The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-16 00:00:00

GREECE.

The Augsburg Gazette publishes the protocol of
London, Oct. 25, relative to the Greek succession.
It secures, as has been before stated, the succession
in the line of the Princes of the House of Bavaria,
who will ascend the throne with full right, having
previous accepted the Greek religion, according to
the constitution. In the event of a minority of
the succession to the throne the Queen will assume
the regency. The high contracting parties are
Queen Victoria, the Emperor Nicholas, and Louis
Napoleon, President of the French Republic.

THE LIFE OF A BIRD IN LONDON.-It may be curious
to note the effect of a London life on birds. In the
course of some inquiries made by certain gentlemen, one
of whom was Professor Owen, a slaughterman was ques-
tioned who was also a bird-fancier. He had lived in
Bear-yard, near Clare-market, exposed to the combined
effluvia from a slaughter-house and a tripe factory. He
particularly noted, as having a fatal influence on the
birds, the stench raised by boiling down the fat from the
tripe offal. He said, "You may hang the cage out of
the garret window in any house round Bear-yard, and if
it be a fresh bird it will be dead in a week." He had
previously lived, for a time, in the same neighbourhood,
in a room over the Portugal-street burial-ground. That
place was equally fatal to his birds. He had removed to
Vere-street, Clare-market, beyond the smells from those
two places, and he was able to keep his birds. In town,
however, the ordinary birds did not usually live more
than eighteen months ; in cages in the country, they
would live nine years or more, on the same food. When
he particularly wished to preserve a pet bird, he sent it
now and then into the country for a change of air,---
.Dickens's Household Words."

Table Bay never presented a more busy scene in times
of peace than on Wednesday last, from swarms of
visitors going to and from the Great Britain. A French
war steamer was also in the Bay, of a large class, but
the Great Britain reminded one of St. Paul's and the
minor churches in London, from the contrast her tower-
ing dimensions afforded to the other vessels in the bay.
The French war steamer, the Archimede, at a distance
appeared as if alongside it, but was quite swallowed up
in its shadow, leaving nothing but the paddle boxes to
be seen, as if attached to the Great Britain. The
scene on board this huge novelty beggars all descrip-
tion. The day was excessively warm, and the breeze
from the north-west favourable to boating, but no one
ever expected, till on board, to have seen such a crowd,
so dense that all possibility of coaling for some hours was
out of the question. The most remarkable feature in
this affair was the immense number of Cape Dutch fa-
milies, most of whom had never been on the sea before,
but could not withstand the temptation to visit this
wonder of wonders. A great many people came also
from the country, and, notwithstanding the crowd, the
heat, and the crushing, the coals and the water, all
seemed highly delighted. Indeed it required no small
degree of forbearance and patience at such a busy time
to be thus obstructed and overpowered by numbers.
From the kindness and attention of Captain Mathews
and his officers, however, every opportunity and assist-
ance was given, that they might inspect the whole eco-
nomy of the floating city. More than one fair face
brought home evidence of having been among the coals.
The town and neighbourhood have never been so lively
in our recollection for such a continuance, and the ar-
rival of more passenger ships is likely to keep up this
healthful excitement. It is truly refreshing to see so
many honest, good-looking English faces among us.—
Cape paper.

THE MELBOURNE

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,—l am desired by the directors of this company to
forward to you, for insertion in your journal, and for the
information of the friends of the passengers on board the
Royal mail screw steamer Melbourne, the following offi-
cial letter received from Captain Hutton, the com-
mander.

I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
R. MARSHALL, Secretary.
Australian Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company,
69, Lombard-street, Dec. 14, 1852.

" Australian Royal Mail Steam Navigation
Company's Screw Steamer Melbourne,
Fort° etiande, St. Vincent, Nov. 29, 1852.
" Sir,—l have the honour to inform you, for the in-
formation •of the board of directors, of the arrival of the
screw steamer Melbourne, in the above port, this morn-
ing at 8 o'clock.
" We have commenced coaling, but, owing to the arri-
val of the Queen of the South last evening, we must take
our turn, in consequence of her using all the boats for
that purpose available.
" Our consumption of coals from Lisbon is 193 tons,
and, as we can find room for 50 to 70 tons more below,
we shall take that quantity on board to enable us to
reach Cape Town without further supplies.
"We weighed anchor from the Tagus at noon of the
21st inst., it being high water (the pilot refusing to take
us to sea the night previous), and steamed out against a
hard gale and a high sea running that continued for two
days, which retarded our progress, as shown by the ab-
stract of the ship's log. Since then we have made fair
progress, the winds being light and favourable.
" I have much pleasure in informing you that there is
not a single complaint against the general comfort and
happiness of the passengers, and that all feel satisfied,
and express contentment. From the ship's company
there has not been a single murmur, and the general
duties of the ship have been done with the best feeling. I
may add, that the ship is tight, and by an alteration in
our bilge-pumps, worked by the engine, all the water is
kept continually drained out.
I enclose an abstract of the log, surgeon's report,
&c.
"I may further add, no accident, either to masts,
yards, spars, or sails, has happened, and, with few ex-
ceptions of the engine being stopped to cool the bear-
ings, that everything is going on to my satisfaction ; that
the water-closets act satisfactorily ; and that the lower
decks are completely clear from any water now, except
a few trifling drops from the upper works that will be
corrected immediately on leaving St. Vincent.
te I am, Sir, your very obedient servant,
"J. S. RITTTON, Commander.
"Robert Marshall, Esq., Secretary."

