The Sun. — London, England, 1849-08-18 00:00:00

rbtrb 75bttion LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAY.—(THIS DAY.) The usual half-yearly general meeting of the pro prietors of the London and South-Western Railway was held this afternoon, at the Nine Elms Station ; Mr. William Chaplin, M.P., Chairman of the Board of Directors, in the chair. The advertisement having been read, the minutes of the past proceedings were proposed to be con firmed, when Mr. WILSON CROCKER objected to that part of them which related to the steam-boat guarantee. It was, perhaps, not generally known that most of the proxies used by the chairman in support of that guarantee were forwarded to him for another purpose, namely, to support the election of two gentlemen who were candidates for seats in the direction. The CHAIRMAN said the Hon. Proprietor was in error. Sir J. EASTHOPE took that opportunity, not having been present at the last meeting, of thanking the pro prietors for the compliment they had paid him, hi formally acknowledging the services he had rendered the concern in the capacity of chairman and director. He explained that his retirement from the direction arose out of the pressure of his other business avo cations. _ _ The minutes were then confirmed. Mr. WrsDnAm HARDING then read the following report of the directors : " From the uccounts which are in the hands of the shareholders, it will be seen that the traffic for the half year, ending on the 30. h June, amounts to £254,627 The expanses, including rates and taxes, to ... 126,752 " The c imprison with the corresponding half-Sear is as follows : Increase in 1849. Traffic for the half-yelr ending June, 1848, 208 9941.; June, 1849, 254,6274 ... £15,633 Expenditure for the ha!f•;yvar ending June, 1848, 113,370/ ; June, 1849, 126,7521. 8,382 Increase of net revenue therefor© ... £37,231 " Average Lumber !.f miles open for the half year end. ing June, 1848, 194; June, 1849, 219. tt The increase of expr.diture in 1849 arises entirely from the increased number of miles of railway, the mai it, nonce (f which is eh Argeab!e en revenue. "The balance disposable for dividend is 108,660/. 3s. 33. This halirn.le remains after the payment of all interests on czepital, whether troductive or unproductive, except inter'st at he rate of 41 per cent. for six months on the 413.e471 laid out on the twenty miles of railway in ac tual progre ,s of construceion durin4 the past half-year, and which will be open for traffic before the close of the present month. " elc and share capital entitled to dividend thispelf-year, is 6,521,368?.1 " The Cir. ctors, therefore, recommend that a dividend after the rate) of 31 per cent. per annum (or Ids. 3 on 501.) he declared, Lino:lilting to 105 972/. 4s. 7d , and leasi , et a balance to he carried in the next half-year of 26871? 18s. 81. "It iik,w becamei the duty of the directors to make . a few o' - !serva.ions on the increase of the share capital entitled to dividend this halt-year as compared with the last. The capital now entitled to dividend is ... ,C 6,521,368 The capital so entitle). nix:in 31st December 1113; was ... ••• 3,707,335 The additional amount, therefore, entitled to dividend this half-year is ... £2,814,033 " The shareholders have always been aware that, from the terms under which they have, from time to time, resolved to meke their seveaal issues of capital, this large addition to the amount entitled to a dividend woul I arise at this time. It has already been shown th,t there is an increase of 37,2511. in the net revenue of tins present half year, as compared with the corre spordin; six months of 1848; and, consequently, it is to the increase of capital now entitled to dividend, that tee diminution of the rate of dividend is to be attributed, and not to any falling off of revenue or increase of ex pense. " This capital, it will be remembered, consists, firstly' of new 501. and 401. shares (created under resolutions passed by the proprietors on the 7th of December, 1844) on which, and the tenths (created under resolutions of the proprietors, passed 29th August, 1846). the first dividend, payable from revenue, was to be calculated from the Ist day of January (or July) next after the opening of the Waterloo Extension, that is, on the Ist January, 1849; and, secondly, of such amounts as have been call-d upon the Thirds - (1847), (created under reso lutions of the proprietors of 17th November, 184), on 30,h Decsmb'r, 1848, and 30th March, 1849. " To avoid misapprehension, it is right to remark that the item of 52,163/. 133. for interest, in the capital expenditure of the past half year, includes the payment of interest on the new 501. and 401. shares of 1845, and the Tenths, to December 31st, IS4B, such payment being, by the terms of the creation of the shares, to be borne by capital until the shares cams in for dividend. Capital thus bears no portion of the burden of interest which is chargeable on the revenue of the past half year; while the revenue is charged with the interest on a large unproductive expenditure. " The directors therefore have satisfaction in being able to refer to the report of the auditors, showing that the capital account has not been burdened to augment the amount applicable to dividend—a point which has re cently excited a more than ordinary degree of anxiety among railway proprietors. " The branches from Guildford to Godalming and Farnham, and the loop line to Hounslow, will be opened for traffic during the present month. " The company will, after this present month, there fore, not have a single new line or branch in progress. " As regards the lines now suspended, or not com menced, the directors will repeat the assurance they gave in November last, viz., that no further engage ments in relation to those lines will be entered into until the matter shall have been again formally submitted to the reconsideration of the proprietors, specially convened fur that purpose, and until the whole of the shareholders shall have an opportunity of recording their votes, and a decided majority shall have determined in favour of the prosecution of the undertaking.' "At the last . meeting, the directors pledged them selves to enforce the most rigid economy consistent with the efficiency of the service. This they have done, and as the salaries and wages formed a large item in the ex penditure, they were reluctantly compelled to reduce the scale of payment throughout the establishment, taking the larger proportionate amounts from the higher salaries. In determining upon these measures, the direc tors resolved to take no remuneration for their own ser vices during the last six months. The directors are glad to acknowledge the ready acquiescence with which the reduc ion was generally met, as well as the faithful and zealous service rendered by every officer and servant of the establishment, no less since thsn be fore the reduction. " The shareholders are aware that a Bill was intro duced by Lord Monteagle in the last session of Parlia ment, in der the tide cf a Railway Audit Bill. "The effect of this meausure would have been to im pose permanently on railway companies the expense and inconvenience of a large Government staff of officials, and to transfer that power, which the shareholders alone have a right to exercise, to a Government board, wanting in the experience requisite for the successful conduct of commercial transactions. The directors therefore felt bound, with others, to oppose it, and the Bill was with • drawn in the House of Commons. At the same time they desire that the shareholders should have the fullest power of audit and examination; and it is proposed to hold a meeting of the representatives of different companies, to consider if any further provisions are really necessary to secure this object. " In the meantime, in order to secure a thorough examination of the accounts of this company, the direc tors beg to state, that knowing the laborious nature of' the duties of the auditors, when thoroughly performed, and the length of time which had been devoted to the task on a former occasion by the present auditors, they thought it right to offer to defray whatever expenses the auditors might incur in obtaining the assistance of a professional accountant; they, however, preferred to perform themselves the task committed to them by the shareholders, and have accordingly done so, as their report explains. " The maintenance of the working stock of the rail way to its full efficient value has attraetLd a degree of attention proportioned to the importance of the subject. It has been the practice of this company, from the open ing of the line, to keep up, at the expense of revenue, the engines, carriages, &c., either by replacing those worn out by an entirely new article, or, as the case might de mand, by the renewal of those parts requiring it. New engines, carriages, and waggons have thus been added from time to time to the original stock at the expense of revenue, and this principle will continue to be strictly carried out in future. " The maintenance of the rails and permanent road is a subject of not less importance. " In respect to the wooden sleepers, as symptoms of decay appear, they have been, and will continue to be, replaced by new sleepers, at the cost of revenue. The rails are, generally, in excellent order. " It is to be remarked, that the present contract prices for the maintenance of the permanent way aro high. This arises from these contracts having been the first en tered int o a f ter th e o p en i ng of the respective lines, when thewprks were un t r i e d, an d i n some