The Sun. — London, England, 1852-04-09 00:00:00

BURY ELECTION. -- (From the Manchester Guardian of the 7th April.) Oar attention has been called to a long article in last Saturday's Examiner and Times, accusing those Liberals who are supporting Mr. Frederick Peel, at Bury, of an abandonment of their principles and of deliberate self stultification and treachery. Every true Reformer must lament the unhappy divi sion of the Liberal party in Bury; but let us inquire into the facts, and see whether the supporters of Mr. Peel, or those who brought out Lord Duncan, are really chargeable with producing it; in short, whether it is not Lord Duncan who is brought forward to oppose Mr. Peel—a member of that Liberal Government of which his Lordship has been a supporter—sod not Mr. Peel who comes to oppose Lord Dancau. Our readers are, no doubt, aware that the present Member, Mr. Walker, has been for some years unable, through illness, to tcke his seat in the House of Com mons; and that, during the past year, several meetings of Liberal electors have been held to fix upon his suc cessor. Communications were received from Sir James P. Kay Shuttlewortb, Mr. Fort, of Reed Hall; and Mr. Sergeant Wilkins; and afterwards from Mr. Ashton, of Limefiold; Mr. Henry Vincent, an d Mr. H. N. Philips. Nothing further was then done; but when the recent Ministerial changes rendered a general election probable, another meeting of Liberals was called, at which it was positively stated that neither Mr. Ashton nor Mr. Phi lips would stand. It is to be lamented that neither of these gentlemen could be induced to come forward; for most probably either of them would have been returned without opposition. On Wednesday, the 3d ultimo, another meeting took place, at which Mr. John Grundy, of Outwood, presided. Inasmuch as both Mr. Ashton and Mr. Philips declined the honour of representing Bury, it was proposed by one party that Mr. Peel should be written to; by another, that Lord Goderich; and by a third, that Lord Duncan, should bo communicated with. Each of these proposi tions was negatived; some of the most active of Lord Duncan's present supporters actually then voting against him. As it was evident that no proposal whatever could be carried, the meeting broke up abruptly; Mr. Grundy stating that if another meeting were held, the parties must provide another chairman. It being manifest that, whoever was proposed he would be objected to by a certain section, a portion of the liberal electors, who had always been firm supporters of Mr. Walker, cons id er i ng that it was desirable, if pos sible, to name a candidate likely to unite all parties, after due deliberation fixed upon Mr. Peel, a known Free-trader, and one who, by accepting office under Lord John Russell, had proved himself a progressive Reformer. On the Friday after they prepared a requi sition, of which the following is a copy:— " To FREDERICK PEEL, EIQ., M.P. " We, the undersigned electors of the borough of Bury, in the county of Lancaster, do request you to be come a candidate at the next general election, for the representation of this borough in Parliament, on free trade principles; and we pledge ourselves to use our utmost exertions to secure your return. " March sth, 1852." _ _ _ This was immediately signed by a large number of influential members of the Liberal party, and by the Tuesday following had received the signatures of 258 electors of all shades of opinion. In the meantime, two or three individuals calling themselves a deputation (although authorised by no meeting and bearing no requisition), set to work to find * candidate to oppose Mr. Peel. They applied succes sively to Mr. John Grundy, of Outwood, Mr. Alderman Watkins, and Mr. Bazley, all of whom declined to stand. In their extremity they, on Tuesday, the 9th, stumbled upon Lord Duncan; quickly overcame the strong objections which, less than a week before, they had entertained to his Lordship; and that evening pub lished his address. Subsequently, the requisition to Mr. Peel was signed by 416 electors, comprising a numerous and very influential section of the Liberal party, and including the two brothers of Mr. Walker, the present Member, the chairman, and several leading members of his committee, It is thus manifest that although Lord Duncan's ad dress was first published, Mr. Peel was, to all intents and purposes, brought out by the Liberals several days previously, on free traao principles, and had, befsre Lord Duncan was waited upon, secured such an amount of support as to render any opposition utterly hopeless. Indeed, the fearful haste with whieh, without meeting, without requisition, without authority, in fact, without any of the usual formalities, Lord Duncan was brought dow❑ by parties who, only the week before, had been instrumental in rejecing him, sufficiently proves that his Lordship was brought, not for his own sake, but solely to oppose Mr. Peel. IRON VESSELS AS MEN OF WAR. TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING HERALD. Sir,—.Mr. Engledue, late an officer in her Majesty's navy, has, in a letter to you, stated his opinion that iron vessels have been prematurely condemned ; that iron vessels are better qualified to stand the brunt of an action than wooden ones ; that the results of the experiments at Portsmouth have been decided by amateur artillerymen, firing from the Excellent at iron butts, representing sections of iron vessels simi lar to the Simoom and Greenock, &c., and that these decisions were faulty. I am sorry to find that a gentleman, whose name formerly stood so honourably known amongst gun nery officers, should have declared his conviction that the repeated trials carried, at great expense, on board the Excellent, by his late brother officers, have only amounted to a failure, and impressed them with erroneous convictions, for it only proves how lament ably deficient his information must of late years be. Captain Chads and the officers of the Excellent cannot reply to his censures in the papers, as the rules of the service forbid them. I am not so cir cumstanced, and as the theories of an able and good seaman, as Mr. Engledue undoubtedly is, ma y pre judice men ignorant of the subject, and lead them to reflect that all has not been done to test the efficacy of iroa versus wood, I beg to write, for their informa tion, that the trials undertaken by Captain Chads, and superintended by himself and officers of the Artillery and Engineers, included every ingenious device, and every plan of protection and defence that the constructive talent of gunnery officers could con template as likely to answer in resisting the effects of shell and shot on iron vessels were successively tried and proved - utterly futile, whilst the impression at the Conclusion of the trials on the minds of those expe rienced artillerymen employed in carrying out the details wall, that absolute destruction to crew and vessel would ensue to the iron vessel from the well directed fire of a wooden one—all combative arrange tnents being equal on both sides, save the structure of the ships. Tne results of these numerous and satisfactory ex periments are not published for general information, but they would have been communicated to Mr. En gledue had he continued in the service, and followed up a career so well commenced. I cannot publish in a public paper the results of a series of trials, under • taken for wise purposes, at a great expense, and for secret information ; but this 1 can tell ironmasters, builders, and shipowners, and all others, who are par tial to the statements of Mr. Engledue, that wooden butts of good, bad, and indifferent timber, and all sizes of scantling, have been fired at under all cir cumstances, with sh e ll s , s h ot, and small arms, with .igh and low i n i t i a l ve l ocities, and the result was in favour of wooden vessels, built with any timber, as compered with iron ones, of all sizes, and any workma nship. That shots penetrated easier, made larger and in brea holes, drove whol e p l ates in, started rivets, breaking distributeddeeks,e y a show e r o f sma ll lang ridge over the one of them to give a black fellow a headache that he enough would not recover from in a hurry. That shell is still more destructive than shot, ceteris paribus, and that, with reference to canvas screens being bun Up, he must have a poor opinion of his brother gun take if he fancies they never applied them. Let him take the trouble before he next writes to ask the ques tion of Captains Chads, H ewiitt , or Wiseman, and they will inform him thr b o . ugh screens like small —good honest wrought-iron plates,_ without a particle enoughg ..em. to satisfy the of rust on them —went shot, but each small piece appetite of a giant in swallowing them. With reference to that portiong of his letter in whi c h he states that amateur artillerymen from the Ex cellent h ave prema t ure ly condemned iron vessels for war p ur p oses , I think it s imply a want o f good t aste on his part, and an unjust reflection of them,flectionon his brother officers ; he was himself one and by no means desirous of the and the cou , I name, as a pro fessional man, of 44 amateur ;" ntr am happy to say, certainly does not consider the ability and zea l of Captain Chads,a old war o ffi cer, likely to be ranged on the side of an an aatuer engag ement next war. distinguished_ Mr. Engledue would be very sorry to have one of his fine iron -steamers a target for an enemy ; and I can assure him that the iron-steamer Phleg et h on, on sho re to W hen I was on board of her, was run under Sir T.prevent her s i n ki ng , w hil s t oper ating Whilst, h a d Cahochrane, against an enemy in Borneo. would have be: been a wo o d en vesse l , t h e d amage that last resource o r f e Paired without being forced to I beg to remai._ rnan-of-war. u Your very obedient servan t, A lita AYLMER PAYNTER, Commander, R.N. ente r Lane, of NARROW ESCAPE. ---D r . Street, was riding yesterday on Brook when a dog flew at the heels of li t ti li n c rtba' ck Rotten-row, companion, a young lady, was n ° ; s e n uPon which his doctor jumped fright, and the lady was thrown off. - Th " e he horse took from his horse, although both were canterin eu tbe lady at the time, and so, by timely assistance, rescued quickly over the nor -gate, from her perilous condition. The horses rails, and were with difficulty stopped near G r P os ed without having done any mischief. This perrniZ into the park ought certainly to be prevented. isiT l ia " curs dents have arisen from the same cause, and the owi: acc e i ; the dogs too commonly enjoy rather than deplore the dents dents consequent on their animals' conduct. TUE R OYAL SAPPERS AND MlNERS.