The Sun. — London, England, 1861-09-25 00:00:00

2.11 E NAVY. ~~- Her Majesty's steam troop-ship I)ee, Master Com mander Pullen, has commenced shipping steam gear in Woolwich Dockyard for the following ships of war now under construction—viz., the 91-gun ship Albion, building at Devonport ; the 51-gun frigate Aurora, building at Pembroke; and the 17-gun sloop Perseus, alga building at Pembroke. The following vessels have been chartered by the Board of Admiralty for the service of the War De partment, to load from Woolwich as follows :—The Norfolk, for the Mauritius; the Sarah Love and Josephine, for Malta; the Damietta, for St. Helena; the Herrington, for Algoa Bay; the Impetus, for Barbadoes ; the Devondale, for Colombo ; the Speedy , for Vancouver's Island; the Livingstone, for New foundland; and the steamer Peninsula, for Gibraltar. The hired transports Western Star and Coquette, at Woolwich pier, have commenced shipping mili tary stores for Malta. The Himalaya screw troopship,. Capt. Seccombe, has embarked the troops enumerated in The un of yesterday, and will sail to-day if the weather mo derates. The crew of the screw steamship Renown, 89, Capt. Arthur Forbes, at Devonport, will be paid off to-day. The screw s t eam gunvessel Plover, 5, Commander the Hon. A. L. Corry, at Plymouth, is tow ready for sea. She was destined first, it was said, for the coast of Africa, then for the West Indies, and now it is understood she will be retained for service in the Channel. The screw steam gunvessel Arrow, 5, having had her copper stripped off and shafting taken out, while in No. 4 dock at Devenport yard, was removed on Monday morning, preparatory to ler being sold out of the service. In the afternoon the Viper, 4, was placed in the dock for a similar purpose. Rear-Admiral Robert Spencer Robinson, Con troller of the Navy, is now at Devonport inspecting the arsenals and other public works, The screw steam corvette Alert, 17, Commander William A. P. Pearce, at Spithead, from the Pacific, is ordered to Plymouth, where her crew will be paid off. She will be placed in the Steam Reserve. The Alert was commissioned at Devonport in Nov. 1859. In consequence of the extent of her defects, it has been determined to place the paddlewheel steam sloop Geyser, 6, Commander G. M. Jackson, at Devonport, in dock. She discharged her posy der yesterday. Norwich. They will probably arrive at Norwich on Friday. Major Milward, Brigade-Major, Royal Artillery, at Woolwich, has gone to the southern district of England, by direction of the Duke of Cambridge, to inspect the volunteers. The duties of Brigade- Major at Woolwich will be performed in the interval by Major Reilly, C. 8., aide-de-camp to the major general commanding, Sir Richard Dacres. Mr. J. Perry, the builder and contractor, has just completed a range of buildings at the back of the Royal Artillery mess quarters at Woolwich a s billiard and smoking rooms, for the more ample accommodation of the officetb and their friends. Much care has been bestowed on their proper heat ing and ventilation. For the latter purpose a long exterior gallery, or " eastern balcony," supported by heavy iron pillars, runs along the length of the building. The entire cost has been defrayed from the funds of the mess committee. In consequence of the Woolwich division of Royal Marines being at present below its required strength, additional recruiting parties have been despatched to various districts, with instructions to use great diligence in obtaining serviceable men for the corps. Yesterday a draught of the 2d battalion of the 6th Regiment left Colchester Camp for Gibraltar. It consisted of two sergeants, four drummers, and 60 rank and file, under the command of Capt. Stillman, who was commanded by Lieut. Hall and Ensign Collis. The draught proceeded to Portsmouth, and embarked on board the Megvera, in which they ar rived from Ireland only a few weeks since. General Dennis Herbert, whose death we have to announce, was one of the senior Generals in the army. The deceased, who expired on the 19th inst. at Exeter, served on the Continent with the army under Lord Moira and the Duke of York. He was engaged in the Carib war in St. Vincent's, at Port au-Prince, in St. Domingo, and at Fort Irois, dur ing the three months' siege, and also at the siege of Copenhagen in 1807. His commissions bore date : Ensign, Jan. 1794 ; lieutenant, Sept. 4, 1794 ; cap tain, Feb. 21; 1799; major, Jan. 30, 1800 ; lieut.- colonel, Jan. 28,1808 ; colonel, Jane 4, 1814; ma jor general, May 27, 1825 ; lieut.-general, June 28, 1838; and general, June 20, 1854. Capt. Oakes 1 - as been appointed Adjutant of the West Suffolk Militia, in the room of Capt. M'Gre gor, who retires with the rank of Honorary Major. THE AR2III The following circular, addressed to the cavalry, has been issued from the Horse Guards by com mand of the Duke of Cambridge : "1. The General Commanding .in-Chief having had under his consideration the proportions of ammunition al lowed for cavalry regiments, as prescribed in paragraph 1, p. 112, of the Queen's Regulations, directs that all cavalry regiments armed with the rifle carbine shall receive for the training of the recruit, and for the exercise of the drilled soldier annually, the following quantities of ammunition : For the recruit, 70 rounds of ball cartridge, and 20 rounds of blank ditto, with 100 percussion caps, also 20 percussion caps for snapping practice ; to be applied for as wanted, in such quantities as may be justified by the number of re cruits actually present, or expected to join soon. For the drilled soldier annually 70 rounds of ball and 50 rounds of blank cartridge, with 132 percussion caps ; to be applied for in sufficient time to ensure its receipt prior to the date on which the practice is to commence. " 2. His Royal Highness desires that the course of in struction for the cavalry soldier in the use of the rifle car bine be strictly carried out in conformity with the regula tions for conducting the musketry instruction of the army, with such modification only as the different nature of the duties of the two services requires ; and that commanding officers, field officers, captains, Subalterns, and instructors in all other respects conform to the rules laid down for their guidance in the above-named regulations. "3. The cavalry soldier is never, if it can possibly be avoided, to be withdrawn from his stable duties for carbine instruction. The period of the day in which these will be least interfered with is from 2 p.m. until it is time for even ing stables. "4. The cavalry recruit is to be instructed in the use of the rifle carbine in all respects as the infantry recruit, omit ting the platoon practices, which are not considered neces sary in his rifle training. "5. The course of carbine instruction through which the drilled cavalry soldier is to be exercised annually is to con sist of the following number of drills and practices, which can be executed easily, and in an efficient manner, in the period of the day already specified :—Preliminary Drills— Four lessons in cleaning ammunition, each half an hour ; four lessons in theoretical instruction, eaoh half an hour ; four aiming drills, from 150 to 600 yards, each three. quar ters of an hour; four position drills, each three-quarters of an hour; four judging distance drills, two to 300 yards, and two to 600 yards, each three-quarters of an hour; total hours' instruction daily, three and a quarter, for four days. Practice—First period of target and judging distance prac tice, 21 rounds and 12 answers, two days; second period of target and judging distance practice, 20 rounds and 12 answers, two days ; third period of target and judging dis tance, 20 rounds and 12 answers, two days ; skirmishing from 400 to 200 yards, 10 rounds, one day. Total number of days, of a maximum of four hours, to be occupied an nually in musketry drill and practice-11. " 6. The foregoing course of instruction (which is a mo dification of the infantry course, in consequence of the time of the cavalry soldier being so fully occupied with stable and other duties) must be strictly and fully carried out to insure efficiency in the use of the cavalry rifle carbine. 