cases no t thoroughly completed ; a very l argo re d uc ti on un d er this head will consequently be effected at the termination of the year 1850, when the present contracts expire. When this period arrives, therefore , and the revenue is relieved from the additional expense under this head peculiar to the first years of a railway, will be proper to consider what provision should be L'aidefu r the expense of ex arichase t nging the old rails for new as the necessity shall or doi. .1 The applications to Parliament, which the intoprie t)rs sanctioned at the last meeting, were successively prosecuted. Under the amended Act of the last session the proprietors are authorised to alter the half-yearly periods at which the accounts of the com pany have hitherto been made up; and thus a more equal di v i s i on of the halt yearly earnings and dividends of the comp an y may, wino the proprietors see fit, he effected. An im portent alteration and a fuller has also bean made in the right of voting by proprietors at g eneral meetings, representation has been given to those whose holdings are small in amount, by the adoption of the scale of veting of the Company's Clauses ConFolidation Act. " The directors cannot e. nclude this report without adverting case more to the present state of the com pany's financial pesition. " The d for the pest haFiear is less than they ha 3 antic'patf d, end the eir.ctors, in common with the proprietors generally, feel sensibly the disappointment arising from this cause ; but it must be borne in mind that the company has virtually no outstanding liabilities, nor any obligations to other companies or parties beyond its own control ; all the new lines in progress of con • struction are brought to a close, or will be so in the pre sent month, and these lines are provided in working stock, the whole of which, with very trifling exceptions, is paid for. Thus the directors feel enabled to state with confidence, that from this period the affairs of the company will progressively amend, and as there can never be,!without the distinct authority of the proprietors, given as it must be assumed for beneficial objects, a recurrence of a period when the capital entitled to dividend shall be so great in proportion to the earnings as at the close of the present half-year, so the directors believe it may safely be predicted that at no future period will the affairs of the company be in a state of such depression as at present. At all events, the proprietors may feel cn• tire confidence, that the undisguised truth is before them, and that no effort has been made to conceal or qualify the real state of the property or prospects of the come pany." The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report, observed that it would be bad taste on his part were he to occupy much time after the lengthened report. Much might be said on the depression which the country had recently suffered from, or the pros pects there were of the company's returning to a state of prosperity ; but the gentlemen before him were too well versed in commercial matters, too well acquainted with the causes of that depression, and the influences that affected railways, to render it necessary for him to dwell upon these topics. He should be content to allow the re port to speak for itself, without being explained by a single remark from him, but there were one or two points which he could not refrain from touching upon.—(Hear, hear.) The proprietors were aware that the half-year they had just closed was the worst of the two, and yet their traffic had not in any way fallen off. To no circumstance of that sort could the diminution of the dividend be attri buted, as the accounts, which were true, simple, and correct, would show. If there was ore thing more than another that his board was proud of, it was the fact that they had never had recourse to unfair or nefarious means for increasing the dividend.—(llear.) The dividends v hich the proprietors had hitherto enjoyed he would stake his reputation had been paid out of the real and bona fide earnings of the railway, and the only cause that could now be assigned for its reduction on this occasion was the fact, that this half year the capital participating in the dividend had been increased by no less a sum than 2,800,000/. —(Cries of " Hear, hear.") Some few years back the rage for new lines compelled this . company to h ament, he project schemes and promote p ro j ect s.. m ar P d ar wile Parliament, to keep rivals out of thei r territor 3 , was quite ready to admit that many of the past acts of the board were highly censurable and erroneous, they were not alone to blame for the increase in the capital.—(Hear, hear.) Having adverted to the in troduction of Lord .konteagle's Bill, which he con sidered highly objectionable, the Hon. Gentleman went on to propose, that the accountants and some of the principal proprietors should be requested to attend an aggregate meeting of railway officials to consider the best means of se curing the best audit of railway accounts, and further stated that the legal expenses of the company had been greatly reduced and liquidated. while the company was in the satisfactory situation of having no schemes to submit to Parliament in the next ses,ion of Parliament.—(Cheers.) It only re mained for him to mention that a great saving would shortly be effected in the maintenance of the permanent way, and in order that the proprietors might form some idea of what that saving would be he would just state that a contractor had undertaken to keep up the permanent way between London and Southampton, including all the new lines, fir 17,5001. a year, which would effect a saving upon the existing system of no less a sum than 30,0001. per annum. .Mr. UPCUFT said he was quite convinced that the public would never have confidence in the under taking until its affairs had been thoroughly investi gated by a committee who should be entirely inde pendent of the directors. Mr. SMITH wanted to know when the proprietors were likely to reap any advantage from the goods traffic ? He was afraid the com pany would never derive anything from that traffic until the company adopted the system in operation on the London and North- Western and South-Eastern lines, and became their own carriers.— (Hear, hear.) The CHAIRMAN said that question bad been in vestigated by a committee of directors, whose report would now be read. The report was on the whole in favour of the pre sent system,' but the committee had not pursued the inquiry to a sufficient extent to enable them to decide whether it would be advisable for the com pany to become their own carriers. Mr. BARER thought there was something wrong in the goods system, or the returns from that source would have been more instead of less than those of the London and Brighton Company. Mr. ALEXANDER KAT, a member of a deputation appointed from Manchester to attend this meeting, having. blamed and strongly censured the directors for the extravagant guarantees they had given to tributary lines, proceeded to ask the following ques tions :—First, can the capital accounts of the lines completed be finally closed ? Secondly, what allow ance do the directors receive from tributary lines ? Thirdly, has any attempt been made to slow the profit and loss on the Richmond and 'Windsor lines ? Fourthly, whether, now that all the lines are completed, the board of directors cannot be reduced and a managing director appointed; and lastly, %hat are the liabilities and engagements of the company ? He complained of the large amount of preferential shares that had been created, which were understood to have been distributed amongst the di rectors and officials, and of the pass system, which enabled each director to claim a transferrable pass over the line. The CHAIRMAN said it was proposed to close the entire capital account of the working plant in Febru ary next, providing for any extra outlay by obtaining votes of money from the proprietors from time to time as they were required. Mr. Sergeant GASELER did not think that would be satisfactory. Sir JOHN EASTHOPE took the declaration of the chairman to be virtually that the capital account of the company would be closed next February. The CHAIRMAN—Yes, that is it, reserving open works to be provided for as I have stated.—(Cheers.) Mr. Sergeant GASELEE had misunderstood the statement of the chairman. What he had now stated wag perfectly satisfactory. The CHAIR MAN then proceeded to answer Mr. Kay's questions. The dircctors received no remuneration from the new line. With regard to the earnings of the lines, they stood thus— London to Southampton Richmond and Windsor ... . Hampton Court (2 miles)... Cbertsey (21- miles) ... Guildford (6 miles) ... Gosport (16 miles) ••• Portsmouth (9 miles) ... Salisbury (22 miles) ... Dorchester (63 miles) ... ... Z 167,686 ... 28,878 ... 564 ... 291 ... 2,527 ... 9,900 ... 4,900 ••• 10,180 ... 23,200 With regard to the shares held by the directors, o, old shares all paid up, they held to the extent of 576,0001., and of the perferential 7 per cent. stock 31,0001.