The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-29 00:00:00

Walls End.

Gosforth lB 9
Eden 18 4
Marton 18 9
Hatton 2O 6
Ships at marks

News of some importance to the commercial world
comes from the South of France es to the remit of
experiments made near Montpelier (Herault) in cotton
planting, which appears to have succeeded perfectly. Speci-
mens of the plant in flower, as well as of the cotton pods,
are to be seen this week at the Horticultural Show. The
texture of the staple has been pronounced by competent
judges to be excellent.
GUN COTTON.—This curious substance has again
been the subject of interesting experiments, which
we find described in a paper a !dressed to the French
Academy of Scinces by N. do Luca. Gun cotton is:decom-
posed very slowly in the dark, somewhat faster in diffused
light. very rapidly when exposed to the sun, and still more
so when exposed to a heat of about 50 degrees Centigrade
This spontaneous decomposition passes through four dif-
ferent stages. At first it contracts slowly without losing
its primitive form and texture, so that its volume
becomes ten times less than its original one. A
few days later it becomes soft, and is transferredlinto a sort
of gummy matter which adheres strongly to the fingers,
and has no longer any appearance of texture or organisa-
tion whatever, even viewed through a microscope. When
this mass has become quire homogeneous, its volume is
again reduced by one-half. The third stage, which occurs
some considerable time after, instead of producing any
further contraction, causes an expansion ; so that the
substance, reduced as it is to one-nineteenth of its origi-
nal volume, swells up to the full extent of the latter.
In this state it is still gummy, but the mass is
porous and full of cavities like a sponge. During these
three stages there is constant evolution of nitrous vapours,
which become much more abundant during the third stage.
This evolution of gas gradually diminishes during the
fourth stage ; the substance slowly loses its gummy
qu lity and yellowish colour, and becomes so friable as to
admit of being crushed into powder between one's
fingers; it then becomes as white as sugar. It takes
at least five months to see all these stages passed through.
The sugary substance is very acid, nearly entirely
soluble in aster, and is composed of glucose, gummy sub-
stances, oxalic acid, a little formic acid, and another which
M. de Luca thinks is new, and with which for the present
he has obtained salts of lead and silver. The glucose con-
tained in this last transformation of gun cotton has the taste
and even the flavour of honey; it suickly reduces the
tartrate of copper and potash, and ferments in contact with
yeast, producing carbonic acid and alcohol. It appears
from M. de Luca's experiments that gun cotton will keep
indefinitely in vacua.
ELECTION OF LORD MAYOR.—This morning, be-
ing Michaelmas-day, the citizens of London will
assemble in the Guildhall for the purpose of proceeding to
the election of a Lord Mayor for the year 1861-5. The
aldermen below the chair, and who, having served the office
of sheriffs, are eligible for the Mayoralty, are—Mr Warren
Stoimes Hale (alderman of Coleman-street Ward), elected
1856; Mr B. S. Phillips (alderman' of Farringdon-with-
out), elected 1857; Mr Thos. Gabriel (alderman of Vintry
Ward), elected 1857; Mr Wm. Ferneley Allen (alderman
of Cheap Ward), elected 1858; Mr John Joseph Mechi
(alderman of Lime-street Ward), elected 1858 ; Mr James
Abbiss (alderman of Bridge-within), elected 1859; Mr J.
C. Lawrence (alderman Gf Walbreek), elected 1860; and Mr
Andrew Lusk (alderman of Aldgate Ward), elected 1860.
The aldermen who are not eligible, in consequence of not
of not having passed through the year of the ehrievalty are
—Mr T. Dakin and Mr H. Besley (the present Sheriffs),
Mr S. Gibbons, Mr S. H. Waterlow, and Mr Strong. The
usual practice is for the Livery to select the two senior al-
dermen below the chair, and for the Court of Aldermen to
choose the senior of the two for the Mayoralty. In the
event of that practice being adhered to this year, and which
there is no reason to doubt, the Livery will return Mr W.
S, Hale and Mr Phillips, and the aldermen will select MrW.
S. Hale as Lord Mayor of London for the ensuing year.

STATE OF TRADE IN STOCKPORT.—The state of
the cotton and goods markets is greatly affecting the work-
ing of the mills in this district, and the prospect of the
operatives for the approaching winter is a gloomy one.
During the greater portion of the past months of the present
year the number or operatives out of employ or working
limited hours contrasted most favourably with the heaviest
period of distress; and though the state of trade is still
much better than in 1861 2, fears aro entertained that
during the winter it will too closely approximate to the
former period. Many of the mills have been gradually
decreasing their hours of working for tome weeks—and of
those which a few months ago were working full time, some
half-dozen are working only three days per week; while
about the same number aro stol.ped entirely. These
establishments usually employ some thousands of hands,
and their cessation naturally causes a considerable amount
of distress. Last week the applications for relief increased
by about 200 cases, representing some 500 persons. The
guardians expect a still further increase, and with the view
of finding the recipients employment for the relief given,
are commencing extensive drainage works in some of the
townships in the towns.

TUE TUNNEL THROUGH THE ALPS.—The benefit
that this stupendous work will bring to France and
Italy will be very great. To say nothing of the increased
passenger traffic, goods will then be sent from the one
country to the other easily and rapidly, avoiding the long
and laborious passage of the Mont Collis as well as unload-
ing and reloading at St Michql and Susa. When, regard-
less of snow storm or avalanche, the train in less than half
an hour passes under the Alps, it v.-fll indeed be a change
from the time when the Carthaginian troops toiled painfully
over the chain, and, after winding their way through trea-
cherous foce, perished by snow drift and precipice before
they could reach the sunny plains on which they had gazed
from the ridges above the plateau of the Mont Cenis.—
Once a Week.
CATTLE.—The imports of cattle during the first
seven months of the current year show a consider-
able increase as compared with the corresponding periods of
1863 and 1662. Thus, the number of oxen, bulls, and cows
imported to July 31 this year was 64,186, against 31,032 in
1663, and 16,693 in 1862 ; of calves 23,166, against 15,137
in 1863, and 12,521 in 1862 ; of sheep and lambs, 189,334,
against 149,340 in 1863, and 70,215 in 1E62; and of swine
and hogs, 26,699, against 2,567 in 1863, and 2,274 in 1862.
The high prices which continue to prevail for meat have
doubtless induced the larger importations observable this
year, to which the service of eighteen established by the
Great Eastern Railway Company between Harwic
Continent has c,outributod to a rather material extent,