The Sun.
London, England, 1854-11-02 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 2,1854.

BAND OF THE GUIDES.-TO-NIGHT.-
EXETER HALL. - -THIS (Thursday) EVENING,'a GRAND
MILITARY INSTRUNIENTAL PERFORMANCE (by permission)
by the BAND of the IMPERIAL 'NEGIMENT of GUIDES. for`,..the
BENEFIT of the FRENCH CHARI rA BLE AsSOCIAIION, under
the auspices of his Excellency the French Ambassador and the Coun-
tess Walewski. To commence at half-past 8. This will be their oaly
public appearance previously to their departure.

PROGRAMME OF THE CONCERT.
PREMIERE PARTIE.

Marche de " Macbeth" ... .
Ouverture de " Guillaume Tell" .. ••••••.. •• •• •• Rossini.
Folka-Mazurka, "Souvenirs de Varsovie."
False " Les Herds du Rhin" ..... ..„ Strauss.
Quadrille, " Des Vieux Airs Frrincai5"............M0hr.••
lfautaisie du " Prophete" • • .
iECONDE PARTIfi

Marche de l'Alma.
Air VaHe
Bolero de " Jovita" ...... • .
Ouverture de " Zimpa" •.•. • • • • ...
Benedictions (lei Poignards (fltlguenots) ..........
Galop des " Masques."
Tickets and places may be secured at Mr. Mitchell's Royal Library,
33, Old Bond-stret t ; at al, t!: e Lihraries and Music sellers; and at the
°fine of the Sacred Harmonic Society, Exeter Hall.

........ ........ Mohr.
.. Labarre.
Herold.
Moyerbeer.

TN CHANCERY (iu the late Master Kinder
0111,e), CLU rTolsr v. PARDON, HARRIS v. MATT-
TON'S TRUSTEES. Relusal of 5301. for und.vided trust share of a
Minor

JOHN HARRIS

HEATHER'S TRUST.—Under the Manage-
ment or the Clothworkers' Company —At the Court to be
holdtn on the 6th Dece ber next, this Company will distribute to
six poor Widows or Decay.d ll.itis,fkeepers, the amount divisible
under the above Trust being about Si. to each.
Applic Alta are required to produce a Certificate or other proper
proof of the death of the husband. The application must be made in
writing, and must state such particulars relative to the applicant as
may he proper to be consider d its deciding on her clai ti, and name
references from whom informatiai may be obtained respecting the
patty, and for verifying the statement made concerning her condition
aid circumstances.
All app ications are to be addressed, as early as possble, to the
Company's liar, MitKing-klute, and, none cad, Pe.XeCe4Yed„ and con-
sidered after the 23d N ovember instant. Printed forms of ap,licatiun
may be obtained at the Hall.
ROBERT BECKWITH TOWSE, Clerk.
Clothworkers' Hall, Ist November, 1854.

MEDICAL AND SURGICAL ADVICE.
Secret Diseases removed before charge be made tor medicine
by a practical and experienced Surgeon. Nervous Debility, whether
arising from Excesses, Accident, or premature age, are also treated
to a successful issue, either sex consulting by letter. The fee is a
Half-guinea, In caste or stamps. Hours of attendance, 10 till 3, and
from 5 till 10 daily; Sundays, 10 till 2. Address, Dr. SCOTT, 3,
King William-street, Strand, London.

APPETITE AND DIGESTION IMPROVED.
LEA and PERRINS' WORCESTERSHIRE
SAUCE imparts the most exquisite relish to Steaks, Chops,
and all Roast Meat Gravies, Fish, Game, Soup, Curries, and Salad,
and by its tonic and invigorating properties enables the stomach to
perfectly dige.t the food.
The daily use of this aromatic and delicious Sauce is the best safe-
ruard to health.
Sold by the proprietors, Lea and Perrins, 19, Fenchurch-street,
London, and 68. Broad-street, Worcester; also by Messrs. Barclay
and Sons, Messrs. Crosse and Blackwell, and other oilmen and mer-
chants, London ; and generally by the vincipal dealers in sauce.
N.B.—To guard against imitations, see that the names of "LEA
and PERRINS" are upon the label and patent cap of the bottle.

NATIONAL PROVIDENT INSTITUTION,
48, Gracechurch-street, London.
For Mutual Assurance on Lives, Annuities, &c.

