finally demanded a change
of residence. In all probability he will be appointed Italian
Minister at London.

A great velocipede race is to take place on Sunday at
the Hippodrome.
A young man committed suicide yesterday by firing the
contents of a cannon at his breast.

The Bourse has recovered itself materially.

THE WEATHER TABLE.-THIS DAY.

THE KING OF PRUSSIA'S SPEECH AT

~,-.~~k
,;~,

KIEL.

The following is the full text of the remarks of the King
of Prussia in reply to the address of the rector of Lude-
mann University. The address was strongly in favour of
peace :—" As respects your wishes on that head, no
person can share in them more thoroughly than
I ; because for a sovereign the necessity is
painful, and forms a responsibility towards God
of finding himself compelled to pronounce the
fatal word ' war.' And yet circumstances do sometimes
arise in which a prince cannot and ought not to withdraw
himself from that obligation. You have seen with your
own eyes here, that the necessity of hostilities may
sometimes force itself on a monarch as well as a
nation. If between us there exists a bond of con-
fidence and friendly sentiments, we owe this to
war. For the rest, I do not see throughout Europe
anything threatening to disturb peace, and I say so
openly in order to tranquillise you. But that which
may assure you still more is the appearance here of the
representatives of my army and navy, that strength of
the country which has proved that it does not fear to
accept and carry to a successful termination a struggle
when forced on it."

EXTAORDINARY COURTING ADVENTURE
NEAR .NOITINGIIAM.

At the Nottingham Shire Hall, George Bradley was
charged with entering the dwelling-house of Mr. Cooper,
with intent to commit a felony. The prosecutor is a
farmer living at Burton Joyce, and has in his employ
as a domestic servant a young woman named Harriet
Parr, with whom the prisoner was deeply in love. Dur-
ing the night of Tuesday week the inmates of the house
were greatly alarmed at hearing a lumbering noise
in the chimney. Two of them got up, and after
instituting a vigilant search discovered the prisoner, who
had come down the chimney, lying with his face on the gar-
ret floor. Ho was without his coat, and was partly covered
with soot. The constable of the parish was called to appre-
hend him, and in answer to the charge he said that he had
got on the top of the house (which is above three storeys
high) for the purpose of throwing "his Polly" some money
down the chimney, when he tumbled down himself. Pri-
soner, before the bench, denied entering the house to com-
mit a felony; he said he only wanted to see "his Polly,"
who had borne him a child. The Bench said they should
have to make further inquiries, and remanded the prisoner
for a week.

STRUGGLE BETWEEN A MURDERER AND
THE POLICE.-TWO LADIES SHOT.

On the morning of the 2nd instant, M. Charles
Antoine, proprietor, aged 31, residing at Plain-
fainz, in the Vosges, fired at his wife, the bullet pene-
trating the right arm. He then fired at his wife's cousin,
Paule Claude, aged 17, the ball passing through her
body. On information reaching the police-station, a
body of gendarmes repaired to the spot, and after send-
ing the wounded woman to a doctor's house they
proceeded to arrest the murderer. They found
him armed to the teeth and bariicaded. When he
saw the gendarmes approaching he said : "Do not
approach ; my double-barrelled gun is loaded, and also
my double-barrelled pistol. I warn you that I will kill
four before I yield." Seeing that he was determined
not to surrender, Bizet gave orders to the police
to load. Viry and Bourreau, followed by a police
commissioner, entered the house whilst Bizot and Cliny
watched the only passage by which Antoine could escape.
Antoine fired twice through the flooring of the first story,
but the bullets remained imbedded in the wood. The
gendarmes replied by two shots. The police commissioner
then ordered some straw to be lighted, which forced
Antoine to come to the window, from which he fired two
shots at Bizot and Cliny. He was fired at in return, and
was hit on the left side and in the arm. But he managed to
escape down a cellar where it was dangerous to pursue him.
A fresh fire was kindled near the mouth of the cellar, but
fearing that he would be suffocated, Viry and the police-
commissioner boldly descended into the cellar and seized
the murderer after a sharp struggle, although he was
half dead from the fumes. The struggle between
Antoine and the police continued for some hours. The
young lady died of her wound at half-past seven in the
evening. No cause is assigned for the commission of these
crimes,

A yacht near Sligo has been run into by a steamer
and split in two. Eight persons were immersed in tho
water, but wow rescued by the crow of a herring-boat.

Two men returning from Hampton races drove
so recklessly that they ran against a heavy cart and
were overturned. They were taken to the hospital in a
dying condition.

