The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-15 00:00:00

the. Reform Bill. They are enough to make one's
blood boil. We would commend, meantime, to
the notice of our readers an admirably condensed,
yet elaborate and telling paper on this very point,
in the " Reformers' Almanack" for the present
year.* It will more than justify any suspicion■
which we have expressed as to the safety of
leaving the question of Reform quietly in
the hands of the present Ministry, and as
to their reasons for wanting time. That any
of the leaders in constructing the Bill of 1832
should have a hand in constructing that of 1853,
wilrappear to be ample reason for calling upon
the country to tell the Government what it
wants, and what it means to have ; and why it
thinks that honesty could satisfy its demands
forthwith, without asking for time. Of course
the abundance of work to be done—lrish Law
Reforms, Customs Reforms, Ecclesiastical Courts,
Church-rates, the Colonici, Finance will all
be paraded as justifying procrastination. We
cannot accept the plea. The present Ministry
claims to be, par excellence, a working Ministry.
Let us see them work then ; let them win laurels
from THOMAS CARLYLE for once. Let them espe-
cially attend to the evidence collected by able and
impartial Committees, and no longer affect to act
as if Governments were endowed with a special
wisdom, in virtue of which they could grant a
Committee to quiet a troublesome orator, and
then bring in Bills as if no such Committee had
taken evidence or reported on the matter.

* The article is a presentation of some of the most
striking results of a Parliamentary paper, No. 441 of
the Session of 1852, obtained by the veteran Hume. It
gives a return of the population and number of houses
according to the census of 1851, in every county and
division of a county, and in all cities and boroughs re-
turning members to Parliament respectively, with the
members returned. Also in towns containing upwards
of 2,000 inhabitants not returning members to Parlia-
ment ; the counties, boroughs, and to ns in question
being arranged in• separate tables according to the
population and number of houses in each.

TARDY JUSTICE TO A GALLANT AND
INVALUABLE PRACTICAL OFFICER.

After stating what the Tim; and Ili rali said on this sub-
ject, the Portsmouth Times now adds :--We are now enabled
to confer the credit of Lieutenant Engledue's restoration upon
the right person. On Saturday last our metropolitan con-
temporary did not know to whom directly to award the praise
of so politic and generous an act as that of Mr. Engledue's
restoration to the Crown service, and with much handsome
consideration he consequently apportioned the merit to every
member of the Northumberland and Graham Boards of Ad-
miralty, in terms at once gratifying, gentlemanly, and ra-
tional. But to none of the gallant officers enumerated, does
the true merit of the tardy justice rendered Mr. Engledue,
in reality, belong. It is to no less a personage than our be-
loved Queen that Mr. Engledue is indebted for his honour-
able re-instatement, and her Majesty's gracious favour was
bestowed upon its worthy recipient, on his own memorial to
tiro Throne, by order in Council of the 4th of January inst.
Of course to be restored to a place of honour, lost from no
personal failings, after so long a• period of time as 19 years,
under any circumstances would have been felt as a tribute of
the most valuable character to admitted talent. Eut when
that restoration is the result of confirmed merit alone, and is
the act of the Sovereign, how doubly enhanced becomes the
value of that act, and the distinction it confers in the eyes of
the honoured recipient, and the estimation of the service and
the world. Of course the Queen's prerogative was not hastily eX-
ercised, nor without duly referring to the advisers constituting
her Council of State, and as the Duke of Northumberland was
an important member of that council when the memorial was
presented, it necessarily follows that his Grace's opinion of
the gallant m3racnialist's claim was solicited by her Majesty,
and it cannot be doubted but that the noble and distinguished
Duke's sentiments were highly favourable towards Mr. Engle-
due—hence the Royal edict giving him his rank and status
again in the British navy. That Lieutenant Engledue should
ever have been struck off the list of officers of the Royal
Navy reflects disgrace upon the authors of the act, but his
case is unfortunately not a solitary one of valuable services
to the country being utterly disregarded.
Lieut. Engledue entered the Royal Navy on board H.M.S.
Queen Charlotte, served in Britannia, Genoa, Forte, Cth
Captain Coghlan, as Mate ; and Acting Lieutenant with Sir
Charles Napier on board Galatea ; as Mate on board. Excel-
lent, with Sir Thomas Hastings ; was the first officer who
passed his examination in naval gunnery ; received an ap-
pointment as Gunnery Officer of H.M.S. Forte, 44, Captain
(now Admiral) Sir W. 0. Pell ; received his promotion from
Sir James Graham in 1834 for his proficiency in naval gunnery;
returned to England, and was immediately appointed Gun-
nery Lieutenant of the Excellent, and was the first naval
officer who undertook the duties of an artilleryman in
that establishment ; was appointed Gunnery Lieutenant
to H.M.S. Cornwallis, Captain Sir Richard Grant, bearing
the flag of the late Sir Charles Paget, in which ship
ho remained until paid off at Ply mouth in 1839, received
from Admiral Sir Graham Moore, the Commander-in-Chief at
that port, the highest possible compliment, in the presence of
the officers and ship's company, that the Cornwallis was the
most efficient man-of-war he had ever seen, her gunnery
arrangements being perfect. Lieutenant Eugledue applied to
Lord Minto for his promotion, upon the strength of the strong
minute made to the Admiralty, but without suet ess. This
officer had then trained more officers and men in a given
space of time in the new exercises than any other officer in the
service. Failing to obtain promotion, Lieut. Engledue suggest-
ed the formation of a gunnery establishment at Plymouth, and
volunteered to conduct the same. In this he failed. He then
offered to instruct the officers attached to the Excellent in the
practical management of the steam engine ; not succeeding in
this, nor in obtaining employment or promotion, he turned his
attention to commercial steaming, and took Lervice with that
princely company whosh flotilla he has so ably managed for so
many years, to the admiration of mercantile mariners and
naval officers.

