The Sun. — London, England, 1859-04-18 00:00:00

The ..kssui -ant3e; 4, screw steam despatch vessel, Commander C. Aynslcy, was on Saturday placed in No. 2 dock a.t Portsmouth to complete her repairs prior to furthez service. Her crew will be paid up wages and gran. ted short leave of absence. The Princess ".Charlotte, Belgian screw steamer, which vessel brOught to as noticed in The Sun of the 12th l England military and naval invalids from . t Hongkong, .having discharged at th e dockyard, Portsmouth, a quantity of old Govern on board, sailed from th a t p ort on Saturday Govern ment stores forsb. oce Southampton, to be dock e d, & c. , ding to Antwerp. The Sut prior to priej, 50, sailing frigate, in N o . 9 d oc k at preparing for length en i ng an d con version Po rtsmouth a screw frigate, has h er ou t s id e planking. s tripped to off to aponsiderable d e pth b e l ow h er water l tine preparatory to her being cut asunder, and is o therwise fast progressing in th e details necessary for the commencement of the lengthening her bow and stern. The Doris, 32, screw steam frigate, 800-horse power, nominal, Capt. E. Heathcote, had steam up at Spithead on Saturday to commence her series of screw trials, but owing to the force of wind being greater than the Admiralty allow ships to be tried under, the trial was deferred. The Mersey, 40, screw steam frigate, Captain H. Caldwell, C. 8., according to present orders, will leave Portsmouth harbour for Spithead this morning. The Meander, 44, sailing frigate, at Portsmouth, has been brought down to the harbour and placed in the fitting basin. A battery of position, consisting of four 18- pounder guns, with 12 waggons, one forge, plat form waggon, store limber, and hospital cart, &c., have left Woolwich for Chichester, where they will be stationed for coast defences. By letters received at Plymouth it appears that the monotony on board the screw steamship Caesar, 90, Capt. Charles Frederick, which has been lying for three months outside Greytown, was somewhat relieved on the 15th of March by four arrivals—viz., a smart little schooner (once a slaver), bringing provisions for the Caesar, the merchant brig St. Vincent, of Liverpool, the United States steamer St. L ou i s, and the Royal West India mail steamer Clyde. After a month's absence at Jamaica the screw steam-frigate Diadem, 32, Capt. William Moorsorn, C. 8., brought to the Caesar her orders to proceed home, which gratifying intelli gence Mr. Caldwell, the surgeon, conveyed imme diately to the sick. The Caesar will probably touch at Vera Cruz and Havannah on her passage to Ply mouth. On the 18th of March M. Belley, an emi nent French engineer, accompanied by a large staff arrived for the purpose of opening a canal between Greytown and Lake Nicaragua, which, when finished, will become a powerful competitor with the American railway from Chagres t o P anama . The apprentices brig Nautilus 10, Lieutenant- Commander G rant, left Plymouth: Sound on Wed nesday for her first Channel trip this season. The steam gunboat Hind, tender to the Russell, 60, at Falmouth, was placed under repair at Devon port on Wednesday. The screw troopship Urgent, Commander John W. D. Macdonald, left Plymouth on Thursday, for the Channel fleet in Bantry Bay. The steam troopship, Dee, 4, Master-Commander Thomas C. Pullen, left Ply mou th on Th urs d ay for Woolwich. The lighter Falmouth sailed from Plymouth on Friday for Portsmouth. The surveying steamer Shamrock was commis sioned at Plymouth on Wednesday by Commander • Joseph Edye. A court of inquiry was held on Thursday and. Friday at Devonport, Captain Woodford J. Wil liams ch a i rman, for the purpose of ascertaining the circumstances under which the barque Ava was run down on Monday last, the 11th instant, off the Lizard, by the steam troopship Per severance, Commander E. R. Power. The finding of the Court has not been promulgated. The Perseverance was supplied on Friday with a figure-head and bowsprit, and it was hoped that she would leave yesterday (Sunday) for Milford, Queenstown, and the Cape of Good Hope. scrCew apt. R o b ert S. Robinson, of the Exmouth, 90, steam gwardship of ordinary at Plymouth, was su mmoned to Whi te h a l l on Thursday evening. Watt Steam was got up on F r id ay on b oard the James , 91, Capt. Edward Codd, at Devonport, for the purpose of te s ti ng her boilers. The screw steamship Nile, 90, Capt. Arthur P. Wilmot, C. 8., left Hamoaze on Saturday afternoon, and having taken a s h or t tr i a l cru i se i n the Channel returned to Plymouth Sound in the evening. The screw steam frig.ate Termagant, 25, Capt. Robert Hall, from Portland, arrived at Plymouth on Saturday evening. The screw steamship Liffey, 51, Capt. George W. Preedy, left Plymouth on Saturday evening to join the Channel fleet. The paddlewheel steam frigate Virago, 6, Com mander Montagu B. Dunn, l e ft Ply mou th S oun d yesroterday morning for Ch a th am , w h ence s h e w ill pbably tow the Eurydice, 26, to Portsmouth. PEMBROKE DOCKYARD.—The following are the principal dimensions of the Revenge, screw steam ship of the line pierced for 91 guns, ordered to be launched at this yard, viz. :—Length of perpen dicular, 234 ft. ; 199 ft. ltin. • length of keel for tonnage, ; extreme breadth, 55ft. 4in. ; depth of hold, 24ft. sin. ; burthen in tons, 3,146. The Reveng e is a and a rod specimen of the new class, 91's, Ppea elv to p rove an efficient man-of-war. RE enA rs NYEL sQuADRON.—The progress made by the crews of the Channel squadron in Bant R ry 33 aY is' 'very s atisfactory. The Royal Albert andßa Racoon are generally t h e smartest in their evolu • tions, which comprise shifting topsailyards, furling sails, shifting ettin g topg a ll antmasts, and jibbooms, g out stream anchors and cables, &c. We only hope that these exk.r2isea 'rill too far ; b ut we rely ma ,allant rr admiral's discr e ti on in the ter. aie United Serv ic e Gazette. THE „filmy. A netachment of the Ist battalion Rifle Brigade, consisting of 1 officer and 30 men, are under orders to proceed from Whichester to join the service com panies at Malta. The improved breech-loadi n by Mr. " p arry, cannon, invented arry, the armourer of th e 3d b atta li on at Chatham garrison, havin g b een submitted, from time to time, to a series of trials, with the view of testing its efficacy, all with the most satis factory results, the authorities have been com municated with in order to enable the inventor to ascertain whether it is the intention of the Go vernment to take up the invention and appoint a commission to superintend a succession of trials with the gun, in order that its superiority over all other breech -loading cannons, now in use may be determined. Since the former accounts of the performances of this new weapon appeared in The Sun the inventor has effected another impor tant improvement in it, which has the result of making the discharges even more rapid than before, the gun being now capable of discharging, with ease, 20 r o unds per minute. This improvement is effected by. a beautifully contrived lever, placed on the side of the breech, which by one simple move ment raises the cock of the gun and opens the breech ; the reverse movement entirely closing the breech, cutting the cartridge used, priming the nipple, and firing . the gun, all instantaneously —the effect of which is that the cannon may now be dis charged as rapidly as the charges can be inserted in the breech, as two simple movements are now all gun for being fired that is necessary to prepare the and. actually discharging it. The inventor has also effected an improvement in theballs used for breech loading guns, for which he has alied for a.patent. This improvement consists in themeanner of coating the halls, the present lead and tin coating with which balls have hitherto been covered leaving a deposit in the gun which necessitates that the bore should be cleaned out after every few rounds have been fired, the out gun, for instance, re quiring 'Tonging after about every dozen rounds, and occasionally more frequently. To obviate this Mr. Warry has inven a chemical composition which he applies to theyspherical balls used by him, and which answers it s Ilta.pose so satisfactorily that after 50 rounds were fired the other day with these slightest fouling in the gun balls so coated not the could be detected,. the breech, in consequence of the admitted each tim e it was loaded, current of air remaining as cool as at the commencement, while no expansion could be perceived. The inventor also states that by using his method a dozen balls can be coated for the expense now incurred in coating one on the old principle. Snhtiooundlitrhcovernment consent to take up b th pared to apply his reeel.enhv-eloading Principle to t iB o P a r n e ; of the metal guns now in use, which, at a compari tively small