The Sun.
London, England, 1853-06-09 00:00:00

£930 12 7

Incren,so in 1853

THE GREAT NORTHERN RAlLWAY.—Traffic return foi
the week ending May 29, 1853 (283 miles) £16,260 13 0
Corresponding week last year (2234 miles) 11,754 4 2

LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RAlLWAY.—Traffic re-
turn for the week ending June 5, 1853 £19,140 12 0
Corresponding week last year 22,108 3 8
CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for
the week ending June 5, 1853 £4,247 17 9
Corresponding week last year 372 2 7

Increase in 1853 £545 15 2
CORK AND BANDON RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for the
week ending June 4, 1853 £2l7 12 9
Corresponding week last year b 144 11 1

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orders from London and Paris, to an extent equal to
anything of late years, have again excited industry and
capital. Some of the finest fabrics yet made, and
through which this additional impetus to the trade of
this city has been given, were commissioned by the
Maison Delisle in Paris, and Sewell and Co., of Old
Compton-street, London. The latter house appears of
late to have arisen to considerable importance, if we may
judge from its name being so often alluded to in the
official Continental trade reports."
FATAL OCCURRENCE ON THE EASTERN COUNTIES
RAlLwev.—Yesterday, Mr. Baker, coroner, received
information [that a man named William Sprines, who
resided in Bull-yard, Stoke Newington, had been killed
on the Eastern Counties Railway, near Tottenham. He
had been fishing in the Lea, and was crossing the line
on his way home as the seven a.m. Hertford train came
up, knocked him down, and cut him in two before the
driver could bring it up. The deceased was in the
habit of crossing the line near the same spot, and was
frequently cautioned not to do so, as it was not a public
footway. He was 70 years of age.
LIBRARY IN NOTTINGHAM.—Yesterday morning the
foundation-stone of a new building to be used as an
artizans' library was laid in Thurland-street, Notting-
ham, by the Rev. Benjamin Carpenter, president of the
institution.
AMERICAN CRADLE.—An American has obtained a
patent for a new cradle, which moves between two up-
right columns placed upon a moveable base, upon the
principle of the pendulum of a clock. It runs by means
of a weight in one of the columns, and when wound up
will run 24 hours, or as much shorter time as the nurse
may desire.
AN ARGUMENT.—There would be no counterfeits but
for the sake of something that is real. For though all
pretenders seem to .be what they really are not, yet they
pretend to be something that really is. For, to counter.
feit is to put on the likeness and appearance of some
real excellence. There would be no brass money, if
there were not good and lawful money. Bristol stones
would not pretend to be diamonds, if there never bad
been any diamonds. Those idols in Henry the Seventh's
time (as Lord Bacon calls them), Lambert Simnell and
Perkin Warbeck, had never been set up, if there had not
once been a real Plantagenet and a Duke of York. So
the idols of the heathen, though they be set up in affront
to the true God, yet they rather prove that there is one
than the contrary.—Arcltbishop Tillotson.
INEBRIETY.—When this vice has taken fast hold of a
man, farewell industry, farewell emulation, farewell atten-
tion to things worthy of attention, farewell love of virtuous
society, farewell decency of manners, and farewell, too,
even an attention to person : everything is sunk by this
predominant and brutal appetite. In how many instances
do we see men who have begun life with the brightest
prospects before them, and who have closed it with-
out one ray of comfort and consolation. - Young
men, with good fortunes, good talents, good tempers,
good hearts, and sound constitutions, only by being
drawn into the vortex of the drunkard, have become
by degrees the most loathsome and despicable of
mankind. In the house of the drunkard there is
no happiness for any one. All is uncertainty and anxiety.
lie is not the same man for any one day at a time.
No one knows of his outgoings'or his: incomings. When
he will rise; or when he will lie down to rest, is wholly
a matter of chance. That which he swallows for
what he calls pleasure, brings pain as hourly as
the night brings morning. Poverty and misery
are in the train. To avoid these results, we are
called upon it to make no sacrifice. Abstinence requires
no aid to accomplish it. Our own will is all that is re-
quisite ; and if we have not the will to avoid contempt,
disgrace, and misery, we deserve neither relief, nor com-
passion.— Weekly Magazine.
TRAFFIC IN AUSTRALIAN GOLD.—Mr. Pegler, a gold-
smith of Southampton, has received a consignment of Aus-
tralian gold. It was purchased at Melbourne for 31.125. 3d.
per ounce a short time before the Sarah Sands left Port
Philip. The expense of conveyance to Southampton has
been exactly 2s. per oz., viz., 4Ad. per oz. for freightage,
is. 6d. per oz. insurance, and box in which it was sent
home and the ship charges cost 14d. an oz. more. The value
of the gold in Southampton is as nearly as possible 4/. an
ounce. The transaction has, therefore, turned out a pro-
fitable one, realising as it does ss. 9d. an ounce. Before the
Sarah Sands, however, left Port Philip, gold rose to 31.175.
an ounce in Melbourne; and it is very evident that if
that price is sustained gold-buying in Australia cannot
be a remunerative employment. A box sufficient to
hold 50 ounces of gold dust, and which is necessary for
the safe transmission of the precious metal to England,
costs in Melbdurne, 65.