DIRECTORS.
Chairman—SAMUEL lIAYHURST LUCAS, Esq.
Deputy-Chairman—CHAßLES LUSHINGTON. Esq.
John Bradbury, Esq. Robert M. Holborn, Esq.
Thomas Castle, Esq. Robert Ingham, Esq., M.P.
William Miller Christy, Esq. Robert Sheppard, Esq.
Edward Crowley, Esq. William Tyler, Esq.
John Feltham, Esq. Charles Whetham, Esq.
Charles Gilpin, Esq.

PHYSII
J. T. Conquest, M.D., P.L.S. I
TEL'S'

:CLANS.
1 Thomas Hodgkin, M.D.
iTEES.

:Tohn Felthain, Esq. I Samuel H. Lucas, Esq.
Robert Ingham, Esq., M.P. i Charles Lushington, Esq.
BANKERS—Messrs. Brown, Janson, and Co., and Bank of England.
SOLICITOR —S-ptimu3 Davidson, Esq.
CONSULTING ACTUART--Chalirs Ans-11, Esq., F.R.S.

Extracts from the Report of the Directors for 1853:
"The Directors congratulate their fellow-members on the very grati-
fying result of the recently- co m•leted Quinquennial Investigation of
the assets and liabilities if the Institution, by which it appears that
on the 20th November, 1852, after providine for the present value of
all the liabil ties in the Lifa Assurance Department, a surplus re-
mained of 242,6271., which has been duly apportioned as heretofore.
" The reductions range from 5 to 89 per cent. on the original Annual
Premiums, according to the age of the party and the time the Policy
has been in force; and the Bonuses vary in like manner, from 50 to
75 per cent. on the amount of premiums paid during the last five
years.
" The total amount of the reductions per annum for the ensuing five
years is 33,348/. 17s. 2d.
" The Bonuses assigned to those policies on which the original pre-
miums continue to lir paid amount to 89,8801. ss. Od. ; this, together
with Bonuses apportioned at former divisions, makes an aggregate
addition to the sums assured by the Policies in force of 126,5641.
" Notwithstanding thee' eat reduction of Premiums, the net annual
income arising from 12,3 !6 existing Policies is 163,9121. 7 . Id., Ihis
sum, with the interest on invested capital, viz., 37,2924 7s. 32,,
shows a total annual income of 201,2101. 14s. 4d."
The amount of Capital exceeds ONE MILLION STERLING.

Prospectuse, and all other information may be obtained on appli-
cation to the Office.
Sept. 23, 1554

JOSE PII MARSH, Secretary.

A.D. 1720:
R ROYAL EXCHANGE ASSURANCE
CORPORATION,

(Established by Charter of his Majesty George the First).
For SEA, FIRE, LIFE, and ANNUITIES.
OFFICES—ROYAL EXCHANGE, LONDON.
BRANCH OFFICE-29, PALL-MALL.
Octavius Wigram, Esq., Governor.
The Hon. J. T. Leslie Melville, ...tb-(l,vernor.
George l'earkes Barclay, Esq., Deputy-Governor.

DIRECTORS.
Henry Bainbridge, Esq. Sir John Wm. Lubbock, Bart.
Edmond S. P. Calvert, Esq. Charles John Manning, Esq.
John Garrett Cattley, Esq. Henry Nelson, Esq.
Alexander Colvin, Esq. Edward Howley Palmer, Esq.
Edward Maxwell Daniel, Esq. Sir .John Henry Pelly, Bart.
William Davidson, Esq. Abraham George Robarts, Esq.
itiversdale Wm. Grenfell, Esq. Charles Robinson, Esq.
Robert Banbury, j un., Esq. William Soltau, Esq.
Robert Amadeus Heath, Esq. Joseph Somes, Esq.
William Tetlow Hibbert, Esq. Thomas Tooke, Esq.
James Stewart Hodgson, Esq. William Wallace, Esq.
Lancelot Holland, Esq. Charles Baring Young, Esq.
MEDICAL REFEREE--Samuel Solly. Esq., F. R.S.
Notice.—The usual fifteen days allowed for payment of Fire Pre-
miums falling due at Islichaelmas will expire on the 14th of October.
FIRE an i LIFE ASSURANCES may be effected with this Cor-
poration on advantageous terms.
The Assured are exempt from the liabilities of partnership, and
payment of their claims is guaranteed bj a large invested capital-
neck.

In the Life Department, assurances are granted with participation
In profits, or, at lower Premiums, without such participation. _
.._.

