The Sun.
London, England, 1853-03-01 00:00:00

of cheese, and great quantities of a dish called
" stew," to all comers. His hill of 27/. was as
yet unpaid.

I All this is bad enough ; but, in reality, the
dockyard canvassing is worse still. That Govern-
ment employment should be offered as a bribe by
so highly respectable a gentleman and soldier as
Sir F. SMITH, only shows that custom has veiled
the iniquity of one of the most inexcusable forms
of bribery. The briber, in this case, sacrifices
nothing himself ; it is his country that he sacri-
fices for a vote. The inquiry becomes not—ls
the man a good workman, but will he vote for the
Member who has interest ? It is not surprising,
therefore, to read in Sir B. WALKER'S evidence,
" that the smitheries in the dockyard were far
behind those in the private establishments of the
coon try, and it was deemed advisable, in conse-
quence, to select good men from those establish-
ments." To Sir F. SMITH'S honour, in this point
of view, he made more promises than he kept,
and lost some votes in consequence ; 1)14 though,
in Coonmes case, he Offered in vain 501. for the
disappointment, he seems to have left the faithful
GITTINGS to vegetate on 12s. per week, after a
promise of 20s. JOSEPH GREATHEAD, however,
was luckier. One of his sons was permitted to
add the Government office of letter-carrier to
his industrial one of tailor, much, no doubt, to
the benefit of his health, as well as of his pocket.
Another was promoted as an engineer in the navy.
Mr. GREATHEAD assures us that he should have
voted for Sir FREDERICK under any circumstances.
It was a case not of corruption, but of old Roman
gratitude to a faithful client. FRAIL does not
appear to be the only electioneering hairdresser.
Mr. COLEGATE, hairdresser at Chatham, is also an
efficient vote-catcher. JOHN SIBBETT had told
Sir FREDERICK that he would have voted for him,
but that he was pledged to the other party. Sir
F. retires with thanks. COLEGATE, however, with
the promise of a dockyard employment, takes him
to Sir FREDERICK again. Sir FREDERICK, with
Delphic wisdom, promises him " that his earliest
friend should be earliest thought of," and dis-
misses him this time with a shake of the hands.
But, alas I he could only get him in "as a hired
man," and, seeing some blue bills up about
bribery, his conscience, he says, smote him for the
first time, and he punished Sir F. for false pro-
mises, and himself for the evil imaginations of
his heart by not voting at all.

It is to be hoped that the withdrawal of peti-
tions will be put an end to. Sir ALEXANDER
COCKBURN'S case is to be proceeded with, although,
in consequence of his re-election, a decision against
him would not affect his seat. This is right ; if
there was corruption, let it be proved. If not,
let Sir ALEXANDER have the benefit of an acquit-
tal. The Committee on the Newry petition
refused at first to pass the customary resolutions
which would allow of its withdrawal. After con-
sultation, however, they permitted it. We should
like to be fully apprised of their reasons for doing
so. A Member ought not to be annoyed thus up
to the eleventh hour, nor ought any compromise
to be tolerated.

LONDON SACRED HARMONIC SOClETY.—Ha,ydn's cele-
brated oratorio of the " Creation," which is so well known
and so universally admired, is to be performed to-morrow
evening at Exeter-hall by the London Sacred Harmonic
Society. The conductor is Mr. Surman, the founder of the
Exeter-hall oratorios. The band and chorus will consist of
eight hundred performers—the chief vocalists being Mrs.
Sunderland, Miss Henderson, Mr. Lockey, and Mr.
Phillips. The " Cantata for the Birth-day of Queen
Victoria" is to be performed at the commencement.

SAVINGS BANKS FOR THE NAVY.—Thirty five years
ago, namely in 1818, the idea of establishing savings banks
for the Royal Navy was first suggested by the Rev. John
Morgan, naval chaplain. This fact will, we doubt not, be
found interesting by our readers after the recent announce-
ment made in our Admiralty intelligence.
GOLD FROM AUSTRALIA.—The date of the accounts

from Australia via the Cape of Good Hope, s about a fort-
night later than that of the previous intelligence. The
entire shipment of gold to England during the interval are
not stated, but the fact of a total of 455,0001. having been
sent from Melbourne within seven days—namely, from
November 20th to November 26th, demonstrates that from
the present period, although 1,400,000/. has reached us
within the past few days, a steady succession of large
arrivals may be anticipated. The Sydney mail steamer is
supposed to have started on her return passage on the Ist
December, the Great Britain on the Ist January, and the
Melbourne about the middle of the present month. The
English and Australian Copper Company have received
advices from their agent at Melbourne, with a remittance
of 500 oz. of gold dust, par the Roxburgh Castle.
DEPARTURES FOR AUSTRALIA. —The departures from
the port of London for the Australian colonies during the
past week have again been numerous. They have con-
sisted of five vessels to Port Philip, with an aggregate
burden of 1,841 tons, one to Sydney of 959 tons, one to
Adelaide of 411 tons, and ono to New Zealand of 799 tons.
Their total capacity was consequently 4,010 tons. Con-
siderable shipments continuo to be made of manufactured
goods and general merchandise, and quotations for freight
are assuming a more firm appearance.

