The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-15 00:00:00

BALTIC BLOCKADE.

The following letter, addressed to the editor of the
Times, calls attention to some circumstances tending to
show that the Baltic blockade may have been less ineffi-
cient than has been supposed in checking the exporta-
tion of Russian tallow :

" Sir,—ln your city article of Monday, under the head
of Advices from St. Petersburg,' you state that 35,000
casks of tallow have been forwarded to England this year,
against 42,000 casks to same date last year, and that there.
fore the Russian export trade was not much affected by the
blockade.

" This statement requires explanation, for to this date
last year 42,000 casks of tallow had actually been shipped
from Russian ports to this country, and 60,000 casks more,
in due course, arrived here last winter; total, 102,000
casks.

" To the same date this year 35,000 casks have been for-
warded, of which 13,000 casks only have been been shipped,
and the remainder is finding its way overland to neutral
ports ; but it is very unlikely that all will arrive, as the
average distance is GOO miles by land from the interior of
the country. Our blockade of the Russian ports has there
fore been, to a great extent, effective.
" Sept. 12.

" A BROKER."

NEW POWERS OF THE SUPERIOR COURTS TO DIRECT
ARBITRATION BEFORE TRlAL.—There is an important
provision in the New Common Law Procedure Act,
which will shortly come into operation, with respect to
arbitrations. It is enacted by the third section, that if
it be made to appear at any time after the issuing of the
writ, to the satisfaction of the court or judge, upon the
application of either party, that the matter in dispute
consists wholly or in part of matter of mere account
which cannot be tried in the ordinary way, it shall be
lawful for the court or judge, upon such application, to
decide such matter in a summary manner, or to order
that such matter, either wholly or in part, be referred
to an arbitrator appointed by the parties, or to an officer
of the court ; or in country cases to the judge of any
county court, upon such terms as to costs and otherwise
as such court or judge shall think reasonable ; and
the decision or order of such court or judge, o the
award or certificate of such referee shall be enforceable
by the same process as the finding of a jury upon the
matter referred. This is quite a new feature introduced
in the common law.
PRICE OF BREAD. - The bakers of Glasgow have re-
duced the price of the four-pound loaf by one penny.
The selling price is now Bd. fer first, and 7d. for second
quality.—Glavow Constitutional.
TAUNTON.--Bread is now selling at 6d. the 41b. loaf
in this town. The fault of keeping the price too high
lay, we think, more with the millers than- the bakers ;
the millers here are now charging more per sack for flour
than is being charged at many other places. and the
reason they allege for it is, that the water is low and
that they cannot grind so fast as usual.—Sherborne
Journal.
A CRYSTAL EXHIBITION HOUSE FOR BOTANICAL
SHOWS.—On Wednesday afternoon an exhibition of
flowers, plants, and garden implements, &c., was opened
in the gardens of the Manchester Botanical and Horti-
cultural Society, at Old Trafford, on the occasion of the
completion of a new exhibition house, which has been
erected of glass, iron, and wood, at a cost of about
3,000/. The building is fifty yards long, and 19 yards
wide. It consists of a centre and two side aisles, and
the appearance of the exterior is somewhat in the Swiss
style.
CORK AND YOUGHAL RAILWAY.—EarIy in the en-
suing month it is expected that the first sod of the Cork
and Youghal Railway will be turned ; and the Earl
of Glengall, Viscount Donoughmore, and several
other personages of distinction will be present to
give eclat to the ceremony. The arrangements are all in
an advanced state, and the preliminaries are proceeding
very satisfactorily. It is stated that the contract for
the execution of a portion of the works will be com-
pleted in a few days.—Cork Constztution.
ANOTHER FATAL ACCIDENT WITH FIREARMS.—A
very distressing occurrence, whereby the life of a young
gentleman has been sacrificed, happened in the neigh-
bourhood of Alloa last Saturday afternoon, adding
another to the numerous warnings against the incautious
use of fire-arms.
Herring fishing has fallen off very:much in Loch-fine.
Friday's steamer brought ten boxes only, one of which
was landed here. The present fine moonlight nights are
greatly against the fishing, as the herrings are enabled
to see and avoid the nets. For the same reason,
mackerel is scarce ; salmon will soon be out of season.
A fish of 274- lbs. was in Greenock market from the
Isle of ROSS fishinga a few days ago.
ALCESTER.—Mr. Prickett, solicitor of this town,
committed suicide on Wednesday last. The deceased
was observed to walk a short distance on the Stratford
road until he reached a bridge thrown over the river
Avon. He then diverged into a field by the river side,
and taking off hie coat and neckerchief carefully folded
them up, and then plunged into the stream. An alarm
was instantly given, and assistance rendered, but the
unfortunate gentleman was dead. No reason can be
assigned for the fatal act, as Mr. Prickett was in easy
circumstances, and apparently in good health. He was
unmarried.— Worcester Chronicle.
CAPTURE OF Two GRAMPUSES IN THE MERSEY.—
On Saturday a pair of grampuses were captured in the
Mersey, at Ellesmere Port. They were of the bottle-
nosed species, and each measured about 25 feet in length.
A discussion took place, at the North Dublin Board
of Guardians, on Wednesday, on the transmission of
Irish paupers from London. A pauper child, oue of 12
who bad arrived last week from England, was called into
the board-room, and in reply to questions statedt hat
she and her sister had been living three years in Black-
burn. She was bound apprentice there as a servant,
and ran away because she was beaten. Her mother was
committed to gaol for harbouring her, and she and her
sister were obliged to go to the workhouse in Blackburn,
and they were there three weeks. A week before the
time when her mother would have been liberated they
were sent over here along with others. The child added
that they came over on the deck of the steamer at night.
They were ordered to be admitted. A woman who had
been 35 years in England was also admitted.
REFORMATION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENTS.—The In-
dustrial or Ragged Schools, as is generally known, have
been very successful in Aberdeen. The effect of these
institutions in preventing crime has been very remark-
able. In the year 1843 there were 53 committals to
prisons in Aberdeenshire of children under 12 years of
age ; in 1853 there were only 25 ; in one or two imme-
diately preceding years less than that. About 50 girls
go from the female schools alone every year to act as
domestic servants in families in which capacity they give
their employers generally great ratisfaction.

