The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-28 00:00:00

Shaksp ere Memorial,

The following circular has been issued to the
subscribers :

Sir,—At a meeting of the Executive Committee, held at
the Society of Arts, the Right Hon. W. F. Cowper in the
chair, a suggestion was received from the Duke of Man.
cheater (Chairman of Executive), to the effect that a state-
ment of facts should be laid before the subscribers, and their
concurrence invited in a plan by which it is hoped that
their wishes may be ultimately carried into effect. The
proposal was unanimously adopted.
The subscription list now amounts to £2,250; the ex-
penditure to about £970; balance, about £1,280.
This balance, it is thought, may be somewhat increased ;
not so largely as to justify the Executive in submit-
ting to the subscribers a costly scheme for a memorial
in one of the public parks ; but so far as to secure
for London a monument of Shakspere, at least
equal in importance to the statues which foreign countries
nave erected to their national poets. the new Thames
Embankment will offer unusual advantages for such works,
and a noble and appropriate site may be secured on this
road near the Temple Gardens.
After much consideration of the matters intrusted to
their charge, the Executive are unanimously of opinion
that the subscribers would do well to allow the above
balance to be invested, with a view to its increase, until the
Thames Embankment shall have been built, and ,further
steps can be beneficially taken,
May we ask the favour of your stating whether you ob-
ject to this recommendation ? It you concur, you need not
take the trouble to write; unless you should think proper
to favour the Executive with suggestions for carrying out
the common wishes of the subscribers. If you object to the
recommendation, we should be glad to receive your com-
mands by the first day of August.
'We have the honour to remain; your obedient servants,
W. HEPWORTH DIXON, J Hon, Seca.J. 0. HALLIWELL.
C. L. Gruneisen, Eeq., F,R.G.S.
120, Pall-mall, July 20, 18A.

We have been requested to publish the following reply
to the above circular :

To the Hon. Secretaries of the Shakapeare Memorial.

Gentlen2cn,-1n reply to your circular of the 20th, I must
protest against any application of the money raised for a
grand memorial towards a petty monument, to figure on the
Thames Embankment, to be pointed at by the finger of
scorn, as the failure of the London Committee to do honour
to Shakspeare. _

I think that a meeting of the subscribers ought to be
convened at once, to consider the best course to DO pur-
sued ; but in the event of the Executive Committee not
deeming it expedient to meet the general body of sub-
scribers, then I beg respectfully to suggest that it would
be far better to appropriate the funds in hand, after audit
of the expenditure, to the Dramatic College for the
schools. a

I remain, gentlemen, your obedient seruant,
C. L. GRITNEISEN.

16, Surrey-street, Strand, SV.C.,
London, July 25, 1864.

Improvements in Artificial Light.

The eminent Professor Leibeg in one of his learned papers
dwells at considerable length on the importance that would
attach to the completion of a lamp, for domestic purposes,
which would have the brilliancy of gas without its disagree-
able qualities, viz., smoke, heat, and noxious vapour. At
one time it was thought that object had been attained, by
the invention of the " moderator," and still later on,
by that for the consumption of parafin ; but the introduc-
tion of petroleum as an article of commerce has rendered
further labours necessary 10 accomplish that which Leibeg
desired. The illuminative properties of petroleum have
long been acknowledged, but the danger of its consumption
has tended in a very great degree to discourage its use.
That circumstance, however, has entirely been surmounted
in the great improvement that has just been effected by the
Messrs. Defries in the construction of a petroleum lamp.
The novelty consists in some peculiar arrangement of the
burner, by which a beautiful white light of extraordinary
brilliancy is attained ; but that which is of the highest im-
portance is, that there is a perfect freedom from heat.
The lamp submitted to our inspection gave a fine clear white
flame, which burned with such steadiness that the most
minute work could be effected with the greatest ;,ease;
another matter matter equally important is, that combus-
tion is perfe.ct. The enterprising firm have not confined
their efforts to the production of an article simply for the
rich, but, feeling the importance of the discovery, they in•
tend to place before the public lamps suitable for every
class of person—from the owner of a palace down to the
tenant of a cottage; therefore the material used in the
construction of the new lamp is of the most substantial de-
scription. To Effect perfect freedom from danger in the
consumption of petroleum is certainly of the utmost im-
portance, and the well-known standing of the firm will be
a sufficient guarantee that all they profess to do may be
implicitly relied on. They have hitherto effected many great
improvements in the production of artificial light, and their
latest effort will heighten the celebrity they have already
attained.

