The Sun. — London, England, 1850-02-14 00:00:00

LITERATURE. Cu 7 AP EDITION OF PRESCOTT'S WORKS. _tSistury of the ecnyucst of Mexico. I. ' iv•tieit.g the oew edition of fr,sco , t's " Ferdi nand emi Is , sh e ll a ," one ( f the masterpieces of Arne lifereier , Kenave :dreads. commended the very xt•eilent f oim i n which Mr 'Bentley is ree issuink: r r - scott's we to to a .rks. Th e s i ze o f each volume is similar -Jet, of the twenty-v, , lumed edifier Aiisen, enti th " h itAng, (kc , ere all in their sevend ways admirable. Ihe voluires before u 4 contain the cum tncement of the fifth edition cf the Conquest of l Zseo, an € vent a l rea d y celebrated b y t h e pen o f et t ,ol l. In ref e r ence t o w hi c h c i rcums t ance Mr. Pt rescett ebserves in his pr e f a ce that "Robertson's a rrative is necessarily brief, formieg only part of a mo re littlish evended work, and that neither the nor the Castilian author (Solis) provided with the important materials for relating 18 event, w hi ch have beEn since assembled by the )nduqry of Sp an i s h scholar':' Numerous and rich re rirce s f'or procuring 'mention have been thrown 4 Pi f zi t? Prescott, of which he has availed him has ' A .'" his ordinary z ea l a nd discrimination. He introduced the history of the actual con guest of Mexico, with an account of the o — r suit eendi•i on of the anc i ent Mexicans, in mater to f t° acquaint the realer with " the cha feac that ex t raor di nary race , an d t o ena bl e hi m t n 0 tnuthetstand the difficulties which the Spaniards had i n this • "utiter i n the i r su bj ugat i on. " O ne paragrap h ree P r eface possesses a peculiar and mounful inte 'tett; , the hist or i an as k s to e rea d er ' s p ar d on f o r a ny aiti al e rrors that may be perceptible in his work, for I°ll gh the history is written by his own hand, he writine;ds or even sees his own mannscript. us( s -case ma d e for ► the blincl, which does not tpermit„d the writer to catch sight of the characters by his own pen. While the readers of this his -2„.1,' and all the numerous admirers of Mr. Prescott's "itts, cannot but be saddened by this melancholy veti Ir ora ndurn, they cannot at the same time fail to e ' 4 1 04 , Yet more the noble spirit and marvel , 41:1; p e rseverance which thus pursues its wa ihlaunted by almost insuperable difficulty. How 4: I those who are gifted with the free , e lt all their faculties be called to account for idle or: and hours innumerable, when this man, bereft geti - r r i almost essential sense, pursues the arduous re ttritilg of an historian, and gives to the world Spa htl,ga--the monuments of his genius, his patience, 4 4 , 1 , 4 Perseverance—which he himself has never temple Another paragraph in this preface we are writ e . d to extract, not because we agree with its Icht.r self -depreciatory sentiments, but because we It,ab T ire ,its graceful eulogiem on a brother author : t he Preface to The History of Ferdinand and ititi, t '„", a t l I lamented, that, while occupied with that bs tlit; h . '" i 'i two of its most attractive parts had engaged the wa k h t " cf the most popular of American auth i rs, tillngtln Irving. By a singular chance, something tior, tf l%teverse of this has taken place in the composi u'risci,„tu,e present history, and I have found myself' un °eeiip,,-"14 taking up ground which he was preparing to e ; ellee• n . Ras not till I had become master of my rich . e ik letir Tl l , - , 4 ('f materials, tha', I was acquainted with this l,; ( teolf` a Pee ; and had he persevered in his design, I 'rota ut ihesitatingly have abandoned my own, if not w ith tehourtesy, at least from policy ; for, though armed hop e ; weapons of Achilles, this could give me no But .success in a competition with Achilles himself. the p i , (l li cion.q. was that distinguished writer informed of spiri t pre I had made, than with the gentlemanly ° I hi t , "'eh will surprise no one who has the pleasure 44 54 acquai ntanc e, h e i nstant l y an nounc e d t o me his bt kt •""ti a leaving the subject open to me. While Ido Praj j ii ll i i! ti ce to Mr. Irving by this statement, I feel the st e h• l ee it does to myself in the unavailing regret I,am la R in the bosom of the reader." 71t e _ FEAR BOOK OF FACTS FOR 1850. to 13 instructive annual (just published) continues Ma intaine ln its character, as a faithful and popular 4sc, ° l Bit °r of all that is useful and interesting in the isf -13 Pment of science throughout the past year. The sel°Jklittion which it affords upon almost every no- NY , either in pure philosophy or applied science, is ce n t c omplete, without being tedious, and all the re rs,) di scoveries and inventions of the last twelve atal l ; tll3 are cleverly epitomised,. from . the . profound tit,Lntricate sublimities of electricity and dia-magne htii to the newly patented machinery for manu . Lfac • bet e bver barrels ,by steam. Indeed, the subjects ttl et e h diseussed are altogether so numerous—in the til e llnic al, useful, :and decorative arts—in . natural . -3° Phy in electrical and chemical science, and in var' otl e '°us departments of natural history, that no lits b ea n well t a k e up th e vo l ume w ith ou t being both 1 4; 411 and instruct e d. Among the more 4ot:eating papers, we may perhaps men who that upon t h e electr i c l i g h t. M r. S ta i te, '4 41 well k nown t o th e pu bli c as th e or i g i na l in eaof the self-a c ti ng mec h an i sm f or p reserv in g a ta xi distance between the carbon electrodes, and thus tsti llta ining continuity of action, appears to be inde t4l4Rable in his efforts to bring the matter to perfec list, His most recent l y pu bli s h e d i mprovemen t s are detail e d, together with the careful experiments th e litiportant deductions of Mr. Grove, relative to Iv , Pra ct i cal value of this new system of illumination.' the , 41 „ 3 1 also re f er to some i nterest i ng extracts upon Psa t ;leet of colliery ventilation. Mr. Goldsworthy very- ingenious method of extinguishing , °ll 4 %, ° ' l •Dits has already appeared in our columns this f or 411 , er occasion, or we should certainly be is Pt u e l 2 ' transcribe it here. In connexion with ...... 0 10 ,, a 4 ,, 8 : rio ii t e,et p , re t. etivnegr , we give the following " Nes! , Accidents in Coal Mines : ' 3f fire d ew mode of preventing those dreadful explosions . 41 1i5.. 41 4, which are so continually occurring in our -.leB 'a 'i s ' I las been proposed by Mr. Isham Baggs, confidently stated to be of great use in . the t , n leta',,°` human life. It is based upon unerring 'rorl c i„, - "` and electrical principles, and it affords to the tad. i - "g miner, at any required instant of time, a sure degrt° itlae presence of fire-damp, and the precise 'wili e r k g:J r danger pertaining to the atmosphere by tea h e is surrounded. The arrangement is placed "ill b top of the pit, and the principle of its action ' , tib ia easily understood from the following explan °,f tb" --1 - 1 Y means of a single acting-pump, a portion she I: air w hi c h i s ascen di ng t h e upcas t s h a f t o f t "os - 7, 111° is being continually blown through a metallic vessel, the capacity of which is twenty 1ta l ; Inch es ; an d w h enever i t i s requ i re d to test t h e 'tti,.:l lll ere of the pit the two stop-cocks communi ltitoLwith this vessel are closed, and the blowing is b 1 t• Oae cubic inch of fire-damp is then, by eit a small pump, drawn from a bag or ,Pa t f r and i n t ro d uce d i n to the metallic A fine wire of platina placed within klj,tve3ael i s next i gn i te d b y ma ki ng contact w i t h an t 11 1 4 4 1 ,14 voltai c b a tt er y. If th e a tm o sphere of the tilistii"e tolerably pure, no effect is produced, for a k till b ; r 2 (3 f one volume of fire damp with 20 volumes of ; 4 ‘ 14 - Poeri c a i r i s inexp l os i ve ; b ut if t h e a i r w hi c h t is ll tls, e ,,ding the upcast shaft (and of which the t; i ,": . Portion is a sample), should happen to c0n it,41111,,,,"" tile one-fortieth part of inflammable gas, this k . '„ t " r :,, rt ion, added to the one-twentieth artificially ) 71 (ki s A . "'ed, will constitute a mixture of 1 in 13 1-3 d, t l'itt4"sh will consequently take place, which, cora '`l„ Ati ng with a little gunpowder, is made either to ,' ll fi tt i ea anon, explode a maroon, or give some other k 11 , 1 1 %. , 111 , al of approaching danger. The invention is '`"fio l ,l,'"cled to afford indications of the general I, j,F fi " e re of a mine, with a view to the prevention sl%' e ,at, and it does not pretend to guard against t ' 1, 11 (1 -4 ' effect of sudden blowers. Our readers will 4 : fu rer details, with an illustrative diagram, in ' 1 , 411 ) 41 0; n g Journal 2l / 2 for January 19, 1850." We 4 '- p e l°,se the present volume without congratulat- I N k r limbs on the success of his labours, and °t l i r nommending the " Year Book of Facts" t ii, ll ßt e , e3 as a popular arcanum of philosophica 't l k e : , a text book of scientific advancement during twelv e months. GARDENER'S MAGAZINE OF Vi haPleg d . 