6 , 7. It is of great importance that the carbine instruc tion of the cavalry should take place at the same time of the year as the masketry instruction of the infantry; com manding officers will, therefore, take care that this is fully attended to, and that the tour e be, if possible, continued without interruption, until completed. " S. In the case of cavalry regiments which are armed with rifled carbines not sighted to 900 yards, or are quar tered at stations where a range to the full extent is not available, the practices to be executed and the quantity of ammunition to be expended under such circumstances are detailed in annexed table.—By command of his Royal Highness the General Commanding-in-Chief, " JAMES YORKE SCABLETT, Adjt,-Gen." Yesterday Col. W. R. Nedham, commandant of the Royal Artillery, commenced his half-yearly in spection of the Royal Artillery in the Chatham dis trict. The four brigades attached to the subdivision at Sheerness will be inspected in the first instance, after which C o l. N edham will inspect the other de tachments of Royal Artillery quartered in the dis trict. The 31st and 33d companies of Royal Engineers, together with the reinforcement s for the other com panies serving in the Mediterranean, were paraded at Brompton-barracks, Chatham, at an early hour yesterday morning, and, having been inspected by Lieut.-Col. T. B. Collinson, second in command, at the Royal Engineer establishment, were marched down to Chatham-barracks, where they joined the , detachment of the 2d battalion of the 4th King's Own, which proceeds to Corfu to join the service e ulflies of that regiment. Afte r th e t r oops of the line had been inspected by Colonel H. Jervis, the entire body marched off to the station of the Landon, • Chatham, and Dover Railway, preceded by the Royal Engineers' band, and proceeded by to, speeial train anortsmouth where they embark for the .Mediterranean, Oat 120 str ong , aner. The 31 st company goes company. 11 % z : h eeds to Maltn, to relieve the 17th ,e.n rs a e n n l: ts of 45 men for th e , 28th company at Malta left Chatham with the 31st co - 3 0th at Corfu, also lowing officers :—Capt. A. B. ; 12 P e anY, and the fol- T. Campbell. and Lieut. R. j r j s) W. M. co means, which has been also auo-glamese. The 33d t t e u o ri rn r? eve required strength, proceeds to Gibraltarr to its the 24th company. Detachments, to the n 40- men, selecteddi l rom the companies at head 'r f quar ters, were attached to the 33d company.to join the eastern and western limits of Eennndi,sdkiisltleannttofrwonm -3d and 27th companies at Gibraltar, where the 33d ship, but at the extremc i relieves the 24th company, The officers who ac- Wyoming i. l2 miles4:.romThSeartunwiau, townshi p is f i r s o ma about St.. l companied .the 33d company from Chatham were Clair uliles er about square,'l6. situated in the county of Lambton ; Capt. B. Hawthorn and Lieut. W. Salmond. The ay ; timber, oak of the most magnifi cent proportion of womon and children proceed soil, heav white wood, beach, 'maple, with the Royal Engineers to the Mediterranean. cent kind, elm, ash Yesterday the H batter! , 9 th brigade , Royal hickory of the largest size, basswood, walnut—in doubt that, with a thorough Artillery, numbering 170 non •eommissioned officers fact, all, kinds of hard wood. Judging from the t n h o is would become proper.eanada. With one of the and gunners, with 96 horses, srrived at Chatham settlements, th u er a e ge is , But I am wandering from the Carragth. The battery proceeds, a portion system of drainage, bpjsectin my friend, who to Canterbury anCl the remeinder to Walmer, where f fi r r o s m t to ro w y ns s h u l guide, I spent a few days at the it will be permsnen.tly statioL'a• In consequence of ,the serious . ' of Col. diggings, learning all I could from those best o. f illness of Col. kindly acted the D ixon, C.B. and the ' also Street, 0.13,, Major indisposition iin tempo- posted. Laye has been place, nary co siorWest I found the oil region extending over a limited of , the r 0 1 t O r t u h u mound of the 9th battalion, and M. • "ter, space. From the tests already made the oilmen p bE s tttalion, at the camp at Colche:. .that it does not extend all over the sth Dragoon Guards have arrived at Ips wich' 'th the township, as some- at first supposed. Black I ' .teut.-Col. wtch andColthorpe' the headquarters, wi now have concluded more men, left and other officers, and some t Creek seems to he the richest territory yet dis- Colchester Yesterday en route for I 00 i , ered in. Canada, and, according to some of the best authorities, it is the richest in America. Wan dering along the banks and in the flats of the stream, which certainly deserves the name it bears, lat every few rods came across a well. They were in every stage of procedure. Some were just tom meneed ; some were just finished ; from many men pumping oil into huge vats. Here let me say that the wells are of different kinds. First, there are the surface wells, so called because they are only sunk to the rock; these are for the most part on the fiats of the creek. Some of them, when within a few feet of the rock, quickly fill with oil, which, with much noise and uproar of gas, bursts in from the loose gravelly substance overlying the rock. I have known wells 50 feet deep and five feet square fill to the very brim with oil. Nay, I have seen it flow over the top and run away in a stream, wast ing hundreds of barrels. These wells are dug large, the sides are cribbed and then puddled, so as to keep out the surface water. Surface wells are dug and finished for about three dollars per foot. The oil from these wells is thicker and less pure than that from the rock wells, but a refiner told me that, though it was harder to deodorise and refine than the rock oil, yet, when manufactured, it made the best oil ; having more body, it gave the best light, and burnt longer. It is also best for lubricating purposes. For rock wells they frequently sink a well like a surface well, and then drill ; but more frequently the soil is bored out with a large augur until the rock is reached, a distance varying from 40 to 70 feet. Then piping like pump logs is put in and driven down snug on the rock. After this the slow process of drilling is carried on, ig from by o foot, horse power, or with steam engines, sinking a few inches to perhaps 10 feet per day, according to the nature of the rock. This drilling is done for about 2 dol. 50c. per foot.. The character of the rock seems to vary with every well. It is generally, however, soapstone, with layers of shale, which is here in very small quantities, though at other parts of the township I have known drillers to go through 50 or 60 feet without change. There are also layers of sandstone, flint rock, and sulphate of iron; these vary in quantities at every well, though distant but a few rods. In the soapstone the oil is generally round, and at various distances from the surface. A continuation of little veins may be struck ; then all at once a larger one, which may cause the oil to be forced in immense quantities out of the pipe. (The quantity of oil this country is capable of producing is amazing.) My friend led me until I was tiud, and I had seen more oil and more wells in opera tion, and in course of being sunk, than I had ever, imagined as being in this county. I was told there were hundreds; that before January 500 wells will be down ; and I believe it. I came across a well every few rods. There, in the wild woods, were hundreds of men, all quiet, intent upon their work. There was no talking, but tramp, tramp, tramp went the foot, click, click, click the sound sharp of the drill as the steel bit its way in the rock. In a few places in the woods we encountered bvildings of more pretentious appearance than the majority; here were wells worked by steam-engines. How they ever were got in I know not, but here they are, working night and day. Large vats and tanks held the oil ; some of them hold 1,000 bar rels ; the largest are immense pits sunk in the stiff clay, cribbed and puddled, and these, they say, are better than wooden vats, which leak the oil out, so penetrating is it. There being no pine, the houses are for the most part built of logs or bark of the elm, which is here stripped for that purpose. The life led by the oilmen very much resembles that of the gold diggers of California. There was much discom fort, but the prospect of gain is better and more reliable than ever held out by California. Scarcely a well at Black Creek fails. Fabulous prices have been paid for good wells. Some acre lots sell as high as 1,000 dols. Hundreds of people are coming in every week from all parts of America, most of them being from Ohio and Pennsylvania —men who have seen the good thing made by those who