The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-08 00:00:00

WALTZES.

Strauss.
Bousquet.
H. Laurent.
D' Albert.
Labitsky.
H. Laurent.
Strauss.
Bousqust.
Labitsky.
QUADRILLES.
Partant pour la Syrie
La Dame aux Camelias
L'Etoile du Nord..
Constantinople .
Les Cosaques
Les Fillos au Marbre
GALors

. Laurent.
. Riviere.
. Musard.
D'Albert.
. Musard.
_

Overland Mail D'Albert.
Corsican Brothers Hughes.
Messrs. Weippert's band was in attendance in the
principal saloon.
Some of the guests left after the Queen, but the ma-
jority remained, and dancing was kept up until an ad.
vanced hour this morning.

TRH PASTIME OF WAIL—It is generally known
among military men that the present war, undertaken
for the protection of Turkey, is on a far more costly
scale than any war hitherto undertaken. There seem,
indeed, to be no limits set to the expense. Large
sums have been spent in improving the science and
practice of gunnery within the last two or three years,
against which no complaint can be made. It is neces-
sary for our protection. The progress has been so great
that it is alleged they can always throw a ball within a
space of 16 feet diameter, or about 8 feet from the centre
of a target 31 miles distant. We have guns also which
will carry four miles, and do execution, though not to
batter down the walls of a fortification. If, however,
they can kill the men at that distance, there will be no
difficulty afterwards about the fortifications. When one
considers that an object 1 foot in diameter is hardly
visible in a clear sky at a mile distance, and that one 5i
feet diameter, under the same circumstances, would be
scarcely percaptible at 3.'s miles distance, he can estimate
the wonderful precision and perfection to which the art
of gunnery has been brought, to be able to plant shells
by a point blank aim within a space of about three times
that extent, at so great a distance, and to calculate
their time of flight so accurately that they shall explode
at the moment of their arrival. Shells are now gener-
ally used instead of shot, and the destructive effects,
therefore, of cannon indefinitely increased. We under-
stand, too, that our powder is very much superior to
the Russian. It is alleged to be one-third stronger.
These are facts which, though they make one shudder
at the consequences, are gratifying to English skill,
and will, in all probability, be the means of shortening
the war ; and it is necessary it should. For, if we have
improved our guns and our skill in using them, the
expense has more than kept pace with both. In
former years shot only was used, and a 32-pounder cost
about ss. It is, however, now found that shells are
incomparably more efficient, and what is called a 321 b.
shell, fitted with fusee and all complete, costs 205., and
the charge of powder, with wads, 12s. more, or 325. for
every 321 b shell fired. For an 8-inch, or 321 b shell, the
cost is 245., and with powder and wads, 335. The guns
for the 321 b shell weigh about two tons, and cost about
401. The guns for the 681 b shells weigh from 31 to 41
tons, and cost from 651. to 951. From these few facts
one may form to himself some idea of the costly game
we have entered on, and, from its probable destructive
effects, what the Czar's subjects and others will owe to
his ambition and rnasiness.—lierapatles Journal.
ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT OF DUTCH CAPTAINS.
—A statement has appeared in some of the mording
papers, to the effect that two or three commanders of
Dutch vessels have been a rrested in London on a
criminal charge in respect to the cargoes of their ships.
On inquiry into the matter, we find that the facts of
the case do not warrant so serious a charge. It ap-
pears that there are at present in Whitecross-street
Prison two Duch captains under process for debt, on
charges which involve suspicion as to the disposal of
cargoes of grain at Constantinople, taken in at Galata.
The parties thus detained are—Captain R. Rykens, of
the Jantina, Annechina, lying in the South Country
Dock, Poplar, and Captain A. De Hann, of the Hen-
rietta, of Amsterdam, lying in the West India Docks •,
and they are charged with having taken advantage of
the high freights which then prevailed, and o; shipping
other cargoes for England: in violation of their charter-
party. Both captains deny having disposed of the car-
goes improper manner. They state, that when
at Constantinople, any
the grain was found to 1:a damaged,
and that what they did was the best they could do under
the circumstances. The cases will be brought before
the Court of Euchequer, actions arising out of breaches
of charter-party having been commenced, when we bop*
that the circumstances under which the cargoes were
disposed of at Constantinople will be found to justify
the conduct of the parties implicated.—ShippiAg 614'
zette.
METROPOLITAN SEWERS COMMlSSlON.—Yesterdaya
special court was held at the principal office in Greek.
street for the transaction of ordinary business. The com-
missioners present were—the Chairman, Lieutenant-
Colonel
Theawson,
and Messrs. Gibson, Smith,ba.
and Haw - reported,an available
w
lance of 35,0007., to which, if there be added the amountille
of the deposit account, the total sum in band
115,000/. Payments in respect of current rates were
ordered, and amounted to 7,1081., thus leaving the
108,0001. The
tih'ehefumlluowntiluilgy
rreespulotrst
theors
aTcottuasalt la
atbema looafun thencte anclf):ll'ete t]rate,l 225,0001. ; already reported as
collected, 116,700/. ; collected during the past month,
19,500/. ; remaining uncollected, 93,0001. Rates of
6ii. in the pound were ordered to be advertised in the
Finsbury, Ranelagh, Richmond, and Bayswater sewer
districts, and the estimates for these rates were received.
MonE Gold) DISCOVERIES.—According to advices just
received, gold has at length been discovered in the only
one of the Australian colonies in which it remained to
be found. Letters from Fremantle, Western Australia,
of the 25th of March state that surface specimens have
been got within 15 miles of that place, yielding A good
per centage of pure metal. A number of persons, with
provisions and proper tools, had started for the locality,
and in a short time the real character and value of the
I deposits would be fully tested,