outlay, can be so adapted. It is a remarkable circumstance in connecti on w i t h this in vention that shortly after the acco un t o f t hi s wea pon first appeared the inventor was s a w nd aj o t ff ed ere o d n the b y the agent of a foreign Government, most handsome terms to transfer his inv en ti on to that Government, or part with the model of hi s gun, both of which offersalilor.wwing ariTan,foirnp obvious of hisreasons, declined, not even model. THE MILITIA. The East Suffolk Militia Artillery, embodied last week at Ipswich, will leave for a garrison town the _first - week in M a y. Colonel Austin, late of the Bengal Horse Artillery ) has been appointed to succeed Captain Love, as adjutant of the regiment, which is 400 strong. Two companies of the Waterford Militia Artillery, consisting of two officers and 84 men, will to morrow proceed from Portsmouth to Fort Victoria, Yarmouth, and Freshwater, Isle of Wight. The head- quarters of the regiment are un er orders to proceed from Portsmouth to Parkhurst, Isle of Wight. The following men have during the past week volunteered from the Royal Limerick County Militia, stationed in Portsmouth :-23 men to Ist battalion 3d Foot, 5 men to Ist battalion 9th Foot, 1 man to Ist battalion 14th Foot, 19 men to Ist battalion 17th Foot, 1 man to 36th Foot, 3 men to 39th Foot, 8 men to 40th Foot, 1 man to 75th Foot, and 6 men to 95th Foot. GALLANT LIFEBOAT SERVICES. WALMER, NEAR DEAL, April 15.—This morn ing at daylight a vessel was observed on the south side of the Goodwin Sands. A Deal boat being afloat in the Downs was observed to run down to wards the vessel, but it being nearly low water she could not approach the vessel in distress. The wind was W.N.W., blowing very hard, and a heavy cross sea upon the Goodwin Sands. As soon as the tide flowed sufficiently the lifeboat of the Royal Na tional Lifeboat Institution was launched, and crossed over the sands under her oars through a very dangerous sea, and got alongside the vessel. While getting her masts and sails down preparatory to going alongside, the lifeboat crew observed a man fall overboard from the rigging. The mate had been previously drowned by upsettinr , of the small boat belonging to the vessel, which had been got out before daylight. The crew consisted of the master, Richard Bowen, and three hands. The vessel was a sloop, named the Liberal, bound from Grangemoith, to St. Val.ery, laden with iron. On the lifeboat going alongside the vessel, the master, Richard Bowen, and one seaman, John Norman, aged 17, were seen in the rigging. The sloop was breaking up fast; and the mast and upper works gave way together. As the lifeboat went alongside John Norman was got into the lifeboat as the mast fell, but the master was thrown overboard. One of the crew of the lifeboat, named John Chidwick, fearlessly jumped overboard in this heavy sea, and succeeded in bringing the master in a very ex hausted state alongside the lifeboat. Two of the lifeboat crew got hold of the master by his dress, but a heavy sea came, and the part of his dress by which they held him gave way, and he unfortu nately sank to rise no more, notwithstanding the noble efforts of the lifeboat crew. The lifeboat had to work to windward against a heavy sea and bitter cold wind before she could get round the South Sand Head. The steam-tug which was running into the Downs kindly gave her a tow to wind ward, and the lifeboat succeeded in landing the poor fellow she had saved by 11 o'clock a.m., having been afloat since a quarter past six this morning. The lifeboat behaved ad mirably, and the crew have the greatest confidence both in her and also in Captain Ward's lifebelts. John Chadwick had his painted canvas coat on over the lifebelt when he jumped overboard. Had the poor master worn one of these belts, be would probably have been saved. The cost of the Wal mer lifeboat was generously presented two or three years ago to the National Lifeboat Institution by some members of the Royal Thames Yacht Club. She was on a former occasion instrumental in saving, during a dark, tempestuous night, a ship's crew of 15 men. TILE NATIONAL DEFENCES. On Saturday evening a public meeting was held n St. Martin's-hall, Long-acre, to take into consi deration the state of the national defences, and to urge upon her Majesty's Government the pressing necessity of maintaining a Channel fleet commen surate with the dignity and safety of the nation, having especial regard to the present critical posi tion of affairs on the continent, and to the suspicion and distrust which the habitual reserve of the Emperor of the French, as the speakers alleged, inspires in the minds of Englishmen. The hall is capable of containing 2,500 persons, but not a third of that number was present. The comparatively sparse attendance may have been partly due to the weather, which was cold, wet, and cheerless. Sir Charles Napier, M.P., was announced to take the chair. The meeting was called for half-past seven, but the veteran admiral did not make his appear ance until upwards of an hour afterwards. He was cheered on his arrival. Sir Allan M'Nab, now on a visit to this country from Canada, was present, but the hon. baronet assumed so unobtrusive a po sition on the platform that it was not until nearly the close of the proceedings, and then only by chance, that his presence became known to the meet ing, by whom he was cheered. A letter from Gen. Sir De Lacy Evans, excusing his non-attendance, but concurring in the object of the meeting, was read. There were a few naval and military officers on the platform, who took part in the proceedings. Sir C. NAPIER, on being called to the chair, said —The meeting had been convened to take into con sideration the defenceless state of the country at the present moment. Everybody must be well aware that enormous armies were now collected and col lecting in Europe—French, Piedmontese, and Aus trian—to decide some question which they in England really did not know much about. For himself, he could not see what cause there was for a war between Austria and Piedmont, unless it was that Austria naturally wished to keep possession of her territory, and Piedmont wanted to drive the Aus trians out of Italy. It was true that according to the treaty of 1815 the northern part of Italy was ceded to the Austrian Government, and if they had maintained their rule there with kindness and moderation he had no doubt the Italians long before this would have been reconciled to the sway of Austria. (Cheers.) But it was well known that Austria had never done that, and it was natural that the Italians wished to shake off the yoke. If the Italians could emancipate themselves without the assistance of France they would be perfectly right in doing so, and if he was at liberty himself, he was not at all sure that he would not go and help them. (Laughter and cheers.) He trusted, however, that the wisdom of our rulers would prompt them to remain quiet, or at least to do nothing that might possibly involve this country in a war with which we had nothing to do. (Cheers.) Austria oppressed Italy, it was true, but we had no right to meddle with the matter; it was an affair of the Italians themselves, who ought to rise en ntasse and chase the Austrians out of Italy alto gether. (" No, no.") He said " Yes, yes." He knew at least that the English people would be the first to drive out any foreign race who dared to intrude within their territory, and he did not think the Italians were at all bound to continue under the domination of Austria unless they were treated with kindness and moderation, and enjoyed some thing like liberty. By the by, if the Italians did rise, they would see that generous people from many countries would hasten to assist them in throwing off the Austrian yoke. (Cheers.) He regretted, however, that France should meddle at all in this affair, and he did not see why she should so inter fere, unless with a view to her own aggrandisement. A few days ago he had a conversation with some of the Neapolitan refugees now in this country, who assured him that the Italians were equally averse from living under French as under Austrian rule, and that their motto was, " Italy for the Italians." (Cheers.) The question for the meeting was, whether this country in its present state was sufficiently defended in the event of any compli cation with continental nations that might lead us into war ? He contended it was not. They saw French, Austrian, and Italian armies on the move ; and it was a long head, indeed, that could say how far such a combination might in volve this country. Cruelties might be inflicted in the struggle, or something might take place of which the people of this country might highly disapprove, and they might thereupon rise and side with the Italians. We did not know what might happen, and we