were lucky in getting into the Pennsylvanian oil region at the beginning, but who were too poor to do anything there now. They are men of limited capital for the most part, but of untiring energy and industry. They are of all trades and professions, and I must say, considering there are some 600 or 700 there, they are the best conducted lot of men I ever say. After the labours of the day, sitting around on boxes, barrels, benches, or bags of potatoes (for there was not then a chair in the house), they discussed topics of general interest. The Michigan Exchange, where your correspon dent lodged, was a large frame building, built in the barn style, offering free ventilation. About 50 of us slept in the upper room in teds ranged like ship berths, one above another, and two in a bed at that. Many slept on the floor, with only a counterpane under them, their boots their pillow. Many were turned away from the door. Early in the spripg , when the accommodation was smaller, and the rush of Americans greater than since the war com menced, it was considered a great boon to be per mitted to lie on the floor. A good story is told of a certain landlord who, after his guests wearied with their long tramp, notwithstanding the hard boards, were wrapped in sound and sweet slumbers, was wont to raise the unconscious traveller and stand him up against the wall, and then give his bed to another, who, in turn, was served in like manner. For the truth of this story I will not vouch. It went the round of Black Creek. Talking of good stories, there is one equally good, but supported by truth. A Mr. --, an old American, returning through the woods about dusk, was terribly frightened by hearing immediately over his head one of the most unearthly and infernal sounds that ever terrified mortal. He thought his time had come. The first shock of terror had scarcely seized him when he received a severe blow on the head as if from a demon's claws. Something with glaring eyes whirled past him. Frantic, he grasped his head. His hair was on end, but no hat was there. Finally, raising his eyes, he saw a large owl quietly sailing away with his hat in his claws. That was the last he ever saw of it. To this day the word "owl" sets him off. The hotels, and they are of high-sounding names, such as the Michigan Exchange, Twin Sisters, New York House, Royal George, and others of the second class, besides shanties innumerable—are all crowded. Vast numbers of people come, look around, and then leave, but return in a short time prepared to go in. Mr. Brydges, managing director of the Great Western Railway, was here the other day. He expressed himself astonished; he had not the least idea of the greatness of the oil development. No doubt the railway comiecting this place with the main line, a charter for which is already ob tained, will soon be built. It certainly would pay, as it could be built at a trifling expense. The quality of freight would make it highly remunera tive. Why, while I was there quietly looking on, I saw wells yield day after day from 10 to 50 barrels. Now 300 wells at 10 barrels per day would give 3,000 barrels. Whit plank-road accom modation could manage that, or even half of it? And this, I assure you, is a small calculation ; 10 barrels per diem is moderate, and there will be double 300 wells before a year at the present rate of sinking. As far as I could judge, failure is the exception. Not one man in 20 who pretended to be in the oil region failed to get oil ; nor has any rock well shown signs of drying up. There is no doubt of it, a source of untold wealth is in our midst—an oil territory richer than yet discovered—and yet we Canadians know it not ; or, rather, we won't let ourselves know it, but shut our ears to statements of facts until people from another country come in and take advantage of opportunities we let slip. If a particle of gold had been found there, how soon would the country ring with the tidings ! Yet here is something equally valuable, Lnd, for some unknown reason, all information regarding it has been sedulously withheld from the public until nine-tenths of the people even in Toronto deem the whole thing a hoax. Thanks, however, to the enterprise of some of the Torontonians, the Americans are no longer to enjoy a monopoly of the oil-refining business. One firm in Toronto is buying some thousand barrels, while another is introducing it largely into Europe. Once the European market is opened it must create an immense trade, for a substance from which are made refined toilet-soaps, candles superior to wax, oil that gives a cheaper and not less beautiful light THE CANADIAN OIL REGION. (From a Correspondent of the Toronto Leader.) ' Leaving London by the 2'40 p.m. train, your cor respondent went directly to Wyoming—the de barking point for Black Creek, as any one might suppose who is favoured with a sense of smell. The peculiar odour of the oil, which is here stored in large quantities for carriage to the eastern markets, is perceived, especially if the wind happens to be favourable, at .the distance of a mile or two. I noticed that the large platform was covered with the blackest and oiliest of barrels, saying nothing of the hundreds of empty ones which were returned from the east, and which in promiscuous heaps, oftentimes 20, feet high, covered the ground for rods. The rapid importance this place has assumed is astonishing. A few months ago, and it was no place; now it is the place; than there was a station at a distance of a few miles on either side of it ; it was not even a stopping point ; now it has stores and shops of every kind. Post-office, carpen ters, shoemakers, tailors, blacksmiths—in fact, all the trades are represented—and two doctors hang out their shingles. A fine foundry has just been got into operation. There are livery stables and teams here without number, and last, but never least, hotels of a very good kind. From the crowd of drivers, hotel runners, and lounging stragglers, one would almost suppose himself at the station of a city. So great is the increase of business on the Sarnia branch of the Great Western that the com pany are now removing one of the neighbouring stations to this place, and are erecting storehouses for the oil. With the arrival of the morning train from Sar nia, which, by the way, is only 17 miles distant, and is the resting place of great numbers of Ame ricans who come here, I took one of the half-dozen stages that run to the oil regions. lam sure not less than 35 or 40 passengers went on the same day to the creek. The road for the first six miles was tolerably gooc, though, the country being a dead level, with a soil of heavy clay, drainage is difficult. The road passes through the centre of the township, is cut and clQared most of the way, and is partially ditched. But soon we hope the labours of the ener -getic contractor, who is building a plank road from Wyoming to Black Creek, will render the route less wearisome than at present. At a distance of four miles we come to a store and tavern ; this is Petrolia. West from it about half a mile are the wells known as "Kelly's Wells." These at one time attracted considerable attention. There are here about_ a dozen wells yielding tolerably. A refinery has been built at a cost of 10,000 dols. It is now just com mencing operations. Proceeding, we occasionally passed finely cultivated farms. The last five miles of the journey subject the traveller to an experience such as he seldom enjoys. The road is fearfully rough, so that, notwithstanding the good springs, we sometimes feared that our backbone might get a " kink which might not be so easily shaken out." As some involuntary es.clamations of danger escaped from me, a rascal sitting opposite laughed. " Why," said he, " I guess you're a stranger to these parts, for if you'd only been here this spring ! Stranger," he added, " do you see these logs piled alongside of the road for miles ? Well, I've seen as many as 20 men at a time scrambling like monkeys over these ere logs ; this road was covered with water"; the mud was dear knows how deep, and if you got in you was likely to leave your boots, as I have seen good men do before now. Why, I saw a delicate young chap, a judge's son from Boston, stuck so tight that two of us had to go back and help him out. Look here, stranger; do you see that ere canal ?" I had noticed for same miles a strange g ditch, about 18 inches deep and five feet wide, n the clay at the bottom of which seemed to have been smoothed in