The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-15 00:00:00

ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY.

Last evening a meeting of this society took place at
the Royal Institution, Albemarle-street ; Sir Roderick
Murchison, President, in the chair.
The meeting was very fully attended, and amongst the
company were the Marquis of Tweeddale, Earl Gifford,
Sir R. Inglis, M.P., Mr. Hume, M.P., Sir T. D.
Ackland, Bart., Sir George Nichols, the Earl of
Sheffield, General Sir George Pollock, Sir Walter
Trevelyan, Mr. R. Stephenson, M.P., Mr. Lionel
Gisborne, Mr. Arrowsmith, Dr. Pitmann, Captain
Ommaney, &c. _ _ _

The minutes of the last meeting having been read, and
various new members having been elected, a paper was
read by Captain R. Fitzroy, R.N., on the Great Isthmus
of Central America,

Captain FITZROY reverted, in the outset, to his former
paper on tie Central American Isthmus, read to the
Geographical Society in November, 1850, and afterwards
printed in the journal, expressing a hope that the present
observations might be considered supplementary to what
he said on the former occasion, and not in itself sufficient
to expound the important question referred to. After
some general introductory remarks, Captain Fitzroy took
a brief view of seven lines of proposed inter-oceanic com-
munication. He then alluded to the novel and impor-
tant information recently received, especially from Mr.
Gisborne and Dr. Cullen, and he showed that whatever
preference might have been given formally—in 1850—to
the Atrato and Cupica line, for a water communica-
tion, there was no Argument that could be adducad in
favour of that line which did not apply with far greater
effect to' the line proposed between the Gulf of San
Miguel and the almost classical locality formerly named
by Paterson (who founded the Scotch colony on the isth-
mus and the Bank of England) the Caledonian Harbour.
Captain Fitzroy then examined the geographical de-
tails of that part of the isthmus, giving a sketch of the
present state of our knowledge of the vicinity and a
brief outline of its history. He next entered into a
consideration of the nature and feasibility of a canal
on such a gigantic scale as was contemplated by Sir
h toug
Charles Fox, Messrs. Henderson, Brassey, Cullen,
and Gisborne. He alluded to the labour attainable—
to the possibility of employing convicts, and to the
prudence of establishing military organisation to a certain
extent for the sake of order, and perhaps for defensive
'measures. He then proceeded to refer to the two great
impediments to such an undertaking, viz., the claims of
the native aborigines, and the unhealthy climate, and he
showed by what means these obstacles might be greatly
lessened. He next called attention to Mr. Gisborne's
opinions upon the size and nature of such a canal, and
advanced others somewhat at variance with them. In
conclusion, he referred to certain legal doubts which
those who advocated other routes were of opinion
to be solved, and enlarged upon the general character
and objects of an enterprise so important, that (when a
survey shall have fully proved the whole case)
Govern-
ment would, doubtless, assist in carrying it out, and all
maritime nations would eagerly unite in guaranteeing its
perfect neutrality and freedom for the use of all nations.
Some discussion then ensued upon the subject of the
various surveys which had taken
place in the localities
explored, and in reference to the engineering difficulties
and expenses necessary to be over-come •
to Captain Fitzroy,
paper, the •
ehavingi,
n g and bee n tenderedinstructive
foarndhisthinatnekrs.
.
meeting separated.
•Jine.........--__
Su

A letter from Vienna of the 10th, in the Nation-
ale Gazette of Berlin, mentions a report of intended
modifications in the Austrian Cabinet. It is said
that Count Buol, the Minister for .Foreign Affairs,
will be replaced by the Count de Rechberg, and
that the Baron de Brook will be appointed Minister
of Finances and Commerce.
The Prince de Casteleicala has arrived at Vienna
from Naples, to present to the Emperor of Austria
the felicitations of the King of Naples, on the es-
cape of the Emperor from assassination.
The Vienna Gazette announces that the Emperor
has conferred the order of the Iron Crown on
Count Leimn" gen.
The ex-Emperor and ex-Empress of Austria have
subscribed 20,000 florins towards the building of a
church, in commemoration of the preservation of
the life of the reigning Emperor.
The Trieste Gazette states that, when the Turkish
Pacha at Serajevo learned that the Austrian Consul-
G-erteral in that place had been insulted, he offered
him ' every reparation, and even proposed to exe-
cute the author of the insult. The Consul-General
replied that lie could not decide anything on the
subject. Thereupon the Pacha caused the man, a
police agent, to be arrested, to be publicly whipped
lin presence of all the employes of the consulate,
1. and to be sent as a slave to Constantinople. He
afterwards expressed his profound regret at what
had taken place. The brother of the man was also
_lerDE.___A
near the very determined case of suicide occurred
arrested on suspicion of having instigated the out- i
o n SaturdayHami3to station on the London and North
I rage. Western Railway, about nine miles south of Illb ming'
A letter from Vienna of the Bth states that
gutter by
ham,
General Haynau had been received in private ' pente ••, ,elf down
audience by the Emperor, and that it is expected! in ar, resulmg in the '
night. A man named Glover,
. a car-
neigbourhood,
laid 1.
Irhis head
Wit _ ,
and
he will be restored to active service., the side of the rails-ay
It is stated in a letter from 011mutz in Moravia'
1 across the rails ; the down passed at
completely severed the head from the bodyd
to have
that in consequence of the recent attempts to was in indifferent and is believed
assassinate sentinels, guard-houses shall -'be b _ circumstances,
depression of mind.
obtained
rounded with railings.
as
. Fair_ been .labouring under train_
Mr. Rice has
li°'c
1 "Crl Glover
CHILDREN IN WORKHousEs.
h was printed on Saturday,
t The Cologne Gazette states that Mader
I-named the Robespierre of h ' ------
~,, a return. to Parliament, which in England and Wales.
46 600 acrainst
arrested, when attemptin to' Hungary,
as just been On the 25th March last t e
h number , .
There were 5,297 capable
the Turkish frontier. g enter Hunga, by respecting children in workhouses
i,-- vear.
'.7 y , 49,452 of the preesale:
1 of entering up" serT-s