IMPROVEMENTS AT SOMERSET-HOUSE. - Among the
works of real utility as well as ornament now going on in
the metropolis—and properly falling under the head of
"Metropolitan Improvements"—the new buildings by►
Waterloo-bridge, intended as Inland Revenue Offices,
stand out very conspicuously. Besides covering an awk-
ward space, and serving as a screen to the unsightly
backs of several houses—very prominent to the eye of
the pedestrian in journeying from the Strand southward
a highly ornamental frontage, commencing near the
river, of considerable width and elevation, and com-
bining the requisites of beauty, order, and solidity,
now
.presents itself, and is fast rising to completion.
That portion of the work already finished, near
the bridge, with its elegant Corinthian columns and
handsome stone facing (architecturally and decora-
tively in harmony with Somerset-house, of which
it is part and parcel), gives an earnest of the im-
provement which will be effected on the completion of
the undertaking. On the score of utility, too, the work
must bo considered a desideratum. For although there
will not be, any more than at present any carriage-way
into Somerset-place through the new buildings, yet a
thorough-fare, or footway, for business purposes, is evi-
dently intended ; and this, in conjunction with the uses
to which the buildings are to be appropriated, will be
no small convenience, and stamp the work with the
impress of great public utility. The open space yet
remaining between the new buildings, which presented
a great difficulty in the way of completing the improve-
ment, will, we understand, be converted into a terrace
(the probable future Somerset-terrace) ; while the houses
still unscreened will be partly reconstructed, and
stone facilig given to them, so as to complete the archi-
tectural frontage. Great facilities during the progress
of the work have been afforded by the proximity of the
place to the river, from whence stone has been readily
landed in vast quantities ; also by having so large and
convenient a space for the preparation of the stone on
the spot, for ornament or otherwise, in adapting it to
the various parts of the new buildings.