The Sun. — London, England, 1865-09-28 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 28, ALP ;STS, (From the Times' Correspondent) RIFFLEBERG, Sept. 23. Up, up, up, and up again ; it must go hard if a man does not rise so high towards Heaven as to find a cool spot upon earth. We left Visp yester day morning soon after 5, mounted on steeds whose slow gait is something between the long stride of the camel and the crushing tread of the elephant. We had hardly reached Stalden when the sun was high up in the valley, and we found no shelter against its fierce heat in the few straggling fir trees hanging here and there upon the steep road. It was hot at St. Nicklaus, where we breakfasted on to ugh beefsteak and sour Ballioz wine. Hotter still at Branda, where we had a thimbleful of Kirschwasser dashed into a bottle of lemonade gazeuze. The heat had reached its acme when we stopped at the Hotel Monte Rosa at Zermatt, and called for a pint of Champagne Vaudois and a crust of bread. We had nevertheless come over the whole length of this never ending St. Nicholas Valley, and reached its head at Zermatt at 2 in the afternoon, accomplishing the 94 hours' distance in seven hours, without computing the stoppage of about 11 hours at St. Ni c kl aus. Al this we achieved by forcing our heavy steeds into al bone-breaking jog trot from time to time, and tak ing to our own legs when all other means of urging on those sorry quadrupeds failed us. We drank our sparkling wine and munched our dry crust at Zermatt, and half an hour later went our way on foot to the Rif eberg Hotel, wondering how any human being who could possibly help it could take up his quarters at Zermatt. It would be the same as if one went to St. Paul's to enjoy the panorama of London, and stopped at some of the shops below in the churchyard. We had a stiff two hours' walk up to the Riffieberg, a tough piece of work, yet hardly worth mentioning, inasmuch as a good bridle path has been made, not only to the hotel, but fur ther up to the Gornergrat,and no ascentwhere horse can go should properly be reckoned as real mountain climbing. At the Riffleberg, at last, we found a cool breeze for the first time this many a week, and even the fewest imaginable drops of refreshing rain. I was here at this same Riffieberg Hotel 11 years ago, arriving late at night, after crossing the Weiss Thor from Macugnaga, the greatest Alpine feat ever achieved by my legs in younger days. But even after 11 years —nay, after a long lifetime, a man who has been once on the spot, and has only looked about him for five minutes, would never forget a single feature in this matchless pano rama. There are far more beautiful spots in the Bernese Oberland ; greater contrast between rock and glacier on the one side, and fine meadow ver dure and luxurious vegetation on the other, is to be met with at the foot of Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa, on the Piedmontese side; but nowhere in the world are you more at home among .snows and above glaciers than at the Riffleberg, and no pyramidal mountain rises so close at hand and at the sametiine so hopelessly above you, so apparently beyond all human reach, as that murderous Matterhorn. The Matterhorn, still stained with the blood of its vic tims of two months ago, is here the king to whom some scores of the highest summits in Europe bow in obeisance. Even Monte Rosa, though considerably higher, though so much more dignified and majestic a mountain mass, must be satisfied with playing second part to its great rival, Mont Cervin, in the Zermatt region. Monte Rosa is most distinctly au Italian mountain ; on its southern slopes, at Gres soney, Alagna, and Macugnaga, its greatness can be fully appreciated, and from any part of the vast plain from Turin to Milan it can be seen in all its majesty, the giant of the chain, the brightest jewel in the mountain-diadem of Italy. The sea of snow and ice surrounding the open platform of the Riffleberg, seen more comprehen sively from the summit of the Gornergrat, is still inexhausted, but it looks at this present moment far less inexhaustible than it did at the period of my former visit. The long drought of this extraordinary summer has dug as deep into the frozen mass as it is in the power of any solar influence to achieve. The lower ends of the glaciers here, as at Grindel wald and Murrell are converted into dry squalid " moraines," and the lower skirts of the Alpine mantle look as if they had been squeezed up like half washed linen and stretched out to dry in the warp ing and withering sunlight. It is, strange as it may appear, with a kind of melancholy feeling that one looks upon the ravages of this never-ending summer among the beauties of the higher Alpine region. The epithet of " ever lasting" seems now less than ever applicable to the Alps. This dwindling of glaciers and waterfalls re minds you, on the contrary, that these huge masses are perpetually crumbling; every wave of those muddy roaring torrents carries with it part of their spoil; every one of those deep chasms, of those abrupt crags and cliffs, tellsits tale of theslow but sure work of frost and thaw. The Alps are going, ever going, and imagination can anticipate the time when all their rough grandeur shall have gone altogether, when nothing shall remain of them save only round, smooth eminences like the older Alleghanies and Blue Ridges of North America. Melancholy as the thought may be, let not the reader distress himself on his own account or mine. Let the summer be never so long, and the sun never so hot, the Alps, I confidently believe, will last our time. At Zermatt and the Itifileberg I have fallen in with the Alpine tourists properly so called—those who, according to the classification given in one of my former letters, belong to the first category. Only the other evening, at Visp, the company was still mixed. Pleasanter talk than we had with a set of highly civilised travellers on their way across the Simplon to the Italian lakes I hardly ever remember enjoying in my former tours. There was a Q.C., an M.P., with his lady, a stately beauty, who had nothing to fear from comparison with three or four lovely g,rown_up daughters; there was a middle-aged gentleman, doing duty as a tutor or bear-leader to his own son, at home for the holidays—the father the most intimate friend of the son, the son proud of nothing so much on earth as his bland, gentlemanly father; there were, in short, a score of persons, a handful of the sand from that ocean shore which constitutes the English nation, and these persons, without hardly a link of common interest among them, with no other ties of acquaintance than such as began and were to end with that late table d'hote dinner, spent together as agreeable an evening as if each of them had cudgelled his brains to call together the choicest company at his own house. By that instinct which goes such great lengths towards the eomposition of a gentlemanly charac ter, each of the guests took the part naturally suited to him on his very first sitting down. We had talkers and listeners. We had those who had much to tell us about the Valais, its actual social condition, the decline of its noble families, the dwindling of the population , their a d m ecli ee ne both e in physical and moral qualities annabsi in th health and wealth, with allusions to the past, when lordly families from the turbulent Italeian republics, the Tavelli, the Biondrate, the Dena. v a r l e l , took refuge.. or in the hitherto quiet and happ y ey, filling it with their hereditary feuds, and converting it int o , theatre of violence and bloodshed ; when the Bishops of Zion were by their riotous vassals thrown over the battlements of their castles; or when, in later times, those same ambitious and warlike prelatesled the Valaisan peasantry down the plains of Italy, . allied themselves to the mercenary mountaineers of the Forest Cantons, and adopting the maxim "Point d'argent, point de Suisse," sold themselves and their followers to the highest bidder, ready to sell the latter in turn, whenever interest, bigotry, or caprice seemed in their ignorant estimation and lax con science to justify defection and treason. Our dinner last evening at the Riffieberg was with an altogether different set. We had none but men here. Strange to say, the inn is .not only exclu