The Sun.
London, England, 1852-01-08 00:00:00

GERMANY.

The Berlin Ministerial journal of the 4th inst.
publishes the provisions of the Treaty of Commerce
and Navigation between Prussia and Holland, the
conclusion of which was some time since announced.
The chief points gained by Prussia are a reduction of
the tolls levied on the Lower Rhine and its navigable
tributaries. The droit fix on the Lower Rhine, and
all the duties on the Mass and Yssel, are abolished.
The pilot dues in Holland are reduced one-half ; for
the transit through Holland and to Belgium the
reduced rate of tolls, after the abolition of the
droit fire, will alone be levied. Prussia assures
to Holland a continuance of the advantages it had
obtained by former treaties. Traffic will be facilitated
by the loss of time in unloading and weighing goods
being no longer necessary. The transit cargoes will
be sealed and accompanied by a Custom-house official.
Holland and the Zollverein accord each other, for
their respective produce, the advantages allowed, or
that may be allowed, by them to the most favoured
nations with whom they have commercial treaties.
Thus the wines of the Zollverein will be admitted
into Holland on the same terms as those of France.
A variety of articles of German manufacture are al-
lowed to be exported to the Dutch East Indian pos-
sessions on the most f.ivourable terms of the colonial
tariff, or at about half the general rates; among them
are woods, drugs, soap, Nuremberg toys, electro-
plated goods, watches from the Black Forest, leather,
fancy goods, silks, velvets, and mineral waters.

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN'S E XPEDI-
TION AND LIEUTENANT PIM.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE TINES.
Sir,—Although I hare during the last fortnight re-
ceived letters from Lieutenant Pim, dated St. Peters-
burgh, informing me that he had been most kindly re-
ceived by all the Russian authorities to whom ho had
been addressed, and that he had been most zealously
aided by her Majesty's Minister, Sir Hamilton Sey-
mour, I desisted from alluding to a subject in which
many of your readers are deeply interested until some
decisive step had been taken in respect to the bold pro-
posal of the young British officer. His object was to
traverse Siberia to its north-eastern extremity, and
thence to endeavour to reach the mountainous lands far
to the north of Behring's Strait, beyond which it was
conjectured that Franklin and his companions might be
frozen up. Lieutenant Pim had already informed me
that the Russian geographers, and particularly the
explorers of Northern Siberia, with whom he had
been put into communication, were opposed to
a plan which, from their experience and acquaintance
with the condition of the regions to be travel-
led over, they looked upon as impracticable ;
but that he still hoped to overcome all objections, and
to have it in his power to risk his Life in the good cause.
I have now, however, received distinct information
through his Excellency Baron de Brunnow, that the
Imperial Government, after having taken the most lively
interest in this as in every former effort to rescue the
missing expedition, had satisfied itself, on the unanimous
report of the persons who had most studied the subject,
that the execution of the plan which the noble and
courageous devotion of Lieutenant Pim had led him to
concei►e, was opposed by insurmountable obstacles.
Under these circumstances, the Emperor could not con-
sent to allow the life of a British officer to be perilled in
vain; but that still, being desirous of doing everything
which might be possible, the Imperial Government had
placed our countryman ha communication with M. Baer
and M. Middendorf—the one the explorer of Nova
Zembla, the other of Northern and Eastern Siberia—in
the hope that by some other plan additional chances
might be obtained of procuring the desired tidings. It
is well known that the Imperial Government has all
along facilitated by every exertion in its power our
efforts to obtain such tidings, whether in its Asiatic
or American Arctic possessions; and all the British
officers who have served in Behring's Strait can testify
to the friendly co-operation of the Russian authorities
in those desolate regions. However much then, we
may regret that the plan of reaching the unknown
lands to the north of Behrings Strait by an expedition
across Siberia must be given up, for reasons which will
be fully explained at the next meeting of the Geo-
graphical Society, we must not abandon the hopeful
idea that the Franklin expedition may have entered
Wellington Channel, and may have worked its way to
the westward, and that by carrying out some scheme
based on the principle of meeting our missing naviga-
tors we may still succeed in rescuing them. It was this
feeling, founded on a true estimate of the noble and '
resolute character of my friend, Sir John Franklin,
which induced the gallant young Pim to propound his
adventurous scheme. It is on the same principle of
meeting Franklin that another project has been started,
in the most generous manner, by Mr. Beatson, which I
shall bring before the Royal Geographical Society at
its next meeting, and by which it is proposed to attain
the same end by penetrating to the north of Behring's
Strait in a small screw steamer. Let us, therefore, trust
that, in addition to any well concerted scheme devised
by our Admiralty for following in the track of Franklin,
other means may be devised, through the co-operation
of England and Russia, by which the intense anxiety
that is felt may be set at rest.
Above all, let us put away despondency until every
possible means shall have been exhausted. Let us
cling to the hope that, as five out of six Russian seamen
were rescued providentially and brought back alive and
well to Archangel, after passing upwards of six years in
the frozen Arctic region of Spitzbergen (where they ob-
tained abundance of animal food), we may yet see a
portion, at least, of our gallant missing crews return,
even though the supplies they carried out with them
from this country may have been long ago exhausted.
I am, sir, your very obedient servant,
RODERICK I. MURCHISON.
P.S. A philanthropical friend of mine brought the
above mentioned anecdote of the five Russian seamen
into the notice of the public last autumn in some number
cf the Morning Chronicle, to which I have here no ac-
cess; but the facts are given in minute detail in the
Annual Register of 1774.
Bourne-mouth, Jan. 4.