ought to be in a state to preclude our being em broiled in a war. To preserve peace, in other words, 7 e sh ou ld b e rea d y for war. This country had not or a long time been in the position in which it ought to have been. (Hear, hear.) He had laboured in the House of Commons to prove to the Govern ment of the day the defenceless state we were in, and f or same time at first he was sneered at and call e d an alarmist. If he was an alarmist, so, too, was the Duke of Wellington, for that great man over and over again sought to awaken the country o a sense o f it s d anger in regard. to its means of _ defence agai ns t an i nvas i on. He (Sir C. Napier) knew well of what the English navy was capable, when p roper l y managed, but no country in the world could be fit to resist an enemy unless its soldiers and sailors were properly disciplined and attack. He contended that for a long kept pwrhepilaereEng land had not had a navy equal to the dignity and safety of the kingdom. (Hear.) He had said long !I t oilseofCommons—Only let the navy bo ut all lt we o r t . art 'u e u tu x r p in such a condition that in the event laugh extrneY our force could easily be increased had not to pleased, and we could afford to donethte. world. The Government of the day they done with ; and then, he asked, what had estimates anisunt4e that p urpos " e l 4 all the money Since that they h a d t ° which was voted for or six years ago the naval £4,000,000 or £5,000,000. increase, it was tr ue ri t r n gent, but we were still. n ere to £8,000,000 ; with that had been some improve to be after spending si l t in the condition we ought w . e had a Channel (Hear, hear.) At one fleet of eight or ten sail the line, but that was impotie e rr n i : v rt ilms sums of money. only for a short time, e men were paid off and (sent to the right about. That was not the way to defend the country. A fleet could not be got into proper order unless it was disciplined; but if they raised a fleet to-day and paid off to-mor row, all the cost of fitting it out was utterly thrown away. He was not an alarmist ' • but he remem bered the great war in the time of Napoleon I. He was then old enough to judge of the efforts Bona parte was making and of his prospects of success. At that time steam was not known, and Napoleon collected a vast number of small sailing vessels at various ports with the view of invading this country —but he never intended to invade the country in that way—his object in disposing of those sailing vessels was to distract our fleets, and ho did it, and except for a mistake on the part of Admiral Ville neuve he would have landed an army of 200,000 or 300,000 men on our shores. If it was possible then, was it not much more possible now for the French to invade this country when they had got a steam navy ? We had nothing to depend on but our steam. The French had on the north-west coast of France 180 commercial steamvessels of all sorts, and in the Mediterranean 150 steamvessels, all in a state of preparation. If all those seaport towns were gar risoned, what in the name of God, was to hinder the French troops in 48 hours from marching on board of those steam vessels, having a rendezvous in Portland roads, and be ready to land in this country at a convenient moment, unless we had a navy to keep them off? We had it on the authority of a late First Lord of the . Admiralty that France had the means of manning every ship she had by her system of naval conscription whenever she thought proper, and we had the declaration of the first Lord of the Admiralty that we could not man our fleet when we liked. Suppose France wanted to do ns an immense deal of mischief it was not necessary for her fleet to touch our shores at all. All that she would have to do would be to send her fleet to sea and place it in such a position as to intercept the whole of our East and West India trade, and also our Mediterranean trade. That France could do, unless we protected ourselves ; and in such an event there was not a banking or mercantile house in the city that would not be ruined. There was nothing to prevent France doing that unless the people of England came forward and demanded that our fleet should be on a proper footing. (Cheers.) At Cher bourg the French had got basins far superior to any that we had, and which would accommodate a great number of ships ; and we could not suppose for a moment that Louis Napoleon finished these docks in order that they might remain idle. Perhaps he was now waiting until a suitable time arrived when a blow could be struck against this country, for the French had a saying that Cherbourg was an eye to see and an arm to strike. The gallant admiral con tinued the subject in some further detail, and con cluded by saying that all he wanted was, that the Government, to whatever party it might belong, would do all it possibly could to keep up at a dan gerous time a respectable Channel fleet and to ame liorate the condition of the seamen, adding, that he was fully alive to the dangers to which the country was exposed, and that he would never rest until he saw it put in a proper state of defence. (Cheers.) Col. Sir D. MACDOUGAL moved the first resolu tion— " That at this alarming European crisis and in the pre sence of the immense warlike preparations of continental States it is of imperative importance that the unarmed and defenceless condition of the United Kingdom should be re spectfully submitted to her Majesty, and urgently impressed on the attention of the people of this realm. As an example to the mother country, he referred to the exertions of Sir A. M'Nab, who, he said, was chiefly instrumental in establishing in Canada a military organisation by which the service of every male inhabitant was rendered available for the de fence of the province. He stated than in 1852, and subsequently, he had pointed out in communications to the Government of the day the suspicions with which the English people ought to regard the Em peror of the French, reminding them that success frequently made men mad (in allusion to the suc cess which had attended the Emperor), and that, from his antecedents, and possibly desiring to be the avenger of Waterloo, the man who overthrew by a coup d'etat the constitutional liberties of France was quite as likely to direct a coup de main against England. He also quoted the letter which the Duke of Wellington wrote to Sir J. Burgoyne on the then defenceless state of our coasts, and he urged the meeting never to forget that memorable warning. He added that he gave that advice as an old soldier, and that, frcm illness, that was the first occasion he had been out of his house during the last three years. Mr. LAWRENCE, a barrister, in seconding the re solution, said he presumed that none of them desired to see a:base and cowardly French intervention in the impending difficulty, and he called on them to bear in mind that the despots of Europe thoroughly hated the free institutions of England. They knew that this metropolis had ever afforded shelter to the expatriated refugees of foreign countries, that. it had nobly protected every foreign patriot who had sought an asylum here, and that we refused to alter our laws at the beck or command of any foreign tyrant. They knew all that, and they hated us for it. He was sorry to see that of late we had had a Ministry who had not sufficiently respected the honour and character of England, as shown in the Charles-et-Georges affair; but there were Govern ments who would not hesitate to peril the interests and sacrifice the honour of England for the sake of peace. To preserve the country in a state of pre paration was one of the first duties cast on every British citizen. The people only wanted the means of organisation and preparation ; let the Govern ment put arms into their hands, and there were men who would fight to defend their country's shores ; men who saw what a despot—he would not name him—had done and could do, ought to see our danger and be prepared to avert it. (Cheers.) Mr. A. B. RICHARDS supported the resolution. He deprecated the extent to which this important question was merged and forgotten in the inferior one of Parliamentary Reform, and he held that self preservation was the first law of nature. He par ticularly urged the necessity of establishing volun teer corps throughout the country, cited the exam ple of America in that respect, and added that the Prince Consort was an honorary member of an American Artillery corps. The resolution was put and carried unanimously. On the motion of Gen. Taylor, seconded by Capt. Adderley Sleigh, a resolution was adopted, suggest ing a m emorial to the Queen and petitions to Par liament, when it reassembled, urging the mainte nance of a sufficient Channel fleet, the calling out and increase of the militia, and the enrolment of volunteer rifle and