The Sun. — London, England, 1865-09-25 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence. The recent trials of the iron-clad frigate Bellero phon, which have been briefly reported in our Naval Intelligence from day to day, have resulted in one of the most extraordinary phenomena ever developed since the introduction of steam propulsion. For three days in succession this ponderous ship has been steaming about at the entrance to the Thames and Medway under circumstances for which all the science of the day vainly attempts to account, and which baffles those who have designed, built, and put engines into the ship, no less than the nau tical gentlemen who bad charge of h er during her trials. In technical language the phenomena in ques tion is denominated " negative slip," but in common parlance it is spoken of as a case of the ship overrun ning the screw, which in this instance has occurred to an altogether unexampled degree. We may state the case in the simplest manner to the general reader by saying shortly that, although throughout the trials of this ship, while the screw propeller which drives her has been itself advancing with a speed barely, if at all, exceeding 1.21 knots per hour, the ship herself has been speeding through the water at a rate of 134 knots. If a phenomenon of this nature had occurred with a light vessel constructed with exclusive regard to fleetness it would obviously have been a singular circumstance, but for it to happen with an iron ship of war of the stoutest con struction, covered with the most ponderous armour ever yet applied to a seagoing ship, and carrying a greater weight on a hull only 300 ft. long than the Warrior carries on a hull nearly 400 ft. long, is a most unexpected and unaccountable circumstance. This overrun of the screw by the ship has happened be fore in a less degree even in some of our iron clad ships, but up to the present time people have stead fastly refused to believe in it, and have resorted to many ingenious devices by way of accounting for it. The first and most obvious explanation was to attribute it to errors of calculation or measurement; another was to attribute it to obscure tidal influ ences, and this was favoured by the circumstance that this has been most frequently observed on the measured mile at Stokes Bay, where two high and two low waters are said to happen each tide, the one resulting from that portion of the Atlantic tidal wave which finds its way through the Needles Channel at the west end of the Isle of Wight, and the other from the portion which flows in round the eastern end of the island. A further explanation was sought for in the fact that the screw propeller of a ship works in a wave of water which is following her, and which thus adds to the real speed of the screw through the water—an explanation which is untenable because it would require that screw ships with full after bodies would give the best results in steaming, whereas it is well known that they invariably give the worst. But perhaps the most popular explanation of all is that of assuming that the blades of the screw propeller bend under the resistance of the fluid, and thus be come for the time being different screws, having a greater velocity in advance than when at rest. This explanation appeared to receive an extraordinary confirmation in the Achilles, the first iron-clad fri gate which was found to overrun the screw, for on docking the ship after her first trials it was found that the blades had actually bent forward and grazed the sternpost of the ship. The explanation proved insufficient, however, for on trying the ship again with stronger blades, the bending of which was out of the question, nearly the same overrunning of the ship was found to happen. In the case of the Mino taur also, the trials of which at Stokes Bay were re cently reported in great detail in The San, the speed of the ship somewhat exceeded that of the screw. The Achilles and the Minotaur are, however, ex tremely long ships, with water-lines as sharp as those of a river steamer, and the excess of the ship's speed over that of the screw fell in every instance short of a knot per hour. It is the occurrence of the same phenomenon in a far greatEr degree in a short ship like the Bellerophon, and its repetition day after day under circumstances which set all the popular explanations at naught, that give the recent trials so much importance, and impose upon our shipbuilders and engineers the duty of thoroughly investigating and accounting for its existence. If, iii addition to being a short ship the Bellerophon had not possessed what in nautical parlance is known as a very " clean run" aft, the old explana tion of the following wave might again have been adduced in this instance ; but the form of the ship's after body is as tapering as that of the Minotaur, and is wholly incompatible with this mode of ac counting for what has happened. If this subject possessed only . an abstract scientific interest we should not have taken this notice of it, but it exer cises so practical and immediate an influence upon the speed of ships that it is:calculated to excite the most general interest among engineers and ship builders, and throughout the navy ; for it is found that with screw propellers that thus lag behind the ships which they are driving a most injurious drag is put upon the engines. The engines put into the Bellerophon are designed expressly to revolve rapidly, and the ship was taken down the river on trial with the understanding that the screw would have been turned round about 70 times per minute, thus developing 6,000 indicated horse power. Instead of this, to the astonishment and disappoint ment of everybody on board, and of no more than the engine-makers themselves, who are men of the greatesteminence, the drag of the four-bladed screw was found to be so great that not even 60 revolu tions could be secured, even when all idea of using the steam expansively was abandoned and it was al- lowed to rush with full force into and through the cylinders. A great waste of steam was thus of course occasioned, and consequently scarcely 5,000 horse power, instead of 6,000 was developed. The wonder is that under such circumstances the high speed of 134 knots was attained, and the fact that it was the best possible guarantee that a speed of more than 14 knots will be secured in this remarkable ship when the full power of her engines has been developed with a different screw. The peculiarity of the screw at present applied to the ship is not limited to the number of its blades. Each of these four blades is formed with two faces standing at an angle of inclination to each other, in order that each half of it may impart a different velocity to the water, somewhat upon the principle of the differential screw propeller invented many years ago by Professor Bennett Woodcroft, of the Great Seal Patent-office. The Bellerophon's screw really has eight blades, in fact, arranged in four pairs, and as the diameter of the whole is no less than 23ft. 6in., the drag which it puts upon the engines must be truly enormous. So far as we can learn, neither the designer of . the Bellerophon nor the Admiralty approve such a propeller being applied to the ship, and after the trials of last week it is hard to believe that the engineers will care to insist upon its use. It is understood, however, that one other trial is to be made of it, with its blades set to a dif ferent pitch, as soon as possible, a n d if t h e result then secured be not satisfactory, a two-bladed Griffiths screw, like that of the Warrior, will be fitted to the ship. It is understood that this is what Mr. Reed would prefer, not only on account of the steaming qualities of the ship, but because of the serious obstruction to the speed of the ship under canvas which the four-bladed screw must necessarily present. The Bellerophon will be a full-rigged sailing ship as well as a high-speed steamer ; but it is not to be expected that any amount of sail power would suffice to