The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-31 00:00:00

MARKETS—This Day.

MARK LANE.
A small supply of English wheat was received fresh up
to this morning's market. Dry samples moved off steadily,
at full prices ; otherwise the trade was dull, at late rates.
The market was well supplied with foreign wheat, both
ex granary and ox ship. For nearly all descriptions there
was a steady demand, and prices had an upward ten-

dency.
Floating cargoes of grain were in moderate request, at
full currencies.
Malting barley ruled firm, at extreme rates, but other
kinds met with a slow sale, on former terms.
The malt trade was steady at full quotations.
With oats the market was scantily supplied, and the
trade ruled firm, at extreme rates.
Beans were in slow request, at Monday's currency.
Peas were dull, at fully the late decline in their value.
The flour trade was steady, and the quotations were well
supported.

ARRIVALS THIS WEEK.
Wheat. Barley. Malt. Oats. Flour.
English 570 32) 150 780 ; 1,330 saok,
Irish
Foreign 11,96) 15,380 f 5,550 10,090 brls

The Funeral Appointments of the late Duke
of Wellington.

Yesterday, by order of the Right Hon.W. Cowper,
First Commissioner of Words and Public Buildings,
Messrs. Pullen, Horne, and Eversfie:d submitted to
public auction, at the Government Store-Yard,
Great Smith-street, Westminster, the whole of the
trappings, funeral equipments, and furniture used
on the occasion of the lying- in-state and funeral
of the late Field-Marshal his Grace the Duke of
Wellington in the month of November, 1852, and
which were of the most costly and elaborate de-
scription, including the splendid velvet pall
which covered the coffin, the silk altar-cloth and
the cloth of gold which were employed in that grand
display of funeral pomp, which was almost unpre-
cedented for its richness and splendour. There was
also the costly arms of the late duke, emblazoned on
banners, and richly embroidered on velvet in gold
and coloured silk; a large cross, richly emblazoned
in gold and silver, and coloured silk and white lin-
ing, with many other ornaments of the most beauti-
ful workmanship. The funeral trappings consisted
of 243 velvet housings, embroidered with crests
and silver lace fringe, and the very superior har-
ness made for the eight horses that draw the mas-
sive funeral car. The novelty of the sale drew
together a large concourse of persons who were
anxious to possess a relic of the event; but, al-
though for some of the lots there was a brisk
competition, on the whole they fetched very low
prices.

The first lot consisted of the massive framed ca-
nopy, with silvered cornices, and four suspension
rods, which was immediately over the body, and
formed so prominent an object at the lying-in-state
of the great captain at Chelsea Hospital. The bid-
ding for this relic began at a few shillings only,
and after several other bids had been made, it was
finally knocked down for 225. The gilt caps for
columns, and cast iron standards with spear heads,
usei on the same occasion, were sold for a few
shillings.
The next lot of any importance was eight velvet
housings of black velvet, 52in. by 36in., embroi-
dered with the late Duke of Wellington's crest, and
silver fringe at the ends, together with the motto
richly worked. The competition was spirited, and
they were knocked down at 17s. each housing, or
£5 16s. the lot. Several other lots were sold at
this price, but as the sale proceeded the price de-
clined to ss. Gd. each housing, or £2 4s. the lot.

Three splendid banners, displaying the Duke of
Wellington's coats of arms, richly embroidered on
velvet in gold and colours, met with but a small
amount of competition, and were knocked down at
£2 each.

The next lot was a cross, embroidered in gold and
silver, coloured silk and white lining. This formed
a striking object on the altar at Chelsea Hos-
pital. After a spirited competition it was
knocked down at £3 10s. Thirty-three
yards of cloth of gold, also forming decora-

tions for the altar, fetched the small sum of £2 ;
and 22 yards of broad silver lace produced but ls.
per yard.
The next article put up was the rich velvet pall,

18 feet by 16 feet 6 inches, which covered the coffin,
and of the finest workmanship. For the posses-
sion of this there was considerable competition, and
it was finally knocked down to a Air. Townley for
£l7 10s.

The next article of importance was the rich
figured silk altar cloth, 20 feet 6 inches by 9 feet
6 inches, with gold and silver fringe, and lined
with white silk. This was really a most beautiful
article, but it was knocked down for the small sum
of £l3.

The unusually strong harness, made expressly for
the horses drawing the funeral cir, was then put
up, and realised £2 Bs. per set.

The rest of the lots were disposed of at very mo-
derate prices, and some surprise was expressed that
there was no Government reserve on any of the
articles put up for competition.

