The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-17 00:00:00

DEATH OF THE KING OF SIAM.

A telegram from Galle, dated the 4th November,
announces the death of the Supreme King of Siam, which
occurred on the Ist October. The literary and scientific
acquirements of this remarkable man have given him a
very high rank among Oriental monarchs. No infor-
mation is conveyed as to the successor to the
throne, but no doubt the next overland mail will bring
detailed reports from the Court of Bangkok. The Straits
Times of October 8, in announcing the illness of his
Majesty, says :—" It is with much regret we learn from
our latest files of the Bangkok, Daily Advertiser, brought
by the Chow Phya on Monday last, that his Majesty the
King of Siam had been seriously ill with fever during the
latter part of August and the whole of September, and
that although on several occasions he seemed to be recover-
ing, relapses always took place, and when the steamer left
recovery was deemed hopeless. The fever is supposed
to have been caught during the visit to Hau Wan,
to see the eclipse ; and the jungle malaria at that
place must be very virulent, for eight of the Siamese
visitors of rank who accompanied the King on that
occasion have died from fever since their return,
including his Royal Highness Krom Koon Rachasee, a
nephew of the King. His Royal Highness Somdetch
Chow fa Chulalornkorn, the eldest son of the King, had
also been ill with the fever, but had apparently quite re-
covered. His Majesty's death will be a great loss to the
kingdom of Siam, and important consequences may result
therefrom. His Majesty has proved himself an able,
enlightened, and liberal monarch of varied accomplish-
ments, whom it will be difficult, if notimpossible, to replace,
and we sincerely hope that our next advices from Bangkok
will tell us that he has after all recovered. Some appre-
hensions were entertained that should his Majesty not
recover revolutionary disturbances would take place, and
as a matter of precaution, the Government was calling out
the native militia to be ready for all emergencies. It
would be well also that a British man-of-war were on the
spot, to watch events."

Mr. John Bright has recommended Mr. Rawson to
the electors of Salford. He speaks of him, in a letter, as a
man he has known for 25 years, during which time nothing
has transpired that is not to his honour. He esteems him
as a man and a politician, and says that working men may
rely upon him as a supporter of all that is enlightened and
ust in legisk tion.

THE WAR OFFICE. —The Times states that there
is no foundation for the announcement which appeared in
some of the military papers on Saturday, to the effect
that Sir Edward Lugard is about to retire from the War
Office, owing to impaired health. Sir Edward Lugard is
at present in excellent health, and has no intention of
leaving the War Office, nor of accepting any appointment
abroad.

Yesterday morning, shortly before divine service,
a man entered Trinity Church, Swansea, hastily, ascended
the pulpit, threw the books right and left, indulging in hor-
rid blasphemy. He next stripped the cloth from the com-
munion table, perpetrating other mischief. The terrified
officials sent for the police ; but he made his escape before
their arrival. He proved to be a lunatic residing at Fox-
hole, who some time since was guilty of a similar freak at
St. Mary's Church.

We learn that the prizes won by the English
Volunteers at the Tir National, Brussels, have been for
warded to the Anglo-Belgian Prize Fund Committee,
through the Belgian Minister, but that they are detained
at the Dover Custom House for compliance with some for-
malities required for their being passed free of duty. We
also learn that the hon. secretary to the Anglo-Belgian
Prize Fund, Colonel Beresford, on the eve of his departure
for an absence of some months on the Continent, resigned,
and that his place is likely to be shortly filled by a gentle.
man possessing high qualifications for the office.

FETE OF THE EMPRESS EUGENIE.—Great prepa-
rations were made at CompiiTne on Sunday to celebrate
with Eclat the Empress's Fête. The gates of the park
were opened to the public ; the whole town was dressed
out with flags, and a universal illumination was
to take place at night. The Ministers went down by
special train to present their respects to her Majesty. In
the evening there was a grand dinner of 100 covers, and
afterwards a ball. In Paris the principal theatres were
dressed out with flags and illuminated in honour of the
event.

TERRIBLE RAILWAY ACCIDENT. —The Stuttgardt
journals publish details of a horrible catastrophe which
took place a few days back on the railway to G-eisflinger.
A goods train had to go down the line, and in consequence
of the snow lying deep upon the rails the greatest circum-
spection was recommended to the engine-driver. Never-
theless, whether the snow had accumulated in too great a
quantity before the wheels of_ and prevented
the proper working of the breaks, the train ran off the
line down an incline, and the twenty-eight carriages com-
posing it fell one on the other and soon formed only a
frightful heap of ruin. Out of twelve persons accompany-
ing it, three only escaped with their lives.

FROZEN-017T FISH IN' INVERARY.----A correspon-
dent of the Glasgow Morning Journal writes :—" In con-
nection with the sudden and severe frost which set in
towards the end of last week, there was the unwonted
spectacle of Lochfyne frozen more than half-way across.
On Saturday mornir the ice lay so thick between In vcrary
and St. Catheri:ie's that a small boat narrowly escaped the
fate of sow,c of our intrepid whalers in the Arctic seas.
Later in the day some townspeople, who were near the sea-
'mach opposite the anchorage ground, noticed a strange
appearance on the ice, about 300 yards from the shore. It
seemed as if a shoal of fish were engaged in St. Vitus's dance
on the hardened surface of the sea. There was a bright sun
shining at the time, which gave the performance a very
striking effect. Manning several boats, the fishermen were
soon at the spot, and there, sure enough, they found hun-
dreds of fish flapping about on the ice—saithe, lithe, cod,
and herring—of all sizes, from fry of an inch long to full-
grown ones of several pounds weight. The astonished
fishermen lost no time in securing the fish,"