The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-30 00:00:00

DECEMBER 30, 1854.

men being sent home. The corps musters at present,
after allowing for deductions, about .550 ; but since the
visit of Captain Bourke on Monday aboilt 140 men have
volunteered, into the regular set vice, and of these it is
expected that a-considerable number will ultimately.pass.
The Lord-Lieutenant, who is Colonel of the regiment,
bas handsomely given a Lieutenant's commission to Ser-
jeant-Msdor M.aoslonald, who "has also been appointed
Quartermaster..

BLYTR'S NOVEL STEAMERS ON THE

DAN EIB E.

Under a charter granted by the Austrian Government,
the exclusive privilege .of the regular traffic of the
Danube is conferred upon an association established
under the title of the " Imperial and Royal Steam
Danube Navigation Company," which now possesses
upon that great stream and its tributaries, the Theiss and
Suave, a fleet of eighty-eight steamers, with an aggre-
gate of ten thousand -horse power. These v,ssels,
averaging two hundred feet in length, are built for
speed, -fitted with the -utmost elegance, and every re-
quirement for the comfort and luxury of their passengers.
At certain seasons, however, the traffic is interrupted,
sometimes for several weeks, by a bed of rock, known
as the " Iron Gate of the Danube," near Orsova, a fron-
tier town of Little. Wallachia, about 40 miles east of
Moldova, on the borders of Hungary. This rock barrier
has hitherto:rendered it necessary to land the passengers
and convey them in. rude waggons, over moat execrable
roads, 'to re-embark where' the river again becomes navi-
gable; The company, heavens', has now surinetted, this
inconvenience, haying just added to its fleet a steamer
that can pass the Iron Gate in a7l states of the river,
berdraft, with passengers and "fue), being only twelve
and a --half inches I This vessel—which. has - been
J.
A.
constructed by_Messrs. J. and A. Blyth,, the eminent
marine iiiiiiieeriref Itiniehoise, 'Londe's, - who hay*
lately been particularly successful in improvements of
this nature for foreign service where shallow draft is a
chief desideratum—is 150 feet in length, and 20 feet
beam ; has excellent accommodation for passengers, and
has only nominally. 40-horse power, or 1-horse power to
8 tons measurement. Her extremely light draft, com-
bined with strength and speed, has been obtained by
some peculiarities in the construction and arrangement
of the vessel and her machinery. For instance, the hull
is composed of four longitudinal and six transverse divi-
sions, arranged in the form of a compound truss ; and,
with the bottom and sides of the vessel, forming 15
water-tight compartments. The boiler occupies the centre
of the vessel, and is suspended by attachments to the
vertical ribs, so as to diffuse the weight over the whole
surface of the bottom of the steamer. There are two
pairs of paddle-wheels, very small and light, constructed
with revolving floats, and each pair driven by a distinct
pair of engines, the forward wheels making 87, and the,
after 86 revolutions per minute. This duplicate arrange-
ment of the paddle-wheels is entirely new, and is in-
tended to diffuse the weight as well as the force of the
machinery over a larger extent of the surface of the boat
than usual, and to meet the difficulty of obtaining suffi-
cient propelling surface, with 12 inches immersion, with-
out immoderate width of float. The engines, which are
very light and compact, are an adaptation of the light
screw engines of these well-known constructors to pad-
dle-wheel propulsion.
The Tachtalia (so the vessel is called), en her trial
trip, under the superintendence of Captain Masjon, at-
tained a speed of 114 miles, against the current ; and
from the novelties in her construction and appearance,
and the important improvement in the navigation of the
Danube which she is destined to effect, she is an object
of much interest on that river. A still greater signi-
ficance is attached to her, -and to the principle her
example is certain to achieve in the sy'tem of steam
transit on this great riverine artery of Austria, when we
contemplate the peculiar position of that empire in the
present European struggle, and reflect what may be the
consequences, whether to her own disaffected depen-
dencies, or to the Allies, or to Russia, from the facili-
ties these engineers have now placed at her disposal for
pouring troops into the provinces on the Lower Danube,
without the delay which previously intervened atthe Iron
Gate. This famous pass may be said to be the very key
to the strategetic position it will probably be most im-
portant for Austria to secure in the approaching crisis
in her fate and the fate of civilisation in that part of the
world ; for it is literally the "Gate" between Servia and
Wallachia on either side the river, is the focus of the
eSicl
tveo n populations
or control,
andiist msaoy much her
said
dr
almostinterest t
ot o
ccoomn
.-
mand Widdin, so valuable to the Turks. It is sonse•
what remarkable that the last ship launched by Messrs.
Blyth should also have approached its destination at a
its
critical moment in the fortunes of the Government
itNAs built for. The noble war-steamer, the Tacuari,
fitted with an armament superior\te anything known to
any South American authorities, Would arrive at Para-
guay, having on board the late ambassador to England
and France, Brigadier General F. Solano Lopez, son of
the President, shortly after his father, having quar-
relled with the United States diplomatic authorities at
Asuncion, had ordered to be closed against all f."- g.'
vessels of war; the Brazilian Getvernment also being
simultaneously intent in demanding reparation from
President Lopez for some slight offered their Chargil
d'Affaires, and having resolved to send war-steamers to
Asuncion to exact srtiifaction. The presence of such
a vessel as the Tacuari at such a conjuncture would
doubtless produce a most marked change in the relative
bearing of the disputants, especially when it would be-
come known that she was to he followed by a fleet of
six or eight steamers of a like kind from the same yard
on the Thames, General Lopez having left orders for
their construction before his departure, and seen their
machinery far advanced towards completion.