sively officered,:but actually commanded by women. Our landlady is a sister or cousin of those brothers Seiler who have the Monte Rosa Hotel at Zer matt and the " Rhone -Glacier" at the Furka Pass. This lady, a young and pretty woman, is general-in chief ; under her a score of handmaidens ; no man in the house except Boots, who never shows exceptfor his night work, and whose only office, besides black ing, is that of killing the daily sheep, an act of necessary cruelty to which no female heart could lend itself. This table of mere men, attended by only w omen, was, though on the whole perfectly orderly yet somewhat noisy. Alpine climbers, if I may judge from most specimens here assembled last night, talk about anything rather than the Alps. They look upon their mountain work as mere sport ; so many miles in snow and ice ; so many hours' clamberingon rocks. One has " done" the Cima di Jan yesterday ; another is going to " do" the Lyskamm to-morrow. They meet, question, and congratulate each other on their exploits, much as men out of shooting would count 10 or 12 brace of birds they have bagged, or foxhunters would tell of the capital run they had after hounds. There is but little aesthetic and nothing scientific in the object of nine Alpine climbers out of ten. The pleasure is not in the run, not in the fox that is thrown to the hounds, or even in the phea sant or blackcock that everyboly is so keen to kill. There were but few Syntax-like faces about me last evening, but few who would not laugh at the notion of coming to the Alps in quest of the picturesque. One came to the Alps to " do" them, to breathe fresh air, to give a keen edge to appetite, to seek a vent for the exuberance of animal spirits. Some in the company was evidently a lion, or fancied himself so. His talk was of theloudest ; he bounced up from his place every now and then, throwing back his chair in the suddenness of his movements. He showed great energy and alacrity in his step to prove how little his powerful elastic frame had been affected by his 14 hours' toil on the ice. His tone was overbearing (there is no mincing the matter), his manner obstreperous. He was young, wild looking, presumptuous. You would have said the Champagne air of the Alps had got to his head. He kept up an incessant rattle ; none within reach of his shrill voice had a chance to put in a word ; and as it ever happens where a man takes too much on himself, there were those around him willing to allow him even more than he assumed. There were Boswells to this Alpine Johnson, who took every impertinence as a joke, who burst out into up roarious laughter at the fine fun of seeing their idol jump up in his place and kick down the chair behind him. That upsetting of the chair every five minutes was an incomparable joke ; so was every remark about cat disguised as hare, and tough ' goat palmed upon the guests as chamois. The 40 or 50 guests assembled round the table were not like these, thank Heaven ! There were, on the contrary, men of intelligent countenance and gen tlemanly demeanour. But these were awed into silence, worried and annoyed, but " shut up." There was nothing for them but to hold their tongues or fling the bottle into the face of the dis turber of the public quiet, and they took the more prudent, more peaceful alternative. The Iron-cased Fleets of France and England. The iron-cased fleet of France at present afloat consists of 29 vessels, exclusive of four floating bat teries, built to meet the exigencies of the Russian war, and five smaller batteries, built in sections, for special lake service during the Italian war with Austria. This force may be thus divided :-1. sea going vessels ; 2. vessels only serviceable for the at tack or defence of coasts, roadsteads, harbours, &c. The seagoing fleet consists_of 17 vessels, which have been shortly described as of the two-decked and frigate classes, but'which for clearness of description may here be divided into six classes, owing to diffe rences in displacement, engine -power, disposition of armour, material of construction, &c. At the head of the list stand the Magenta and Solferino, the two flagships, which by their quaint form of bow and high short hulls excited so much attention during the recent Portsmouth festivities. The Magenta has a displacement of 6,737 tons, the weight of her hull, fitted and armour-plated being 4,164 tons, and the weight of her equipment 2,573 tons. Her length on the water-line is 280 ft. only, with a breadth of hull inside the armour-plating of 56ft. Bin. Her mean draught of water in deep trim 26ft. Her engines, of 1,000 nominal horse-power, drive a fixed four-bladed screw, and her speed over the measured mile, in deep trim and under favourable conditions of weather (under similar conditions to those under which our own ships are tried), is 13.7 knots. The Magenta is built of wood—a short wooden line-of-battle ship, carrying a water-line belt of armour-plating, and armour-plating (very roughly put on, and with the bolts exceedingly close together) over the central portion of her hull, where only she carries her guns, leaving her bows, stern, and quarters without armour, and, consequently, pervious to shell of any calibre. Behind the armour plating amidships she carries, on de main deck, 24 66-pounder rifled guns for shells only, burning 81b. of powder, and fitted as breech-loaders, with a three faced raised screw breech-plug. On her lower deck she carries 16 50-pounder smooth-bore solid shot guns, and on the upper deck two of the latter de scription of guns and two rifled 8-65-in. howitzers. She is rigged as a bark, with long lower masts, narrow topsails, and topgallantsails over all, the masts being well placed, and the amount of head sail being unusually large as compared with our ships. The Solferino is the counterpart in every respect of the Magenta. She is said to be a fraction of a knot faster under steam, but if she ever was the faster vessel of the two she has since lost her pre-eminence in that respect. The rig of the Ma genta and Solferino is closely followed in all the other ships, and, indeed, it would be difficult to de vise one more simple and yet efficient for an iron clad. The same system of mixed armament is also followed in all the ships with the 66-pounder rifled and 50-pounder smooth-bore guns, and thus serious complication of projectiles on board ship is wisely avoided, however harmless such guns may be against 6-inch armour-plating. We have thus far dealt only with the two-decked armoured ships, but, taking the remainder in the orderin which they were built, we find in their hulls the history of the con struction of the armoured fleet of France. The famous Gloire, the Invincible, and the Normandie were laid down in 1858, the Gloire being completed for sea in 1860, the Normandie in 1861, and the Invincible in 1862. All three are built of wood, and are coated with armour of 4.7 in. in thickness, are 255 ft. 6in. in length on the water-line, have a breadth inside their armour of 55ft. 9in., and draw at deep draught of water—Gloire, 25ft. 6in. ; In vincible, 25ft. Bin. ; Normandie, 25ft. 11in. All have the old-fashioned square gun-ports placed closely together, and carry their guns low on the water. Their displacement is as nearly as possible 5,630 tons. Their engines, of 900-horse power, drive a fixed screw, and the speed of the ships on trial was 13.4 knots. For armament they each carry 12 50-pounder smooth-bore guns and 16 6G-pounder rifled guns on their main deck, with four 8.65-inch rifled howitzers on their upper deck. In contra distinction to the plough-coulter submerged bows of the Magenta and Solferino, the Gloire, Normandie, and Invincible have straight stems with rather full wedge-line bow. Their armour-plating—the first work of the kind done by our neighbours, it must be remembered—is pierced all over with bolts, and put on the hulls in the roughest possible manner. The plating at the water-line of all three ships is now in a woful condition. In February, 1859, an important step in advance ways made in the building of the iron navy of France in the laying down the keel of the iron frigate Caliro nne, at L'Orient. Iron was now brought into ex e i • the in the construction of a ship's hull, f or usl ii le I/ . se rt raen ti raesi i onnathe Imperial dockyards, while pre vious as t a