The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-13 00:00:00

TELEGRAPH TO INDIA,

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Stn,—ln your impression of yesterday there was an
article on the Persian Gulf Cable, in which it is stated that
in point of conductivity and insulation this cable comes so
nearly up to the standard of electrical perfection that (in
the writer's opinion) it " will remain good for 100 years,"
and that the cause of failure in the Atlantic, Red Sea,
Toulon, and Algiers, and the Malta and Alexandra Cables
will be avoided, and, above all, the imperative necessity of
having no section of submarine I:ne more than 600 miles in
length.

Now, the Persian Gulf Cable possesses the same elements
of destruction as the Malta and Alexandria, Toulon and
Algiers, and the Red Sea cables did, viz., gutta percha
containing impurities in combination with Stockholm tar
and resin ; in the outer covering the wires are protected
with hemp, resin, and tar. The Persian Gulf cable has
the addition of sillica and bitumen, or mineral pitch. This
compound is thought all that is required for sections not
more than 600 miles in length. A little chemis-
try in relation to submarine telegraphy is all
that is required to show clearly that tho said
compound is neither flexible or impervious to water,
nor is it capable of resisting tropical heat or the
attacks of marine insects. I beg to state that the principle
cause of failure in long lengths of submarine lines consists
in the impurities contained in the gutta percha: so long
as the impurities are kept dry they act as partial non-
conductors, but when they become hydrous decomposition
takes place slowly and surely according to the size of the
conductor, the length worked through, and the battery
power used.

I quite agree with the writer that longer lengths of cable
than COO miles would not remain commercially useful for
long, if constructed on the principles of the Persian Gulf
line. I may add that a cable is in progress that will in one
section connect England with America, and will, I have no
doubt, remain commercially useful without the aid of gutta
percha in combination with Stockholm tar and resin as the
insulating medium, nor will pitch, tar, or silica be used as
an outer protection for the fibrous or metallic strands, and
it will not cost more than the Persian Gulf cable.

I am, sir, your obedient servant,

J.,3lAciyrosii.

MOHAMMED ALL—A native of Roumelia, where
he had been a trader in tobacco, this great man
originally entered Egypt with the force which, under Sir
Ralph Abercrombie, finally expelled the French from the
country ; and to him it was principally due that the Mame-
luke Beys did not after that event recover their former
supremacy. As Mr. Paton speaks from personal observa-
ti •n, his estimate of this remarkable character is worthy of
attention. He attributes to him consummate coolness in
the greatest dangers, profound dissimulation of his own
plans, coupled with a marvellous discernment of the mo-
tives of others, and unbounded liberality to his friends. The
picture has, however, its darker shades. He was perfectly
unscrupulous in the choice of means to gain his ends; he
was morbidly desirous of importance in the councils of
nations, and quite in the dark as to the truths of political
economy. We can feel little wonder at this in a man who
only learnt to read and write when forty-three years old:
A NATIVE MOOR OR ALGERINE. Generally
handsome, and with a fair but colourless complexion,
the Moor's dark eyes and regular features are mostly cha-
racte:ised by an expression mild to effeminacy. Fond of
dress and of brilliant colours, he always carries his some-
what portly person in as costly a manner as his means per-
mit. Indolent by nature, he never in any grade of life
engages but ix, some sedentary occupation. If belonging
to the upper classes, he keeps a stall or bazaar in a native
street, where, quite indifferent to the absence of customers,
he smokes, drinks coffee, and chats with passing friends.
The greatest effort which he makes is to jog placidly along
to his country garden, seated on a broad well-cushioned
saddle, borne by a quiet mule. Every act, look,
and attitude of the Moor indicates his love of ease.
The occupations of the Moor in a humble rank
of life are very limited in number. He embroiders
jackets, vests, girdles, purses, shoes, and trappings for
horses. He makes silk laces, trinkets, and earthenware
jars, which he embellishes with coloured streaks in a pecu-
liar manner. The gay trousers worn by the Moorish lady,
and the rich jacket of her husband, are both fashioned by
his needle. lie distils essences of rose and jasmine, and
weaves mats and baskets of the dwarf palm. The Moor
has an innate love of beauty. The colours of his dress are
well-assorted, and his embroidery designs are graceful. He
is passionately fond of flowers—he has them often in a jar
beside him as he works, and be frequently inserts them
beneath the edge of his fez or turban ; the oppressive frag-
rance of the large white jasmine and the orange flower is
his delight. Though loving to lie in shade, he likes to
have a R ush of sunshine lighting up the scene on which he
hislo bearingoks.Politdeiginnisfied
speech,,
dhitshgeecsatulmressealrfe.paolwosaezoiiofi
graceful,hs
address is never disturbed by the most unexpected incident
—" Through Algeria," recently published by Bentley.

