The Sun.
London, England, 1865-06-22 00:00:00

HAY MARKETS

SMITHFIELD.—Meadow hay, .£1 lOs to £slos Od ; clover,
£5
lOs to £6 lOs Od ; and straw, £1 6s to £1 10s per load.
A short supply.
CUMBERLAND.—Meadow hay, £4 lOs to £5 15s; clover,
£5
lOs to £6 lOs Od ; and straw, £1 8s to £1 138 per load.
Trade steady.

WiIITECHAPEL.—Meadow hay, £4 10s to £5 lOs ; clover,
.£5 lOs to £6 15s Od ; and straw, £1 6s to £1 12s per load.
Supply limited.

COAL MARKET;
Price per ton at the close of the market.

s. d. B. d.
Walls End Haswell... 17 9 Cowpen Hartley l6 9
Carway and Duffryn South Hetton
Malting 22 0 Hartlepool
Hetton ... 17 9 Braddyell's Hetton.... 16 9
Wylam l6 9 South Moor Pelton
Hastings Hartley l6 9 Gas l3 6
Tanfield Moor l3 3 Walls End Harton ... 15 9
Holywell Main l6 9 Russell's Hetton 16 9
Tunstall
Ships at market, 32 ; sold, 30.

CAST-IRON.—The French Academy of Science has
received an interesting paper from Dr. Phipson on
the existence of silicium (the metal of flint) in cast iron. It
has long been known that carbon exists in cast-iron under
two different states, that of black-lead, and another state
which we will represent by No. 1. Dr. Phipson has as-
certained that silicum also exists in cast iron under two
parallel states, which we may therefore also represent by
No. 1 and No. 2. The predominance of either of these two
forms of silicium in cast-iron exercises a great influence
over its quality. In analysing various well-known kinds
of cast iron rich in carbon and silicium, such as are ob-
tained from ores containing little or no sulphur or phos-
phorus, our author has found that the total quality of
silicium is invariably divided, like carbon, into two por-
tions, as stated. According as either of these predominates
the cast iron will or will not admit of being converted
into steel by Bessemer's process. Provided the cast
iron employed contains little or no sulphur or phos-
phorus, it Lmatters little how much carbon of sili-
cium be contained in it, so that they be nearly in a free
state, that is, represented by No. 2, and that consequently
there be scarcely any No. 1. In all tho kinds of cast-iron
which may be converted into steel by Bessemer's process,
carbon predominates under the form No. 2, or black lead,
and the same rule holds good with silicium ; none but the
kinds containing a large proportion of silicium, No. 2 or
rather a small one of No. 1, admit of being transformed into
food steel by the Bessemer process. If cast-iron be dis-
solved in an acid, carbon No. 2 is precipitated under the
form of brilliant scales of black lead. Something similar
takes place with silicium ; cast-iron dissolved in aqua regia
will deposit officio acid from silicium No. 2, while the silicic
acid derived from No. 1 remains in the solution. Hence a
quantitative analysis of cast-iron which only shows the ,
total amount of carbon or silicium contained in it `:ells us
nothing as to its convertibility into steel; and the opera-
tion must be conducted so as to separate carbon No. 1 and
carbon No. 2, as well as silicium No. 1 and silicium No. 2.
THE NORTH LONDON HOSPITAL—Last evening
the anniversary of the ;North London or University
College Hospital, Upper Gower-street, was celebrated by a
public dinner in Willis's-rooms, King-street, St. James's ;
Lord Helper in the chair. The company numbered about
200, among whom were Sir E. Ryan, Hon. G. Denman,
Q.C., Sir Francis Goldsmid, Dr. Roget, Professor Sharpey,
Professor Erichsen, Professor Quain, Mr. J. Heywood, Mr.
Booth, Rev. Dr. Stabbing, chaplain to the hospital, &c.
After the usual introductory toasts, the chairman proposed
the toast of the evening, " Prosperity to the Hospital," and
made an eloquent appeal in its behalf. He referred to the
great advantages which were brought by such institutions
within reach of the poorest and the most helpless, who
avail themselves of its benefits, were placed in many respects
in a better position than their richer brethren, having always
at hand the highest medical talent, the certainty of the best
advice, proper medicine, and the utmost care and attention
which the constant assiduity and kindness of trained nurses
could supply. In supporting that institution they not only
benefited the poor, but indirectly they conferred almost
equal benefit on society at large, by contributing to the
advancement of the art and science of medicine. Besides
as the hospital was connected with University College,
where all the different branches of science and literature
were taught in unison with the arts of law and medicine,
it should be remembered that support given to any one
of these departments was enjoyed by all the others. He
referred to the signal services rendered to the inmates of
the hospital by the Sisters of All Saints' Home, who,
after the manner of Miss Nightingale, a distant relative
of his own, devoted themselves to promote the comforts
of their suffering fellow-creatures. He stated that the
annual cost of maintaining the hospital was £6,500, the in-
come derived from annual subscriptions being only £l,lOO.
Another source of income consisted of the fees paid by
students for chemical instruction, which were relinquished
by the medical staff for the purposes of the charity, and
averaged £l,OOO. The interest on investments amounted
to £640, making altogether £2,740, and leaving a yearly
deficit of nearly £4,000. Last year there were 1,457 in-
patients admitted into the hospital; 19,878 received-medi-
cal and surgical treatment as out-patients ; nearly 12,000
were attended to as casualties ; relief was administered to
upwards of 1,100 ophthalmic cases; and 898 women in
childbirth were attended at their own habitations. He
made an urgent appeal to the generosity of the friends of
the institution for funds to free it from debt and enable it
to extend its accommodation. A subscription of about
£l,OOO was announced by Sir P. Goldsmid. The health of
the chairman was proposed by Mr. Denman, Q.C.
THE ACTOR'S LIFE.—I am not going to argue
that players are better than other people, but I
think their generally single-minded natures may be
accounted for rationally enough. In the first place, the
ambition to become an actor is an intellectual one, and it
will be readily admitted that only a trusting and unsophis-
ticated disposition could hope for a high degree of success
in the profession. Next comes in the exalting and refining
influence of Shakspere's poetry, which all Rotors, whether
they be destined to shine as the kings of tragedy or the valets
of farce, began by studying. Talk to a low comedian on the
subject, and 10 to 1 if he will not confess to you that his first
aspirations were in the direction of the tragic. He knew
the lofty poetical speeches of Hamlet by heart—never to bo
forgotten—long before he was driven to lower his attention
to the waistcoats of the First Gravedigger. A knowledge
of Shakspere redeems a vast amount of ignorance. An
actor's education may be very defective ; ho may not be
able to spell ; he may betray in his handwriting and com-
position a sad want of familiarity with the use of the pen
—but he knows Shakspere by heart. He has all the
philosophy of life at the tip of his tongue in Shakspere's
glowing words. We may be very clever and very accom-
plished; but when the actor leans upon the arms of Shaks-
pere he is fit company for the best of us. There is another
influence for good in the player's profession. It is a pre-
carious one. Nearly all actors begin by meeting difficulties
and knowing:poverty. It is rarely that any one succeeds
without a long struggle. A fellow feeling makes them
wondrous kind. There is scarcely a successful actor living
who has not known what it is to be penniless, hungry, and,
what is sometimes harder to bear, to be in debt for some
miserable trifle among strangers. Thus it is that the most
successful among them can always understand and feel for
the misfortunes and sorrows of their struggling brethren.
-If I had not found by experience of them that players aro
aro in a remarkable degree kind-heartedr well-disposed
people, these considerations alone might have guided me
to the conclusion.—Dickens's " All the Year Round."
THE DISGRACED PRINCE.—The Nord says :
" Prince Napoleon paid a visit to the Tuileries yes-
terday (tho 19th). The interview of the Emperor with his
cousin—the first, as is well known since the Ajaccio speech,
appears to have passed off in the most satisfactory manner;
nevertheless nothing is changed in the political position of
the prince, who is preparing to leave for his propert3 on
the Lake of Geneva, and, it is asserted, to reduce his
household, a circumstance which indicates the probability
of a rather lengthened absence, or at all events of a some-
what prolonged withdrawal from the political kcene."