COLLIERY ACCIDENT AND Loss GF TWELVE
LIVES.—Early on Monday a frightful accident
occurred at one of the pits of the Lilleshall Colliery Com-
pany, situate at Prtors Lee, near Stuffnal, by which twelve
persons lost their lives. It appears that the men were be-
ing let down the shaft to their work, and that nine men and
three boys had got into the cage at once and were being
lowered, when one of the pine of the gearing gave way,
and they were all precipitated to the bottom of the shaft.

They had a great depth to fall, and were all killed on the
spot, the bodies being much mangled. This deplorable
accident leaves five women widows, and 27 children father-
less.

FOUR MEN DROWNED IN THE TAY,—About 9
o'clock on the morning of Thursday last four men
left the Old Shore, Perth, in a eand-carrying boat of 20 tons
burden, and proceeded down the river to the Middle Bank,
about two miles below Cairnie Pier, and situated about
midway between Pitfour Dyke on the north side of the Tay,
and Mugdruin Island on the south, for the purpose of
loading a cargo of masons' sand and returning to Perth
with the afternoon tide. When the party left Perth, though
the river was a good deal swollen by the recent rains, there
was but little wind, and not the least cause for apprehend-
ing any danger:in the prosecution of their avocation. By
one o'clock in the afternoon, however, a strong gale from
the north-west sprung up, accompanied by heavy rain,
which continued till Friday morning. The party did not
return to Perth on Thursday night, but their friends were
not greatly alarmed on that account, and naturally thought
that owing tq the boisterous state of the weather the m n
had landed either at Cairnie Pier or at Jnchyra, not deem-
ing it prudent to proceeo up the river so dark and stormy a
night. When Friday came, however, there was no appear-
ance of the men and the boat, either with the m )rning or
evening tide. This absence, of course, caused much anxiety
to the families and relatives of the missing men ; and con-
sequently, at an early hour on Saturday morning, two men
went down the river in a boat to make inquiries. No person,
however, had seen the missing men since Thursday after-
noon, when they were at the Middle Bank, taking in a cgrgo
of sand. The two men in rowing near to the Middle Bank
observed that the missing boat had sunk at the tail of the
bank, but owing to the boisterous state of the weather they
could not approach clout to it. There was no appearance of
any of the crew of the sunken boat ; but the two men, on
reaching Pitfour Dyke, found the large mast of the boat,
three of the oars, and four booms. It is conjectured, frem
the place in which the beat lies, that just as it had left the
bank for Perth, a sudden gust of wind sprung up, whereby
the boat filled with water and immediately sank ; and it
is also supposed that this had happened after dark,
for the owner of the boat was an excellent swimmer,
and could have easily reached the shore in daylight.
The two men returned to Perth on Saturday evening
after a fruitless search for the bodies of the missing
men, who, there cannot be the least doubt, have been
drowned. On Sunday three men left Perth in search of
the bodies in the river, but up to three o'clock in the after-
noon none of them had been found. The names of the
missing men are John Wlntoch (owner of the boat), Hugh
M‘Donald, John Mackie, and Thomas Rettary. The first
three were married, and have left to mourn their loss widows
and young helpless families.—Seetsman.
BOXING-NIGHT AT THE DUBLIN THEATRE.—
There is always extraordinary excitement in this
theatre on boxing-night to witness the first performance
of the pantomime. Last Friday night the throng was
unprecedented. The subject of the pantomime is
" Cinderella." No sooner had the curtain risen on the
first scene than the whole densely-packed house, from
pit to gallery, broke into one wild chorus of ap-
plause. Mr. Harris, the manager of the theatre, Mr.
Craven, the artist, Mr. Granby, the stage manager,
Mr. Levey, the composer and conductor of the music—all
were successively called out by the "gods" to receive their
rapturous applause, the tenants of the boxes and of the pit
warmly concurring in the well-merited ovation. The gor-
geous scenery and the admirable acting continued to make
every moment a more and more favourable impression, till a
clever transformation revealed a trophy of flags—" union

jacks," surmounted by a small green flag, with the ha;
of Erin in the centre. Immediately a crowd of " tars"
were seen aloft, waving the British flag, but no green flag
this time was to be seen. This threw the nationalists into
the most violent paroxysm on record. The .Nation thus de-
scribes the scene :—" A perfect roar of anger burst from
the audience, and it was impossible to hear even the
orchestra with the hurricane of hissing that aroee. Cries
for The green flag, the green flag I' The green fig out,
the green flag out!' were the articulate sounds of any
kind that could be distinguished amid the din. This con-
tinued for some time, the clown' and ' pantaloon' doing
their utmost to play down tho disapprobation by persever-
ance. The house' was wroth, and would not be appeased
—save by the green flag,' which, with lungs that seemed
i miraculously enduring, they kept untiringly demanding.
In this manner the performance was galloped' over
rapidly to the en 3, apparently abbreviated to the utmost,
hoping that the grand tableaux at the finale--a really mag-
nificent spec' acle—would cause the little unpleasantness'
to vanish, and all to end, like the fairy tale itself, happily.
But even this calculation was doomed to disappointment,
and the curtain fell amid hissing 48 loud as ever, and cries
as vehement for_the, green flag.".

