The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-21 00:00:00

FRENCH TELEGRAPH ADMINI-

STRATION.

This department of the public service has attracted much
attention, since the Revolution of 1830. It has promoted
many a successful official speculation in the Funds, and at
no period has it more conspicuoeibt t xy edbslits rapidu
qualities than during the late elections. As a Cabinet
which had the rare credit of abstaining from stuck-jobbing
is likely to be succeeded by one which will include Al.
Thiess, a few observations upon the present telegraph
system may not be unseasonable.
The telegraph administration was first established by
the celebrated Carnot, when he organized fourteen armies,
which defended the territory of Republican France against
a formidable foreign invasion. The greatest improve.
ments in the system of signals, were introduced by two
brothers, MM. Chappe.
The telegraph expresses three principal signs, denomi-
nated the 33, the 90, and the obtuse. Each of these signs
has thirty-three subdivisions, reckoned equal in number
to the sounds and inflexions of the French language. The
individuals employed upon this ingenious machine com-
municate, by means of the signals which they repeat, the
orders transmitted by this channel, but without having the
least knowledge of their contents. At the end of every
line there is a translator, who alone knows the meaning of
the words. The same signal has not always the same
meaning, for in such case, with time and persevering
attention, telegraphic despatches might be explained. To
do so the dictionary to which they refer must be consulted.
Were it absolutely necessary, the Government might
even transmit orders without their contents being known
to the translators, by concerting signals beforehand with
the person to whom the orders are addressed.
There are, however, some signals known to the employes,
and which are addressed to them, such as these denoting
repose, or that some accident has disturbed the machinery.
It is agreed that when two signals come from the extre-
mities of the line it is always the signal arriving from Paris
which is to be transmitted first, unless on momentous oc-
casions, when the opposite extremity expresses it by the
signal " Urgence." He who is on the watch registers
every signal he executes, and waits to make another until
he is certain that the preceding one has been well under-
stood and faithfully imitated. Hence the necessity he is
in of knowing the manoeuvre which denotes that his signal
has been ill-understood. There are also cases wherein he
is apprised that he must copy the signals he sees as soon as
he repeats them, in order to read them afterwards if they
be among those of which he has the key, or to keep and
submit them to the inspectors.
The telegraph communications are extremely rapid when
the state of the atmosphere does not obstruct them.
From Paris to Lille a question may be asked and the
answer be received in three minutes ; news from Calais
comes up in four minutes five seconds ; from Strasburg
in five minutes fifty-two seconds; from Toulon in thirteen
minutes five seconds; and from Brest in six minutes My
seconds.

Private communications by tolcgraph arc prohibited by
a law enacted since 1830.

On Fi

'riday night the stables connected with the
Saracen's Head Inn, Paisley, were destroyed by fire. The
horses and coaches were saved.

THE SLAVETRADE IN NEW SOUTII WALES.
—Certain of the Friends of the Colony as they humour-
ously call themselves, were mightily offended some time
ago, at our having applied the term " slave holders," to the
masters of assigned convict servants, in this territory. Why,
what will be said in the British Parliament, and by the Bri-
tish nation, when they learn the monstrous and undeniable
fact, that assigned convict servants, British born white
men and not African negroes—are now openly and notori-
ously sold in the public slave market of Sydney ! In a
recent case of a sale of property, after the purchaser had
paid the full price of the land and cattle, he was told by the
outgoing proprietor that he had not purchased the as-
signed servants, and new arrangements were accordingly
made for this additional item by the parties concerned.
A check has actually been paid into one of the colonial
banks this very week as the price of convicts, who it
seems were valued at ten pounds a head ! • Nay, after in-
quiring into the matter a little, which we did of course,
" arrectis auribus," we ascertained to our utter astonish.
ment, that this system of selling white men has been in
operation for a year or two past in the colony, and that
that the thing is well known to certain of the " Simon
Pure's" of the Legislative Council, who would have put
down the Synod of New South Wales on a charge of
heresy, forsooth. if they could.—Sidney Colonist.
Mr Rowland Hill's plan of the reduction of the
postage has had a trial in Gloucestershire. The postage
from Stroud to Nailsworth has recently been reduced from
fourpence to one penny ; the consequence has been, that
more than forty times the usual number of letters have, on
an average, passed through the offices in those places.
EDMONSTONE COLLIERY.—We understand
that the whole of the sufferers who were so providentially
resued from a lingering death on Sunday morning last,
were on Tuesday ready to resume work, with the exception
of the oldest woman, the wife of George Campbell, who
was in rather a feeble state previous to the catastrophe,
but who is now greatly recovered, although not as yet able
to descend the pit. On Monday last the Messrs. Sten
house again visited them all, and generously gave 11. to
each.—Scotsman.

THE WRECK OF THE ROYAL GEORGE.--.
The experiment of blowing up the Royal George, at
Spithead, by means of 13-inch shells, placed as far into
her in different parts as the divers can manage it, will
take place this week. To prevent accident to any boat,
the explosion will be effected by the rising of the tide ope-
rating on a buoy attached to the shells by a log-line.
A dispute, respecting prices, has arisen between
the cotton spinners employed in the new mill, lately erected
in Johnstone, by Sir W. M. Napier, and their employers.
We have not heard the nature of the dispute ; but we un-
derstand some reduction of price was proposed, to which the
spinners would not submit. Some symptoms of rioting
having been exhibited, a party of constables was dispatched
from Paisley yesterday morning to preserve the peace ;
and last night an additional force was sent off—Paisley
Advertiser.