ELECTION INTELLIGENCE•

BIRKENHEAD.

The friends of Mr. John Laird, the present mem-
ber, held a crowded meeting in the theatre, on
Monday night, and unanimously adopted a resolu-
tion to support his candidature.

BRISTOL.
Mr. T. F. Fremantle, eldest son of Sir T. F. Fre-
mantle, chairman of the Board of Customs, having
been on Tuesday introduced to and accepted by a
meeting of the Conservative electors of Bristol as
their candidate at the approaching general election,
issued an address to the constituency generally yes-
terday, in the course of which he avows himself to be
a moderate Conservative, desirous of maintaining the
constitution in Church and State, but favourable to
amendment where amendment seems to be required,
and to steadyprogress with the times. Mr. Fremantle
will support such a settlement of the church-rate ques-
tion as will relieve the scruples of conscientious men,
while it secures an adequate provision for the main-
tenance of our church fabrics. With regard to the
extension of the suffrage, he concurs in the proposals
of the Conservative Government of 1859, but adds,
" the question is too important to be handled other-
wise than by a measure for which a Government
shall be responsible. It should be the subject, not
of a hustings cry, but of patriotic inquiry." Mr.
Fremantle further states his readiness to support
a proposal for the early abolition of the law of set-
tlement. He also thinks there is room for retrench-
ment in the public expenditure, without interfering
with the efficiency of our national establishments ;
and that, whenever the lightening of our burdens is
possible, a balance should be observed between the
remission of direct and indirect taxes. The contest
is expected to be a close one. The return of Mr. H.
Berkeley is considered safe, and the struggle will be
between Mr. Fremantle and Sir S. M. Peto, who
quits Finsbury to offer himself for Bristol. At the
last election the majority for W. H. Gore Langton,
who retires, over Mr. (afterwards Sir) F. W. Slade
was only 72, and the Conservatives boast that they
have since gained strength on the register. They
seek at present only to share the representation, and
allege that their number and influence in the city
entitle them to return at least one member. The
connection of Sir M. Peto with the North of Europe
Steam Navigation Company is being much canvassed,
and the question as to whether the hon. baronet is
or is not a member of the Liberation or Anti-State
Church Society is also debated. On the one hand
a friend of Sir Samuel's publishes a letter, stating
that he has the hon. baronet's authority for declaring
that he is not a member of the society in question,
and on the other hand a speech made at a meeting
of the society by the hon. baronet in 1859 is quoted,
in which he is reported to have said that he had no
hesitation in thoroughly identifying himself with it.