The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-06 00:00:00

AST

EATRICAL PERFORMANCES

DURING LENT.

The f„ flowing correspondence :has passed between Mr.
Duncombe, M. P., and the lessee of Drurv-lane Theatre,
en the subject of his recent motion in the House of Com-
mons :

" Theatre-Royal, Drury-lane, March 1, 1839.

" Sir—l take the liberty of inquiring whether the re-
sult c f your motion last evening in the House of Commons
(to remove the restriction on the theatres within the city
of Westminster, in Lent), be correctly reported in this

morning's paper?

ask this question for the regulation of my next
week's entertainments, I avail myself of the opportunity
afforded me of saying, that the theatrical community owe
you a heavy debt of gratitude.
" I have the honour to be, Sir,
" Your obedient humble servant,
"T. S. Duncombe, Esq., M.P. "A. BUNN, Lessee."

" The Albany, March 2, 1839.

" Sr—The Report to which you allude is, I believe,
perfectly correct. I enclose a copy of the resolution agreed
to by the House of Commons :
" That it is the opinion of this House that during Lent
no greater restrictions should be placed upon theatrical
entertainments within the City of Westminster than are
placed upon the like amusements at tbe same period in
every other paPt of the metropolis.' It seems to me
impossible, after this deliberate proceeding of the House
of Commons, that the Lord Chamberlain should any
longer interpose his veto to the further injury of those
who have already suffered by the course which the
House of Commons has condemned. In allusion to the
latter paragraph of your letter, I must be allowed to say
that the theatrical community, who have been cruelly de-
prived of their bread, and the people of Westminster, who
have been absurdly deprived of a rational amusement, are
not indebted to any individual, but to the common sense
of the majority who voted on this question.
" I have thc: honour to be, Sir,
" Your obedient and faithful servant,

"THOMAS S. DUNCOMBE."
" Alfred Bunn, Esq., Theatre Royal, Drury-lane."

TRIAL OF .PITCH LAKE AS FUEL
ON BOARD H. M. STEAMER PLUTO.

(From the Trinidad Standard.)
At the suggestion of his Excellency, the Lieutenant.
Governer, Lieut. Lunn, commanding H. M. steamer
Pluto, proceeded with this vessel down to Point La Brea,
on Wednesday morning, for the purpose of ascertaining,
by exptirnent, how far the pitch of our lake could be
made Li vaibble as fuel for raising steam; although, from
the abort time he could devote to the object of his trip,
Lieut. Lunn did not expect to do more than make a very
cursory experiment ; yet, so fully was he impressed with
the importance to Government of any result of holding
out a hope of the pitch ultimately rendering the im-
portation of coal into these colonies unnecessary, that
his Excellency's proposal was immediately acceded to.
Having received an invitation from the Commander of
the Pluto, to accompany him on his trip, we considered
that, as the trial of the pitch, if successful, might prove
of much importance to the colony, we could not do better
than accept the invitation, and become an eye-witness of
the experiments to be m"de on board the steamer, nor did
we find any cause for regretting our determination.
On his arrival at La Brea, Lieutenant Lunn was most
kindly received by the several gentlemen now residing there
to superintend the shipment of this nova article of our
commerce, who also afforded him all the information within
their power, with every facility for visiting the lake and
making the experiment. By nine o'clock on Thursday
morning, several tons of pitch from the lake itself were
sent alongside the steamer, presented gratis by Mr.
Murphy. Being in bulk, however, its shipment occupied
too much time "to allow of the whole being taken on board,
but, having received about six tons by half-past ten o'clock,
the Pluto started on her return to town.

The fires bad been lighted with coal as usual, but, at
starting, they were not fully established. Pitch was then
added. The substance was found to ignite fairly, but
when put into the furnace in large lumps, it melted more
rapidly than it consumed, and, consequently, spread out
into cakes, which were impervious to the draft of air
through the grating bars, and trickled through the latter
without being consumed. This was the first obstacle
which presented itself, and it was met by breaking the
pitch into smaller pieces.
At eleven o'clock the engineer declared the steam
" up," and the vessel going at her ordinary rate, from
which hour he began to feed with pitch mixed with cinder,
and without any addition of coal, returning into the fur-
nace, also, the masses of pitch and ashes formed under
the grating bars.
Using no other fuel, the steam kept up her speed with
pretty fair regularity to the next two hours, but, after
this pc•ricd, the steam began to sink. This was attri-
buted to the necessity of opening the furnace mouths
continually, to stir up the fuel and prevent its cakingr
thus admitting a large body of cold air, which, passing
over the fuel and through the flues without being
heated to its proper temperature, carried with it a por-
tion of the beat of the water, and reduced the steam.
At two o'clock a portion of coal was resumed, and the
pitch on the grating bars was broken up in such a way as
to allow a freer current of air through them, and a little
before three o'clock she was at anchor. The passage
back occupied rather longer time than the passaue down,
but, under the circumstances, time could not be fairly taken
into consideration.