were somewhatlight increase of length and decrease of breadth departed from in giving the c o compared r with th e Gl o i re , r eo d ur . onne carries Normandie, and Invi nc ib le. e arm our-plating of 4•sin , on the b o lde, and Sin. weight of armour round the bows and stern, her total being 699 tons. She has a length of hull at the water _ line of 262 ft. sin., and a breadth inside her arm our _ plates of 54ft. 9in. Her sea-going draught of water is—mean-25ft., at a displacement of 5,982 tons. The nominal power of the engines is 900-horse, and the ship's speed at the mile 13.3 knots. The Cou ronne was completed for service in February, 1862. Between Jan. and June, 1861, the most compre hensive measure towards the creation of an ironclad fleet was taken in laying down 10 improved frigates in the yards of Brest, Cherbourg, Rochefort, Lorient, and Touton. Nine of these—the Flandre, Gauloise, Guienne, Magnanime, Provence, Revanche, Savoir, Surveillante, and Valeureuse—have wooden hulls, cased with armour. The tenth vessel—the Heroine _is of iron throughout. All have a length of hull at the water-line of 262 ft. sin., with a breadth inside their armour-plating of 55ft. gin. They have a mean draught of water, at deep draught, of 25ft. 3in., at a displacement of 5,711 tons. Their engines have a nominal power of 1,000 horse, and their speed over the trial ground ranges between 14.2 and 15 knots. Their armour is 4.7 in. in thickness all round, and their armament consists, for each, of, on main deck, 10 50-pounder smooth-bore and 16 66-pounder rifled guns. On the upper deck two 50-pounder smooth-bores and two 66-pounder rifled guns. All are very fine handy craft, with armour of a superior quality, and much better put on than in the instances of the previous ships. Their gunports, too, although too close together, are embrasured or narrowed in their outer area on the English plan. The nine wooden-built vessels have, of course, all the weakness inseparable from wooden hulls loaded with iron. The iron vessel, the Heroine, on the contrary, has all the advantages of the possession of an iron structure throughout ; but, strange to say, she has no athwartship water tight compartments, such as are considered indis pensable to all our iron ships of war. The Heroine has, however, a longitudinal water-tight bulkhead, rising up from her floor, and extending from stem to stern at a certain distance from each broadside. The ventilation of the Heroine below is, therefore, much better than in the majority of English iron ships, but we cannot consider this as an equivalent for the safety given to the ship by athwartship bulkheads. These ten frigates, with their high rate of speed, their moderate length, and consequent handiness in evolutions--say, a naval engagement at moderately close quarters in the Channel or at sea—in fact, their collective and harmonious powers of efficiency and of steaming at any rate up to 14 knots, and manoeuvring in concert, represent a force that is unrepresented in the navies of Europe or America. Seeing them together it is almost impossible to imagine a more perfect war machine than these ten vessels make in their combination, although it must be admitted that the nine wooden vessels are only half as strong as they would be for powers of re sistance if built of iron, and that their artillery on board all is unfit to cope with the artillery now on board the American, and being introduced into the English navy. As regards wooden ships cased with iron, however, both England and America have simi larly built ships in their navies, and as for the effi cient armament of France's ironclad navy, the Em peror can afford to await the issue of English and American experiments. The last of the sea-going ironclads of France now necessary to notice as actually afloat is the Belli . . _ _ queuse, laid down at Toulon in December, 1863 and launched and completed for sea by January, 1865. The Belliqueuse is the first illustration, as a frigate, of the strange theory of the " plough-coulter" submerged bow of M. Du Puy-de-Lome, the direc tor of material, or chief constructor of the Imperial Navy. Her hull is built of wood, and carries a water-line belt, with a central square plated box, all coated with iron of 5.9 in. thickness. She is pierced with 17 ports on each broadside, but with only six of these ports in the centre, or amidships, included in the armour-plating. From this description it will be seen that the Belliqueuse is merely a Ma genta or Solferino reduced to frigate form. It will be interesting to notice the speed attained by this plough-bow'd ship, and compare it with the speed of the handsome wedge-line bow'd ships the Ildroine and Flandre, 15 knot vessels. The Belliqueuse has a length at the water-line of 229 ft. 7in., with a breadth of 45ft. 11in. inside her plating, and draws at deep sea-draught, 19ft. 61 in., at 3,347 tons dis placement. Her speed and armament are not known to a certainty in England at present, but the former is probably as nearly as possible 13 knots, her en gines being of 200 horse-power, and her armament will consist of 12 66-pounder rifled guns behind her armour. The remainder of the French ironclads afloat are included in category No. 2. vessels destined for the attack and defence of coasts, roadsteads, or harbours. They comprise, besides the floating batteries built for the Russian and Italian wars, the Taureau, a peculiar vessel, having one gun and one tower, with the plough coulter bow, drawing IGft. Sin. of water, at a load displacement of 2,500 tons. Her engines, of 900 horse power, drive a pair of twin screws, and her speed is said to be 13 knots. She is 19Th. long at the water line, with a beam of 47ft. Gin., and is coated with 5-9 in. armour plating. The Paixhans, Pal€stro, Peiho, Saigon, Embuscade, Impregnable, Protectrice, Refuge, Arrogante, Im placable, and Opiniatre are vessels varying in their displacement from 1,550 to 1,220 tons ; in their draught of water, from Bft. Gin. to 9ft. 10in. ; in length, from 156 ft. to 129 ft. ; in breadth, from 51ft. to 47ft. , and in their deep water draught from 10ft. 6in. to Bft. 9in. Seven (iron built) out of the 11 have armour plating of 5-sin., the remaining four (wooden built) have 4-sin. All are fitted with 150 horse power engines, and their maximum rate of speed, under the most favourable circumstances, is seven knots. It is not, however, with the home fleet of France that we arc now dealing, but with her seagoing ironclads, that, combined with those of England, may be looked upon as the water police of Europe, and the possible arbiters of future peace or war. To render our sketch of the French ar moured navy, therefore, of any value, we must refer to the tabular forms published by our own Admiralty, which, supplemented by other and non official knowledge on the subject, may give a means of arriving at a fair estimate of the combined and relative qualities of the ships of the two countries. Taking the Magenta and Solferino as the largest ships in the French navy, we have no other choice than the selection of our Achilles as their com petitive ship in the English navy ; the Minotaur, Northumberland, and Agincourt not yet having undergone their deep-draught trials. By the Eng lish Admiralty returns we find that our iron-built frigate Achilles had a displacement of 9,487 tons, her length being 380 ft., with a breadth of 58ft. 31 in. ; her mean draught of water was 26ft. sin., her mean speed 14.322 knots, and her nominal engine power 1,250-horse. In comparing this speed with that of the double decked ships of the French navy—the Magenta and Solferino, we shall find that the Achilles beat both ships by a good three quarters of a knot, with an excess of engine power of 205-horse, of displacement of 2,729 tons, of a length of 98ft., and a breadth of 3ft. In speed, therefore, the Achilles excels the Magenta and Solferino, but her greater length ren ders her a far less handy ship when manceuvring with a fleet than either of those ships. In armour and backing no comparison can be made between the ships, all merit being on - the side of the Achilles, with her iron frame, inner iron skin, teak backing between the iron ribs of the ship's frame and the outer skin of sfin. armour plates, as contrasted with the only partially protected hull and its soft extremities, without