The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-28 00:00:00

GERMANY.

The settlement of the customs union ques-
tion proceeds very slowly. The representatives of
the Darmstadt coalition have had two meetings at
Vienna, and a preparatory meeting was held at the
bureau of the Foreign Minister, Count Buol Schauen-
stein, on the 22d instant.
General de Latnoricike left Jena, on the 21st,
after visiting the field of battle, which bears that
name. He proceeded to Wohlsdorf to visit the field
of battle, where Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia
lust his life in 1806.
General Haynau arrived at Verona, on the 18th,
from Venice.
The Duchess of Orleans and her two sons arrived
at Frankfort on the 24th.

BELGIUM.
The following telegraphic dispatch was received
on Tuesday, in Paris, from Brussels :—" The Cham-
ber of Representatives met this day ,(October 26),
and proceeded to the nomination of its President.
After two ballots, M. Delfosse was nominated to the
office by 54 to 49, given to M. Delabaye."
The Conetitutionnel says :—" M. Delfosse, who
has just been chosen President of the Belgian Cham-
ber of Representatives, is the candidate whom the
Liberal party had substituted for M. Verhisgen, after
the refusal of the latter. The logical consequence of
the election of M. Delfosse must have been the re-
turn to office of the cabinet which had just retired, if
M. Rozier had not announced the positive intention
to give up power, and if the state of the negotiations
with France:did not render a government of transi-
tion indispensable. It is, therefore, more difficult than
ever to forsee the issue of the ministerial crisis in
Belgium. It is much to be regretted that the two
parties, who reciprocally hold each other in check, do
not, by patriotic concessions, place M. de Brouckere
in a position to form a Ministry of compromise."

.NEW "NIGHT SIGNALS.

TO THE EDITOR Or THE BUN.

Sts,—ln the Sun of the 18th, I observed with no
little degree of surprise, a letter addressed to the
editor, headed " New Night Signals—Rettis's, not
Thenzsosis; containing also, some very severe animad-
versions on the Admiralty and myself, accompanied
by a long detail of supposed or imaginary grievances,
and a declaration, purporting to place the whole in
the hands of Mr. M'Gregor, M.P., with a view to
obtain redress from the [louse of Commons.
In this letter, I am charged by Mr. Rettie, as being
one of the underlings of the Admiralty, and as dis-
honourably and furtively depriving him of the merit
and pecuniary benefit of his invention. This gentle-
man I do not know, though I have had the satisfac •
tion of hearing him declaim, and ungraciously assail
me before a large audience in the Londo❑ Exhibition,
and it was on this occasion that he explained his plans
to me, not knowing to whom he addressed himself,
that I discovered our inventions had no relation to
each other.

If Mr. nettle takes to himself the merit of discover-
ing the process of staining glass, then, unquestion-
ably, he has the paramount right to the greater part
of the honours identified with the discovery of the
"New Night Signals;" but without this, I can sur-
render him up nothing.
parnedseictution seems of his
ha designs
gn It would appear he has been at vast expense in the
;seos have
experimentsmost
without
inventors,
made s t.
he
much pros •
pect of an adequate remuneration ; but
surely, ha cannot say
by the Admiralty for the lamps which were supplied
by him for the use of the
paid nothing will ' - ' nzvy. however, paid or not
able, rivals. justify his inculpations of honour
able rivals.
I think I shall full
satisfy the public who ayre convince
interested Mr. Bettie, and
an invention of so much importance in the success of
to
new night signals are, that its origin . seamen as the
myself; and before I submit a d letailsedentirely with
own plans, I will first state what were Mr. Rettie's
They consist of large and small lamps of different.
colours, placed in angles, so as to he used by ships
sea in distress. They were to be used as distressat
lights. His large lantern, every naval man will at
once say was totally unsuited for
bah it measured 14
or 18 inches long, by 12 or 14 hig, aving a power-
ful piano convex lens in front of an oil lamp, with two
large coloured glass slides, on brass rollers, to impart
the distinctive colours to the lens ; and, besides this,
there were three small lanterns, made of hollow coin
mon glass cylinders, red, white, and green ; in each
of which there was fixed an oil lump, and by means
Hattie
of these fixed in various positions,Mr. IT his
is
eptrho;
posed to make signals of distress at sea.
sum of all I have heard and known of this gentle-
man's plans.
It was in September, 1848, while serving as sur-
geon. J.F
of H.M.S. Odin, commanded by
theF.
Hon
the
Pelham, 13,.N., (now private secretary to Firstom.
_
Lord) in the :rivadron of Sir Wm. Parker, U
mander-in Chief of the Mediterranean, that I was
first led to direct my attention to the defective state
of k)i).r night signals.
Being. placed in the lee line and the advanced ship, we
had to signalise to the Admiral, by means of a box of
illuminated letters and ;gores, the ingenious inven-
tion of Capt. Wilmot, R N., but tint beinz able to
communicate beyond half a mile, I suggested to Capt.
Pelham the importance of coloured glass, as a means
Iby which coinintv•ioations fit night with facility