propel her rapidly through the water if subjected to the drag of a screw which lags so much behind the ship, even when it is itself the propelling agent. The extreme handiness of the Bellerophon under the action of her novel form o f rudder affords the strongest possible induce meet to disembarrass her as much as possible from the hindrance of an improper form of screw. Her' rudder is on what is known as the " balanced principle," being pivoted near the middle instead of its forward end, as usual. It is coming into use rapidly in America, and was tried in the Great Bri tain steamship in this country many years ago. For some cause or other, however, it was prema turely abandoned, like many other useful things. With the exception of an experimental trial in a small gunboat at Devonport, under the direction of Capt. Astley Cooper Key, R.N., C. 8., it has never before been applied to a British ship of war, and it certainly was a very bold experiment to apply it at once in so large and powerful a ship as the Beller°. THE SUB, LONDON, MONDAY EVENIAG, SEPTEMBER 25, 1865. phon. That ship, however, being of iron, and very strongly built, afforded a really favourable oppor tunity for its trial on a large scale, and the success attained is most remarkable. It is true the Bel- lerophon has been designed expressly with a view to handiness, being made short, and of a light draught of water forward expressly for this purpose, and she would no doubt have steered remarkably well with an ordinary rudder. But it is to the adoption of the balanced principle that the extreme ease with which the helm is handled is due. On Friday last Capt. Randolph, R.N., wh o h a d c harge of the ship, _ _ and Mr. Reed, themselves took the steeringwheel with the ship at full speed, and steered her easily without assistance. At Portsmouth, on the Minotaur's trial, it required 60 men to put the rudder over 37 deg. in 20 secs. The Minotaur, with 60 men, turned a circle in 7 nun. 15 secs. ; the Bellerophon, with eight men, turned it in 4i min. The Minotaur turned the half circle in 3 min. 47 sees. ; the Bellerophon in 1 min. 50 secs. Even these figures will scarcely enable the reader to fully realise the handiness of the new frigate ; but few will be at a loss to understand it when it is stated hat while the Admiralty have at length been com- pelled to build new and powerful steamtugs in order to enable the Warrior and other long iron-clad ships to be got into and out of Portsmouth and Devon- port harbours, the Bellerophon, after the com pletion of her trials on Friday, steamed, without the aid of tugs merely into sheerness harbour, but har sued her way at a speed of 10 8-10 knots (by log) along the 14 miles of the river Medway's winding course, threading her way among the long succession of hulks which encumber that narrow and tortuous stream, never stopping her engines for a moment until she reached the sheer-hulk off Chatham Dock yard, to which she was secured for the night. This achievement was one of national interest, and much credit is due to Capt. Stokes, the master attendant of the dockyard at Chatham, who had charge of the ship after Sheerness was passed, for affording so striking an illustration of the steering capabilities of our latest iron-clad frigate. The Euryalus, 35, wooden screw frigate, 2,371 tons, 400 horse-power, Capt. W. M`Dowell, C. 8., was paid off on Saturday, after a commission of three years and eight months as the flagship of Sir A. L. Kuper, K.C.8., in China and Japan. The Euryalus was commissioned at Portsmouth on Jan. 23, 1862, by Capt. Josling, for the flag of Rear- Admiral Kuper, and sailed from England in the following march. After calling at Madeira, the Cape of Good Hope, and Singapore, she arrived at Hong kong on Aug. 12, and on the 29th sailed thence for Yokohama, Japan. After visiting Yeddo and Naga saki she proceeded to Shanghai, where Admiral Kuper relieved Rear-Admiral Hope in the Imperie use, in command of the station. The seamen and marines of the ship were shortly afterwards landed from the Euryalus and m arched to Kanding to oppose the rebels, who were then advancing towards the town. While engaged on this duty two officers and a large num ber of the men died from cholera, and many others were invalided. The Euryalus afterwards proceeded to Hongkong, wher she remained until February, 1863, when she sailed for Yokohama. Afterwards, in August of the same year she sailed with the fleet for Kagosima, the stronghold of Prince Satsuma, and engaged the batteries there on the 15th and 16th of August. On that occasion Captain Josling, the commander of the ship, and eight seamen were killed. On the 17th of August the Euryalus re turned to Yokohama, and remained there until Sep tember, 1864, when she sailed with the combined allied fleets, representing the English, French, Dutch, and American flags, for Simonosaki, where an attack was made on the batteries, a force landed, and the • acts of bravery performed by a midshipman and two seamen of the Euryalus which led to their being invested with the Victoria cross at Portsmouth on Friday last. In this second day's action Captain Alexander was wounded severely, and several of the men were also killed and wounded. The officers and crews of the other ships were not wanting in bravery on the occasion, as an instance of which we may mention that the commander and gunner of one of her Majesty's ships, with the commander of his Dutch Majesty's ship Medusa, landed from a boat during the night, after the first day's action, and spiked the guns of a powerful battery on the right of the Japanese works, at a time when it was known that the woods which reached down to and surrounded the battery on all sides but its sea face were swarming with Japanese. In the action of the following day the battery was powerless. From Shnonosaki the Euryalus returned to Yokohama, Nagasaki, and from the latter to Chusan, whence the admiral proceeded to Shanghai and Ningpo in the Coromandel screw gunboat, tender to the flag ship. The Euryalus, on the return of Admiral Kuper in the Coromandel, proceeded to Amoy, Hongkong, and Singapore, giving up the command of the station on the 22d May last, at the last named port, to Vice-Admiral King, who had just arrived from England in the Princess Royal. On May 27th the Euryalus sailed from Singapore for England, called at Batavia, the Cape of Good Hope, St. Helena, and Ascension, on her way home, and arrived in Plymouth Sound on the 4th inst., where she after wards disembarked Rear-Admiral Sir A. Kuper and his suite, and then sailed for Portsmouth. Of the crew of the Euryalus, John Richards, Admiral's coxswain, and 'William Hewett, sailmaker, are re commended to the Admiralty for medals and gratui ties for long service and good conduct. The screw steam frigate Liverpool, 39, Capt. R. Lambert, now at Devonport, will, it is expected, be sent back to Ireland. The screw steam frigate Arethusa, 35, Capt. Mac donald, which vacated the Prince's Dock, at Devon port, on Thursday afternoon, made a trial of her machinery outside Plymouth Sound on Saturday. On her passage to Madeira she will be accompanied from Plymouth by the Constance, now in the Sound, and by the Octavia, which arrived there from Spit head on Thursday. The iron screw steam store ship Supply, 2, Staff Commander Chas. Bowden, from Woolwich, which arrived at Plymouth on Friday morning, left in the afternoon for Gibraltar and Malta. The screw steam sloop Greyhonnd, 17, at Devon port, was put in commission on Saturday by Capt. Sterling. She will have a complement of 175 offi cers and men, and will receive draughts to-day. The crew of the screw steam corvette Satellite, 21, Capt. Crofton, at Devonport, were paid off on Friday in presence of Rear-Admiral Symonds, Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard. The Sa tellite will be placed in the fourth division of the steam reserve in Hamoaze. The iron screw steamship Agincourt, 26, now alongside the sheer hulk in Hamoaze, received three of her iron masts on