TIIE GREAT EASTERN.—The Great Eastern left
the Mersey yesterday morning for New York, via Queens.
town, and, as usual, large numbers of people crowded both
sides of the river to see her off. Besides a large cargo, the
Great Eastern takes out 900 passengers, and at Queenstown
she will take on board about 200 more.

MAILS TO THE UNITED STATES, &c.—Her Ma-
jesty's Government having revived the contract
with the Atlantic Royal Mail Steam Navigation Company
(which was terminated in May, 1861) for the conveyance of
mails once a fortnight between Galway and the United
States, mails will be made up in London on the evening of
Monday the 17th August, and thenceforward on the evening
of every alternate Monday, and forwarded to Galway, to be
despatched on the following say to their destination. The
packets will prccaed alternately to Boston and New York,
calling at St. John's, Newfoundland. A:1 letters, &c , for
the United States, Canada, and Newfoundland, which are
posted in time, will be forwarded in these mails. Letters,
&c., for any British North American colony (except Ca-
nada and Newfoundland) intended to be sent by these
packets, ,inust be specially
directed " Via the United
States.' The rates of postage upon letters, &c., intended
to be forwarded by these packets will be the same as by the
British packets from Liverpool calling at Queenstown.
The first homeward packet of this line will leave Boston on
Tuesday, the Bth September, and will be due at Galway on
the 18th September. The next will leave New York on
Tuesday the 22d September, and will be du,i at Galway on
LL) 1-)Q6t-olLec, 13th
the 2d October.—By cointoand of the Postmaster-General,
LOWLAN-D HI
414:15; ISCZ4

Cart"44'

HER MAJESTY.

The Victoria and Albert, having on board the
Queen, Prince Alfrel, Princess Helena, Prince
Leopold, and Princess Dittrice, left the Thames
early yesterday morning for Antwerp. The Royal
yacht was convoyed across the Channel by the
Vivid, the Osborne, and other vessels.

The Crown Prince and Princess of Prussia.
Although the denial has come by telegraph that
the Crown Prince of Prussia has been summoned to
Gastein by the King, his father, for the purpose of
"proceeding on a mission to the Congress of German
princes, to be held at Frankfort," there is no doubt
that his Royal Highness is at Gastein, and that he
has gone there in obedience to a wish expressed by
the King. The Crow❑ Prince left Berlin, for the
place mentioned on Saturday evening, and was accom-
panied to the railway station by the Crown Princess,
who returned to Pot-e,dam. It is considered that the
stay of the prince at Gastein will be exceedingly
brief.

Towards the close of the stay of their royal high-
nesses on the Island of Rugen, an excursion was
made with the Prince and Princess Putbus to a
hunting villa, possessed by the latter. Oa Mon-
day week the Crown Prince and Crown Princess
paid a visit to Prince Adalbert, who was at anchor
a short distance off in the Prussian war steamer
Niobe. Oa Wednesday their royal highnesses
left the island after a residence there of five weeks,
and on their departure the Prussian national hymn
was played, and the inhabitants cheered most
heartily, at the same time waiving hats and hand-
kerchiefs, a demonstration which the Prince an
Princess repeatedly acknowledged.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge le
Gloucester House, Piccadilly, last evening, for GI man

to pass a few weeks.

Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duche
d'Aumale have left Or'ears House, Twickenham, for Pen-
carrow, Cornwall, the seat of Lady Molesworth.

Their Serene Highnesses Prince and Princess
Edward of Saxe-Weimar have left town on a visit to the
Duke and Dusheas of Richmond at Gordon Castle, near
FochaLers, N.B.

I'he Duke and Duchess of Beaufort and family
have left Badminton, Gloucestershire, fer Troy house,
Monmouthshire, and afterwards go to the other family seat

in Wales, Llangattock Park.

His Excellency Baron Gros, the French Ambas-
sador, will leave the Embassy to-day for Pails on a chart
leave of absence.

The Marquis and Marchioness of Clanricarde,

the Hon. F. Calthorpe, M.P., and Mr. F. F. Courtenly
have left Port Eliot, the seat of the Earl of St. Germans,
fur Pencarrow, on a visit to Lady Molesworth.

The Marquis of Hastings has left Long's Hotel

for Scotland.

His Excellency senator Huet and Don Jose
d'lluet have left Edwards's Royal Cambridge Hotel,
George-street, on their way to Madrid.
The Earl and Countess Howe are entertaining a
select circle at Gopsall Hall, Leicestershire.
The Earl of Hopetoun has left Long's Hotel for
Scotland.

The Countess (Dowager) of LichEald and Lady
Gwendolena Anson have left town for Switzerland. The
countess and daughter will return for the marriage of
Major the Hon. Augustus H. Anson, Y.C., and iNliss
Claughton, niece of the Earl of Dudley.

The Baron and Baroness Keilburg and family
have left the Brunswick, Jermyn-street, fDr Paris, on their
way to Switzerland.

The Right Hon. Sir Robert Peel, Bart., M.P.
left town on Tuesday last to join Lady Emily Peel at their
villa at Geneva.

The Right Hon. Sir Alexander Cockburn, the
Lord Chief Justice of England, left town yesterday to spend
a few weeks in Germany.
Baron Charles de Rothschild has arrived at
Thomas's Hotel, Berkeley-square, from Frankfort.
Count and Countess bzechenyi and suite have
left Long's Hotel for the Isle of Wight.
Viscount and Viscountess Palmerston left London
yesterday for Walmer Castle, Kent.

Lord and Lady Willoughby de Eresby will enter.
tain a succession of guests at Drummond Castle, Perth-
shire, during the shcoting season.

Lord and Lady Vaughan have arrived at
Thomas's Hotel, Berkeley-square, from Becchgrove,
Aberystwith.

A marriage is about to take place between Lord
Lottdesborough and the Lady Edith Somerset, youngest
daughter of the late Duke of Beaufort.

PROPOSED CATHOLIC REFORMATORY SHIP FOR
THE MERSEY.—A number of the leading Catholics
of Liverpool and its district met on Monday evening at the
Concert Hall, Lord Nelson.street, to consider the advisa-
bility of establishing a Catholic reformatory on the plan of
the present reformatory ship Akbar, moored in the Mersey.
Sir Robert Gerard presided, and the meeting was addressed
by Mr. Aspinall, Q.C., Recorder of Liverpool, Mr. W.
Blundell, Mr. R. Sheil, and others. Ultimately resolutions
were adopted to establish a reformatory, and also a yearly
fund to meet the expenses which would be involved beyond
the Government grant. The Chairman intimated that after
a man-of-war had been obtained, £l,OOO would be sufficient
to convert it into a reformatory. During the proceedings a
letter was read from Mr. T. S. Raffles, to the effect that the
establishment of a Catholic reformatory would relieve him
from a difficulty which he had often felt in dealing with
criminals of the Catholic faith. Before the meeting closed
subscriptions to the extent of upwards of £7OO were received.

