The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-28 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

The following letter appears in the Freeman's
Journal:—" My dear Editor,- Is there any diffe-
rence between a sick oyster and a sick salmon ?
Some noble lords and commoners think there is,
and while they look with horror on the fishing or
the sale of the latter, they lo )k with indifference,
if not complacency, on the dredging, and the sale,
and the destruction of the former, and etc conse-
quent impoverishment, dispersion, and destruction
of thousands of their fellow-creatures, who depend
on the proper treatment of this fish for their very
existence, and who are as precious in the sight of
the Father of All as the highest lord who eißr
wore a coronet. Ruin and destruction are han.;ing
this moment over thousands of my flock from as.
wantonly mischievous a bill as ever came before a
Christian deliberative assembly, and such a bill
awaits at this moment the final fiat of the British
Parliament. Let it pass in its present shape, and
not less than four thousand people in this town
shall be beggared, ruined, sent to the poorhouse,
or across the Atlantic in less than three years. All
we ask is the protection of close time under the
control of the Irish Fishery Commissioners for all
oyster beds off this coast while the oyster is sick
and unfit for use. ,Will the Parliament of
England refuse our prayers? If so, I will charge
the blood of my flock on their sonIs.—AUCHDEA-
-
CON REDMOND, P.P."

At a banquet given in the large hall of the Ex-
change by the representatives of the commerce
and trade of Berlin to the members of the Cus-
toms Parliament, Count Bismarck said :
" Gentlemen, permit me to give free expression to
the sentiment which induces us, North Germans,
to give a friendly adieu to our brethren in the
South. The short time that we have been together
passed rapidly, like a day in spring. May it pro-
duce in the future the fruitful effects of spring.—
(Applause.) I believe, gentlemen, that after hav-
ing laboured in common for the interests of
Germany, you will be able to carry home the con-
viction that you will find here, in all situations of
life, the hearts and hands of brothers.—(Applause.)
Let us maintain these relations and cherish this
family life. With this feeling I bid our brethren
of the South a cordial adieu.—(Great applause.)"
RELIGIOUS HORSE RACING.—It is known that
three among the young fellows who rowed in the
first race between Oxford and Cambridge became
bishops. This sort of athletic sport would have
been readily sanctioned by our early Anglo-Saxon
bishops, who loved a muscular Christianity and
good fellows with thews and sinews and active
spirits, as well as they did the weaker-built and
gentler-spirited brethren of their household. St.
John of Beverley, Bishop of Hexham, and subse-
quently of York, was one of them. The young
ecclesiastics and laymen who resided under his
roof for instruction.—which included music as well
as letters, sacred and profane—used to ride out
with their master during his visitation. When
they came to a good wide bit of green sward, usual
consequences ensued. The horses became plea-
santly excited, and the young fellows who bestrode
them gathered up their reins, asked permission to
ride a race, and were off as soon as a smile came
on the episcopal face, and almost before the ready
consent had passed from his lips. One of a com-
pany of such riders told his story to Bede—how
he and a troop of young equestrians were out with
the bishop, and how the prelate gave permission to
all but the narrator, an especial favourite, to have
an afternoon of racing. When they were in the
very highest of the excitement, the young fellow
who had been told to keep by the bishop's side and
safely watch the contest in which he was not per-
mitted to join, suddenly pressed his horse with his
knees and dashed off exultingly among the com-
petitors. You'll be the death of hie !" cried`tlie"
prelate ; and directly after, down cam: the as-
piring jockey's horse, rider, and all, the field gal-
loping over him. There was a general cessation
of sport, the fallen lad was taken up senseless, and
the bis'iop, who had been clerk of the course, now
performed the office of medical man. He did it
with tenderness, ability, and effect. The paient
had a broken head and a sprained hand, and was
senseless from pain ; but he recovere I his con-
sciousness, and opening his eyes, said, as he Paw
his pastor and master bending over him—" I know
you. You are the dear old governor."—Saints
and Sinners, by Dr Doran.
We read in a Florence letter :—" When Govern-
ments are in want of money they can discover very
ingenious modes of procuring it. Thus the Cham-
ber has voted a duty fixed at 200 f. payable by per-
sons who desire to become naturalised Italians.
Natives of Italy not belonging to the kingdom are
exempt. To recover lost nationality, 50f. ; on ac-
cepting a place or pension from a foreign Govern-
ment, not less than 200 f. ; declaration of having
chosen or of desiring to choose the kingdom as
one's domicile, 20f. ; royal decrees, authorising
change of name, 20f. ; transcriptions from the re-
gisters of births, marriages, and deaths, of royal
decrees, the object of which extracts is the conces-
sion of titles of nobility, a payment of not less than
2,000 f. All these duties were voted in a rapid
manner. Finally, MM. Macchi and Corrado pro-
posed the following addition to the bill :—The
diploma of knight in the orders of SS. Maurice and
Lazarus, or of the Italian Crown, shall pay a duty
of 200 f. ; officer, 300 f. ; commander, 500 f. ; grand
officer, 2,000 f. ; and grand cross, 5,000 f. The
Chamber has not yet come to a decision on this
amendment; but, unless the Ministry absolutely
opposes, it will certainly be adopted. General
Menabrea, however, is of opinion that the levying
of these payments would restrict the power pos-
sessed by the Government to reward those who
serve it faithfully, and for this reason I conclude
that the additional article of M. Macchi will be re-
jected."
If jewellery is happiness, a lady who was mar-
ried on Monday last is likely to be a very happy
woman. " Jeames," of the Morning Post, states
that the bride received on the occasion a tiara,
necklace, bracelet, and earrings of diamonds ; a
tiara, necklace, bracelet, and earrings of diamonds
and turquoises ; a chain diamond necklace, with a
matchless ruby and pearl pendant; a superb neck-
lace of diamonds and corals, a necklace of large
pearls, a necklace of choice coral, a necklace of
pearls and rubies, a necklace of gold ivy leaves, a
gold bracelet set with diamonds and pearls, a gold
bracelet set with pearls and rubies, a gold cable
bracelet, a gold bracelet set with rubies, a gold
bracelet mounted with pearls, a gold bracelet
mounted with pearls and diamonds, a crystal locket
set with turquoises, a gold locket with turquoises
and diamond centre, a magnificent diamond brooch,
with large sapphire centre.and pearl drop, a collar
and cross of lapis lazuli, a handsome pearl ring, a
diamond gem ring, a ruby gem ring, &C.
- -

Another colonial bishop has resigned, and there
will soon be almost as many retired colonial
bishops in England as there are holders of English
sees. The last resignation is that of Dr. Alford,
who was consecrated only last year to the bishop-
ric of Victoria, Hong Kong. The bishopric of
Mauritius has been vacant some months ; the
bishopric of Labuan will be vacant in a fortnight ;
the bishopric of New Zealand is virtually vacant,
although Dr. Selwyn still retains the name ; the
Bishop of Barbadoes is about to resign ; the
bishopric of Grafton is vacant by the death of Dr.
Sawyer ; the diocese of Westminster (British
Columbia) had a bishop assigned to it two years
ago, but he has not yet been consecrated; the dio-
cese of Jamaica has a bishop, but his lordship has
been absent from his see for many years, his
duties being performed by Dr. Courtenay, Bishop
of Kingston ; the bishopric of Bombay is vacant
by the resignation of Dr. Harding ; while the dio-
cese of Dunedin, New Zealand, although.it has a
bishop, Dr. Jenner, who was consecrated two years