POSTAL TREATY _BETWEEN EIVGLAND
AND FRANCE.

(From the London Gazette •f last Evening. )
Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, and his Majesty the luiperor
of the French, alike animated by the desire of improving,
by means of a new Convention the Postal Service between
the two countries, have named as their plenipotentiaries
for that purpose; that is to say :
Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable Henry
Richard Charles, Lord Cowley a Peer of the United King-
dom, a Member of Her Majesty's Privy Council, Knight
Grand Cross of tho Most Honourable Order of the Bath,
Her Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to
His Majesty the Emperor of the French ;
His Majesty the Emperor •f the French, M. Edward
Dronyn de Lhnys, his Minister and Secretary of State of
the Department of Foreign Affairs, Vice-President of tie
Senate, Great Cross of the Imperial Order of the Legion
of Honour, &c., &c. ;
Who, after having communicated to each other their
respective full powers, found in good and due form, have
agreed upon the following articles :
ARTICIA I.
The postage to be collected in France and Algeria upon
paid letters addressed to the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, as well as upon unpaid letters origi-
nating in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ire-
land, shall be as follows :-
1. For every paid letter, forty centimes per seven
grammes and a half, or fraction of seven grammes and a
half.
2. Ind for every unpaid letter, eighty centimes per
seven grammes and a half, or fraction of seven grammes
and a half.
Reciprocally, the postage to be collected in the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland upon paid letters
addressed to France and Algeria, as well as upon unpaid
letters originating in France and Algeria, shall be as fol-
' lows :
1. For every paid letter, four pence per quarter of an
ounce British, or fraction of a quarter of an ounce British.
2. And for every unpaid letter, eight pence per quarter
of an ounce British, or fraction of a quarter of an ounce
British.

ARTICLE 11.
The rate at which the Post-office of France shall account
to the British Pest-office for paid letters addressed to Great
Britain, forwarded by the French exchanging offices to the
British exchanging offices, as well as for unpaid letters ori.
ginating in Great Britain, forwarded by the British ex-
changing offices to the French exchanging offices, shall be
as follows :-
1. For paid letters addressed to Great Britain, the sum
of sixty centimes per thirty grammes, net weight ;
2. And for unpaid letters originating in Great Britain,
the sum of one franc twenty centimes per ounce British,
net weight.
Reciprocally, the rate at which the British Post-office
shall, on its aide. account to the Post-office of France for
paid letters addressed to France and Algeria, forwarded
by the British exchanging Offices, to the French exchang-
ing offices, as well as for unpaid letters originating in
France and Algeria, forwarded by the French exchanging
Offices to the British exchanging Offices, shall be as fol-
lows :-
1. For paid letters addressed to Prance and Algeria, the
sum of one frame per ounce British, net weight ;
2. And for unpaid letters originating in France and
Algeria, the sum of two francs per thirty grammes, net
weight.
ARTICLE 111.
The payment on account of the sea conveyance of letters
eentained in the mails which the respective offices of ex-
change transmit to each other by means of merchant-ships
plying in the Channel shall be equally divided between
the British Post-office and the Post-office of Franco.
*These payments shall be made to the commanders or
owners of the said vessels at the rate of one penny, or ten
centimes per letter.