LAUNCH OP T.HE ROYAL WEST INDIA MAIL
COMPANY'S STEAM-SHIP SOLENT.

The launch of the above ship took place yesterday from
the Medina Docks, Cowes. The event had been looked
forward to for some time by the good folks of the Isle
of Wight, for the Solent is the largest vessel ever
launched into the waters of the Solent, being within
three feet of the length of the Great Britain. From an
early hour in the morning the people poured into the
town, and long before the hour for launching had arrived
every shop was closed, all the vessels in the harbour
were gaily decorated, and one would imagine, from the
immense quantity of bunting displayed on shore, that
her Majesty's stores had been ransacked for the occa-
sion. The directors of the Royal Mail Company left the
pier at Southampton at half-past ten o'clock in the
Medina, which had been engaged for the purpose. This
splendid little steamer made the passage down the Solent
and across to Cowes in 51 minutes against wind and tide.
Shortly after the Medina had landed her passengers the
shores were knocked away from the Solent, and she
glided gently into the water. The launch was one of the
most beautiful ever known. The christening ceremony
was very gallantly done by Donna Manulita, the
daughter of the ex-Governor of Buenos Ayres. Donna
Manulita was invited to give the ship her name, out of
compliment to the interest taken by her father to estab-
lish steam communication, with the Rio de la Plata, and
we must give credit to the present Government of the
Republic for their good intentions towards the British
company in question.
The dimensions of the Solent are as follows :
Length over all ... 310 feet '
Beam ... ... 36 „
Depth of hold ... 28 „
Burthen ... 2230 tons
Nominal power, 400 horses, but capable of working
up to 600.
The Solent is admitted by the most critical judges, of
naval architecture to be one of the most beautifully-
modelled vessels ever turned from the stocks ; and great
credit is due to Mr. John White, the designer and
builder, for his plans and workmanship.
The Solent is constructed on the new principle. Her
outer scantling is of oak, and horizontal, but, like the
Banshee, she has layers diagonally inside. Below the
load line she has four layers, and throughout three ; that
is, the outer sheathing and two inside transverse diagonal
linings of three-inch Indian teak.
This mode of construction -and the use of iron knees
throw additional space between decks and at the same
time give strength and lightness. The Solent drew 9
feet forward and 10 feet 6 incheS aft, or a mean of 9 feet
9 inches, and as she appeared moored in the river her
graceful and elegant appearance was that of a fine
clipper, and drew down the admiration of the thousands

wlic witnessed the launch. In a few days the Solent
will be towed up to the Thames to receive her engines,
by Messrs. Miller and Ravenhill. When ready for sea
she will make one trip to the West Indies, and then be
placed as a regular packet between St. Thomas and
Chagres.

Alter the launch the Messrs. White threw open their
house to the ladies and gentlemen, a most distinguished
company, invited to. see the sight ; and 31 persons sat
down to a most sumptuous dejeune. •
The Royal Mail Company will shortly have another
vessel launched at Northfleet, and on the Tyne a new
ship is in a forward state. These three, of about the
same tonnage, are intended to reinforce the inter-colonial
service in the West Indies, and the company will then
have a large reserve of ships. Two will always be kept
ready for sea at St. Thomas or Jamaica. Though re-
serve ships cannot prevent breaks down, still it will be
a satisfaction to the company and the public to know
there are vessels ready to supply the place of a lame
duck, for it is impossible to ensure a vessel against a
mishap to machinery. But as a proof of the attention
paid to the machinery of the company's vessels, it may
be stated that no serious accident has ever occurred to

the engines, and none whatever to their boilers, and they
have always returned home under steam (shipwrecks or
fire excepted).
Since the late arrangement of permitting their trans-
Atlantic ships to stop at St. Thomas, the detention of
passengers is remedied, and they now are carried on
rapidly by the colonial branches to their several destina-

tions. As an earnest of what the company has done
and is doing, it may be mentioned that the amount of

steam-power, in work or under construction, is morel
than double what is stipulated for under their contract.
The Camilla, a new ship, just purchased for the Rio do
la Plata trade, is expected at Southampton in a few
days.