Saturday, and will have the remaining two stepped to-day. The sailing frigate Terpsichore, 18, which has been selected by the Admiralty to be handed over to Mr. Donald M'Kay, of Boston, United States, to be used by him in the experiments about to be under taken for the purpose of showing the value of tor pedoes as an agency for destroying vessels of war, is now alongside the dockyard at Chatham. She has been denuded of the whole of her stores and gear, the trial a ar stoor being as to leave her a mere empty shell, in readiness moor e e t d o a takett he place, end of care the harbour, bou r t , a k where place the v esse l at such ueh a spot that ac c ide n t s ma y be avoided. T o test the value of th e t or p e d oes 30 placedunder the fri ate and dis charged, these consisti ng o f six large g' and 24 smaller shells, which are now in course of manufacture for the purpose. The test shell will be planted in the mud, below the vessel's keel, 48 hours before explod ing. Eighteen of the smaller torpedoes will be charged with 601 b. of powder, and six with 751 b. each ; the six large torpedoes will be charged with 4601 b. weight of gunpowder, the whole being suffi cient to destroy the largest iron-clad ship in the English navy. The powder used for the torpedoes is the same as that in usefoi the ordinary rifle. Col. C. Hogge, C. 8., of the Royal (late Bengal) Artillery, one of the members of the Ordnance Select Committee of Woolwich Arsenal, who died at Ash leigh-house, Erith, on the 19th inst., was buried on Saturday with full military honours. The proces sion was composed of all the available troops in garrison at Woolwich, accompanied by the regi mental and divisional bands of music. The remains of the deceased officer had been previously removed from Erith to the General Hospital at Woolwich, whence they were conveyed in procession to the new cemetery at Charlton. ALPINE TOURISTS. (From the Times' Correspondent.) VISP, VALAIS, Sept. 24. My last letter was posted at Interlaken yesterday morning ; I trusted I might be able to date one this evening from Zermatt. I have, however, only car- ried out part of my programme. I have just come over the great mountain wall of the Bernese Alps —that great barrier of snow and ice that parts the valley of the Aar from that of the Rhone. I found a fellow-traveller according to my heart in the person of an Englishman whom I had never set eyes on before, and we sat down side by side on the seat of our little go-cart or carry-all, or what ever else it may be called, at Interlaken, before I was so much as acquainted with the gentleman's name, or he with mine. We drove from Interlaken along the southern shore of the Lake of Thun as far as Spiez, then we struck out into the Valley of the Kander to Frutigen, whence, after a brief nooning, we came to the end of our journey at Kandersteg. I heard a respectable-looking aged gentleman assert at the table d'hote the other day that " after all, one mountain is pretty much the same thing as another mountain," and I think I have already written enough about peaks, passes, and glaciers to feel sure of my readers' thanks if I spare them a description of our seven hours' drive. We came up a great valley, which presently branched out into two other still greater valleys, and had glancing snow mountains looking down upon us from the summits of both. That is all. We were at Kandersteg at about 5 o'clock ; I had some sinister recollections of an inn at that place in which I had spent a wretched evening and night ten years ago. I asked the driver what choice of accommodation the place afforded. He told me the names of two hotels, one of which sounded new to my ears, and on the principle of that critic who, being asked by an incipient poet which of two poems he had written on the same sub ject he should give to the press, ran hastily over the first that was handed to him, and then said, with out one second's hesitation, " Print the other by all means ; worse than this it can never be." On that principle Ifastened on the new name and said, "The Victoria, my friend, an' thou lovest me." So to the Victoria we went, and were egregiously taken in, for it was my ancient acquaintance " the Ritter" of ten years ago, with the same dirt and discomfort, the same un-Swisslike inattention and questionable civility. We took our rooms with the best grace we could, seeing we were in for it, and instantly quit ting the house struck across a path on the right eastwards, and went up to that little boudoir of the Fairy Queen of the Alps which mortals call the Oeschinen Thal. If there is any traveller in England, just back from a complete tour through Switzerland, who may happen to have overlooked the Oeschinen Thal, let him not lose one moment, but take his ticket to Bern at once, and make up for his oversight, for, till he has seen that little forgotten nook one hour's walk out of Kandersteg, he has seen nothing. The Oeschinen Thal, its little lake, its waterfalls, its giant rocks, its ice and snow, constitute a little Al pine world in miniature. You go up a steep ascent, mostly through a wood, and at the end of your walk you suddenly find yourself where, you would say, no human foot has any business to tread, no human voice should be heard. The great moun tains that hang over your head, the Blumlisalp and Doldenhorn, have only been first ascended in 1862. It is a pity they ever were ; a pity so easy a path leads to the little dell which is their sanctum sancta ruin. But no intrusion even of all the tourists in Switzerland put together could profane the sacred spot or deprive it of its awful silence, of its hoary, mystic, solitary grandeur. No temple of Delphi, no threshold of Dis, could strike a mortal dumb so readily as this Alpine portal of the Oeschinen Thal. We went back to a very indifferent 7 o'clock dinner, but were indemnified for bad fare by plea sant company ; we had two or three Germans, ac complished and Anglicised ; an English youngster, of noble mien, of ready wit, of fine, manly courage, all modestly clad in easy nonchalance and innate urbanity. He had come from: Lauterbrunnen, over the Tschingel glacier, walking after his guides some 10 or 11 hours on the snow. Dinner had hardly been served when the seven or eight strangers who met here for the first, and in all probability the last, time were conversing with the most open and friendly cordiality. It is the icy air of the snow mountains, I believe, that so wonderfully breaks the ice of the tourist's reserve. The Germans were also, of course, foot travellers. Each of them had his own tale of the toils and mar vels of the day; each of them had former exploits to rehearse, and thus each came out with something about his past and present, with particulars about his birth and breeding, views of his dearest objects and pursuits in life, scraps of personal biography. Then the talk wandered over Switzerland, England, and Germany; men, women, and books; philology, Max Muller ; all things under the sun and above it. In remote wayside inns as at the great hotels, at Kandersteg as at Interlaken or Lucerne, I always find the same style of living. Cordiality and almost intimacy between man and man ; nay, between man and woman, too. Such freedom of intercourse I never noticed, even in Switzerland, in the travels of m y younger days. It was long ere any one durst remind his fellow traveller of the early awakening that awaited us in the morning ; late ere we parted, hardly aware of the pleasure each other's company had afforded to all of us ; and iu the morning all of us were wondering who or what every one of the company of the eve could possibly be. There are hardly any travellers' books kept at Swiss inns nowadays, and where they are kept they are-not much in demand. We were up at 4, my English fellow-traveller and myself, and on the road at 5. No one was up at the house, so we set out without even the neverfailing continental cup of black coffee. We walked up the steep path that leads across the Gemmi Pass. It is by no means one of the highest Alpine passes ; we had only a trifle of 4,000 feet to ascend above Kander steg. Neither is the walk a severe one. From Kandersteg to the Baths of Leuk we, fasting as we were, employed hardly four hours and a quarter. But it is certainly the most dismal, dreary, and desolate of all the gaps through which you get over the Bernese Alps, and the view you have from its summit of the still grander opposite chain across the Valais is something that is not to be enjoyed from any point attainable by horses or mules. 