The experiment was made under all the disadvantages
of entire novelty, and the want of opportunity for adapt-
ing either the fuel or the furnaces, so as to overcome
difficulties which from time xo time presented themselves.
The result, however, led Lieutenant Lunn and his chief-
engineer to the satisfactory conclusion, that pitch could
be advantageously used as fuel by being mixed with coal,
and that the proportions appeared to be about two of the
former to one of the latter.

In the course of the experiment the following observe-
lons were made :

The pitch began to evolve gas sooner and to give more
flame than coal. It_ consumed a large portion of its own
smoke by the assistance of the gas it emitted. The smell
from it produced no inconvenience, either to the men
connected with the engine or to others on board. The
refuse left after burning was principally earth and ashes,
without clinker or bard cinder. That, from tendency to
cake and choke the draft, the ordinary grating bars were
not wide enough apart, and that the bars would require to
be arranged upon the principle which breaks up the fuel
without any necessity for opening the mouth of the fur-
nace. That the pitch which had run through the furnace
bars, and become mixed with the cinders, was better fuel
than the pitch in its natural state.
We have spoken of this experiment as merely a cursory
one. We feel, however, that, even with this character, it
may lead to results highly important to the colony, as
Lieut. Lunn will, nu doubt, make it the subject of an
official report, on bis return to Barbadoes.

THE LATE OUTRAGE UPON THE

BRITISH FLAG.

ADDITIONAL PARTICULARS.
( From the Falmouth .A'xpress.)
Every hour we are furnished by our kind friends with
some more disfiguring feature in this atrocious affair; but
we positively accept no information which at the same
time cannot offer us a sufficient proof of its authenticity.
The more we learn of the transaction, the more are
we convinced that it constitutes a very proper sub-
ject for the strict investigation of a British Parliament,
and the examination at the bar of both Houses of the
parties who are capable of throwing satisfactory light
upon it. The gentleman who acts as the English Consul
at Vera Cruz, Mr. Gifford, a native of Jersey, is also the
Consul for France. At the moment of an invasion by the
French this two-fold capacity is at least inconvenient, and
certainly extraordinary. Remembering that our packets do
not usually employ a pilot—that Lieutenant Croke had eight
times visited Vera Cruz without engaging one, and that
his having one on board on this occasion, was purely the
accident of his running for anchorage at the Island of Sa-
crificios, we venture to ask Mr. Gifford, this Anglo- Gallic
Consul, as the person mostlikely to be able to inform us, how
Admiral Baudin happened to know that the English packet
would this time certainly have a pilot on board. And
lastly, we would ask Mr. Gifford, as the Consul of France,
if Prince de Joinville did, on his own authority, compel the
surrender of the pilot, for what purpose Admiral Baudin
expended a 'certain little item of 20,000 francs! Pro.
bably as the Consul to the invading power, Mr. Gifford
night enlighten the British Parliament on these interesting
questions. And since he can reconcile the discharge of
his duties as Consul to a neutral power, with those to a bom-
barding one, he may reconcile with an explicit candour
to the British Legislature, the maintenace of a very deli-
cate confidence with his belligerent employers. At least
we trust, the satisfying of such questions would not be
pet sot ally inconvenient to his friends. The service of a
native pilot at the moment of taking position for bom-
barding, would not be extravagantly paid for at the sum
of twenty thousand francs. But the pilot did not get
them.

Lieutenant Croke made his first communication to Cap-
tain Robb, of the Satellite, when he joined that ship. It
was that officer's duty to have reported the occurcnce to
his Commander-in- Chief on the station; but it was also
his duty to have sent a duplicate of that report to the Ad-
miralty. His that report been received by Lord Mint° ?
Or has this Government some new method of transacting
the business of the nation, the chief excellency of which is
that it spares themselves trouble? There were at least
forty passengers on board the Express, all of whom were
necessarily witnesses of the outrage on our Queen's ship.
The Express superseded the Melville (the only civilian
packet) to Vera Cruz, because she was a man-of-war
and, as such, considered better calculated for protecting
the honour of the British, flag at a port in state of blockade.
Admiral Baudin, after his late insult on the British flag,
is continued by the French Government in command of
the French squadron.
Lotus see how it has been usual for a Government to
act in such cases.
In the year 1811-12, Admiral Berkeley commanded the
British fleet on the American station. Being informed that
deserters from the English ships had joined the Chesa-
peake, and were then serving on board of her, he ordered
Captain Humphries to interdept the American, and de.
mand the men. The Leopard shortly fell in with the
Ctiesapeake, and sent a boat alongside of her, requesting
the surrender of the English deserters known to be on
beard of her !
Commodore Barron (we believe that was the American
officer's name) positively refused to comply. An action
took place, the Chesapeake struck, and the American
officer tendered his sword. The men were removed.

Immediately on receiving intelligence, the American
Government addressed to the English en indignant remon-
strance.

" Admiral Berkeley was instantly recalled, and Captain
Humphries was for a considerable time unemployed 1"
Such was " the handsome and courteous apology" prof-
fered Ly England to the Republican States !