The Reversionary HONUS on Lite Policies has averaged 2 per
Cent. per annum on the sum assured, or 46 per cent. on the Premiums
paid.

Any sum not excee ling 10,0001. may be assured on one Life.
The •orporation bears the cost of Policy Stamps and Medical Fees,
and requires no entrance-money. The Assured are subject to no
expense but the Premium. No extra charge Is made for service in the
militia.

LO.XICS are granted on Life Policies to their full values.
This Corporatton affords all the advanta,es of modern practice,
with the stability of an cities safely constituted under Royal Charter
and Special Acts of Parliament, and tested by the experience of
nearly a century and a half. There is but one older life office in
existence.

REVOLVER CANNO/C—The director-general of the
Louvre has just had a revolver cannon placed in the
Museum of the Marine, capable of firing twelve shots in a
minute, with the aid of two artillerymen to serve it.
A NEW TRAGEDY BY SHABSPEARE.—The spirit of the
bard of Avon, it appears, has lately been revisiting " the
glimpses of the moon," in the prosecution of his old
profession of play-wright. We extract the startling
intelligence from an article in the Ala California
on spiritual manifestations, in the course of which
we are informed that a regular five act tragedy, con.
sisting of some 4,000 lines, has recently been written,
under spirit impulse, by the hand of Mr. Isaac C.
Pray. It purports to emanate from the spirit of Shalt.
speare ! It was read to the manager of the Broadway
Theatre and a select number of critics and editors, among
editor
i c oonfe
ut
rhree
dNi
new York Times, and we
understand awarding
to it literary
merit of a very high order. One of them, as we under-
stand, went so far in his admiration as to declare his be-
whoni
was
tthhea t al
be-
lief that no living writer could equal it. It was written
'dity, and very few erasuresor
with great rapi alterations
Aro to be f•und upon the caanumpt.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The Powerful, 84, Captain Massie, will sail from Ports-
mouth to-day for the coast of Scotland, to endeavour to
pick up men to complete her crew.
The Curacoa, 21, screw frigate, Captain the Hon. G.
F. Hastings, bent sails at Portsmouth yesterday, and is
ready for sea.
The Harrier, 14, screw sloop, Commander H. A.
Story, is about proceeding to the West Indies, and will
probably sail to-day.
The Dee, 6, paddle-wheel steam-vessel, Lieutenant-
Commander Smith, arrived at Portsmouth yesterday
from the Cape of Good Hope station—last from
Plymouth.

APPOINTMENTS.
Masters.—Richard T. Saunders (1846), to the Esk,
20, screw steam corvette, at Woolwich ; Thomas H.
Fraser (1849), to the Tartar, screw steam corvette, at
Chatham.
Surgeons.—Thomas H. Lowry, M.D. (1845), to the
Eqlt, 20, screw steam corvette, at Woolwich ; Lewis C.
Urquhart, M.D. (1846), to the Tartar, screw steam
corvette, at Chatham.
Master's Assistant.—W. It. Jones, to the Swallow,
screw steam-sloop, at Portsmouth.

THE HECLA. -
The Hecla, 6, paddle-sloop, Capt. W. H. Hall, steamed
into Portsmouth harbour yesterday, from Spithead, to
have her defects made good. She is well riddled with
Russian balls ; no less than 70 pierced her starboard
side, 30 the port side, several the paddlobox
anald undernoi4th the Russianboats, 1
jack on one side and the
pipe and 1 her funnel.
French
ga
ui f
irri mae
ghaes
on
da,
t2hhaesh
there
eh sentre,n i 0 t
ensign.

