The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-29 00:00:00

SEEDS,

Cloverseod commands rather more attention, but trans..
actions have not materially increased, Prices rule firm.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE,

TRAFFIC RECEIPTS FOR THE WEEK.
Miles Opened. Receipts.

Railways.

1864.

1863.

1864. 1863.
£ £
Belfast and N, Counties 136 136 1,739 1,729
Belfast and County Down 49 49 637 607
Blyth and Tyne 2B 28 1,490 1,505
Bristol and Exeter l2ll 1211 5,220 5,237
Caledonian
Cockermouth & Workington si 8i 259 257
Cork and Bandon 2O 20 200 276
Cork, Blackrock, & Passage 6l 61 119 161
Cork and Youghal
Cornwall ' 651 531 1,399 1.201
Deeside l7 17 198 225
Dublin & Belfast Junction 63 63 1,226 1,281
Dublin and Drogheda 75 63 1,475 1.560
Dublin and Meath
Dub. & Wicklow and Wextd 9ll 481 2,255 1,838
Edinburgh and 3lasgow 1691 1691 7,077 6.8.10
Furness, &c 5O 5) 3,2t0 2,30 ;
Glasgow & South-Western
Gt. Eastern,Nrfk.,&E.llnion
Great Northern 353 351 30,291 25.564
Great North of Scotland 5B 58 1,441 1,710
Gt. Northn. & Westn. (Irel.) lit 714 449 4:iB
qt.Soutlin. & Westu.(lrind.) 3731 329 7,054 7,234
Great Western 10561 10321 53,46 i 50.243

_ n
Inverness & Aberdeen Juno 861 863 826 954
Inverness & Perth Junction 1191 - 963 -
Irish North-Western 145 145 1,573 1,635
Lancashire & Yorkshire 402 3951 34,920 31,300
Limerick and Ennis... 24/ 241 159 139
Limerick and Foynes 26i 26% 303 106
Lianelly 461 461 575 483
London & North-Western
London and Blackwall 5% 51 1,617 1,510
London & South-Western
Loud. Brighton, &S. Coast 2611 261% 13,897 14, 40
London, Chatham, & Dover 721 721 3,625 2 661
Do. Metropolitan Extension 104 5% r-. 00 270
Lond., Tilbury, & Southend
slan.,Sheflield, & Lincolnsh
Manch. S.J un. & Altrincham 9l 9% 1,242 3,013
Slaryport and Carlisle
Metropolitan
Midland (incl. N.-Western) 641 630 41,110 37.785
Midland Gt.Westn. of Irind 2591 2591 3,9 :2 4,6 5
Monkland 71% 71% 1,623 1.636
slonmoutlish. Rail. & Canal 44 14 2,566 2,055
North British, Edin., Perth
and Dundee
N-Eastern and Stock. & Darl 1095 10791 50,914 47,851
North London 9 9 3,149 2,976
North Staffordshire 254 254 8,461 7.913
Oswestry and Newton... 5O 42 1,109 869
Rhymney 19% 191 9:,3 924
St. Helen's Canal & Railway 52 52 2,070 2,065
Scottish Central
Scottish North-Eastern l3B 188 4,930 4.746
Somerset and Dorset 66 39% 141 336
South Devon
South-Eastern 306 305 15,493 17.754
Taff Vale 57 55 5,738 5,443
Ulster
Vale of Clwyd . 10 10 141 151
Vale of Neath 321 25% 2,381 1.826
Waterford and Kilkenny 3l 31 3 8 345
Waterford and Limerick 77 77 930 1,065
West Cornwall 27% 271 860 793
W.HartlepoolHarbr.&Rail 52 52 1,079 3.435
W'haven,Cleator,&Egrmnt 7 7 676 5.5
Whitehaven Junction l3 13 1,053 933
Whitehaven & Furness Jun 35 35 1,034 801
FOREIGN AND COLONIAL.