A WEEK OF SHIPPING DISASTERS.

Mr. Trotman, in a letter to a contemporary, says :
—I beg most respectfully to bring under your notice
the following shipping casualties for one week only,
'as published in the Skipping and Mercantile Gazette
of Saturday.
There have occurred 523 shipping casualties
around our own coasts ; of these no less than 190
have arisen solely through defaulting anchors and
cables.

Other serious disasters, such as collisions by rea-
son of anchors dragging and cables breaking in
crowded anchorages, like the Downs, Yarmouth
Roads, &c., may also be ascribed to one and the
same cause—viz., the fraudulent manufacture and
unchecked sale of ships' ground-tackle, which I
have unceasingly endeavoured to expose since the
loss of the Royal Charter in 1859.

It will be remembered that at the official inquiry
which ensued it was proved the above ill-fated ship
was brought to by her light and efficient anchors
which held her in comparative safety until her
ponderous " merchant-ship quality" cables snapped
one after the other, when the next dread moment
494 fellow-creatures and half a million of treasure
became a sacrifice. Humanly speaking, something
less than a £lO note in value as regards quality of
material would have averted a calamity so direful
in its after consequences.

Subsequently the maker of these cables was exa-
mined before a select committee of the House of
Commons, and he admitted that ls. per cwt. consti-
tuted the difference of cost between "merchant-
ship quality" cables and " navy-proof." The super-
intendent of the Liverpool Corporation cable-prov-
ing machine also supplied statistical official docu-
ments, giving the practical result of four years' ex-
perience, and showing that 82; per cent. of the
cables known as "merchant-ship quality," failed at
a proof-strain considerably under 11 tons to the
square inch of iron, whereas merely good iron is
equal to a tensile strain of 27 tons, and even 44
tons has been attained in some recent experiments
at the Mersey Ironworks.

The gallant member for Portsmouth, Sir James
Elphinstone, from time to time has endeavoured to
impress upon the authorities of the Board of Trade
the necessity of remedial measures to check this
unmitigated evil and admitted cause of the great
increase of shipwreck and the consequent annual
loss of life and national wealth.

The remedy is simple as it is effective—viz., for
all cables and anchors to undergo a public proof, the
same as fireams. All guns and pistols must be
subjected to an authorised proof, and the official
impress testifying strength of construction, &c.,
before they can be legally offered for sale to the
unwary purchaser, and every anchor and cable for
the Royal Navy must under a rigid proof and in-
spection, before being issued to any of her Majesty'
ships.
The practical and hon. member for Birkenhead,
Mr. Laird, gave notice last session of his intention
to bring this subject again under the notice of Par-
liament. Pray, in the meantime, aid his efforts
by the influence of your powerful pen, and thereby
subserve the interests of humanity and the cause of
the widows and fatherless children of our ship-
wrecked mariners.

FOREIGN WHEAT.—According to a public docu-
ment just published there has been an increase in the im-
portation of wheat, on which a duty of is. per qr. is paid.
In the first ten months 7,751,301 qrs were imported, against
5,632,558 in the preceding year.

The French Mint is preparing some new
copper money on which the Emperor is represented sur-
rounded by laurels. It is said that this design will be
adopted on all the French coins, and on the postage stamps
also.

INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF FOREIGN POTA
TOES.—From a return to Parliament just issued, it ap-
pears that in ten months of the present year 660,938 cwts.
of foreign potatoes were imported, against 229,645 cwts. in
the previous year.

FOREIGN EOGs.—Egge are free of duty, and
large importations are made from France. In ten months
of 1860 the number imported was 144,837,000 ; in 1861,
17.5,567,800 ; and this year, 192,700,800 as appears from a
return just printed.

RISE IN THE PRICE OF PAPER. —The Superin-
intendent of ;Public Printing reports to Congress that the
expense of paper has increased 100 per cent.—Baltimore
(U.S.) Daily Gazette.

