The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-02 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR; —Observing in your report of the lose of the
Prince that I am mentioned among the number of those
who were on board at the time, I trust you will do me
the favour of giving publicity to this statement of its
incorrectness.

I left that ship at Constantinople, before she pro-
ceeded to the Black-Sea.

As the reported loss of this fine vessel has created a
great sensation, my opinion as to its probable truth may
not be unacceptable. lam not disposed to believe that
she has foundered until the receipt of more positive in-
telligence to the contrary, as, during her voyage to
Constantinople, although decidedly too deeply laden,
she proved herself, in the worst of weather and under
trying circumstances, an excellent sea-boat ; and, from
from the high qualities and skill of her commander,
Captain Goodall, I cannot think that a ship so perfectly
tight as she was could have foundered as so stated.—l
am, sir, your obedient servant,
P. J. DICKINSON.
General Screw Steam Shipping Company,
17, Cannon-street, London, Dec. 1.

THE COLLISION ON THE MIDLAND RAILWAY.—The un-
fortunate lady who met her death by the late collision
upon this line was the widow of the Rev. John Robert-
son, a clergyman of the Established Church of Scotland.
She was also sister to the wife of Dr. Farquharson, an
eminent physician at Edinburgh.
THE ROYAIP SOOIETY.--The anniversary meeting of
this society was held on Thursday last, the Earl of
Rosse in the chair. His lordship delivered his annual
address, after which the Copley medal was presented to
Dr.s.
r llcro Professorko
Arnett,
r acid,) Muller,r Hofmanno
hisf Berlinn
ew
;B and;mtohffke h
the twot.e
t consumingroyalu r
dfl medalui t meredegsalrsant °
Dtoo.
The 'election of officers and council for the ensuing
year then took place, and the following noblemen andg
gentlemen were elected :--President, Lord Wrottesley,
M.A. ; treasurer, Colonel Edward Sabine, R A. ; secre-
taries, William Sharpey, M.D., George Gabriel Stokes,
M.A. ; foreign secretary, Rear-Admiral W. H. Smyth.
Other members of the council —Neil Arnett. M.D.,
Rear-Admiral F. W. Beeehey, Mr. Thomas Bell, Sir
Benjamin Brodie, Mr. Charles Darwin, M.A.. Mr. W.
Delarue, the Earl of Harrowby, Mr. A. W. Hofmann,
Ph. D., Mr. Thomas Henry Huxley, Mr. John Miers,
Mr. James Paget, Rev. Baden Powell, M.A., the Earl
,•f Rosse, K.P., M.A.' Mr. Robert Stephenson, Mr.
William Tite, and Mr. Charles Wheatstone.
THE BOARD OF Teens.— Well-founded complaints
present course of the
prevail
ofi" Ttlr'aed eCiwtyithrergeasprdeicntgtothaepplications for charters The
Go.
to carry out important public enterprises.
vernrnent seem perplexed between two systems, and
refuse to act, so that the business of the cJuntry, as far
1 as it is connected with this question, is brought to a
I stand. The opponents of the prohil?ition against limited
partnerships, by which the commercial classes of England
are deprived ofrooafnoafdtvhaenetavgile!opiotshsaetssireodmhbeiybniettsvi:es:hy,
osuionitdcheeb.ret
people, have constantly pointed to the granting of
inasaaGpovernmeet Beard the power of bestowingI
onefffiet,thdowever, until
centred
drs
privileges which, under proper arrangements,
equally open to all. The necessity
ddedb,ifeteheiriencipwalame always
admitted, aii
inasomf the
oeh law should
it
should
ontehveerrw
nearly
yatinagl
altogether
restrictionether
p r
ev
ewnhtieedh
the u
the jointstock system. It was ther
efordeevelopment of
that any manifestation
opinion in favour of a principlebroe.afdetrhe
to a diminished useof
giving it the widest this palliative provision ; but
that, on the contrary, Fgery effort would be made, by
grewth
wouldo feisx eppeehaclbeald;
anticipation hasapplication, to render the introduc-
ton of the impending change as easy as possible. This
been disappointed, and since the vote
of the House of Commons towards the end of last ses-
sion, condemning by a large majority the existing laws
as too narrow, the Government have made them nar-
rower by refusing,
on the ground of the unsettled
state of the question, to employ the means by which
they were previously rendered endurable. It was a
bad state of things when, in order to obtain a charter
for any great undertaking, its practical promoters
were compelled to forego their own businesE.'ike
b pinions to conciliate the peculiar' views that might
liappen to prevail for the time at a west-end board,
ut this was far preferable to being obliged to abandon
heir objects altogether. At the present moment the
l'
atal results of the passive obstruction practised are
jncalculable, since the anxieties of the war have already
rented among their worst consequences an indisposition
o attend to the introduction of new plans or inventions,
!though it is under such circumstances that they are
ost needed, not only for national service, but also to
give buoyancy to the revenue.