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

FRANCE.

PARIS, SUNDAY.
There still continues to exist the same hopes of
a speedy and amicable arrangement of the Prusso-
S wiss 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 costs
much and produces nothing, but, ors. the ()the/
hand, it is seriously occupied with the creation of
the newly-founded colony, New Caledonia. This
island is rich and the climate healthy, and is NY
propriated to receive a portion of the French
colony of Guyana. A permanent garrison of 700
or 800 men is to be established there. The French
Government is likewise much occupied with the
development of the colony of Senegal. An expe-
dition has been sent from Algeria to ascertain the
practicability of establishing a communication be'
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, in
Algeria, of " the great principle " which was sane'
tioned by the decree of March 25, 1852, and which
is expressed in these words :—" The more important
it is to centralise the governmental action of the
state, the more necessary is it to decentralise its
merely administrative actint." The minister ob-
serves that the continual increase of the population
in Algeria, and of intercourse with its inhabitant/14P
as well as the extension of municipal institutions
there, give rise to numerous questions which are
referred to the decision of the superior authorities,
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
i
extending the functions of the prefects ; but n
Algeria two departments must be constituted, one
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 his
Minister's suggestions, and minutely defines the
functions of the respective authorities in Algeria.

SPAIN.
MADRID, Jan. 1.---By a royal decree, dated yes-
terday, an extraordinary credit is granted to the
Minister of Finance, in order to cover the general
expanses attendant on the sale of the national
domains.
The Gazette publishes a decree entirely suspend-
ing the law of the 23d of May, 1856, relative to
the redemption of spiritual and temporal appoint-
ments.
The Government sanctions the cession by M.
Salamanca to the Grand Central Company of
France of the line of railroad from Almansa to
Alicante.

The workmen of Barcelona have quietly returned
,o 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 districs. The
interests of commerce generally demand that the great
carrying trade of this country should not be placed in
the hands of any single 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 in
store or in transit, and it remains with our local railways
and dock company to provide sufficient room and accom-
modation for its increasing trade, involving as that does
to a certain extent the future prosperity of the port.--
Hull General Price Current.
MURDER AT LARKHALL.—On Thursday night (the
evening of New-year's-day), between eight and nine
o'clock, while sweaver named Ramsay Smith was re-
turning from Hamilton to the village of Larkhall, he was
met, when near Larkhall, by a play of Irishmen, whom
be saluted with "It's a gude nicht." One of the party,
without another word passing, turned round and struck
Smith on the neck or side of the head with a gutty
percha skullcracker. His son, who was with him—quite
a youth—observed his father stagger under the blow,
but be recovered himself somewhat, and with assistance
was able to reach his home in the village. He gradually
soil, 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
w here the navvies were that none of them might escape,
and by daylight handed them over to the authorities.
Three of the men were apprehended and lodged in Ha-
milton jai'. A tribe of navvies have recently come to
the weaving village of Larkhall, and as there has been
bad blood between the strangers and the villagers, it is
believed that the murder was not simply the result of a
casual encounter.— Scotsman.