THE ENGINES OF THE AUSTERLITZ.
The engines of the French line-of-battle ship Auster-
litz are on the horizontal principle, with four cylinder's
opposite each other. There is a great deal of gear.
connected with the machinery, and great difficulty is
continually experienced to adjust lubricators, &c.,
while working. Tue engines are of 400-herse
power nominally, and 800-horse power actually
by indication ; she stows 500 tons of coals, and
consumes, while working full power, 56 tons per day;
am 2 with that consumption, steams in smooth water
9 knots an hour. As this is rather an extravagant
consumption, they usually steam expansively, at an ex-
y, and obtain a
battle skip
sppeeneddi tuo rfe
7o fk fm 40ert to
045Htaonnnai
bpael r
nae
f.
steams 7 knots, witl 24 tons of coals per day). The
Austerlitz' engines are directly attached to.the screw,
without the multiple wheel, making 45 revolutions per
minute. She has two stokeholes, one forward and the
other aft. When steaming full power these stokeholes
are excessively hot. The boilers, which are tubular, are
loaded at 181 b. on ;he square inch. The screw is of
rather a novel construction, having four blades or fans,
which are so arranted as to be capable of folding to-
gether, so that it wll shut up into two blades or fans
when steaming in fine weather, but when steaming
against a strong held wind, or towing, foer blades are
generally used. Screral defects are now being made
good in the shaft betrings by the engineers of this ves-
sel. Mr. Blaxland, civil engineer at Sheerness yard,
and Mr. Rumble, ciief engineer of the Royal Albert,
have been on board to inspect her engines and note her
defects.

No orders hare Set arrived relative to the future
movements of the itusterlitz. She has not yet com-
menced taking her coals. She requirse 300 tons. The
greatest courtesy is paid to persons ♦isiting this ship,
one of the lieutenants or mates accompanying the visi-
tors through every 'rt of it, and ladies obtain the moat
polite and marked respect and attention from her officers
and the entire crew.

AUSTRALIAN POST COMMUNICA.TION.

The following letter addressed to the Postmaster-Ge-
neral by Sir James Duke, M.P., Chairman of the Aus-
tralian Postal Association has been forwareled us for
publication :

" TO THE RIGHT HON. THE POSTMASTER-GENERAL.
" My Lord,—The arduous contest with Russia in which
this country is engaged has for the last few months in-
duced the committee of this association to abstain from
pressing the improvement of Australian postal communi-
cation on her Majesty's Government; though silent, they
have, however, not ceased to lament that the executive,
distracted by exterior events, was unable to devote its
attention to the organisation of postal arrangements more
iu unison with the material interests of the empire and of
Australia. Influenced by the nature of the advices re-
cently received from the colonies, the committee now feel
. .

it their duty to express to you. the views of the colonists;
and at the same time they desire to point out to you how,
in their judgment, the postal grievances complained of
may tio some extent be remedied, without prejudice to the
present demands of the public service.

" The committee will premise their observations by
freely admitting that, since your lordship's accession to
of the Austrian letters, amongst which they willingly
office, several improvements have been effected in the tran-
sitclass the abolition, at the commencement of this year, of
the sailing-packet system, which had totally disorganised
the correspondence of the colonies, as also the recent reduc-
tion in the rates of colonial postage. Much, however, re-
mains yet to be done ; for the service. as at present con-
ducted, must be viewed by every unprejudiced person to
be far inferior to that on all other existing steam routes,
and especially as far as regards the Cape line, to be essen-
tially'deficient in the two main attributes of postal transit
—viz., speed and reghlarity.
" Recent letters received by the committee describe the
colonists is not only dissatisfied, but highly irritated at
the-results of the existing mail system ; and some indivi-
dual, it appeari4, had evhn gone the length of 'discuising
the possibility of obtaining, through America, postal facili-
ties so long sought in vain at the hands of the mother
country. One of the latest newspapers asserts, that the
question of steam communication had long constituted a
rankling sore' throughout the Australian colonies. The
journal using this very strong expression is the well-known
leading paper of the southern hemisphere—the ably-con-
ducted Melbourne Argus, a copy of which, under date 21st
July last, accompanies this letter for your lordship's pe-
rusal. The writer asserts facts, many of which admit of
no denial. He states that the communication is infrequent
2hpooe,urowtrs, ov,foicoße
trlei.triiosahlt
wgmanufacturesgoods, is
is consigned to a slow, irregular,
i in p
o rt
sbtui
ite2a
B,
and slowly performed ; that while even China, which im-
nightly steam communication at a speed of ten miles per
"ton'llCish°ingeqnjuoaynstaitly"otf-
and ill-organised monthly mail service, of which the fol-
lowing are the distinguishing features
" L That the transit of the mails from England to
Melbourne, by the overland Indian route, now occupies
on an average 70 days and a half, being conveyed at- the
rate of six miles per hour, whereas, if forwarded at the
same speed as letters are carried on the India and China
line, viz., at ten miles per hour, they would easily reach
Melbourne in 45 days.
" 2. That the line via the Cape of Good Hope is for
postal purposes a nullity—the average passage having been
proved to be 81 days.
" `3. That this last-mentioned line is highly irregular;
a circumstance not only proved by the passages, but strik-
ingly exemplified by the fact, that in July last, the home.
ward steamers of both lines, instead of sailing each a month
apart, both started within two days of each ether—the
Indian steamer sailing as usual on her appointed day, the
other vessel nearly a month after.
" 'l. That under these circumstances Australia may be
said to possess virtually only one " effective and reliable"
mail communication with England, once every alternate
month, vid India.'