other corps throughout the kingdom. Sir ALLAN M.NAB, having been invited to ad dress the meeting, said he was present by chance, and had not expected to be called on to take part in the proceedings. It was little that he could hope to add to what had been said and so well said by the gentlemen who had preceded him. This was not his home. He lived in Canada ; and, although he could not boast of being an English man or a Scotchman, he could boast of being the next best thing,—a Scotchman's son. (Laughter.) He had had the assistance of able men in Canada in organising the militia of that province, and the way in which it had been done by those with whom he had had the good fortune to act seemed to have elicited the highly valuable commendation of his gallant friend, Sir Duncan Macdougal. Every man in that country was enrolled in the militia, with the exception of the clergy and the judges. The people there were regarded as one great army. The country was parcelled out into military divisions. They had two classes of militia, the active and the sedentary. The active militia included every male inhabitant of the province under 40 years of age, of whom there were now about 170,000 or 180,000. The sedentary militia included all the male inhabi tants from 40 to 60 years of age. In each of those military divisions they had a full complement of staff officers, and also depots of arms, by means of which the men could be armed and equipped in the local divisions to which they belonged. During the war of 1812 and 1814 they had in Canada what were called Frank companies, which were armed, equipped, and drilled in a short time. At that time, when war was declared by the United States of Ameria, they had not in Canada 900 men of all arms above the city of Montreal. At the com mencement of the war they were invaded on the western side by the American army, under the command of General Hull. The Canadian Militia and Volunteers. under the command of Sir Isaac Brock, marched up to the right of the Detroit River, which they crossed. General Hull after wards retired, and in a short time the American army surrendered, and the whole of Michigan was in the possession of the Canadians. He did not say that with the slightest intention to disparage his friends and neighbours on the opposite side of the river, because they had as good a militia as any country in the world. He only stated those facts , to show what a little organisation could do. (Hear, hear.) That was the end of the first campaign, and it was principally fought under Sir Isaac Brock with the militia of the province. When peace was declared their opponents had not gained one foot of the ground belonging to the English Crown. They had now in Canada a great many volunteer Dragoon companies and others. Those men were drilled for 20 days in the year, for which they were paid, and he believed, with the railroad facilities they had now, they could in a few days muster 10,000 or 20,000 at any point of the pro vince, should an emergency occur. (Hear, hear.) The proceeds of the Ordnance lands of the province were originally destined for the maintenance of a military force. Those lands were valued at £1,500,000 sterling, and he had seen with regret it stated in the papers that it was intended to divert the proceeds of the lands from that purpose. He THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, APRIL 18, 1859. was sorry to find that they were now reducing the number of volunteer companies and taking away the pay of the officers. He hoped, however, such a change would not be carried into effect; for he thought if there was ever a time when they were called upon to keep them selves prepared for any emergency now was the time. (Hear, hear.) He hoped the subject to which he had just adverted would attract the notice of those who had the power to bring it under the con sideration of the Government. He did not know so good a militia law as that of Canada ; he knew it was working well, and he hoped it would con tinue to do so ; but if the province were deprived of the means of keeping up the force by any change with respect to the Ordnance lands he should very much deplore the result. The hon. baronet apolo gised for taking the liberty of stating those few facts, and was cheered on resuming his seat. The meeting, which was also addressed by Mr. Perceval and Mr. Jobson, did not terminate until nearly 11 o'clock. ARTISTS' GENERAL BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION. On Saturday the 44th annual festival of the sup porters and friends of this institution was celebrated at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great Queen-street ; Viscount Hardinge in the chair. His lordship was supported on the occasion by an unusually large number of the more eminent members of the pro fession, and patrons of the fine arts ; and among those present we observed Sir Charles Eastlake, Sir Walter James, Sir Edwin Landseer, Sir Charles Barry, Mr. Elmore, R.A. Mr. Frith, R.A. Mr. Roberts, R.A., Mr. Foley, R.A., Mr. Creswick, ' R.A. Mr. Sidney Cooper, R.A., Mr. Egg, R.A., Mr. Philip, A.R.A., Mr. Frank Stone, A.R.A., Mr. Weekes, A.R.A., Mr. Hurlstone, Mr. J. Dillon, Mr. Greene, Mr. Day, and numerous others. The association was instituted in 1814, and is under the immediate patronage of her Majesty, and the ob jects of the association are the affording assistance to widows and orphans, and the relief of decayed artists. Since the establishment of the association not less than 1,620 donations have been granted by the society, the aggregate of which amounted to a sum of rather more than £20,000. During the past year the operations of the society had extended to 73 cases, including sculptors, historical painters, enamel painters, landscape painers, engravers, and the widows and orphans of artists in every depart ment. The income of the society from all sources amounted for the year to £1,959, and the expendi ture, including £1,075 for donations and relief, to £1,314, leaving a balance applicable for what is termed the " Christmas distribution," of £645 The funds of the society are separated, one, avail able for the assistance of the members being called the Artists' Annuity Fund; the other, applicable to the relief of the widows and children of members, being the Artists' Benevolent Fund. The two funds are, however, for the objects of the association united, but the society has adopted the sound prin ciple that it does not afford relief to any artist, however great his merits, or unfortunate his cir cumstances, who is not a member of the association, nor to the widows or families of any who have not that claim upon its resources. The association has upon its various anniversaries had the privilege of having its claims advocated by the most distin guished men of the age, and the late Duke of Kent was the first chairman at the anniversary dinners. On the present occasion Lord Hardinge, as we have stated, was the president. After the usual loyal and national toasts had been disposed of, The noble CHAIRMAN, in proposing the toast of "Prosperity to the Artists' Benevolent Institution," observed that, however industrious the artist might be, and however persevering might be his efforts to achieve success in his profession, he might still be deficient in one or two particulars, and might fail at the moment when success appeared within his grasp. It might and did frequently happen that even when success had been achieved, and the artist believed that he was on the road to obtain ing competency for himself and his family, that he was suddenly afflicted with loss of sight, dis ease, or sickness in any one of its varied forms, which dashed from him all the cherished hopes of acquiring that competence to which it had been his ambition to attain. (Hear, hear.) He had heard too,—he could not say how far the report was cor rect,—that photography had most materially affected the position of the miniature painter, and this con stituted an additional claim upon the funds of the association and the liberality of the profession. It was most gratifying to find that since the establish ment of the association upwards of £20,000 had been distributed in relieving artists in every branch of the fine arts. (Cheers.) It was a peculiar and highly creditable feature of this association that its expense, compared with the relief afforded, was so small. The small expenses of the mana g .mout uf the institution was a point deserving of peculiar notice. Exclusive of the expenses connected with the annual festival—which, however, was a source of a considerable share of the income of the society --the annual expenses did not amount to more than £l6O, or not more than 8 per cent. upon the amount distributed. As compared with other associations of a similar character the percentage of expenses of this society contrasted