WEST LONDON REFORM ASSOCIATION.—Last night
the annual meeting of this association was held at the
Commercial Hall, King's-road, Chelsea ; Mr. President
Gaskell in the chair. Mr. Osborne, one of the members
for the county was
present, and there was a numerous at-
tendance of members. The business was commenced by
the Chairman reading a lengthened report, which referred
to the circumstances under which the association was
formed in 1847. The want of an organisation was deeply
felt by the Liberals of the district at the election in that
year, which resulted in their getting rid of a Tory mem-
ber. At the last election they
had again succeeded in seat-
ing two Liberals, though with a more severe struggle than
in 1847. In February last Lord John Russell introduced
his long promised measure of Parliamentary reform, in
which he proposed to give the two vacant seats for Sud-
bury to the town of Birkenhead, in Cheshire, containing
24,175 inhabitants, and 3,228 inhabited houses, and to the
town of Burnley, in Lancashire, with a population of
20,828, and 3,741 inhabited houses. The Liberals of the
district felt that great injustice was done to it by being
thus passed over, inasmuch as the same Parliamentary re-
turns shewed, from which the preceding figures were
taken, that the statistics of the four unrepresented
parishes of the metropolis were as follows :
Population. Inhabited Houses.
Che15ea............ 56,538 ............... 7,59144,053 ............... 6,136
Kensington ......
Hammersmith.. 17,769 ............... 3,115
Fu1ham........... 11,886 ............... 1,797
of 130,237 inhabitants, and 18,639
making a grand total
inhabited houses. Lord J. Russell, however, left out that
great district in his biil, which was withdrawn. The re-
port, in conclusion, urged the importance of paying in-
creased attention tc, the register, as the best means of sup-
porting the Liberal cause. The report was adopted.
LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY. THE
DIRECTION.—We are informed that on the recent death of
a London member of the London and North-Western
an application was made by some in-
Board of Directors,
fluential shareholders in Liverpool to elect a Mr. a
representative of the Lancmhire interest. It is is stated
that, of the 21,000,000/. share capital of the London and
North-Western Company, about
7,000,0001. are held in
Lancashire, which has sent 16 members to the Board, while
about 9,000,000/. are held in London, which is now repre-
sented at the Board by seven members only.—Morning
Herald.

FORGERY ON HANBURY'S BANK.--A. forgery, to the
extent of 9001., was committed upon this firm yesterday,
which we regret to say was successful.
MURDER IN DEAN FOREST.—Another foul crime has
been committed on the western borders of the Forest of
Dean, a locality which unhappily bears an ill name for
deeds of violence. The case now under notice is a peculiar
one in point of atrocity, and although it has undergone
considerable sifting by the local officer, it is still enveloped
in much mystery. The deceased is one William Peake,
sawyer, who lived within a few miles of the picturesque
town of Ross. He had been drinking at a public-house for
several hours yesterday (Wednesday) week, and left to
proceed home (being then somewhat the worse for liquor)
at 11 o'clock at night. A man named James Greenhaf,
who also lives in the neighbourhood, proposed to accom-
pany him, and they left the public-house together. Peake
was never seen alive again. Next morning he was found
dead in the turnpike road, three quarters of a mile from
the public-house; death having clearly been caused by a
violent stab with some sharp instrument in the eye, which
instrument cut through the eyeball, penetrated the brain,
and fractured the skull at the back of the head. Two days
afterwards James Greonhaf was taken into custody, and
on Monday the inquest was held before Mr. Joseph Love-
grove, one of the coroners for Glocestershire. The evi-
dence adduced was very voluminous.

AFFECTING INSTANCE OF SUDDEN DEATH.—During
the reading of the prayers by the Rev. Hugh Allen, yester-
day evening, at the church of St. Olave, Old Jewry, a lady
of the name of Acton was taken suddenly ill, and almost as
soon as removed to the vestry she expired. The rev, gen-
tleman made a very suitable allusion to the affecting cir-
cumstance, which it is hoped has made a lasting impression
on the numerous congregation assembled on the occasion.