" Such is the tone assumed by the public journals ' • nor
are the remarks of private individuals less stringent. Con-
trasting the policy of America to her gold states with that
of England towards her gold colonies, with bitterness of
feeling the Australians observe, that California had barely
been taken possession of when the United States brought
her within 24 days' sail of New York, by organising, at
the public cost, a steam line, with an average speed of 11
knots, from the shores of America to Panama, and thence
to San Francisco, a distance of upwards of 6,000 miles.
The Australian gold fields, they say, have, however, now
been discovered four years. In wealth, in their influence
en commerce and civilisation, they have far out-stripped
California ; yet not even ordinary exertions have been
made by England to approximate herself by steam to these
—these most valuable colonies she ever yet possessed.
They assert that she sails her fast mail steamei s once a
fortnight to India, to America, to the West Indies, to the
Brazils, and even to China—in short, to every quarter of
the globe—but that Australia is forgotten. Last year, the
colonial post ages amounted to a sum more than sufficient to
cover the expense of the most approved steam line, yet the
proceed, were appropriated to general British revenue, while
the mails were conveyed chiefly by cheap, but tardy, sail-
ing vessels. This year a steam transit, as slow as it is
irregular, as unsatisfactory as it is unworthy the policy of
a great commercial country, dissevers Australia from Eng-
land. The colonists ask each other the grounds of this
treatment, which they term unmerited contempt and
neglect.' Referring also to a solemn promise, given eight
years ago for the establishment of a regular monthly steam
line, they allege that the present steam transit not only
involves a breach of that promise, but is in itself a signal
instance of Imperial mismanagement of their affairs.
" If, my lord, these allegations are in part only well
founded, is it matter of surprise the Australian journalists
should term the steam question 'a rankling sore ?' Is it
to he wondered at that the colonists should look to foreign
countries for assistance, and assert that they are treated
with `neglect and contempt ?' The committee, on their
part, have felt they would not be discharging their duty,
if, under the influenc of false delicacy, they concealed
from you the sentiments of their Australian fellow-citi-
zens (they have, therefore, candidly expressed to you what
has been stated to them in the hope that you would your-
self inquire into the facts of the case, and thus be enabled
to see that the grievances complained of demand early re-
dress. How this, in their judgment, may for the present
be best afforded they now proceed to detail to you.
" By the printed documents enumerated in the margin,
and accompanying this letter, you will perceive how con-
tinued have been the efforts of the committee to induce her
Majesty's Government to concede to Australia the same
postal facilities extended to every other dependency of the
Crown. These facilities may now shortly be summed up
as follows, viz.:—
"1. The establishment of the same semi-monthly postal
communication already conceded to other comparatively
unimportant parts of the empire.
" 2. The introduction into the service of that regularity,
the entire absence of which is now so justly complained of.
"3. The acceleration of the preseut speed of the mail-
steamers from eight and a half nautical miles to the usual
contract rate of ten knots per hour.
"4. The adoption of a direct course, and the abandon-
ment of those unnecessary deviations which so much pro-
tract the arrival of the mails at their destinations.