—(Cheers.) After some further discussion, which was protracted to a very late hour, the motion for the adoption of the report was put and carried. The dividend was then declared payable on an early day, and thanks having been voted to the chairman, the meeting terminated. MINING INTELLIGENCE. (From the Mining Journal of this day.) The amount of business which has been done lately, and the expected advance in copper and tin, have given a tone of firmness to the mining share market. Public confidence appears to be gaining, and it only requires a stability is our metal market to arrive at business both safe and permanent. The consequent inquiry for divi dend and leading mines is strong evidence that the mining interest is not likely to be so disregarded as it has hitherto been. In Tincroft there has been some considerable business done since our last, the reports from the mine more than confirming the discoveries referred to in last week's notice. Treleigh, Trelawny, Bedford, and East and South Tamar, have been in request, and business done. In the latter, a large number of shares have changed hands at an advance. Inquiries are also being made for East Wheal Rose, North Pool, South Basset, South Francis, and West Caradon, In Kingsett and Bedford some considerable improve ments are said to have been reported, and shares have found buyers. A requisition for convening a special general meeting has been signed by several adventures. North Roskear, Comfort, Treviskey and Barrier, and West Caradon, are among the mines lately represented as improved. Shares in the following mines have changed hands since our last, viz.; East Wheel Rose, Devon Great Consols, Trelawny, Treviskey and Barrier, South sset, Tincroft, Bedford United, Mary Ann, Treleigh, Ba South Tamar, Tregorden, East Tamar, Tamar Consols, Esgair Llee, Wellington, South Tolgus, West Providence, Tro hane, Kingsett and Bedford, &c. Wheal Mary Ann adventurers audited their accounts for March, April, and May, on the Bth instant, showing a profit of 5571. 11s. on the three months' workings, which, with the balance from last account, carries a credit of 1,017/. 19s. Bd. to the next meeting, when a dividend may be fully expected. Tho mine is now re presented to be in a better position than hitherto seen, and capable o f returning 65 to 70 tens per month, and , from present appearances, may be considered a perma nent and paying mine. Wheal Trehane two ra n %meeting was held on the 9th inst. The accounts for March and April show a balance in favour of the adventurer s of 6471. 13s. 9d. A dividend of 30g. per share was declared,paid forth with. We learn that some new steam machinery is about being erected, for which a reservation has lic e the funds. The agent's report represents the ' L'led THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, A.UGUST lB, 1849 very favourable position, and operations progressing towards some very important points. A parcel of about 131 tons was sold on the 10th. The Wellington Mines bi-monthly meeting was held on the 10th. The balance in favour of the mines amounted to 4481. 15s. 3d.; a dividend of 11. 10s, per 256th share was declared for March and April, leaving a balance of 641. 153. 3d. to next account. The agent reports the lode productive in the 32 fm. level especially, which is the deepest level, and there is every prospect of the course of ore holding down. The Alfred Consols adventurers met on the 10th, and audited the accounts for February, March, April, and May; the division of loss for the four months amounted to 11. is. 2d. per 1,024 th share. The mine is repre sented to have considerably improved since the last meeting. Kingsett and Bedford meeting was held on the 6th, when the accounts for April, May, and June, were read, the statement shows a balance of 5/. 2s. 7d. against the company, to meet which, and future operations, a call of ss. per share was made, with a sanction for the com mittee of management to make a further call of 55., should it be required, before the nexi meeting. The agents report is highly gratifying; exclusive of the course of lead which they are now working upon, several improvements were anticipated, which we learn have been realised since the meeting. Vincent meeting was held on the Bth, when the re ports of several agents were read, confirming the opinion of, and the mode of operations adopted by the managing agent as being the most satisfactory towarls bringing the mine into a profitable position; the statement of ac counts was satisfactory, and a call of 10s. by two instal ments made, which will free the mine from all liabilities. Wheal Tregorden account for April, May, end June, was held on the 9th; the accounts showed a balance of 1421. 10s. 10d. against the mine, and a call of 103. per share was made. The mine has much improved since the last account, and continues to hold out prospects of further and immediate improvement ; the lead raised here is unusually rich for silver, averaging 271. 18s. per ton. In foreign mines there has been a fair proportion of business done. United Mexican has been in demand, and several transactions closed. In Alien, Copiago, S'. Joh❑ del Dey, and Australian buyers havo been found, and bargains effected. • THE ARMY AND NAVY. (From the United Service Gazette of this day.) CHATHAM GAnnisma.—During the absence of Colonel Simpson, the Commandant, on leave of absence, the command has devolved upon Colonel Sir Frederic Smith, KAI., Re; al Engineers. Several cases of cholera having been reported to have terminated fatally in Chroham, Rochester, and Strom], on the evening of Sunday last, the whole of the troops in garrison have been prohibited entering the towns, except on duty, ' and sentries have been placed on the upper and lower draw bridges, near the Ordnance Gun Wharf, to pre vent the men parsing cut. This is a wise and salu tary measure, for it has been ascertained that Os o soldiers of the garrison were thinking in the house where the case ce - cholera terminated fatally on the very evening of the disease breaking out in an adjoining room. One of the Royal Marines, alien on duty as sentry on Monday night, was attacked by cholera, and died in a few hours after. By a garrison order of Monday last, the whole of ;the married men, of the various corps in garrison, residing out in the towns, have been ordered into barracks, and by a suteeqaent order of Tuesday, the troops in garrison, tegetlo:r with the women and children, are to be medically in•pected, each day, with a view to arrest the progress of disease, should it show itself among the troops in garrison. THE OFFICERS WHO DESERTED FROM THE CHIL DERS.—A Court-martial is ordered by the Admiralty to assemble at Devonport to try Lieutenant Graham and Mr. Elliott, Master, R.N., late officers of the Childev, on certain charges arising out of the desertion from that sloop, when at the Cape, by the Lieutenant, he being commanding-officer at the time; and on the part of the Master for quitting the Childers with Lieutenant Gra ham, he being under arrest at the time. TORRES STRAITS SURVEYING EXPEDITI)N.—The ?ar rival of Mr. M'Clatchie, lato assistant surgeon of the Bramble, gives us infermarion of the plst and futnre movements of this expedition. The Rattlesnake and hcr tender has completed the survey of the Inner Barrier route from Rockingham Bay to Booby Island, and were on the eve of sailieg( April 15) for New Guinea to resume the survey where it was left off by the Bramble. Mr. M'Clatchte has brought home with him the charts of the inner passage. We suppose they will shortly be pub• fished. Mr. McClatchie went out in 1842 under Captain Blackwoode's command, when the Bramble was attached to the Fly, and has thus been absent more than seven years in an arduous service, and one necessarily at tended with many privations. The scientific gentlemen of the Rattlesnake were eargerly looking forward to the rich field of inquiry which the little known shores of New Guinea would, doubtless, afford them. THE MURDER IN BERMONDSEY. LATEST PARTICULARS.—(THIS DAY.) The accounts which hare been given in the morning papers of the circumstances under which this extraor dinary murder has been committed, appear to be as correct as the present limited sources ofin formation will allow. The deceased, Mr. Patrick O'Connor, has been many years in the Cus toms as a gauger, which may be surmised from the fact that he received 3001. a year, and expected shortly to be superannuated. Ile was a person who was well known, and is described as being about fifty years of age. He was stout, of fair complexion, and possessed generally a respectable and gentlemanly appearance. 'The person who is understood to be Mrs. Manning is about twenty-five years of age, and is said to be good looking and interesting. The deceased had known her some time previous to her connexion with Manning; and while, it is said, she was in the employ of the Duchess of Sutherland. Manning, it is now well known, was indicted at the Old Bailey for his connexion with the late robberies upon the Great Western Railway, and he is, we are informed, well known to the police as a person of very doubtful character. The most extraordinary part of the circumstance is, that although the Murder is supposed to have been committed on Thursday evening, Manning and his wife should have remained at the house for three or four days afterwards, and should have had daring enough to sell their furniture to a broker in the neighbourhood. It appears that Mrs. Manning went to the deceased's lodging the day after the murder was committed, unlocked his drawers, and took away all the most valuable part of his property, consisting of foreign railway bonds and shares, besides 3001. in cash. No suspicion was attached to her, owing to her being in the habit of visiting occasionally his lodgings during his absence. The house where the murder was committed forms one of three newly and neatly-built residences, one story high, with kitchen underneath, called Minerva-place, which abuts on Molesworth-square, and is said to form a portion of the property belonging to Sir William Molesworth, Bart. The Mannings had