inner iron skin, of the Magenta and Solferino. In armament the Magenta and Solferino will bear no comparison with the Achilles' 6f-ton 9fin. smooth-bore guns, although the latter' are only placed on board as a makeshift until the 12-ton smooth-bore guns in stock now at Woolwich have been lined with steel tubes and issued to the navy as its 7-inch rifled broadside gun. But, as we have already observed, the Emperor of the French can afford, with his usual astuteness, to wait the results of our costlygun experiments before arm ing his fleet with efficient armour-piercing guns. In rig, handiness under steam or sail, ventilation, hos pital and general sanitary arrangements, the two French ships are far in advance of our Achilles. Pass ing over the Gloire, Normandie, Invincible, and Couronne, as the pioneers of the French iron-clad navy, it only remains for us to draw a comparison between the ten improved French frigates we have n named tolour own sea- go i ng s hi ps b e l ow t h e Ach i lles tonna g e ispur a p i o ul se li t o h r e se E -po nte wer. Selecting, larth therefore, pefence: Prince Consort, Elector,for , and rpri Rioyse,e Research , Sovereign as the representatives of their respective classes, we find the returns given to be as follows : Name of Ship. Mean Draught. Speed. Engines' Horse- Ft. In. . l3 9 9 '738 - 200 Research Prince Consort 25 4 12.770 1,000 Defence Foots. Power. Enterprise ' 24 9 11.618 600 Royal Sovereign 22 11 11.006 360 800 800 Hector Putting aside, therefore, the performance of Ourfirst class ships under steam—our Minotaurs, Warriors, and Achilles, as comparable only with Magentas and and Solferinos—it will be found that we have not ten frigates afloat and in commission, or that have been in commission, that possess, "as a fleet," the collective speed of the ten best frigates of the French ironclad navy, that is to say, that could make a 12-knot passage between France and Algiers, as was done by the French fleet on the occasion of the Emperor's recent visit to Africa. As the speed of the slowest vessel in a fleet must necessarily regulate the speed of all the ships in the fleet, the undoubted importance of a balance in this respect is obvious, and it is in this respect, as also in their relative lengths and turning powers, that the French ironclads excel our own, and not only ours, but it may be justly said the armoured fleets also of all other nations. In exceptional instances of speed the English undoubtedly beat those of France, but in collective steaming power the latter have a de cided preponderance. On the whole, looking upon the ironclads of both countries as two machines for war, every part of which in each case should act in perfect harmony with the other, as with the slides and pistons of a steam-engine, we are compelled to award the palm of superiority to the ships of Francs over those of England, premising, however, that only those of our own ships have been taken into consideration which have been equipped to their load draught and afterwards put through their trial at the measured mile. In our Minotaur, Agin court, itnd Northumberland we certainly have, and in the Pallas, Bellerophon, Lord Warden, and Lord Clyde we hope to have, ships with 12-knot sea going qualifications. All thesevessels will probably have completed their deep-draught trials within the next six months, and if they should then realise the estimates formed of their speeds the English iron clad fleet may be considered fully on a par with that of our Gallic allies, but until then the latter will continue to occupy the foremost place in the face of the iron navies of Europe. The Great English Railways• - THE LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN. The next system to which we propose to direct attention is " this company," to use an expression which finds great favour with railway secretaries and officials. The London and South-Western, like all its great neighbours, represents also a mass of minor undertakings which have linked themselves with its fortunes by amalgamation, lease, or otherwise, and every year the concern assumes more important pro portions. In one way or other, about 570 miles of line have come to be worked by the management, which has its head-quarters at the Waterloo termi nus, and the revenue now fluctuates between £25,000 and £30,000 per week. The original nucleus of the London and South-Western system was the highly productive line between London and Southampton, but the enterprise has now been extended into the far west of England, and it has carried the narrow gauge into districts in which the genius of Mr. Brunel once reigned supreme. If Mr. Brunel's life had been spared, we should probably see an inces sant strife between this company and the Great Western ; as it is, there is a kind of armed truce between the two concerns—a severe struggle for a line to Bristol on the part of the South-Western, and for a line to Southampton on the part of the Great Western by way of retaliation, having brought about a cessation of hostilities between them, both combatants being reduced, and more espe cially the Great Western, to a state of exhaustion. It has required of late years considerable tact and care to secure to the ordinary proprietors in the South-Western a return of 5 per cent. upon their capital, while the holders of the Great Western or dinary stock have not been so fortunate as to receive even 3 per cent. with any regularity. Both parties then remain quiescent for the present, the South- Western having firmly established itself in Devon shire, although it has not yet got much of a footing in Cornwall, while the Paddington magnates have been compelled to accept a competition which cannot now be avoided. The rough traffic receipts, the working expenses, and the net profits of the Lon don and South-Western, were as follows, in 1862, 1863, and 1864 : Year. Receipts. Expense. Profits. 1862 £1,265,578 £630,724 £631,851 1863 1,326,863 678,104 648,759 1864 1,413 745 712 554 701,191 The total distance worked at the close of each of the three years was as follows :-1862—London and South-Western proper, 412/ miles ; lines worked on lease or otherwise, 91 miles ; total, 5361 m il es . 1863—London and South-Western proper, 4511 miles ; lilies worked on lease or otherwise, 101/ miles ; total, 556 miles. 1864—London and South- Western proper, 4701 miles ; lines worked on lease or otherwise, 101/ miles ; total, 5711 miles. The affiliated lines worked, leased, &c., by the company comprise the Bideford Extension, the Bishop's Wal tham, the Chard, the Exeter and Crediton, the Exeter and Exmouth, the Lymington, the North Devon, the Ringwood, the Christchurch and Bourne mouth, the Salisbury and Yeovil, the Staines, Wok inghain , and Woking, the Stokes Bay, the Alton, Alresford, and Winchester, &c. The capital raised by the London and South-Western is stated in a sheet of statistics obligingly placed at our disposal to have been £13,755,340 at the close of 1864, as compared with £13,260,958 at the close of 1863, and 12,785,585 at the close of 1862. The amount of the ordinary stock in 1862 was £7,381,281 ; in 1863, £7,467,964; and in 1864, £7,562,228; sothat, comparing 1864 with 1862, we have an increase in the ordinary stock of £180,947. The amount of preference stock in 1862 was £1,830,192; in 1863, £2,093,190; and in 1864, £2,576,880; so that, comparing 1864 with 1862, we have an increase in the preference stock of £746,688. The amount of debentures outstanding in 1862 was £3,574,112; in 1863, £3,699,804 • and in 1864, £3,616,232; so that, comparing 1.61 with 1862, we have an in crease in the debentures of £42,120. These figures are given as we find them in the previously-men tioned sheet of statistics, but they do not exactly tally with a return made to the Board of Trade last year as regards 1863. The return for 1864 has not yet been issued, we believe, by the Railway Department of the Board, which can not be said to Inova in these matters at a railway speed. If we take the Board of trade figures for 1863 we arrive at the following results :—Ordinary stock, £7,067,964 ; preferential capital, £1,647,190; debenture stock or funded debt, £786,448 ; and de bentures, £3,699,801 ; total, £13,201,406. Weshall not endeavour to discover the causes of difference between these figures and those previously sum marized, but