13 , OTAN Y. No. I. p,,,rt periodical so entitled, and illustrated of „ 4 4 11 - tusion of beautiful coloured engravings, has ver;NiqZ ) romenced. Conducted as it is by botanists th e . '„ltit,, - ' ll ble eminence, it cannot fail to command a the amount of professional attention, whilo se c t aliv a ; Public will be fascinated to its pages by op, !Ile 1 , 14 interesting nature of the letter-press, Wi t i, lll4 g. r 4 e 4 r \ Ming loveliness of the . illus . trations. The iq g hcb t ,i:nber of the new periodical is embellished r 4 ra re 'libly drawn and painted plates, represent -441181 of th a PNes of the passion-flower, of the ane the, eri r : geranium, of a yellow-blossomed shrub e t) -e Pri n , ; B°4 -blossomed hot-house plant. Besides t et !, l.4 vin s 'Pal illustrations, there are numerous wood th r 'ribut io of some excellence, and the whole of the Nh out r isi literary and pictorial, are well arranged m adt, ka, h"C" " OCCURRENCE AT BLACKBURN..— oc. A ,_ 114:rpr' s ' • - qined c al ho was employ e d as a 1 l e. , Y o er i ; r ' Y h aw print works, Cia3 ' "niltatilil3l left h°l2 c a b ens t noon, on January 2. . 18 , lic:, y, kfter e.a ou awaiting his return during; tir'„ l ' 4l d y s, ban4IQU'IT d ( , n , hi s acco unt, and the 4 1 / 1 4 P w at : 3 44 i eeg . becoming eea generally a.arm . e or e ih utituted respecting him, , 114 11 0 h tl a t ROLth. elapsed without any one . having -4 44. 1 : "ard of him,t ;thstanding the an , x:ou:-. and it fli. : l i l l ' ul e f% ri t d u e n a n v t oursto llo as w ce ' rtain his fste. The body found on Saturday morning I nat t irl the canal, I° le m ar au C w fi a' rclt but in such a shocking tottli?tf deeomposition that u he ' could not have been . rt ikp ' d Qthorwi,e than by his clothes, which it was d I °l ' lhi ° to take on: Decrase ' d has left a 44 r ehild re , 11 41 , '' widow and v 'l h„ r/LITATIoN OF SUGAR.—A considerable portion bl a , . t aro t,f the vessel Pauline Houghton, 14i..31rvitius, consisting of sugar in bags, having been iii"Naild at Margate,from t near which place the vessel has been Pri llei 4 r ri e. but since got off, and removed to London, the Rvo„ h i ) I Glticers of the revenue at the port of Rams hold Pa PPrtnitted the portion of the cargo which was lit4hold "t Margate to be re-shipped into vessels fir 0 %, i44 i0n tu the docks in London, the original des- TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE. (From th Thnes ) Mr. Milner Gibson had a notice on the list for last nig►:t, which, as the matter is weighty, and the terms comprehensive, we will transcribe in this place. It was to submit a motion to the House "as to the policy of abolishing all taxes which directly impede the aitfusion a knowledge amongst the great body of the peopi, with a view to the repeal of the stamp on newspapers, the excisc-tax uposi paper, the tax upon advertisement , , and the duty on foreign books." By postponing this motion for the present, he has disappoineed us of a debate which promised to be more tha❑ usually interesting, whatever its imme diate practical result. Without waiting till Mr. Milner Gibson has found a more convenient oppor- tunity for his motion, we will at once state our views on a subject in which we happsn to be peculiarly con . cerned. As public men, anxious for the solvency and credit of the country, we are under the painful necessity of moving the previous question, "C sn "we remit any part of our taxation et, ell ?" On this point we expressed ourselves very strongly before the opening of the session, and we do not see any reason to recede from what we then said. The nation must gird itself up to the task of paying its debt. A school of repudiation is rising up amongst us, and day by day gaining new converts, warning us that if now—only one generation removed from the close of the war—we make no effort to liquidate our debt, and are coolly scrutinizing the obligation, it will pro bably be much worse in the time of our children and our children's children. All taxes are evils. Every body knows that. But in our case they are the inevitable consequence of our deliberate acts. We chose to chastise the pride of the Grande Nation, to conquer foreign co lonies and domineer over our own, to be masters of the sea, to restrain the excesses of the French Revolution, and the ambition of the succeed ing Consulship and Empire, to rescue the Peninsula and subsidise Europe, to ransom our slaves, and do other great acts. But these things were not to be done without paying for them. It is a law of nature. Labour is not without weariness, nor achievement without cost. So now, in consequence of our redun dant heroism, we are suffering infinite maims, muti lations, and disabilities. Every tax is a scar that tells a tale of glory. The nation lost an eye in such a war, an arm in another; a limp in its gait recals one stormy passage, a gash on the cranium another, and a frightful scar on its features a third. It is obliged to think, and see, and hear, and breathe, and move, and live under perpetual disadvantage. But no soldier complains of his wounds. He took his chance of them when he chose his profession. Unless, then, it can be shown that " taxes on know ledge" to the extent now suffered by the British people are much more objectionable than taxes in general, or that their place can be advantageously supplied by other taxes to an equal amount, we can not subscribe to Mr. Milner Gibson's motion. Do the taxes on knowledge burden and hamper " the great body of the people" more than the taxes on soap, on candles, on bricks, on windows, on convey ances, on malt, on sugar, or on tea ? This is a ques tion of details, for we must not be misled by the im posing title—" taxes on knowledge." As " the great body of the people" have very little to do with foreign books, their only tax on knowledge of that staple and permanent character which is arranged on a shelf, or stored in the brain, is the duty on paper. The net receipt on paper duty from the United Kingdom for the year 1847 was 762,172/. ; a sum which, considering what we must pay, is not to be trifled with. It is now lid. per lb. on all kinds of paper, and, of course, falls more heavily on good paper than on inferior qualities. The paper duty on 200 octavo pages of good substantial paper is just about one penny. The duty on such a work as Hume, or Gibson, or the " British Poets," or a gene ral biography in one thick volume of 1,200 pages, is 6d. Excluding Bibles and Prayer-books, which pay no duty, there are few cottage libraries that weigh ten pounds, and that have therefore paid ls. 3d. to the Exchequer at the present rate of duty. The duty is about 20 per cent. on the price the printer has to pay for good paper. Its proportion, therefore, to the price of a printed volume, or any other publication, can never be more than that, and will generally be very much less. It must fall most heavily on popular editions of standard works, or any popular works for the success of which a large sale is necessary, such as Mr. Charles Knight's " Penny Cyclopredia," or Chambers's Journal. In his curious and interesting pamphlet, the " Struggles of a Book against Exces sive Taxation," Mr. Knight fully explains how this is the case. An immense impression of many thou sand copies must be struck off at once. It will take many years to sell them, if indeed they ever are sold ; and meanwhile the duty paid on many tons of paper is so much sunk capital. On such works as the above an adventurous publisher may lose several thousand pounds by the duty on paper, which he pays as fast as he prints, but which he is either slowly or never repaid. The extraordinary pressure in such cases, however, arises from the cheapness of the publication, and the fact of the paper being the chief part of the cost. Even in such extreme cases the duty can never amount to one-fifth of the whole cost, and must, therefore, be a much less proportion of the publishing price ; bat, for the reasons men tioned by Mr. Knight, it operates against cheap • editions for the poor very seriously. The other " taxes on knowledge" are those with which newspapers and other periodicals have only to do. The gross receipts from the stamp on newspapers throughout the United Kingdom in 1847, were 343,2781. Under existing circumstances, we think that sum can hardly be dispensed with, and, for our own part, we submit to it cheerfully, as being, in fact, a very reasonable rate of postage fig the convey ance of our papers. Almost every copy of our jour nal performs at least one journey by post; and if it performs half-a-dozen it pays only a penny. The stamp gives it the free range of the post throughout the best half of the world with infinitely less trouble than any other form of postage that could be con trived ; and the most zealous liberator of knowledge would hardly require that newspapers should be franked altogether. On this point, then, we have nothing to say, except that we see no reason for a change which would cost the nation a third of a million. The other tax which particularly concerns us is the tax on advertisements, which in the United Kingdom produced in 1847 162,734/. This is a tax on publicity, and may be compared to the nume rcus much more expensive expedients by which some people make themselves, their manufactures, their undertakings, their mercantile or their professional arrangements known to the world. The tax cer tainly presses with some inequality. If a scheme could be suggested for relieving domestic servants from the duty, we, for our part, could have no objec ticn ; but, after all, we apprehend that few domestic servants advertise more than a dozen times in their lives, and that, from a comparatively untaxed class, is only 18s. a piece towards