Antwerp and Rotterdam 52 62 1,163 1.697
Austrian B'4B 828 39,0,1 27,761
Belgian Eastern Junction 264 2,4 314 247
Bombay, Baroda, & Cen. India 1851 1674 3,066 1,772
Buffalo and Lake Huron 1614 1614 2,433 2,3.4
Detroit and Alilwaukie IS9 189
Dutch Rhenish
_ ~

Eastern Bengal - Ito
Eastern of France 1135. 1302,

East Indian

-936}

- --
52,334 53,703

.041 t 19,042 1C.,902

,
Grand Trunk of Canada lO9O 1090 18,186 19,553
Great Indian Peninsula s`3 495 10,.,24 7,717
Great Luxembourg 134 134 3,299 4,2,3
Great Southern of India
Great Western of Canada 345 315 13,399 11,959
,Madras
Madrid, Saragossa &Aiicant 650 490 10,103 16,121
Northern of Canada
Northern of France 697 697 46,549 48,27
Norwegian Trunk
Ottoman
Paris, Lyons, & Mediterrn lBO5 17 t 3 117,688 120,967
Paris and Orleans 1614 MI 69,679 56,288
Pernambuco
774 --77

Royal Danish 69. 69
Sambre and Meuse 6B ag 1,288 1,250
South Austrian
Southern of France .... 770 60 22,843 23,577
Victorian
196 196 9,829 9,329

Welland ••.•••• 25
West Flanders

25
75 1,022

W. and N.Y. of France

CONSUMPTION OF SPIRITS, &3.—The quantity of
home-made spirits retained for consumption in the United
Kingdom as beverages only, in the year 1863, amounted to
19,118,092 gallons; in 1862 the quantity was 18,836,187
gallons. The quantity of brandy imported and entered for
home consumption in 1863 was 1,916,4:4 proof gallons; in
1862, 1,700,]56. Of rum the quantity was 3,419,756 proof
gallons; in 1862. 3,420,356. Of foreign and colonial wine
10,478,401 gallons in 1863, 9,863,028 in 1863. Of malt
44,638,893 bushels were charged with Excise duty as re-
tained for home consumption in the year 1863, 39,823,172
bushels in 1862. Every item was larger in 1863 than in
the previous year.

THE MALT-TAX.—The agitation against the
malt tax isbeing actively continued in the Eastern counties.
On Saturday Mr. W. Fisher Hobbs was the moving spirit
in a meeting at Colchester, and on Friday the members of
the Hinckford Conservative and Agricultural Club made a
demonstration at Castle Hedingham, a locality which is
now during the Parliamentary Session at a comparative
discount, although in the autumn it periodically attains a
certain notoriety as a focus'of Essex politics. Further meet-
ings are also announced for next week at Braintree, Chelms-
ford, and Saffron Walden. At Ipswich last week an im-
portant meeting was held, at which Sir F. Kelly, M.P.,
the originator of the present agitation, delivered a stirring
address. In Norfolk arrangements have been made for a
demonstration at King's Lynn, to which various notabili-
ties have been invited,

PHOSFR OXUS AND CIVILISATION.—Consider for
a moment; every adult human being requires at
least four pounds of phosphates to build up his bony frame-
work, quite apart from the quantities used up in his softer
parts. This amount is sequestrated from the earth, and
never returns to it, Yet the earth without phosphates re-
fuses to grow plants. Think of the millions upon millions
of pounds which are drawn away from the primitive stock,
and you will understand why vast stretches of Asia Minor
are barren, why parts of Sicily, Palestine, Arabia
Felix (once so fertile), and the plains of Babylon, are
deserts. These lands have been robbed of their phosphates.
If Egypt still preserves her ancient fertility, it is because
the annual inundation of the Nile renews the precious phos-
phates, Philosophy considers this, asrequested, and straight-
way begins to theorise upon it, She bids us remark the law
of history (she is fond of such " laws"), that nations after
emerging from barbarism into civilisation, after growirg in
wealth, skill, luxury, and populousness, are always submerged
by come fresh wave of barbarism. The puny citizen, ener-
vated by luxury, cannot withstand the stalwart barbarian.
So it has been—so it will ever be. All the skill and all the
appliances which make nren formidible to beasts, fail to
make men formidable to barbarians, With knowledge and
wealth has come the corruption of luxury. It is that which
has destroyed the rude and manly virtues of an elder
time; it is that which makes Man dissolute,
selfish, timid, without fervour, without patriotism.
Are you quite sure of this, 0 philosopher ? Is Luxury
so universal in civilised communities that nations no
lass than individuals are enfeebled by it ? Have the millions
been accustomed to Capuan indulgences ? Let us abandon
rhetoric for a moment, and see whether the enfeeblement of
nations may not be traced less to the excess of civilization
than to the deficiency of phosphorus. It is a paradox I
set before you, no doubt; but it is not less likely to be a
truth because it contradicts your opinions—ewhiah is the
meaning of a paradox. Did the barbarians always conquer
because they were ignorant ? No ; because they were strong.
They were truly the "sons of the soil," and of a soil not
robbed of its phosphates, like the soil of old and crowded
nations. The civilised Roman trembled at the presence
of the gigantic Gaul; but the descendant of that
Gaul is so little of a giant that he now boasts of his
stature when he is four feet six I It was remarked by Pliny
that the Romans wore rapidly degenerating in stature, and
that sons were rarely so tall as their fathers; but he attri•
bated this degeneration to the exhaustion of the vital sap,
not knowing that a Liebig would come to proclaim the ex-
haustion of precious phosphorus.—CornhiU Magazine for
March.