" The printed papers referred to attest that the equity
of these claims has been fully admitted by the country ;
that their validity has been affirmed by the press, by influ-
ential public meetings, raid by the leading commercial
towns of this country. It is not, however, the desire of
the body I represent to press you to make concessions
at a moment when we feel that our doing so might, by
diminishing the steam-power of the nation, in any way
militate against the prosecution of that righteous war
England has engaged in. Deeply sympathising with the
mother country in efforts to repel the barbarism of the
north, Australia is too patriotic not freely to bring
her quota of sacrifice to the national cause, and she
waives for the present what is most important and most
dear to her—her right to frequent communication with the
parent state. We do nut, therefore, ask you to establish
at present, what the commerce, the wealth, and the postal
revenue of Australia entitles her to—a semi-monthly com-
munication—but we entreat you to improve, so far as you
can, our present steam line, and to commence by making
it regular.
" This, in our opinion, can only be done by discontinu-
ing to forward the mails via the Cape of Good Hope. That
line, in the hands of the enterprising company who conduct
it, is not without its merits, and we by no means advocate
its suppression. It is adapted for passengers, and may be
fitting for they conveyance of the heavier portions of the
mails—always unusually heavy ; but being devoid of regu-
larity, it has proved itself unsuited for the general pur-
poses of correspondence, and it is in this respect, as the
colonists justly term it, a nullity. To establish an effec-
tive and reliable' monthly communication, we respectfully
suggest that the mails be despatched monthly, instead of
bi-monthly, via India ; and if you ask us where ships are
now to be foiled without prejudice to the public for this
service, we reply that the relative imports of China and
Victoria, referred to by the Melbourne journalists, point
at once to the source whence steam power may be taken
without detriment to the country.
" China, importing not quite 2 ,000,000/. of British goods,
has a fortnightly communication, although a monthly lino
would be ample for the wants of her trade. We suggest,
therefore, that the China semi-monthly line be made a
monthly one, and that the ships thus set free be employed
in giving a regular monthly communication to colonies,
which, by the paper herewith enclosed, you will see im-
ported last year, from England alone, goods of theastonish-
ing value of 14,506,5321.
" From the paper we refer to, it appears that the export
of British manufacture to Australia exceeded last year
our average exports to the United States by 1,509,0001. ;
that it more than doubled our exports to India and Ger-
many ; that it was six times greater than our exports to
France and the Wrest Indies ; and seven times in excess of
our exports to China. To your lordship, as a statesman,
those facts will be more convincing than any arguments
we could use ; they will prove to you that Australia is
now the best market for English produce, and that a
grave responsibility must attach to permitting such
colonies to continue in that state of isolation from England
to which they are now consigned. We therefore respect.
fully suggest, that unless you should find that better ar-
rangements can be effected, the snail ships employed in
the China fortnightly line be for the present transferred to
the Australian service. That this can take place with ad-
vantage to the interests of the empire is abundantly proved
by the relative value of the British imports of the two
countries concerned. The distances, on the other hand, of
the two lines—viz., between Galle anti Melbourne and be-
tween Calcutta and Hong Kong, being not dissimilar, it is
assumed that the same number of ships which perform the
oua voyage, will also be able to effect the other.
" Last, but not least, we would strge you respectfully
but earnestly to accelerate the speed of the Indo-Australian
steamers from 8, to 10 knots per hour. In an ago when emi-
nent engineers and shipbuilders some before a committee of
the House of Commons (Holyhead and Kingston, 1853), and
talk of 23 miles per hour as a speed easily attainable, it is
hut little to ask that, on what is virtually the most im-
portant steam line of the country, the usual contract rate
of 10 miles per hour should be maintained. That this
speed was not originally stipulated for is one out of many
practical proofs how little attention previous administra-
tions have devoted to Australian affairs. We find, how-
ever, that although an error has been committed in this
respect, you have the power to rectify the mistake, for wo
are informed that, under the contract with the Peninsular
and Oriental Company, it is competent for you at any time
to (grad that asseciatiQto Lamas the rpoed of tkeit yes-

[ PRICE SD.

sels so as to insure their realising 10 miles per hour ; and
this power we venture respectfully to hope you will not hesi-
qtauteestpiroon of speed,mptlytoe xewrce desireise. also to
As intimately connected with the
that the present route followed by thermlinudt oe.Auttnttro you
alian
steamers is devious, and that the distance and stoppages
ought at once to be diminished. To satisfy your lordship's
mind on this point, and to show you the results of a ten-
knot speed, we have had the distances between Melbourne
and England carefully calculated, and now submit for
your perusal a paper showing within what period the
voyage, doing away with unnecessary delays and devia-
tions, may reasonably be expected to be performed. You
will find that, after making every allowance for all
usual stoppages, if a direct course be followed, and
a ten-knot speed maintained, the mails may easily be
delivered in Melbourne within 44 days, and further,
that if the speed were increased to eleven knots, as we
submit it ought hereafter to be, the passage might be
effected within the 40 days. For the contents of this paper
we beg to bespeak your attentive consideration, remarking
that the elements of our calculation are derived from
official soirees and cannot be questioned, and that the
average passage by the shortest route, stated by the colo-
nists practically to occupy 70i days, has never been per-
formed under 64 days.
"A memorial of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce,
recently addressed to the Lords of the Treasury on this
subject, so entirely coincides with our own views as to
speed and direct route, that we take the liberty of forward-
ing herewith a copy for your perusal; not doubting that it
will be read by you with the attention due to a document
emanating from so important a commercial association.
We have to add, that our letters inform us the Sydney and
Melbourne Chambers of Commerce were both preparing to
address the home Government on the same subject.
" The due approximation of Australia to the mother
country is a subject so intimately connected with the
future of both countries, that we believe it may be said to
constitute one of the most important subjects which can
come under your lordship's official consideration. In this
view, we therefore trust, you will excuse the length of this
letter, as well as the earnestness with which we have
thought it our duty to press the subject on your attention.
"At the request of the committee,
" I have the honour to subscribe myself,
" MY Lord,
"Your lordship's most obedient servant,
" JAMES DUKE, Chairman.
" Australian Postal Association Committee-
rooms, 60, Fenchurch-street, London,
Oct. 13, 1854."

THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Second Grinnell Expedition, Brig Advance,
Baffin's Bay, July 14, 1854.
My dear —,—lt is with pleasure I comply' with
your request, made upon leaving New York. After a
passage which only abounded with the usual incidents of
ocean life, we arrived upon the coast of Greenland, June
27th. The passage was a somewhat protracted one,
owing to the universal head winds and calms we en-
countered ; but, by wise foresight of the planners of the
expedition, we left New York with plenty of time on
our hands to guard against every contingency of delays,
and to make the best of whatever accidental circum-
stances might arise to favour an early and safe passage
to the scene of our labours.

The barrenness of " Greenland's icy mountains" has
long held a place in my imagination, but I was unpre-
pared for the absolute desolation which greeted is.
Peak after peak rose abruptly from the very water's edge,
and the interior seemed to be one continued waste of
snow-capped summits. Not a single foot of level land
or soil was to be seen, and the rocks told a mournful
tale of sterility. Although water poured plentifully from
the hills, even the usual surface vegetation which fol-
lows our streams at home seemed entirely wanting. Why
it should have received the name of Greenland is a puzzle
to me.

Such as it is, however, with its vernal cognomen, it
was doubtless discovered and occupied by the early Ice-
landers and Norwegians ; and when the suspended in-
tercourse with the Old World gave rise to the fable of a
" lost Greenland" its discovery was due to Frobisher or
Cabot, those indomitable Arctic pioneers. To the efforts
of a single man—Hans Egedd, "The Greenland Apos-
tle," as he is termed by the Lutheran Church—the
Greenland of the present century owes whatever it pos-
sesses of civilization with Christianity. _

'We made the coast near Godshalar, the scene of his
early labours, and I write from a point nearly opposite
that neatest and most flourishing of its settlements—
Egedsmunde, " the nunnery of Egedit."
On tite 29th, being becalmed off Fiskenaes, we de-
spatched a boat by the fiird to look out for the town.
Returning soon with a pilotboat and crew from the go-
vernor, we stood in, and were in a short time in sight of
the first Greenland town I had yet seen. It was in
keeping with the scenery around. In the midst of Es•
quimaux huts rose the only mansion, the residence of
the governor, a most kind-hearted okl gentleman, full of
Scandinavian hospitality, and fond of his wife, his chil-
dren, and his pipe. The courtesies of his humble man-
sion were cordially extended to us, and after breaking
bread with his Excellency we felt quite as flinch at home
as on board of our little brig, from the cramped guar-
. ters of which we were by no means sorry to be for a
short time relieved.
The official letters brought by our commander from
the Court of Denmark were anticipated by the cordial
kind feeling of the authorities.
Every care was extended to the expedition, and we
departed with a good supply of codfish and an Esquimaux
hunter, whose kayack and lance are expected by Dr.
Kane to keep his dogs in food.
Sukkertoppen was our next port, a quiet little glen,
shut in by rocks, and looking quite cosy in its barren
solitude. Here in a single hour we laid in reindeer furs,
dogs, harness, and mocassins, filled our water-casks,
and stood out to sea.