the expenses of the nation, perhaps in the course of twenty years' servibe. If a ship is advertised twenty times to sail to Calcutta, the amount of duty it pays is only 305., perhaps for a cargo worth 30,000/. We see no way of removing the inequalities complained of, for an ad valorem duty is manifestly impossible. To recapitutate, the gross receipts of the above three " taxes on knowledge" for 1847 were as follows :—Paper, 617,245/. ; stamps, 343,2781. ; advertisements, 162,7381. ; total, 1,123,2611.; from which must be deducted the ex penses of collection, which, except in the first item, are absolutely nil. _ _ We shall not be expected to quit the subject with out adding something about ourselves. The taxes on the Times amount to rather more than 16,0001. a year for the paper, 00,0001. a year for the stamps. and 19,0001. a year for the advertisements; total 95,0001. a year. When to this sum are added those taxes which we pay in common with all other manufac turers and capitalists, it will be easily understood that the question of taxes on knowledge has a peculiar value in our eyes. In the event of a remission, or re duction of duty, it is rash to conjecture the proportion of the advantage that would fall to our share. Others, indeed, have not scrupled to predict that our alleged " unonopely" would be destroyed ; but, as this predic tion has been made once already, and been signally disappointed by the result, we entertain very little alarm for the future. The superior popularity of a journal cannot be effected by those conditions of price which are common to the whole periodical press. We speak, then, without prejudice when we say, that though we should expect to gain very , largely by the remission of "taxes on knowledge , " we cannot think the present a time for it. (From the Daily News.) The Times was exceedingly indignant some time back when it was accused of being hostile to a repeal of the advertisement duty, or of the taxes upon knowledge. It declared itself quite above being af fected either by competition or consideratiota arising out of such trifles. Be this as it may, the Times yes terday came forth with an article strenuously opposing any reduction of any taxes, either on newspapers or knowledge ! After coqueting with these, and indeed with all other measures of liberal progress, as the session ap proached, the Times has already turned to pooh-pooh or anathematise them all, finding, no doubt, that there reigns a dead calm in public opinion, and that the popular feeling, strained by protectionist or anti protectionist efforts, runs not very strongly for the moment in any direction. Having vapoured for the last two months in the rants of semi-liberal opposition, the Times already takes its place at the tail of the ministerial phalanx, and declares with Lord John Russell that there shall be no ex tension of the franchise, no throwing open of the press, no reform in colonial administratian beyond a mere make-believe, no foreign policy permitted ex cept in the direction of a rapid return to a Castle reagh policy and the Holy Alliance. Instead of our Prime Minister meriting the appellation of " Finality Jack," at this rate he will soon be dubbed " Retro grade John." The 'limes and Lord John are wise in their ge neration, however. The latter will not extend the franchise " this year." And the Times declares the repeal even of the advertisement duty not seasonable. " The present is not the time for it." Why the pre sent is so very unfavourable to such relief, perhaps the Ministerial subs who represent the Times on the Treasury bench will tell us. There is a surplus, and Ministers on the strength of it are lavishing their thousands. There is the First Lord of the Admi miralty, who wants 100,0001. for head money, to reward the slaughter of the liyaks. The Times party will vote that 100,0001. with glee; but they could not spare it from weighing upon books, journals, and knowledge. _ _ . The Times pleads that it is better to pay off the National Debt. We remember the time when there were five millions znnually raised to be devoted to paying off the National Debt. Of these five millions sterling, so voted and raised annually, how many were spent in the actual reduction of the debt ? Not one. Fearing that this humbug will be exposed, the Times has other arguments in store, to stave off what it dreads above all things, the diminution of the taxes on newspapers. If you must reduce taxes, it says, diminish the duty on soap and' candles, malt, or tea. Right w ell does the Times know, when indulging in such recommendation, that the Chancellor of the Exchequer will not touch a tax that brings in four or five millions. Whereas the tax on advertisements, which scarcely exceeds the late Queen Dowager's pension, would make no sensible subtraction from the credit side of the Exchequer, whilst it would be a great relief to the industrious and the struggling. The advertisement duty, says the Times, " cer tainly presses with some inequality." We should think so. " But, after all," continues our cotempo rary, " few domestic servants advertises more than a dozen times in their lives." And it might have added " thousands upon thousands never advertise at all." How much oftener they would advertise if they had an untaxed opportunity, does not enter into our co temporary's calculation. He is too intent upon con sidering how he may make these poor servants con tribute most to the paying off that national debt which their masters have contracted. The advertisement duty stands in a quite different category from the other taxes on knowledge. For a great portion of knowledge, in the eyes of such philosophers as the Times, is a luxury that the poor can do without. An advertisement for the needy man is, on the contrary, at times, a necessity great as his loaf, being often his loaf provider ; therefore this is not to be compared with a tax on soap, or on books, or on malt. The advertisement duty is a tax on the first necessity of life, on the finding of employment. After the bread-tax, we know of none that so impe ratively calls on the Legislature to rescind it as the advertisement duty. The task, too, is easy, for the sum is insignificant. And there is really but one serious obstacle in the way of its repeal, and that is, the interest of the Times newspaper, which Lord John Russell durst not offend. We limit our remarks at present chiefly to this duty, because we perceive that Mr. Ewart is about to bring it forward singly, and that it stands on the order-book for to-night. In considering the paper duties, the arguments of the deputation which yester day waited on the Minister afford ample materials. We allude to them for the 'present merely in order to give another amusing instance of Times ratiocination. " Excluding Bibles and Prayer-books, which pay no paper duty, there are few cottage libraries," it says, " which weigh 10 lbs. and that have consequently paid Is. 3d. to the Exchequer." We concede the fact, and we ask the cause of it? The reply is obvious—because books for general sale among cottagers cannot be produced at cottagers' prices, in consequence of these very taxes upon knowledge. " Bibles and Prayer. books," the Times admits, " are to be found in great numbers in these cottage libraries." - Why ? The Times itself tells us, because " they pay no paper duty." Bibles and Prayer-books, being relieved from such duty, can be produced at amazingly low prices : it is consequently within the means of most cottagers to procure them : and the Times tells us that they do procure them. If they had the opportunity of procuring works of utility and information at an equally low rate, why should they not procure such works also ? But the Times is right in one line of argument, which is, that taxes on knowledge do not weigh on the pockets of the poor so much as the tax on malt, tea, or spirits—because, in fact, the people can do without intellectual food, whilst they will not dispense with the excitement that is obtained through the stomach. Gin will be drank, whether it be dear or cheap Whilst books will not be read if dear, and will only be attainable if cheap. But whoever looks at the question in a moral or a Christian point of view, will not commit the blasphemy of likening the tax on spirits to the tax on hooks, and coolly telling the Legislature and the public that they are all one, and that they weigh equally upon the poor. So cold blooded—indeed, so Satanic a comparison, merely betrays a total absence of moral sense. DUTY ON FOREIGN BOOKS. TO THE EDITOR OF 71-iF. SUN. Sin,—The duty levied on foreign books is said to produce about 8,0001. a year. To raise this trifling amount every one of our volumes of Greek and Latin Classics is made to contribute from three to four shillings, being a tax of no less than 50, arid, in some instances, more than 70 per cent. on the net value of the books, and acting very nearly like a prohibition. We beg leave to give you this single instance in favour of free trade in books. Tour obedient servants, DIDOT and CO. 21, King 'William-street, Strand, Feb. 13, 1860. POOrt NEEDLEWOMEN. TO THE EDITOR Or THE MORNING CHRONICLE. Sir,—Will you permit me to offer a very simple suggestion with respect to the poor needlewomen, namely, that there should be a registration, gratis, of their names and addresses, to which persons wishing to employ them might have easy access. I myself, in common with every other mistress of a family to whom I have ever spoken on the subject, have often experienced the greatest difficulty in dis covering a needlewoman when I had occasion for one. Their means, of course, do not allow them to ad vertise ; and as they necessarily live in by-streets and obscure lodgings, it seems no easy matter to find them out. Valuable as your time must be, you have already devoted so much to the cause of these poor creatures, that I venture to hope you will excuse my troubling you, and I remain, Sir, your obedient servant, February 10. J. P. S. DIAMOND DUST. (From Eliza Cook's Journal.) COQUETTE.