The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-07 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, --APRIL 7, 1864.

after a long and radiant career—is a loss to the
profession, an event concerning which the public
cannot be indifferent—and an incident in the his-
tory of the stage which suggestively reminds us how
different is the stage of our day from that upon
which our grey-headed veteran, now dead, stepped
from the deck of the Raven.

BRAY'S TRACTION ENGINE,

Yesterday the powerful engine manufactured by

Bray's Traction-engine Company, to the order of the
Russian Government, for military service, was tested
in the neighbourhood of the Sevenoaks Junction
station of the London, Chatham, and Dover Rail-
way, in the presence of a select company of engi-
neers and practical men connected with locomotive
enterprises in almost every part of the world.
Among those present were Mr. H. D. Davies,
chairman of the company; Mr. Osborne, director;
Mr. Clark, engineer ; Mr. Cyrus Field, director of
the Atlantic Telegraph Company ; M. Dudot, repre-
sentative of MM. Lafitte, constructors of the Mont
Cenis Tunnel ; M. Blanc, of Paris ; Mr. Lewis
Olrick, consulting and marine engineer; Mr. A.
Chaplin, engineer, of Glasgow; and other gentle-
men of great practical experience.
The ground selected for the trial was a steep
ascent, in some places not less than 1 in 15 feet, on
the old Maidstone road,which the continuous and
heavy rain for somewhere about 36 hours previously
had thoroughly soaked and softened. The experi-
ment therefore was made under every disadvantage,
and the result ail the more creditable to the
company.

The engine itself in full working order weighs 14
tons ; the driving wheel is ift. in diameter ; the two
cylinders are 9 in., with a 15-inch stroke ; and the
train consisted of 5 loaded waggons, weighing 45
tons. Up the steep, soft, and rugged ascent the
engine smoothly and efficiently carried thia hoc.vy
load at a speed of about 2 miles and a quarter per

hour. The perfect command of the engine, and the
ease with which the work was performed, elicited
general and warm commendation from the engi-
neers and practical gentlemen present. _ _

The cost of th© engine itself is £1,500, but other
appliances have been added for the purposes of the
Russian Government, including the derrick and
steam lifting apparatus for raising timber, and
other heavy articles, which increases the cost to
about £1,700. The principle on which Bray's trac-
tion engine for common roads is constructed has
been so often and so fully described that it is un-
necessary to enter into details. _ .

The experiment, or rather demonstration of its
capabilities, yesterday would have taken place
nearer to London but for the prohibition of the
Home Secretary of the use of those engines within
10 miles of London. AS it was, the exhibition
seemed to satisfy completely the select company
who were invited to witness it.

At one point the ground was so soft that the
wheels of the heavily-laden waggons sank at least
4 inches into the ground, but the engine continued
its steady pace, and reached the brow of the hill
with ease and perfect command, which elicited
general admiration.
M. Dudot stated that he believed with a few
alterations, which he would point out to Mr. Clark,
the engineer of the company, the engine might be
made to ascend Mount Cenis, dragging heavy loads
behind it.
Mr. Davies, the chairman, said the object of the
company was mainly to promote steam locomotives
on common roads, and they had no fear but that the
best engines would in the end obtain the largest
amount of public support.
Mr. Chaplin, of London and Glasgow, who has
now become the sole manufacturer of the engines
for the company, exhibited drawings of a new en-
gine, more simple, compact, and inexpensive, which
appears to possess all possible requisites for the con-
veyanee of heavy loads on common roads, or rough
and soft, surfaces, at a much less cost than they
have heretofore been made by the company ; and,
altogether, the party separated with the general
conviction that this important branch of mechanical
science is likely ere long to make such progress as
to effect an entire revolution in locomotion, not only
in this country but throughout the entire world,

Suicide in Pentonville Prison,

An inquiry of a melancholy character was ins

tuted by Dr. Lankester on 'Tuesday at the Penton,

Mlle 3iodel Prison, relative to the death of a pri-
soner, Valentine J3ambrick, aged 28 years, who was
found dead and hanging in his cell on Friday even-
ing last. Last week a similar inquest was held.
Mr' Charles L. Bradley, medical officer of the
prison, said he had been told that he (prisoner)
fretted, as he was being unjustly punished for a
crime of which he was net guilty. His mind was
no doubt impaired, and be had suffered from delirium
tremens, A letter was written on a slate by deceased,
which might be worth the attention of the jury.
On the production of the slate the Coroner read
the following letter :

" My dear, dear Friends and Family,—Becoming
quite tired of my truly miserable existence, I am
about to rush into the presence of my Maker un-
called and unasked. To you I appeal forgiveness
and pardon for all the unhappiness I have ever
caused you. I dare not ask for mercy of God. I am
doing that which admits of no pardon, but if He
will hear my prayer, I pray to Him to grant you
consolation in your hour of affliction, for I know
that, notwithstanding all my faults, that love which
you always manifested towards me is not withheld
yet, and therefore the news of my unfortunate fate
will make time sorrowful. Prey for your unfortu-
nate son. "VAL. BAMBRICK."
" P.S.—Before I die, I protest solemnly my entire
innocence of the charge for which I was punished,
all but the assault, and that was done under the
circumstances before mentioned to you in my letter.
" God bless you all. Love to all my relations.
Pity even while you condemn " POOR VAL."
John Potter, a prsoner, said he was in the next
cell to the deceased. He did not know until that
afternoon that he was dead, when the deputy-
governor sent for him and told him. He only knew
deceased by his number, C 21. Deceased had spoken
to him twice. The first time ho said, " I have sent
out a special letter, and I expect to be discharged."
The second time he said he was an innocent man.

The Coroner—Have you any complaint to make
of the diet yon have given to you ?
Prisoner—No, sir ; I have meat every day.

A juror—When the deputy-governor called you
down, did he instruct you as to what you were to
to say here ?
Prisoner—No, sir.

The foreman, referring to the statement made
by the prisoner they had just examined, wished to
know whether that special letter had been for-
warded to the friends.

Captain Craig (the governor, who had been sent
for) informed the jury that on February 26 the pri-
soner applied to him for permission to write a spe-
cial letter, and as he was a well behaved man he
granted the application. Prisoners were only allowed

to write a letter on their entry, and then on every
three months. The deceased was not entitled to
write until this month. That special letter was for-
warded to his family directly. A petition followed,
and there was no doubt that if a certain woman had
been found the deceased would have obtained his
release. The deceased came from Winchester Gaol;

the governor there, feeling highly interested in the
prisoner, endeavoured to get a commutation of his
sentence. He considered he was perfectly inno-
cent, as did also he (Captain Craig). The de-
ceased was charged with stealing a Victoria Cross
and several medals from a soldier who had
created a disturbance in a brothel at Aldershot
with a prostitute. The woman screamed Murder,'
and the deceased (who was also a soldier) went to
protect her. He thrashed the other soldier, during
which his medals fell off. Deceased picked them up
and put them on the mantel-shelf. They were,
however, lost, and the deceased was accused of the
robbery. The deceased also had a Victoria Cross
and medals, and a pension of £lO a year for life;
the latter was, however, forfeited by the conviction.
While the deceased was in that prison an order from
the Secretary of State arrived, directing that the
Victoria Cross which bad been obtained by the de-
ceased should be also forfeited, and this also affected
the deceased.
A juror wished to know if a copy of the letter on
the slate would be forwarded to the friends.
Captain Craig replied that no transcript would be