in a most favourable manner. It was a matter of congratulation not only that the society was managed economically, but also that it was conducted efficiently. Great credit was due to Sir C. Eastlake, the president, and to Mr. Roper, the secretary of the association, for the manner in which its affairs were conducted. His lordship concluded by proposing the toast, which was drunk with great enthusiasm. Sir C. EASTLAKE proposed " The Hetlth of the noble Chairman," who had always evinced great interest in the progress of art, and win also pos sessed great fondness for the pursuit, as well as great facility of production. (Cheers.) The toast was drunk most enthusiastically. Sir WALTER JAMES proposed the toast of " Sir Charles Eastlake and the Royal Academy." Sir CHARLES EASTLAKE, in returning thanks, expressed a hope that in the new house which was to be provided for the Royal Academy they would be able to afford greatly increased accommodation to works of art. Wherever they went the Royal Academy would, however, take with them their attachment to the cause of art, and world always continue most favourably disposed towards the Artists' Benevolent Association, The Secretary announced the list of suiscriptions for the evening to amount to upwards of £5OO. The usual routine toasts followed, and the even ing passed off most pleasantly. The reusical ar rangements were under the direction of M 7. Lockey, and the vocal music was performed by Mi. Loekey, assisted by Miss Banks, Mrs. Lockey, Mr Francis, Mr. Land, and Mr. Winn. The selection was very good, and we cannot forbear specially noticing Mrs. Lockey's charming singing of a new ballad by Hime, " True love never dies," which is admirably adapted to Mrs. Lockey's beautiful contra:to voice. The dinner and wines gave great satisfaction, and were supplied with that liberality and taste which distinguish the cuisine of the Freemasons' Tavern. RAILWAY INTELLIGENag• PORTSMOUTH. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held on Thursday at the offices in Great. George street—Mr. R. D. Mangles in the chair. The advertisement convening the meeting having been read, the report was laid before the shareholders and adopted. A special meeting was the held to consider the bill authorising the leasing of the line to the South-Western Company. The Solicitor having read the heads of tle bill, The CHAIRMAN stated that before putting the resolution approving the bill he must be allowed to make a few observations with reference to the cir cular issued by Mr. Locke and other gentlemen soliciting proxies against the bill. He felt himself bound in honour and the true interests of the com pany to uphold the agreement entered into with the South-Western Company, and he could not but feel that they would materially jeopardise the inte rests of this company were the shareholders to adopt the views of Mr. Locke and his friend% He admitted that Mr. Locke was perfectly justified in the course he had taken, he having all through opposed the agreement ; but he considered those who voted for the agreement on the 29th of Nov. and the 31st March, as well as those who stopped away from the meetings and allowed the resolu tions to be passed, were bound to uphold the deci sion then come to. He would remind them that this bill did not bind them to any special arrange ment with the South-Western Company, but only authorised them to enter into some arrangement, which, if entered into would have to come befoic them for consideration at another meeting. The only difference was this, that whereas it required 6 majority consisting of three-fourths of the share holders voting to sanction the bill, a majority of three-fifths would be sufficient to ratify the ar rangement ; and he put it to Mr. Locke whether it was worth while; for the sake of the trifling advantage it would give the proprietors, thus to throw out the bill, and thereby break off their arrangements with the South-Western Company. He confessed that he looked with alarm on any proceeding which should have such an effect ; and. the Brighton and South-Western Companies hav ing quarrelled in consequence of this arrangement, the latter company might seize the opportunity of treating with them and renewing their arrange ments with the Brighton Company. When their debentures were renewed upon more favourable terms than the interest they bore at present, as they would be when they were ccnnected with the South-Western, the directors calculated that the shareholders would get a return upon their money of £3 12s. per cent., whilst if they broke off their arrangements with the South-Western Company they would either have to purchase working stock at a cost of £50,000, or rent it at a price probably exceeding the interest on that sum, and to build a separate station at Portsmouth, at a cost of L'30,000, whilst they had no direct communication with Lon don excepting over the line of the South-Western Company, who might so arrange their fares or throw other obstacles in their way as to prevent their earning any income for two or three years. He implored them not to place their line in any such jeopardy; and concluded by moving that the bill be approved. Mr. BONFIAM-CARTER seconded the motion. Mr. LOCKE ridiculed any idea of the South -Western Company throwing over the agreement if this bill was not approved, and contended that as good terms had not been obtained for the line as might have been. He was astonished to hear the chairman of their own company depreciate their line to the extent he had done, and threatened that should the South-Western Company not come to fair terms with them, they could easily retaliate by supporting a Petersfield and Southamp ton line to tap the traffic. He aid those with whom he had acted had made a proposition to the direc tors of the South Western Company for better terms than had been obtained by the directors of this line, but no reply had been received, the directors of the South Western no doubt waiting to see what would be the result of this meeting; and therefore, instead of waiting till the period when it would require two-fifths of the capital represented to nega tive the arrangement, he preferred to take advan tage of the power then in the hands of the share holders, when one-fourth of the capital could do so. His proposition to the South Western Company was that it should adopt the debenture debt of this company, at a sum not exceeding £135,000, and that it should give to the shareholders of this com pany 31 per cent. per annum, from the 15th of January, 1859, to the Ist January, 1861, and 4 per cent. in perpepuity from that time ; or an alter native of working the traffic at 45 per cent. on the receipts, with the option to the South Western Company of amalgamating on equal terms, say £lOO for £lOO. He would move that the bill now before the meeting be not approved unless within one month the terms proposed be accepted by the South Western Company. Mr. SALOMONS seconded the amendment. After some discussion a chow of hands was taken, when there appeared for the amendment, 16 ; against it, 18. A poll was then demanded, when there appeared for the amendment : Present, 15 shareholders, representing stock.. £65,140 Proxies, 30 ditto ditto 33,180 Total, 45 Against the amendment : Present, 14 shareholders, representing stock.. £32,000 Proxies, 79 ditto ditto .. 78,500 £98,320 Total, 93 £110,500 Mr. Locke's amendment was therefore declared lost by a majority of 48 shareholders and £16,180 stock ; but whereas £208,820 stock was represented at the meeting, it required £156,615 to approve the bill ; and the amount voting for such approval be ing less than was required by £58,393, the bill was not approved. In reply to questions, Mr. ROY (the solicitor) stated that he should report to the House of Lords exactly what had taken place; and should the South-Western Company consent to the proposed terms, no doubt the bill would be considered to be approved without another meeting. TRAFFIC RETURNS FOR THE WEEK. Miles Open e d . Receipts. Railways. „......-.....__. 18.59. 1 - 875 -Th B. 1859. 1858. , £ £ Ballymena and Portrush... 35 Bedale and Leyburn lO 10 114 73 . Belfast and Ballymena 6.5 65 1,201 1,266 Belfast and County Down 2O 17 517 396 • Birkd., Lane., & Ches. June 32 32 2,554 2,297 Blyth and Tyne 2O 13 1,948 1,305 Bristol and Exei:er llB 117 6,137 5,930 Caledonian Ches.&Holyhead(withMold) 94 8 1 Cockerrnouth& Workington 8 260 256 Cork and Bandon 2O 20 346 330 Cork, Blackrock, & Passage 64 ei 206 203 Deeside l7 17 256 228 Dublin & Belfast Junction 56 56 1,208 1,178 ji 1,452 1,623 Dublin and Drityeda 63 63 Dub. & WickloW(in.Kingst ) 404 401 1,559 1,334 Dundalk and Enniskillen Dundee and Abroath 557 5Z6 Dundee, Perth, r & Aber. Jun 3 1175 31 174 960 1,015 East Anglian 674 674 910 016 E.Counties,Nek.,&E.Union 489 489 23,467 23,431 East Kent 194 - 252 - E.Laneashire(in.Blackburn) 111 105 6,6.55 5,802 , Edinburgh and Glasgow Edinburgh, Perth,& Dundee 78 3,070 3,127 Forth & Clyde Junction Furness Glasgow & South-Western lB3l 1831 7,292 6,991 Great Northern 283 2834 21,348 19,882 1,561 1,157 Great North of Scotland ' . 