—Detach ments of this importa n t b ranch of the Ordnance service will leav t4eir head-q uarters at Woolwich at the latter end of thi s month for Gibraltar, Malta, the Cape of Good Hope, and New Zealand, to fill up the companies at those stations. A DUEL.—A duel with swords took place at Madrid on the Ist, between M. Sagasti sad M. Mantilla, in consequence of a political dispute• The both wounded - ;At ;lot poriousiy, • Y were - , April. TILE SUN, GREAT NORTHERN OF FRANCE RAIL WAY. A general meeting, ordinary and extraordinary, of the shareholders of this company took place on Satur day, April 3, in the Salle Ste. C6cile, Rue de la Chaus*ee d'Antin, Baron James de Rothschild, the president, in the chair. Near him were seated the following directors :—The Duke de G alli4-ra, the Marquis Dalon, M. Delebecque, M. Hottinguer, M. E. Pereire, M. July de Barnme%ille, M. Adam, M. de S:. Dither, M. Mallet, and M. Lebobe. The business before the meeting was of an exceedingly varied character, partly relating to the operations of the last half-year, and partly to matters connected with the extension of the concession of the company, dependent on the ratification of the treaty signed on the 19th of February last between the directors of the company and the Minister of Public Works, for the execution of several lines to complete the railway net-work of the Northern Company. In order to render the bearing and importance of the various new lines proposed more evident, a map of the northern part of France, with the direction of each marked carefully on it ' was distributed with the accounts to each sharehold e r as he entered the room. At half-pact two o'clock, the hour appointed for the meeting, The PRESIDENT rose and said that whilst the scru tators were examining if the meeting had been regu larly convoked, the drawing would be proceeded to of 275 debentures of .500 f. each, to be reimbursed at par on the Ist of July, 1852, to the shareholders of the Boulogne Company, in conformity with the treaty entered into in July last between that company and the Northern. When, however, the persons appointed for the pur pose proceeded to place the great mass of numbers in the wheel, it was found to be too small to contain them. In consequencs the board decided that the drawing should take place this (Monday) morning at ten o'clock, at the office of the company. The CHAIRMAN then stated that nearly 600 share holders being present, entitled to 1,107 votes, and re presenting upwards of 30,000 shares, the meeting was duly constituted. M. BRAUDE, in the name of the committee of ac countability, then read a report on the accounts of 1850, which were declared to be perfectly correct, and kept with the most scrupulous regularity. The accounts of 1850 were then put to the vote and adopted unanimously. M. PEREIRE next proceeded to read the report of the board of directors. In consequence of the amal gamation effected last year with the Boulogne Com pany, the length of the concession of the lines at pre sent worked by the Northern Company expired at three different periods—that of the main line to Calais and Dunkirk in thirty-five years and five months; of the line from Creil to St. Quentin in twenty-one years and nine months ; and of the Bou'ogne line in ninety. one years and seven months. In addition, a special clause empowered the state, on certain condi tions, to take back to itself each of these lines after a delay of which not more than ten or eleven years had now to run. This latter provision, in the eyes of the best judges, aggravated considerably the critical situation caused to the Northern Company, by the extreme shortness of its concession. By the new treaty, these two points had been most satisfactorily disposed of, since the concession of all the lines is to be for ninety-nine years, and the clause allowing the state to take back the lines was not to come into effect before February, 1876, or in twenty-four years hence. The treaty further sanctions the amalgama tion with the Boulogne line, and authorises the Northern shares to be limited to 400 f., as the share holders so ardently desired. Finally, the Govern ment has re-established at 3 per cent. (in place of 5 per cent. imposed on the company after the revolu tion of February), the interest to be paid by the company on the sums expended for works on the line at the charge of the company ; and this without capitalisation at the end of each year, as was required from the company after February. As the reim bursement to the state had for the last three years been constantly effected by anticipation, there re mained due by the company on the 31st of December last, only 16,538,600 f. of capital, and 8,548,089 r. of interest, or, in all, 2.5,082,689 f. It bad been formerly pulated that the company should give four millions a year in payment of that debt, but, by the new arrangement, it would have to pay only two mil lions a year. In adding to the 25,082,689 f. men tioned above, the interest to become due until the repayment of the principal, the whole debt would amount to 27,243.288 f., and all would be paid off by the end of 1865. In return for such advan tages, the company engaged to construct-Ist, in tour years, a railway from St. Quentin to the Belgian frontier by' Maubeuge, 8,5 kilometres in length (53 English miles) ; 2dly, in four years, a branch line from Nuelle, on the Boulogne line to the port of St. Valery, 5 kilometres (3i English miles in length) ; 3dly, in six years, a line to unite together that of Maubeuge with that of Valenciennes, by Somain and Le Cateau, with a possible variation to take in Cam bray, the length being 38 kilometres (22k English miles) ; and 4thly, a junction line between the St. Quentin and the Strasburgh Railways by La Fere and Rheims, the length being 80 kilometres (50 English miles), and the time allowed for its execution nine years. The report then enters at considerable length into an examination of the advantages likely to accrue to the company from the completion of its railway system by the addition of these new lines; and then goes on to say that the total expense of the four lines is estimated at 69 millions, looking at each as a special undertaking, relying individu ally nn its own resources. But as the company had effected an economy of four millions in the con struction of the line from Creil to St. Quentin, re presenting a reduction of 15 per cent. on the esti mates of new lines, it conceived that it would be able to construct them all for from 65 to 60 millions. In order to cover the interest and sinking-fund of that capital, it would be sufficient for the new lines to give a return for themselves for 2} per cent., or 1,500,000 f., and to augment by an equal amount the present traffic of the principal lines, making up 3,000,000 f in all--certainly not an extravagant pro vision. The first effect of the extension of the con cession would be to reduce the sum placed aside each year for the sinking-fu❑d, from 2,326,384 f. to 168,200 f. That change, joined to the reduction of the interest to the state from 5 to 3 per cent , rendered it necessary to modify the accounts of the preceding years. The sums kept back in 1848, 1849, and 1850 for the sinking-fund, amounted to 5,584,562 f.; but calculated on the basis of 99 years for the concession the sinking-fund for those three years ought not to be more than 403,7691. Consequently, there remains disposa ble on the sinking-fund account a sum of 5,180,7931.; and if from that amount be deducted the balance of the interest of capital employed during the construc tion of branch lines to Calais, Dunkirk, and St. Quen tin, namely, 548,004 f., there would remain a total balance of 4,632,78911, applicable to the reimburse ment of the sums due to the state. As to the ac count of interest on the said sums, if calculated at 3 per cent., from September, 1845, to December, 1851, it would, at that date, give a total of 8,544,089 f. ; and, as sums had been set down on that account, up to December 31, 1850, to the extent of 7,778,655 f., . . there remained to be set down to the debit of the