The Atrato, now receiving her engines, is in a for,
ward state, and in a few months the Royal Mail
Company will have altogether six new and powerful
steamers for the trade, in addition to the present
fleet. It is confidently anticipated that before long
the service between Southampton and Chagres, the
entrepot for Panama, will be performed regularly in
eighteen days. The last mail brought by La Plata
was landed at Southampton in less than twenty days
from its shipment at Chagres, and the new ships will
still further reduce the time on the voyage. Early in
1854 we are promised the opening of the railway across;
the Isthmus of Panama. When the railway is completed
an express train may perform the transit from the Gulf
of Mexico to the Pacific in two hours ; or the whole of
the passengers by the steamer, the mail, and goods,
could be dispatched from sea to sea in 24 hours. Here,
then, we have a practical solution of a disputed nautical
question, for whilst savans and seamen are arguing
which cape ought to be "doubled" on the outward or
homeward voyage by sea direct to Australia, this route,
via Panama, will give both the "Horn " and "Hope "
the double by steering clear of their tempestuous heads.
From what has been here stated, it is evident the
Royal Mail Company are buckling on their armour to
compete with the other lines of steamers to Australia.

NEW FACILITIES FOR CONTINENTAL TRAVELLERS.
The Customs authorities now allow the luggage of pas-
sengers from Paris by the mail train to be brought to
London without examination at Dover, in order to pre-
vent detention in the latter place. The new system came
into operation yesterday morning. The passengers by
the mail packet have merely to point out their luggage
at the railway station after landing at Dover and take
their places in the train for town. On arrival in Lon-
don the luggage van is run into the new Custom-house
built by the South-Eastern Company on their London-
bridge station, where officers from the Customs are in
attendance, and where the examination is made. At
present this facility is confined to the train leaving Paris
at 7.30 p.m., the passengers by which arrive London
at 8.6 a.m., the following morning.
ATTEMPTED BURGLARY AT BROME RECTORY.—A bold
but unsuccessful attempt was made to commit a burglary
at the rectory house, Brome, the residence of the Rev.
Mr. Paterson, between the hours of 10 and 12 on the
night of Wednesday, the Ist of June. It appears that
the rev. gentleman was absent from home, and was on
his return when he heard the alarm-bell of his house
rung violently. The noise had aroused some of the vil-
lagers, and upon his reaching home he discovered that
the attempt had been defeated by the alarm. It is sup-
posed that two or three men were concerned in the
affair, judging from the number of foot falls heard in
their retreat. Upon examining the premises, it was
found that an attempt had been made to force several of
the windows on the ground floor with a chisel and ham-
mer, and the men seem to have been at no pains to con-
conceal their intentions. It is conjectured that the fel-
lows were well acquainted with the premises, and that
they also knew that there was no man in the house at
the time, having no doubt watched Mr. Paterson and
his male servant drive out in the afternoon. Suspicion
gas alighted upon some parties, and the police are
actively engaged in making inquiries.—lpstvich. Bxpress.
EXTRAORDINARY EFFECT OP ELECTRICITY.—A most
extraordinary effect, produced by electricity, has just hap-
pened in one of the eleciwic telegraph offices in France. A
gentleman employed in one of the principal offices was in
communication with one of his colleagues, when the elec-
tric wire for the purpose of transmitting intelligence hap-
pened to relax, and to come in contact with his arm. The
electric current was passing through it, and the employs
sustained a violent shock, which, raising him from his
chair, violently threw him through a window opening on a
garden. When he recovered his senses, he could not
recollect his adventure, and could only be convinced of
it by perceiving that his hair and beard, which were
previously of a beautiful jet-black, had become in various
places as white as snow. It devolves on scientific men
to explain this, phenomenon, which will form an epoch
in theibistory of electricity.—Courrier de l'Europe.
DISCOVERY OF OLD COINS.--A few days ago, in
making some excavations on Castle-hill' and in the
churchyard, several old coins were discovered. Among
them were a Roman coin of the Emperor Domitian, who
began to reign A.D. 81. The coin, will consequently be
about 1770 years old. There was also a copper coin of
the Emperor Trajan, who began to reign A.D. 99 ; a
small copper *coin of Tetichus, one of the thirty tyrants ;
and a silver 'twopence of Queen Elizabeth, date 1580.
The coins are now in the possession of Mr. Peter Roger-
son, and may be seen at his antiquarian depository,
Bridge-lane.—Laneaster Guardian. . . .
IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.—A discovery which may
prove of some commercial importance appears to have
been made by a British resident in Russia—namely,
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that the seed of the tobacco plant contains about 15 per
cent. of an oil possessing peculiar drying properties,
calculated to render it a superior medium, especially for
, paints and varnishes. The mode of its extraction is de-
scribed in the following communication:—"Sir,—Having
been fortunate enough to discover that the seed:of to-
bacco contains above 15 per cent. of its weight of drying
oil, of superior quality and of easy extraction, I
' take the liberty of communicating this discovery to you,
as one which, if published in England, may be of great
advantage to those of the British colonies where that
plant is cultivated. The process employed by me for
the extraction of the oil is to reduce the seed to powder,
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hot water, and then submit it to the action of a very
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t.--
THE STJN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, JUN I.
,91 1858.