some way, and had been puzzling myself to account for it , " That , " said my talkative friend, who was evidently a Yankee, " that," said he, " is the canal in which they drew out the oil. It was loaded on stone boats, a barrel, or perhaps two at a time, and then dragged about four miles by oxen, sometimes floating, sometimes slipping through the mud and water, until they got to the drier road, when the load was transferred to waggons. Lord! how I larfed at first. Barrels, oxen, and driver was all of a colour, all equally wet and muddy ; but these is good times. The road is beautiful now, and soon the plank road will make it like railroad driving, and it won't cost no dollar a hundred to get stuff in as it did last spring, and their you couldn't get nothing in." We passed a good many waggons of oil going out to the station. Each waggon carried from four to seven barrels. The teamsters looked sufficiently well lubricated to enable them to slip through the world without trouble. We arrived safely at Black Creek in time to partake of a good rough dinner in com pany with 30 or-40 others. Having fallen in with an acquaintance, I was much assisted in my tour of the territory. The place—Black Creek—derives its name from a creek of that name running through the oil region. It is about half way between the • than gas, and much more convenient, and furnish ing the best machine and lubricating oil yet known, must ultimately be brought into universal use. THE WHALE FISHING. - - - -4-- - In Eastern lauds it is high praise to say of a coun wine, and oil abound ther e —th e o il of the three foremost r e qui s it es ; are equally hopeful for an abun dance of oil—but with this difference, that it is not the mild buttery produce of the olive, but the more luscious one of the whale w . e desire, and that we desire it so much as to put it first, conscious that if our harpooners and shipowners get but pl en ty o f it their corn and wine will be sure. Taking a n ave rage of years, the whale fishing pays. One good sea son covers many bad ones, just as a little charity c overs a multitude of sins. This year is the year of reward, the season of makeweight. This year the catch of our eight ships is (allowing 150 tuns to th e narwhal) 764 tuns, valued, with bone, at about £42,000. This is emphatically a good year. When the news left Davis Straits, the fishing was so far from concluded that we are warranted in expecting a catch of about one-third more fish before the season expires; and we may remind our readers that, two years ago, the whole of that year's catch was taken after the date at which our whalers are reported as having this year secured their 764 tuns. It has been said that this year's success is unprecedented. That is an error. In 1823 the ten Dundee ships took among them 282 whales, being' more than 28 fish to each vessel, and 2,168 tuns of oil, or over 216 tuns for each ship. In 1828 all the Dund e e w h a l ers returned " full." This year the average per ship was, at the end of July, 954 tuns—in 1849 it was, at the end of the season, 146 tuns ; in 1856, 166 tuns ; in 1850, 100 tuns; and in 1823 it was over 216 tuns. The memorable fishing of 1823 stands by itself. That year was a famous one. Each fi s hi ng p or t saw its whalers roll home like so many greasy casks full to the bung; the fatty ships, sodden f r om de c k to keel, covered the docks with a film of creamy blub ber, and some men drove a good business in skimming the grease-covered docks as dairymaids skim cream bowls. How the ships were garlanded and wel comed ; how the fatty, ruddy-faced tars came to port rich in pocket and in perfumee, and how the boys swarmed in the rigging and raced along the stays, for the garlands are things not readily to be forgotten. That year the Princess Charlotte, Capt. Adamson, came into harbour on the 25th of September, with 26 fish, 230 tuns ; the Achilles, Captain Valentine, with 37 fish, 260 tuns ; the Dorothy, Captain Deuchars, with 27 fish, 225 tuns ; and the Advice, Captain Webster, with 23 fish, 210 tuns. On the 27th of September, the Thomas, Captain Thorns, came in with 38 fish, 240 tons. On the 6th of October,'the Three Brothers, Captain Foreman, arrived with 28 fish, 215 tuns ; on the 10th, the Horn, Captain Jeffers, came,bring ing 32:1- fish, 240 tuns; the Friendship, with 17 fish ; and on the 16th th e E str id ge , w i t h 30 fi s h. Last of all, in November, came the Fairy, with 22 more whales, and she closed the arrivals for that truly extraordinary. year. What the value of the great bone and blubb er h arves t was i n 1823 we have no evidence before us to show. The value, however, of some of the best of more recent years is thus stated :—ln 1849 Dundee's five ships brought home over £30,000 worth of bone and oil. In 1856, when a succession of wretchedly bad years had re duced our whalers to three, each whaler got an ave rage of 166 tuns of oil, and the gross value obtained by the three vessels was over £31,000 ; and in 1859, when the trade was looking up again, and when our town sent five ships, the total take gave 109 tuns to each vessel, and a collective value of £29,000. The year 1855 was almost blank, and the whole gross series of years from 1849 to 1856 varied from a yield of £2,000 to £13,000 worth of Arctic produce. This brief prelimi nary statemen t w ill help our readers to an estimate of the fortunate nature of this season's fishing , when eight whalers have, long be fore the close cf th e fi s hi ng ti m e, and with every prospect of yet secur i ng more fi s h, secured oil . and -bone of the valu e of .E 42,000.—Dundee Advert i ser. EX7 I? 4 ORDINARY NON - DPLIT 7. .RY AND MALVERSATION OF 1,500 LETTERS. ---, Yesterday the meat remarkable cases of non-de livery and partial malversation of public letters that has occurred' since the establishment of the General Post-office was brought to light by the apprehension of a young man, 19 years of age, who had been employed for the last twelve months on the Lombard-street and Fenchurch• street walks, one of the most commercially important and re sponsible districts connected with the General Post-office. It appears, from the most authentic information that could be gained upon the subject, that ever since April last numerous representations have from time to time reached the " Mis sing Letter Department " of the Post-office from hankers, commercial firms, and companies in Lombard-street and its neighbourhood, stating that letters containing notes, cheques, advices, and cor respondence, had not duly come to hand; and the authorities, although, through their dectectives and other officers, exercising every vigilance, were alto gether, until yesterday, completely non-plussed and at a total loss to account for their non consignment and delivery. From information, however, re ceived, and from suspicions afloat, Edmund William Bullen, of 5, Mercer-street, Shad well, unmarried, and living with his parents there, was taken into custody, and the circumstances that led to his ap prehension and to the subsequent discovery of this wholesale detention of letters are rather remarkable and curious. A short time ago some notes were presented and cashed at the Bank of England, but these notes not having been received by the proper parties, notice of the non -receipt of them was com municated to the Post-office, who gave information s, a well-founded sus of it to the accountant of bank -not es , w h o for warded them for inspection to the Post-office autho rities,picion by wasNevnhtoemr entertained ead that appear the endorseme n t o f th e name and address upon the notes, although fictitious, was in the handwriting of the delinquent. On being apprehended yesterday, and brought before Mr. Peacock, the solicitor to the Post-office, and the other authorities, Bullen was requested to write his name and address upon paper, and on comparing it with the handwriting on the stolen and abstracted notes the similarity was so self-evident, so unlike an escrow, that the authorities at once determined on detaining Bullen in custody. He was then searched by the officer, and on examining his pocket-book two £5 notes were found that had been abstracted from a letter sent through the Norfolk post, addressed to Messrs. Hankey's, bankers, in Fenchurch-street, and which in the usual course of things should have been delivered at the bank ten days ago. On being asked bow he came by these notes, Bullen replied, "I found them yesterday on Cornhill." Sub sequently the prisoner's cupboard, a