MURDER AT FELSITAM,--All adjourned inquest
was held at Feisham, near Bury St. Edmund's, on
Saturday, respecting the death of Frederick Browne, aged
three years, the illegitimate son of Julia Browne, a single
woman about 20 years of age. It appears that Browne
lived at service in Brettenham, a village two miles from
Felsham, and that she went on the previous Wednesday
week to the latter village to see her child, who resided there
with its grandmother. On the Thursday morning, before
leaving, she went into the child's roam to bid him good-
bye. Seen after, the boy was found to be very sick, and a
doctor was sent for, but the child get rapidly worse, and
died the same afternoon. Mr. W. E. Image gave evidence
to the effect that death was caused by the administration
of sulphuric acid. The dress which the woman wore on
the day the child died was produced, and the front of it
showed that oil of vitriol had been spilled down it. The
jury returned a verdict of " Wiful murder" against Julia
Brawne, and she stands committed for trial,
A NEW BRIDGE is to be built over the Thames At
Hampton Court.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT—This Day,

OLD COUnT,

The sessions of the Central Criminal Court commenced
this morning before the Lord Mayor, Recorder, Aldermen,
and the Sheriffs.

The calendar contained the names of only 64 prisoners
for trial, and the cases were not of that aggravated and
serious nature which marked the two former sessions. There
was one indictment for wilful murder, which was preferred
against a female. The prisoner was charged with the murder
of her illegitimate child, and although there could be no doubt
about the child being the prisoner's, the question that
would be for them to decide was, the intention of the pri-
soner when the child came to its death, which was caused
by strangulation. There was a case of manslaughter, which
was of an unusual nature. Ihe prisoner and the person
killed were both inmates of a gaol, The prisoner was in-
censed at his cell being searched, and during that ex-
cf,:ement the blow was struck whin, it was alleged, caused
the 6,,ath of the man. From the facts which would
be laid before them, they would have to decide
whether theL'e was sufficient to justify the returning of a
true bill. The:e was also a charge against a person for
attempting to kill Lis wife by thFowing her out of window,
but the evidence wag not very satisfactory. The other
charges that would require their attention was that of a
man attempting to bribe a witness, and another of rather a
novel nature, namely, the alleged counterfeiting of the trade
mark of Mr. Rolfe, a pianoforte maker. He did not anti-
cipate they would meet with any difficulty, but in the
event of assistance being required it would be readily
afforded.

Samel Davis and Marion Davis, convicted of felony last
session, were brought up for sentence.
The Recorder sentenced Samuel Davis to six years' penal
servitude, and Maria Davis to six months' imprisonment
with hard labour;

A respectably dressed man named Jowet, lately a secre-
tary to a Forester's Society, surrendered to an indictment
charging him with embezzlement.
After hearing the evidence the jury acquitted him.
Mr. Metcalf said as there were other indictments he
should proceed with some of them.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This Days