working, for the year 1851, 765,4341. The whole debt to the state would be completely liquidated by the year 1865. In order to provide ways and means for the construction of the new lines, the board pro posed that the meetiag should open to it a credit of 60 millions, to employed successively as occasion might require. The board required at present only 25 millions, and to meet the expenses of the first two or three years "The first issue," says the board, " which we will make, in virtue of the credit which we ask for, will consist of 75,000 debentures of 500 f. each. These debentures will bear 15f. interest, and t ul i ca I gs with ge will be reimbursable at par (500 f.) by means of 74 equal ort annual payments, composed of the interest and fund. In wlhnicfhacwt,ethehyavweillalrbeeadpyerfeccrtelyateiddenin -Ist January l Place of the Boulogne rf shares. They will be issued at specie, butythoeanst. the price of 380 ~ with right to the interest of the The payment is to be effected in Subscribers will have the faculty of of third at the moment of their sub- Paying call scription, an d their conveiencePaying the remaining two-thirds at delay not going beyond July paym receivin gent s ve theerred. The shareholders of July iideani: 1, 1853, the com p :: a beefeyence for the new de ctheente.oomnptahneypsahy shareholders t to i l y coupon of admitted v in payment th T e her c e ou will .idaenddtheinter est falling due on debentures w y ill months t t i h o e n l a a l st delay tw o..th o ir fdsfifteenwill permit to the purpose the coupons due on Ja n . 1 and ojuaFILT 2 f for the iy new be lB excepti nn , , and on account of the anticipate employment which ”u make of the coupons o fdividendfalling due ou s o 3 pe nfr Theom subscripti on April 5 to may the Ist of July next , we will write to the syndi c f the agents de change t o have that coupon detached forthwith at the same time that the l oor. which are " now nominally quoted shal l be re moved. The receipts ed. umtati of the line during the past year s ho w VVI an a 461,31 g 6f en with on - over those of 1850 to the extent o f 1,461, out including 1,168,347 f. for the second half-year of the Boulogne receipts; but, including these latter, the augmentation would be 2,629,553 f. Whilst the re ceipts l' have thus increased, the expenses 'Ave been re duced. This result is owing to the saving produced by the amalgamation with the Boulogne line. The report enters into details connected with the working, showing that the whole increase of produce over that of the preceding year is not less than 4,800,0001., and th en proceeds to state that the receipts for the year have been 25,107,060 f. 89c., and the expenses. 9,210,192 f. 23c., giving a gross profit of 15,896,862 f. 6 , 8 e.; or, after all the charges of interest, sinking " 11 ° 4 , &c., were defrayed, 20f. a share, which, with the gum o f 161. per share paid for interest, Wolild give LONDON, for the year 36f. a share, or 9 per cent. on the paid up capital. The above-mentioned profit was thus employed :—lnterest on the funds due to the state, 765,438 f. 31c. ; interest on the debentures delivered to the Boulogne shareholders, 56,500!'. ; sinking fund for the same debentures, 68,7.50 E ; ditto for the capital of the Northern Company, 184,350 f. 79c. ; interest on Northern shares, deduction being made of the interest on disposable funds, 6,123,199 t. 44c. ; dividend of 20f. per share for 1851 to the Northern shareholders, 8,000,000 f. ; balance for 1852, 192,628 f. 62c. ; making a grantl total of 15,896,862 f. 66c. The year 1852 the report states, was also opening most auspiciously, as the first quarter showed an in crease of receipts amounting to 855,329 E, of which 362,128 E applied to the Boulogne line, which the Northern Company did not work at the same period last year. The report also states that the sum allowed by the State for the injury done to the line by the devastations of February, 1848, was 739,889 E, which was allowed for by the Government in the sums to be paid to it by the company. The report then speaks of the railway round Paris ; of the propriety of increasing the sum allowed to the railway discount bank to 400,0001'.; and con cludes by stating that M. Joly de B i mmeville the Duke de Galliera, M. Adam, M. Pereire, and M. Delebecque, were designated by lot as outgoing direc tors, but capable of being re-elected. The report was adopted unanimously. The five outgoing directors were then re-elected, and a vote of thanks passed to the board of directors. The meeting then separated. CORNWALL RAILWAY. The great change that has now taken place in the mode and expense of constructing railways has pat this undertaking on such a footing that the directors ought no longer to delay its completion. We understand that this line can now be constructed for less than one-half of the amount estimated when it received the sanction of Parliament, while the traffic in its neighbourhood has greatly increased; justifying the expectation that it will be a much more productive line than many which are now in working. The Board of Trade has reduced the capital by one-fifth, or to 1,125,060/., and consented that every 501. share shall be reduced to two 201. shares, and that every 251. share shall be reduced to one 201. This will greatly lessen the responsibility of shareholders, and must improve the mode of raising the capital. We understand that there are contractors ready to take the construction of the works at the estimate, aril to embark their capital extensively in the undertaking. Considering that the port of Falmouth is, as a mercan tile port, fur position, security, and accommodation, su perior to any other on the south-west coast of England; that the shipping which frequent it have enormously in creased, and that a railway to it will have the cordial support of the Admiralty, the Board of Trade, and the Government generally; that it will command the ship ments and landing of the Transatlantic mails; that the light goods from Manchester and the north will reach it by way of Bristol cheaply and quickly, the construc tion of this railway from Falmouth to Plymouth, and an extension of the Great Western line, will be a most valuable and important accommodation to the public. If the directors adopt a spirited course of action, and copy the rigid economy observed upon the West Corn wall line, there is no reasonable doubt but that the rail way system will be soon completed to the Land's End, and its promoters have a property which will rapidly improve for their advantage. RAISING OF THE CHEPSTOW RAIL WAY TUBE. CHEPSTOW, THURSDAY EVENING.—After two postponements, the operation of floating the tube to its position between the piers has been accomplished to-day with complete success. At a quarter to nine o'clock this morning the operation of floating com menced. Among those upon the tube, or who wit nessed the experiment, were—Lord Villiers, M.P., Earl Cadogan, General Pasley, late a GoVernment inspector of Railways; Captain Claxton, R.N. en gineer of the Great Britain ; Mr. Appold, the patentee of the great centrifugal pump exhibited at the Crystal Palace ; Mr. C. Saunders, secretary to the Great Western Railway Company, and several of the direc tors; Mr. E. Clarke, Mr. F. Clarke, and most of the directors of the South Wales Company ; Mr. Wool combe, chairman of the South Devon; Major Bulke ley, chairman of the Windsor ' • Mr. Grissell, Mr. C. Owen, and a laree numb e r o f Mr. Brunell's staff. In order to understand what follows, it is necess omary to give a short description of the nature of the structure. The bridge, when completed, will be in length, from bank to bank, 610 feet. It will be of four spans, three of about 100 feet each, and one of 290 feet. The three smaller spans rest upon iron piers, filled with concrete, supporting cast-iron girders, on which the railway will be constructed. The fourth or principal span will be constructed upon the suspension principle, the great length of the girders requiring more support than that afforded by the piers alone at each extremity. Mr. Brunel has therefore constructed a tube 309 feet in length and 9 feet in diameter, which is now being raised to the summit of piers erected on the east bank and in the centre of the river, and from which massive chains depend, which will be fastened to the girders and will hold them up in the centre. The girders on which the railway will run will be 50 feet above high water mark at spring tides, which here rise higher than in any other river in the kingdom (50 to 60 feet). Of these girders, those for one line of rails are already fixed from the centre to the west bank of the river. In commencing the operation of sinking the cylin ders to form the piers of the bridge, the workmen had first to pass through twenty-nine feet of blue clay and sand, below which tbey met with a thin bed of peat containing timber, some solid !oak, hazel nuts, &c. After that was encountered four feet of fine blue gravel, and next came the bed of boulders, upon which the cylinders were originally intended to rest. Then came a bed of red marl, about five feet in thick ness, beneath which was the solid rock; which re sembles what is known as " millstone grit." Into this the cylinders were sunk. The modus operandi was as follows :—The cylinders were placed on planks to prevent their cutting into the soft mud. One by one cylinders were