4t.Southn. & Westn.(lfind ) 229 2034 6,438 6,362 kreat Western 466 460 28,891 27,193 gull and Holderness inverness & Aberdeen June V 15 587 - Irish South-Eastern 254 24 213 223 , Killarney Junction Lancaster and Carlisle (in Kendal and Windermere) 100 1 09 6,286 5,779 Lane. & Yrks.(in.Blackburn) 289 289 24,295 21,846 Limerick and Foynes 2 2 149 130 Llanelly 4 426 433 London & North-Western London and Blackwall 5 1,361 1,3.34 London & South-Western Lond. Brighton, &S. Coast 202 18. . 12,424 13,198 L'derry and Enniskillen ..' 60 60 793 666 Lond., Tilbury, & Southend. 42 40 953 1,172 4an.,Sheffield, & Lincolnsh. 173 173 k 10,522 8,365 Manch. S.Jun.& Alt rincham 9 91 898 801 Maryport and Carlisle Midland Midland Gt. Westn. of Irind 177 177 4,607 3,921 Monkland 52 52 1,501 1,431 Monmouthsh. Rail. & Canal 44 44 2,252 2,003 Newcastle and Carlisle 7B 78 3,0:35 2,765 Newport,Aberg.,& Hereford 50 43 1,348 1,112 North British (in. Dalkeith) 149 149 4,855 4,797 North Devon 35 35 418 327 North-Eastern 7 34 720 33,039 32,213 North London 9 9 2,432 2,354 North Staffordshire 233 233 7,381 0,205 North-Western 464 4al - - N. Yorkshire and Cleveland 104 _...-' - - Oxford, Wore., & Wolver. Peebles lB 18 184 201 St. Helen's Canal & Railway 30 30 1,726 1,403 Scottish Central Scottish North-Eastern ll5 115 3,565 3,395 Shrewsbury & Birmingham 294 294 1,726 1,403 Shrewsbury and Chester , 4B 48 2,909 2,447 Shrewsbury & Hereford Shropshire Union 29-, 291 951 911 South Devon South-Eastern 30 1,1 301' 17,552 17,454 South Wales l7l/ 171 6,383 6,631 S. Yorkshire and River Dun 108 108 2,755 2,276 Stockton and Darlington . Taff Vale 54 54 4,521 3,537 Ulster Ulverstone and Lancaster Vale of Neath 254 254 1,361 1,718 Warrington and Stockport l2 12 - - Waterford and Kilkenny 3l 31 344 262 Waterford and Limerick West Cornwall 274 274 524 510 W.Hartlepool Harbr.Stßail 39 39 3,434 3,140 Whitehaven Junction l2 12 509 382 Whitehaven & Furness Jun 35 35 509 406 W'haven,Cleator,&Egrmnt 7 7 265 263 FOREIGN AND COLONIAL Antwerp and Rotterdam 52 52 842 988 Austrian 823 673 28,292 25,091 Belgian Eastern Junction 264 264 255 275 Buffalo and Lake Huron Detroit and Milwaukie 1 854 140 1,737 1,105 Dutch Rhenish Grand Trunk of Canada 879 849 9,774 9,393 Great Indian Peninsula l3O 884 - - Great Luxembourg 122 38 1,856 1,016 Great Western of Canada 345 283 7,905 10,427 Lombardo-Venetian 285 285 - - Lyons and Geneva 142 107 4,023 3,503 Madrid, Sargrossa SzAlicant 284 224 7,259 5,633 Maria Antonia 2l 21 230 481 Northern of France 574 574 - - Norwegian Trunk 44 44 733 699 Paris, Lyons, & Mediterrn B4l 781 68,925 60,812 Paris and Orleans 922 857 49,175 45,165 Paris and Strasburg 979 838 43,344 40,909 Royal Danish 69 69 505 406 Sambre and Meuse 6B 68 1,348 920 Southern of France 777 773 16,238 11,373 West Flanders W. and N.W. of France 716 598 34,716 30,513 ELECTION OF AN ALDERMAN.—On Saturday morning a wardmiite was held in the vestry at the church of St'. Michael, Bassishaw, for the purpose of electing an alderman to fill up the vacancy occasioned by the retire ment of Mr. Farncombe from the representation of the ward of Bassishaw. The Lord Mayor presided, and the attend ance was good. Mr. Deputy and Sheriff Condor was the only candidate nominated, and after some highly compli mentary speeches from his proposer and seconder, was unanimously elected. Th ere was th en a vo t e o f thanks to Mr. Farncombe for his long and valuable services, and a vote of thanks to the Lord Mayor closed the proceedings. FATAL ACCIDENT TO AN ENGLISH GROOM AT CHANTILLY.—A fatal accident occurred last week to a young man, a native of Cambridge, who occupied the posi tion of assistant groom in the stables of the Emperor of the French at Chantilly. The name of the deceased was Cam pion, and he was a son of the late Mr. Peter Campion, of Castle End. The intelligence of the melancholy end of the youth was conveyed to his friends through a letter from Mr. Henry Jennmgs, directed to his brother, Mr. Frederick Jennings, at Chesterton. Mr. Jennings says that he is sorry to inform his brother of the death of the lad sent from Cambridge, and then proceeds, " The master (the Emperor?) came down the other day, and wished to see a gallop, and the poor boy was put up on a spirited mare, a mare very fresh, too ; after galloping a little the mare ran out, and the lad was thrown with his head against a stake. We did all we could for him, but he died upon the spot." The letter then communicates the intention to inter the re mains of the poor lad on Saturday last. The deceased was the only child of a widowed and sort owing mother, who, by his melancholy death, is deprived of the support and assist ance which it was his pleasure to afford to his remaining parent.--Catiibrigge Independent. [ADVERTISEMENTI—HoIIoway's Ointment and Plll B ._ Whooping-cough.—Everynurso thinks she knows a remedy for this complaint, but, unfortunately, the bills of mortality lhow them to be fallible. The late Dr. Thompson always pcommended sufferers from whooping -cough to be kept farm, fed on a milk and vegetable diet, and rubbed well on tlie spine and pit of the stomach with Holloway's Oint dent three times a-day, wearing flannel next the skin. No , beatment is so safe, speedy, and efficient; no case can re ,dt it, and no ill consequences ever result from it. The c oigh continuing from habit, after the disease declines, re glily and radically removed by Hollow ay ' s preparations, oich act more like magic th an medicine in every stage of this tiresome disease, AN EXPERIENCED BURGLAR. Luis Peter Nicolal Ernst, a native of Elsinore, was brought before the borough magistrates at Leeds on Saturday last, having been remanded from a previous day, charged with committing a burglary at the residence of the Rev. W. Williamson, incumbent of Headingley, near Leeds, and was committed for trial at the next Yorkshire assizes. On the night of the 30th ult. an entrance was effected into the prosecutor's house through the drawing-room window, and a gold watch, a quantity of silver plate, and other articles, worth between £3O and £4O, were stolen. The prisoner was apprehended a few days after wards at Liverpool, and he admitted having com mitted the robbery. He appears to be a very daring character. He was convicted of burglary at Gloucester in 1858; at Worcester assizes he was ordered to be imprisoned for two years ; he was convicted at the Glocester assizes, still more recently; and since his release he kas been scouring the country. He is " wanted" at Birkenhead for a desperate burglary. He broke into a blacksmith's house at Bramham, sear Leeds, on the 14th inst., and some of that property was found upon him when apprehended at Liverpool. On the 22d of March he assisted in a burglary at Blackmoor, near Leeds, in the house of Mr. Thomas Shires, farmer. On the day previous he was at Manor Heath, near Halifax, inspecting the plate basket of Mr. John Crossley. He was at Scalby, near Scarborough, on the 11th of March, and will be prosecuted for a robbery there ; and on the 30th ult. he was at the Headingly parsonage, near Leeds, where he com mitted the burglary above mentioned. Such is the web which has at present been unravelled by the Leeds police, and it is not yet known how far the catalogue may extend. Ernst appears to have a spice of romance in his composition. He is about 38 years of age, of sallow complexion, middle height, wears gold earrings in his ears, and has many scars about his body; the right lower arm is marked, in blue ink, with the figures of a sailor and a woman joining hands, and underneath are the letters " ANA LINE" and a ship with three masts ; the left arm is marked in blue ink, with the figures of a woman, a mer maid, and the letter " M" in the centre of a heart ; underneath, the letters "M.M" and a tree, a man, a woman, and a sea-horse, in red and blue ink inter mixed, and the words " Anna Maria Gonzales ;" a serpent on the left wrist, a man's head in centre of a ring on the back of the left hand; a ring with diamond on the third finger of left hand ; he has a small silver ring through the nipple of each breast, and on the centre of the breast, in blue ink, the figure of Christ on the cross, and a man on the one side and a woman on the other, weeping ; on the front of the left thigh, in blue ink, the figures of three men and a serpent in a tree; on the front of the right thigh the figure of an Indian warrior : calf of left leg marked, in blue ink, with the letters "PLSMMSS ;" right calf marked, in blue ink, with a crown and the letters " MK MS WLPNE HSCS ;" he