—A young lady of more beauty than sense —more accomplishments than learning—more charms 4' person than graces of mind—more admirers than friends —more fools than wise men for attendants. Avarice and vanity are the principal elements of all evil. _ _ _ Neither act nor speak ill, though free from witnesses. Learn to stand more in awe of thyself than of others. When the fox preaches. beware of your geese. Were perfection itself on a throne, courtiers would still find means to flatter it. The secret of making ourselves amiable is to love. True feelings and real sorrows open our eyes to the full detection of those that are the spurious product of ennui or affectation, and enable us to see distinctly into the hypocrisy of others' hearts, by putting them to the test of a comparison with our own. THE SCREW PROPELLER.—OH Monday last a question of considt ruble interest, in respect to steam navigation, was argued before the Judicial Committee, nt the Privy Council-office, Whitehall, Lords Brougham, Campbell, and Langdale, Dr. Lushingtcn, and Mr. Pem berton Leigh being present. An application was made by Sir Frederick Thesiger, on behalf of the patentees of the screw propeller, for an extension of their patent, which expires in May next. The evidence went to prove that no lees than 30,0001. had been expended in building the Archimedes and in defraying other weighty charges to establish the screw-propulsion principle; and it further apreared, that although no less than 32 ships of war and 100 mercantile steam vessels had been con structed already upon this system, not more than two or three had paid for the patent licence. These evasions had been occasioned by the conflicting claims of five different patentees; but, as these have now united in one association, it is expected that all who have adopted the use of the screw propeller will have to pay for their licences. As the Admiralty are interested, either di rectly or collaterally, in this question to the amount of about 25,0001, Sir John Jervis, the Attorney-General, assisted by Mr. Crowder, Q.C., opposed the application for an extension of Mr. Frank Pettit Smith's patent; but, after examining Captains Chappell and Crispin, R.N., and Messrs. Brunel and Galloway, engineers, their Lordships decided on granting an extension of five years to Mr. Smith's patent upon certain conditions; and there is now therefore a fair prospect of that gentleman and his supporters recovering a portion, if not the whole. of the licensing moneys to which they are unquestionably entitled. SCOTCH AND ENGLISH ENTERPRISE IN DUBLIN.— How comes it that strangers can flourish here? At the head, or very near the head, of every trade, you find an Englishman or Scutchman . Is thi s b ecause t h ey wor k better? — and, if not, what is the reason? Can we not compete with them —e, the natives, with native advan tages? M‘Glashan, the most prosperous publisher, isja Scutchman; Pelson, the most prosperous confectioner, ditto; Guon and Cameron, the most prosperous adver tisement publishers, ditto; Mr. Pigot, the music pub lisher, an Englishman; Mr. Butler, Medical Hall, ditto; Mr. Andrews, Dame-street, ditto. Englishmen an d Suotehmen can prosper in Dublin, if we cannot. We ought to ask ourselves, what have we done, or left un dune, that produces this result? I am convinced that want (f a good business education and training--want of being drilled into habits of punctuality --- are the vest impedimenta. leek to this,--Dubli n THE CHANNEL ISLANDS. TO THE EDITOR QF THE SUN. Sia,—l beg leave to inform you that the Lord Chancellor's warrants of attachment against Mrs. Belson and Major Hartman, for contempt, in having refused to make a return to the writs of Habeas Corpus, which required them to produce the bodies of two of Captain Belson's children before the Vice- Chancellor, have at length been enforced. The parties are now in custody of the tipstaff on their way to the Queen's Bench prison. In my letter of the 20th December I intimated that the Royal Court of Jersey - had, for divers rea sons, obstructed the service of these warrants, in consequence of which Captain Belson had complained of their conduct to her Majesty in Council, and that an order had been sent down calling on them to show cause. His petition and their answer having since then been referred to the Committee of Council for the affairs of Jersey and Guernsey, the whole ques tion touching the claims of. th e Jersey Court has been fully entered into and judicially decided. The result is that all the twaddle about the constitutions of King John, and other questionable authorities, have been pitched overboard, aid the Wilt and jurats made to understand their relative bearing and proper position. The arguments were exceedingly interest ing, and although their Lordships did not pronounce their decision at the time, it was easy to see from the tenor and force of their occasional remarks that judg ment would go against the Court. . The premonitory symptoms of what would be the upshot of this affair soon began -to show themselves, in,two peremptory orders in Council which were suc. cessively received here, commanding the bailiff and jurats forthwith and without delay to register the Habeas Corpus Acts of Charles H. and George 111., and carry them into immediate execu tion. The authorities had been ordered and directed to do this in 1832, but having failed to comply, they now pretended that the . non-registration of the Acts had rendered them of no force in the island ! This dictum having been overruled by the . Privy Council, the Acts were now registered, after being buried in oblivion for eighteen years ! On the 4th inst. the Lords of the Committee re ported, that it was advisable that her Majesty should enforce obedience to the Chancellor's warrants, and consequently, on the following day an order in Council was issued, commanding the Lieutenant- Governor, Viscount, denunciator s constables, and all other persons, to aid and assist the tipstaff in ap prehending Mrs. Belson and Major Hartman, that they may -be taken to England and committed to the Queen's Bench prison. The tipstaff (Mr. Allan) arrived here by mail steamer, on Saturday afternoon, with an authenticated copy of the order (the original having been sent by post to the bailiff), but did not land until the preliminary measures had• been con certed by the local authorities, to _ensure the capture of the parties—strange to say, one of these measures was the preparing of a writ (I) for the purpose. lt would seem by this that the order in Council, like the Chancellor's warrants, was not of itself a suffi cient authority, and, therefore, the bailiff issued a spe cial writ, called Ordre de Justice, for the apprehen sion of Mr. Belson' and Major Hartman. This writ was' placed in the hands of Mr. Dpntmciator Godfrey, and promptly executed. The parties were captured about eight o'clock, and severally admitted to bail, in 200/., to appear before the Royal Court on Monday morning, when her Majesty's law officers would read the order in Council, and pray their Worships to di rect that it should be registered, in, order that it might draw its full and entire 'effect. What does this mean ? On Monday the Court met, and, on calling the cause, an objection was taken _by counsel for Mrs. Belson and Major Hartman, that they were not bound to answer suit until four days had elapsed, as if her Majesty's mandate bad merged into the bailiff's writ; but the joke was too rich for the occasion. However adroitly this objection may be pleaded in ordinary cases, it would not do in the pre sent one. A medical certificate was also about to be read, showing that Mrs. Bel son was not is a fit state of health to encounter a sea voyage ; but the bailiff and jurats finding the subject exceedingly unpleasant and very humiliating withal (they having lost their cause at an expense of a few hundred pounds), would not listen to these pretensions, but granted permission for the order in Council to be registered, and for the parties to be handed over to the tipstaff, who leaves the island with them to-morrow. Rumours were circulated that the jurats intended to resign office ; but, unfortunately, they have net thought proper to do their country so great a service! The majesty of the law has been vindicated, and the public must ever feel indebted to Captain Belson for having cleared away the rubbish which obstructed the prompt intention of, and summary supervision by, the superior courts of Westminster, to redress the per sonal injuries inflicted bylthe local tribunal. It is to be hoped that he will show moderation and forbearance in his triumph, and that the parties, who are evi dently the victims of bad advisers, will purge their contempt of the Court of