The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-08 00:00:00

wealthiest cities of a powerful kingdom. Transferred
to our ships, the steam-engine will replace an hundred,-
fold the power of triple and quadruple ranks of rower
from whom our forefathers exacted a labou reckoned
among the severest punishmenta of the most atro ious
criminals. The tteam-engine, in conclusion, drawing
in its train thousands of travellers, will traverse the
railway with far greater velocity than the best race-
horse, loaded only with his pigmy jockey.
" There, gentlemen, is a rapid sketch of the legacy of
benefits conferred on the world by that machine which
the ingenuity of Watt carried to such admirable perfec-
tion. We are accustomed to quote the " Augustan
age"—the time of Louis the Fourteenth. Noble
spirits have already arisen, who have thought it just to
speak of the age of Voltaire, of Rousseau, of Montes-
quieu ; for my part, I pronounce, without hesitation,
that when to the immense services which the steam-
engine has already achieved, there shall be added all
the marvels it promises for the future, a grateful world
will also cite the ages of Papin and of Watt."

MR. SOMERS AND THE EDITOR

OF BELL'S LIFE.

We have received for insertion the following letter,
and in order that it may be better understood—and also
justice be done to both parties, we subjoin the article of
which it complains
:
'CO THE EDITOR OF TIIE MORNING POST.
SIR—In the article upon the Goodwood Races Nvllich
appeared in Bell's Life in London of this day there is a
very long and still more scurrilous attack upon several
persons, of whom lam one. Every statement therein put
forward is either directly false, or else so discoloured with
reference to simple facts as to be substantially untrue. I
do not at present feel it necessary to enter into a detailed
exposure of these falseheodg and misstatements. This I
shall do at a more convenient time, and before a tribunal
which can punish the slanderer, as well as exculpate the
mon who are so unwarrantably and so infamously assailed.
I now content myself with addressing a preliminary vin-
dication to the court of public opinion, and it shall be sim.
ply in the form of stating naked facts, without condescend.
ing to deal with the passages which constitute that which
must appear to every well-ordered mind, even in the person
of a stranger, a vile and vulgar tirade.
Mr% rerguson is a gentleman whose birth gave him a
high station in Irish society, and with whom I have
been for many years intimately acquainted. Of late I
found that he was accused with the utmost liberality of
censure by a certain portion of the press. I observed (it
is tree) that he never thought fit to reply to these attacks,
and it is not for me to say that in this he did not exercise
a wise discretion. Be this, however, as it may, I also
saw that the persons who thought proper to assail him
never ventured to urge their charges to a trial, much less
to establish a proof; and it is not too much to suppose that
they have been emboldened to continue their invectives
up to this moment alike by his silence and their own im-
punity. But 1, Sir, am not one of those who condemn a
man unheard, or shrink from an acquaintance because he
has been attacked by a nest of hornets.
On my arrival at Goodwood, on Wednesday last, I
learned from Mr. Ferguson that he had not a single bet
upon his horse beyond his having 281. to 41. against his
horse winning the Cheltenham and Goodwood Cups. I
also ascertained that other parties had backed Harkaway
heavily. I then suggested to Mr. Ferguson the propriety
of claiming some share in the betting, as had been done on
former occasions by persons of high authority on the turf.
I will not conceal that at the same time I informed him,
that while he had nothing to win beyond the mere stakes,
I stood heavily to lose on the success of his horse. He
at once acceded to my proposition, and empowered me to
act for him, and authorised me to put forth that, if from
backers of his horse in the ring we did not get the odds at
the 31. to 1/. to 500/., he would prefer withdrawing his
horse to sacrificing his friend for the benefit of betters by
profession.

I authorised Mr. M'Donough to make this statement,
and in consequence two were given, one by a gentleman,
Mr. Stanley, 1501. to 50/. ; the other, 6001. to 2001., by
the "gentleman " of Bell's Life in London, Mr. Wakefield,
who next day saw fit to again fix me (and I have little
doubt himself) to the bet, by asking me if I would abide
it as play or pay, in presence of a friend.
I have only to add that when Mr. Wakefield saw the
horses on the ground, and Harkaway backed at even
against the field, he then tried to declare off. I appealed
to the Stewards and sought an investigation. They re-
ferred it to the Jockey Club, for whose decision it now
remains.—l have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient

servant, JOHN P. -SOMERS.
St. James's Royal Hotel, St. James's-street,
Aug. 4, 1839.