THE AUSTRALlAN.—lntelligence from Plymouth states
that the cause of the leak in the Australian mail steamer
has been discoverbd, and will be remedied to-day, so as to
enable her to sail to-morrow morning.
THE MELBOURNE.—It appears that the mail steamer
Melbourne, for Australia, arrived at the Cape, from St.
Vincent, on the 27th of December, after a passage of 26
days, and started again for her destination on the Ist Jan.,
with 727 tons of coal on board. She obtained at the Cape
about 17 additional passengers, and a few tons of freight at
6/. 12s. Captain Hutton expected to be able to complete
his passage. and to leave Sydney for England by the middle
of February.

THE ANTELOPE.—The screw steamer Antelope, for
Australia, is to leave Liverpool on Saturday next, and
Queenstown on the Tuesday following. Letters and papers
will be in time up to Friday night, and if marked via
Queenstown, up to Saturday.
NOVIA SCOTIA MINING COMPANY.—It has been noti-
fied that the directors of the proposed Nova Scotia Mining
Company have remedied a defect in their original agree-
ment for the purchase of the mines by obtaining the con-
sent of the vendors to a stipulation that the whole of the
shares to be given as the consideration for the property are
to be kept back by the company until a full report shall
have been received of its actual value. For this pufpose,
it is said, two competent persons are to be dispatched to
the colony at an early date.

The Spanish screw-steamer Isabel 11., was reported
at the Custom-house yesterday from Cadiz, bringing the
first cargo of sherry received by a screw-vessel „under the
flag of Spain. This and other similar steamers are intended
to make periodical trips from Cadiz and Oporto do London.
THE NEW CLOCK TOWER AT BILLINGSGATE.—One of
the principal features in the improvements effected at this
celebrated fish market is the erection of the clock tower,
for the convenieno, not only of the fish salesmen and par-
ties frequenting the market, but also the adjacent portions
of the river, the works in the tower being sufficiently
extensive to allow of a face on each of the four sides.
Arrangements have now been made for illuminating the
clock tower after dark, so that the time is distinctly visible
from London-bridge, as well as some distance up and down
the river, thus affording a degree of convenience never be-
fore experienced in this locality.
ROYAL INFIRMARY FOR CONSUMPTION AND DISEASES
OF THE CHEST, CITY-ROAD.—Yesterday, the 39th annual
general meeting of this charity was held at the London
Tavern, Seymour Teulon, Esq., in the chair. The secre-
tary read the report of the past year, which stated that
since the foundation of the charity, in 1814, upwards of
40,000 sufferers from chest disease had received the benefits
of the institution, and for the most part either permanently
cured or greatly relieved. During the past year the num-
ber of in-door and out-door patients attended to had
amounted to 1,800, and about 500 were at the present time
under medical treatment, but still the applicants for relief
were daily becoming more numerous. In consequence of
this demand several additional wards had been opened
during the past year. This enlargement had necessarily
entailed a large increase of expenditure, which, coupled
with the augmentation in the number of out-door pa-
tients, had so' far exhausted the available resources of the
charity as to incur a debt of 721. 3s. 7d. for advances
from the treasurer. To meet this emergency the committee
had thrown themselves upon the liberality of a generous
public to aid them in staying the ravages of those insidu-
ous and fatal maladies to which the infirmary is specially
devoted. This charity, which is now giving relief to 1,800
persons annually, was in the 40th year of its existence, and
was the parent institution of those which were devoted to
the cure of asthma, consumption, &c. In conclusion, the
report stated that this institution had rarely, and at long
intervals only, obtruded itself on public notice, and there-
fore a larger amount of subscriptions was required. With
regard to the financial position of the charity, it was stated
that, after all liabilities had been met, it was found that
the expenditure had exceeded the receipts by 721. 3s. 7d.
On the motion of the Rev. Mr. Gibson the report was
unanimously adopted ; and the officers for the ensuing year
having been re-elected, the usual compliments to the chair
terminated the proceedings.
ST. DAVID'S DAY. This day, the Ist of March, the
138th anniversary of the Society of Ancient Britons is
celebrated. The officers and friends mot at the School-
house, Grays-inn-road, and examined the children, and
inspected the building, the children then dined on roast beef
and plum pudding, being attended to by the company. The
visitors then partook of a cold collation, accompanied with
Welsh ale. The children then proceeded in procession to
St. James's Church, Piccadilly, where the Rev. G. Edwards,
the Chaplain to the Institution, read the service in the
Welsh language, and a sermon was preached by the Bishop
of Peterborough. In the evening the dinner will take
place at the Freemasons' Tavern. _

COAST DEFENCES, FOLKSTONE.—Those best qualified
to judge, and most likely to be well informed, believe
that the battery cliff will be cased, in the nature of a
fortification, and that the specifications for the work
will soon be issued, and tenders invited. Some -appre-
hensions of mischief having been caused by a groundless
rumour that a French steamer had been detained in
consequence of taking soundings near our town, it may
not be amiss to add that not only was the rumour false,
but a foreign vessel could not be interfered with in time
of peace for doing so. The Pelican, Captain Bullock,
was surveying off and near Boulogne nearly two years
witioqt giving umbrage to the French authorities, qr
alarming the Boulognose by a dread of invasion. Timid
persons and designing alarmists should remember that
foreign nations can always purchase charts, sufficiently
accurate, of the mapsellers in the Strand or Whitehall.
Dover Chronicle?