resided at it about three months. This afternoon an inquest was held at the Leather Market Tavern, before Mr. Carter, to inquire into the death of the deceased, but only one viitness had been examined at the time we went to press, a Mr. Welsh, a personal friend of the deceased, whose evidence went to show simply that he had ac companied the deceased to Manning's house the night previous to the murder (Wednesday) about ten o'clock, and that they remained there together about an hour and a half. The deceased, he being rather faint, laid upon the sofa and smoked a pipe. They left together, and parted at the end of lioundsditch. No evidence except corroborative of the facts already laid before the public was expected to be adduced, and in all probability the inquest would be vdjourned. Every exertion is made to discover the where aboutsand rap it h , and d expected e that, hyo meansf Manning electricoftheandhiswife, teleg vigilance of the police, some track of them may be obtained. SOUTH LONDON MEDICAL SO CIETY-EPIDEMIC CHOLERA. An extraordinary meeting of the members of this society was held on Thursday at the Literary Institu tion, Borough-road, for the purpose of discussing the nature and treatment of the prevailing epidemic. Mr. HILTON, surgeon, of Guy's Hospital, and pre sident of the society, took the chair, and said the meeting had been called in consequence of the general feeling of medical men, in the district and elsewhere, that those who had experience might communicate the results at which they had arrived, and so extend the benefit of that experience over a wider area. For the better guidance of their discussion, therefore, he advised that they should confine themselves rather to an enunciation of principles, or a statement of strict facts, than to attempt to diverge into the different modes of treatment. It would be of great im portance, for example, to state facts which went to show whether the disease was contagious or not, under certain favouring circumstances ; for to prove that it was not contagious would be impossible. But facts tending to show that it was communicable from one person to another, under certain favouring circum stances, would be most important. Mr. WRIGHT said a case occurred in his own practice which went to show the contagious nature of the disease. In Wandsworth a person living in a row where no case of cholera had occurred, was seized suddenly, became blue, and died in seven hours; medicine bad no effect. Three nights after he was called to attend a child seized with cholera in the same house, and this case, too, proved one of extreme cha racter, for the patient died in nine hours. WATERWORTII said it was necessary to show that the district had been untainted for at least half or quarter of a mile round, because two or three of a family living in the same house might die in consequence of exposure to the same tainted cir— cumstances. Mr. HICKS said his experience led him to discern between three degrees of the disease. First, there was a class where diarrhcel was permitted to con tinue for perhaps a fortnight without attention ; that was a class amenable to treatment, if not too far gene. Secondly, there was a class where the poison had taken more serious effect and occasioned purging and vomiting, but not passing into collapse ' • that, too, if not neglected till too late, might be checked. But there was a third class, where collapse ensued after one action of the bowels. He was called the other morning only to a child which -had been seized at three o'clock, and which died at nine the same morning. A woman, the night before, had gone to bed well enough except complaining of constipation of the bowels, but she was seized at six o'clock next morning, and died by seven. Such were examples of the third class; but with regard to the disease itself, he believed it non-contagious. For although many cases might be produced of several dying in the same house, these were all clearly exposed to the bad circumstances which produced the disease in the first instance. Last week, in his own practice, a child was seized late at night, and a few hours afterwards the woman attending it took ill also ; but both were living in a house exposed to the most noxious odours from an open privy at the back door. He had never seen any case where sporadic cholera extended itself. His ex perience, which had been extensive, led him to say that almost invariably, in nine-tenths of the cases, cholera was preceded by diarrheas. There were cases, however, without this precedent, and these almost invariably ended fatally. He added that these last were cases to which he was always called away about three or four in the morning. Mr. HAWKINS said his experience quite confirmed what had fallen from Mr. flicks as to the non-con tagious character of the disease. For instance, in one house where the father of the family was seized, an infant at the mother's breast was removed to an other house that the mother might attend to her husband. She was after wards taken ill of cholera, and the child which had been removed was seized likewise. But this was a house with a drain of the worst character behind it, and in front was a tan yard ; so that what way seever the wind blew, the effluvium that went through and through the house was so offensive that a man had to put a handker chief to his nose. There had been one victim in the house adjoining it en the left and in that on the right, but none in the others. Ilia practice led him daily into lodging-houses where he saw two or three beds in one room, continuously occupied, without bad effects from a case of cholera in cne of the ad joining beds in the same room. There was one case which he had been attending, where the patient re covered from collapse, and 'sank into a state of fever. The woman nursing the patient had no fear whatever of cholera ; but having mentioned fever to her, he found on his return that the nurse complained of sick. ness, and had evidently caught fever. This showed the effect of fear. Dr. HUNTER LANE said, having used every means, on occasion of the outbreak of cholera, in 1832, at Sunderland, to become acquainted with the disease, and having extensive experience afterwards at Liver pool, he believed he could cite many cases that went to show the disease was non-contagious, and many that served to prove the reverse. He then mentioned that at Liverpool a woman lay in the hospiral in a state of collapse, and a girl bent by the bedside, seem ingly occupied with the patient; he found out that she was sucking her breast, and yet without serious consequences following. He considered that the condition necessary to the exhibition of cholera was a predisposition to it; and the conditions necessary to the latter were starvation, and the iota or the electri cal state of the atmosphere. What was contagion ? Contagion arose from the exhalation of vapour from the person suffering from the disease itself ; and others were affected by these exhalations according as they had a predisposition to receive them. What was the nature of cholera ? What tissues of the body did it effect, and what organs'? It chiefly affected the nervous system ; it wrs a paralysis of the organic nerves. The stomach lost its secerning power, and therefore it turned to exsudation ; and an analogous effect occurred in the ease of tle digestive organs, and of the lungs acting on the blood. In the state of collapse it was a paralysis of the or ganic nerves. In that state many means had been emplayed. Sometimes strychnia with phosphorous, in a solution of ether, were administered ; sometimes ammonia, but neither with much good effect. He had employed blood-letting before collapse, as recom mended by Dr. Stephens, and had found it exceed ingly beneficial. Another plan recommended by Dr. Stephens was the administration of saline injections, in a room with the temperature at 90 degrees. This was a plan he had himself employed in 26 casts on adults, from seventeen to sixty-five years of age, but out of these 26 cases, he had only two recoveries. He did not think that any one would be justified in attempting saline injection more than once, because the vessels of the brain and of the heart ruptured under its effect. The minimum quantity he ever injected was twenty pints in the course of twenty-four hours. The Learned Doctor was about to proceed, but was reminded by the chairman that the meeting was one of members of the society. Dr. J. P. MURPHY said that he had little doubt but that the disease was contagious, in which he thought be was borne out by the history of its progress, introduced first into the seaports of England and of Ireland, and thence ramifying in regular advance over the country. Indeed, all epidemics were conta gious ; endemics were not—cases confirmed him. A woman came up from the country to see her hus band, who had died of cholera ; she raised the coffin lid and saw him, she left, was seized and died in 20 hours after. He thought it was all nonsense to say the air was affected in one district and not in an other. He contended that instead of being a paralysis of the organic nerves, the disease originated in the mucous membrane. All epidemics did so ; measles, small-pox, Egyptian ophthalmia, and others. Blood letting could not be other than injurious in a disease which separated the serum, and left a coagulated crassamentum, which the heart could not propel through the veins. Dr. BARLOW, of Guy's, was convinced the disease was contagious, from single cases he had himself known, and from the fact of its passing regularly along a street into which it was once