Chancery, and be speedily discharged out of custody. In closing this narrative, I beg leave to make one more remark. It appears to me that a standing order ought to be issued by the Privy Council, to prevent these obstructions to the course of public justice from ever happening again. To effect this, the repealed order in Council of May 21, 1679, by which the Court lays claim to the right of withholding the re gistration of Acts of Parliament, Orders in Council, warrants, &c., and pretends, by so doing, that such. documents have no legal force, ought to be formally expunged from the records. Nay, more, I think that this system of burking, or nullifying, the Imperial statutes and mandates, ought to be made a penal offence ; and that the fact, as to whether the bailiff and jurats had, or had not, complied with the order of the Privy Council, ought always to be certified to their Lordships by the clerk of the court, within seven or fourteen days after the receipt of the order. Nothing short of this will prevent a repetition of these scandalous proceedings. With many apologies for trespassing on your co lumns, I subscribe myself, Sir, your faithful friend in the good cause, ABRAHAM JONES LE CRAS, Author of a work entitled " The Laws, Cus toms, and Privilege s of the Island of Jersey." Alderbury Lodge, Les Petits Vela, Island of Jersey, Feb. 12,1850. THE LATE Da. LYNCH. —Last evening, in pur suance of a resolution agreed to by a committee Of in quiry, a meeting of the friend s of the late Dr. Lynch wa s held at Anderton's Hotel, Fleet -street, fur the purpose ,of adopting measures to ascertain why the cmeoanseedy gentleman nd htonathneotwyideot w be e e n n d p fa a m id il o y v e o r f t t o h those e dt for whom it was intended —Mr. Edwards in the chair. It apt cared from a statement made by Mr. Willoughby that Mrs. Lynch had made frequent applications for the money, but without success. At one time Exchequer bills were offered to the lady, and at another, when pressed by necessities, she was compelled to request an advance cif 204 This sum was handed to her, almost on the condition that she should not make another applica tion. Tho amount subscribed in London was 4111., and upon his (Mr. Willoughby) writing to one of the tre • curers to ascertain why the money had not been paid, he received an answer to the effect that it had been in vested with him and another as trustees, that they had placed it in the bands of a banker, and that they had no right to appropriate it without the authority of the committee, a nutting of which was to be held on Friday, the 22d inst. lie (the treasurer) had, how ever, given Mrs. Lynch 201. out of his own private means, and he had, moreover, purchased three 100/. Ex chequer-bills out of his own pocket rather than touch the money at the bankers, so that he was in actual ad vance upwards of 3301. Under these circumstances be, Mr. Willoughby, thought the time had arrived when they should come to some definite arrangement upon the subject. It appeared to have been supposed that the money was intended to be invested for the future benefit of Dr. Lynch's children, but he contended that the ob ject of the subscription was to afford immediate relief to the widow and her family. Several other gentlemen addressed the meeting, and the following resolutions were adopted:—" That this meeting has learnt with consider able surprise and regret that the subscription raised for the benefit of the widow and children of the late Dr. Lynch, in August, 1847, has not yet been ap propriated according to the intention of the subscribers, nor invested for their benefit." " That this meeting, believing that the subscription raised for the widow and children of Dr. Lynch was benevolently intended to aid them in their immediate necessities consequent upon the sudden death of Dr. Lynch, strongly urges upon the committee and treasurers to pay the amount immediately to Mrs. Lynch, this meeting having full confidence in her integrity that she will act as appears best for the interests of her own family." A committee NMI ap pointed to carry out the objects of the meeting. REPRESENTATION OF THE STEWARTRY OF KIRK CUDERIGHT.—A requisition having been presented to Mr. John Mackie, of Bargaly, the sonveter of the ste wartry, inviting him to become a candidate to fill the vacancy caused by the elevation of Mr. Maitland to the Scottish Judicial Bench, that gentleman has accepted the invitation. In his address to the electors, Mr. Mackie says—" You are aware that I have always been Liberal, though not extreme, in my p o liti ca l opinions. I will attach myself to no particular states man or patty, but support those measures which, in my opinion may be most condusive to the good of my country. I approved of the free-trade measures brought forward and carried through Parliament by that emi nent statesman, Sir H. Peel ; and I am still of the same opinion, as I entertain a conviction that the present low price of agricultural produce is only temporary, and will pass away as on many former occasions." Mr. P. Francis Johnson, of Carnsalloch, son of the late Sir Alexander Johnston, has also issued an address to the electors, from which the following is a quotation : " My anxious desire will be to promote economy and retrenchment in every department of the state, and to support such measures as may procure the fair and equal taxation of every class of the community. The agricultural interests, the present state of which I deeply deplore, will find in me a steady friend ; and it will be my peculiar duty to promote their welfare, and to assist in removing the burdens which press unequally nu them," INSTITUTION OF CIVIL _ENGINEERS. On Tuesday, Feb. 12 (William Cubitt, Esq., Pre sident, in the chair), the first paper read was, "An Account of the Cast-Iron Lighthouse Tower on Gibb's-hill, in the Bermudas," by Mr. P. Paterscr. The site chosen for this tower was in latitude 32 deg. 14 min. N. and longitude 64 deg. .50 min. IV., being the southern part cf the Bermudas, at which point they are most safely approached. It was at first determined to construct the tower with the materials found in the islands; but, after some pro gress had been made in quarrying and dressing the stone, it was ascertained to be of too friable a nature fur the purpose, so that the Home Government in structed Mr. Alexander Gordon, M. Inst. C. E., to prepare a design for a cast-iron tower, similar to that which had been erected from his designs at Alo rant Point, Jamaica, and which had proved very successful. The form cf this tower • was that of a st rong conoidal figure, 105 feet 9 inches in height, terminate d at the top by ' an inverted conoidal figure, 4 feet high, in lieu of a ; capital its extreme outside diameter wns 24 feet, at the narrowest part 14 feet, and at the top 20 feet. Thu external shell was constructed of 135 concentric cast iron plates, having inside flanges, and varying in thick ness from one inch at the base to be about three-quarters of an inch at the top. In the centre of the tower there was a hollow cast-iron column, 18 inches in diameter in the inside. and of three-quarter inch metal, fur supporting Fresnel's Dioptric apparatus, and in which the revolving weight descended ; it was also used, in the daytime, for the raising and lowering of stores, and likewise contained the waste-water pip". The Icwer part of the tower was filled with concrete, leaving a well, faced with brickwork, about eight feet in diameter, and twenty feet in depth, in the centre. Above this were the seven floors, the two lower ones being lined with brickwork, and used as store-rooms, and the upper ones, lined with sheet-iron, were used as living rooms for the light-keeper. The details were then given of the mode a constructing the floors, the windows, the staircases, and of attaching the lantern and light room to the main structure; it was stated that the light was visible from all points of the compass, excepting when obscured by the high land between Gibb's-hill and Castle-harbour, from the deck of a vessel et a distance of about 27 miles, and possibly even at a still greater distance. The structure occupied less than one year in its actual erection, the different parts hav ing been landed about the end of November, 1844, the first plate being erected on Gibb's. hill on the 19th of December, 1844, and the last plate of the tower on the 9th of October, 1845. The whole cost of the structure, including the lantern and light apparatus, was stated to have been about 7,6901., and the annual expense of maintaining it about 4501. The next paper read was " A description of Sir George Cayley's Hot Air Engine," by Mr. W. W. Poingdestre. After entering briefly into the theoretical considerations of the expansion of heated aeriform bodies, and detailing the attempts made by Lieutenant Ericson, for employing hot air, instead of steam, as a . prime mover, the author proceeded to state that, in 1837, Sir George Cayley, dart. Assoc. Inst. C. E., applied the products of combustion from close furnaces, so that they should act at once upon a piston, in a cylinder, similar in every respect to that of a single acting steam- engine.,The engine consisted of a generator of heat, a working cylinder, and an air pump or blower, the air-pump being half the size of the cylinder, and blowing air into and through a fire perfectly enclosed within the