has also a red and brown mark near the bend of the left elbow. Several persons who were found dealing with the property he had stolen at Headingley were taken into custody, but some of them were discharged, and others were admitted evidence against Ernst. THE SUPPOSED MURDER AT RAMSGATE. RAMSGATE, SATURDAY. By the exertions of the police sufficient light has been thrown on this sad occurrence to lead to the belief that it is a case not of murder but of delibe rate suicide. It will seem, from what follows, that the object of the deceased was to conceal his iden tity, and this would explain almost all the myste rious circumstances connected with the case. - The deceased landed at Southampton at the end of March from America, and went to the Hotel de L'Europe, in that town. He there gave a name which sounded like " Maltinger." He left South ampton for London on the 31st of March, and there put up at Hahn's hotel, America-square, where he remained till the 7th of April. He wore his left hand in a bandage, and said it had been injured on board ship. On leaving the house he stated that he was a German, travelling for pleasure, and that he intended to make the tour of Scotland before re turning to Germany, but must first go to Paris. The people of the hotel believed him to be a native either of Baden or Wurtemberg. During his stay he appeared perfectly rational, but on an occasion when asked to write an address card he said he would do it at once, as his memory had been very bad since he suffered so severely from brain fever in America. On the 7th of April he left by the South Eastern Railway for Dover, and, as has been already stated, in the same carriage with Mr. Samuel Kidd. It has been said that Mr. Kidd noticed two of the deceased's fingers to be want ing. The fact was, however, that Mr. Kidd only observed that the fingers were bandaged—that is to to say, concealed as they were at the hotel in London. On the Bth the deceased bought the hatchet at Mr. Green's shop at Dover, as described, and stated himself to be a Russian. There is now no doubt that he was a German. On the same day he went from Dover to Deal by omnibus, and while on the way, the deceased being the only inside passenger, a German Bible was thrown or dropped out of the omnibus, and was picked up by a travelling hawker, who sold it at the Swingate Inn adjoining. The Bible has been examined by the police, and contains no name or marks. The motive of deceased in get ting rid of it was probably because the possession of the book would have pointed out the country to which he belonged, and thus have given a clue to his identity, for from this time the deceased always declared himself to be a Russian. On arriving at Deal the deceased went to the Walmer Castle Inn, stayed there on Friday night, and on Saturday came from Deal to Ramsgate by train. On arriving at Ramsgate he had his beard and moustaches shaved off. He then put up at the Royal Oak While there, a gentleman in the coffeeroom addressed him in French and in German, but he shook his head, saying, "Me Russ, me Russ." On Sunday he visited Margate, as already described, and after dining at the Elephant and Castle went to the house of Brasier. He then went for a walk with his carpet bag under his arm, and returned to the railway without it. The bag was found near Westbrook empty, and near it two shirts and a white handkerchief with the marks picked out. He returned to Ramsgate the same afternoon, and at half-past five o'clock entered an oyster shop, where he partook of some refreshment. At a quarter to seven h e was i n th e i nn at Broad stairs, and at a quarter past seven he was seen near Sir Moses Montefiore's wall upon the cliff. At a quarter past eight a man whose clothes and hat— the latter of large size and peculiar shape—exactly resembled those of the deceased, was seen by a young man named Jackson at the eastern end of the Parade on Mount Albi n . Th e man w alked rapidly, with his arms folded and his eyes fixed on the ground. Here all trace of the deceased is lost till he was found at six o'clock next morning dead, under the East Cliff. The following are among the circumstances which point most directly to suicide. The spot where the body was found was 25 feet from the cliff, and the tide had risen some feet above it, high enough to have washed the body to the place where it lay. About 80 yards lower down the beach, in nearly a direct line, cuts were found in one of the chalk rocks exactly corresponding with the blade of the hatchet found close by. This rock would be covered as soon as the water rose above half flood. Now half flood on Monday morning was about half-past one, and the death consequently took place between a quarter-past eight and half-past one. The rock is as high as a chair, so that a man might easily have knelt beside it, placed his fingers upon it, and chopped them off. The hatchet, fingers, boots, and umbrella (the articles most likely to sink) were found near this latter spot, while the clothes were found among the seaweed near the body. Our reporter was informed by experienced men, who accompanied him to the spot, that if the deceased had chopped off his fingers at the rock alluded to, and had then stabbed himself to the heart and fallen instantly dead, his body would have been was h ed by the regular set of the rising tide in shore, and a little to the northward, or exactly to .the place where, in point of fact, the body was found. The knife, which has been searched for without success, would pro bably have been knock e d out of the wound ' by the . _ body washing against th e l ow rocks, and if the knife had a wooden handle, as man it might have float e d and beeyn sailors' knives have, a ed out to sea. The medical evid ence was thatth c es ri k r in was frayed, which would have resulted from the body washing up the beach. Why, it may be asked, did the deceased chop off his fingers ? The answer is, for the same reason that he had previously bandaged them, viz., to con ceal his identity. One joint of the first finger and two joints of the second had been amputated some years ago, and were perfectly healed. By this mark the deceased would be recognised, and there fore he determined to take all his fingers off. There was no sign of disease or other injury upon his hand to require a bandage. The absence of his watch and ring is now easily accounted for. Both being of peculiar appearance, and likely to lead to his Aden tification, he would destroy them. If there was a vamp written inside hi boots, to cut off the tops would effectually get rid of it. The wristbands of the shirts were torn off, and the marks picked out with a similar object. The unfortunate man, how ever, bodyforgot in a th s e ci sl p orehouse, an d w hich there is no of paper which was found near reason to doubt belonged to the deceased. It con tained these words, written in pencil, in indifferent German :—" Dear Mother, here are five dollars— little but from a good heart.—H enry M atter i gh. " The fact that the deceased's money was gone hats led many persons to believe that a murder ha d. been committed. Now, when the body was found the tide was two hours ebb, and long before that time country carts may have gone do wn t o th e beach, as is frequently the case, for gravel, or per sons may have been, as one was known to be, looking for shells. It is not improbable that the deceased was robbed after death. The pockets of his coat were turned inside out, and two front pockets in his angola shirt were ripped open. We may add that it is very doubtful whether the de-- ceased had so much money as has been represented. The few words addressed to his mother lead to the belief that he was poor. His clothes were scanty, much worn, and of the coarsest description. He never paid in gold, always in silver, and his watelt was silver and not gold, as has been stated. Had the unfortunate man been murdered there are three ways by which the body must have been carried to the beach, viz., past the harbour, where police are stationed all night, down Augusta stairs, where a coastguard is stationed, or by Dumpton. stairs, where there is another guard. To supposr 3 that the man was murdered on the beach is cons trary to all the evidence ; to suppose that he waft carried down past the guard is nearly incredible ; or indeed that it should have been attempted, when the body might so much more easily have b(*n dropped over the cliff. The facts point, we think, clearly to the cone/a sion that the deceased returned from America. a disappointed man, reduced in means, and that this circumstance, affecting a brain previously weakened by disease, led him to determine on suicide. At first, intending to send his mother some little money, he changed his mind, an endeavoured by the means we have described to do away with all trace of his identity, and thus lead his family to the belief that he had perished at sea or in a foreign land. Melancholy as such a solution of the mystery is it is some satisfaction to know that what at first appeared an atrocious murder can be thus explained.. No circumstance that has happened for many years has created so deep a sensation in East Kent as th 4 4s shocking affair. The above explanation is unanimously assented to by Superintendent Livick, of the Ramsg ate police, Superintendent Pritchard, of the harb our police, and Superintendent Stokes, K.C.C., •pvho have conducted their inquiries with great energy and ability. COUNTRY MARKETS. LIVERPOOL_APRIL 16. The trade in Brunswick -street this week has had a fair attendance of buyers, but they have operated cautiously, and merely to satisfy their passing wants. Prices are ex— tremely firm. NORWICH—APRIL 16. There was a fair supply of wheat and barley, and a small( trade at market to-day. Wheat fully 2s above late rates. Other articles sold slowly without change in prices. YORK—APRIL 16. The supply of wheat at our market to-day wa , very, fair, sales realising readily an improvement of is per qr on the currencies of last week. Barley was dull, and ra ther cheaper. Oats held for previous rates, but less in request. Beans and peas both rather higher. Wheat ...39s to 44s Oats . 