'We had Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn, and all the giants of that region so pure and distinct before us that we doubted whether even Zermatt and the Riffelberg would bring us into closer acquaintance. We stood gazing at the scene, speechless and motionless ; and as we at last proceeded on our way still greater wonders awaited us. We came to the great moun tain-wall which falls down perpendicularly from a height of 2,000 ft. upon the Baths of Leuk, and went down the zigzag path that human genius and perseverance have cut into the rock like a winding staircase. It is a giddy thing to be looked at from above or below. You see the ground you tread upon, you see the rock from its summit or at its base, but way there apparently is none ; how you are to come down, or how you actually did manage to conic down, remains a marvel and a mystery far more difficult to be got over than the journey itself. We looked in at the baths to see the poor wights plunged together in warm water, scores in the same baths, emerging with their heads only, like souls in pennance in one of the bolge of Dante. From half an hour to eight or nine hours of the day are the wretched people stewed together in that Hygeian liquid. Which of the ills human flesh is heir to brings them to that pot au feu I know not, but there they r s e im ad m in e g r , in k g ni n tt l i a n k g in , b g r = la o g f , p t i h ay ei i r n: a c y a ' r s d e s n a i n tu d i a b r y e and dominoes on little floating tables, enjoying coffee and gossip in the water. You must shut the door, ou n r o h t aatlioiwf e y d ou to w sm isl o t k t e o , go and see nor to carry o tah n nedn nt;aykyreeoolifgai o rye u s discussion whatsoever. From Leuker Bad to Leuk, and h ence to V i sp, we had another four hours' "cruise upon wheels," along that dreary, dusty, dilapidated valley which is called the Valais. The heat was something to be remem bered. Here at Visp we found that horses would not take us up to Zermatt in less than nine hours, and having already done the Gemini, we were not equal to the task of running up on foot in six hours. More over, it was already 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and although we are still in midsummer as to tempera ture, we find the days dwindling down to their autumnal sun. The journey is put off till to-morrow, unless the clouds, which are gathering about the high hills, portend something more serious than those we have hitherto laughed to scorn during our last week's experience. RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE. SCINDE. The report of the directors states that in the com mercial crisis through which the whole of India, but more especially the western portion of that country, had recently passed, the proprietors would be pre pared to learn that the traffic on the railway had in some degree suffered. The general trade of the dis trict through which the railway passed had been in a great measure paralysed, and to this cause and to the unsettled state of the cotton market, occasioned by the course of events in the United States of America, the directors attributed the falling off in the receipts from goods. The trade of the country had also been affected by the prevalence of a great amount of sickness, the heat during the season hav ing been unusually severe, the cholera and other epi demics having carried off large numbers of the popu lation. The receipts for the half-year ending 30th of June amounted to £38,825, of which £30,576 was for goods, and £8,249 for passengers. The number of passengers carried was £58,567, and the gross receipts per mile of line open were £370. The total receipts on the railway from the 13th of May, 1861, to the 30th of June, 1865, amounted in the aggregate to £316,029, of which £256,384 was for goods, £59,645 for passengers. The total traffic in 1862 amounted to £62,837 ; in 1862, to £100,463 ; and in the year 1864, to £94,544. The Punjaub Railway being now opened for traffic throughout its entire length, a system of through booking between the Scinde Punjaub Railways had been arranged; and the native merchants appeared fully alive to the advantages which were thus placed in their power. With the view of accommodating that portion of the traffic destined for places not immediately embraced in the company's system, the company's officers in India were making such arrangements as were likely to prove advantageous to the company and to the general public. A considerable saving had been effected during the past half -year in the cost of mainte nance, and also in the locomotive and other de partments, and, quite independently of the fact that a less amount of traffic had been carried, the ex penses had been reduced by means of improvements in the organisotion of the several establishments. Satisfactory progress had been made with the sur vey of the Indus valley, two of the routes origi nally suggested having now been completely sur veyed. The distance between Kotree and Mooltan by the left bank of the Indus was 480 miles, and that of a line carried along :he right bank as far as Sukkur, and from that place to Mooltan upon the left bank 515 miles, thus Ehowing a saving of 35 miles in favour of the left Lank. The gradients in both cases were very favourable. but more so on the left bank line. The harbour improvements now in progress at Kurracheehai considerably increased the depth of water at that port. The report with regard to the Indus steam flotilla stated that during the half-year ending the 30th of June last the bi-monthly communication between Kotree and Mooltan had been maintained with re gularity, the large steamers having been employed on this service, while the small tugs had been en gaged as formerly in running between Kotree and Sukkur. The traffic had been conducted without the occurrence of any accilent, or the loss of any goods carried. The numter of voyages made by the flotilla was 28 in 1862, 12 in 1863, 77 in 1864, and 33 for the first half of 1865. The gross earnings of the fleet for eight mouths in 1865 were £.27,024 ; for six months ending June 1863, £29,674 ; ending December, 1863, £35,033; ending June, 1864, £52,171 ; ending December, 1864, about £44,000, and ending J unelast about £37,000 ; total, £224,903. The renenue returns, after deducting cost of stores consumed, and the working expenses left a surplus of £3,575, ending December, 1862, of £11,460 ending June 1863, of £12,390 ending Dec. 1863, of £22,265 ending June 1864, of about 114,000 ending Dec. 1864, and of about £6,000 ending June, 1865, making in the aggregate £69,689, which was sub ject to deduction for the formation of insurance and depreciation funds, in accordance with the provi sions of the contract with Government. The direc tors, in providing new vessels had determined to intrust the construction of one steamer and two barges to each of the following firms :—Messrs. Laird Brothers, of Birkenhead ; Messrs. R. Napier and Sons, of the Clyde ; and Messrs. Samuda Brothers, Poplar ; all of whom undertook that the boats should be completed and ready for shipment to India in about six months. The designs on which those vessels were to be constructed had been prepared by the builders, in concert with Captain Wood, the agent and superintendent of the Flotilla. for the separate stations of the Delhi and the East Indian Railway should be divided longitudinally, in equal portions, between the two companies. At Gha zeeabad, the point of junction between the