it is important to note that the deben ture stock and debenture loans amounted together to £4,486,252, and it is satisfact ory t o note that some reduction was made in the amount of debenture out standing last year, as the intention of the Legislature in consenting to the issue of debenture stocks was to gradually extinguish debenture debts. It is dif ficult in dealing with a company embracing such a number of affiliated undertakings a s th e London and South-Western to state exactly how the bor rowing powers stand, but we fancy that they have been fully exerted, although the chairman some months since gave an assurance that they had not been exceeded. The debenture debt appears to be well administered, as, of the amount outstanding in 1863, £2,586,473 bore an interest of 4 per cent. There were no debentures in existence at 5 per cent., but 41 per cent. were being paid upon £50,000, 4/ per cent. upon £847,804, 41 per cent. upon £20,000, and 41 per cent. upon £97,967. From the ra ther trying state of the Money-Market, the ave rage rate of interest upon the company's mortgage debt has been since somewhat advancing, having been 4.13 per cent, in the first half of 1864, 4.21 per cent. in the second half of 1864, and 4.26 per cent. in the first half of 1865. There is no great signifi cance, however, in this circumstance, as probably all the great railway companies have had to pay a little more of late upon their loans. The bulk of the preference capital has been raised at 4/ per cent. Although the mortage and preferential charges have been rolling on rapidly of late years, yet the Lon don and South-Western has still an excellent pro portion of ordinary stock in existence, the deben tures and preference shares having the guarantee last year of £7,562,228 of fairly remunerated ordi nary capital, we may observe that a steady 5 per cent. was divided upon the common shares or stock in 1862, 1863, and 1864. in 1861, 1860, and 1859, the corresponding dividends were at the rate of 41 per cent. only, so that the position of the ordinary shareholders cannot be said to have changed for the worse during the last six years, although in 1859 the company hadonly £232,940 of preference stock, and in 1864 £2,576,880. But while at present the preference stock created has done the ordinary stock no harm, it is clear that the creation of pre ference shares to the amount of £450,000 per annum—the average of the last three years—can scarcely go on ad infinitum. While treating of capital, it may be intere3ting to put on record the fact that in 1850 the company had not raised more than £8,808,112, of which £6,623,888 was ordinary stock, £171,186 preference stock, and £2,013,038 debentures. The company had then, however, only 242 miles in working, while the dividend upon the ordinary stock was only 3k per cent., so that the extension policy of the l as t 15 years has been at tended, on the whole, with good results. To turn now to the traffic results of the last three years. In 1864 the receipts from passengers were £956,193, as compared with £897,437 in 1863 and £877,056 in 1862 ; and from goods £374,812, as compared with £355,315 in 1863 and £317,729 in 1862. The balances required to complete the totals previously given as the rough receipts of the three years were, of course, made up of miscellaneous sources of income, percentage on working other lines, &c. As regards the working expenses, they may be subdivided as follows for 1864 :—Mainte nance and renewal of way, £147,971, against £144,433 in 1863 ; locomotive department, £188,953, against £180,679 in 1863 ; carriage department, £41,149, against £37,748 in 1863 ; traffic charges (coaching and merchandise), £222,829, against £207,833 in 1863 ; general charges, £45,820, against £45,727 in 1863 ; and Government duty, rates, &c., £65,550 against £61,683 in 1863. The increase in the outlay last year in the locomotive and carriage departments will be explained at once by the fact that the aggre gate distance traversed by trains last year was 5,451,648 miles, while in 1863 it was only 5,128,473 miles, and in 1862 4,726,243 miles. The expansion of business indicated by these figures accounts, of course, for the increase of the working expenses generally last year. With the exception of 1852, it may be stated that the train mileage of each 12 months has been constantly increasing in every year since 1850. In the last-mentioned year the distance run was 1,808,932 miles, so that if we compare 1864 with 1850 we see that the train movement has in creased threefold in 15 years. Upon every train mile run, however, last year the profit realised was only 2s. 9d., while in 1850 it was 3s. 6kd. Without taking account of season-ticket holders (the num ber of whom was 5,582 in 1863), we may state that the number of passenger tickets issued last year was 9,925,343 (of which 2,317,813 were first-class, 5,256,480 second-class, and 2,351,050 third-class). In 1863 the passenger aggregate was returned at 9,180,283 (of whom 2,056,634 were first-class, 4,865,040 second-class, and 2,258,609 third-class). The weight of goods conveyed over the system last year was 882,204 tons, as compared with 821,359 tons in 1863 ; and of coal, 440,488 tons, against 376,218 tons in 1863. The number of live stock carried last •year showed a large in crease, the total being 540,955, as compared with 412,894 in 1864 (67,312 cattle, 318,358 sheep, and 27,224 pigs). As in the case of the Brighton, the movement of goods is not very considerable over the London and South-Western system. It is, however, being sedulously and successfully developed, and it may be remarked that while in 1864 the total move ment of goods and minerals was 1,322,692 tons, it amountedin 1850 to only 298,762 tons. In fact, regard the network in whatever light we may, its productibility appears to be steadily increasing. Our figures have thus far stopped short at 1864, but if we carry them to June 30, 1865, we find that in the six months ending with that date the rough re ceipts were £694,200, as compared with £663,840 in the corresponding half of 1864, while the net re venue was £336,293, as compared with £320,139 in the corresponding half of 1864. In connexion with the more immediate develop ment of the undertaking, we may state that the line between Yeovil and Exeter is being doubled, by which means the company will, of course, be ena bled to maintain a more effective train service to Exeter and the extreme West. A double line of rails is also nearly completed between . Salisbury and Yeovil, a measure contributing to the same object. The construction of a line between Southampton and Netley, and of an extension at Chertsey is pro gressing satisfactorily, and both lines are expected to be completed by the stipulated time. A line between Kensington and Richmond has been staked out, and considerable progress has been made in obtaining the necessary land. The opening of the Weymo u th and Portland has been delayed in consequence of fresh difficulties having arisen betweeu the pro moters and the Great Western as the Weymouth station • the line having to be worked jointly by th e Great Western and the South-Western, the action of the one company has been impeded by the in ability of the other to commence the traffic. Pro gress has been made in perfect arrangements with the London, Chatham, and other metropolitan com panies for the development of a metropolitan traffic not only between the suburban system of the Lon don and South-Western and the densely-populated area south of the Thames, but also with lines to the north of the great river. The works of the London, Chatham, and Dover at Battersea are nearly com pleted, and the extension of that line into the Clap ham Junction station on the north side of the Lon don and South-Western is also in a forward state. In July a service of trainsbetween Euston and Lon don-bridge via Kensington and Waterloo, was com menced, together witn an arrangement of local trains between Waterloo and London-bridge. Con struction operations have been commenced on the Tooting, Merton, and Wimbledon, which by an act of last session is vested jointly i n the London and South-Western and the London, Brighton, and South Coast. It has been determined to erect new and suitable station premises at Portsmouth. An extension has been authorised from the main line at Pirbright, by