We think it would blve been batter for the navy, had
Lieutenant Engledue been encouraged, instal of slighted.
There has been an evident falling off in the practical duties
taught on board the Excellent since he was drill-master-general
there. Many very useful and need al exercist-; have fallen
into desuetude ; amongst them, one of the most important
and useful to the gunnery officer, was the exercising of field
battalions, which used t take place on Southsea-common.
Flilors are frequently called upon t act on shore with field
guns, and unless proper hist action ;s g wen to officers to act
in brigade, great confusion must ensue wl en acting with regu-
lar troops. The value of Lieut. Engledue's C3l vices can only be
appreciated by those acquainted with teat pa 'Ocular branch of
our service which forms the g annery department; and when we
see the number of Po3:i Captain; and Commander:, distin-
guished gunnery officers, now on the Navy List, who were
the pupils of Lieutenant Engledue, when &rectar of the drills
on board the Excellent, wa c.--nno:; but bops that yet tiler
reparation wall be made him by an award of all the pay due
to him since he was so capriciously struck off the Navy List,
and by promotion to the rank of Commander.

PRESENTATION OF. THE NUGGET OF GOLD TO HER
MAJESTY.—The large nugget of gold, weighing 281 b.,
found in the Australian goldfields, and sent to this
country in the Australian ster-ner, for the purpose of
being presented to her Maj:-.„/, was landed at Ply-
mouth on Wednesday, and broviTht to London by the
night mail-train, in charge of Commander Edward K.
Barnard, serving in a contract steam-veLel. The nug-
get was delivered at the Admiralty yesterday, it was to be
sent to the Colonial-office to-day, and will be presented
to her Majesty by his Grace the Duke of Newcastle,
Secretary of State for the Colonies.
COIN FOR AUSTRALIA.—Shipments of coin to Australia
continue. The latest export-, are 75,0001. by the Royal
Alice, and 30,0001. by the Callao, both for Sydney ;
20,0001. by the Sapphire, for Geelong and Port Philip ;
and' 20,0001. by t'le Brunette, and 20,0001. by the
Potentate, both for Launceston. We have here a total
of 165,0001.

DUTY ON SUGAR AND MOLASSES.—Yesterday a Par-
liamentary paper was issued, from which it appears that
in the year ended 4e sth July last, the duty received
on sugar and molasses amounted to 4,353,6031. There
were 7,655,518 cwt. of sugar and molassei in the year
entered for home consumption; and 2,879,885 gallons
of rum entered.

DUTY ON RUM. Yesterday a return to Parliament
was printed, showing that in the year ended the sth of
July last, the amount of duty received in the United
Kingdom on rum was 1,101,2751., of which 1,101,2221.
was levied on the produce of British possessions, and
531. on foreign. The rates of duty per gallon on ruin
hi England, of British West Indies, or of places in the
East Indies, into which the importation of foreign sugar
is prohibited, is Bs. 2d. ; in Scotland, 48. ; and in Ire-
land, 3s. per gallon.

SYDNEY.—It appears by the last accounts that a mo-
tion, which was likely to be adopted, had been made in
the Legislative Council at Sydney for a grant of 6,0001.
per annum for three years to the first steam company
that shall establish a monthly line from Panama, and
bring the course of post between Sydney and England
within 130 days.
DETENTION OP THE AFRlCA.—Considerable excite-
ment was produced on the Liverpool 'Change yesterday
morning by a
dispatch received by the Postmaster, di-
recting him to detain the Cunard mail steam ship Africa,
advertised to sail as usual, on Saturday. The order for
detention came from the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs ; and no reason has been assigned for the step.
Of course, rumour assigns several reasons : amongst
others, that it was detained for the purpose of sending
dispatches announcing the settlement of the fisheries
dispute, or that it was the decision or the new Cabinet
on the Canadian Clergy Reserve Bill, while several be-
lieved it was instructions to the British Consul at Cuba
regarding the confinement of British subjects in slavery
in that island. In consequence of the official order, the
Africa will not sal unto Sunday forenoon at eleven
o'clock. _ _ _

THE COMMERCIAL Docic COMPANY.—The half-yearly
general court of proprietors was held yesterday at the
company's offices, No. 106. Fenchurch-street ; Mr. IL
Carter in the chair. The report stated that the business
of the docks during the past year had been on an ex-
tended scale, and fully justified the expectations which
the directors had formed of the progressive increase of
the revenue of the company. It was added that the con-
tract for the new works authorised to be executed was
taken by Mr. John Kelt, on the 23d of July last, and
had up to that time been proceeded with to the satisfac-
tion of the company's engineers. The directors recom-
mended a dividend at the rate of 21 per cent. for the half-
year, both on the capital and preference stock, payable on
and after Monday, the 24th inst., between the hours of
eleven and three o'clock, Fridays and Saturdays ex-
cepted. The report was adopted, and a dividend de-
clared at the rate recommended. Of the four retiring
dinctors, three were re-elected with their own consent,
and the fourth vacancy was filled up by the substitution
of Mr. D. Morgan for Mr. D. T. Morgan, who retired.
Mr. W. G. Prescott was re-elected auditor, and Mr.
W. G. Watman chosen as his colleague. On the motion
of Mr. Richardson, a vote of thanks was given to the
chairman, after which the meeting separated.