introduced. Dr. REES, of Guy's, after naming a number of agents he had employed in treating the disease, stated it as his decided opinion that it was contagious, and that the young medical gentlemen who had courageously continued to act in Bermondsey-work house, notwithstanding' the scenes which surrounded them, had earned for themselves great glory. Mr. Evaceis mentioned a number of cases which appeared to him to corroborate the same opinion. Dr. Cuisr, after naming a number of means he had used as a remedy, concluded by strongly recommend ing Dr. Eyre's (of Hull) prescription, as it appeared ,ma t h insi e d; leiudtroth.teoehsfe. tincture the day he in the administrationot op opium , t Lancet, n,o principally fa w ds h mm ic ia l n s lilstdeorseeds e of y er y cotcalomelten DENnY thought it had been decided in 1832 that the disease was non-contagious. lie contended that diarrhoea and cholera were essentially distinct, and although the one might end in the other, it was a great Mistake in the press ever to have promulgated the opinion that there was any essential connexion between them. Several other gentlemen spoke afterwards of dif ferent methods of treatment, but Messrs. Gazelee and Waterworth, who closed the debate, remarked that almost every one recommended a different mode of treatment, tending altogether to show that they yet knew very little liamit the disease. It was then mei* and carried that the discussion be adjourned to that night fortnight. After a vote of thanks to the chairman the meeting broke up. CURIOUS EXCISE CASE.—An Excise case, remark able for the pertinacity with which it has been prose. cuted, no Ins than for the run of ill luck which has at tended the prosecutors, was brought by appeal before the Quarter Sessions at Perth, on Tuesday week. Mrs. Murray has kept the Rumbling Bridge Inn, Glen Devon, for seven years, and was charged 71. 14s. as licence up to October, 1848. At that date the supervisor and officer of the round called and told her that her licence would henceforth be doubled—founding on the fact of some slight improvements which had been made upon the premises. Mrs. Murray demurred, and in duo time sent her usual licence by a neighbour to the proper quarter. The neighbour left the mongy; but shortly after it was brought beck by the excise officer and thrown down upon her table. It was now understood that Mrs. Murray had no licence, and of course could not sell ex cisable articles. But she continued to do so; upon which proceedings were instituted against her, and she was brought up at the beginning of the year, at the instance of the Excise, before the justices at Kincardine. In the prelimin ar y tr i al the ease wa s dismissed, upon whi c h th e Excise appealed to the Quarter Sessions. On after thoughts, h owever, t h e y f e ll from this appeal, and aga i n and again Mrs. Murray was brought up at Kincardine. Judgment was again given in her favour, and again the Excise appealed to the Quarter Sessions. Here the justices unanimously decided in favour of Mrs. Murray. It is estimated that the prosecution will cost the country not less than 1001. to 1501.—Perthshire Advertiser. P ORTLAND.—On Monday morning, a party of 132 well-conducted convicts left the convict establishment, and were embarked for Port Phillip in the ship Ade laide, which had been some days waiting for them. We understand that, upon arriving in the colony (should their cond uct on board prove exemplary), they will each be presented with a ticket of leave, which will entitle them to work for themselves, being, comparatively speaking, free. In addition to the above, there were 170 selected f rom P en t o nville, the hulks, and P ar kh urs t prisons, w h o w i ll b e a ll ow ed a simil a r i n d u l gence . A guard, composed of 50 soldiers, will accompany them on the voyage, selected from her Majesty's 63d, 65th, and 99th regiments of Foot. There is an experienced sur. peon on board, who has the care and management of the convicts, and also a religious instructor. The Adelaide was still in the roads on Tuesday night, waiting for a fair wind.—Poole Herald. _ _ SLIGOAiiD — SIIANNON.—The Master in Chancery Senior has appointed Mr. J. E. Coleman official assignee to wind up, on tho petition of Mr. Ormsby Gore, M.P., the affairs of this company, inc)rporatcd by Act of Par liament in 1846. The undertaking having been estab lished by Act of Parliament, a question of considerable importance arises as to whether the company can be wound up under the Amended Joint Stock C9mpulies Winding-up Act, passed at the close of the session, and which specially extends to all partnerships, associations, and companies " other than and except railway companies incorporated by Act of Parliament," to which companies (continues the Act) such Act shall not apply. The pe titioner, on behalf of himself and others, prays that the company may he wound up, on the ground that Llthough two calls to the amount of 71. per share save been made, yet no works have been commenced, and no interest on the amount of such calls as have been paid has been given to the shareholders. There are large outstanding liabilities, and the engineer is suing for 5,0001. The petitioner also represents that in the present state of the company there is no probability of the railway, or ship canal, which is proposed to form part of it, being completed, THE CROPS IN WOR CESTERSIIIRP.—Harvesting operations are now in active progress. Flying storms have been the order of the past week, but we believe they were but partial, and have as yet done but little mischief. It is believed that both the quality and quan tity of wheat are hereabouts above an average. We have heard but few complaints of the potato disease; but our Evesham correspondent informs us this morning that several plots belonging to the market gardeners near that town and Bengeworth have been sezed with it. —Worcester Chronicle. MILITARY SAVINGS BANKS.—A return published by order of the House of Commons, shows that the total number of military depositors in savings banks on the 31st of March, 1848, amounted to 6,65, and the depo sits received during the year ended en that day, to the sum of 45,8851. The amount withdrawn by clepsitors during the year was 34,041, and the balance due by the public en the 31st of March, 1848, 81,579/. EOUTHAMPTON, AUG. 1 7.—wind W.—Sld. Tay, stamer, West Indies. COURSE OF Amsterdam ••.• 12 2% at sight •• 12 1 Rotterdam ........ •• 12 2 Antwerp •• llarnburgh •• • M.B . 13 12%1 ktona .. • • Paris, 3 days'sight •• 25 42% 1)1W), 3 months .... 25 62% tar5i:111e5............25 6.1% Bourdeaux • 25 62% Frankfort on Maine.... 121% P.2.tersburgh, Sil. lible.. 364 !;criln • • .. • • •••• Vienna, effec. ilo ••.. • . 12 18 Trieste, ditto •• .... 12 18 , ladti3 ••.. • • ........ 50 Cadiz •• ............ 50% • • • • Barcelona • . •• 5evi11e........ •• •• .• ••• ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. NORTHERN ClRCUlT.—Liverpool, Aug. 17. CIVIL SlDE.—(Before Mr. Justice WIGHTMAN.) HIGGINSON AND OTHERS V. TURNER AND OTHERS. In this case Mr. Watson, Q.C., and Mr. Coaling ap peared for the plaintiff; and Mr. Martin, Q.C., and Mr. Compton ter the defendant. This was an action brought by the plaintiffs, Mr. Jonathan Higginson, Mrs. Iligginson, and Mr. Dean, as executors and trustees of the will of the late Mr. John Iliggiuson, to recover from the possession of the defend nuts, who are the assignees of the late firm of Barton, Irlam, and Higginson, of Liverpool, who became bank rupts in November, 1846, certain shares in different companies of which the late Mr. John Higginson was the owner, and which were left by him to the uses declared in his will, but which had been seized by the defendants as assignees of the bankrupt firm of which Mr. Jonathan Higginson, the son of the late Mr. John Higginson, was a partner. It appeared that the late Mr. Higginson by his will devised 6001. a year to his widow, and 1,000/. each to his sons, leaving his wife, Mr. Jonathan Higginson, and Mr. Dean, executrix and executors of his will, to dispose ~f the property according to the trusts declared in the will. Some of this property, which was in shares in different companies, being undisposed of, had been transferred into the name of Mr. Jonathan Higginson, as executor, and had been taken possession of by the defendants as his assignees under bis bankruptcy. Evidence was then given that the late Mr. Higginson was owner of five 1001. and of five 201. shares in the St. Helen's and Runcorn Gap Railway, paid up. The 100/ shares were worth 20/. each, the others unsaleable. He was also proprietor of ten 101. shares paid up in the Liverpool Cemetry, which, " since the burying trade had become brisk in Liverpool," were worth 501. He also held a share in the Union News Room, the payments of which were in arrear, and it was of no known value. He also oww-d one share in the Athenaeum News Room, worth 21. 12s , and one share in the Exchange News Room, worth 2201., and some shares in the Commercial Bank of Liverpool. These facts having been proved, a verdict was given for the plaintiff for the amount proved. Verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 422/. SPOTSWOOD V. BARROW AND ANOTHER. In this carp, a report of which was sent yesterday, the jury, at five o'clock, returned with a verdict for the plaintiff. A great many civil causes have been settled and other wise disposed of to day. The cases in the Criminal Court were of the most uninteresting character. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. BOW-STREET. The following complaint was mode to Mr. HENRY, the sitting magistrate, and has reference to a dispute of fre quent occurrence in the district : A poor woman named Todd stated that her husband had been lying dead at King's College Hospital since Monday last, and she had not the means of burying him, The directors of the hospital alleged that they had no funds to appropriate to such a purpose. The parish of St. Giles, in which the deceased had resided, refused to bury him, because the death occurred in the Strand Union; and the guardians of the Strand Union declined to undertake the burial of the deceased, because he did not belong to their parish. Thus there was at present no prospect of the body being interred, although it had become decomposed and off:nsive—the deceased having died of typhus fever, with which he was suddenly at tacked in the streets. The widow added, that her hus band was a labouring man, and had no friends or rela tives who could assist her. Mr. HENRY observed, that the frequency of these parish disputes was much to be lamented. The pariah of St. Giles was no doubt relieved of the liability, in such cases, by a recent decision in the Court of Queen's Bench; while, on the other hand, it would be very hard to make the Strand Union responsible, simply because the hos pital happened to be situated in that district. his Wor ship inquired of the woman how long Rho had lived with her husband in St. Giles's parish previous to his decease? The woman replied that they had resided there up wards of 18 years. Mr. HENRY thought that the overseers of the parish of St. Giles would hardly persist in. taking advantage of an accident like the present to avoid an expense which could not be very serious. An officer present stated that the expense was about 245. usually. His Worship then sent a constable to the relieving officer of St. Giles's, to represent the urgency of the case, and the probable danger of keeping tho deceased unburied any hanger, and shortly afterwards the Court was informed that the parish officer of St. Giles's had consented, " for this once only," to inter the body. Laura Brown was charged with obtaining goods from Messrs. Shoolbred and Co., Tottenham-court-road, under false pretences. The prisoner had been in the habit of sending a lad named Carpenter with written orders, in the name of Mrs. Clack, an outfitter of 102, Oxford-street, and the goods were invariably supplied, as Mrs. Clack was a customer of the prosecutors, a fact which had become known to the prisoner by tier being occasionally em ployed at the shop of the former. She was committed for trial on two separate charges. THE COUNTRY MARKETS. WAKEFIELD, Auc. 17.—There is a good supply of the leading articles. The demand for wheat is slow, millers purchasing only for immediate consumption, at a decline of 13 per quarter. In spring corn we note no alteration; or, if any, rather in favour of the buyers. New. EXCHANGE. Gibraltar.. • ........... Leghorn ........ ••.. •• 31 40 Genoa ................ 2G 65 .......• • Naples ...... • • ...... 409 ealermo, peroz ........ 121 .............. 121;4 Oporto.. • • .... 53y e Rio Janeiro ........ • • Inenos Ayres ...... • • New York, 21 days'slght Ci 3 Or BULLION, TEA ('Z. Foreign Gold in bars.. £3 17 9 Portugal Gold Coin .. 0 0 0 3panizt.Doubloon3 .. 0 0 11 New Dollars ...... 0 4 10 ln bars ........ 0 4 11 NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. PORTSMOUTH, THURSDAY .—The Fire Queen steam yacht, Acting Master Allen eommrznding, conveyed Admiral the lion. Sir Blade,. Capel, the Com mander-in. Chief, to Cowes this afternoon to dine with the members of the Royal Yr.cht Squadron Club. The L'zird iron steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander It ft Spithcal this morning at 10 30 for Woolwich, to be paid off. The Ajax steam guardship, 60, was hauled alongside the South- jetty this morning to have her additional bal last removed. The Vesuvius steam-sloop passed through S.pithead early this morning for Plymouth. The Castor, 36, Commodore Wyvill, arrived at Madeira from England, on the 3d ult., en route for the Cape of Goud Hope. The Constants, 50, Captain Courtney, was at San Bias at the latter end of June, with freight on board for England to the amount of 2,000,000 dollars. Wind W., fresh breezes, and cloudy weather. ROYAL MARINES. PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS. First Lieutenant and Quartermaster Edward Pellew Hammett Ussher, of the Plymouth division, to be cap tain, and appointed to the Chatham division, vice Lee, placed on half-pay, dated August W. First Lieutenant George Drury, of the Chatham divi. sion (acting pay and quarter-master at Pembroke dock), to be lieutenant and quarter master at Pl 3 mouth (dated August 11), vice Ussher, promoted. Second Lieutenant Osborne Frederick Charles Frastr, of the Portsmouth division, to be firot lieutenant, and appointed to the Chatham division, vice Drury, dated August 11. First Lieutenant James Ainslie Stewart, of the Ports mouth division, to be acting pay and quarter-master at Pembroke-dock, vice Drury. Commissions dated the 14th of August, 1849, will be laid before the Queen, appointing the following gentle men to be second lieutenants in the corps of Royal Ma rines:— James Conway Travers, gent., to be second lieutenant, and attached to the Portsmouth divisicn. Frederick Lewis David, gent., to be second lieutenant, and attached to the Portsmouth division. The ( ffect of the mock night attack upon this fortress last night will long dwell in the remembrance of the many thousands of spectators of the spectacle. Soon after 9 o'clock the Duchesses of Cambridge and Meck lenburg Streli'z, with their attendants, having arrived at the King's Rooms, where the other guests of the Lieutenant-Governor were assembled, the signal was given for the commencement of the attack. The advancing assailants then opened their fire of small arms and field-pieces, advancing steadily at the same time from the beach towards the ramparts, the gun-boat brigade on the water, under Major Davies, and the boats of the Excellent, under Lieutenant Burrows, R.N., also keeping steadily along the beach in line with the ad vancing troops on the common, and covering their ad vance with the fire from their great guns; a part was also taken on the land site by the Royal Marine Artillery. Gradually the fire came nearer the glacis, and as it did so the illusion became more vivid as to the character of the spectacle. The small-arm men scattered over the Common blazing away at the imaginary enemy towards the fortifications, lighted up at almost every step by the greater flash from the artillery, was an introduction to the grand coup d'ceil, which, to be done justice to, should ho pictured by one whose familiarity with such scenes in real warfare would insure that no point of the dazzling whole should be omitted. Eventually the attacking party came within the limits prescribed for the besieged within the fortress to open upon them, when suddenly the ramparts were lighted up with blue fire, and the besieged began their part of the night's display. This was the grand moment of the " night attack," and a more vivid picture of the horrors of a siege could nowhere else have been represented; the troops upon the glacis pouring in their fire in smart and rattling volleys, the great guns and field-pieces lighting up their positions, as every instant they were discharged at the supposed invaders, the fire upon the heights, the cheers of the troops as ever and anon they seemed to be re• pulsed, and again returned to " th'imnainent deadly breach." combined with the effect produced by the lights upon the myriads of spectators, lending with their won dering faces another feature to the scene, formed a mag nificent illusion. At length the besiegers and besieged having expended their ammunition, the trumpet sounded " Cease firing," when instantaneously the apparent dreadful strife ceased, and a lull succeeded the " busy din of war." The firing of the boat brigade and the gunners of the Excellent, as also the marine artillery, was kept up with most admirable spirit. An excellent display of fireworks succeeded the military operations. A thd dunsant con cluded the entertainments of the day. This morning their Royal Highnesses. attended as yesterday, were present at the trooping of the Guard and the Queen's colour on the Governor's parade field within the garrison, at which nearly all of the distin guished guests of the preceding day were also present. At ten minutes to one o'clock the Royal party left the Government-house, escorted by Lord Fitza!arence and staff, under royal salutes from the platform battery, the Superb at Spithead, and the flag ships in harbour, for the terminus of the South-Coast and South-Western Railway at Landport, where a special train, in charge of Mr. Superintendent Sutton, was in waiting to convey them to London, starting at ten minutes past one. The other noble guests of the Governor also departed after the royal party had left. PLvatouTer, Auc. 15.