25s to ;t9s "White do .—s to s Beans ... —s to •—s Barley .35s to 39s Ditto, old ........42s to 46s OXFORD—APRIL 16. The attendance was good, and English wheat met a Stair sale at an advance of is per qr. upon the rates of this day se'nnighti Little disposition to buy flour, and as holders did not press sales we merely repeat previous quotations in the business transacted. Beans, oats, and oatmeal ruled firm, with only a moderate demand. NOTTINGHAM—APRIL 16. The wheat trade was very brisk to-day, and the busi ness done was good at from is to 2s over late rates. English barley firm, and supply very limited. Foreign dull of sale, and in good supply. Beans, oats, and other articles were at about previous prices. White wheat, new, 42s to 46s Barley, grinding.. 28s to 30s Red do. 37s to 42s Oats, old, .. 24s to 30s Old white 42s to 46s New do 26s to 30s Red do 37s to 42s Beans.. 40s to 4Gs Barley, malting 38 s to 42s Peas ....—s to ----3 CHELMSFOI We had fair supplies of all and wheat met a good sale at rates. RD—APRIL 16. descriptions of grain to-day, is to 2s per qr. over previous Wheat, white. 39s to 51s Peas, Partridge..4os to 45$ red 37s to 49s Whhe 38s to 40s Barley 30s to 40s Boiling 4os to 45m Chevalier ....32s to 43s Dun 38s to 40s Grinding 25s to 33s Beans, Tick ....36s to 39s Malt 57s to 63s Harrow Ticks 38s to 42s Chevalier 6os to 66s Mazagan 35s to 38s Oats 22s to 32s STAMFORD—APRIL 16. Yesterday there was a fair show of wheat, and the trade ruled rather firm, at is to 2s higher. Fine barley was in tolerable demand, at extreme prices. Oats come tardily to hand, at late prices. Beans firm, at full prices. Wheat 3Bs to 43s I Oats.. 24s to 30s White do 44s to 43s I Beans 44s to 48s Barley 2Bs to 30s I Beans, new 40s to 44s DUBLIN—APRIL 15. At this corn market to-day there was a small supply of farmers' grain. Wheat advanced 6d per barrel; oats 3d; barley firm, and more inquiry. Indian corn as before. s. d. s. d. s. d. B. d. Wheat, white.. 23 oto 26 0 Do., new ll 6to 13 0 Do., red .. 21 6t023 6 Bere . lO otol2 0 Do., new .... 23 0t026 0 Rapeseed. .... 26 oto 29 0 Barley Do., black ..... 1 1 0 1 6 0 to to 1 13 1 0 0 I B n a d k j e a r n s' fl eorn our . . : 28 13 0 0 t o o 3 1 0 8 00 [ADvEnTisEMENT.,-- Thorley 's Food for Cattle is now Two years of unremitting breeder, and feeder of stock. and attention have enabled its inventor to take high beginning to seriously attract the attention of the farmer, care ground as a benefactor to these interests ; and notwithstand ing the many drawbacks, the malevolent sh a ft s h ur l e d against it and its probable utility, the food, from its admitted value, will become a necessity to the agricultural interest. Experience has proved, first, that it effects a considerable saving in the consumption of provender • secondly, that it produces health and vigo ur i n all animals! subjected to its influence : and lastly, increases in a remarkable degree an early development of fat. Mr. Thorley, originating this singularly efficacious food, aimed at a compound calculated to supersede, to a certain extent, the tedious and expensive mode then prevailing- of fattening stall-fed beasts. In this he happily succeeded ; and success prompted a very na tural desire to improve upon the invention, so as to make it ap plicable to every description of domestic animal. The Eng lish farmer was slow to encourage its use, and manifested as unwillingness to rely upon its efficacy, fancying he possessed in the produce of his farm, ample materials whereby to feed and fatten his cattle at a cheaper rate than by the employment or addition of artificial food. The tests to which this food has been subjected have proved its perfect admissibility as a cheap addition to the natural produce of the farm ; inasmuch as in all cases a subtraction of one-third may be safely submitted to in the usual food of animals ; and that the produce will be realised, and rendered marketable in two-thirds of the time usually consumed in developing fat ; it, therefore, becomes apparent that a certain saving is effected by a fair application of Thorley s Compounded Food. It is believed that the present unprecedented low price of wheat has induced its very gene ral use, in preference to any other of the usual articles of food ; it is, however, much questioned whether wheat is a nourishing and proper food for the working horse, certainly it is not for cows or pigs. Mr. Thorley's Food, besides possessing the advantage of greatly invigorating the health and increasing the physical power of all animals, is a tonic and gentle stimulant, and when mixed with their other food, materially assists their digestive powers —a matter of great consequence, since it is an undoubted fact that the nourishment contained in their ordinary food is lost, conse quent upon the impaired or defective action of the digestive organs ; it will also be found to be particularly beneficial e in restoring to good wo r ki ng cond i tion horses which v been over-worked, or become weak from diseascots naturally of a feeble constitution. In cows its are undoubted, indeed almost marvellous, nearly doubting, enriches yield of milk and butter, whilst it at the same t are still effects the the quality of both. In pigs its fattening qualitiess more remarkable, displaying in a few superiority over every other kind of . havegrses.wit cattle shows, as Such h com pound week ne i . ts orm anifest manu factured food adopted in the feeding of ed o f ff ed th t e hei ri r n e e a f t p t a le o ß n oy T al ho tY ri been its marked success, that at all our have been awarded. li prizes, whilst cards of commendationour principal nobility, the eya noblemen , Food, have and invariably, who bic ° agriculturists, must prove a Me patronage o f R o yalty, gentleman to pursue his onward clergy, and of our leading great incitement to this confidently rely, in producing so course ; and he may patronage. a continuation. of such h h i i g g h hly an -f d av d o is u t r i ed ngu a ishd compound,pat ron BIRTHS. LINDSAY. —On the 15th inst., at the Mansion House, Bre con, the Hon. Mrs. H. Gore Lindsay, of a son. MrrcirELL.—On the 13th inst., at Plymouth, the wife of Brevet-Colonel J. Mitchell, of a son. SLAUGHTER. —On the 15th inst., at 9, Langton-ace7 Vassal-road, Brixton, the wife a Mihil Slaughter, Esq., of a daughter. SimrsoN.—On the 15th inst., at Bath, the wife of Major W. H. Simpson, C. 8., of a son. MARRIAGES B OWEN—TULLO cu.—On the 3d March, at Waltair, Madras Presidency, Capt. Bowen, 69th Regt., to Matilda Grace, fourth daughter of Major-General A. Tulloch, C.B. HEGINBOTHAM—COOKE.—On the 16th inst., at Tottenham Old Church, Charles Heginbothom of Mark-lane, to Kate Constance, eldest daughter of William Cooke, Esq., of Astley's Amphitheatre. DEATHS. ATTOUN.—On the 15th inst., at 16, Great Stuart-street, Edinburgh, Mrs. Jane Emily Wilson, wife of William Edmonstoune Aytoun, Esq., Professor of Rhetoric in the University of Edinburgh. AITEREY.—On the 13th inst., at Bellevue, Swansea, Richd Aubrey, Esq., aged 67. FILINNEBY.—On the 15th inst., Abigail, the wife of F. R. Frinneby, Esq., Guildersfield, Lower Streatham, and 63, Cannon-street, city, aged 54. RICAIeDO.—On the 14th inst., at Haling-grove, near Croy don, Walter Ricardo, Esq., aged 37. RITCHIE.—On the 13th . inst., David Ritchie, Esq., of Kingswood-terrace, Lee, Kent, Secretary to the Commit tee of Treasury of the Bank of England, aged 32. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the county of Aliddlosez, Monday, Alva 18).1809,