METROPOLITAN OMNIBUS SERVANTS.
A meeting was held on Monday at the Infant
School-room, Paddington-green, " to consider the
means necessary for the improvement of the mental,
religious, and physical condition of the omnibus
servants of the metropolis." There was a crowded
attendance.
The Rev. M. A. CAMPBELL, vicar of Paddington,
presided, and briefly stated the object of the meeting.
He regarded the question of the omnibus servants as
part of a much greater question—the better observ-
ance of the Sabbath. It was only by bringing public
opinion to bear on the matter that an alteration could
be effected. Two omnibus proprietors had that morn-
ing called upon him, aral expressed their readiness to
co-operate in the object of this meeting, and no doubt
many others would be ready to do the same.—
(Cheers.) The provident fund which has been esta-
blished in connexion with this movement could only
be efficiently supported by co-operating with the
employers. The object of this fund was to grant
pecuniary assistance, with medical attendance and
medicines, to the sick, and to assist the widows of
members ; the erection of an asylum for the aged
and feeble, and the establishment of a school for the
children of members. Towards this association a fund
of 1,500/. was already raised.—(Hear, hear.)
The Hon. A. KINNAIRD moved, " That this meet
ing believes it to be in accordance with the acknow-
ledged principles of the Christian religion, no less than
of justice and humanity, that no class of men should
be employed in ordinary labour to such an extent as
to be deprived of the opportunity of
aereligious instruc-
tion and rest for body and mind."expresseda thisl.
s
g effected
other confident belief that public opinion would
boon for the omnibus servants, as it had already
other social and political reforms. He had not the
slightest hostility to any of the proprietors, and be-
lieved that they would generally co-operate in the
movement. At present the omnibus servants were
employed for 13 or 14 hours a day, with but 15 or 20
minutes for dinner, subject to reduction for loss of
time in their journeys. One man stated that he
had driven seven years on the Paddington line,
and never had more than one Sunday to
himself in the course of a twelvemonth. He
had 45 minutes for his meals, but could not get
them at home. He commenced work at eight in
the morning, and left off at eleven at night. He
would gladly go to a place of worship if he could.
Another stated—" I have been a driver for fourteen
years. Seldom can
get to apiece of worship. I have
sometimes asked master
for a day's rest on a
Sunday, but his reply has always been Rest
when you are dead. My wife is a religious woman,
and it is a sad trouble to her that I can never go
with her to church." A third—" I leave home
for the stables at half-past seven, and I never see
my own door again until twelve at night.
Week days and Sundays are all alike to me. I
get two or three Sundays in the course of a year,
but I have to sacrifice my wages and employ a sub-
stitute." A fourth—" I am time-keeper at
My day's work commences at nine in the morning,
and finishes at ten at night. I have no leisure for
meals, but have to get them a 3 I stand in the street.
I never have a Sunday's rest." A fifth—" lam on
the Islington 'road. I have one Sunday in
every five, but am generally so worn out
that I am glad to spend most of that day in
bed. I should rejoice to have every Sunday to
myself, and would willingly sacrifice my day's wages
for this purpose. I was once a Sabbath school
scholar, and know that I ought not to work on the
Sabbath, but what am Ito do ? I have no other em-
ployment to go to, and my wife and family must
not starve." Some people supposed that this
was a healthful occupation. The reverse was the
case. The men were much subject to bronchial
affections, from their constant exposure to the
weather, and these frequently
led
premature death. There was
no tdoocuobnt'suthmapt,tiboya aanrd-
rangemmt amongst themselves, the proprietors might
secure not only the convenience of the public but the
spiritual and temporal welfare of their men.--(Hear,
hear.) He rejoiced to be able to state that on the
Holloway and Islington line the men had been re-
th liee
ved from
. about
(Cheers) y or twenty-two
journeys on Sunday.
Mr. EDMUNDS, an omnibus proprietor, of Pad-
',dington, said that there had been no alteration
whatever on the line referred to, The gatemen;