—This morning the First Lord of the Admiralty held a levee at Moorshoaa'e Royal Hotel, at which upwards of 100 officers of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines had the honour of being pre sented. During the levee Lord John Hay and other members of the Board visited the dockyard, and in spected several of the departments. At twelve o'clock the people were mustered in the saleroom, and dismissed from duty for the day at one o'clock. Their Lordships then proceeded on board the Agincourt, 72, where they mustered all the officers and crelvs belonging to the ships in ordinary. They afterwards inspected the ships composing the steam squadron recently established here. This evening their Lordships give the official dinner, which is to be on a largo scale, in the ballroom of Moorshead's Royal Hotel. Their Lordships on Monday partook of the hospitalities of Port-Admiral Sir William Hall Gage, and on Tuesday dined with Major General Murray, Commander of Forces of the Western District. Captain Milne, R.N., Secretary to the Admiralty, had on Tuesday evening a slight spasmodic attack, which confined him to his bedroom. The gallant Captain is occasionally subject to such attacks, after having under gone great exertion. We are happy to announce that by the last accounts the cemplaint was subsiding. The ball in aid of the funds of the destitute female orphans of seamen and soldiers, announced for Thurs day, is postponed in consequence of the prevalence of the cholera. Captain Wise, her Majesty's ship Queen, arrived per train this morning from Bristol. The copper has been taken off her Majesty's ship Royal Adelaide, and she was lifted on Tuesday to have her gar board caulked. Her Majesty's frigate Alarm was yesterday warped alongside the shear-hulk, where she is to be masted, preparatory to her being put on commission. The Linnet packet came in this morning from Fal mouth, and went up harbour to refit. The Lords of the Admiralty, on the application of the parochial authorities at Davenport, have, in consequence of the prevalence of the cholera, granted them the use of a hulk, which is to be moored off Richmond-walk, near Mutton-cove, with direct communication from Bul lock's wharf to the ship. This accommodation is in tended for the unattaekcd inhabitants of such filthy and overcrowded places as Geake's-alley, at the back of Marlborough-street, where the disorder is producing the most direful effects. THURSDAY MORNING.--Iler Majesty's steam-frigate Dragon, from Cork, entered the Sound at hail-past four yesterday afternoon by the Western Passage, under studdingsails alow and aloft, and about five o'clock dropped anchor to the eastward of her Majesty's ship Queen. Her Majesty's steam block-frigate LA HoguT, 60, en tered the Sound at eight o'clock last night, and this morning saluted the flag of Port-Admiral Sir J. W. Hall Gage, which compliment was duly acknowledged from Mount Wise, On irquiry tbis morning we find that Captain Milne has passed an easy night, and will probably leave his bed room in the course of the day. Sir Francis Thornhill Baring, the First Lord of the Admiralty, resumes his levee this morning at ten o'clock, at Moorsbead's Royal Hotel. Wind—S.W.; blowing hard, with rain. WooLwicu, 'Auo. 16.—The Desperate stram-vessel, fitted with engines by Messrs. Mandalay, Sons, and Field, was brought down the river to Woolwich to-day from the East India Docks. ' M. Drouyn de Lhuys, Ambassador from France, with Madame Drouyn de Lhuys, visited the dockyard to-clay, and afterwards proceeded to visit the Royal Arsenal. PORTSMOUTH, Atm.' 17.—The Port Admiral returned from Cowes in the Fire Queen steam-tender this morn ing, and went cut to the eastward in her again this after noon, with his band and a party of distinguished ladies on board. A royal salute was fired to-day at Cowes as the Rus sian steam-frigate Kampsehatka passed, with the Grand links Leutehtenburg on board, for Madeira. The Persian, 16, Commander Bullmsn, arrived at Spithead from the river this morning, to embark super numeraries and dispatches ter the %Vest Indies. The Stromboli steam• sloop, Commander Lord Amelius Beauclerk, returned to Spithead from the royal squadron this afterauon. We beg to call the attention of Mr. Cobden to the fact of the Superb, 80, at Spithead, having been at that an chorage about sevt n months, doing nothing. She has been fit for any s'ation for months; her crew (although 300 short of its proper number) is in the most forward state of discipline, and up to their work. On Tuesday, at 11 o'clock r.m., when all were snug in their berths and hammocks except the watches, Captain Purcell, without any previous intimation to any one on board, hed the drum beat to quarters and clear for action. From the time the officers and men jumped out of their berths, got on deck, cleared for action, and went through all the movements of loading and firing, only 5 minutes and 55 seconds had elapsed.—Times. The Flying Fish, 12, Commander Patey, is proceed ing rapidly with her outfit. Wind W.; fresh breezes and cloudy weather. CHATHAM, AUG. 17.—The Melampus, 42 guns, Cap tain T. H. Mason, has returned her stores to the dock yard, she is stripped for paying off. Her crew is now assisting the Meauee, SO guns, in returning stores she has brought from Bombay. Both these ships were to have been paid off last week, but owing to the Mcanee having on board a vast number of packages, furniture, &c., she has not been able to get clear of them. It is now expected that both ships will be paid off on Wed nesday next. The Juno, 26, preparing for commission, will be put out of dock on Monday next. The Hood, 80 guns, and the Severn, 50, ordered to be built at this yard, have both been taken in hand this week. These ships are to be built in the new slips, at the east end of the yard. The Ist company of Artillery and the Royal Dock yard battalion commenced ball practice, firing with their field pieces, on Wednesday, the 15th instant, down by Gillingbam•bridge; and the 2d company of the Artillery practised at the same place in the afternoon of the 16thhh instant. Their firing on each occasion was very good. WooLwrcer, AUG. 17.—The L;zard steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander llollingworth, arrived at this port at one o'clock P.M., from South America, to be paid off. Old. WIIEAT, per qr. 60Ibs per bushel : s. Suflolk, Essex, and Kent, red ••• 47 to 49 Ditto, white ... ... 50 52 Norfolk and Hunts., red ... 46 —4B Ditto, white ... 50 52 Lincolnshire and Cambridge, red 45 —47 —— Ditto, white ... 50 —52 Yorkshire, red .„ 45 47 Ditto, white ... ... 50 —52 Dantzic and Konigsberg, white .. 48 52 —— Lower Baltic and Ham burgh,_red ... 44 —46 —— Mediterranean, red ... ••• 38 —42 —— BARLEY, per quarter of 8 bushels:— Norfolk and Suffolk— —— Lincolnshire and Yorkshire .. Scotch ••• ••• Grinding per 30 stone 22 —24 —— Foreig,n ... 24 —2B BEANS, ner quarter of 8 bushels 631 b : Small, hue ••• 3 2 — 35 30 — 32 ... 30 33 29 el Ticks ... Foreign 28 31 OATS, per atone : Mealing . ••• 91 to lOid Fce,ding 8d to 10d F ore i gn „. ... 8(1 to 10(1 SHELLING, per loal of 2611 b 24 25 MALT, per load of 6 imperial bushels 38 41 PEAS, per Imperial Quarter: — Blue and white boilers Grey ant Feed -- to . —d to —d —d to —d —d to —d ... 30 - 33 ... 26 - 28 Qis. I Wheat ... ... 12, !3; Barley ••• ••• 1243 Oats ... ... 614 Beans... ... ... 342 Qrs. Rapeseed ... Shelling ... ... 315 Linseed .. .. Malt ... . . Peas ... ... ... ... 413 1 Flour ... ... ... Tares ... ... ... •• • ...- NEWBURY, AUG. l6.—Our supply of wheat pitched to-day is much moiler than for many weeks past, and we have a thin attendance of farmers with sareplcs. The demand is rather better than of late, yet the prices given do not generally exceed the rates of last week. 'There were a few samples of new on offer of fine quality Barley, beans, oats, and peas, short supply, and dull in sale, at late rates. LIVERPOOL, And 17.—We have had unsettled wea ther the last two or three days, but it has had little in fuses on the corn trade, and prices have scarcely varied. At this morning's market there was only a slender attendance of town and country millers'. The sales of wheat were quite in retail, without any change in value. The best brands of flour were in good request, and full prices were paid. There was no alteration in oats, barley, beans, and peas. Indian corn improved. Is per quarter ,and a fair quantity found buyers for Ire land, but the market closed with rather less confidence in the article; the best white corn sold at 28s to 295, and yellow 27s to 27s 6d per 4801bs. EXETER, AUG. 17.—Cattle The market has not been so well supplied as of late, although more than the demand on the markets required has been driven in. Fist beef hardly worth so much as last week; the general quotation being 8s to 8s 6d per score; cows and calves, 81 to 13/; good fresh barreners, 5s per score; butchers' calves, 4d to 5d per Ib; fat wether sheep, sd; ewes, 4d. Pork Carcases—A very small supply at a considerable advance, prices ranging from 8s 6d to 9s 7d per score. Pannier—Turkey Poults, 5s to 6s each; geese 4s 6i to 6s 6d each; ducks, 3s 6d to 2s 6d per couple; fowls, 5s 6d to 4s ditto; rabbits, 10d to Is each; leverets, 2s 6d to 3s 6d ditto ; pigeons, is 9d per couple; eggs, 16 to 18 per Is; butter, 10d to Ild per lb. Potatoes 7d to 10d per score; turnips, 8d ditto. Corn Exchange —The business transacted to day has been of a limited amount—scare ly any samples being offered. The best English wheat has sold at from 5s 4d to 5s Bd, warran:od samples. Foreign red 425, and white, 45s to 48s per qr. English barley about 3s 91. English oats, new, 2.s 4d; old, 2,8 d to 2s 10d per bushel. Fine flour, 32s to 34s per sack of 2801bs. BRISTOL SUGAR-MARKET, AUG. 17.—A few boards of West Indian have been disposed of this week to the grocers, generally at former rates, but some sales in refining sorts show a declice of fuly Is 6d per cwt., perticu!arly in sugars at 365. The refin e d market i s un altered, and the demand is only partial. Rum unasked for, and prices purely nominal.—Bristol Mercury. DARLINGTON, AUG. 13.—There was a fair supyly ; sales dull. Wheat, 13s to 14s; oats, 4s 6d to 6s; beans, 8s to 9s; peas, 8s to 8s 6d; bailey, 7s to 7s 63 per bolL RIPON, AUG 16.