two rail ways, it was proposed that a portion of the station accommodation to be provided should be jointly used by the two companies, while at the same time a separate portion should be reserved by the Delhi Railway for the accommodation of its own traffic. During the past half year considerable quantities of permanent way and other material had been shipped botli for Kurrachee and Calcutta. The directors continued to receive every support and furtherance from the Government, both in England and India, and they had the satisfaction to state that the con duct of the officers engaged in the several under takings of the company had throughout the past half year been such as'to merit entire approval. PUNJA.B. The directors of this company state in their re port that upon the 24th of April last the railway, 253 miles in length, extending from Umritsur to Mooltan and Sher Shah, was opened throughout for public traffic. The immense ad vantages conferred on the commercial interests of the province by the establishment of complete steam communication with the sea at Kurrachee appeared to be fully appreciated by the natives of all classes. The re venue accounts for the half-year ending the 31st of December, 1864, showed that the balance available towards the liquidation of guaranteed interest ad vanced by Government mounted to about 17 per cent. of the gross receipts during that period. The total receipts for the half-year ending June 30 last amounted to 16,400, including £6,ooo:for goods, and for the same half of 1864 to £10,604, in cluding £2,231 for goods. The weekly receipts during May and June averaged about £1,065 ; but during the latter month the receipts had steadily increased, those in the latest week for which returns had been received were £1,405. In recording the successful completion of the railway, the directors stated that their special thanks were due to the chief engineer, Mr. Harrison, for the unfailing zeal and ability he had displayed, and the valuable ser vices he had rendered to the company. The direc tom proposed to raise additional capital to the amount of £500,000, by the issue of 25,000 shares of £2O each, and upon which the Secretary of State for India in Council had guaranteed 5 per cent. interest. DELHI (lIMRITSUR TO DELHI). The directors state in their report that during the half-year ending 30th June last considerable pro gress had been made with the works of the railway. The temporary contracts entered into in India for earthwork ballast and bricks having been closed at the commencement of the present year, final mea surements of the works and materials collected had since been taken and the several accounts adjusted. One of the local contracts for earthwork between Umritsur and the River Beas had been continued by Messrs. Brassey, Wythes, and Ilenfrey, and the earthworks on that section were nearly completed. On the Umritsur district brickburning had been commenced at several points ; during the past half year 7,391,162 cubic feet (273,746 cubic yards) of earthwork have been executed, and 373,914 cubic feet (13,849 cubic yards) of ballast deposited. A number of sleepers had been made over to the con tractors, and arrangements were being made for de livering at Umritsur a further supply, which had been collected by the company at Lahore. On the Umballah district 25,370,000 cubic feet (937,629 cubic yards) of earthwork had been executed, and brickmaking had been commenced. On the Saharun pore district earthwork had been executed to the amount of 6,462,434 cubic feet (239,349 cubic yards) and arrangements had been made for burning bricks at several points. On the Meerut district 3,620,916 cubic feet (134,108 cubic yards) of earthwork had been executed, and 185,562 cubic feet (6,873 cubic yards) of ballast deposited; 20,000 bricks had been collected at Ghazeeabad, and 290,000 are beingburnt in kilns on various parts of the line ; 980 cubic feet of concrete had been executed, and 3,600 cubic feet of brickwork in culverts. Ithadbeen arranged that the ground which had been reserved in the city of Delhi OTTOMAN (SMYRNA TO AID IN). The report of the directors states the progress of the works as satisfactory, notwithstanding the inter ruption occasioned by the cholera, which had now nearly subsided. The directors confidently antici pated the realisation of the contractor's assurance that the through communication over the mountain would be effected within the next few months. The reports of the engineers confirmed this view, while that of the traffic manager indicated improvement in the traffic and reduction in working expenses upon the year's operations. The heavy repairs of the en gines had prevented the effect of this economy being experienced in the past half year, which had also been affected by the renewal of sleepers upon a con siderable portion of the opened line. Although the Board were advised by the traffic manager that from the contracts he had made he anticipated a large in crease in the goods traffic, the directors did not think that any important results could be expected until the through line was opened. The shares which the directors were authorised to issue had all been ap propriated. The report of Messrs. Purser and Clark, the chief and the consulting engineers, stated that from the present progress of the works and the arrangements made by the contractor they had great confidence in being able to report railway communication throughout between Smyrna and Aidin befo r e the next meeting of shareholders in March, and the completion of the summit tunnel and the termination of the contract before the next fruit season. The capital account to June 30 showed an expenditure of £1,212,209, leaving a balance of £92,240. TENDRING HUNDRED. The report of the directors states that the traffic on the line between the Hythe, Colchester, and Wivenhoe had increased in the half-year ending Aug. 31 to the extent of nearly 20 per cent. as com pared with the corresponding period of 1864. The increase of traffic during the past season would have been greater but for the continued failure of the oyster brood, but the experiment tried of cultivating Scotch and Irish oysters in the waters of Colne had proved successful. Efforts have been used to for ward the opening of the line to St. Botolph-street, Colchester ; this had not yet been effected. An advantageous arrangement was expected to be made with the Great Eastern in regard to the general goods traffic. With regard to the extensions to Weeley and Walton:on-the-Naze the directors ex pressed great dissatisfaction, and had, under the terms of the contract, taken possession of all the works, plant, and material on these lines, and had proceeded to complete the works on account of the company. The whole of the land required was in possession of the company or arranged for. The directors were also completing the portion of the Brightlingsea extension line secured to the use of the company, and they felt assured of having the line so far finished as to allow its use simul taneously with the opening of the extensions to Weeley and St. Botolph's. The directors proposed to exercise the borrowing powers to the extent of £28,000 ; they were about to issue debentures of £lOO each and upwards, bearing interest at 5 per cent. per annum. The amount of capital expended on the original undertaking to the 31st of August was £46,677, leaving a balance of £573. The expenditure on the extensions to Weeley and Walton-on-the-Naze was £66,880, leaving a balance of £3,609. TENBURY AND BEWDLEY. The report of the directors states that the line has been worked during the past half-year with regularity and without accident of any kind. A dividend at the rate of £2 10s. per cent. per annum would be paid to the shareholders on the 20th of October next. The directors were in hopes that the Bewdley and Kidderminster line would have been long since .commenced. The capital account showed a total expenditure of £119,317, and re ceipts of £116,361, leaving a balance due to the banker of £2,956. TENBURY. The report of the directors expressed their regret that they were not in a position to declare a divi dend. The anticipation of a very considerable in crease in the traffic by the opening of the Bewdley lino had not yet been realised ; nor would such increase arise until the completion of the loop line from Bewdley to Kidderminster, when the London and North-Western Company, it was understood, would at once commence the use of the Tenbury and the Tenbury and Bewdley lines for their traffic from South Wales to the manufacturing districts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire. BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER. The accounts for the half-year showed a balance available for dividend, and the directors recom mended a dividend at the rate of 2 per cent. per annum. SCOTTISH NORTH-EASTERN. The half-yearly meeting of this company was held at Aberdeen on Thursday ; Mr. Stirling in the chair. The report, an abstract of which has appeared in The Sun, was held as read. The CHAIRMAN said there had been an addition of £lO,OOO to the traffic during the past half-year, the largest amount they had ever received within a similar period, a fact which must be highly satisfactory to the shareholders. The amount of increase in work ing expenses was also satisfactory, inasmuch as it was greatly smaller in proportion than the increase in traffic. During the past six months the increase in the traffic had not simply been at one or two large stations ; it had been spread over the whole system, less or more. This was a most satisfactory feature, as showing the elasticity of their traffic, and giving hope that its increase would continue to improve in all directions. After referring to the purchase of the Carmyllie Railway, and the necessity of in creased station accommodation, particularly at Perth, he concluded by moving the dividends recommended in the report, all of which were unanimously agreed to, and the retiring directors and auditors re elected. An extraordinary meeting was then held, when it was agreed that the Scottish North-Eastern Com pany should work the Montrose and Bervie line for eight years, .and contribute £15,000 to that under taking. On the motion of Colonel CHRISTIE, a vote of thanks to the chairman closed the proceedings. MIDLAND GREAT WESTERN. The adjourned half -yearly meeting of the company was held on Saturday to receive the report of the scrutineers appointed to take the votes on the amendment moved to the resolution that Mr. John Ennis, Sir P. Nugent, the Hon. G. Hancock, Mr. R. Cusack, and Mr. W. D. La Touche be re-elected members of the Board. The amendment proposed the substitution of the names of Lord Clonbrock and Mr. G. Morris for those of Mr. Ennis and Sir P. Nugent. The report of the scrutineers stated that there were for the resolution—personal votes, 1,862, re presenting £179,350 ;.proxies held by the directors, 4,541, representing £427,725. Total votes, 6,403, representing £607,075. For the amendment—per sonal votes, 1,204, representing £151,400 ; proxies for the amendment, 5,090, representing £621,100. Majority in favour of the resolution, 109 votes. The outgoing directors were accordingly re elected. A protest, signed by Captain Gough and Dr, Peebles, was presented against the validity of the election. DIITCH-RHENISTI. The receipts for the fortnight ending August 31 amounted to £15,628, and for the corresponding period of last year to £14,457, showing an increase of £1,171. The receipts since the Ist of May, in cluding the above, amounted to £106,878, showing an increase, as compared with the corresponding period of last year, of £10,381. The working ex penses for the fortnight amounted to £5,090, or 32.57 per cent., and for the corresponding period of last year to £4,445, or 31.3 per cent., showing an increase of £545. The working expenses to the Aug. 31 amounted to £38,185, or 35.7 per cent., and those for the year 1864-65 to 31.82 per cent. of the receipts. CAPE TOWN. The traffic receipts on this company's line, 63 miles in length, amounted for the month of July (winter) to £1,820 for passengers, and to £943 for goods—total, £2,763. MELBOURNE AND HOBSON BAY UNITED. The traffic receipts of this company for the four weeks ending the 20th of July last amounted to £5,027 for passengers, and to £2,571 for goods— total, £7,598 ; and for the corresponding four weeks in 1861 to £8,395, showing a decrease of £797. Extraordinary Death of a Musical Pupil, (From the Leeds Mercury.) Mr. Emsley held an inquest yesterday in the Leeds Town Hall, on the body of Harriet Matilda Firth, aged 21, who acted as housekeeper to Dr. Mayne, Boar-lane. Considerable interest was felt in the inquest, rumours being afloat to the effect that the young woman had been poisoned. The result of the inquiry, however, proved this to be entirely untrue, the medical evidence being to the effect that death had been caused by natural causes. Mr. Arthur Blackburn watched the case on behalf of Dr. Mayne. Sarah Jane Firth, wife of Charles Firth, residing at No. 88, Queen's-place, Camp-road, stated that the deceased was her husband's sister. Deceased was 21 years of age. She had been, for the last five years, in the service of Dr. Mayne, Boar-lane. The last time she saw the deceased alive was three years since. They had been at variance since that period, and witness's husband had forbidden her to see deceased. Dr. Mayne stated that he was both a physician and a surgeon, and that he resided in Boar-lane. Deceased had been in his service four years and two months. Before she came to his house she was his patient, and as he wanted a maidservant he asked her to come to him. After sho had been with him about twelve months he found that she was not fit for her duties. She was very destitute, her friends would not assist her in any way, and as witness discovered that she was possessed of an unusually fine voice he resolved to endeavour to improve her musical talent. Ho sent her to two or three instructors, who also entertained a high opinion of her talents. She was with Mrs. Wood, Miss Richardson, and Mr. Inkersall, and latterly with Dr. Spark• As ho was expending upon her a great deal of money which she had little hope of being able to repay, it was arranged that he should insure her life. It was made a regular business transaction between them. In April, 1863, he insured her life for £2OO in the North Briton Insurance Company, but afterwards the policy was transferred to the Volunteer Company, of which a friend of his was the manager. At that time she was being educated as a lady ; she was introduced into the society of ladies, and was brought up in a style to which she had before been unac customed. Since then she had devoted herself entirely to a musical training, and it had been arranged that she would shortly appear in public. Last Tuesday week she pleaded hard to be allowed to visit her native place, where several of her relatives reside. She went on the afternoon of that day. She was in excellent health and spirits, and she was to return on Tuesday last. On Monday he received a tele gram from Mr. George Firth, the uncle of the deceased, asking him to come to Barnsley directly, as Miss Firth was very ill. Ho went by the first train, and found de ceased alone in her uncle's house. She was in a state of high fever ; her skin was as hot as fire, and she was toss ing about.. in her bed. Ho asked her if she had nothing to take, and she replied, "No ; I am so glad you are come to take me home." He sent a girl who was in the shop below for some wine, and after deceased had taken some of it mixed with water she appeared to be greatly refreshed. As she was suffering from vomiting and purging he went to a druggist close at hand and obtained a saline draught, and also a chalk mixture, with half a drachm of the tincture of opium or laudanum. The deceased took two tablespoonfuls of this mixture at half-hour intervals, and she rallied so much that she pleaded hard to be taken to Leeds. He expressed some doubt