The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-12 00:00:00

The Royal Mail steamship Calabar, Capt. Croft,
arrived at Liverpool yesterday with advices from
Benin to the 24th, and Fernando Po to the 29th of
September—from Cameroons to the Ist—Old Cala-
bar 3d, Brass River sth, Bonny 7th, Lagos 10th,
Accra 12th, Cape Coast Castle 14th, Cape Palmas
16th, Sierra Leone 21st, Bathurst 25th, and Tene.
rife 30th of October—and Madeira to the 2d inst.
She has on freight 2,900 oz. of golddust.
The Calabar experienced several easterly gales
from Madeira. On the 7th Frank Reynolds, a sea•
man, fell overboard, and was drowned, notwith-

standing every effort to save him.
BENlN,—Commodore Wilmot, in her Majesty's
ship Rattlesnake, paid a visit to this river in the
early part of September, to enforce payment of the
fine imposed by Governor Freeman, of Lqgos, last
year. The natives refused to meet the Commodore
or any of his officers, in consequence of which Com-
modore Wilmot at once stopped the trade of the
river until the original fine, together with an addi-
tional 30 puncheons, is paid. It is the Commodore's
intention to return again in December, and if the
fine is not then paid to take further measures. A
naval court was held here yesterday by Commodore
Wilmot, to inquire into the conduct of Captain
Richardson, Master of the Eagle's Wing. The
charges being proved he was deprived of the com-
I mend of his ship. River sickly.
FERNANDO Po,—Trade very dull. The island
healthy. We regret to learn the demise on the 15th
of September of Mr James William Bishop Lyns-
lager, formerly British Consul at Fernando Po, and
for some time Spanish Governor of that island. He
was favourably known on the coast on account of
his generous hospitality, and will long bo remem-
bered under the sobriquet of "Daddy Jern," by the
coloured population.
CAMAROONS.—Trade dull in consequence of the
disagreement among the natives. River healthy.
OLD CALABAR.—Trade brisk, and river healthy,
BRASS.—Trade virtually stopped owing to a war
between the Brassmen and a neighbouring tribe.
The Investigator had not returned from the Niger,
but was daily expected, with Dr Baikie, the African
reveller, who has been exploring this river for the

last seven years.
ACCRA.—Business very doll. Smallpox was
raging when the mail left, and several deaths had
occurred. Great dissatisfaction was felt by the in..
habitants at the conduct of the Cape Coast Govern-
ment in neglecting to appoint a colonial surgeon,
uotwithatanding that this officer's salary is specially
provided for out of the Customs' dues. A meeting
had been held at Addo's Hotel, and a subscription
got up for Staff-Assistant-Surgeon Gun, who had
consented to carry out the wishes of the Com..
mandant for compulsory vaccination. The amount
subscribed exceeded £6O.
SIERRA LEONE.—It is with the deepest regret
that we have to announce the death of Mrs Blackall,
the wife of :his Excellency the Governor, which
occurred at Government-house, let of October,
after a very short illness. The case of the ship
Ricardo Schmidt, seized on the supposition
of being intended for the slave trade, has been
decided in the Vice-Admiralty Court here, by the
vessel being restored without damages and coats.
Three thousand pounds were demanded by the
owners for the detention, who have given notice of
appeal to the Privy Council. Much dissatisfaction
is expressed by the residents of this colony to the
manner in which the duties of postmaster are dis-
charged. Great delay in the delivery of letters,
extending sometimes to many days after their
arrival by the mail, and contemptuous disregard of
repeated remonstrances on the subject, are the prin.
cipal complaints. The present postmaster, Mr
Fitz John, is a coloured man, and, as the authorities
at St. Martin's-le-Grand have the appointment in
their gift, the local government hero cannot act in
the matter. It is, we believe, the intention of the
residents to memorialise the Postmaster-General on
- the subject.

The Charing-Cross Railway Hotel.