—We had a good supply of grain, and every description dull of sale at last week's prices. White wheat, 6s 6d to 7s; red, 6s to 6s 9d per bushel; barley, 26s to 30s; oats 18. s to 22s per qr. SCARBRO', Auc. 16.—There is very little doing in the corn trade, wheat is rather lower. Oats are readily taken at our quotations. Red wheat, 6s 3d to Ga 9d; white, 6s 6d to 7s per 5 stones; black oats, 8d to 9d; white 9d to 10d per stone; superfine flour, 40s to 41s; seconds, 35s to 36i per sack of 20 stones. STOCKTON- ON- TEES, AUG. Is.—We have good arrivals of wheat and barley ter the past week. This morning we had a fair 'show of wheat from the farmers, for which there was a steady demand at the full prices of this day week. In foreign there is no variation from lest week's prices. Grinding barley is in fair demand at our quotations. Oats without change. Beans the tura lower. Wheat, 48 quarters, 44s 4d. Imports coastwise, wheat, 1042 ; barley, 325. Foreign, wheat, 860 ; barley, 370. DENBIGH, AUG. 15.—There was a tolerable attend ance at to-day's market, and business was rather brisk but not much variation in prices. Wheat, 16s to 16s 6d; barley, 7a 6d; oats, 7s to 7s 6d; per hobbet; fresh butter, 10id ; salt ditto. Bkd per lb. Eau, AUG. 14.—As we anticipated, the harvest in terfered with this day's market ; both farmers and factors were scarce, and very little business done, but there were no change in the quotations. BUTIIIN, AUG. 13.—The attendance to-day was so small that it scarcely bore the appearance of a market, and the business done was of no importance. INVERNESS, AUG. 14.—New wheat, per quarter weighing 61b per bushel, 45s to 50s ; barley, 541 b per bushel, 23s to Ws; oats, 421 b per bushel, 21s to 22s Od ; seed oats, per qr, 421 b per bush, Os to Os Oatmeal, per imperial boll, 16s 6d, second, 15s; barleymeal, I is 8d; peasemeal, 14s to 15s; bran, per stone, Od to 8d; first flour, per 2801 b, 36s to 375; second, 28s; oatmeal, best, per stone of 141 b imperial, Is 8d to Os Od; second, Is 6d; barleymeal, Is 4d; peasemeal, Is 6d; first flour, 2s 9d cash, 3s credit; second . , 2s 3d cash, 2s 6d credit. Pota toes, per stone, Od to Od; beef, per pound, 4d to 7d; veal, 4d to 6d ; mutton, sel to Ed ; pork, 4d to 6d; fowls, each, 12d to 14d ; chickens, per pair, 12d to Od ; ducks, each, 13d to 14d ; eggs, pr dozen, 6d to Od ; butter, fresh, per Ib, 10d to Od; salt, lld to 12d ; croudie (curds) 21d to Od ; four-pound loaf, cash, 6d to 7d, credit, 61d to 7d; coals, per cwt, 9d; hay, per stone, 7d. MINING INTELLIGENCE. COPPER ORES SOLD AT SWANSEA, AUG 9.—Total, 1,274 tons ; average produce, 14 ; quantity of fine copper , 178 tons 3 cwt.; amount of sale, 12,8 A/ 9s Od. COPPER ORES FOR SALE AT REDRUTH, AUG. Wh. Josiah, Wh. Fanny, Wh. Maria, and Wh. Anna Marts 1.216 Fow ey Consols 338—West Caradon 3'2s—Mark 246—Wh. Henry 240—Wh. Friendship lE9—B e df or d United 119—West Fowey Consols 100 Holmb us h 76—Wh. BUSY 58—Wh Pink 54—West Wh. Jewel 53—Tamar Slag 15-' Polgooth 12—Total, 3,041. Valley COAL MARKE' Chester Main 159 Od Holywell Main ..... 15s Co New Tanfield 135 9d West Hartley Wall's End, &c. Gibson Heaton Northumberland Eden Main l Bell Belmont ... l7s 3..1 Braddyll 'Raton .. Lambton Lumley l6s Od IT.— YESTERDAY. Russell's Hetton l7s 63 St ewart's Whitwell ... 1 7 8 tr... Cassop 165 f , Hartlepool (4 , 1 'lough Hall Kelloe ••• 155 3d A C I Thornley • 165 9 i L ; Whitworth l4s 3 ‘i I Adelaide 'fees Cownden Tees ... ['Tees I DerwentwaterHartley 16s Od IGarnaut Stone 23s Od li Ships at market, 54. RAILWAY *6IIARE MARKETS. BRISTOL, AUGUST 17. STOCK EXCHANGE.--111C share market was depressed to•clay, O s d little business doing. Great Weytern, Quarters, were done at 7% LIVERPOOL, AuCusr STOCK EXCHANGE —The transactions to-day were as follovr:—: Great Northern, Preference, 5 per cent. 23 dis.—Ditto (Londo n and York Extension), 1% dis.—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Fil l 6 ' 3Y, dis.—London and Forth-Western, 12734 Ditto, New Quarters,s 2 4 p. c.—Ditto, Halves, 14% dis.—North (B), 156—South-Eastern and Dover, 21%—Ditto, (No. 4), York, Newcastle, and Berwick (Extension, No. 2, N. and B), 6% t "`" —Ditto. (G. N. E. Purchase) 6 per cent. ti 1 1 51850,44 dis. MANCHESTER, AUGUST 17. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The transactions to-day were as follow • North Staffordshire, 64 dis.—Manchester and Sheffield, E i g hths , 4) c.—Great Northern (A), 3% —W est R i d i ng Un i on, 4 7-16 dig,: East Lancashire, 164—Lincoln Union, 3 1-16 dis.—Dover (No. 4) ' Scrip, 6 13.16—Manchester a n d Bi rm i ngham (C), Quarters, 2 % P. London, Fifths, 4% c. p.—Sheffi e ld, P reference, 11 % . rt BIRMINGHAM, AUGUST 17. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The share m ar k e t i s stat i onary, The r epo of tho Great Western Railway C om p any, although the dividen d . low, is considertd in some respects satisfactory. Birmingham' Dudley, and Wolverhampton were quo t e d at 5 The share m arket may be expected to be inactive until the resu lt o f th e L on don an North-Western and Midland meetings are made known. YORK, AUGUST 16. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The transactions to-day have been as low: —Great Northern, B%—Yorlc, Newcastle, and Berwick ( o • r ' 13. Purchase), 3/. 6s. 3d. GLASGOW, AUGUST 16. STOCK E RCHANGE.—The transactions to-day", were as follow:r. Aberdeen, Preference, 6% Glasgow and Gre enoc k, 16% —Edinburg. and Glasgow, 81—Edinburgh, Perth, and Dundee (Newport), 6 1 ii Great Indian Peninsula, 12e. 6d. ROYAL DISPENSARY FOR DISEASES OF THE EAU/ DEAN -STREET, SOllO-SQUARE.—Last week the half' yearly meeting of this institution took . place at th e Dis• pensary, Dr. Richards in the . chair. Th e secret arf read a brief report of the proceedings, and the amount of subscriptions received during the last six months; the charity having been aided by the subscriptions of the Queen Dowager, the King of the. Belgians, the Miss es Tilney Long, and others. At present the resource; of th e Dispensary were found inadequate to meet not only th e claims upon th e c h ar i ty, b ut also the increasing numbe r of applicants for relief. During the last six months 458 fresh cases were entered upon the books, and 88 , were discharged cure d, many of which were of 10136 standing. The comm i ttee, therefore, appeal to t he friends of the institution and the benevolent to read er them assistance for carrying out these important objec t ' . A vote of thanks was passed to Mr. Harvey, the surge°. l3 : and to Dr. Richards for his kindness in taking the cha t ': [ADVERTISEMENT.]—Scorbutic Humours cured h/ Holloway's Ointment and Pills.—Extract of a letter from A lf ; George F. Williams, of Bl ac k rac k , near Cork, dated " 14, 1848. To Professor Holloway. Sir,—l beg t o state if; your satisfaction, and for the infor ma ti on o f the afflicted, th e wonderful effects your Ointment and Pills have had u pon rc e ; I have suffered severely from scorbutic humours; and for th last seven years my eyes have been dreadfully sore. Daring that period I tried almost every remedy without o btainingl least relief; at last I was prevailed upon to use your invaluab l e medicines, which I did, and I am delighted to say that I a ., perfectly cured by them." Sold by all druggists, and at Pro fessor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand, London. BIRTHS. On the 12th inst., at Tunbridge-wells, the wife of Alfred J. Leeching, Esq., of a daught-r. On the 15th inst., at Woodcote, the Lady Louisa Cotes, ° f a daughter. On the 15th inst., at Beckenham, the wife of Georg e Hankey, Esq , of a son. On the 15th inst., at Carlton-villas, Holloway, the wi f e of E. 13. Eleiy, Esq., of a son. to On the lah inst., in Cadogan-place, Mrs. Johnstone/ Beaconsfield, of a son. MARRIED. On the 14th inst., at the Holy Trinity Church, Padding" / „' Mr. Francis Giles, to Jane, widow of the late George like ° " - mick, Esq. h ft On the 15th inst., at St. Peter's Church, Sudbury, 1 10- , e Ransom, jun., Esq., solicitor, to Emma Jane, only sur o v daughter of the late Mr. B. Pratt. On the 16th inst., at Edgbaston Church, Warwicksh i l' John Miller, Esq., Lieutenant in her Majesty's 10th Rcg r ment, and only son of the late Captain Miller, of Meridell; in the county of Warwick, t o J ane I sa b e l, e ld es t d au ghter 0 ' Charles Shaw, Esq., cf Greenfield-house, in the same con d' On the 16th inst., at St. Stephen's, Coleman-street, ter ward Kynaston Bridge r , E sq ., t o A ugusta , secon d d a ugli of the Rev. John hathunt Deane. On the 16th inst., at Sutherland Chapel, Walwortb, George Wood, of Canterbury, to Susanna Mountier, sec Ip. daughter of Mr. John Budden, Grosvenor- street, CarnberWere, On the 16th inst., at St. Peter's Church, Eaton -8( 1 t12 to , Captain Katon, R.N., son of the late Admiral Katomo, Catalina Pauliva, widow of the late Admiral the Hon. C har ' Fleming. On the 2d inst., at Cae D nIED , Normandy, Henry Char 4.- lea Duckle, of Pilham-hall, Gainsborough, Esq., M.D., ag ed 4- I' l 4 On the Bth inst., at Paris, Madame St. Blancard/ eldest au' viv ng daughter of Edward Wilbraham, Esq" of ceased, late of Cirencester and Horsley, in the count), Gloucester. of Essexthe 11th inst., at Butt-hatch, John Barnes, ex Mile end, Middlesex, and Havering-atte-Bower , aged 5.!. On the 11th inst., at Ilfracombe, North Devon Nathanie Vye Lee, E-q., aged 71. L-radon; Printed and Published by MURDO Y01N41.112 Na. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, I°l° ',.; Strand, in the Precinct of the SE , VOy, in the qty BLiddiedes, Saturday, August 16, 1849 ARRIVALS.