The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-24 00:00:00

ITALY.

The Parma Gazette, of the 18th, publishes a de-
cree, suppressing the general direction of the police
on the Parmese territories, and vesting all political,
judicial, administrative, and military powers in the
military inspector of the gendarmery, and in the
commandants of the towns and fortresses of the duchy.
The ilessaggere of Modena, of the 14th pub-
lishes a notification, announcing the accession of the
Duchy of Modena to the Austro-Italic-postal league.

QUICK COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LONDON

AND DUBLIN.

The increasing intercourse between Great Britain and
the sister isle will do more to smooth down the rugged
road of prejudices and party
.feuds than a hundred Acts
of Parliament; and it is gratifying to see that steps are
taken to facilitate and promote the connexion
of the two countries, which are characterised by a
liberal prudence and a generous economy. It is of
little service to bridge the Channel with
steamers, and run railways from coast to coast,
if the expense of travelling acts as a barrier to the
passage of that middle class which will be the most
benefited by it; and, therefore, it is we note the mea-
sures taken by wise heads and full hands to promote
their comfort and convenience. On and after February 1,
second-class passengers will be enabled to travel be-
tween London sled Dublin by express trains, so that they
will be placed on a perfect Equality, as regards the
time of transit, with those paying first-class fares.
There will be no break in the journey—no weary
lounging in waiting-rooms, or sickening delays—but a
man can step on board the steamer in Kingstown in the
morning, and dash across, and on up to London as fast
as steam can carry him, so that on the evening of the
day he strolled. dowii Grafton-street he can astonish the
Strand in all Ma native elegance.—Dublin. Express.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—Seeing to-day in a newspaper that the Board of
Ordnance has sent to Birmingham for tenders for 23,000
rifles, as an officer who entered the army 46 years ago in
the Rifle Corps (then the 95th Regiment), and has paid
considerable attention to the subject since, I feel it
.. stuff o' the conscience" to ask you to give publicity to
the statement, that the efficiency of our regimental rifles
b
is injured, if not destroyed, by the easily altered circum-
stance of their being fitted with iron ramrods instead of
wooden.
At the somewhat distant period referred to the young
officers were in the habit of making matches for rifle
shooting; and there were always one or two rifles in a
company which had a character for hitting the mark,
and were in great request accordingly, the simple expla-
nation being that from their having been lately given
out of store or other causes they had escaped the
general
deterioration.

A sporting experience which befel me in India led to
improving on this observation. I had procured from
lieg!and a new rifle of Baker's make, being in essentials
as nearly as might be the regimental rifle. On trying it
against the antelopes it hit the three first shots, but the
lest only disabled the game from going off at speed. In
the anxiety to reload I used the iron ramrod vigorously,
exactly as a soldier would do in similar circumstances,
nod thereby made, as afterwards appeared, some circular
cuts or scratches round the upper part of the bore. The
result was that the piece would never afterwards hit at
50 yards. A rifle once jagged in the inside with the
iron ramrod is as incurable as the edge of a reser which
bad been submitted to a like process.
When 23,000 rifles are to be made at once, this is a
matter worth looking to. A wooden ramroad, it may
be said, may break. And so may anything else; but
since it may be a cylinder of the greatest diameter which
will enter the barrel, there is no more reason why it
should break than the stock of the piece.
If a score or two of gentlemen, in the event of affairs
growing more serious, would take me into counsel on
the construction and practice of their weapon, I should
be glad at the end of three months to try conclusions
in a friendly way with an equal number of picked men
from the Rifle Brigade, and invite the public to the
trial. Should any of them be desirous to combine the
practice of somewhat the pralium equestre, I conceive
that in the old 14th there were knowledges which,
though by the grace of the Horse Guards, I am a
" stickit" lieutenant-colonel, might show the capabilities
of the union of mounted and foot riflemen to an extent
which has not been exhausted by those who have been
put over my head.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
T. PERRONET THOMPSON.
Lieutenant-Colonel, and M.P. for Bradford.
Eliot Vale, Blackheath, Jan. 23.

DESPERATE FIGHT ON BOARD AN EMIGRANT
SHlP.—Yesterday afternoon great alarm was created in the
vicinity of the Shadwell entrance of the London Docks, in
consequence of a most determined fight on board the Ame-
rican liner, Patrick Henry, having on board 150 emigrants,
bound for various parts. It appears that shortly after one
o'clock a vest concourse of persons of both sexes assembled
on the pier bead, being principally the immediate relatives
of the emigrants who were about to take their departure to
New York, &c., and as the vessel was being towed out of
the docks by the means of men and tackle, a disturbance
was seen on board in the fore part. Immediately afterwards
the passengers ascertained that a riot had taken place be-
tween several of the crew and the first mate, who was
having a fearful contest with the American sailors, some of
whom had been drinking, and were not able to perform
their duties. Two of the men were bleeding from wounds
on the face. and the mate was at one time striking them
with a heavy rope. The persons standing on the jetty or
pier, who witnessed the scene, loudly threatened the mate
with violence, but the sailors were sent below, and placed
under control. Great excitement seemed to prevail among
the emigrants, but a steam-tug having arrived, the Patrick
Gravesend, o
&c.,
as its
outward was taken in tow and conveyed downcry
the
outward passage, and will call at Woolwich,
EOF WELLINGTON.—On Wednesday last.
as it proceeds.
the Duke Duke ofu Wellington, being on athveissittrteoettshoef
where the 2d
Qwuienednsoart,
ikriVtiennddsionrgCtaos
vtlies,i
tt o otkh
ea sst rhoelel
Sheet-street
through B a r r a c k
8,
Charles beingbat talicoonloonfetlhoet
tGhraetnardegieirmGeruta. urdsarrecles S. Cantrell, an
quartered, his Grace
old English farmer, who had recent.] come to reside in the
town, having retired in comfortable circumstances, was also
inquiries as a
taking a stroll, and seeing the Duke
...4 _
na acnanodr politelydnmdtuhce t
o himld gave •' the old gentle-
m stranger,
aa,
his wental, up to a
g him
to
wavhitlitnhge r he wished to
gt
hot.' o uagrilid theaway
streetsth e
aDukerm i English farmer walked
together to the barracks.
APOTHECARIES' HALL. Names of gentlemen who
passed their examination in the science and practice of medi-
cine, and received certificates to
22, I Bi 2 :—Henry Christian upractke, on Thursday, Jan.
Lancashire; Event Ben' unta •are ; John Berry. Leyland,
J Gayland, Stoke Sub-liamd"'
Somerset.