The Australian Royal Mail Steam-ship Company's
packet Australian, Captain Hoseason, R.N., put back
to Plymouth again disabled yesterday morning. She
left on Thursday, the 10th inst. at 5 p.m., and has been
as far as 200 miles west of the Eddystone. The trial
trip which she took on Thursday afternoon gave entire
satisfaction to her Majesty's dockyard and to the officers
of the company ; and Captain Hoseason and the engineer
of the ship left England with a full expectation of making
a prosperous voyage. However, the iiext day, Friday*
the 11th, at 11.30 a.m., it was found that the boilers
would not "feed ;" and, on overhauling the pipes and
valves, they were discovered to be choked, apparently
by. coal dust, from°. leakage 3 feet 8 inches deep in the
bilges under the engine-room. The engineers set to
work to clean the pipes and valves, but were embarrassed
by the leakage, which prevented t proper approach to
them, especially as the flooring boards and stokehole
plates were washing about. At 11.15 on the morning
of the 12th (Saturday) the engineers. 'finding they could
not feed both boilers, were compelled to put out the
fires beneath the one on the port side. Between 12.45
p.m. and 3.25 p.m. on the 12th there were 4 feet 6 inches
of water in the engine-room. The engineers had, pre-
vious to this, occasionally to thaw the fires and stop the
e
p
s.
exception,
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was going
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ou
were
ege
et:e take-
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oss
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turn
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and
ne
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sri,veotoihli
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er
engines
rnkw
crew
without-
oie
to 7
s r g
ee
s
et
o
ll
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ge
h
keep the shill from
' sinkin... She wa,s Put about 11.25
a.m. on Saturday, •at 12.4'5 :the engines were en-
tirely stopped. • She lay several hours in the Bay
of Biscay in a. dead . calm, to the great consternation
of all on board. Her engines could ,not be worked,
there was no wind to move her, and the leakage was in-
creasing. On Sunday a smart breeze from the north-
west sprung up most proiidentially, and enabled the
vessel to return to_ England, 'one of the passengers
states in .addition to this that they had had 19 days' in-
cessant suspense and ,excitement, .four trial trips and two
breaksdown, twelve hours' calm in the Bay of Biscay,
and *hen they turned round they only got on as the
wind served, the vessel at the time making so much •
water that the passengers were compelled for their own
safety to work the pumps, which they did for twenty-
four hours, the crew of the ship consisting only of
eighteen men and-six boys; just enough to furl one sail
at a time, leaving no hands to do the other duties of the
ship. Great complaints were made by the passengers,
particularly by Sir Robert Nickle, as to the manner in
which. their lnggage had been disposed of, the company
having almost filled the ship with freight, and sent on,
without the knowledge of the passengers, a large pro-
portion of their things in another vessel.
MEETING OP THE PASSENGERS.
On the arrival of the vessel in Plymouth Sound a
meeting of the whole of the passengers was held on the
quarter-deck. Commander Henry Baker, R.N., pre-
sided. On taking the chair he suggested that Mr.
Warrand, one of the passengers, should be requested to
act as secretary. Mr. Wan-and having consented, the
chairman said the object' of the meeting was to protest
against the manner in which the Australian Royal Mail
Steam Navigation Company had acted, in'sending them
to sea in a vessel every way unseaworthy, and to call
upon the company to refund the passage money, and to
compensate for any losses and expenses which might
have resulted from their detention. Anything that-might
now be agreed to would in no way prevent any indi-
vidual passenger making a subsequent personal arrange-
ment. He was quite sure they all naturally felt indig-
nant at the manner in which they had been sent to sea.
Those passengers who on the sth of March declined, for
private' reasons, to sign the protest then agreed upon
were ready now to do so. He thought that the better
way would be that the protest agreed to on the sth of
March should be adopted now.
Some of the passengers (7 or 8) had first started in the
Melbourne, and these complained bitterly of the bonduct
of the company. Resolutions condemning the ship and
calling upon the company to recompense all the passen-
gers were unanimously agreed to.
The CHAIRMAN said that he might mention that Sir
Robert Nickle, though not present in consequence of
illness, had seen these resolutions, which had been drawn
up by a committee the night before, and had expressed
his approval of them. He then said it was proposed
that the following letter should be sent to the direc-
tors :

" Steamer, Australian, Plymouth, March 14, 1853.
"Gentlemen—We, the undersigned passenger ;per
steamer Australian, beg to forward copy of a series of reso-
lutions which have been passed at a meeting held this day
on board the Australian, and we have to request that you
will communicate at your earliest convenience with Mr. H.
Empson, 61, Worgate-street, as to whether it is your in-
tention at once to refund our passage money, and to com-
pensate us for all 'the losses and necessary expenses to
which we have been subjected.—We have the honour to be
gentlemen, your obedient servants,
" [Signed by all the passengers.]
To the Directors of the Australian Royal Mail Steam
Navigation Company, Lombard-street."
Mr. EATON proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman,
which was responded to by several passengers and car-
ried by acclamation, after which the meeting separated.