The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-20 00:00:00

SICKNESS IN THE CRIMEA, 1839.

[Extracted from the Times newspaper, of Sept. 25, 1839.]
" Accounts frOm Constantinople state that the Rus-
sian troops in Sebastopol and its neighbourhood were
sadly suffering from illness, particularly from the
ophthalmia, which presented all the appearance of the
Egyptian disease.
" Upwards of 7,000 sick were lying in the hospitals."

An accident of a serious nature occurred to Lord Stan
hope, son of the Earl of Chesterfield, yesterday morning,
His lordship, a lieutenant in the Royal Horse Guards,
was mounted on a spirited charger ; hen in St. Paul's-
churchyard, opposite Mr. Fred. Goodyear's, his horse
slipped on the Bile, and fell on its rider, breaking his
leg. Lord Stanhope was immediately carried into Mr.
Goodyear's house, where the greatest attention was
promptly paid. Mr. Smith, surgeon, ;.,f Bow-lane, was
at once summoned to his assistance, and set the fracture.
After remaining about two hours his lordship was con-
veyed to his barracks at Regent's-park.
EasT INDIA. COMPANY'S CIVIL SERVICE.—The prospec-
tus which has been issued of the, preliminary examina-
tion (to take place in July, though the list of candidates
will be closed on the Ist of May) comprises only such
subjects as those with which any graduate of the uni-
versities may fairly be supposed to be conversant.
The duties that devolve upon a civil servant of the East
India Company comprise a most extensive sphere of
action —the administration of the laws, the financial dis-
pos fiats and regulation of the revenues, and the im-
provement of the moral and phy-ical condition of the
people. Much has been said of late in favour of the dis-
tribution of appointments; oy merit, as tested by exami-
nations, over the ordinary course of patronage. These
important posts have hitherto, been in the exclusive pa-
trona<ze of the Court of Directors.
THE CHINA PEA.—Experiments are shout to he made
in several deeartieente of France t nstnrali,e a species
of pea pecu.iar to China, which yields both oil and flour.
The oil scarcely differs frren that of cotes, or rapeseed,
and the Chinsse use it largely in their culinary prepara-
tions. The fl .ur is ma le into a paste, which, after hav-
ing been left to ferment, is seasoned with oil, pepper,
salt, or other ingredients. It becomes, in a few days, of
a brownish colour, and possesses excellent ditzestive qua-
lities. So prepared, it is rather dear, but the poorer
classes merel7 fry the paste in oil, and it is sold to them
in slices in the markets The preparations of the oil a d
paste of the pea in question is a branch of industry in
several provinces ; but it is at Nung-Po, capital of Cite-
Kiang, that it is chiefly carried on. Every year, in fact,
thousands of junks, freighted with the poste and oil,
leave Nino-po for the different posts of the Celestial Em-
pire.—Galign,ani.
FOLKESTONE IMPROVEMENT BlLL.—Yesterday a Par-
liamentary paper was printed containing a copy of the
Admiralty report on the Folkestone Improvement Bill.
It appears that the objects of the bill are to extend the
limits of the borough, to enable the corporation to con-
struct a market-house, to make new streets, and other
improvements. The Lords of the Admiralty call the
attention of Parliament to clauses in the bill to levy coal
dues, and, in failure of payment, the vessel, tackle, &c.,
to be detained. " Their lordships are of opinion that
duties so collected would operate as a tax on shipping
for the benefit of the town improvements, and that the
collector of customs, or other officer in her Majesty's
service, should not be employed in such a service ; that
no duties on coal or merchandise whatever should be col-
lected at Folkestone until the same have been landed,
and that municipal dues, which the commissioners may
think proper to demand, shall only be payable by
the importers or purchasers, and that no detention of
vessels, or interference with them, be sanctioned on ac-
count of town revenue."
SOUTHA.MPTON, April 19.—The new shears which have
for some mouths past been in the course of erection to
supply those which were destroyed by the accident
last year are now nearly completed, and will be tested
in the course of a few days. Their proof strength is
50 tons. They consist of three immense sticks of yel-
low pine, the two front legs being 88 feet long and
32 inches in diameter, strengthened by iron hoops
placed at a distance of nine feet from each other.
The back leg- measures 102 feet in length, and 33
inches in diameter, and is strengthened at the top by
what are called "fishing pieces," so as to make it uni-
form throughout. Each of the sticks or legs is the pro-
duction of a single tree. The plan of these shears differs
materially from that usually adopted, inasmuch as a
weight can be lifted from a vessel 30 feet from the dock
wall and deposited on the quay, whereas ordinary
shears are only capable of lifting great weights with-
out being able to carry them them ashore. This addi-
tional facility is afforded by the third leg, which forming
a triangle, is made to traverse in and out from the
dock quay. The machinery connected can be worked
either by hand or steam, a small steam-engine and
house having been erected adjacent to the position of
the shears. This great addition to the port was designed
and executed by the firm of Seaward and Capel, the
timberwork being intrusted to Messrs. Ferguson, of
Millwall, and the whole placed under the superintend-
ence of Mr. A. Giles, the Dock Company's engineer.
This is another proof that the Southampton Dock Com-
pany do not spare either trouble or expense in making
their appliances for the use of the marine world as per-
fect as possible.
THE MARINE SOCIETY'S DINNER. —The annual
festival of the Marine Society was celebrated on Wed-
nesday evening at the London Tavern. Sir Charles
Wood, M.P., First Lord of the Admiralty, was to have
presided, but the right hon. gentleman's detention at
Windsor rendered it impossible for him to do so. The
chair was accordingly taken by Admiral Thornton,
supported by Captain J. Shepherd, Deputy-Master
of - the Trinity-bnuse ; Captain Richards, Captain
H. T. Austin, Captain T. P. Clarke, Mr. Sykes
Thornton, Mr. Astell, Mr.- R. Grant, &c. In
proposing the toast of the evening the gallant
chairman stated that 99 years had elapsed since the in -
stitution of the Marine Society, with a view of rescuing
from misery and reclaiming as many as possible of the
class of neglected youths from 'idleness and infamy ; and
that during that period 90,000 persons bad been rescued,
through the medium of the society, from destitution,
dd
ue gr
irnagd a
theo n,
yeara n dlBcsr i4me.
460 Tb
ohyes
w annualere r
erceepi
vo
erhw
dt
moaksmtgh ant
total of 590, in addition to those already on board the
The toast of " Prosperity
d subscriptions were raise
society'st o
the
Indianship•NOafvtyl:es these
and 1 .3w9t col r eti shn eet no ti\t tiiaetr hi
merchantenel t y
Society"l N
sawi
c4aoos.
drunk with all the honours, an
toth hearty cheering. The
gave their accustomed salvo of
the direction of the
G. arrangements were under
the boys
ay ms
wereou rit oi
introduced
tarbooduute
e2dsOt with I no theelr coursedrum s ofa ntdh efifes,a evening a
oGe.caGsieoring,e,
on whoseaccoselection
tswas
nauticalvery
Genge was assisted by Mr. Perrin, Mr. Shou g bride, Mr.
Srnytbson,- and Masters Williams anti Smythson. The
toastmaster was Mr. Higgs, apcpharorpacritaetre. to
mthre.