The magnificent pile of building intended for the
Charing-cross Hotel, now rapidly approaching com-
pletion, will certainly rank among the finest archi-
tectural features of modern times. The building
h.s a frontage to the Strand of about 300 feet, the
!ewer portion being occupied by the booking and
other offices connected with the railway. An east
wing of the building also occupies one side of
Villiers-street. The hotel and station combined form
one of the happiest productions of Mr Edw. Barry's
architectural genius. The building combines, in a
very happy manner, boldness of general design
with most careful attention to all the accessories
of detailed ornamentation. The introduction of
coloured decorative materials has a very agree.
able effect, and there is a pleasing variety in the
upper portion of the building caused by the terminal
towers, the raised roof, and other minor decorations,
which greatly relieve the sky line of the building.
The courtyard in front of the building affords
gratifying indication of the spirit by which railway
directors—or some out of them at least—are ant•
mated with respect to the fine arts. Railway com-
panies, as a general rule, have paid tut little
attention to the consideration of architectural
effect in connection with the many stations, bridges
and viaducts which their engineers have con-
structed, It shows a decided improvement in this
state of things when the directors of Charing-cross
Railway, availing themselves of the name and site
of the station, have erected in the open court-yard
a revival of Edward Ill.'s Eleanor Cross, which
once stood at the village of Charing, and a descrip-
tion of which has already appeared in the .Railway
News.
The entrance to the hotel will be from the
Strand, through a noble hall 30 feet square, and
lofty in proportion. The walla are of marble, and
the approach to the grand staircase is through a
corridor of marble columns. The grand staircase
occupies a space of 32 by 30 feet, and the stairs are
supported throughout by iron girders. Oa the
ground floor there is a large refreshment-room con-
necting with the railway station. This is 48 feet
square, and here it is to be hoped some interesting
and useful experiments will be made in the way of
improving the quality of railway refreshments. O❑
the first floor of the hotel there is a handsome coffee
room 481 t square, richly decorated, the ceirng espe-
cietly being very elaborately and artistically orna-
mented. The room is to be lighted by four sun.
burners, and all noxious products of combustion will
be carried away. The ventilation of this, as of the
other portions of the hotel, is effected by the employ-
ment of an iron shaft 200 ft long, and reaching from
the extreme top of the tower to the basement of the
building, an upward draught being caused by a fur.
nace fire. On the same floor as the coffee-room
is a reading-room of nearly equal dimensions, the
windows looking over the station, and commanding
a splendid view of the river and the country on the
south side. A ladies' coffee-room is also provided
on the first floor, and this is to be fitted with great
taste. A large room for public meetings is also
provided, 57ft by 23 ; and adjoining it is a smoking-
room 26ft by 23, and next to it a large billiard-
room. In connection with the smoking-room
there is a light balcony overlooking the station,
which will form a most agreeable lounge for the
enjoyment of the fragrant weed. Other of the
principal rooms of the hotel will be adapted for com-
mittee or small public meetings. The arrangement
of the interior of the building has been the subject
of much forethought, with a view .to affording the
greatest amount of comfort to the visitors and con-
venience in carrying out the business of the hotel.
The hotel consists of a ground floor, first, meza-
nine, second, third, fourth, and fifth floors. Then
there are the east and west towers, each of
two stories in height. A lift, which will convey
twelve people from the ground floor to the top of
the building, is provided, as well as smaller lifts for
the service of the hotel on each floor. The total
number of rooms in the hotel is about 300, and they
are so arranged and distributed as to meet the wants
of all classes—from that of the traveller of very
moderate means to the princely rcquirements of
the most wealthy and aristocratic of visitors to this
conntry.—Railway .News.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sir,—Before the trials of the Royal Sovereign
took place it will be remembered that many and
loud were the cries and evil prophecies of the anti-
turret party. "The concussion of 401 b. of powder
would be so great that no gunners would exist in
the turrets." "`When the ship was in motion it
would be impossible to move them." " The decks
would blow up." And last, though not least, the
ship would be uninhabitable. All these objections
have, however, been disposed of, and experience
has proved exactly the reverse, as testified in Capt.
Osborn's reports; but, like all great innovations,