At both these places, while my comrades were busily
engaged in hasty preparations for departure from port, I
made the best use of my time in collecting botanical
specimens. With botany-box and gun I made two sal-
lies at Fiskenaes and one at Tukkertoppen into the deep
mountain gorffes, where the water, caused by the sun s
genial rays, had melted the snow that trickled down the
mountain sides, and at last found a resting place, around
which grew a highly interesting and quite luxuriant
flora. Upon the southern slopes I found the willows,
as if determined to force a living out of the world,
clinging apparently to the solid rock, and, though
stunted in growth, looking no less fresh than members
of the same family growing_in our own rich soil. The
cuttings of these plants were found to be of very deficient
development. The same was also observed of the Ana-
romida Tetrigona, one of the characteristic heaths of this
region. These circumstances seem to our commander
to indicate a backward summer, while the meteorological
returns obtained at Fiskenaes and Lichtenfels show a
winter of unusual mildness. The bergs, too, are not
numerous, and he seems to expect we shall meet no floe
of ice until we reach Melville Bay.

Disco we longed to visit—a longing which the sight
of the high mountains only increased ; but the breeze, I
suppose, did not justify us in losing an inch of ground,
for we stood on to the northward, in expectation of
reaching the middle ice. But one thing more remains
—an increase of dogs—for deficiency which we are
humbly thankful, as but for that we should not see the
settlement of Proven.

Proven, July 20.
Proven is not unlike the settlements previously visited,
except that, in being further to the north, its inhabitants
are proportionately more poor and wretched. It is,
with one exception, the most northern of the Danish
settlements on the threshold of the great barrier of Mel-
ville Bay. The scenery around presents the same barren
picturesqueness characteristic of the Greenland coast.
Here resides the Royal inspector, a clever old Dane,
possessing a small fortune, obtained through his office,
an Esquimaux wife, and good beer. His one-story man-
sion' looking almost as old as the hills, presented a
grand appearance beside the miserable huts of the na-
tives. Built as they are of stones, covered with sod or
moss for winter, and sealskins for summer, they look
more like the houses of burrowing animals than anything
human. Poor creatures !—their only pasture ground,
the sea, affords them occasionally an inadequate supply
of food, at which time their condition is truly deplorable.
It is the custom of the coast, brought from the father-
land, to set before the stranger the welcoming cup of
coffee, after partaking which, like the salt of the Arabs,
he may consider himself at home. This custom extends
from the governor's house to the native's hut—and good
coffee do they make. At the inspector's, signal credit is
due to our good Esquimaux hostess for her skill in
coffee-making, and the natural ease with which she did
the honours of the house.
We have here procured some 15 or 20 Esquimaux
dogs, but, as the number is less than half a supply, we
shall be obliged to stop at Uppernavik, 20 miles further
to the northward. These dogs are a necessary part of
an Esquimaux settlement, and seem to mingle with the
natives in about equal numbers, and in terms of the
greatest familiarity—living, in many cases, in the same
hut. One striking peculiarity I observed was their
huddling together, and tuning their pipes to the notes
of a chosen leader, who occupies the centres of the pack,
the whole settlement, young and old, set up a chorus,
loud and shrill, that lasts about five minutes.
Leaving
in
Provena
n hour
ard worldto at
thoeu
scener
s backs,me
th,of
we shall
our explorations. This is, as you are aware,
Sound. How far we shall be able to penetrate with our
vessel into this unknown
tretgiroor,ivnu
willi her impenetrable
,clependuponthe
point at which nature .
ice-barrier. Its waters have only yet been sighted by
pr
er
ae
sv
oi on u
ts navigatorso
iep e
that ov
terminus mysterious o
fq uoaurrt eNr. 0
ye
.f
ef tahl
ae
yr sbgei
ao
bn
1, e aetn(t,d
ewo d
uh
ea
tv eo
uery eerxy.
our
pl Or ,p 1 tl Onne
ti.n t Ootnhei
es uanrrkinveodwnatantdhe
age, winter quarters will be selected at a point protected
to
this
c
to the northward and westward some prominent head-
land against the floating ice in the early spring. I
selection great experience and judgment are required .
but in our commander's sagacity we have every conifi:
deice. Here we shall be frozen in for the nine long
winter months, during which period the search for
are going
FrEanokrltinhis willseabrcehmtande most e
active preparations .
on. Once at anchor, but few hours Will expirebefore a
boat and sledge party will set out to continue that which
could not be accomplished with the vessel. This party
iofnhinaen,dsallof
haves
whola a
butebe hlitevee'd doctor
is il
notlel ect
very syt as
o all
oultaunicative as to volunteeredhis intentions, and we
art iu ignore31 to who will be its fortunate sea‘