TILE MAILS, &C., SOUTHAMPTON, Wane Edgy—
. Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship
Syria, Captain E, Christian, sailed hence to-day for Gibral-
tar, Malta, and Alexandria, with the Bombay mails, a full
cargo, and specie and jewelry, value £119,763 Bs—viz., for
Alexandria—watches, £l2O. For Bombay—bar silver,
£96,280; bar gold, £13,000; gold coin, £9,000; watches,
&c., £1,367 Bs. She takes out 14 first and 27 second class
passengers, and eight proceed by the corresponding steamer
from Marseilles, making a total of 49, among whom are
Capt. Carden and Capt. Grantham, for Gibraltar ; Lieut.
H. Austin and the Rev. L. Grantham, for Malta ; Captain
Fraser, Captain and Mrs. C. Johnson, for Bombay, &c.
The Hamburg-AmericanCompany's screw steamer Saxonia,
Capt. N. Trautmann, also left to-day for New York, with
German, French, and English mails, 72 saloon, and a full
number of steerage passengers, and a large cargo.
THE WILLENHALL MURDER.....WiIIiaM Glover,
locksmith, surrendered to his bail at the Stafford
assizes on Tuesday, on the charge of having stolen from
the person of William Lyons, the police officer who was
murdered on the Bth May, at the township of Willehall, one
staff, the property of the county of Stafford. Mr Boughey,
who had been engaged for the prosecution, said he did not
purpose to take any evidence in the case, as four of the five
prisoners who had been indicted on the charge of murder
had been sentenced to lengthened terms of imprisonment,
and the ends of justice had therefore been secured. The
offence with which the accused was charged was prior to
the murder, and he was bound to say that the staff did not
appear to have been taken with any felonious intention.
Alf Justice Shee said he agreed with the preceding remarks,
and instructed the jury to acquit the prisoner. A verdict
Of not guilty was found and recorded.
THE CONDMENED CONTlOT.—Yeaterday Freda.
rick Chas. Bricknell, now lying under sentence of
death in Newgate for the murder of Jane Geary, at the
Lion Tavern, Islington New Cattle Market, was visited in
his cell by some of his relatives, with whom he had a fare-
well interview, in the presence of the gaol officials. The
wretched culprit appeared the least moved of anyone pre-
sent, He does not attempt to palliate his crime, but
appears quite willing to pay the forfeit of his life for it. He
will take a final farewell of his father on Friday. The exe-
cution takes place on Monday morning next, in front of
the Old Bailey.
DREADFUL ACCIDENT.—Oa the forenoon of Friday
last, between 9 and 10 o'clock, a dreadful accident
occurred in No. 2 Di:ail:cry, at Port Dundas, belonging to
Messrs. 31. ISlTArlanc and Co. It appears that a tun, con-
taining between 8,000 and 10,000 gallons of wash, heated
by steam up to 180 deg., burst, and the hot liquid scalded a
fireman named Robert M'lntyre, 23 years of age, residing
in Forth-street, Port Dundas; the foreman, named James
Maxwell, residing in Stewart-street, Cowcaddens ; and two
boys named John Somerville, aged nine years, and David
Fife, aged eight years. The sufferers were immediately
convoyed to the Infirmary, but the injuries which M'lntyro
and the boys had sustained were of such a serious character
that they expired, the boy Somerville on Friday afternoon,
M'lntyre the Came evening, and the boy Fyfe on Saturday
afternoon. M'lntyre was unmarried. The boy Somerville
and his companion, Fyfe, had gone to the distillery with
his father's breakfast. Maxwell, the foreman, is seri-
ously injured, but hopes are entertained of his recovery.
—Scotsman.

TAX UPON RAILWAY TRAVELLING.,—% the finan-
cial year ending with March, 1864, the tax upon passengers
taken by railway in Great Britain reached X 103,625. In
ire 3444 the tax is unknown,