SHAKSPEARE'S COMMEMORATION.—A writer in
the 'Scotsman says :—" It is now son_e time since it
was determined in London that the 23d April, 1864, should
be seized as a fit occasion for a commemoration worthy of
the name of Shakspeare. Shakspeare having been born on
the 23d April, 1564, this date would be the tri-centenary of
his birth. The leading literary papers have viewed the pro-
ject with great favour, and the 4 thenceu2n weekly contains
paragraphs announcing new distinguished names as mem-
bers of the committee for promoting the commemoration.
This committee now presents not only the names of most of
the distinguished living English writers and the Macenaee
of English literature, but also many foreign /itterateurs of
eminence. Of course, Scotland now holds Shakspeare to be
almost as much her own as she holds Scott and Burns ;
and no petty distinction of the nationalities of England and
Scotland are suffered for a moment to injure the love and
honour with which Scotland cherishes the name of Shak-
speare. James VI of Scotland became indeed James I. of
England while Shakspere yet survived, and Scotland and
England became one kingdom. It seems, then, somewhat
strange that Edinburgh, which not many years ago swayed
the literary sceptre of Great Britain, and yet, next to Lon-
don, bears the highest literary repute, should have made no
sign of seizing the occasion to honour the name of him
whom all the British Empire at least acknowledges to be
the greatest uninspired genius that ever lived. Can we not
have a committee for the commemoration, who would do
honour to themselves, to Scotland, and to the occasion ?"
THE FLYING PIE3IAN !—When I was a young-
ster (says Alepb, in his recent anecdotes about Old.
London), the steep roadway from Hatton-garden to Fleet-
market was highly attractive to me on account of the Fly-
ing Pieman, though he did not vend pies, but a kind of
baked plum pudding, which he offered smoking hot. Ile,
was a slim, active, middle-sized man, probably about forty
years old. Ho always wore a black suit, scrupulously
brushed, dress coat and vest, knee breeches, stout black silk
stockings, and ehoes with steel buckles--then rather fashion..
able. His shirt, remarkably well got up, had a wide frill,
surmounted by a spotless white cravat. He never wore
either hat or cap; his hair, cropped very close, was plenti-
fully powdered ; and he was decaratsd with a delicate lawn
apron which hardly reached to his knees. In his right hand
he held a small circular tray or board, just large enough to
receive an appetite-provoking pudding about three inches
thick, which was divided into twelve slices, which he sold
at a penny a slice. A broad blunt spatula, brilliantly
bright, which he carried in his left hand, enabled him to
dispense his sweets without ever touching them. His coun-
tenance was open and agreeable, expressive of intellect and
moral excellence. Precisely as St. Andrew's clock struck
twelve at noon, Peter Stokes turned out of Fetter-lane
with his tempting pastry,
-
o'clock he ' and from that moment up to four
was incessantly occupied in a rapid transit from
the lane to Ely place,
thence to Thavies-inn, and across to
Field-lane, or from Ilatton-garden to Fleet-market, never
pausing longer than would enable him to deliver a slice of pad-
ding to some expectant customer, and shouting without pause,
"Buy, buy, buy," adroitly darting from side to aide, never
lingering till the road was clear, but piloting his way be-
tween carts, waggons, and coaches, and proffering his
pudding to all passers, with the not unmusical accompani-
ment of " Buy, buy, buy." If any peripatetic pilgrim felt
his longing for a slice overcome him, as Peter flashed be-
tween a dray and a gentleman's carriage, hie penny roust
be ready and held up, or the man would be 100 yards off in
a few seconds. His board was often cleared in a single run
between the Garden and the Market. The ringing
syllables,
and bewere repeated unconsciously
over ,would dive out of sight for a fresh
aci an "Buy,tra>,, be
supply before you quite understood where he was, On a
fine day he could dispose of UQ roiewle of pudding b.tweete
12 and o'clock,