whether she would be able to travel, but her constant cry was, "Take me home, take me home." He took a cab to the station, and another on arriving at Leeds, and she did not at all complain of pain throughout the journey. He ad ministered wine freely to her, and caused his pupil to remain on a sofa in her room all night. His female servant was a new one, and the deceased asked that his pupil who knew her habits might attend upon her instead of a stranger. Although the vomiting and purging had ceased she passed a very restless night, and on Tuesday was very ill indeed. She had some tea, which seemed to refresh her, and in the course of the morning she fell into a calm sleep. When she awoke she seemed better, but she became worse towards evening, and passed another bad night. Her mother, who had been sent for, came on Wednesday morning, and as she then appeared to be dangerously ill, Dr. Hobson was called in. He approved of the treatment she had received ; but was of opinion that she was thoroughly exhausted and could not live. "She died at 11 on Wednesday. Witness did not think before - Wednesday morning that deceased was in danger. He had forbidden all her relatives with the exception of her mother, to come to the house, as he did not approve of their conduct. She bad been subject to bilious attacks, and the disease which she suffered under when he attended her before she came to his house was diseased bowels. [At this statement, the first witness, who had sobbed hysterically several times whilst the doctor was giving his evidence, called out loudly, " Shame, shame.") The Coroner—You maintained her, I suppose, from a feeling of charity ? Dr. Mayne—Entirely so. When the assurance was en- tered into I had no hope that she would pre-decease me. I told her she might dispose of the insurance in any way she pleased. The insurance will not cover by £lOO what I have expended upon her. I attribute her death to biliary fever, to exhausticn from excessive bilious diarrhoea. Dr. Hobson was of the same opinion. I administered no other medicine bit a chalk mixture containing half a drachm of opium, a little gum arabic, and a little ether, and a little saline medicine. I prepared the medicine and administered it myself. When at Barnsley witness asked deceased whether she had taken anything to disagree with her, and she stated that on the Sunday she had partaken rather freely of brambleberry pie, and that diarrhcea had commenced almost immediately afterwards. As to the insurance, he had consulted Dr. Hobson before he entered into it. That gentleman, who felt a great interest in deceased, quite ap proved of what witness intended doing. As soon as he thought there was danger he sent for Dr. Hobson. Mr. Nunnolay, surgeon, stated that ho had made a post mortem examination of the body of the deceased. There was no unnatural appearance about the external parts of the body. The lungs wore quite healthy. The heart was a little flabby, and wanted firmness in its structure. There was about an ounce of blood fluid in the heart sac, or peri cardium. There was a little mark on the liver which was not natural, but which he did not think was in any way connected with the death. The stomach contained a con siderable quantity of a dark gruelly-looking fluid, having a smell of wine. There was one small patch of effused blood on the mucous membrane of the stomach, but the rest of the stomach appeared natural. The brain in its structure - was quite natural and healthy. All the appear ances were compatible with excessive purging and vomit ing, and it was evident death had resulted from this cause. He thought Dr. Mayne had adopted a very proper treat ment ; and if that gentleman had not mentioned the fever ish state in which he found deceased he would have said that it was a case of cholera. At present diarrhcea, was very prevalent, and the eating of blackberry pie would be very likely to produce it. Mrs. Frith, mother of the deceased, stated that she went to Dr. Mayne's on Wednesday morning, and remained with her daughter until S l lO died. Deceased experienced the greatest kindness from Dr. Mayne, and never had any complaint to make. Mr. Blackburn said that before this inquest closed he wished the coroner to hear the evidence of witnesses from Barnsley as to the condition of the deceased before she was brought to Leeds on MOnday last. Notwithstanding the clearness of the medical evidence, there were some people who were sceptical enough to think and malicious enough to say that Miss Frith had died by unfair means. It was due, therefore, to Dr. Mayne, and due to the public, that all the evidence bearing upon the question should be laid before the Court. The Coroner said that if Mr. Blackburn wished an ad journment in order to obtain the attendance of witnesses from Barnsley, he would be most happy to grant it. Mr. Blackburn said he bad telegraphed to two people from Barnsley, but they had not come. He therefore ap plied that the inquest be adjourned for a few days. The Coroner granted an adjournment until Wednesday next. [ADVERTISEMENT.]-11olloway's Ointment and Pills.— The Knife Superseded. --All afflicted with ulcers, diseases of the bone, inflammation of the joints, should read this testimonial to the curative powers of these healing and purifying remedies. Mr. John Allen, 17, Denmark -street, Leicester, su ff ere d severely from a bad foot for three y e a rs , during which long period ho was under surgical treatment without any perceptible benefit. He resolutely objected to amputation, which seemed the only course open till he pro videntially tried Holloway's remedies ; these gave him great relief, and-at last completely cured him. Spots, blemishes, sores, skin diseases, arising from impoverished blood or a reckless course of life, may be removed by the judicious use of Holloway's ointment and pills. The Cattle Disease. ESSEX. Very few cases of disease have appeared in the Tem,lring Hundred during the last few days. An attempt to form a County Cattle Insurance Association in Essex has been abandoned. The disease has inflicted most severe ravagil on the stock of cowkeepers and farmers in the Stratford. district. NORFOLK. At Thorpe, near Norwich, there has been a severe out break of the disease. A few cases are also reported from Gunningham, and one or two other points. The weather has however, become cooler, and on the whole the disease is not now considered to bo extending in Norfolk. On his estate at Croon-point near Norwich, Mr. Harvey, M.P., has lost about 90 beasts, valued at £5 each, and some 40 calves, valued at £2 10s. each. At a meeting of the committee of tho Norfolk Cattle Plague Assurance Association, on Satur day, Mr. R. Leamon complained that Mr. Harvey had, while the disease was still prevailing, removed some other stock from the Croon-point property to Brundall. SUFFOLK. The disease is considered to bo at last subsiding in the neighbourhood of Melford. Cases are reported from Hol ton, Knoddishall, Carton, Gislingham, &c. Most of the animals attacked have been shot. CUMBERLAND. In spite of the precautions taken by farmers in many parts of the country to prevent the introduction of the " rin derpest" the disemi'e has again appeared in Cumberland. The two diseased cows imported from Newcastle, under the circumstances described in The Sun, having been killed, no others have become affected in the immediate neighbourhood of Carlisle ; but on Monday the death of a. cow took place near Allonby, on the west coast of Cum berland, which the local veterinary surgeon pronounced to result from " rinderpest ;" and Professor Dick, after read ing his report of the symptoms and post-mortem appear ances, agreed with him that the case was one of cattle plague. On Friday, Messrs. Carlisle and Bell, veterinary surgeons, and inspectors under the Order in Council for the Carlisle district, were called out to a case at Walton, about ten miles north-east of Carlisle. They found it to be one of " rinderpest," and ordered the cow to be killed. Their post-mortem