The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-05 00:00:00

MAILS DUE.

Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton. Sept. 18.
v!9. Marseilles .. Sept. 12.
Brazil and Cape Yards, by British packet. Sept. 4.
Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena.. Sept. 28.
China, Penang, and Singapore, via Southampton. Sept. 18.
via Marseilles ...Sept. 12,

Falkland Islands
Gibraltar, via Southampton ..
India (Calcutta), road Ceylon, via Southampton Sept. 18.
via hlarseilles Sept, 12.
India (Bombay), via Southampton Sept. 10.
via Marseilles Sept. 4.
Portuga1...,
Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton Sept. 1.

via Marseilles Sept. 4.
Newfoundland
Oporto and Vigo
U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet.... Sept. 8.
by U.S. packet....
by Canadian packet. Sept. 9.
All parts of West Indies, including Chili, P
- cru, j Sept. 13.
California. and British Columbia..

WINTHROP MACKWORTH PRAED.—He was a boy
of an extraordinary command of verse, of the most
acute observation, of considerable humour, trained to care-
ful and accurate composition, and endowed with one of
those rare feminine souls which never fail to impress and be
impressed by every fine mind with which they come in.
contact. Such belong to the men who are defended, ad-
mired. and gloried in by their friends—who seem to depend
for their warmth upon the vivid sympathy of others, while
they furnish themselves the light of the surrounding circle.
Without this he would have been a formidable satirist ;
indeed his powers that way were occasionally tested,
though rarely exercised in earnest. With it he was the cen-
tral figure of a group of friends—comprising stronger cha-
racters, perhaps, and men of greater genius than himself.
In society he was sometimes thought reserved, even dis-
tant in manner; but with a pen in his hand, whether
writing for a familiar eye or for the world, he not merely
wrote according to his inmost thoughts, fancies, or emo-
tions—he wrote them out. He seems to have revelled in
the expression of all those finer feelings which an English-
man is but too apt to suppress. No creature has a
stronger home-affection than the English schoolboy ; but
there are few who would not rather write Greek lambics
than the lines in which Praed lavishes his fraternal affeco
lion. The love-poetry of the present day, like that of the
Elizabethan era, seems to prefer to occupy itself with cir-
cumstances or description ; Praed's love-poems are purely
psychological and reflective. Coventry Patmoro has written:
a volume upon the history of a successful love ; Praed tells
us more of his ideal self in a page than the modern poet in
a hundred.—The Reader.

A QUEER PLACE.-0a the edge of one wall the
city of Freyburg hangs, a natural fortress protected
by such a ditch and rampart as were never yet made by
human hands. At the bottom of the chasm, the Sarine is
overarched by an old stone bridge which satisfied our an—
cestors ; but 1834 opened a suspension bridge of wider span
than our Menai Bridge, but so much lighter and less solid
in construction, hung with such cobweb wires, that it is
impossible to traverse it in a heavy-laden omnibus without
thinking of the consequences of falling 170 feet plump down,
and being thankful on touching terra firma, Engineers
may be assured of its stability, but unlearned passengers
dread its giving way one of these days. If over I cross it
again, it shall be on foot, and when not laden with carriages
either, The bridge, however, is a great saving of time,
even if it threaten to shorten your days, You can now
cross in two minutes, and at a level, the profound hollow
which took an hour to descend and mount again by passing
over the ancient bridge.--From London Society.

ThEAR DOCTOR, what do you. advise ? 1
7 advise Alfred Mellon's Concerts, afterwards to
EVANS', Covent-garden, hear some charming singing, order
one ot their capital chops and magnificent potatoes, and that
Is the best advice I can give you.

TZINAHAN'S 1.1. WHISKY v. COGNAC
BRANDY.
This celebrated Old IRISH WHISKY rivals the finest
FRENCH BRANDY,
It i 3 Pure, Mild, Mellow, Delicious, and very Wholesome.
Sold in Bottles, 3s. Bd., at the Retail Houses in London ; by
the Agents in the principal towns in England ; or wholesale
at

8, GREAT WINDMILL-STREET, LONDON, W.
Observe the Red Seal, Pink Label, and Cork branded
oKinahan's LL Whisky."