added until the column had reached the top of the stage, about forty feet in height, which had been erected for the purpose of sinking the cylinders. Tire weight of the column then cut through the plank, and the cylinder descended about six feet into the mud. Men then descended into the cylinder, two or three working at it at a time; and, as they excavated the soil, so the cylinder continued to sihk, and as the column descended fresh cylin ders were added at the top. The excavation then continued, without interruption from water or any other intrusion, until a depth of about seventeen feet had been attained, at which point the water broke in from below in such force as to require the constant operation of two 13-inch pumps worked by an engine to keep it under. The water burst in at a moment's warning as soon as the spring was tapped ; and the most remarkable phenomenon attending this occurrence was the fact, that the spring water invariably rose in the cylinder exactly to that height at which the tide was standing at the moment. That it was not an irruption of water from the river was beyond dispute, inasmuch as the water in the Nye at this point is, from the action of the tide, always tainted with mud, which is held in solution in great quantities at all times, whereas the water which rushed into the cylinder from below was of exceeding purity, and contained no particle of salt. From the period when the spring was first tapped the pumps were obliged to be kept at work until the cylinders had been sunk to the rock, when they were filled with concrete. This irruption of water at a depth of 17 feet from the surface of the bed of the river was the same in the sinking of all the cylinders for the centre or principal pier; but the water did not interrupt the works to so great an extent in sinking the other piers ; the workmen penetrated to a greater depth than 17 feet before the water broke in. The spring appeared to be in the bed of gravel about 12 feet from the point where it first burst into the cylinder. Mr. Brunel and some of the principals of his staff, with Captain Claxton, R.N., having taken their station on the top of the tube, which was lying upon the stage erected for it, at right angles with the river, the word was given, and at a quarter to nine o'clock the operation of floating commenced. The tube was supported on a massive timber framework, at each end resting upon iron rollers lying across a railway; and powerful " crabs" were used for drawing and pushing the tube along the stage, which projects 160 feet into the river. At the end of the stage three pontoons, braced together, were lying in the river, and these received the east end of the tube, which was made fast to it; and as the tube was projected for ward the pontoons were moved across the river, and kept in their direct course by cables attached to strong moorings both up and.down the river, worked by other crabs upon the pontoons. Everything went on in the most steady and even manner. Gradually the huge tube glided from its place across the river, and at the expiration of exactly an hour the floating was com pleted, and the arrival of the one end of the tube on the east side of the river at a quarter to ten o'clock tane ea announced by d own by the some river. cannon placedlhis was at an a s s w h e o r r e t d d ibsy church': of the people and the workmen, and the taken up by the peals of bells in Chep stow"etower, which rank out merrily. The the most perfec y t e o % scene was busy one during the floating, but policemen were on-th e was maintained, and although round to keep back the spec tators, there was no attempt their part to trespass beyond the prescrib e d A s soon as the float ing WAS completed, tackle depending . the sum mit of the towers on the east side o f f ro attached to that end of_ the t u b e, the rivercommence wa s ready to the second operation of each end of the tube alternately to a higher elevation. The operation of floating having been effectedin.about the time of high , the tube was . kept its posit' • lon until nearly time the tide 12 o'clock, by which having receded had left the east end safely d d lo ge on the pi titf9rm pre. FRIDAY EVENING, pared for it, at a short distance above high water mark. The pontoons, which were constructed under the superintendence of Captain Claxton, and answered their purpose admirably, were then removed. Their buoyancy had been calculated to an inch, and there was three feet of freeboard. They were c onstructed out of six iron barges, used for the Neath Canal, one bsrge being inverted over another and the two " married" together. Early in the afternoon, the most difficult operation having been successfully performed, and " Success to the South Wales Railway" toasted on the top . of the tube in first-rate champagne, the second operation of lifting the tube to a level with the railway com menced. For this purpose three sets of chain-lifting tackle are employed, the lower parts of these chains being of three-inch iron, each tested to bear a weight of 80 tons without injury. Suspension rods at three points pass through the diameter of the tube. These chains extend from a timber framing at the top of the east pier, 180 feet above the railway level, and are worked by three double crabs of great power, worked by twelve men to each. This process was being pro ceeded with when the last available train left Chep stow. Great credit is given to the principal foremen, to whom much of the important work of floating this tube has been intrusted—Messrs. Crew and Whitting, of whom, with Mr. Pope, such favourable mentio❑ was made in the relief of the Great Britain steamship from Dundrum Bay. Only one accident occurred. One of the workmen fell from a scaffolding into the water, but was picked up by one of a fleet of boats employed in assisting at the operations. RAILWAY SHARE MARKE iTS. BRISTOL, APRIL 8. STOCK EXCHANGE. —The market was buoyant to-day. The tansactions were as follow : —Bristol and Exeter, 90k — Great Westerns, 885;1--West Cornwall, 4: dis. LIVERPOOL, Aran, 8 STOCK EXCHANGE,—There was an improved feeling ex hibited in the share market to-day, and a good business has been done at improved prices. The transactions were as follow:—Caledonian, 1 8—Ditto Greenock guaran teed, 15 —E astern Counties, 9 5-16—ll 71 ull and Selby, 109—Lanca shire and Yorkshire, • - 1 / 2 — Ditto, Fifths, 6 5-16 dis.—Lon don and North-Western, 123 --Ditto, New Quarters, 5 p.— Midlan(i, 64:—North British, 814—South -Eastern and Dover, 21;x;. MANCHESTER, APRIL 8. STOCK EXCITAN9R. —The business to day was very limited in amount, but prices generally were well sustained. The transactions were as follow :—Lancashire and Yorkshire, 71 , , , —Ditto, Fifths, dis.—Leeds, Mel., and North, 1 9-1 G p.—Midland , 6.1 % . SIRMINGHA M, APRIL 8. STOCK EXCHAICGR.—The share market has been ex tremely firm to-day, but there was very little business doing on 'Change. There were, however, several sales effected in private and for other —S markets. Lo n d on an d N or th-Western were done at 1231,ioutb-Eastern and Dover, 21'/A. RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS BRISTOL AND Ex TER RAILWAy. —Traffic for the week ending March 28: — Passengers Goods ... Parcels ... ••• Mails ... ••• ... £2,254 19 6 ••• ••• 1,294 14 0 ... 174 3 6 ... 223 4 2 Total ••• ••• £3,947 1 2 SHREWSBURY AND CHESTER RAlLWAY.—Traffic receipts or the week ending April 4 : Passengers £630 18 7 Parcels, horses, &C• ••• 31 14 7 Merchandise, minerals, &c. 1,006 15 8 Total £1,669 8 10 Corresponding week last year ... 1,636 5 2 LONDON AND BLACKWALL RAILWAY.-- Amount of revenue knr the week ending April 4:— Passengers Goods ••• ••• .£BO t 8 4 ••• •• ••• ••• 29 10 0 Total ••• £833 18 4 Corresponding week last year ... 917 19 1 MANCHESTER, BUXTON, MATLOCX, AND MIDLANDS JUNC TION RAILWAY.—Return of traffic for the weak ending April 4 :—Passengers, &c. ••• £B3 16 0 Corresponding week last year ... 122 811 SCOTTISH CENTRAL RAILIVAT.—Traffic for the Week ending April 4, 1852 ; Passengers (7,052), 'parcels, horses, and carriages ••• £ BO5 5 5 Goods, cattle, &c. 1,079 10 3 Total .. 1,881 15 8 Corresponding week in last year... 1,659 6 6 Perth, April 6, 1852. GREAT SOUTHERN AND WESTERN (IRELAND) RAILWAY .88 miles). Return for the week ending April 3:— Passengers, parcels, &c. £3,235 6 5 Merchandise and cattle 989 12 3 Total ... £4,224 18 8 Corresponding week last year ... 4,273 1 5 CORK AND BANDON RAILWAY. — (20 miles open)—Return of Traffic for the week ending April 3, 1852: Passengers, parcels, &c. £96 13 11 Merchandise, cattle, &c.... 34 2 6 Total ... £l3O 16 5 Corresponding week in 1851 (10 miles open) : Passengers, parcels, &c. 31 13 11 Merchandise, cattle, &c. ... 1 4 3 Total .. ... 00* 35 18 2 MONMOUTHSHIRE BOROUGHS. TO THE EDITOR OF TETE SUN. Sin,—ln your paper of last evening you comment in no measured terms upon the proceedings which took place in this town at the late election, and had you confined your observations to the - garbled and exagge rated statements contai ne d i n Mr. Lindsay's letter to the Times, I would not trouble you, having already ad dressed a letter to the editor of that paper in reply; but I find the following paragraph, which I cannot allo w to pass unnoticed:— " The police, who b e h ave d excee di n gly well, bad se veral hundreds in custody at the same time. Now, the truth is, that the largest number of persons in custody at ono time was sixteen, and the total number in custody during the week was less than thirty. I Omit to your candour to insert this letter., I am, Sir , yo ur most o b e di ent serv ant, HENRY JOHN DAVIS, Mayor of Newpor t. N e wport, April 8, 1852. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. Stu,—The statement in The Sun newspaper of last night, that several hundred persons were in custody at Newport during the election is utterly untrue. Not twenty persons were in custody during the whole of the election, and only two cases resulting from it came be fore the magistrates for adjudication. There was no disturbance at any of the polling booths, and not a single voter was pravented from recording his vote. Several of Mr. Lindsay's statements want the important Sir, yours, &c., e l eme nt of truTthll.-olmama,s Newport, April 8. 1852.KESSICK, Justice's Clerk. MR. J. L. TOOLL,'S ENTERTAINMENTS. O n Wednes b, evening M r . J. L. Tonic, of the City gave .is se con d drawing-room enter tainment at the Lit erary and Sc i ent ifi c Institution, C a rter-street, Walworth. T he hall was muc h crowded, in fact, not a few had t o go away w ith o ut obtaining day Histtionic Club, n• even standing room. The performance commenced with Mr. Toole's witty little Piece of Table Talk," entitled , " Trying a Magistrate," w hi c h h e gave in a manner w hich called forth the most rapturous app l ause . I n t he ot h er c haracters whi c h M r. Toole assume d, h o me t " with equal success. Ills Paul Jry was admirable, and his Robert Tyke, in a selection from the School of Reform, fell nothing off The selections for the even jug's entertainment were admirably adapted to show Mr. Toole's versatility of talent, and the manner in which he did his part in all of them showed that he has talents of no mean order. In the different selections he was ably assisted by several gentlemen, members of the City Histrionic Club, whose entertainments have met with much success at the different metropolitan institutions. afsun.rd Gentlemen,asneh shooting, °13 13 : ta . i nr s egc i Gamekeepers,loemadroel ns , optie i a n s , inches,39 eyiseesntaalktinl2g,to 14 miles; [ADVERTISEMENT.]—_ with Theloyal Exhibition.--A valuable, n ewly-invented and Tourists.--Te be had at Messrs ' they a u l l s es powerfulanswer eoperson v te rr every ps uc waistcoat er np eo rs purpose pocket glass, the size of a walnut, by which a person can be seen and known li t miles d'istalorearp:;:shu: on the Race-course, at the they are ?civaluable yachting, - to sportsmen possessing such extra xtraandAlbemarle-street, eye pi mosticeccae P . * dilly, opposite the York-hotel. ordinary powers, that some,,3i T elescopes—Anew ane will show distinctly, Jupiter s Moons, Saturn's Ring, and the Double Stars. With the same Telescope, weighing nly three important invention in Telescop es, ounces, can be seen a person's countenance 31 miles distant, and an objec • t from 16 to 20 miles. They supersede every other kind for the waistcoat pocket, and are of s i z es, with increasing powers accordingly. Opera and Race course glasses, with wonderful powers ; an object can be clearly seen from 14 to 16 miles distant. Messrs. S. and B. Solomons, Opticians, have inventedt invaluable preserving immediately h Spectacle Lenses, e y are placed before • imper fect union, every object ars clear app distinct, . h and distinct, the most aged defective sight becomes.bright and brilliant, is brought to its youthful, natural, and origin& state. The Invisible Or ganicV'brator and all kinds of Acoustic instruments for relief of extreme deafness. -39 ' arle-street, Piccadilly, op posite the York Hotel. THE CONVICT KEENS.—This Culprit still conti nues to remain in his usual sullen mood. O n W e d nes d ay , he appeared rather ne rvous, and otherwise exhibited signs of us night he fear. During the previo _ . slept soundly. and whilst awake, talked jocosely with the two men who sat up with him. The criminal becomes more attentive to the Rev. Mr. Rowe's doctrines ; but as soon as that gentleman leaves him, he begins to talk to the turnkeys about the fun he has had while travelling with gpsYs. He says that his wife and mother would never have informed against him if he had not left her (his wife) to follow gipsys. He eats well, and sleeps soundly, and is in good bodily health. During the Wednesday evening, , g, he observed seve ral times that the time wa s getting snort. ri . -p to yesterday afternoon he had made no confession, but still denies that he threw the child down the well, and says that his wife has 1 rjured herself. ExTRAORDINTART DISPATCH.---In the case of mur der at Axbridge, reported in our assize intelligence, a most extraordinary succession of events followed with surprising velocity. The act of murder was committed on the morning of the 26th of March ; death occurred on the 27th ; a post nwrtem examination was made, and the funeral took place on the 28th; the prisoner was examined before the justices and committed for trial on the 290 ; he was sent to Taunton ' gaol on the 30th; a true bill found against him on the 31st; and he was tried, found guiitY, and sentenced to be trans ported for life on the Ist of April. Thus the crime, prelimi nary examination, trial, and sentence: of the prisoner, and the death and burial of the victim, were encompassed in the , brief space of one week 1--,Bath Gazette. APRIL 0, 1852. SPORTING NOTES. No. CC. THE NEWMARKET CRAVEN MEETING. (Concluded from No. CXCIX.) TO THE LDITOI2 OF THE SUN: Sir,—Before continuing my remarks on Thursday's and Friday's races, I must state with respect to the Newmarket Handicap that circumstances have necessi tated an alteration in the selection I made for this stake yesterday. I shall throri ov. r Poodle and take Maria as the representative of the light weight division; in other respects my opinion remains unaltered. Thursday's races commence with a sweepstakes of 100 sovs, each, h ft, over the Ditch Mile. This stake has six subscriptions to it, including the name of Glen luce, who for the last few days has been a favourite for it, but is likely to be dispossessed of her position by Alcoran, a first•rate- looking specimen of horse flesh, though his qualities have not yet been, tested either publicly or privately. To GLENLUCE or ALcon.s.N the money says I must look for the winner; Stockwell, pro bably, finishing in the third place, with one of Lord Clifden's nominations last. The Claret Stakes of 200 soya. each, h ft from the Ditch In, nearly a hundred yards over the two miles, may possibly be contested by three out of the five nomi nations, but there is very little probability that the starters will exceed that number. I shall not enter into the merits of any of them, but confine myself to stating that the race is all but a foregone conclusion for ARIOSTO. A Sweepstakes of 50 soya. each, h ft, over the Ditch Mile, has the name of Longbow among the entries; I think it scarcely probable, however, that he will show, and consequently must award the stake to ODEssus. The match over the Ditch Mile between Mr. God dard's colt by Auckland and Mr. Batson's Ben if run,. will in all probability fall to the lot of the former. _ _ On Friday the Sweepstakes of 50 sovs. each, fur two years old fillies, over the:Ditch Mile, will possibly be con tended for by Sophistry (by Theon), Hirstita, and Ro sary. There is nothing to all appearance to deprive SOPHISTRY of this stake. _ The Port Stakes, which last year produced such a furore in the betting world, is likely to be a very quiet affair this year. It will probably be con tested by Midas, Prime Minister, and Lamartine; and as MIDAS is gifted with the most staying powers, the distance being about two miles, he will in all likelihood be the winning horse. A Sweepstakes of 100 soya. each, over the Ditch Mile, has four nominations, three of whom, at least, and not impossibly the lot, may go to the post. The race will be entirely with Ambrose and The Nabob, and to my think ing it is a toss up between this couple. The betting yesterday at " the Corner," was of a very uninteresting nature; what little was done referring principally to the Derby, Chester Cup, and 2,000 Guineas; scarcely a Stake at the ensuing Craven Meeting was touched upon, the Newmarket Handicap being only talked about, only one or two beta having been made. The ease was very different both at the West-end and in the City last evening, for a ll t h e pr i nc i pa l an d se veral of the minor stakes were spoken of, and the fol lowing are t he prices. 100 sovs. Stake s , Ab. M. : - 2 to 1 on Livermere. 100 Soya. C.C.:—Even on Ilex; 2to 1 agst Hesperus. Tuesday's Riddlesworth:—Ev e n on the Nabob, 6to 4 and 2to 1 taken freely, Newmarket Handicap:-4 to 1 agst Maria, taken freely ; Bto 1 agst Bardolph offered; 8 to 1 a gst Mountain Flowe r o ff ere d ; 12 to 1 agst Poodle; 12 to 1 agst Officious, taken freely ; 15 to 1 agst Tophana , taken; 15 to 1 agst Coryph t taken. Column Stakes:—Even on Lapidist, 5 and 6 to 4 taken to some extent; 3 to 1 agst Sophistry by Theon; all sorts of offers agst Glenluce, from 2t05t0 1. 100 Sovs. Stakes (Thursday):- 6 to 4 each agst Alcoran and Glenluce; 3 to 1 each agst Stockwell:and Hesperus; 10 to 1 each agst Magnes and Weathergage. Claret Stakes:—Even on Ariosto. 