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

I remain, nntlemen, your obedient seruant,
C, L, GRUNEISEN.

16, Surrey.street, Strand, W,C„
London, July 25, 1:864.

Improvements in Artificial Light.

The eminent Professor Leibeg in one of his learned papers
dwells al, 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 " modsrator," and still later on,
by that for the consumptirA of parafin ; but the introduc-
tion of petroleum as 0..il article of commerce has rendered
further labours necessary ;o 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-
jiortance 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 ;
tion is perfect. The -
enterprising firm have not confined
another matter matter ea:
their efforts to tl'_e production of an article simply for the
:wily important is, that combus-
rich, but, fee'..ing the importance of the discovery, they in.
tend to ;dace before the public lamps suitable for every
class or person—from the owner of a palace down to the
t.anant 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 en. 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,

THE MAILS, SOUTHAMPTON, Wednesday.—
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship
Syria, Car;eain E, Christian, sailed hence today for Gibral.,
tar, Y.afta, and Alexandria, with the Bombay mails, a full
cargo, and specie and j?,welry, value £119,763 Ss—viz,, for
Alexandria—watches, £126. 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.
11, 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.—William 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 cflicer 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.
Mr Justice Shoe 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 CONYlCT.—Yesterclay Frede.
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
th 6 Old Bailey.
DREADFUL ACCIDENT.—On the forenoon of Friday
last, between f and 10 o'clock,
a dreadful accident
occurred in No, 2 Distillery, at Port Dundas, belonging to
Messrs. M. M`Farlane and Co. It Nppears 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 ale, 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
conveyed to the Infirmary, but the injuries which M'lntyre
and the boys had sustained were of such a serious character
that they expired, the boy Somerville on Friday afternoon,
M'lntyre the same 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-
eusly injured, but hopes aro entertained of his recovery.
—Scotsmen.

TAX UPON RAILWAY TRAVELLING..—In the finan-
cial year ending with March, 1864, the tax upon passengers
taken by railway in Great Erituin reaelletl £103,62.5. In
Ireland the tax is unknown,