no Sooner ere one set of objections disposed of
than others are set on foot, some real, some ima-
ginary, by engineers, shipbuilders, prectical, un-
practical, scientific men, friends and foes. Te this
I can have no of jection. An invention on which
there is so much pending cannot be too severely
tested or criticised, for if the principle is right, it
will only tend to bring its merits more to the sur-
face. Your correspondents, when discussing the
possibility of the guns losing their power of train,.
ing in turrets, appear altogether to forget that
broadside guns also can lose their restricted powers
of training ; and I think it will be allowed by all
impartial judges that turrets have not only been
subject to our experiments severely testing this
point, but that it has also been more fully tested in
actual warfare than any other mode of working
protected guns, while no broadside target with a
gun in it fitted as our ironclads has ever been fired
at. In 1862 the revolving shield in the Trusty
was fired at with solid 68 and 110 pounders until
perforated, and, although of inferior construction,
at the end of the trials, after 44 hits, it worked as
readily as ever.
The Rolf Krake small Danish turret ship, so re•
peatedly iu action, and having twice been dismasted
under fire, never had the revolving powers of her
turrets affected. We find that up to January, 1864,
by Admiral Dahlgren's official report, the American
turrets had been hit on an average 128 times, and,
although some had been more or less damaged, we
do not now hear any complaint either of their pivots
or revolving powers getting out of order, and it does
not appear in the slightest degree to have affected
their confidence in the principle for working heavy
guns, as the Americans are daily increasing
the number of these vessels,* and other
countries are following their example. We
must try and calmly weigh all sides of
a question upon which, at all events, the
future armament of our navy depends, and it
is, I am sure, not generally known that the broad-
side guns in our ironclads also work on a pivot, but
that broadside pivot, instead of being, as the turret
pivot is, a wrought iron cylinder, 2 feet in
diameter, 41 inches thick, placed amidship on the
lower deck out of the way of shot, is a mere bolt
4 inches thick, and exposed in the lower port sill
within a few inches of the outside of the ship. On
this a bar works to which the carriage is attached,
so that any shot striking in the vicinity would dis-
tort the pivot, which if the least out of the centre
would effectually jam or prevent the training of that
gun. The maximum training allowed by this
broadside pivot is only 30 deg. each way, and in
case of this getting out of order a second one
is provided inside the port which admits of much
less training ; this, ho Never, is only just within the
ship's side, and a heavy shot striking in the vicinity
would disable both. A port of this description
with pivots and gun complete has never been fired
at, and I will guarantee with one well-directed or
chance shot that a gun-carriage in a port so fitted
shall be effectually stopped working.
If the Admiralty and country are not satisfied
with our trials in the Trusty (the report of which
has never been allowed to appear), and insist
upon ignoring the experience of the Americans and
Danes, by all means, then, however expensive it
may be, fire at the Royal Sovereign, but let
the test be competitive, and shot for shot,
against any other protected gun afloat, when I
feel sure that the success of the turret would he
greater than has been already achieved. It is now
said at Whitehall that if ever they work 300 and
600 pounders in broadside ports it is to be done by
machinery. Ought we not then to subject these
ports and their fittings to at least the same tests
that turrets have already undergone ?
There is another very important point in these
broadside guns; the port holes, even to admit of
their very limited training, are bevelled away inside
like an inverted embrasure, having a horizontal
opening 2ft 4in on the outside, and 6ft 4in on the
inside, leaving trifling support or backing to the
armour-plate at the edges of the port, where, if
struck by heavy shot, the armour-plate would as-
sured:y be converted into a cloud of splinters pass-
ing into those confined and crowded batteries, doing
more mischief than if the ports had been left their
legitimate larger size, with square and well-cup-
ported edges; while the ports, or rather apertures,
through which the muzzles of the gun protrude i❑
the Royal Sovereign's turrets are, if anything, the
strongest part, being faced with ten inches of iron
and the same backing and support as any other part
of the turret. This being the cace, it will readily
be recognised that I am most anxious for any fair
and competitive trials; but whatever is to be done,
let it be done quickly, and do not let us potter ever
the Royal Sovereign for another 12 months.—Yours
truly, COWPER P. COLES.
Southses, Nov. 9.