TIIE METROPOLITAN RAlLWAY.—Yesterday Col.
Yolland, the Government inspector of rail Nays,
made another trip along the line. Messrs. Fenton, Tanner,
Johnson, and other officials were present. The train, con-
sisting of an engine and carriage, started from Paddington
about 11.50 a.m. along the up line to Farringth n-street
station. After a careful examination of the altered signals
and the electrical indicators, which have been furnished for
the purpose of showing the position of the distant sema-
phores, the train returned along the down line of rails to
Paddington. The result of this further investigation is the
removal of all opposition on the part of the Board of Trade
to the immediate opening of the line. This is, however,
again postponed till Saturday, Jan. 10, while the inaugura-
tion banquet is expected to come off this day week, the
7th Jan.

EAST LONDON AND ROTHERHITHE RAILWAY.—
It is proposed, in order to carry this line under
the Thames from the London and Blackwall Railway
to Rotherhithe, so as to relieve London•bridge
and its approaches, and furnish railway ac-
commodation to the populous districts by the East of Lon-
don, to purchase the Thames Tunnel, and either appro-
priate it to railway purposes or atop up and discontinue it
for its present purposes. The precise route, as Battled by
the engineers, will be from the terminus of the Blackwall
Railway, about 50 yards on the west side of Christian-street,
in the parish of St. George's-in-the-East, and terminating
n the parish of St. Mary, Rotherhithe, Surrey, on the
Deptford Lower-road. All the public thoroughfares are to
be crossed by means of flat iron-girder bridges, and traffic
facilities are to be afforded by the South Eastern, London
and Brighton, and Blackwell Railways in respect of exten-
sion to New-cross. The Parliamentary estimate for con-
structing the line, including the purchase of the Thames
Tunnel, is £303,000, with power to borrow as additional
£95,000.
THE WINCHBURGEI RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—The
Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway Company have,
we understand, arranged for the settlement of nearly all
the claims made for compensation for lesser injuries re-
ceived in the terrible collision at Winchburg in Oct. last,
by paying to the various parties damages ranging, accord-
ing to the nature of the ca e, from a few pounds to £2OO to
£3OO. The claim of the widow of Mr. Hosie, the manager o
I the Oakley Ironworks, which was for compensation
amounting to £lO,OOO, has been compromised for payment
of £1,250 and expenses. In the case of Mr. Hedderwick,
writer, Falkirk, who was killed on the spot, his mother
has put forward a claim of damages to the extent of £3,000,
for which a summons has been served upon the company.
The railway company, we understand, offered at an earlier
stage to compromise this claim for a considerably smaller
sum, which was refused. There are also one or two smaller
claims by the friends of Scotch parties—one, we believe,
for £4OO, and another for £l,OOO ; but these also may yet
be compromised. A number of claims are also said to be
likely brought forward by parties in business for loss sus-
tained by the death of partners or confidential servants;
but considerable doubt is expressed as to whether the
law of Scotland would sustain such actions. So far as
the claims on account of minor injuries are concerned, the
railway company are understood to have on the whole
I effected their settlement with satisfactory liberality, the
demand being in many cases, as it was natural to expect,
very unreasonable. Mr. James Shaw, clerk to the late Mr.
Hedderwick, Falkirk, who was much bruised and scalded
in the accident, and whose injuries, we regret to say, have
assumed a very serious aspect, lay at Linlithgow, in the
Star and Garter Hotel, till Saturday, when he was removed
I to Falkirk.—Scotsman.

FIRES AND LOSS OF LlFE.—Yesterday afternoon,
about 4 o'clock, a fire was discovered at the house,
No. 3, Little Thames-street, Greenwich, occupied by an
aged couple, John and Sarah Keys. With the assistance of
some neighbours the fire was speedily extinguished, when
the lifeless body of Sarah Keys, shockingly burnt, was
found in the room in which the fire commenced. From
the appearance of the unfortunate woman's clothing it is
evident that she must have been sitting by the fire, and
that her dress, having become ignited, set fire to the pre-
mises. Her husband was from home at the time, but ar-
rived while the fire was being put out to find his wife a
corpse. The deceased was 68 years of age. Yesterday
morning, about a quarter past 7 o'clock, a fire broke out in
1 the premises of Mr. Atkins, boot and shoe manufacturer,
Church-street, Rotherhithe. The inmates fortunately
succeeded in effecting a safe retreat, and the engines of the
parish and London brigade promptly attended. There being
a good supply of the Southwark Company's water obtained,
the engines were set to work under the direction of Mr.
Henderson, the chief officer of the D district, but in spite of
all exertions the flames could not be conquered until they
had passed through every portion of the house. The damage
is considerable, and at present it is unknown whether the
sufferer was insured or not. A fire also took place on the
premises of Messrs. J. T. Bellinger and Co., grocers and
tea dealers, carrying on business at Nos. 80 and 81, Aid.
gate. The discovery was made by some of the inmates,
who fortunately succeeded in extinguishing the fire before
the arrival of the engines and before it had extended beyond
the third floor,