NOTICE IS "HEREBY GIVEN, that the BANK
of HINDUSTAN, CHINA, and JAPAN (Limited),
has REMOVED front 16, Cornhill, to No. 1, BANK-
BUILDINGS, Lothbury.

By order,
R. SWIM: TOMLIN, Secretary.
1, Bauk-bultaing,, August 24, 1864.

TH4 ROYAL INSURANCE COMPANY,
29, Lombard-street, London; and

Royal Insurance•buildings, LiTerpool.

At the Annual Meeting, on'the sth inst., the following' were
Nome of the leading results disclosed in the Report to the
shareholders.

- -------
FIRE BRANCH.
The Premiums of the year 1863 reached the sum
of
Bnv, an advance ..............of £341,663
ei .......................
over 1862; an amount of increase exceeding 40,977
that of any pre-
year.
The Revenue from Fire Premiums has been en-
hanced in four years by the large sum of £113,353

The Duty paid to Government in 1802 was. £75,993
Ditto ditto, 1863 88,966

Showing an Increase in one year of ....».,.... £12,073
Among the incidents which have tended to the advance-
`rn ent of the Royal within the last tew months may be reckoned
its action with respect to the losses sustained by the explo-
sion of the Lotty Sleigh, which although mry con Astent with
the general tenor of the conduct of the Company, and ulti-
mately proved to be no more than what had been done in for-
mer times by the oldest and most proverbially honourable
among its contemporaries, yet attracted attention and public
Savour by its unhesitating promptness.
As the largest totAl of Revenue and the largest ratio of
progression have been attained in the present year, so it
happens that the largest Profit which it has ever alien to the
Directors to record has likewise on this occasion to be an-
nounced. The balance of net profit on the year has amounted
to .C 83,515 - of which sum .£34, tee only has been appropriate
to Dividend and Bonus, and the large balan eof £19,441 been
carried to Reserve.

LIFE BRANCH.
The progress of the Life Branch, as shown by the New
Business transacted in the last year, is most promising, and
the advances made, year by year, in the amount of New In-
surances effected, show clearly the estimation in which the
Company is held. The following* is a statement for the last
Eve years
Net Sum Assured on New Policies
after deducting Guarantees. Net Premiums.
1859
.£434,470 11 10 ... £13,086 0 5
1860
1841
1862
1863 . 752,546 18 10
This rapid growth, amounting to 73 per cent. on the Sum
Assured, and upwards of 80 per cent, on the Premium re-
ceived in the course of five years, may justly be considered as
larger than any which could have been reasonably exnected.
The first half of the current year 1864, however, far outsti ips
the ratio of increase indicated by the figures just quoted, as
the sum as.,ared for that period of six months only actually
exceeds Half-a-Mil ion sterling.
The rate of Mortality, likewise, still presents highly favour-
able features, and augurs well for the result to be shown by
the quinquennial investigation, which is to take place when
the present year is concluded.
PERCY M. DOVE, Manager and Actuary.
JOHN B. JOHNSTON, Secretary in London.
August, 1864.

A
-RMY CONTRACTS.
Commissariat ofn e,
Aldershot, Ist September, 1861.
TENDERS will be received at this Office until 12 o'clock
at noon on WEDNESDAY, the 2Sth instant, from persons
who may be willing to enter into Contracts for the

SUPPLY OF FORAGE,
in such quantities as may be required for twelve months,
from the Ist November, 1864, to the 31st October, 1865, for the
use of her Majesty's Forces stationed at Aldershot Camp and
within the command.
Forms of Tender and Conditions of Contract may be ob-
tained on application at this office, by lettqr addressed to the
Senior Commissariat Officer, or in person, between the hours
of ten and four o'cicek.
Tne Tenders muqt be properly filled up, signed, and deli-
vered at this office (under closed envelope marked on the out-
side " Tender for Forage "), and no Tender will be noticed
unless m Ado on Forms obtained from this office, and delivered
before 12 o'clock noon, on Wednesday, the 28th September,
1864.
N.13.---The Contractor wi 1 not be required to pay the ne
penny per ration hitherto deducted on account of Manure, o
as,
in future, the Ma.,,ure will be taken by Government.