Queen Mohely has returned to her own country
after having travelled many thousands of leagues in the
hope of obtaining an audience of the Emperor of the French,
which she was obliged to give up because the Emperor do-
lined to receive her.

A singular and distressing accident has oc-
curred near Newcastle. A grocer residing at Washington
was at dinnor with his family, when a bottle of diamond oil
was upset and ignited. The house also took fire, and one
of the children was suffocated, and all the other persons in
the house were injured.

At the Barnsley court-house, nine miners were
charged with assaulting William Lewis, a non-unionist
miner. The.offence consisted in throwing rubbish in the
complainant's face, and in threatening to duck him in a
pond. The accused had previously asked complainant
whether he intended to lay to the union. The bench dis-
charged two, committed throe for 21 days, one for 14, and a
boy for 48 hours on bread and water.
Members of Parliament sometimes find themselves
in peculiar, if not anomalous, positions. The Marquis of
Hartington and Colonel Wilson Patten, who are just enter-
ing upon a stiff electioneering campaign in North Lanca-
shire, on opposite sides, met on Tuesday at the festive
board of the Blackpool and Fylde District Agricultural As-
sociation, when they " improved the occasion" by bantering
each other with such downright good humour that the ex-
ample must have been contagious.

At the re-opening of Princes Risborough parish
church, on Tuesday last, there was a great gathering of
clergymen and others, when the Bishop of Oxford preached.
The preacher in his discourse referred to the "great strong
hulking men who came to church and were too lazy to knee]."
His experience of that diocese extended to a quarter of a
century, and its prevailing sin was to treat the Deity as
being patronised by them when they came to prayer, and
especially so when they came to the Holy Communion. His
lordship then denounced the old four-cornered pews as har-
bours for laziness.

A letter from Rome mentions a savage incident
that occurred as the Papal troops were on their way from the
camp to Rome. A Dutch Zouave entered a vineyard to
gather some grapes, and received a musket ball, fired close
to him, and inflicting a very dangerous wound. At the re-
port his comrades spread themselves over the vineyard, and,
having fallen in with two persons, left them for dead on the
spot, in spite of their protestations of innocence. The vine-
yard was set on fire in several places and completely con-
sumed.

Lord Lisle has written to the Cork Examiner on
the evils of absenteeism. Session after session com-
plaints are made that the House of Commons is
not legislating for Ireland, but the " real cause of
the misgovernment of the country is lost sight
of." Absenteeism is, in Lord Lisle's opinion, " the
primary cause of the present unsatisfactory state of things."
He begs the absentee landlords of Ireland ta " come forward,
and do their duty to their God, to their country, and to
themselves."

A private telegram has been received by the
friends of the Bishop of Montreal announcing his death. The
Most Reverend the Metropolitan of the Canadian Church
was born in 1803. Was Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford ;
successively rector of Trowbridge,Rector of Croydon, Cam-
bridgeshire, and Minister of Curzon Chapel, in Mayfair. In
the year 1850 he was consecrated to the See of Montreal,
and became the first Metropolitan on the Canadian Church
being formed into a province in 1860. Dr. Fulford was a
prolate of rare gifts and temper, and of great administrative
power.

FATAL COLLISION IN THE STREET. —Mr. Payn©
held au inquest in Guy's Hospital on the body of James
Mahony, aged 45. The deceased and a man named Milian
were driving a van loaded with manure in Blue Anchor-
yard, Bermondsey, when, in attempting to clear a truck
in the road, the deceased pulled his horse too far across the
road just as another vehicle came along, and they came
into collision. The deceased and his friend were thrown to
the ground, and the former received such fearful injuries
as to cause his death. There being no blame on either
side, a verdict of accidental death was returned.
DEATH OF MR. CARD, FORMERLY M. P. FOR
EXETER.—Mr. Richard Sommers Gard, Conservative
M.P. for Exeter from 1857 to 1865, died on Wednesday,
at Monkton, near Honiton, aged 73. Mr. Gard for many
years lived the life of a private gentleman, occupying a
charming estate, Rougemont, Exeter, and dispensing gifts
freely to needy persons and benevolent institutions. Mr.
Gard was first elected for Exeter at the general electon of
1857, when he was returned unopposed, as also in 1859
and in 1865 he retired, being succeeded by Lord Courtena,y.
after a close contest. Mr. Gard was a staunch Conserva
Live, and a very benevolent man, and by his courtess
and urbanity wou general aucl great FespeqtrifeSeci'.7;
ifollli/bartiNt-