generator ; the doors of the furnace were made perfectly air-tight as soon as the fire was well got up, the first impulse being given to the engine, by throwing a few jets of water upon the fire, which caused the air pump t o wor k im mediately, and continued so for hours; the fire being replenished by stopping off the blast from the furnace, and opening the upper bonnet. After the air had passed through the fire, the gaseous products of com bustion, generally at a temperature of 600 deg. of Fahrenheit, passed laterally through a chamber, used for separating them from any' ashes or cinders, into the working cylinder before alluded to. The difficulties attending this description of engine, were the liability of the working parts to be de ranged, by the great sensible heat destroying the valves, pistons, and cylinders, and carbonising the lubricating oil. It was stated, that Mr. A. Gordon, M. Inst. C. E., had made a successful experiment, on the application of the heated products of combustion for propelling a boat, without the intervention of any machinery, between the furnace and the water to be acted upon. The paper announced to be read at the meeting of Tuesday, February 19, was "Description of the Iron Roof over the Railway Station, Lime-street, Liver pool," by Mr. Richard Turner. COURT CIRCULAR. The Duke cf Wellington had an audience of the Queen yesterday, at Buckingham Palace. His Royal Highness Prince Albert presided yesterday of-ernoon at a meeting of the Chairmen and members of Committees of the Royal Commission f)r the Exhibttioa of 1851. The int ving was held at Buckingham Palace, nt throl o'clock, and was attended by Earl Granville, Lord Stanley, Sir Richard Wesimacotr, Sir Charles Lynn, Sir Henry de la Becl.e, Mr. William Cubist, Mr. Thomas F. Gibsop, Professor Oyler), Mr. Brunel, Mr. Posey, M.P., and Dr. Boyle. Mr. Scott Russell attended as Secretary to the Commission. Lieu'.-Colonel Reid, R.E., Mr. Henry Cole, and Mr. Charles W. Dilke, jan., were in attendance as members of the Executive Corn mittee. Colonel the Hon. Charles Grey, his Royal Highness's Private Secretary, also attended. The met ing broke up at twenty minnws beture eight o'clock. The Royal Family took their usual walking and pony exercise yesterday. The Lord Chancellor and Lady Cottenham, Lord George Lennox, and the Right Hon. Sir Francis and Lady Arabella Baring, had the honour of dining with her Majesty and the Prince yesterday evening, at Buck ingham Palace. — Dispatches from the Governor of the Bahamas were received yesterday at the Colonial -office. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council sat yes terday, and resumed the hearing of an appe,il from Bengal (part heard), " Anund Lal Sing Dee. v. Maha rajah Djeraj Gurrood." BRITISH AND FOREIGN BIBLE SOCIETY. Yes terday evening the 45th annual general meeting of the Bread-street branch of this association was held at the London Coffee-house, Alderman Sidney, M.P., in the chair. The proceedings having been oper;ed by prayer, the Chairman said he was glad to be able to congratu late them upon the prosperity of the society. In the ad dress which they heard in the House of Commons the other night, in which the Prime Minister propounded government to all our colonies to the utmost bounds of the world, he had not mentioned a word about religion, because the Bible societies and other kindred institutions preceded him there, even before regular government was established. It appeared from a view of the plans and operations of the society, which was submitted to the meeting, that during the forty-five years of its existence the society had put into circulation nearly 22,000,000 copies of the Scriptures, either in whole or in part, and its expenditnre for this pur pose had exceeded 3,500,0001. sterling. The receipts for the past year alone had amounted to 95,933/. 10. id., arising from the usual sources of donations, annual subscriptions, sales, and legacies; the payments during the same period having been 88,8311. le. 2d., and its engagements had exceeded 67,0001. There had been issued from its depositaries, at home and abroad, within the same year, no fewer than 1,107,518 copies, and if the aggregate issues of foreign Bible societies were added to those of the British and Foreign Bible Society, the grand total would amount to more than 36,000,000 copies of the entire Bible or New Testament. or integral portions thereof, in different languages. The society had promoted the distribution of, printing, or trans lation of the sacred volume in whole or in part, directly in 81, and indirectly in 59 languages or dialects. Within the United Kingdom there were no fewer than 3,217 auxiliary brances or associations, and 525 in the British colonies and their dependencies. There were also more than 50 principal foreign societies, with their respective branches, spreading their salutary influence over the states of Europe, all more or less effective in the distri bution of the Scriptures. The adoption of the report having been passed, several practical resolutions were agreed to, and officers for the ensuing year were elected, and the meeting separated, after the usual courtesy to the chairman. 11.}...covEuir or HER MAJESTY'S MAIL-PACKET ONvx.—lntelligence has been brought by the Sir . Ed ward Banks, which arrived last night at St. liatharme's, of the floating of the mail steam-packet Onyx. The vessel having been lightened by the removal of the pad dle-boxes and all the heavy fittings, a successful effort was made on Tuesday to tow her off the beach at Ostend. The operation was favoured by an unusually high tide, and at about half-past one o'clock, a good pur chase having been obtained by the vessels ordered on the duty by the Admiralty, she glided into deep water as if leaving a dockyard slip , and was taken in tow by the Princess Alice and brought into harbour. As soon as the weather permit, she will be towed to Woolwich to be repaired. INAUGURATION Or THE GREAT TUBULAR BRIDGE OVER THE MEstaL—Wednesday last, the second tune was lowered to its permanent seat en the Carnarvonshire side, in the presence of its distinguished founder, Robert Stephenson, M.P. So successfully was every part brought to bear on lowering the tube on the rock tower, that an extension of three -sixteenths of an inch took place, denoting great rigidity. The gale on Wednesday, and again on Saturday, when the wind was west an d by south, or at right angles with the bridge, did not affect the structure in the least, though a pressure of seventeen and a half pounds to the square foot was ascertained. The only unfinished operations connected with this bridge are the fillirg up of the gap on the near side, and the grand junction with the C arnarvons hi re t ower , for which a period of three w ee k s w ill su ffi ce —t wo other weeks will suffice for lining the rails—from which it will be seen that the line will be in readiness for opening within a period of five weeks from this dale. Of . courre there will be a public demonstration on so interesting an occasion; and we know it to be the intention to get up an ovation for Mr.:Stephemon in the manner of a public entertainment.—North Wales Chronicle. METROPOLIS WATER BILLS.—The following lin* portant order was adopted by the House cf Commons, on Tuesday, on the motion of Sir G. Grey—" That no Dill for the supply of water to the metropolis, or an part thereof, be read a good time before THE TOTAL DESTRUCTION OF BISHOP'S BOCK LIGHTHOUSE OFF SCILLY. Amongst the various disasters and loss of property which occurred in the terrific gale of Tuesday night, the sth inst., we have to record a no less serious oc currence than the total destruction of the Bishop's Rock Lighthouse off Scilly, the erection of which was rapidly approaching completion. The rock is situated about eight or ten miles westward of the Land's j End, and the lighthouse was in progress of erec tion by Mr. Douglas for the Honourable Corpora tion of Trinity House, under the superintendence of Messrs. Walker and Burges, the eminent engineers. As to the immediate cause which produced the dis aster, of course no d e fi n it e i n f o rm a tion can as yet be obtained. All that is known is, that on the Tuesday night, the lighthouse was standing, and few, if any, had any apprehension of its safety. On the following morning not a trace cf its existence was visible upon the turbid mass of waters on whose sur face it had before risen as a warning beacon. As our readers have already been made acquainted by us, the lighthouse was formed of cast-iron columns, braced and stayed with wrought iron rods. The columns were sunk into the rock ; and the present surmise i., that in penetrating the rock for this pur pose, some fissure of which the engineer might not have been aware, has thus been rendered a greater source of that insecurity of which we now record the result ; and that the rock with the light -house upon it, has been swept away by the fury of the waters. 'lnc lighthouse had been constructed by Messrs. Robinson, of Pimlico, and the lantern was in progress by Mr. Wilkins, of Long-acre. It was anticipated that the erection would have been complete early in summer. It would have been upwards of 120 feet high, being 20 feet higher than the far-famed Eddy stone, and had been considered peculiarly adapted, notwithstanding its apparent lightness, to withstand the heavy seas which fall in at that point, as from its construction the sea would pass through without taking any hold in.comparison as it does when meeting with a solid body. The centre column was about three feet six inches in diameter, and the entrance to the light was by the interior of this column to the hopper, over which, and under the gallery, were the living room, store, &c. The whole of this structure has now, however, become a total loss.