DESTRUCTION' OF FOXES.-In consequence of
the wanton destruction of foxes, Sir John Barker Mill has
expressed a determination of relinquishing his hounds at the
end of the present season.
COACH ACCIDENT.-On Tuesday morning, as
Rener's Clapham coach was standing opposite the Green
Man public house, in Oxford-street, the horses took fright
and dashed off et a furious rate towards Tottenham-court-
road, and on reaching Wardour-street the coach was over.
turned. The horses continued their impetuous course
down Wardour-street, with the traces, &c. hanging at their
heels, towards their stables, but were fortunately stopped
before any further serious damage was done. One person
was knocked down, but only slightly injured.
UPSETTING OF A CONVICT SHIP.-About
half-past twelve o'clock on Monday morning an alarm was
given in her Majesty's Dockyard, Woolwich, that the
Ganymede, convict-ship, with about three hundred men
battened under hatches had capsised. The officers of the
poor
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vessel had fallen on her bilge from part of her mooring,
having given way so that as the tide was coming up, and
she was in some degree suspended by the larboard side to
the wharf, she was in a measure scuttled, and she could not
right herself. The men were lodged for the remainder of
the night in the convict chapel, over which a strong guard
of soldiers were placed, and a distribution of dry clothinw
took place. Many of the convicts were much exhausted.
In the course of Monday afternoon the Meteor steam-vessel,
Lieutenant Pritchard, and the Lightning Admiralty steam-
yacht, Lieutenant Williams, got up steam to tow the
Warrior seventy four to the Dock-yard side from her
moorings in the river stream, as in consequence of the up-
setting of the Ganymede, the Warrior is to fitted up as
a convict-hulk, iron gratings being procured from Sheer-
ness for the purpose.
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to it occasionally. The orders for iron from the United
States have been very considerable, and appear to be in-
creasing. Copper since last week has declined. Speller,
after having been very flat, again shows some symptoms
of improvement, there being now very little to he had for
spring shipments under 201. 10s. per ton. Since the sales
last week in Spanish Lead there have been no transactions
of consequence, but the price is firm at 181. 15s. on the
spot, and IEI. 10s. for arrival. British Lead is very flat,
and has declined 10s. per ton. British Tin has fallen 41.
per tom, and about -100 slabs East India are advertised for
sale next week. Brimstone and Oils are firm, and Cochi-
neal is higher and in demand. The prices are :-Quick-
silver, 3s. 10d. to 43. per lb. ; Copper, tile, 891. to 901.
per ton ; ditto, cake, 91/. to 921. ; ditto, Cinlian, to
arrive, 781. ; Iron, pig, in the Clyde, 41. 10s. ; ditto in
Wales, .5/. 10s. ; ditto, bar and bolt, in Wales, 91. 10s. ;
ditto, in London, 10/. 10s. ; and ditto, hoops, 14/. per
ton ; Swedish Iron is 141. per ton : British Lead, pig,
19/. 10s. ; ditto, sheet, 201. 10s. ; and Spanish Lead,
181. 15s. per ton ; Steel, Swedish, in kegs, 18/. los. ;
British Tin, blocks, 86/. ; ditto, bars, 88/. ; Tin Plates,
31s. to 345. per box ; Cochineal, black dyed, Os. 3d. per
lb. ; ditto, silver, 6s. to 7s. per lb. ; Saffron, 18s. Gd. per
lb. ; Opium, 14s. ; and Oil, duty paid, 56/. per ton ;
Spanish ditto, 50/. ; and ditto, Mogadore, 49/. per ton.-
Morning Chronicle.
BRITISH COLONIAL EMPIRE.-England's
transmarine possessions are thus stated by Mr. Mont.
gomery Martin, in his elaborate arid complete volume on
the " Statistics of the British Colonies." The Colonies
of the British empire have an area of 2,200,000 square
miles, and a sea coast of 20,000 nautical miles-population,
104,000,000, with an average of 50 mouths to the square
mile; of Lutherans and Calvinists there are 800,000 ; of
Dissenters, 700,000 ; of Roman Catholics, Greeks,
Syrians, &e., 1,500,000; of Alahommedans, 26,000,0001.;
of Hindoos, 75,000,000. The military strength em-
ployed is 56,000 European regulars, 156,000 colonial
(coloured) regulars, and 250,000 colonial militia
(whites). The colonial revenues amount to 23,000,000/.
sterling ; the civil and convict expenses defrayed by Great
Britain to 225,0001. ; the military ditto to 1,800,0001. ;
and the total expenditure of the colonies is, therefore,
25,000,6001. sterling per annum. The taxation averages
4s. 6(1. per head. The metallic money circulating in the
colonies is about 5,000,0001., and the paper money about
3,000,0001. sterling. Maritime commerce of the colonies
-Exports, 30,000,000/., imports, 25,000,000/. To Great
Britain-Exports, 15,000,000/., imports, 10,000,000/.
Total shipping annually in and out of colonial ports-Tons
8,000,000, of which there are to and from Great Britain,
3,000,000 tons. Vessels built in the colonies from 1814 to
1837-No. 8,975 ; tonnage, 1,022,937. The property an-
nually created in the colonies is estimated at 400,000,000/.,
and the value of the property, moveable and immoveable, in
the transmarine possessions of the empire, in land, houses,
stock, &c., at 250,00,0001. sterling.