The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-05 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, SUNDAY.
There still continues to exist the same hopes or
a speedy and amicable arrangement of the Prusso'
Swiss difficulty.
There was no meeting of the Conferences to-day ;
but a sitting will take place to-morrow.
It is said that the French Government has de'
termined to abandon Tahiti, finding that it costa
much and produces nothing, but, on the other,
hand, it is seriously occupied with the creation o.'
the newly-founded colony, New Caledonia. Thil/
island is rich and the climate healthy, and is aP:
propriated to receive a portion of the French
colony of Guyana. A permanent garrison of 7v, ,v.
or 800 men is to be established there. The Franco_
Government is likewise much occupied with th:
development of the colony of Senegal. An expo'
dition has been sent from Algeria to ascertain the
practicability of establishing a cammunication.
tween those two colonies by land.
The Moniteur of yesterday contains a report ad'
dressed to the Emperor by Marshal Vaillant, the
Minister of War, upon the carrying into effect, ill
Algeria, of " the great principle " which was sane:
tioned by the decree of March 25, 1852, and whicis h
expressed in these words :—" The more important
it is to centralise the governmental action of di'
state, the more necessary is it to decentralise 10
merely administrative action." The minister oir
serves that the continual increase of the population
in Algeria, and of intercourse with its inhabitants,'
as well as the extension of municipal institutioof
there, give rise to numerous questions which are'
referred to the decision of the superior authoritie
and that it is necessary to provide some speedier
and simpler mode of settling them ; but the sr-
tern of decentralisation adopted in France by the
decree of 1852 would require some modification in'
Algeria, where there is no direct taxation, and
there cannot at present be any municipal councils,
In France, the decentralision has been confined to
extending the functions of the prefects ; but 10
Algeria two departments must be constituted, oue
for the governor-general and the other for the pro.;
vincial authorities ; that is to say, the prefects of
territories under civil administration, and the
generals commanding divisions in territories under
martial law. The former should have the manage',
ment of whatever belongs to the general interest of
colonisation, the latter of local affairs. A decree
follows, by which the Emperor gives effect to hit/
Minister's suggestions, and minutely defines the
functions of the respective authorities in Algeria.

SPAIN.
cerda y, an extraordinary credit is
MADRID, Jan. 1. —By a royal decree, dated ye6#
Minister of Finance, in order to cover the general
expenses attendant on the sale of the nations'
domains.
The Gazette publishes a decree entirely suspend'
ing the law of the 23d of May, 1856, relative t°
the redemption of spiritual and temporal appoitik
ments.

The Government sanctions the cession by Di•
Salamanca to the Grand Central Company of
France of the line of railroad from Almansa to
Alicante.
The workmen of Barcelona have quietly returned
to their homes.

We beg to call the attention of our merchants and
shipowners, as well as the more important agricultural
and manufacturing interests of Lancashire, Yorkshire.
and the Midland Counties, to the reported, and it is to
be feared too successful, attempts on the part of powerful
railway companies to possess themselves of the great
inland or canal navigation of these districts. The
interests of commerce generally demand that the great
carrying trade of this country should not be placed
ID
the hands of any tingle body of men, however able and
honest they may prove themselves to be. A monopoly
so gigantic in its nature is ominous of fearful consequences,
against which it is impossible to be too much upon our
guard. With legitimate competition no port can rival
this in despatch, or moderation of charges on goods
iD
store or in transit, and it remains with our local railways
and dock company to provide sufficient room and acconi
modation for its increasing trade, involving as that doeo
to a certain extent the future prosperity of the port.--'
Hull General Price Current.
MURDER AT LARICHALL.-0a Thursday night (the
evening of .New-year's-day), between eight and nine
o'clock, while aweaver named Ramsay Smith was re-
turning from Hamilton to the village of Larkhall, he was
met, when near Larkhall, by a party of Irishmen, whoui
he sainted with "It's a gude nicht," One cf the party,
without another word passing, turned round and struck
Smith on the neck or side of the head with a gutty
percha skulicracker. His son, who was with him—quite
a youth—observed his father stagger under the blovot
but be recovered himself somewhat, and with assistance
was able to reach his home in the village. He gradually
sunk, however, and died at six o'clock on Friday morn-
ing. The villagers, learning the fatal issue of the en-
counter, became much excited, surrounded the house
where the navvies were that none of them might escape,
and by daylight handed them over to the authorities.
Three ot the men were apprehended and lodged in Ha'
milton jail. A ribe of navvies have recently come to ='
the weaviog vil:age of Larkhall, and as there has been
bad blood between the strangers and the villager., it is
believed that the murder was not simply the result of a
casual encounter.— Scotsman.