—Penzance Gazette. A BRILLIANT METEOR. On Monday evening, about a quarter before eleven o'clock, a brilliant meteor, according to all ac counts intense beyond any on record in modern time., was seen throughout the metropolis. The direction in which it travelled appears to have been from W. to E., and it is described by observers as having been remarkable for the beauty and variety of its co lours, the intensity cf the light proceeding from it, and the length of time during which it was visible. The body when first seen resembled a large ball of fire of a deep red colour, and the coarse traversed by it seemed to be a curve, in its passage over which it gradually ac quired the appearance of a broad stream of fire of vari ous hues—green, crimson, purple, violet, lice. The light evolved was so vivid as to approach that of noonday, and cast very strong shadows on the ground. Immedi ately before it disappeared, its light seemed to be con centrated, when it burst like a rocket, producing an ex plosion the echoes of which resembled distant thunder. One of the most remarkable circumstances attending the phenomenon was its long continuance, which extended to five or six seconds. It was simultaneously observed in various parts of the kingdom. The following letters have been addressed to the editor of a morning contemporary : Sir,—Yesterday evening, at about half-past tin o'clock, I was observing the peculiar clearness of the atmos phere, the weather having rapidly changed from stormy rain, which had prevailed throughout the day, to that brilliancy of sky which usually betokens, at this season, frost; when, suddenly, I was almost bereft of sight by the appearance of a magnificent meteor which made its appearance in a westerly direction, and passing rapidly across the zenith, exploded in the east, about 15 deg. above the horizon. It was followed by a luminous tail of extraordinary length and brilliance, and the disk of its neuclus appeared to be nearly half the diameter of the moon when full. Fire balls of a bluish colour fell from the tail in profusion. Some idea may be formed of the intense light cast from it when I state that I could discern nothing whatever for several minutes after ; indeed, many families in the neighbourhood sitting in vs ell lighted rooms, where there were apertures or crevices through the shutters, were alarmed, and went out completely terrified. Pheasants com menced crowing on their roosts, and dogs were barking; in fact, all living creatures out of doors were evidently disturbed by it. The wind which had been blowing boisterously nearly the whole day from the south west was, at the time, west by south-west, and mode rately brisk. The explosion of this brilliant specimen of an eccen tric and, I believe, unexplained Teri( ty of aerial phe nomena was not, as is sometimes the case, audible, and I conclude, thert fore, that, although doubtless within our atmosphere, its distance from the sutface of the earth must have been very great; hence, probably, it was observed in other parts of the country by indivi duals far more scientific than myself, who may, perhaps, furnish you with a better description t f it. In the absence ( f such you may possibly deem ac ceptable the humble communication ( f; Sir, your most obedient servan , , _ _ G. THOMPSON, Jun. Prest wood, Stourbridge,eb. 12. Sir,—At a quarter before eley(n o'clock last night, heir g in conversation with Mr. John Liner, in trout ( f his house, which dirt ct!y faces the north, lie called my attention to a falling star. Wien I first observed it it was coming from the north-west, and did not appear much larger tha❑ falling stars usually are, but it con.• tinued its course, every moment increasing in brightness, and exhibiting a tail of a blue colour and remarkably vivid, until it had reached the east, when it exploded into thousands of brilliant coruscations and disappeared. After an interval of about 90 seconds it was followed by a loud clap of thunder, of a very peculiar crackling na ture, of long duration, which passed off into the north east. Yours, B. VICARS, Jan. Padbury, Buckingham, Feb. 12. TIOITON RAGGED SCHOOL —A tea festival, fol lowed by a public meeting, :took place at seven o'clock last evening, at the Hoxton Academy Chapel School, for the purpose of receiving subscriptions to liquidate the debt incurred by the erection of the Hoxton Ragged School. The meeting was principally composed of re spectable females, with a few clergymen and gentlemen interested in the success of tf e iustitutioe. The chair having been taken by Joseph Bateman, Esq., the even ing's proceedings were opened with a prayer and a hymn. Subscriptions and donations were handed in to the amount of about 121, after which Mr. Benjamin Cobden proceeded to lay before the meeting the re port of the committee, from which it appeared that the total cost of the building amounted to 6501.; the donations and subscriptions received to 2201., leaving a sum of 4301. to he paid off. The course ofin atruction which it was intended should be carried on in the school, would be for infants daily; for grown-up boys and girls, three nights in each week; and for parents and old persons, two nights in each week, with constant Sunday-school instruction. It was also intended, as soon as sufficient funds had been raised, to open indus trial classes, so as to fit those of the pupils who might wish to emigrate to the colonies to become useful and industrious citizens. The meeting was subsequently addressed in brief terms by the Rev. Messrs. Johnson, Rotheray, and Addison, as also by Mr. Joseph Payne, who forcibly pointed out the necessity that existed fur establishing and upholding such useful institutions, as, by their agency, thousands were saved from perdition, and taught, by a superior discipline to that which st as practised in gaols and penitentiaries—the discipline of Christian love and of the Gospel—to become useful, intel ligent, and respectable members of society. The meet ing, at half-past nine o'clock, was closed with an appro priate prayer and hymn. DEATH PROM SHAMEFUL NEGLECT.—On Friday an inquest was held at Bradley, on the body of Thomas Cox, a boy about nine years of age, whose death re sulted from the reprehensible though common practice of leaving old coal pits without any fence around or any covering over them. The deceased, who lived at Bred ley, laft home on Wednesday morning, with his father, for the purpose of going to work in a coal pit, near Darleston. When they got into Mr. Loxdale's field, near Potter's-bridge, the deceased's hat was blown off, and they both ran atter it a short distance. It began to rain, and deceased's father desired him to go into a hovel close by, whilst he (the father) looked for tee bat. As the morning was dark and windy, he could not find the hat; and in going to the hovel to meet his son, he had, using his own words, "a very narrow escape of his life, in not falling into an old pit, which was exposed without any fence round or over it." Ile could not find his son, and it then occurred to him that he had fallen down the pit. Some tackling was obtained, and the de deceased brought up, with his head fractured, both his legs broken, and otherwise dreadfully crushed, quite dead. " The pit in question," the boy's father said, "is an old coal pit, situate in the Old Squirrel field, near Bilston, the property of Mr. Loxdale, and in the occu pation of Mr. William Baldwin, of Bilston, coal and iron master. A public road passes within twenty yards of the pit in question, and there is no f ace against either ' the road or the pit. The pit is about 35 yards deep. There are two or three other pits near the one in t itle, tion, in an equally dangerous state." The jury returned a verdict of" Accidental death;" expressing an opinion that ' there had been great want of proper attention ,, r in care on the part of the occupier of the p it in cui , e , s ti rot having seen that it was properly protecteu. It ver/iampton Chronicle. thier.f)Tl.louw,.iongi auntsopt, the o y rr h f a c T i e ar. rea C ch n ed art u G s f — S. — nam W el e y, g t iv ha e t Mr. VictuallingG o s Victualling of h - ) t : a e r d , p s h t a o s r e a lLe storeke eper of t he Navy, vice Meek (paymaster at.:d p p e t e r d o t f he th o e ffi C c e i a o r f e n Comptroller e p u rser), retired; and that Assistant-Paymaster-General Anderson will succeed that respected veteran officer Mr. B r iggs, as Accountant-General of the Navy, s tu d not Mr. Bromley, who, a short time since, jumped from a second-class Admiralty clerk to be secretary to the Audit Commissioners. It is said that the latter is to have a superior appointment at the War-office. —Herald. THE SINITIItT CONDITION OF BRISTOL. The Town Council of Bristol having forwarded a memorial to the General Board of Health, Mr. George F. Clarke, one of the superintending inspectors, commenced a public inquiry as to the sanitary state of the borough yeaterdil (Wednesday) ? in 029.01414411. Bristol. