The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-05 00:00:00

SHIPPING—This Day.

EY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.
GRAYESEND, Wednesday Morning.
Arrived, August 4—Damietta, from Whampoa ; Swan-
ley, Jamaica ; Ostrich, from Monsonia ; Shortie, from
Colombo ; Rachel, from Whampoa ; Andia, Baltic, and
Madras—all from Quebec; Eleanor, from St. John's ;
Albion, from Jamaica; Johan Ceesar, from Penang; Lis-
gara, from New York; Canning, from Colombo ; Dr,
T. A. S. Hunter, from Trinidad ; Coringa, from Calcutta.
Sailed, August s.—Rainbow, steamer, for Calais ; Bel-
gium, steamer, for Ostend ; Newsky,steamer, from Stock-
holm.

THE LIBRARIES OF CONSTANTINOPLE.—It is per-
haps net generally known that the capital of Turkey
possesses a large number of public libraries, a general cata-
logue of which is now being made. According to an esti-
mate which is considered reliable, the total number of ma-
nuscripts thus catalogued will exceed a million. Unfortu-
nately, however, many of these MSS, have been so damaged
by lying in heaps is damp cellars or worm-eaten chests as
to be partially, and in some cases entirely, illegible. It is
also to be regretted that, until now, none of the treasures of
the early period of Byzantine literature, which it was hoped
would be brought to light, have been found. It has, on the
contrary, been proved that all the worke of those times,
which are known to have existed, have been ruthlessly
destroyed. The remaining works are consequently chiefly
in Arabic, or in other Semitic languages ; but they form, on
the other hand, the richest collection of oriental literature in
existence. Ahmet Vafik Effendi, Subhi Bey, and other
Turkish men of letters, have proposed that this inestimable
mass of literary treasures be collected in one building, so as
to render it accessible to students engaged in historical re-
searches, and there is every reason to believe that this pro-
posal will be adopted, notwithstanding the opposition it
hitherto met with. The first step towards the formation of
an Imperial library has already been taken by p
llacing
an-
-40,000 volumes of good works, in various European
Dar-
guages, and which belonged to Ii llami Pasha, in thed have
e
al-Fanoon, the building of the university.
Or
been gives. to increase this collection considerably, so as to
create a tolerably complete library for consultation, to which
the public will be freely admitted. Addingto such a collec-
tion the MSS. already mentioned, Constantinople would
capital in a literary point of view, espe-
chance the plays of Menander, or
to
or the remaining
mtraagmeiddisetsthoef
cbt
hieaelj superiorlo lost t byo laenoyfluZikvyy,
tßschylus, were buddenly brought to light from
parchments now being so carefully examined.
A HUGE MACHINE'--A new steam dredger, No.
5, built by Messrs. Wingate and Co., of Glasgow,
and supposed to be the largest machine of the kind in the
world, has been started by the River Tyne Improvement
Commissioners in Shields Harbour. It is calculated that this
stupendous machine, when at full work, will lift 10,000 tons
of material per day. The machine, as now employed, works
admirably, and is lifting an immense quantity of dredge per
day. The engine is of 50 horse power, nominal, and is cap-
able of being worked up to three times that power. There
buckets, and weighing
upwardsa retw o ladders, eachcontaining
tons.
Eachbuck3est weighs one ton and a
quarter, at d the ladders are calculated to operate in 30 feet
of water, and, when working at speed, will each fill a hopper
barge in from 50 to 55 minutes.

TWISLETON FIENNES.—The late Lord Sayo and
Sele was a very eccentric man, and the greatest
epicure of his day. His dinners were worthy of the days
d
of Vitellius or Heliogabalus. Everyso oeunnetwr y,d
eeverylfoao sea,for
was searched and ransacked to fin
our British Sybarite, I remember, at one of his break-
fasts, an omelette being served which was composed en-
tirely
of golden pheasants' eggs I He had a very strong
constitution, and would drink absyntho and caracoa in
quantities which were perfectly awful to behold. These
stimulants produced no effect upon his brain ; but his
health gradually gave way under the excesses of all kinds
in which he indulged. He was a kind, liberal, and good-
natured man, but a very odd fellow. I shall never forget
the astonishment of a servant I had recommended to him.
On entering his service, John made his appearance at
Fiennes was going out to dinner, and asked his new master
if he had any orders. He received the following answer
" Place two bottles of sherry by my bed-side, and call me
the day after tu-morrow."—Captain Gronow's Recollections
SERIOUS FIRE AND NARROW ESCAPE.—Be-
tween 4 and 5 o'clock this morning a fire broke out
in the workshops of Mr. Joseph Stokes, wholesale manufac-
turer of ice chests and baths, North-mews, John-street,
Tottenham-court-road, resulting in serious destruction cf
property. It appears that a person living opposite Mr.
Stokes's workshops observing flames issuing from them,
gave an alarm, and messengers being sent to the different
engine stations, in a short time the engines from Wells-
street, King-street, Crown-street, and Baker-street, under
the direction of Mr. Staples, the foreman of the district,
and engineers Girard and Wilkinson, were on the spot, two
workshops, by this time, being on fire. While the fire was
raging, one of the firemen from Wells-street bad a narrow
escape, having by some means fallen from the `workshop
window. The firemen, aided by a good supply of water;
succeeded in extinguishing the fire, when it was found that
two of the workshops and their contents, consisting of ice
chests, Scc., in the course of manufacture, benches, presses,
and the whole of the tools of several workmen, were totally
destroyed. Mr. Stokes is insured in the Sun Fire-office, but
the workmen are unfortunately not insured, and the loss to
theca is consequently very serious. In an adjoining build-
ing there was a large quantity of timber which, through the
exertions of the firemen. was prevented from taking fire.