Aldershott to the Farnham and I Alton at Farnham. In the west of England—. that is, in Devonshire and Cornwall— the company has obtained powers applied for in respect of a pro posed extension of the North Devon from Bideford to Torrington, while extensions are also proposed from Okehampton to the Cornish coast at Bude and by Hatherleigh to Torrington. By an act—with which, however, the London and South-Western has no connection—an extension of the narrow gauge has been authorised to Truro. The existing Cornwall Railway has not been financially success ful, and if this narrow gauge extension to Truro should be carried out it cannot fail to be prejudiced by it. The further the narrow gauge gets into the west, the better of course will it be for. the London and South-Western; and it will be a proud day for the directors when a traveller can be booked from Waterloo to the Land's End. Unless, however, the London and South-Western finds some of the capi- tal—and we presume that by an honourable under standing with the Great Western it is prohibited from doing so—it is not very clear that the narrow gauge will include Truro in its grasp for some time to come. But the broad gauge has probably received its death-blow. The death of Brunel, whose splendid genius as an engineer was sadly marred by his reck less inattention to financial considerations, deprived the 7f t. gauge of its most formidable champion; and as it is doubtful whether the Great Western can ever develope a goods traffic with complete success so long as it is isolated to some extent from its neighbours, it seems within the range of possibility that 20 years hence we shall see one uniform rail way gauge throughout Great Britain.—Times. STA rE OF TRADE CARDIFF, Sept. 26.---The collieries of the district have been working with tolerable regularity during the last few days, and merchants are fairly off for orders. x There is an average Continental demand, and the exports to the Eastern markets are increas ing. The railways are competing successfully for the trade to certain points, and the quantity of coal sent by rail is greater than it has ever been. Several new collieries are being opened in the Rhondda and Caerphilly valleys, and the get of coal will shortly be considerably increased. The Irish, West of England, and other coasting buyers of house coal are taking in winter supplies and the shipments are fully up to the average. The home consumption is small, but as the cold weather sets in the demand is likely to improve. In the iron trade the improved feeling which has been evinced for several weeks is maintained, and the orders on the books are suffi cient to keep the works going regularly for some time. American transactions are being gradually regarded with more favour, but it will take many months before confidence is re-established. Higher quotations are asked for pig iron. The patent fuel works are fairly employed, and the local founders are pretty busy. LEICESTER, 27th.—There is continued activity in all branches of the hosiery trade. Manufacturers remain well employed in the warehouses, and orders are plentiful. Business is also healthy in the coun try districts, and the workpeople well employed. Worsted yarns continue firm, and spinners are well engaged. Cotton yarns command very high prices. IThere is a fair amount of business doing in wools for the season, and prices continue high. NOTTINGHAM, 27th.—There is no revival in the lace trade at present, but it is expected that the Americans will operate shortly. Cotton fabrics generally are dull, and prices continue exceedingly high. There is not much doing in any class of silk goods. Mechlins are not in demand, and black laces sell but slowly. The demand for hosiery goods continues very active. There have been several American buyers in the market during the past few days, and orders have been freely placed. Manufacturers complain of the great difficulty they experience in obtaining sufficient labour, as many hands left the trade during the , recent flat season. Yarns are advancing in price. Last week spinners demanded 2s. to 3s. advance on 101 b. bundles. The iron screw steam troopship Orontes, Capt. Henry W. Hire, from Portsmouth, arrived at Ply mouth on Wednesday, and was supplied with coal and embarked supernumerary officers and men for China. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES. —During the present month, we have from time to time published abstracts of the expenses in curred by candidates at the late general election. These abstracts are furnished to the returning offi cer of each borough or county under the provisions of the Corrupt Practices Prevention Act, and pur port to contain a complete statement of all that has actually been disbursed on the candidate's behalf. Perhaps it would be too much to expect that in every case they should exactly tally with the corre sponding entry on the wrong side of his banker's account, but they exhibit for the most part a rate of expenditure which is quite high enough to be near the truth. When we consider what the cost of an election might be if it were conducted on principles of strict purity, without paid canvassers or district committee rooms, or conveyances to carry voters to the poll, the lowest price of a contested seat appears to be somewhat unsatisfactory. Even Mr. Guildford Onslow, who was returned, unopposed, fo r Guild ford, had to pay £157, of which only £35 repre sented town clerk's fees and hustings' expenses, be cause the Liberals of the borough thought proper to run a second horse against Mr. Bovill, the Con servative candidate. The contest for the City of London must have cost, on the whole, an enormous sum, although it was so hollow an affair that nei ther of the defeated candidates obtained two-thirds as many votes as any of the four Liberal members returned. The average expenses of the latter are stated at £1,560, making £6,240 in all, and as it is known that no money was spared on the other side, it may well be doubted . whether £15,000 would more than cover the expenditure of both parties. The Leeds election is officially reported to have cost very nearly £3,000, for £1,739 of which Mr. Beecroft is-responsible, leaving £1,223 to be divided between Mr. Baines and Lord Amberley. It will here be observed that the successful and unsuccess ful Liberal candidates spent jointly £3OO less than the successful Conservative, a difference which gives rise to a good many reflections on the various ways in which elections are worked. It has long been a disputed point, for instance, whether it is goodikolicy to " take up" as many publichouses as possible. By doing so, no doubt, you gain the publicans' interest and a certain number of votes among their cus tomers ; but then you estrange the temperance in terest, and run a greater risk of being committed to bribery and found out. Hwe analyse the returns of the Leeds election, we find other contrasts of an analogous kind. One item in Mr. Beecroft's account is £344 to " solicitors for professional services," whereas in that of Mr. Baines and Lord Amberley " professional charges" only stand for £lO5. So, again, Mr. Beecroft's agent puts down £513 for " horse, coach hire, and railway passes," against which there is nothing to be set on the side of Mr. Baines and Lord Amberley, except the compara tively modest sum of £169 for " cabs and tolls." The greatest anomaly, however, and the one that cannot admit of two explanations, is the flagrant disproportion between the expense of contesting a given borough and the number of its voters. It is hardly too much to say that the smaller the consti tuency the more ruinous the process of canvassing it. Leeds is by no means the cheapest of great manufacturing towns, yet a contest for Leeds is infinitely less formidable to an aspirant of limited means than a contest for many small boroughs that we could easily name. The meaning of this fact, in plain English, is that Leeds being too large to be effectually bribed, the inhabitants actually return the man of their choice ; while in a small town, with one or two hundred registered electors, some of them freemen and living close together , each vote commands a monopoly price, w hi c is pretty well known to the neighbours. The same excuse, if it be one, can hardly be pleaded in favour of places like Cheltenham, which, having