recep tacle that each of the letter-carriers bas at the General Post-office to put his things in, was searched, and there, to the astonishment of the esta blishment, were found whole bundles of letters, con• taining not fewer than 1,500 in all, with dates and postmarks from all parts of the country, as far back even as April and May, and extending over subse quent months up to within the last week, and which ought to have reached their destination in the city. During the day they were forwarded to their re spective addresses, to the no small surprise and per plexity of the parties who ought to have received them some weeks and months ago. Upwards of 100 letters alone from amongst those that were im pounded were received by commercial firms occu pying chambers in St. Micha-l's House, George yard, Lombard-street—Messrs. R. Smith and Co., East India merchants ; Messrs. A. Milne and Co., and other firms, containing dock warrants, advices, and correspondence. Similar letters were delivered at the various banks, insurance and other companies in Lombard-street and the district; Mr. Elmslie, solicitor, of Lombard street, a dividend warrant for £5O, indentures, and numerous other remittances by other parties. There were also between 70 and 80 letters addressed to barristers and solicitors in the Temple, the explanation of this being that, Bullen being what is called a supplementary or assistant letter deliverer, was occasionally employed on other walks besides the one in Lombard-street. Bullen, it appears, was taken into the service in consequence of his respectability a nd the satisfactory nature of his testimonials and antecedents. re ceived 18s. per week, and was employed in the ordi naryire collection and delivery business from 5 o'clock in the morning until 6in the evening; but recently, by means of some arrangement with the other men, he had occasionally absented himself from his duties, indulging in billiards, skittles, and excursions on the river, and commenced the career of "a fast young man," latterly working of y about eight hours a day, and going on some three or four deliveries, with which he was entrusted, over men who had been for years in the service. Further inquiries have been set on foot to ascertain whether there are any accomplices connected with the extraordinary transaction. Bullen was brought up before the magistrate at Bow-street in the course of yesterday, charged with stealing a great number of letters containing mo ney and other property. Smee, the Post office constable, deposed—l was present at the assistants' office, General Post-office, yesterday, when the prisoner was brought there on another inquiry, and I received orders to search him with his own consent. I found in the pocket of his official coat 35 post letters of various dates. He was asked how he aclounted for having them in his pocket. •He said some he had neglected to deliver, and time he had been unable to deliver, THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER • 25, 1861. I also found in his trousers pocket a purse, which I now produce. I asked him what money it con tained, and if it was his ? He said, " Yes, it con tained two £5 notes, and £1 9s. in gold and silver, which was correct. Being asked where he got the notes, he said he found them two days ago in Lom bard-street, lying loose with a letter, which he produced. I have since received information that they formed part of a remittance of £153 10s. in bills, drafts, and notes, from Messrs. Harvey and Hudson's bank at Thetford, Norfolk, addressed to Messrs. Hankeys and Co.'s bank, in Lombard-street. I also found on him an ivory ticket for the Horti cultural Society's Show, and a Foreign Office pass port. It was stated . that an incredible number of letters had been secreted by the prisoner. Ho was remanded for further examination. THE CHARGE OF ARSON AT PECKHAM. Yesterday Frederick Clift and George Clift, quill merchants, lately carrying on a part of their business at No. 2, Lansdowne, Peckham, and who have been in custody for a fortnight on the serious charge of wilfully and maliciously setting fire to their house and premises, with the inten tion of defrauding the Globe Fire Office, and further with conspiring together to defraud the same insurance company, were again brought up and placed at the bar before Mr. Elliott, at Lam beth Police-court, for further examination. Mr. Metcalfe, instructed by Mr. William - D. Freshfield, of the firm of Freshfield and Newman, appeared, as before, for the prosecution ; and Mr. Sleigh, instructed by Mr. Bartley, attended for the defence. The court, as on former occasions, was much crowded, and the prisoners appeared more smartly dressed_ than on any form er examination. The first witness called was Inspector Frost, of the P, or Camberwell, division of police, who de posed that he was present at the fire at the house No. 2, Lansdowne-villas, on the night of the 2d of August last, and on the same night he received the brass candlestick he produced from Mr. Brindle, a gentleman residing at Nunhead Lodge, close by. William Frederick Metcalf said—l am an engi neer belonging to the fire brigade, and attached to the Waterloo-road station. On the night of the fire I went to the house of the prisoner George, and there saw him, and also the other prisoner, Fre derick, and the wife of one of them. I asked if they could give any account of the fire and how it occurred; and Frederick said he could not. Mr. Metcalfe—Did he say why he could not ? Witness—Yes ; he said they had been down to Waltham Abbey to inquire about the character of a servant or servants ; that his wife had gone to the doctor's with a child ; and when they came home they found it out. 15id you ask him how about his insurance ? Yes ; I asked him if he was insured, and he said he was, in the Globe Fire Office. I asked him if he had his policy so that I might take its number and forward it to the Globe Office, and he said his bro ther could tell me more about it than he could ; and the brother gave me the number. You saw the remains of the quills in the stable ? —Yes. _ _ _ Now in your judgment what height of feathers must there have been to produce these remains ? About three feet. Thomas Knott—l live at Littlefield Lodge, close to Lansdowne-villas, and am servant to• Mrs. Soper there. On the day after the fire I found a street-door key, wrapped up in the handkerchief produced, in my mistress's garden. Mr. Elliott—What did you do with the key ? Witness—l gave it up to my mistress. Mr. Metcalfe—Did you afterwards see your mistress deliver the same key to Baxter, the fire man in charge of the ruins ? Witness—l did.. Did you find a second key P—Yes, I found the second key stuck in the earth, about a span from where I found the first. Did you see that key also given up to the fire man P—l did. The witness further said his mis tress's house was nearly opposite to that of Mr. Brindle, in whose garden the candlestick produced had been found, and about two minutes' walk• of the house of Mr. Goodwin, the grocer. Mr. Metcalfe here said that the keys spoken of had been identifiel on a former examination, by Mr. Puller, the landlord of the house, those of the stable and pantry, and they as well as the candlestick had been found, as stated, close to where the fire took place, and in the direction the prisoner George was seen to run just before the fire was discovered. He, Mr. Metcalfe, should call a witness as to the identity of the candlestick. Lucy Byatt, a respectable-looking young woman, here got into the witness-box, but, on the oath being about to be administered to her by Dixon, one of the ushers, she at first, and for some minutes, refused to be sworn. At length, however, she con sented, and the oath wis administered to her. Sue said she was sister to the wife of the prisoner Fre derick Clift, and had lived with him a short time as servant. Mr. Metcalfe—Have you been shown a candle. stick by the police? Witness—Yes, sir. Mr. Metcalfe—Now, look at the candlestick be fore you, and tell the Court whether you did not say that you knew it well from having cleaned it shortly before, and that it belonged to your brother in-law, the prisoner, Frederick Clitt ? Witness (hesitating)—No, I said it was too tall to be his. Now be careful what you say, young woman. Look at this candlestick again, and tell me whether you did not say that it belonged to the prisoner Frederick, and that 3 ou knew well ?