50 Sovs. Stakes (Friday): —6 to 4on Sophistry by Theon. Port Stakes:—Even ou Midas; 2 to 1 each agat The Prime Minister and Lamartine. I sm, Sir, yours, &c., THE SPIRIT OF THE TURF. Iril 9, 1852. ----- SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S — YEST ERDAY . NE wIIIARKET HANDICAP. 4 to 1 agat Mr. Williams's Maria, 3 yrs, 4st 101 b 8 to 1 agst Lord Exeter's Mountain Flower, 3 yrs, sst 81b 8 to 1 agat Mr. Robson's Bardolph, 3 yrs, sst 61b— taken and afterwards offered 10 to 1 agst Duke of Richmond's Officious, 5 yrs, 7st 81b The above were the offering prices at the close. We did not bear a bet laid, except against Bardolph, who left off anything but strong lathe market. TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS STAKES. 4 to 1 agat Duke of Richmond's Homebrewed 4 to 1 agat Lord Ribblesdale's Lapidist 5 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's Daniel O'Rourke 10 to 1 agst Mr. Morry's Hobble Noble Offers to take 6 to 4 about Robbie Noble, with a start. Claverhouse is scratched. CHESTER CUP. 12 to 1 agst Mr. Meiklam's Stilton, 3 yrs, 4st 121 b—t 20 to 1 agst Mr. Pilling's High Sheriff, 3 yrs, sst 61b —taken 25 to 1 agst Duke of Bedford's Hesse Homburg, 4 yrs, 7A—take 30 to 1 25 to 1 agst Mr. H. Hill's Hothorpe, 4 yrs, 6st 101 b —take 30 to 1 2.5 to 1 agst Mr. Martinson's Nancy, 4 yrs, 9st Ilb— taken and afterwards offered 50 to 1 agst Mr. Disney's The Indian Warrior, 3 yrs, sst 11lb—taken 1,000 to 15 agst Mr. E. W. Hughes's Sophistry, 3 yrs, 4st 'Olt —taken On this, as on the other events quoted, business was almost at a standstill ; Stilton, Nancy, and Hothorpe only were in request. DERBY. 11 to 2 agst Mr. Merry's Llobbie Noble—take 6 to 1 13 to 1 agst Lord Zetland's Augur 15 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Claverhouse—t 16 to 1 15 to 1 agst Lord Ribblesdale's Lapidist—t 16 to 1 20 to 1 agst Mr. J. Arnold's Little Harry 25 to 1 agst Duke of Richmond's Home- brewed—t 35 to 1 agst Mr. J. Scott's Phantom—take 40 to 1 1,000 to 15 agst Lord Orford's Alcoran—taken 1,000 to 15 apt Lord Ribblesdale's The Nabob—taken and afterwards offered The quotations, made chiefly from offers, show a slight decline in Robbie Noble, a decided retrogression in Augur, who was very weak in the market, and an im provement in Laptdist and Claverhouse. Scarcely any thing was done. STEEPLECHASING IN FRANCE. Although a steeplechase took place a short time ago at La Marche, near Ville d'Avray, the real opening of the season must be dated from Sunday, both on account of the interesting steeplechases which came off, and of the vast crowds which flocked from Paris and the adja cent villages to witness them. It will be seen from the account below that the principal part of the day's busi ness was full of moving incident: and it may safely be asserted that no sporting solemnity in the neighbour hood of Paris has for a long time past attracted such a multitude of spectators of all classes of society, or ex cited so strong an interest. The railway stations, and especially that of the Right Bank, were literally be sieged, and it was not without a severs struggle that places could be obtained. The trains, which left in rapid succession, wero of enormous length, and were crowded to inconvenience. In addition dashing equi pages and troops of horsemen proceeded to La Marche by the different routes. The coup d'ceil which the ground presented when spectators vehicles and horsemen were all assembled was very animated, and its éclat was in creased by the presence of a great number of ladies in elegant toilettes and of cavalry officers from the adjacent garrisons in uniform. The ground was laid out with some skill; but the stands, of which there were only two, were not well placed for seeing, and wore inconveniently and too slightly constructed. The Prince President of the Republic, for whom a special stand had been erected, was expected, but was not present. Prince Murat, however, was on the ground the whole day. Most of the leading members of the Jockey Club, and of the principal patrons of the turf, were also in attendance. The business was as follows: The First Steeplechase for 2,500 f., added to 150 f. entry; forfeit, 100 f.; weight, 1421 b, with 41b extra on the winner of a steeplechase of 1,500 f., 81b extra on the winner of one of 3,000 f., and 121 b extra on the winner of one of 4,500 f., and with 41b less on horses that have never won, and 41b less on horses ridden by gentle men; the second horse to receive twice its entry; dis tance about 4,500 yards. 7 entries. M. de La Motto's b h Franc Picard, 1461 b (Jackson) 1 Count de Coataudon's ch h Bedford, 1421b(Edwards) 3 2 Viscomte A. Talon's ch h Emilius, 1501bs (Owner) Viscomte do Tournon's b h Pilot, 1381b3 ...(Owner) 0 M. Dollfus' br h Archer, 7 yrs, 1421bs ...... (Gamble) M. Aumont's ch h ilardi, 5 yrs, 1421bs ................. to, M. Delamarre's br h Black Devil, aged , 1501 b ............. All got away pretty well togeth er. At the., _ ti n a obstacle, consisting of a turf bank , ra ther more onnathe yard high, Hardi fell, and was not able to race. At the seoond, consisting same height, Archer bolted, and nothing monrd made it of a fenceorawebaosutsethone of him. Pilot then cut out the running, fP to the turf bank, nearest the standzi, the height of and a quarter. which was rather more than a ya ws turning com- There he fell in a very remarkable, ). se b b le e d f_ , pletely over. Vicomte de Tournone,dwho's rode him, fell that he remained under him, and was so much _iltio vi r immediately senseless for some minutes. .sct of M. Ar e ; and conveyed on a litter to th h o e c c hteau Four same bank, Black Devil fer, the painter. In taking t ground with grea t came headforetnost to theviolence, and dislocated his neck. He died . a u l r m ed o . st after, and his jockey wag slightly the front, of the horses being thus placed ors other three went ahead—Erunc .Picard.some_distanne in this way Francthe th e y t 3 Picard and Bed ford second, and Erailius third. In ank pro ceeded to a brook about 41 2 yards wide. took it very cleverly; Bedford stumbled on threw his jockey, bill the latter soon recovered his seat. Meanwhile Franc Picard went forward, followed by Emilius. At one time the latter ga i ned ground con siderably, but was never able to catch Franc Picard, and as the race dre w to a close he was caught, and then passed, by Bedford. Franc Picard eventually won easily, and Bedford was a good deal ahead of Emilius. The number of leaps was twenty, but , with the excep tion of those m entioned ,none were v ery i mportan t. Por tions of the ground, however, were very heavy. Second Steeplechase for 1,000 f., added to 50f, entry; the second horse to save its entry. weight, 1521 b, but less on horses declared of less value than 4,000 f. The winner to be claimed for 5,000 f. Gentlemen only al lowed to ride. Distance about 9,300 yards. Six entries. M. cb er iAalvador's b l'w u j e isa„,(l, Blake) i . . . Duke de Fitz James's. ch m May Fly, 1401 b (Rowley) 2 M. Delamarro's ch h Nonsense, 1401h(Mr.Laureston) 0 M. Tesseire's gr h Turk, 4 yrs, 1401 b M. M. Loyer's b h Austerlitz, aged, 1401 b ...(Owner) 0 Toe number of obstacles in this race was only twelve, and few incidents o f i nterest occurre d . Fel onie went away with the running, followed by May Fly, and kept it to the brook, where s h e stum bl e d . M ay Fly , then took it up, and continued it to the turning at the b3ttoni (a considerable distance). She was there caught by Fe lonic, who went ahead and won very easily. Turk and Austerlitz stopped at the brook, but the latter again started, but shortly after refused a hedge. Nonsense was beaten at the brook. May Fly fell at the last bank, but neither she nor her rider were injured. The last account of the Vicomte de Tournon was that he was going on favourably—no bones aro broken. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. The Admiral Commander-in-Chief Sir Thomas Briggs, K.C.8., the Admiral Superintendent H. Prescott, with their respective suites, have set the example of volunteering the gift of a day's pay each towards the relief of the unfortunate widows, orphans, and distressed relatives of the seamen and marines lost in the unfortunate steamer Birkenhead. This noble example has been followed up by the cap tains, the officers, and the crews of the ships in har bour, consisting of the Victory and Neptune, flag ships ; the Excellent, the Royal yachts, the Blenheim and Winchest er; a l so by the Sprightly, the Ports mouth, and smaller vessels attached to this port. No doubt all the ships at Spithead will follow, and a day's pay will be subscribed, which all together will make a handsome sum for a beginning. Mr. Stafford, M.P., the Secretary of the Admi ralty, accompanied by Colonel Green and Mr. Grant, have arrived at Portsmouth. They will proceed to Plymouth in the Retribution, steamer, Captain War den, it is said. We regret to announce the death of Lieutenant Andrew Robert Dunbar (1842). This gallant officer had seen much active service, having been fifteen years in tropical climates, seven of which were passed on the west coast of Africa, where he was present at the capture of 34 slavers. He was one of the first who was seized with fever in the unfortunate Eclair, and though he survived the attack, yet his health never entirely recovered the shock. He subsequently commanded the Acheron steamer, in the relief squad ron, during the famine in Ireland, and was much beloved by the officers and men under his command. Black Eagle, Admiralty yacht, is exp ec t e d a t Portsmouth the latter end of this week, to be in readiness to embark his Grace the Duke of Nortbum- berland, who, it is said, will embark on her on Tuesday next. Lightning steam-yacht sailed from Portsmouth on Wednesday, for the Channel Islands, with Lord Hardinge on board. His Lordship visited the new forts recently built at Brown's Down, and en route in the Lightning will visit the site selected at Hurst for the fort which is to be erected to protect the Needles passage. Superb, 80, Captain Purcell, was paid down at Spithead, on Wednesday, and one watch of the ship's company went on a fortnight's leave. The Prince Regent, 90, Captain Harris, has not yet been paid, but will probably be so about Monday next. Rodney, 92, C apta i n G ra h am, C . 