a constituency of 2,664 and a population of nearly 40,000, returns only, one member. In this fashionable watering place we might expect to find a good deal of public spirit, or, at all events, an ample supply of unpaid agency. Yet, we learn from an abstract published in the Cheltenham newspapers by the returning officer, that more than £4,000 was expended there at the last election, £1,969 oa behalf of Mr. Schreiber, who was elected, and £2,286 on behalf of Colonel Berkeley, who was defeated. Now, these figures strike us as quite monstrous, and the details of the two accounts do not remove that impression. They are made out, as usual, with an entire disregard of uniformity, but there are several items about which there can be no mistake. No less than £763 was paid by Mr. Schreiber for " canvassing agents and assistant canvassers," and £702 by Colonel Berke ley for " canvassers and professional canvassers." The rest of the £4,300 went chiefly in " printing and advertising," " messengers, clerks," of various de scriptions, and " convey a nces." The re i s ano th er item in kr. Schreiber's account which we should very much like to see explained-2121 for " night and day watchers." Watchers are often employed to protect game from poachers, and we have heard of such persons being engaged to watch a favourite for the Derby or the St. Leger, but we can hardly conceive the necessity of a similar precaution at an , uncorrupt election. To protest against the exorbi tant scale of election expenses may well seem to be a bootless task. Where there is a large class of persons ready to give anything for the attainment of a certain object, and an infinitely larger class able and willing to supply their demand for an ade quate consideration, are not all legislative restric tions on bribery almost like au interference with an economical law ? How can a man who has no poli tical convictions in the world, and cares not one straw for the difference between Whig and Tory, be made to feel that he prostitutes his convictions when he accepts a £5 note for his vote ; and how can he possibly be detected if, instead of doing this, he trusts to a tacit compact that he will hear of some thing to his advantage some months afterwards? It must be confessed indeed, that the use of illicit influences at elections is too subtle an evil to be put down effectively by any law, however stringent and however rigorously administered. Bribery is already defined 'with an elaborate minuteness sufficient to suggest new modes of committing it. Any gift, loan, offer, or promise, direct or indirect, in person or by agent, of money or money's worth, or of any office, place, or employment, for the sake of a vote, is bribery. It is bribery to hold out these inducements to A in order to procure the vote of B ; it is bribery to pay any money to any person with intent that it may be used for any of these purposes ; and it is equally bribery, under all these heads, to be he recipient of the bribe. Short of treating bribery as an offence punishable with im prisonment, or of permanently disfranchising any person guilty of it, we have done our best to prevent it ; but, hitherto, in vain. Possibly the actual sale of votes may be less common than before, but what does it really signify whether a man get £5 down or a fortnight's job in the nominal capacity of a mes senger or " watcher "—at least at Cheltenham—with a fancy salary ? What is the real difference between promising situations to thesons of so many electors who decline to pledge themselves till the last moment, and making it known among the same same body of electors that one has these situations at his disposal ? How is it less venial in a candidate to gratify people out of his own purse then to promise them that, if elected, he will urge Government to gratify them out of the public purse ? It is even said that a certain class of electioneering agents will undertake to in troduce any presentable candidate to a certain class of boroughs, charging so much for the introduction, so much for the show of hands, and so much for ultimate success. Whether this be true or not, it is possible, and not as improbable as we could wish. The public conscience sadly needs enlightening, not only as to the criminality, but as to the mischief of bribery, in its most refined forms. Not the least of its evil consequences is that by raising the general standard of election expenses it virtually establishes a property qualification of the very worst kind, and excludes from competition many a man who might otherwise become a valuable member of Parliament. POST.—Within the last few days the Austrian Government, we have reason to know, has addressed a despatch to the Cabinets of the great Powers, which is of some importance at the present moment. It comes apparently as a sort of comment on the somewhat obscure manifesto lately promul gated with the object of suspending the Reichsrath without definitely replacing that re presentative body by any decided substitute. Perhaps this might have been felt by the new Austrian Liberal Cabinet, for as such the present advisers of the Crown are regarded by some politi .cians of the Austrian Empire. But whatever may be the motive, certain it is that the A us t r ian Mini stry have addressed a despatch to most European Governments, in which the Minister of Foreign Affairs declares, i n very emp h at i c l angua ge, that _ foreign the late manifesto or rescr i pt d oos no t m eana tical retrograde m ovemen t . O n t h e con trary, Cabinets are to understand that his Apostolic Ma jesty Francis Jos e ph h as d ec id e d on maintaining whole the ming a ainta representative f orm o f government . empire, after each of the States have made known their wants through the medium desirous of i the Diets, which shall be worked by an Executiveon _ ng di to the, wants promot ing liberal measures and of P suspicion about Aus triaim- portant in that they remove all t h e Vienna Parliament to re turnof the people. These declarations are so far rule which the statesmen having dipersed mode of overn . ing this to the old system of rule of 1815 thought the in t% serve despatch ques tion may be intended The The g regarded another purpose. Many statesman having.. the conduct of Austria towards Prussia, with regard to the disposal of the Danish Duchies, as significant of an under standing between the two great German Sovereigns, to the effect that the Austrian syst em o f rule should become more like that of Pr 11 Saia,--a military narchy which looks with more confidence to armies than to representative goVernment. At all events, the Austrian Government tells the Cabinets of friendly powers how it is sincerely bent on govern ing with constitutional and representative forms. The despatch which thus furnishes Austrian diplo matists abroad with the decisions of the Emperor does not say whether another manifesto is to cornet outand tell the world more exactly whatprecise form of government the people of the Austrian Empire will live under. What are the powers of Hungarian, Croatian, and other Diets, which will be called upon to meet and talk politics ? The Imperial Na tional Finance 'Commission exists, but the Reichsrath authority, as we understand it, is gone. In this state of things, and when people are waiting to hear more from the throne, the Emperor Francis Joseph retires to Ischl, and leaves the Archduke Louis to attend to State affairs. This looks very strange ; but, in fact, Austrian politics are nothing but mystery at the present moment. We are quite sure liberal and progressive Europe will be glad to learn that the Austrian Em pire is not again to be governed by priests and sol diers only ; and who does not applaud the liberal promises which have just been made , to foreign Governments ? Those, however, who are familiar with the past history of Austrian politics will have more faith in deeds than words. It is not ungener ous, by only availing ourselves of the familiar ob servation, to note that Austria's liberality dawns from the threatening clouds of a vast ,financial dis aster. No more loans can be raised, unless, as bankers say, " the political situation of the empire is more satisfactory." That late very liberal move, the formation of a Parliament at Vienna, to which only a portion of the States ever send deputies, ap pears to have been