—No, I did not. It is too tall. Now I should advise you to be careful, for I have your statement where you said it belonged to the prisoner Fred. Clift, and that you should know it out of a thousand. It is not so long ago since you stated this, and I wish you again to look at the candlestick, and tell me what you said about it P-- The witness, after some hesitation, said—l do not think it is the same ; it is too tall. Mrs, Mary Austin, the wife of a cowkeeper and dairyman on Peckham-rye, deposed that on the afternoon before the fire, about 4 o'clock, she was passing by the house No, 2, Lansdowne-vi , las, and saw a van drawn up close to the door with a num ber of bales of goods in it, and other bales lying about the lawn. Mr. Elliott—Did you see the van take these goods away ? Witness—No, I did not stop for that. Mr. B. Watkins, quill merchant, No. 1, Cannon street, City, said he saw the debris of the quills in the ruins shortly after the fire, and in his judgment, and judging from the quality of the quills, the quantity of quills to produce it would not exceed in value £BO or £lOO. It was also his opinion that if the place had been quite filled with such quills they would not exceed in value £3OO. Mr. Metcalfe—Did you notice any swan quills there ? Mr. Watkins—None. Had the place been filled with swan quills, what, in your judgment, would be their value P—l should think one thousand pounds. You think nothing like X 2,500 P—Certainly not. The following document of the claim made by the prisoners on the Globe Fire Office was here put in : " Schedule of stock in the hands of Messrs. George and Frederick Clift, quill and feather merchants, of No. 2, Lansdowne-villas, Albert-road, Peckham, destroyed by fire, on Tuesday, the 2d day of August, 1861, with value of same to Messrs. Clift at the time of such fire, and insured in the Globe Fire Office for £2,500. Number of policy, 7215. 6,000,000 foreign quills, value to Messrs. Clift at the time of the fire, 10s. 6d. per 1,000, and cannot now be pur chased .... . 80,000 swan quills, value 16s. per 1,000 .. 241 b. sable hair, value 16s. per ounce 307 4 A - quantity of Russian matting, bags, rags, and sundries, estimated value at £4,104 14 "We hereby declare that the foregoing is a true account of the goods destroyed by the fire that occurred on the 2d inst., and we call upon the Globe Insurance Office to pay the amount insured by them, £2,soo.—Signed Geo. Clift and Fredk. Clift. Dated Aug. 13, 1861." Mr. Fuller, the landlord of the house, was re called, and deposed that to the best of his belief the signatures to the document were in the handwrit ing of the prisoners. This being all the evidence Mr. Sleigh addressed the Court, and said he was desired to say by the gentleman who had instructed him that he had a complete answer to the present charge, and had a number of witnesses in attendance for the defence, whose testimony would fully bear out his assertion; but before calling them, and taking up the time of the Court unnecessarily, he should wish to be guided by the opinion of his worship as to whether the evidence given on the part of the prosecution was such as called on him to send his clients before another tribunal. If so, he should reserve his wit nesses for another place, and he (Mr. Sleigh) was therefore anxious to have an expression of his wor ship's opinion. Mr. Elliott said that, without offering any opinion whatever on the case, it was undoubtedly his in tention to send it before a jury. At the same time, he was prepared to hear any witnesses Mr. Sleigh wished to call. Mr. Sleigh thanked his worship, but said he should, under the circumstances, decline calling wit nesses at present, and this matter being disposed of he had an application to make for the liberation of his clients on such bail as would ensure their pre sence to take their trial. Mr. Elliott, before giving an answer, requested the whole of the depositions to be read over, and this 7 10 being done, he said he could not listen to any appli cation for bail. Mr. Freshfield intimated that the session being at present holden at the Central Criminal Court, it would be impossible to have the case ready in time, particularly as it was intended to indict the prisoners for a conspiracy to defraud the Globe Insurance Com pany as well as for arson ; and, therefore, it would be more convenient to adjourn the case over the present and-to the next session. This was conceded to ; the various witnesses were bound over for the next sessions, and the prisoners ordered to be brought up on another day prepara tory to a final commitment. THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY. - The continuous thoroughfare which formerly was known as the New-road, but which latterly has been parochially divided and renamed, has gained very little by the.change. It has always been and it remains a dull, unlovely street, struggling fitfully for existence. Without the attractions of a syren, it seems in some way or other to lure business-men to ruin. From whatever quarter they come, they generally discover it to be the high road to the Bankruptcy Court. Tradesmen who deal in tall ladders, zinc chimney-pots, and artificial stoneware, appeared until lately the only people who could flourish, like violets, in that shady region. Re cently, however, the purveyors of penny ices, and merci less twopenny photographs, have migrated to it, and dis played their wondrous specimens to tempt the pedestrians. Wherever no business or show of business is seen a shabby gentility sits sadly by the wayside, with patches of rank ♦egetation forming forecourts to the monotonous brick houses. The freshness of the Regent's-park, and the stateliness of Portland-place, expire instinctively when they come in contact with the New-road. Those Oriental gems—the royal family of Oude—could not bring wealth or fashion to it, but found there an appropriately lazy, dirty atmos7here. The very omnibuses which traverse it peri odically do so in a hum-drum, lifeless way, as though they were likewise afflicted with the partial paralysis which pre vails there. No opposition troubles, no nurses follow them. Their coachmen are never fined for furious driving, and their diversions, caused by the monopoly of portions of the New-road by the railway men, excite no murmur. They seem as though they were condemned for some unrecorded offence to drive, in all weathers, uselessly and unprofitably from Paddington to the Bank, or eh.o to be engaged in gently exercising invalid horses. A full load is a very great rarity with them, and causes their blank features to be varied with an admixture of astonishment. An empty omnibus occa sions no concern in them. They have grown quite stoical and suit the thoroughfare admirably. Oxford-street and Holborn take all the through passen gers to the Bank. Carriages, waggons, vans, and vehicles of every description crowd into those main arteries, and will not be diverted into the New-road. Numerous schemes have been started to relieve the overcharged streets ; one man proposed to run railways along the widened balconies of all the first-floor windows of the principal streets, forming , colonnades beneath them. Another tuggestion pointed at a belt of connecting lines around London ; but at length the notion of extending the termini into the very heart of the metropolis has assumed a practical form. The London, Chatham, and Dover will be pushed forward into Farring don-street, the South-Eastern into Charing-cross, and the Great Western and Great Northern will be linked together by the Metropolitan, which will have its terminus in Vie - toria-street. Whether for good or whether for ill, these lines will be completed. One effect of them will be to give greater facilities to City men to dwell in suburban homes, and to furnish the same accommodation on other lines as the London-bridge railways now almost exclusively afford. Now a man may reach his place of business as quickly from Reigate by rail as he can from Bayswater by omnibus. There is no reason why, with the Metropolitan Railway, he may not, without loss of time r dwell in one or other of the beautiful villages adjacent to stations on the Great Western or Great Northern lines. There is, of course, a dread amongst cab and omnibus proprietors that their occupations will be gone when " steady and swift the self-moved cha riot moves" in their domains; but it may be some consola tion to them to remember that two centuries ago the same fear existed on account of the substitution of coaches for pack-horses, such as the Wife of Bath was wont