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. , CHESTER RACES. Acceptances for the Chester Cup. Yre. et lbl - - Yr s . at lb Collingwood Cossack I),, ep-o%day-80y.., ti 9 o,Gsu by Verulam..• 4 6 7 Yatcatcher 5 8 8i Melbourina 4 6 r Dough 5 8 5 Keieshe John Comer .5 8 5 Sunnyside Ellerdale ............ 6 8 3 Melody Lady Evelyn Ha1t0n............... 5 8 &Primrose 5 6 & Inneritress ......... a 7 10 Gaffer Green a6 8 The Horn debase 6 7 . 10 Caurire Hotspur ............ 4 . 7 10 Yardarm a 6 0 Sylvan ............... 5 7 9'Fleur de Seine E.rclarius .... ..... 4 7 9 Fern 5 6 0 T 1 v Baroness(lriah)4 7 6 Fitzpatrick ... Vesta Clermon , 6 7 5 Mariln Chatterer 4 7 b Wild Rose I:e'us G !mica Dulcet a- 7. 3 13e by Gladiator... 4 3 10 \Voila ich Ellerslie Westovr .... . ...... 4 5 8 a w Ily Idlebov, by Dark- liolaod ............. .. 4 5 8 5 7., ( General Sale ...... 4 5 6 . Quiz (late Rah- - b' by Vulcan ...... 4 6 8 thorpt) Fogleman Loop garou 4 7 0 Countess of A 16. - Pt ]ham . - 4 7 0 wide Osterlcy Clarissa 11iAs Ann Lady Superior Valox The Darter 5 6 12 Woodlark Rhesus 4 6 11 Sir Richard ...... 4 612 Tarn Wadlia Cockermouth 5 6 10' (Edipus Abbot of Meaux 4 6 10 Kissaway .. 4 6 10 Priestess The Flea 4 6 10 Chantrey 4 6 10 Doc de Brabant Irnperatrix Mounseer Giselle a 6 S Lismabago The Knout Testator Era 4 6 8 Teflis RACES IrEER Lincoln Spring _. 21 Doncaster Spring Catterick Bridge Northampton Sr Pytch ley Hunt 3 Ctoxton Park 9 Chester Spring Newm. Second Spring l4 Shrewsbury ... 15 Newton Ascot Hampton l9 Newmarket 2 Liverpool lO tahaldrstone 3 5 (:), i3apiain Grant 3 5 Emma 3 5 0 St ignor of Holder- Dm 3 t 'Mark Tapley Modesty 3 5 0 Mulgrave 3 4 12 Laura ... Gleam Damask Witchcraft lanthe Eye-the-Boys 3 4 10 C by Lanorcost, cut of Concertina 3 4 10 Equira 3 4 8 Augean Michael Brunton 3 4 6 Baroness St. George Br f by Gladiator, oat of Sprite Wallace Greenwich '0 COME. JARY. Liverpool. ;cu. Warwick .19 Epson' Spring Newmarket Craven Bath I Newinkt. First Spring 29 LAY. Manchester Epsom Summer 2B Edinburgh Newcastle Bibury 26 Stockbridge 27 Nottingham l6 Stamford l7 AUG Salisbury lB Winchester Goodwood • 3O Ripon Brighton 7 Wolverhampton l2 Eglinton Park ... 13 or 14 Reading York 2l Stirling Warwick 3 Lichfield IBER. Doncaster Manchester Autumn 26 IBSL - ---- Newmkt. First October 1 I Chester Autumn 8 Newmkt. Second Oct—. 14 Newmarket Houghton.. 28 FUNERAL OR TER LATE MRS. WADDINGTON,-- On Saturday last the remains of Mrs. Waddington, of Llanover, were consigned to the grave. Her funeral was conducted in the strictest conformity with her wishes, and while nothing was expended in mere show, plain mourning was given to all those who had more particu larly served her, and to whom it would be most useful. She had long since chosen the spot in the churchyard at Liam over where she was to bo laid, desiring that she might not be placed in a vault, or in a lead coffin, but " that the earth should cuter her, and that the green turf should grow over her deep grave." The place se lected by her adjoins the vault in which other mem ber& of the family are buried, and over which, w ith honeysuckles and other flowers, grows a pine, reared by herself, from seed she had brought from Italy thirty -three years age. At twelve o'clock the tine Welsh hymn ettl!ed " Gorphenwyd" was solemnly sung as the procession left the house on foot. Ater the coffin was lowered on the large stone which had been prepared for its reception, the pal'-bearers dropped the snowdrops and other flowers which they carritd, upon it; and a bystaneer (who remained long aft, r tho funeral was over) remarked that all those there employed seemed to touch the light soil, with which the grave was being filled, with 'rave renee—that all rough stones were n.moved from it, and it was droppt d gently in almost by handfuls; nor was the grave abandoned till after dark. The next morning u green tur e l grave was seen covered with flowers, and the road to trio church was strewed with snovv:trops, and sprigs of sew, and other evergreens. Sir Benjamin Hall was turbidden by his medical advisers ho leave Loudon, as he had intended, .the state of his eyes Icing so very critical that exposure to cold would have been attended with great danger. Ths deceased lady was the immediate descendant, in the fifth generation, of the celebrated Sir Bevil Granville, who was killed at the battle of Lansdown in 1643, and was great niece and adopted child of Mary Granville, so well known as the admirable Mrs. Delany.— Welsh Paper. GLASGOW HARBOUR.—We have much pleasure ih noticing that the magnificent first-class steamer Asia, which was recently launched at Greenock, arrived in our harbour yesterday, having been tugged up from the former port. She has been placed alongside of the Simooat frigate at Lancetield quay, preparatory to get ting in her engines, &a., which have been constructed by the Messrs. Napier. No time will be lost in getting this fine vessel ready for sea. Her machinery, we under stand, is all ready, and it may be confidently - predicted, from the celebrity of both builder and engineer, that the Asia will prove another triumphant instance of the superiority of Clyde-built ocean-going steamers. The same tide that brought up the Asia floated along with it the largest trading-vessel which, we have authority for saying, has yet et tered our harbour. This was the American- built ship Huguenot, Captain W. Gardner, freighted with a cargo of cotton, from Savannah, from whence she made an excellent passage. Notwithstand ing her great size, measuring, we believe, nearly 1,000 tons register, her draught of water was not so great es that of many vessels of inferior tonasge which have got alongside our wharfs, Leing only sixteen and a half feet. This is accounted for by the circumstance of her cargo being entirely cotton, of which she has no fewer than 3,500 bales on board—the largest cargo of this de scription which has era r teen landed at Glasgow. Now that the capabilities of the river are becoming better known, we may calcult,te upon seeing more frequently, as large, if not larger ships in our basin.—North British Mail. The Earl Fitzhardinge has left town for Berkeley Castle, where the Noble Earl will reside until the close of the hunting season. FALL OF A PORTION OF THE CHURCHYARD WALL AT e the Eth hist , port ton of th e wallwhich surrounds D s i ti —rro un I l id ay, of th e chur c h, an d i abutting into Church-street, suddenly fell, and fur a time obstructed the street; about ten yards in length of the wall came down. It ha. , for some time been yielding to the pressure of t arch abuvo, and it is soppo,ed that the effect of the late severe frost had z,o loosened the inwetials as to cause it to give %ay.. The sudac, of the )ard at this place is about ten feet above that of the street, and when the wall tell it exposed to view tiers ot c. near the surface. A wolinin passing at die timer arre iy e.caped being buried in the ruins. Fortunately there Was no person hurt. ANOTHER " CASE" FOR THE PROTECTIONISTS.-.-We read the other day, ILL one of those amusing miscellanies, a " City article," that pepper way getting up, and wo foresaw at once that the Protectionists would have a good cry directly they set their eyes on pepper. They will of course bewail the additional difficulty of gifting their rents in those cases where the rent is a pepper corn, and, with a frantic shout of "Look at pepper," they will declare they are being ground down worse than ever. There is no fear that the article will maintain for pepper is about the last thing that tpeoplet)ohigwhilal pay for through the nose very readily.—Punch. AUSTRIAN IMEUDENCE. — The Vienna paper tha Llo:vdj,ripofn:hies.u3: i nos: RAILWAY A t T ha t A an Austrian iej u isi s o t tli r h: i ,e s i I s :e .rarot t ico i L a rni preparing to sail for G ge re n ec er e al to m o e p e p t o it s l e g t of ha p th r e oc l ee ia d s i t n e gs o f Sir W. Parker and the English squadron. C C h O a l l P c A e ls o l-E j s iTst A h t eld a , it was resohc-e(dutphuaita of costs under tahicidJoutisnotliSctiotocrks, tors, nm3d. in ca ses t A h c o t s A , theast Masters principle are at t o e f u p d it e y d m i e v n payment o b u y their fees shall be nt h e o L url w lugl" regulated upon the sane principle as it' the proceedings t b o 9 o d k is p r l e a g c a e r i d n ed the Court of Chancery, and that in taxing costs as between party and party, no costs of counsel b: ffi fo c r ia o i Da th ß e na M ge a r s:er shall b e allowed unless specially ordered, and with respect t o th e costs o f so li c i tors an d , the Masters are to give any special , directions they may think fit. A Superintendent of Police has absconded from Wellingtor, Shropshire. His name is Baxter, and he was suddenly missed on the 23d uli., and his where abouts . • has not yet been discovered, although hand-bills , have been circulated throughout the kingdom with a view to his apprehension. It is reported that his dsfal-,... cations are heavy.— Wolverhampton Chronicle. FUNERALS IN THE ORKNEYS. — Tbi Scotch pag e r , announced that a hearse has recently been introduvtd! into the Orkneys for the first time. CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAILWAY.--ThfliC for the Week ended Feb. 10, 1004—C. and 11, Main Line ) 1,093/. 10s. id.; Mold, 351. 105. 9U,1 intiot-beau, PO4 ' 709 91-.4944 42191, UST. ~ ~