suggested only thatthe Assembly' might accept and confirm the national debt. What reforms did the Reichsrath ever accomplish—what was it ever asked to do but vote budgets ? When has Austria shown her liberalism in acts and deeds ? Has Austria acknowledged the Kingdom of Italy ? Will Austria respond to the universal free trade movement which she his been invited to entertain on several occasions ? Has not Austria within a few months betrayed Poland and Denmark ? Does not Austria continue to keep up a ruinous army ? We shall be glad to see that the Hapsburgs have thrown away their old political schooling so sud denly, and decided on governing the wide empire of Austria according to the pressing necessities of the day in which we live. The old system was a political blunder, since none of the "peoples" were politi cally content, whilst military rule has brought the empire into a notoriously ruinous financial condition. We cannot help thinking that we must thank the latter unpleasant fact for the proposed new liberal form of government, whatever that may be, rather than from any more generous inspirations originat ing in the Crown and the Court circle at Vienna. We do not the less congratulate Austria, even at this late hour, on her endeavour to correct past political errors and injustice ; and we trust that the liberal pledges she has just given to foreign Govern inents regarding her own domestic rule will be car ried out with success for the good of the mullions over whom Francis Joseph rules. COUNTRY MARKETS. HULL-TUESDAY. Since our last a moderate amount of business has been done in English wheat at slightly advan ce d prices. foreign very little has been done, recent imports being taken to warehouse. At our market to-day there was a small show of English wheat, which sold at an advance of is per qr. In foreign little business done. Malting barley not much inquired after, but grinding was scarce and fully 6d per qr. dearer. In other articles no change. The ma r " ket for linseed firm at an advance of is per qr. • English old white wheat, 43s to 188 ; old red, 38s to 4 45 . Barley, chevalier, 28s to 325. Oats, Russian, 22s to 245. Beans, new English, 42s to 435. Peas, English blue, 3 55 to 36s 6d; grinding, 35s to 35s 6d per 36 stone. LYNN-TUESDAY. There was a more healthy tone in the wheat trade to day at is per qr. advance. Barley was a fair supply, and the trade moderate at recent prices. Oats at late rates• Beans not quotably altered. New wheat, 44s to 49s ; new red, 38s to 44s ; old white, 50s to 528 ; old red, 45s to 47s per 36 stone. Barley for malting, 28s to 32s ; secondary, 30s ; ordinary, 24s to 265 per qr. Oats, 22s to 24s per 24 stone. Beans, large, 3 86 to 40s ; small, 42s to 44s per 38 stone. MELTON MOWBRAY.-TUZSDAY. Last week's Prices were exceeded for wheat. Malting barley of good quality firm at late rates. Oats were not quotably altered. Beans were a fair show at last week's prices. White wheat, 44s to 50s ; red, 40s to 47s per 36 stone. Barley for malting, 338 to 35s per qr ; feed, 26s to 318 per 30 stone. Oats, 2Us to 30s. Beans, old, 39s to 50s; newt —s to —s per qr. SALISBURY.—T UESDAY. At this market to-day the attendance was less numerous than a week ago. A better feeling prevailed in the trade , and all serviceable qualities of wheat advanced is per qr. Barley better than of late. Oats made less money than pre viously. Beans and peas at late rates, but business inac tive. In flour not much doing. The following are the quotations :—Wheat realised from 36s to 508 ; barley, 26s to 36s ; oats, 22s to 30s ; beans, t ) !, to 50s; and peas, 34 s t o 42 s p er qr. T ares, f rom 63 to . 4.? 3d per bushel ; Best b rea d, 12d ; h ouse h o ld ditto, 11a per 81b loaf. Flour, 328 to 38s per sack. COAL MARKET. Price per ton at the close of the market. $ . e• s. d. Wylam 17 0 SHteauffaoh Hall rdshire ..... ~., .... ....... g 6 Kelloe Hastings Hartley lB 9 Hetton Lyons .......... 18 Camay and Duffryn Cassop ...... • 9 19 19 0 Malting 24 0 A corn C1 05e... ......... 1 9 0 Holywell Main l6 9 Walls End Byron ... Hetton 2O 6 Ships at market, 19 ; sold, 17. Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS DUE. Australia and New Zealand, via Southampton Oct. 19. Ditto, via Marseilles Oct. 11 Brazil and Cape Verds. by British packet Oct. 4 • Ditto, by French packet Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena.,,,sept. 2 2 . China, Penang, and Singapore, via Sonhampton—Oct. 2. Ditto, via Xarseilles Sept. 2 6 Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton . Sept. 25 ' India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton Oct. 2. Ditto, via Marseilles . • S e pt. 26. India (Bombay), via Southampton Sept. 2 5 . Ditto, via Marseilles .. Sept. ---• Mauritius, via Southampton Ditto, via Marseil e 3. Oct 4. Newfoundland ' Sept. 27. Portugal Ditto, by private ship to Lisbon... United States and British Nortli America, by Bri tish packet Ditto, by United States packet, via Southamp ton Ditto, via Cork —... _ _ Ditto, by Canadian packet, via Londonderry Sept. 20. West Coast of Africa. Madeira, and Teneriffe Oct. 11. West Indies and Pacific (except Bahamas, Cuba, and Mexico Sept. 28. Bahamas, via New York. Oct. 11 • Bermuda, ditto Sept. 27 ' Cuba and Mexico Sept. 28. I AMERTISEMENT.I—HoIIoway's Pills.—A Remedy for Bilious and Liver Complaints.—Those who suffer from bile and liver complaints should try the effects of this valu able remedy, a few doses of which will make the suffere r feel elastic and vigorous, remove all impurities, give healthy action to the liver, and strengthen the stomach. If bilious attacks be allowed to continue without using such a preventive more serious casualties may arise and the sufferer consigned to a bed of sickness. Holloway's pills are an extraordinary remedy, acting immediately in the removal of acidity of the stomach, indigestion, debility, and nausea, preparing the food thoroughly for assimila tion, rendering each tributary organ perfect in its function, and stimulating the kidneys. Births. BLOOMFIELD.—On the 24th inst., at Malcomville, Bagnels town, county Carlow, the wife of Major G. C. Bloom field, of a daughter. CHANCELLOR.—On the 26th inst., at Chelmsford, Mrs. Fred. Chancellor, of a son. CHAMBERS.—On the 24th inst., at Edinburgh, the wife cf Robert Chambers, Jun•+ of a daughter. Mrs. WoodeS RooEns.—On the 26th inst., at Redhill, Rogers, of a son. Marriages. Bucirrox—Omnro.—On the 26th inst., at St John's Church, G eo rge B. Buckton, Esq., F.R.S., of We cCorfribedril r a slernere, Surrey, to Mary Ann, only daughter of O. Odling, Esq., of Sydenham-road, Croydon. DIIEWRY—COOPER.—On the 26th inst., at the paris h c h urc h of Wincanton, Somerset, H enr y H. Drewry,.Esq., Fellow of Pembroke College Cambridge, to Catherine S. Cooper, second daughter of E. Y. Cooper, Esq., of " canton. Deaths. BEAUMONT.—On the 27th inst., at his residence, Barming road, Maidstone, Charles Beaumont, Esq., Paymaster RN., aged 77. DAVIS.—On the 25th inst., J o hn Ebenezer Davies , E s q ., of 3, Leonard-pl ace , Kensington, and Irish Chambers, Guildhall, J.P. and D.L. FERGUSON.—On the 11th inst., at Murree, UpperProv,iilir, Bengal, Adam Ferguson, Esq., Captain 42d Royal Lug" landers (Black Watch). MASON.—On the 26th inst., at Forest-hill, Thos. Maso n, Esq., aged 56. lace , Regent's- MoTT.—On the 25th inst., at 3 , Camb ridge nfield, Middle - park, Richard Mott, Esq., former l y of sex, 'aged 79. WINGFIELD.—On the 16th inst., at Maids Moreton Lodge, Buckingham, Edward Ffolliott Wi n gfield, Esq., late Captain 2d Life Guards, aged 42. London : Printed and Published by WILLIAM ANDREWS , Of No. 112, Strand, Plillter, at TIM SUN Office, No. 11 2, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in ,the County of Middlenez—Tburoday, September 23, Nat perial shouh COMM Ex] suttee ration 2d, th Thi well-1 fected and A 011 fill as COD The smalln subme withm depths The nom= great the 01 Falmo graphi vent, t Great genera Aboi nannies the foil upon a Estir th( sal Will equal t, structic The graph financii First Seco] Boma Allan's S hou the secs have capital on the expense Itmi to adop would The capital shares royalty to take Apr( and sut to Opm up to tl the col fully pa Pros] stateme had at the Art also be Espeo elation 1 TOE T( Powder enamel the brea street. 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