to ride, " girt with a pair of spurres sharp." The omission of all the paraphernalia of swords, pistols, pillions, strapping, saddle cloths, horse-keepers, and yeomen, incidental to a journey in the " good old times" was foretold to be the ruin of trade. Let them also recollect that the Lyonese who broke the machines of Jacquard in 1806, raised a statue to his memory in 1840. Even if the Metropolitan Railway did dispose of our modern style of omnibuses, there are few riders who would mourn their decease ; but there is little hc, - pe of so blissful a consummation. An omnibus " station" is on every inch of its course, a railway station is only at intervals, The new line will, nevertheless, be a great boon to the public, and a real relief to the traffic in our streets. As an engineering work it is one of great magnitude and skill. None but those who have threaded its cavern -paths can fully appreciate the difficulties which have been so suc cessfully surmounted. From the commencement of the line to its conclusion there has been one long series of obstacles to conquer, the chief of which have been the miles of gas and vater-pipes which had to be safely diverted before the "labouring pioneers with spade and pickaxe armed" could cut the permanent way. The line leaves the Great Western Railway at the north end of the Paddington station, and passes under the coal wharf, being there covered for a distance of 140 feet by iron girders. Thence— • On either side Its massive walls arise, and overhead Arches the long passage. The arch is of an elliptical form, 16 feet 6 inches high from the level of the rails, and 28 feet 6 inches wide. It 's com posed of 6 half-brick rings, forming a depth of 2 feet 5 inches. It curves about, following the direction of the South Wharf= road, till it arrives at Praed-street, m here there is a junc - tion by a huge bell-mouth, with a branch which is to run westwards along Praed-street to the Great Western Hotel. This bell.mouth, covered with 'elliptical wrought iron ribs 2 feet 6 inches deep, cross girders between them, and iron plating over the whole, is one of the grandest engineering pictures which we have for a long time seen. Lit up by the several jets of gas, it has a very fine effect. The girders rest on stone templates, projecting forwards from, and let into the brickwork, and spring over the two tunnel mouths to the extent of 58 feet 6 inches. There ara fifteen of these girders, 7 feet 6 inches apart. They diminish gradually in width to 35 feet, where they are joined with the brick arches, which again are gradually diminished till the ordi nary width of the tunnel is attained. A layer of asphalte is laid on the top of the iron plates over the girders, the haunches are filled in with concrete, and on this the road stuff is laid. It forms a work of extraordinary strength and solidity, as well as beauty. The line then runs directly eastward under Praed-street, and crosses under Edgware road at right angles. Here special provision had to be made for the gas and water pipes, which are carried on either side of the roadway, above transversely through the rail way arch, in troughs of ca• t-iron, 7 feet wide and 25 feet long. The soffit of them is 2 feet below the soffit of the underside of the arch, The tunnel terminates on the east side of Burne-street, where, as well as in Chapel -street, a portion of the houses had to be demolished. Between the tunnel-mouth and Lisson- street the first station will be situated. The booking-office will be at the corner of Chapel and2Burne-streets. The space here will be 49 feet wide and and 180 feet long to L'sson-street-bridge. It will be suf ficient for platforms and for flights of stairs, and will be covered by a cast-iron roof. .Thence we pass un der Lisson-Etreet•bridge, a segmental skew bridge 50 feet thick, with a span of 42 feet, and a rise of 5 feet six inches. It is faced with white brick capitally executed. A similar expedient to that which we mentioned at Praed street had here to be resorted to, in order to convey the gas and water pipes across. After passing the bridge there is a vast open space, 500 ft long, with an average width of i4O ft, which will be used as a depot for engines and carriages, and will be provided with appropriate sidings. The retain. ing walls are built in a very economical manner, with con crete and white brick, from Arsley, near Hitchin ; the long ranges of arched recesses built on the latter afford an agree .able play of light and shade, besides being a fine specimen of brickwork. This space is bounded by Mitcham-street on the north, and by Chapel street and Marylebone-road on the south. It gets narrower towards the eastern end by Har court-street, where a series of vaults have been constructed under the roadway. The tunnel then recommences by a bell-month 36ft. wide, diminishing gradually to the ordi nary width of 28ft. Gin. Our coarse is soon checked by the masses of wooden framework, muck waggons, lifts, piles of bricks, navvies, bricklayers, and labourers, all busily at their work. We ascend into the Marylebone-road, and find a per fect labyrinth of pipes, all of which have to be tenderly cared for until such time as they can be quietly stowed away in the haunches of the tunnel vault. A syphon 3ft. in diame ter to be carried under the railway with flashing gates in Stafford-street, by means of which-the sewage can be sent down Harcourt-street westwards, or down a new egg shaped sewer which the railway has had to construct by the side of the tunnel on the north side of Marylebone-road as far as Baker-street, where it is connected with the King's Scholars' Pond sewer, which there crosses the road. This reminds us that the company have had to build a sewer 4ft. by 2ft. 9in., egg• shaped, to drain all the houses which they have passed, and to take in all the sewers and drains which they have intercepted in their course h ther from the Great Western Railway, and that they had even to corn- mence a considerable distance westwards of their work so as to obtain the necessary fall. The sewer which we have just mentioned in the Maryle bone-road is Eft. by 3ft. bin. They have likewise had to divert 1,500 ft. of 21-inch main between Stafford street and Gloucester- place in addition to gas-pipes and water- pipes innumerable. At Baker-street, the King's Scholars' Pond sewer has to be carried transversly through the tunnel arch by a large enclosure of iron plates, supported by two cast-iron girders, only 13ft. Gin. above the line of rails. Here the second station will be situated, The arch will be extended to 45ft in width—to embrace the platforms on either side; the sta tion and stairs leading downwards will be built in the front gardens of the two corner houses. After passing Baker street, we commence with another sewer which is carried beneath the railway into the Regent-street sewer at the top of Harley-street. The line is complete, with the exception of the permanent rails, up to Stafford -street. Thence to a point 180 ft. west of Northumberland-street nothing has been done besides the sewers. From that point to Harley-street it is again finished, and about a month's work remains to connect it with the portion at Portland-road, where the next passenger sta tion will be built, partly in the oval at the angles of the Portland-road and Euston -road. At Harley-street even an ordinary passer-by is able to judge partially of the difficulties which have never deserted the contractors,and of the admirable provisions made by them for carrying out their undertakin g , o ne of the many thoroughfares which they have had to preserve all the time their work was going on is here carried on beams, whilst the banks of the cutting are planked and strutted, and the labourers at work in every direction. The excavations are made with the nicest accuracy, so as to receive the re quisite thickness of brickwork against the supporting planks, which are allowed to remain between it and the earthen sides. All the arches are turned on cast-iron centreing, which ensures perfect - uniformity. The work is done in 12 feet lengths, On the top of the arches there is a layer of as phalte, and on that and in the haunches concrete is put. Just by the Portland-road the engine is fixed for hoisting the excavated earth—a one-horse load is lifted each time with surprising facility. There are also engines for mixing the lime and sand for the mortar. Adjoining the Regent's park provision had to be made for the tunnel under the roadway for communication