8., was exerc i s i ng her crew a t gunnery pract i ce yester d ay morn i ng. She fired several broadsides from both starboard and port guns simultaneously. Sprightly, steam-tender, Master Commander Allen, went to Southampton on Wednesday, taking down s M p e r a : it . e L n r ge u s areht h i n e g n t Vulcan, nu orders and ca n f a n s:y i r e e lY t iv . d_ s o t w ea n na at Portsmouth Commander Penn. She is still alongside the Blake hulk, with royal yards aloft. Pestongee B oman gee, convict-ship, arrived at Ports mouth on Wednesday morning, from the river ; she will embark about 100 more from this port and pro ceed on her voyage to Australia. The Vulcan, iron screw-steamer, Master Com mander Penn, was towed into Portsmouth Harbour by the Echo on Wednesday at one o'clock. Yesterday a board of naval officers, consisting of Captain Hen derson, C. 8., of the Blenheim ; Captain 111 `Dougall, of the Hogue ; and Captain Warden, of the Retri bution, assembled to make inquiry into the causes and circumstances attendant on the long-protracted pas sage made by Vulcan home. PORTSMOUTH, THURSDAT..--.The Victory, 104, Captain G. B. Martin, C. 8., flag of Admiral Sir Tho mas Briggs, G.C.M.G., Commander-in-Chief, has resumed her moorings on this aide the harbour to-day. The Neptune, 120, Captain E. H. Scott, has re ceived her crew; and the Illustrious has returned to her ordinary moorings to-day. Tne Winchester, 50, Captain Loch, C. 8., has been brought into the angle dock to-day to have her bottom cleaned and examined. SHEERNESS, APRIL B.—Her Majesty's screw steam-frigate Horatio, 24, Captain the Hon. S. T. Carnegie, was removed from the fitting-basin yester day to moorings in the harbour. It is stated she will be sent in a few days on an experimental trip of 48 hours' duration, to test to the fullest extent the eflici ciency of her machinery and screw propeller. Her Majesty's paddle-wheel steam• vessel Cuckoo, 2, got up her steam on Tuesday forenoon, and pro ceeded round the Great Nore for the purpose of try ing her machinery, under the inspection of Captain the Hon. S. T. Carnegie, superintendent of the steam squadron of reserve, and Mr. F. W. Paul master, her Majesty's screw steam-frigate Horatio. Mr. T. Taylor, the Admiralty pilot at this port, was on board during the cruise. The Cuckoo returned to her moor ings in the harbour in the afternoon, the result of the trial baying proved in every respect satisfactory. Her Majesty's paddle-wheel steam-vessel Adder called in here on Tuesday forenoon, and proceeded to Woolwich with boats for one of the steamers at that port. She touched here yesterday at 9 A.m., and, after communicating with the dockyard, returned to Chatham. Her Majesty's screw steam-frigate Amphion, 34, is progressing rapidly with her internal fittings. She has taken a great portion of her tanks and sea stores on board, and is all ataunt in the fitting-basin. Her Majesty's paddle-wheel steam-sloop Geyser, 6, chief engineer J. Neill, fitting at Woolwicb, is, when complete, ordered to be stationed here as one of the first division of the steam squadron of reserve. Her Majesty's ship London, 90, Capt. G. H. Mundy, will be completed by the dockyard artificers in a fortnight. Her Majesty's steam-frigate Cyclops, 6, has had nearly all her defects made good. New copper has been put on her forward, from the waterline to within a few feet of her keel. _ The schooner Buchan, Chancy master, arrived here yesterday from Hartlepool. iGign-ns:/iPillaetr, itivenhill' The Useful, Kellett master, and the Clara Jane , Cheeseman master, both bound for _Newcastle, are lying in the harbour windbound. Commander J. B. Marsh is appointed to th a e nd lN: l a ci i terloo, 120, as part complement of that shiip, stated. for service in the steam flotilla, as previoustseyam_ vessel, Woomvicu, APRIL B.—The Avon Devonport, having brought tender to the Impregnable, and the riggers from Lieutenant here Robertson h lo i o th p e ,fi at tt n ed oo w n, it i b n Valorous to Devon arorruinvded engines of 400-horse ro b o Y lwich on Friday last by three runs at th port. The Valorous this dockyard who navigated the he her compasses' andher a C v o er , ag a e nd sp m e , e h d e , n s when ascertained to be 101 knots e per hour. On Saturday measured mile, eSis u P dj°eawtfl tried f er l dl' G , ree n 5 adjusted arriving at Plymouth by Captain Johnson, a Robertson, a • • n u d nda m y adeanaverag d e charge of Lieutenant at half-past four afternoon , and during the enfireo'le,oloynakgeonrous of 10 knots speed nots, with the whole of he , speed of uproar 200 tons o f s armament and i..afternoon her to Devonport. Avon left tws _ on return TUE mom EXPEDITION. —The greatest activity is disp l a yed in getting the remainder of the requisite stores on board the vessels of Captain Sir Edward Belcher 's expedition ; but as the two screw steam vessels, the Intrepid and Pioneer, will not be ready for taking out of the basin until Saturday, it is not expected that the Whole of the vessels will be able to leave Woolwich until the early part of next week. Hundreds of Visitors went on board the Resolute, Captain Kellett, C. 8., to-day, as she is lying along side the wharf wall at the west end of the yard. Among others were a number of ladies with presents for the gallant captain and the officers of the Reso lute, consisting of silk flags, various kinds of knitted comforters, elegantly worked and embroidered caps, sofa and chair covers, and many other articles. The whole of the ship's company of the Fisgard flag-ship of Commodore Henry Eden, at Woolwich, on hearing of the disaster to the Birkenhead, autho rised Mr. Bean, master of the Fisgard, to say that they will give each a day's pay towards the relief of the sufferers. ROCKETS FOR THE NAVAL SERVICE. It was a remark of Sir William Congreve, as "strange that the powers of the rocket were more appreciated on the continent than in this country," which he attributed to the little information that pre vailed here on the subject. He accordingly most earnestly desired that his own countrymen should be more gradually informed of its importance, without disclosing anything from which our enemies could derive advantage. We do not hesitate, therefore, briefly to continue our description of the mode of applying this powerful prejectile* for natal purpose°. The explanations we have formerly given, SU.% gested by the success of the attack on Lagos with rockets, by a few men in a boat fitted for the service * The penetration of the 12-pounder iihell-rock!t (rockets being denominated as cannon -shot by thttr actual weight), at from 800 to 1,200 yards distance, not less than 20 to 25 feet into ts so lid bank of earth; its extreme range, 2,500 yards; tbst of bombarding rockets, 3,600 yards. under command of Lieut. Corbett, and which drew forth the hearty cheers of the neighbouring ships' crews, applied to their projection solely from boats. We now add a few words of explanation of the mode of discharging rockets from vessels, premising that it is the . inher en t p ower p oss essed by th e roc k et o f pro jecting itself, without reaction upon the point of dis charge, that forms one of its chief advantages, as by its means as m uc h may b e accom pli s h e d i n a f ew minutes by a few small vessels as, in the ordinary mode of naval bombardment, would be the work of some hours from th e same num b er o f t h e l argest bomb-ships ; whilst such is the simplicity of the system, as defined by Si r Willi am C ongreve him self, that the equipment requi re d f or th e di sc h arge o f whole broadsides consists simply of the spare spars of the vessel. It would seem, therefore, that the rocket might, with great advantage, be put more generally into the hands of the navy ; it s economy, as a self-motive weapon, being as remark a bl e as i ts power, and the gradual perfection ofF our steam navi gation, since Sir William Congreve 's day, opsning a wider field for this species of naval warfare, by the facility of its combination with the heaviest rockets. The mode of fitting ships for firing rockets—the weight of the app a r a t us l ess than the rocket itself—is by the construction of scuttles in their broadsides, giving to every vessel having between-deck a rocket battery, in addition to the gun batteries on the spar deck, without one interfering with the other, or with out risk to the ship, the spars of the rocket in going off being completely excluded either by iron shutters closing from within, or by a particular form of scuttle and frame, contrived so that the whole