examination of the carcase confirmed their opinion. Another cow had died in the same herd on the previous day from the same disease. These cattle had been introduced from Northumberland a fortnight ago. A third animal has since died at Walton. COUNTRY MARKETS NOT T INGHAM-SATURDAY. The demand for wheat to-day was fair, and dry sorts of new and old were is per qr. higher. There was a good supply of barley, and malting samples obtained full prices : coarse sorts difficult to quit• The supply of oats pretty tolerable, and the demand proved moderate at last week's prices. Beans scarce, and made extreme rates ; peas very little changed. Old white wheat, 48s to 52s ; old red, 46s to 49s ; new white, 43s to 47s ; new red, 40s to 44s per 36 stone. Bar ley, new malting, 27s to 35s per qr ; old grinding, 26s to 28s ; new, sto —s per 30 stone. Oats, old, 27s to 30s ; new, 20s to 25s ; old foreign, 22s to 27s per stone. Beans, old, 48s to 52s ; new, 40s to 43s per 38 stone. Super flour, 36s to 38s ; fine, 33s to 35s per 20 stone. NORWICH-SATURDAY. The supply of wheat was rather liberal at this market to-day, and prices in favour of sellers, and in some instances is per qr. advance was realised. In other articles little doing. White wheat (weighing 631 b to 641 b), 48s to 52s ; red ditto (weighing 631 b to 641 b), 36s to 48s ; best malting barley (weighing 551 b to 561 b), 30s to 33s ; runs ditto (weighing 541 b to 551 b), 28s to 30s ; distilling ditto (weigh ing 521 b to 531 b), 24s to 26s ; oats, 24s to 26s ; beans, 37s to 39s ; peas (maple), 36s to 38s per qr; flour, 31s to —s Od per sack. YORK-SATURDAY. At our corn market to-day there was a fair attendance of the trade, and a corresponding supply of wheat. No ad vance can be noted, but barley rather lower. Not much change in other articles. There is an abundant supply of potatoes, but prices remain the same: New white wheat, 42s to 48s ; new red, 36s to 40s per 36 stone. Barley, for malting, 28s to 328 per qr ; grinding, 27s to —s per 30 stone. Oats, new, 22s to —s per 24 stone. Beans, 42s to —s per 40 stone. Malt, 58s ; rye, 28s per qr. Flour, 33s to —s per sack of 2801 b. LEICES TER-SATURDAY. There was not a large show of wheat to-day. Trade rather better, and prices were about ls per qr. higher. Barley came fairly to hand, and good so rts were in firmer demand at last week's prices. Oats moved off tolerably at former quotations. Beans were in good supply, and a re duction of is to 2s per qr. lower for new sorts. Old white wheat, 47s to 50s ; old red, 44.$ to 48s ; new white, 43s to 48s ; new red, 37s to 40s per 36 stone. Bar ley, malting, 32s to 34s per qr. ; grinding, 28s to 30s per 30 stone. Oats, old, 26s to 328 ; new, 2ls to 23s per 24 stone. Beans, old, 48s to 52s ; new, 40s to 43s per 38 stone. Foreign Mail Packet List. - 4 MAILS DUE. Australia and New Zealand, via Southampton Oct. 19. Ditto, via Marseilles Oct. 13. Brazil and Cape Verde. by British pac.‘et Oct. 4. Ditto, by French packet Sept. 2?.. Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena... Sept. 22 China, Penang, and Singapore, via Sou hampton„Oct. 2 Ditto, via Marseilles Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton Sept. • 25 India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Oct. 2. Ditto, via _Marseilles India (Bombay), via Southampton. Sept. 25. Ditto, via iarseilles Oct. - 10. liauritius, via Southampton Ditto, via islarseil e 5.... Oct. 4. Newfoundland Portugal Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon. . United States and British North America, by Bri tish packet . .. Sept. 27. Ditto, by United States packet, via Southamp ton Ditto, via C.)rk Ditto, by Canadian packet, via Londonderry Sept. 29• West Coast of Africa. Madeira, and Teneriffe Oct. 11. West Indies and Pacific (except Bahamas, Cuba, and Mexico ....Sept. 28• Bahamas, via New 1' ork. Oct. 11 Bermuda, ditto Sept. 27• Cuba and Mexico Sept. 28. EXPLOSION OF EWELL POWDER MILLS.--A ter' rible gunpowder explosion took place on Saturday morn ing at Ewell Powder Mills, carried on by Messrs. Sharpe and Davy, situate a few miles distant from the village of Ewell, in Surrey, near Epsom. The mills are spread over a large plot of ground in detached buildings, through which runs a small stream. The accident occurred in the press mill, containing one hydraulic machine for compressing wet powder into cakes. What quantity it contained at the time of the explosion has not transpired, but from the Oise caused by the explosion it is inferred it must have been con siderable. The workpeople had just resumed their labour at the different parts of the manufactory when a tremendous report took place, which was discovered to have been caused by the blowing up of the press-house, wherein two men had but just entered. The shock was truly terrible, and the workpeople in the other buildings were seized with conster nation, for it was fully expected that all the other buildings would go, but, most fortunately, the blast did not reach them. Of the press-house not a vestige remained, and the iron hydraulic press, which stood a fixture in the centre, was hurled into an adjacent field by the force of the explosion. The two labourers who were at work there, it is reported, were literally blown to atoms. Their names were LewiS Hill and James Horscraft. They had for a long while been in Messrs. Sharp and Davy's service and were considered careful and experienced men. It is supposed that the ex' plosion was occasioned by some grit or hard substance getting into the press and causing a friction, which ignited the powder. A coroner's inquest on the remains of the sufferers will be held on Tuesday next. The exp l o sion, was seriously felt at Epsom, Hampton Court, Mitcham,and every place within 20 miles of the spot. At Ewell and many of the adjacent villages the windows of the houses were broken in by the force of the concussio n, and other damage was done to property. Births. BOURNE.—On the 20th inst., at Grafton Manor, Brooms grove, the wife of Robert Bourne, Esq., of a daughter. INGESTRE.—On the 21st inst., at 47, Eaton-place, London, Viscountess Ingestre, o f a girl, sti ll b orn. LECHMERE.—On the 2 1 s t inst., at the Rhy dd Court, Wor cestershire, Lady L e clunere, of a son. Major G. A. Searle, H.M. Madras Army, of a son. Maida-plaCe7 SEARLE.-011 the 22d inst., at Howley_place, Marriages. BRAERoox—IVITREns.—On the 20th inst , at Neuchatel, Edward Wm. Brabrook, Esq., of Lincoln' i , F.S.AI & c ., to Eliza Emma, third daughter of Ro s b - :With erot Esq. ONVEN—PARKS.—On the 21st inst Lewisham, Edwin Philip .eldest Owen, of Forest-hill, ,0 son of Henry Owen, E - Sq., of Burnt Ash House, Lee, ' Emmelin • Emmeline, youngest daughterof B . -sci.' , at St. Mary's Church, of Lewisham. Deaths. Bo s O i T r il ß u r Y o . o — ke On ßo th ot e h 2 b l y,B in ar s t t . . : aagteTdusn6b.ridgo-wells, the Be l ' . BIZAUND.—On the 23d inst at 44, St. Paul's-road, Caol" den-squ. Wm. Braund, aged 74. ' COMPTON.—On the 22d inst., at Ramsgate, Selina 31 o or Compton, daughter of H. C. Compton, Esq., a g House, Lyndhurst. iorcde - DENIIAM.—On the 22d inst., at 16, Dela,mere-terraee park, Isabella, wife of Rear-Admiral Denham, a. HOPE.—On the 22d inst., at Hampstead, J. T. goP e7 late of Bombay, aged 37. -ctriltat 'lloormt.—On the 22d inst., Bradford-on - Av on,- the Rev. Jonathan Hoope, aged 69. 00f PowELL.—On the 22d inst., at Nelson-square, Lon Mr. Hector Powell, aged 74. - ------- London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM AND,'''" 02, of No. 112, Strand, Plinter , at Tics.Sux 011 ic e, oi Strand, in the Precinct of th e Savoy. in the Co 0" Kiddiesex.-111onday, September 25, 1985. ...km_ ..111......4 blot KI YT - 11 FRNZ It i,., Bold the Ai Ohs( "Kin: of £2O one, tl tion er No !Tic Discos direct( r< e~ The house terms itil i_v_t_ .rt,( place, mark hold 6d. si Street and E caret t With genul dire& Assai lb. u hous( of ilti and i it is BOlel: d Ca.tr^J T' sale vhie ute a za! atter ine• Po tent S' prod sa .: ~~~ „,1 4:ni s retni tth Ito A