• They have already 70 turret ships.

THE GERMAN HELLS .—A Darmstadt letter in

be Debats says ;—" As is well known, on the
-- -

death of the present Landgrave of Hesse-Homburg, who
is 81 years of age, that State, so celebrated for its roulette,
is to become annexed to the line of Hesse-Darmstadt, A
convention is now said to have been concluded between the
Landgrave and the Grand Duko of Hesse-Darmstadt, ac-
cording to which the former would continue to govern
llesse-Homburg for 25 years longer, and without the small
State being amalgamated with the Duchy. The object of
this convention is believed to be to prolong the existence of
the gaming establishment at Homburg for that period. It
the territory was annexed to the Grand Duchy the gaming
bank should be abolished, according to the laws of Hesse-

Darmstadt."
SIR MONTAGU STOPFORD, K.C.B.—After a pro.
tracted illness Admiral Sir Montagu Stopford,
K.C.8., died at Edinburgh on Thursday last. He entered
the navy in 1810, on board the flagship of his uncle, the late
Admiral Sir Robert Stopford, then the naval Commander-
in- Chief at the Cape of Good Hope, and the following year
was present at the conquest of Java. After being em-
ployed in various ships he joined the Alceste, Captain
Murray Maxwell, which conveyed Lord Amherst on hie
embassy to China, and was wrecked in that ship on his pas-
sage home in 1817. The last command he held as captain
was of the Pique, on the North American and West India
station, from 1842 until she was paid off in 1846. For
nearly four years he was Aslmiral.superintendent of
Devonport.Dockyard ; in January, 1855, he was ap-
pointed Admiral-superintendent at Malta, and took
part in the war against Russia in the Black Sea,
In recognition of his services during the war he was
nominated a Knight Commander cf the Order of the Bath,
and was made a Commander of the Legion of Honour by
the Emperor of the French, and likewise received the Order
of the Medjidie. The admiral's commissions bore date as
follows :—Lieutenant, July 17, 1819 ; commander, Juno
29, 1822; captain, April 8, 1825; rear. admiral, Dec. 5,
1853; vice-admiral, June 25, 1858; and admiral, Nov. 30,
1863. In February this year he was granted a service
pension and was placed on the reserved half •pay. Tho late
Sir Montagu was the fourth son of George, third Earl of
Courtown, by his marriage with the Lady Mary Scott,
eldest daughter of Henry, third Duke of Buccleuch. He
was born in 1798, and was twice married, first in August,
1827, to Caroline, second daughter of the late General Sir
Henry Whitmore, K.C.H., which lady died in 1851, and
secondly in September, 1853, to Lucy, youngest daughter
of Mr. John Kay, of the North Charlton, Northumber-
land.
PROPOSED REMOVAL OF NEW YORK CITY RAIL-
ROAD.—A committee of the common council have
under consideration the petitions of business men, carmen,
and others, in the lower part of the city, asking for the
removal of the railroads, which seriously obstruct travel
and business operations in several of the side streets. In a
number of instances, it is said that merchants have been
obliged to remove to other parts of the city on account of
these obstructions.—/N ew York paper.
M. Fetis has at length himself put an end to the
controversy as to the authorship of the " Marseillaise" by
writing a letter to M. Rastner of the Institute, in which
ho declares himself satisfied with the evidence showing
that Rouget de Lisle, the reputed author of the words and
music, is really entitled to that distinction. T.I. Kaetnor is
writing a monograph on the subject, which ought to be in-
teresting,—Tha Reader.