of the scuttle is completely filled in all positions of traverse and at all angles by the frame, and thereby the possibility of the entrance of fire prevented. This arrangement literally gives the kind of small vessels here indicated a second and most powerful deck for general service as well as bombardment. Smaller vessels still, such as schooners and cutters, may be fitted to fire rockets by frames similar to the boat-frames described in our former number, from their spar-deck, and over the side or the stern. A single rocket, it should be observed, is not to be com pared with a single gun-shot by firing at a target. The consideration is wh e ther under some—indeed, most circumstances, and-for sudden emergencies—the concentrated power of quantity and rapidity of fire do not counterbalance the greater accuracy of the gun, remembering also how few men are required to discharge the most powerful vollies with this peculiar arm. (Whilst incidentally, as to the land service, the one system comparatively requires only the transport of the ammunition—in the oth er , no t on l y th e am munition, but of the most massive ordnance, without which it is useless.) \Ve do insist, therefore, that it is of the deepest moment, at this juncture, as an auxiliary means of defence, that all possible precaution should not only be continued by the authorities at the Ordnance to guard the manufacturing details of this matured and now thoroughly-tried invention against disclosures ; but to provide, in case of sudden need, such a store of Congreve rockets for the navy as would meet the contingency of any war, whether of invasion or not ; the more so as it has been clearly demonstrated from official experiments, that rockets are the most durable of all ammunition, they having been successfully tested, and returned into store for future service, after seventeen years knocking about in all climates—a state of preservation which is owing to their being inclosed in a metallic case that, with common care, is impervious to air and moisture.—Herald. COLLISION IN THE CRANNEL. The General Steam Navigation Company's screw steam-ship Propontis, Captain Glover, commander, which brought the disastrous news from the Cape of Good Hope of the loss of the Birkenhead steamer, has just reached Gravesend on her way up the river, and reports having been in serious collision with a Dutch merchantman while coming up Channel from Plymouth, which ended in the foundering of the vessel and the somewhat narrow escape of the crew. It appears that after the Propontis had landed her mails on Tuesday, and had made the usual stoppage at the above port, she resumed her voyage up Channel for the Thames. The Start-point was made between six and seven o'clock, and it would appear that the steamer hoisted the usual-coloured lights in con formity with the Admiralty regulations. About half -past 9 o'clock, when some 24 miles from the Start Light, the look-out man reported a vessel ahead on the port bow. At that time the Propontis could scarcely be going more than seven miles an hour, having to contend against a strong tide and easterly wind. Her helm was ported—the proper course when two vessels are approaching—and her speed reduced, and it was anticipated that the sail in view would have also put her helm sport, which would have directed both vessels far away from each other. From some misunderstanding or other, however, it was put astarboard, which brought her towards and under the steamer's bow. A collision appearing pro bable, as the vessel was coming down with the tide and wind, the Propontis was stopped, her screw reversed, and helm put hard sport, in the hope of averting the ac cident. All precautions failed, however, and the two came in fearful contact, almost bows on. The Dutch vessel proved to be the Ann Rebecca, of Amsterdam, bound for some port in Syria, with a cargo of sugar and other merchandise. The force of the collision drove in her bows and spars, and on getting clear of the Propontis, the crew speedily ascer tained that she was fast tilling. Their cries brought to their aid a boat from the steamer ; and the chief officer, Mr. Hunter, perceiving the condition of the vessel, at once took off the master and crew (eight in all). They had scarcely left her before she took a tremendous lurch on one side, and went down in deep water. The crew were put on board the steamer, and she resumed the voyage. It would seem that the lights of the Pro pl 0 0 0 n k t_i s o u w t e o r f e mt the t ro n k u e t u c h fo i r h t p h , at t h o o u f g t h h e h o S w t a rt that b y c u t h l d e mustnot h a v v e e ry b e e a e 3 n i 1 y fully to exposed d th the the ave sustained steamer's h r e a r iegn does he ht l a tter does not appe ar mo ment. the least injury, which may. i n a . great measure be T attributed to her construction o f iron. The ship wrecked crew were taken on to the East India Docks at Blackwell, wh ere they will be landed and for warded to their respective homes. The loss of the Dutchman will prove rather heavy, but the vessel is stated to be insured. OUR MUSICAL CORNER. (From Eliza C oo k' s J ournal.) x guiiitel, certainly a nuisance, when or when one is attempting a difficult inspiration,"some gaenpilaenoe y„, 6 , a street organ," is one o in r c tu ou ne c , ea a l n ed d ill i.nv i grn s ip i ne n trh; a re s e ta i t i e ats of o : : : t h e said street organ strikes up a popular something in three sharps. There is a regular old grinder under our window at this moment, perpetrating " Lucy Neale" with all its might, to the utter derangement of a stanza we were about completing, ' consequently we have been compelled to " tumble down to prose," and feel half inclined t o a b use the general race of itinerant music boxes, but a phantom of gratitude rises and forbids the quarrel, for we owe some of the most pleasant hours of our life to street organs. Occasionally we have a half-holiday visitation trcin some half-dczen " of the rising generation," who insist on considering us as a " playfellow," and pay no more respect to the interesting volume or poetic musing they may break in upon, than they would to the intact form of a raspberry tart or ounce of toffee. We are always expected to play at " Margery Daw," or " Aughts and Crosses" (a game, by the by, we have played at pretty often on that large slate—the world); or we must enter into the "Political Biography" of Dick Whittington, or recapitulate the horrors attending the bigamies of Bluebeard, or we must lend a hand in making our very odd dog stand on his hind legs for lumps of cake. This is all very fine, but it is rather hard work to " keep it up," as Atlas said, when he took the world " pick-a-back;" however, we bear it all as well as we can, and when by chance a street organ bursts out with a presto polka, the crowning point of rude joy is attained; Whittington is done for, Bluebeard is nowhere, Margery Dew is an " abandoned young woman," and such a course of gymnastics is instantly gone through as Orpheus himself never eli cited from the bulls and bears of old. Stamping, hop ping, jumping, leaping, and all sorts of impossible actions are indulged in, and designated as " dancing," ourselves not being unfrequently turned into a human. " Maypole," of some five feet three, or " Jack in the Green," as the fancy of the cherubic " Ballet corps" may dictate; but we certainly have "rare fun," and it is A question if Adams's band ever yielded as much real festivity as the poor ragged Italian's street organ. We often wonder whether these active citizens of nursery land will enjoy their elegant steps in the spacious we lighted ball-room in years to come, as they do the . s:____ ex temporaneous muscular combustions among cn . l a r i n n ti pe hold goods, where they bring their curly sa bleetull length fre quent contact with an arm-chair, or tumble skirts and on the hearth-rug. We wonder if laceef broad sashes white neckties will carry the charm l cbgrapagne and and plaid tunics; whether the sparkling g Olympianln fare as the delicate chickens will prove suhceechesof gingerbread; home-made orange wine an f d the ceremonies will be as whether the dainty master o terrier flying at the audacious Skye . . their pleasant as o ur best edition of Shakspere heels. We would wager these " sb9riginal" dances with that they will remember.sien; for when childhood . Is at a distinct and gratefulhvti . to be, its memory imbibes a all what childhood ought from the buttercups and daisies of life, that fragrance ~ . _. . , the geranium in Maturity s bouquet y dress -coat, or the decked domino onPropriety's trailing-robe, can overpower;rose-decked but we are becoming sentimental, we never s the street organ is gone, we fear, an d a will do a little mu sic on o ur own account, and reduce the heap before us into a less reproving size. COLONIAL Msniurs.—These markets closed fast evening (Thursday) for the Easter holidays, and re-open next Wednesday. INTEREST TO SAVINGS BANEIS.—From a return s printed within the last few days, it appears that, from the 21st of November, 1849, to the 21st of 111ay last, the amount credited to the trustees of savings banks in their aceounta with, Earl a 1 - I.ard wick e has bee n p leased to appow th e \ ational Debt Commissioners was 1,842,0661.43.74, he Peter Dickson, Esq , to be his Lordehip's priTete eectetiirr e io the room of A. W. Blake, E 3 Ckt regignel ‘.l.