with the two gardens, and which could not be removed. The sides of this tunnel are now carried on girders, 2ft. 6in. deep in the centre. Cross girders run between, and York stone landing forms the floor of it. It is in this way suspended 3ft. bin. below the arch soffit. By the side of the Regent's -park, opposite Portland-place, another piece of extra work is being constructed. It is a winding staircase, 41 feet deep, leading to the sewer under the line of rail. The diameter is altogether lift. The stairs themselves are 2ft. bin. wide. They are divided by a ring of brickwork 9in. thick from the central shaft, through which solid matter may be hoisted out. The stairs are of 4 inch York store. At the bottom there is a passage leading through an arch under the foundation of the tunnel wall to the junction of the Marylebone-road and Regent-street sewers. About 100 feet west of Tottenham-court-road a sewer 3ft. 9in. by 2ft. bin. was put in on each side of the tunnel, and the aggregate of all more than occupied the width of the street; the sewer was, therefore, built partly in the tunnel wall, and the greatest care and circumspection was needed to carry the work successfully through. At Tottenham court -road the sewers run in opposite directions, one going northwards into Hampstead-road, the other southwards into Tottenham-court-road, The next station after Portland-place, forming the fourth from Paddington, will be at George -street and Gower-street, Euston-road. The arrangements for it are precisely similar to those we have before described. The western end of Euston -road forms the boundary of Messrs. Smith and Knight's contract. There, about 100 ft. is finished, and the remainder is being rapidly pushed for wards. The works are being done from the plans, and under the . direction of, Mr. Fowler, with Mr. Johnston as resident engineer. Mr. Armstrong, Messrs. Smith and Knight's agent, is constantly on the works, and o him they are greatly in debted for the able prosecution of their difficult task. We are likewise indebted to him, and acknowledge the assistance he has given us in our survey of the line. Next week we shall notice the progress on the concluding portion of the works between Euston-square and Victoria -street.—Build- ing .News. COUNTRY MARKETS. BRISTOL-SEPT. 24. • At our market to-day there was a fair attendance of millers, but a very poor business was done, and in prices we have no alteration to report. LEEDS—SEPT. 24. We have a god show of grain to-nay, and business was rather slow in both old and new wheat, at a decline of is on last week's currencies. I n barley, unless very fine, rates declined is. Other articles unchanged. MELTON MOWI3RAY—SPT. 24. There was a good show of wheat to-day, which sold readily at the prices of last week, with a fair attendance. Barley a middling show, and late rates supported. For oats quotations were steady. Prices :—White wheat, 42s Od to 60s Od; red, 52s Od to 54s per 36 stone; beans firm, at 40s to 50s for old ; new sorts, —8 per 38 st. ; barley, 388 to 40s for malting, and 29s to 33s per qr. for grinding; oats, 25s to 28s Od per 24 stone. LYNN-SEPT. 23. Our market this morning was largely attended, and the wheat was in good supply Both new and old samples of fine quality brought fully late prices. An improved show of barley, and prices as before. Oats a moderate show and no higher in price. Beans scarce. Old white 59s to 61s New.. s 4s to 56s I Barley. 3Bs to 40s Oats.. .......... .22s to 26s Beans .39s to 43s I Pea s ............ 48s to 54s NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYNE—SEPT. 23. At this corn market there was a fair show of wheat, which met a tolerable demand, maintaining the prices of the previous week—white making 59s to 665. red 48s to 60s. The demand for barley was firm, and rather higher in value. Oats were in small show, with a fair sale, from 24s to 32s per 24 stone. Beans met with a firm sale, float 40s to 488 per qr. NORWICH CATTLE. The show of store cattle to-day consisted of an excellent = supply of Scots, Devons, shorthorns, and Irish. A large attendance of buyers, but prices in favour of purchasers. Scots, 4s to 4s 6d ; shorthorns, 3s 6d to 4s 6d ; Irish, 3s Od to 3s 6d ; Devons, 3s 6d to 4s (estimated weight when fat). Pat beasts a small show and sales firm, of 8s Od to 8s Gd per 141 b. __ Sheep—There was a middling supply of sheep in the pens and a fair sale Fat sheep, 8s Od to 8s 6d per stone ; prime, 9s Od , with out a clearance. Pigs—A fair supply. Store pigs, 15s to 20s; fat pork, 7s 6d to_Bs Od per stone. FOREIGN MAIL PACKET LlB2l MAILS DUE. Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton. Oct. 19. v Mrseilles ... Oct. 13. Brazil and C a p e Verds, by ia Briti a sh packet. Oct. 4. Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena Oct. 1. China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton Oct. 2. Falkland I s l an d s via Marseilles ...S e pt. 26. .. Gibraltar, via S ou th amp t on .... ......Sept 25. India (Calcutta), and C e yl on , v i a Southampton Oct. 2. via Marseilles Sept. 26. India (Bombay), via Southampton Sept. 25. via Marseilles Oct. 5. Lisbon Oct. 1. Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Sept. 25. via Marseilles • Sept, 26. Newfoundland .. Oct. 2. Oporto and Vigo • Oct. 1. U. S. and British N. Amorica, by Brit. packet Sept. 26: by U.S. packet by Canadian packet Sept. 25. W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Teneriffe Oct. 10. Bahamas, via New York Oct. 24. Mexico .... Sept. 28. All parts of California, and British Columbia including Chili, Peru, ) Sept. 28. It is rumoured that " L'Africaine"—an opera that has been nearly 17 years in Meyerbeer's portfolio— has received the composer's final touches, and that it is likely to be produced at Covent Garden next season,— Critic. [ ADVERTIS EMENT.I—HoIIoway's Pills and Ointment.— Pleasure to the Healthy.—Unless the digestion be in good order, our spirits droop and our bodies soon become en feebled. Holloway's remedies relieve at once a disordered stomach, and restore the digestive organs to perfect health and vigour. The ointment should be briskly rubbed over the pit of the stomach twice a day, and upon the right side, that it may stimulate and regulate the liver. The pills act as gentle aperients, purify the blood and cool the system,. They subdue irritation, and remove all obstructions. In dropsy and disorder of the kidneys, immense success has attended the diligent use of Holloway's pills and ointment, which will .0 adjust every function that happiness must result. BIRTHS. BENNETT.—On the 2241 inst., the wife of Mr. Ange.io Ben nett, of Chancery-lane, of a daughter. ELPHINSTONE.—On the 22d inst. ! at Auchenbowie House, Stirliugshire, Mrs. Buller Elphinstone, of a daughter. LONG.—On f Lincoln' t s- e nn 3 , of a dah 2d inst., ughter.the wife of G eorge Long, Esq., oi STOKES.—On the 21st inst., at Cambridge, the wife of Pro fessor Stokes, of a daughter. MARRIAGES. Amer RT—BEADON.—On the 24th inst., at Cheddar, So set, the Hon. Wm. Leonard Holmes a'Court, ldest son of the Lord Heytesbury, to Isabella Snphia, eldest _daughter of the Rev. Richard a'Court Beadon, vicar of Cheddar. CLARKS—AncixsoN.—On the 21st inst., at Loughton, Essex, Alfred, youngest son of E. Clarke, Esq., of Wal thanistow, to Adelaide only daughter of th e l a t e George Edward and Celia Atkinson, of Mile-end,g DEATHS. BENNETT.—On the 24th inst., at Blackheath, Mr. G. W. Bennett, aged 46. CHRISTIE.—On the 23d inst., at Preston Deanery, in the county of Northampton, Langham Christie, Esq., aged 72. DnEw.— agOned 7 th 9 e 21st in s t., a t Fi nc hl e y- road, James Drew, Esq., . KEOGH. —On the 22d inst., at his residence, 20, Randolph road, Maida-hill, George Drew Keogh ; Es q ., age d 78. HOOD.—On the 23d inst ,at 10, St. John's-wood-park, Joseph Hood, Esq., of the firm of Hood and Ward, 11 71 Wood-street, Cheapside. STAPLETON.—On the 21st inst., at Cambridge-terrace, Hyde-park, Melesina, eldest surviving daughter of the late Lieut.-Colonel Stapleton, of Thorpe Lee, Surrey. TU b WRNER. nWilts—O the 21 st inst., a t hi s residence, Penleigh, aed 41. estury, hire, Wi lliam Beckett Turner, Esq., g WARD.—On the 23d inst., Miss Ward, of 7, ilemus-ter race, Chelsea, aged 70. LONDON : Printed and Published by 11.13R7)0 YOUNG, of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at TILE SUN °thee., No. .112,Stran in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the Coa7oy of Atiddleeexj Wednesday September 25, 1861.