THE GOODWOOD CUP.
( From Bell's Life in London.)
" The race for The Cup, or Plate,' was, of course, the
' prominent feature of conversation, as well as of speculation.
The fame ' which Mr. Ferguson has unfortunately ob
• tained, led to all sorts of surmises, among the foremost of
which in the morning was that Harkaway was not to start!
—a report which gained ground, from the positive manner
in which it was stated, that on the previous night it was
publicly declared at the Swan, at Chichester, that Mr.
Ferguson had made up bis mind not to start his horse
unless the betting fraternity, who were to profit by his
winning, would lay him 1,500 to 500, or 3 to 1 against
him. We were not disposed to credit this preposterous
statement, till we were informed that one gentleman had
actually complied with the demand by betting Mr. Ferguson
6001. to 2001., as a portion of his " pound of flesh," and that
there was no doubt the rest would be made up. It turned
out, however, that this was a mere ruse to enable certain
persons to " get on" at a- good figure • and Mr. Flintoff,
the trainer of Harkaway, openly declared in the weighing-
. room that neither he nor Mr. Ferguson had the slightest
knowledge of such a proposition, never having varied from
their intention to " start and win" if they could, thereby
intimating that "the devil was not quite so black as some
folks would have painted him." This declaration pro-
duced a strange revulsion in the minds of those who had
been slyly edging to their bets, but the deed was done,
and they became the victims of their not very unnatural
credulity. The gentleman (Mr. Wakefield) who had
been induced to lay the 600/. to 2001. by the fraudulent
representations alluded to, was determined not to submit
to so glaring a deception, and resolved to appeal to the
Stewards for their decision as to whether, under the cir-
cumstances, he was not entitled to declare the bet
off? The Stewards politely complied with his desire,
to hear and decide on the case, which in substance
was this :—While at the Swan, at Chichester, on the pre-
ceding night, M'Donough, the Irish jockey, boldly entered
the room, and declared that he was instructed by Mr. So-
mers, another Irish " gentleman" who had the manage-
ment of Harkaway, to state that Mr. Ferguson had deter-
mined not to start his horse unless the public laid him
1,500/. to 500/. Mr. Wakefield, who was present, fore-
seeing the effects which such a determination would have
on the betting, and the serious consequences which would
fellow to himself, as he was a backer of the horse, was at
last induced to fall into the snare, and by way of example
laid M'Donough, for Mr. Somers, 600/. to 2001. In front
of the Stand, on discovering the deception, he declared
his intention to appeal to the Stewards, and sent forth a
summons for Mr. Somers to attend, but "spirits," and
especially potheen, or " Irish spirits," could not be sum.
cd from " the vasty deep," and the double deep Mr. Somers
(as M'Donough did not speak without his host) was no
where to be found. The Stewards, on hearing the case,
in the absence of Mr Somers and M'Donough, gave it as
their opinion that the bet was extracted under the cloak of
deception, and, therefore, that Mr. Wakefield was en-
titled to declare it off, a declaration which he forthwith
openly made in " the ring," and scratched the bet out of
his book accordingly. It is not a little unfortunate that
Mr. Ferguson should have placed himself in a position to
justify a ready adoption of suspicion, and, but for this fact,
we have no doubt that many who were disposed to have r
backed his horse would have been large winners. When
the awful moment for saddling arrived, which was announced
by the tolling of a bell, and Harkaway was brought forth,
he became the object of universal curiosity, and was pro.
nounced by every good judge " every inch a racer," an
opinion which the result of the race fully sustained, as
he soon led off, and won with perfect ease. Hyllus second
(no small credit with such an antagonist), and Deception
tour prophet again on the wrong side of the post)
third. But the race is described elsewhere, and fur-
ther allusion to it here is unnecessary. Mr. Fergu-
son, we believe, did not himself show on the stand during
the day, and from what we have heard, is not himself any
great winner by the race. We are, perhaps, here justi.
tied in saying that if Mr. Somers was no party to the trick
played by M'Donough, he is bound to make a declaration

of that fact, as his name has been left under a stigma, from
which every honourable man would be anxious to relieve him-
self, notwithstanding the example of Elis's year. Vs e have
simply stated the facts as they were described under our
own observation. We ought to remark that many persons
called upon us to give Mr. Ferguson due credit fur his ho-
nesty on this occasion, and if he or his friends conceive
this to be a compliment, we most readily concede it, sin-
cerely regretting that it has ever been our lot to be under
the necessity of imbibing an opinion to his prejudice.
" The path of righteousness" is now before him, and
heartily do we hope hi; weakness or his good nature will
not permit him to depart from it."

DEAFNESS AND DEFECTIVE VISION.—At
length those dreadful maladies are completely obviated,
without torture and serious risk by medical treatment.
The Messrs. S. and B. Solomons, Opticians and Aurists
to their Majesties the King and Queen of Hanover, and
their Royal Highnesses the Princesses Augusta and
Sophia, &c. &c., 39, Albemarle-street, Piccadilly, have
constructed a Voice-Conductor, and newly-invented Speer
tacle Lenses, which will be found in most extreme
cases to effect instant relief. It is seldom or ever
that an invention of striking merit is laid before the
public that ignorant pretenders do not start forth ;
in no case is this more observable than in Ireland as well as
England, by persons who not only assume the name of So-
lomons, but actually as having a connection with their
house, 39, Albemarle-street. Numerous ladies and gentle-
men aredaily calling who have been misled by these preten.
ders, and who have made purchases of their spurious imi-
tations,which they term Voice Conductors and Spectacles,
supposing them to be the Messrs. Solomons' invention,
which not only proved to be useless but productive of very
ill effects. The Messrs. Solomons do not employ any agents
otmorettnrhtaevmelsteelrves, s---their improvements in the materials are secrets
i
39,
Aibeamndaraier.estsroeeletl.
l solely confined to their establish-
GORE'S NEW NOVEL.—We are re-
quested to state that the new novel entitled " The Cour-
tier of the Days of
of " Stokesbill Placeeh,"a&Mlrtl:'A' br
i tMrs.ag , Gore,"
Daughters," &c., " Mothers and
is published this day by Mr. Colburn, of
Great Marlborough-street, and may be had at all the
Authoress.
libraries.

LIFE AND DEATH.---A gentleman advertises
fir board and lodging in a respectable family, " to live
with them, and be done for," and, to render his views still
leis equivocal, be adds that " quietness is his object."