The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-29 00:00:00

STEAMBOATS IN FRANCE.

The number of steamboats in France has been very
much increased lately, and the majority of the vessels
are supplied with English engines. The engines are
chiefly on the low-pressure principle, and are worked
by English engineers, of whom there are twenty in the
ports of the Seine only. The rate of pay is about 300
francs, or twelve pounds a month, and board ; while
the pay of the captain of a river steamer is only
150 francs, or six pounds a month, with board.
The words of command in all these vessels are English
—" stop her," " head way," " back her," &c., surprise
the passenger, and afford an interesting proof of the in-
fluence which the English nation exercises abroad. The
stokers are partly English, partly French, and some Ame-
rican negroes. The crews, especially of the river steamers,
are a wretched set of lubbers, talking much more than
they work; and causing all kinds of accidents and
delays. The management is excessively bad, and
the steersmen of the river steamers, who are pilots of
the Seine, get intoxicated, and ask drinking money from
the passengers. The strongest part of the equipage is
certainly the crew of cooks and waiters, who are seldom
less than half a score, with a regular cuisine at their
disposal, to the gratification of the passengers' olfactory
nerves. Most of the engines on the Paris and Havre
stations have been supplied by Mr. Barnes, of London,
lates Barnes and Miller. The Seine steamers are very
long (about 150 feet) and narrow, drawing only about
two feet water, and yet in summer they often take the
ground. In winter they cannot run, as the height of
the water leaves no space to pass through the bridges.
[ron boats have been recently introduced, and with good
effect. Boats run from Paris to various places in the
neighbourhood, but most of those for Rouen start
front Pccq, a suburb of St. Germain, at the termination
of the railway. From Rouen numerous boats run
both up and down the river, and from Havre there
is steam communication to Bourdeaux, Cherbourg,
Caen, Dublin, Plymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth,
London, Dunkirk, Rotterdam, Hamburg, Copen-
hagen, and St. Petersburgh. Dunkirk is also a rising
steam station, and communicates with Havre, Hull,
and Rotterdam. At Havre the Government propose
to build.a large steam dock for the navigation to the
United States, in which they are desirous of partici-
pating with the English. Steamers now go from Eng-
land to a great number of ports on the French coast,
so as to make the union between the two nations
still more intimate. A great part of the steam.
boat passengers, if not the majority, are, however,
English. Among these ports are Dunkirk, Cala;s,
Boulogne, Dieppe, St. Valery-sur-Somme, Havre,
Granville, St. Malo, and Bourdeax. On the Eng-
lish side the communication is to Hull, London,
Margate, Dover, Rye, Brighton, Portsmouth, South-
ampton, Weymouth, Plymouth, and Dublin. The surf
of the steamers on the River Seine is very great, arising
from the shallowness of the channel, on the sand banks
of which steamers are obliged sometimes to scrape their
way. Small boats always make for the shore, and if
they can, run up high and dry, boats lying on the banks
being not unfrequently swamped. The few craft on the
River Seine are principally Rouen boats, a long un-
wieldy barge, which obeys the helm with difficulty, and
frequently embarrasses the channel. The coals used
are partly English, from Newcastle, and partly Belgian,
and the coke used is Belgian. Some of the engines are
kept in very good order, but others are extremely dirty
and rusty from the negligence of the engineers.—Cor-
respondent of the Railway Magazine.

THIEVES AND RECEIVERS.—A lad, named
Phillips, was on Tuesday charged at Guildhall with having
stolen from his employers (Messrs. Manning and Mason,
printers, of Ivy-lane) a large quantity of printed and un-
printed paper. It appears the prisoner had at different
times sold the paper as waste to a person named Paget, of
Fetter-lane, at a low rate, and Paget having come for-
ward to explain his share in then raisaction, he
Magis-
trate (Mr. Alderman Venables) dered him to be taken
into custody. Paget complained and begged to be allowed
to put in bail, but the Magistrate would not allow it for
the present, and both prisoners were remanded till Friday.
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SUICIDE OF A FEMALE AT KENSINGTON.--
On Tuesday morning, about one o'clock, as police-sergeant
Eastland, T 17, was on duty near Kensington-crescent,
he met a young woman named Mary Hall, residing at No.
2, Brook-green-place, Hammersmith, who informed him
that a young female named Ann Day, well known to the
police, had just left her on the banks of the canal, under
circumstances which indicated that she meditated self
destruction. She informed him that as she and Day were
near thb canal the latter suddenly gave her a handkerchief
and a fourpenny piece, and kissing her, bade her good bye,
and ran towards the canal. Eastland and other constables
immediately proceeded to the banks of the canal, where
they saw the miserable woman standing, to whom they
called, but, on hearing their voices, she immediately
sprang into the midst of the stream. On reaching the
spot they still saw her by the light of the moon floating on
the surface of the water, but she almostly instantly sank.
They immediately sprang their rattles for further assistance,
and Eastland sent for the drags, but full twenty minutes
elapsed before their arrival, by which time the body had
been drawn ashore. The usual means of resuscitation
failed of ,access, and the body now awaits the Coroner's
inquezt. The deceased was nin,veo years of age No
cause is known for her committing the act.

NEW MUSIC.—A Quantityof MUSICAL BOXES
playing upwards of 400 Airs, Overtures, &c., being i•oi: Sale, 0• ,
List of the Music is now published ; also the prices of Musical'
Boxes. The List can be sent by post, as a single letter.ry Way
be had gratis, from T. COX SAVORY, Goldsmith, Silver-
smith, Watchmaker, &c., 47, Coinhill, London (Seven Doors
from Gracechurch-street).

BIRTHS.
On the 24th in-t., at Westover, Isle of Wight, the lady of
the Hon. W. A'Court Holmes, of a son.
On the 24th inst., the wife of the Rev. J. R. Oldham, 0f
Huddersfield, of a daughter.
On the 24th inst., at Ramsgate, the lady of Hart Lyon, Esq.,
of Barbadoes, of twins, a son and daughter.
On the 25th inst., at Temple-house, Cheetham-hill, near
Manchester, the lady of Philip Lucas, Esq., of a daughter.

MARR lED.
On Monday, the 26th inst , at All Souls, by the Rev. J.
Fellowes, J. Forbes Royle, M.D., Vice-President of the
Royal Society, to Annette, youngest daughter of Edward
Solly, Esq., late of Curzon-street, May-fair.
On the 23d of July, at St. Peter's Church, in the island of
Antigua, the Hon. Owen Pell, Member of her Majesty's PrivY
Council in that island, to Elizabeth Mary Otto Baijer, daughter
of the late Hon. Samuel Otto Baijer, of the said island, and
niece of Bryan Edwards, Esq., of Dove-hall, Jamaica.

DIED.
On the 24th inst., at Orton-hall, Elizabeth, Countess of
Abo 3 n
On the 10th of July, at Mount Atlas, St. Andrew's, Jamaica,
William Shand, third son of Dr. Hinton Spalding, aged 17.
On the 22d inst., at Charing, Edward Honywood, Esq., of
Sibton, Kent, aged 41.
On the 24th inst., at Crowlink, Sussex, Lieutenant Daniel
Leary, of her Majesty's Royal Navy.

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