The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-24 00:00:00

LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 24, 1853.

WANTED.—A COUNTRY COTTAGE,
for a Permanency, by Lady-day or Midsummer, en any of
tbetsouth-Eastern branches, within twenty miles of London and three
of a station, containing at least two goad-sitting and four or five bed
rooms, with chaise-house and stable attached. An old-fashioned
'Manor or Farm-house would suit, and a Small quantity of pasture
land desirable, though not essential. A retired situation not ob-
jected to, but a dry soil and good water indispensable.. Address,
with full particulars, to M. T. Y., 33, Brydges-street, Covent-garden.

1110 MILLERS.—In accordance .with the wishes
' of Farmers, Millers, and others interested in the Corn Trade,
an Edition of the AGRICULTURAL, GAZETTE AND GARDEN-
ERS' CIIRONICLE,-will be published every Monday afternoon In
time for..post, commencing with the New Year. The Morfday's Edi-
tion will, in addition to the Usual markets, contain. a Full Report of
the Mark Lane and Smithfield Markets of the day.—May be ordered
of any News Agent. Price Ed. •

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC' INSTITUTION.
PATRON—A.R.H. PRINCE ALBERT.
MAT EXHIBITION of PHOTOGRAPHIC PICTURES MAGNI-
FIED about 40,1'00 times on the Disc, with an ENTIRELY NEW

SERIES of DIIiiOLVING VIEWS.
LECTURES by Dr. BACHOFFNEE on WILKINS'S NEW PATENT
UNIVERSAL ELECTRIC TELEGKAPII.
LECTURE by J. H. PEPPER, Esq. on .SPONTANEOUS COMBUS-
TION, with Brilliant Experiments.

An HISTORICAL and MUSICAL LECTURE, illustrated with
DISSOLVING _SCENERY, entitled " The ROAD, the RIVER, and
tfie RAIL," by J. E. CARPENTER., Esq., assisted by Miss ,Blanche
Ydunge, daily
Nine
a Quarter to Four, and every evening, except
Saturday, at Nine o'clock.
Open Mornings and Evenings. Admission, Is. ; Schools and
Children under Ten years of age, Half-price.

GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY COMPANYof
C &NAL/A.—Converted Qaebeq and Richmond, and nth-
mond and St. Lawrence, and Atlantic, paid up in full shares.
Notice is Hereby Given, that the interest at the rate of six per
cent. per 11111111 M, accruing en these shares up to the 31st Decenber,
1853, will be payable at the Bank of Messrs. G]yn, Mills, and Co, 67,
Lembard-street, on and after Monday the 9th January' 1854.
Such Holders in these Stocks as haw; already had their stares
converted into Grand Trunk, paid up Wall shares, will please fend
them to the 'office: on or after MoNDA.T. the 2d of January.' The
shares will then be registered in the Books of the Grand Trunk (oni-
pany, at the London Office, and, ttie Certificates will be returnd to
the Proprietors with warrantsior the interest due.
The paid up •in full shares of the Quebec "and Richmond, and Pt.
Pt. Lawrence and Atlantic Companies no yet sent in tor Converion,
will, upon being forwarded Mthls office; be exchanged for cotrrrted
paid up in full. Grand Trunk Bliares, and Warrants for the lutrest
due on theaa, will, together with the Registered Certificate. be
issued on and after the 9th January, 1854.
By order of.the Board. • •
WILLIAM CHAPMAN, Secretay.
Offices of the Grand Trunk Railway Company ofCanada,
2, peadenhall-street, London, Dec. 16, 1853.

SOYER'S EXQUISITE SAUCES expresslysea-
Boned to suit the Palate of Ladies or Gentlemen. SOTEIS Re-
lish for general purposes, and SovEß's Aromatic Mustard.
To be had of all grocers and Italian warehousemen; and rhole-
sale of Crosse and Blackwell, purveyors by appointment o her
Majesty, 21, Soho-square, London.

" THE PRESS," No. 34, This Day (Satuilay),
contains, among others—The Crisis—The Birmilgbara
Conference—Strikes and Poor Laws—Gaming Houses—Th Ame-
ricans and Kossta—Scotch Grievances —Correspondence—Satistics
of Railway Accidents—The Downing-street Christmas Pia' Bill—
Wanted, a Home Secretary—The Cabinet-makers—Skethes of
Radicals The Radical Female Literature = The RassoTurkigh
Question, by Coningsby —Lord John Russell's Memoirs of Moore—
Paskyn's Life iii Abyssinia—Youth and Womanhood if Helen
Tyrrel—The Dens of London,
by Vanderkiste—Knight's (roe upon
a Time.—Ranke's History of Servia, &c., by Mrs. Kerr—Tie Knot
of To-Day and a Hand to Undo it—Parliamentary Refoim, by a
Revlsii3g Barrister Errors in India, &c., by W. D. Braid—
. Periodical Literature—New Music—The Bal Masque s; Drury-
lane—Preparations at the Theatres—Together with all tie News
of the Week.
‘• THE PRESo" is published every Saturday, at tivi•Dfika, No. 1 !,4),
Strand, price 6d. May be had of all newsmen, and at tie railway -
stations. Money orders to be made payable to Mr. Alfred lye.

".THE PRESS" NEWSPIPER.—The
INDEX and TITLE-PAGE to the First Volume of" 7HE
PRESS" will be published on SATURDAY, De 3. 31, 1853, iE a
supplement (gratis) to No. 35.

Full price will be given for clean copies of No. 1, at the Office
No. 110, Strand.

GEORGE REEVES, 3,4, and 5, POPE'S
HEAD ALLEY, 19,CORNHILL, LOND)N,
(nearly opposite the South Entrance to the Royal Ezchange), being'
determined to supply the Public with the very bet WINES and,
SPIRITS, at the lowest remunerating prices, begs to manna the Sol ,
lowing list for their consideration:—

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN COMP.AA Y.

Yesterday the balf-yearly meeting of the pr)prietors
was held at the offices, No. 4, New Broad-strwt ;
Divett, M.P., in the chair.
The minutes of the annual meeting having T)oen recd
and confirmed,
The CHAIRMAN said they had very little to to ; tl
being merely a supplementary meeting, held al the.r+.
quest of some shareholders who desired that thew should
be more than one meeting in the year. There 'vas
business, except the reading of a supplementary report
of the transactions which'had taken place
_since the last,
annual meeting. He had great pleasure
_in saying that
that report would be found most satisfactory'l every;
way ; though, of course, it did not enter :into etails,
but merely referred to the general transa.ctioris of the
company. He would not then trouble the meeti3g with
any further remarks ; but in:the event of any qtestions
arising out of the report, he should be happy kranswer
them.
The SECRETARY (Mr. Miller) then read the supple-
mentary report
It stated that advices had been received to the 28th
of September giving a gratifying account of the pros-
perity of the colony. The amount received from the
ordinary sources of permanent income during the half-
year ending 30th April last, was as follows :—Rent from
country lands, 5,3931. 4s. 4d. ; ditto from town property
1,5731. 19s. 3d. ; ditto port property, 580/. 19s. ; ditto
warehouses, 8801. Bs. 4d. ; wharfage dues, 1,7101- lls.
mineral rents and royalties, 661. 12s. 6d. •total, 10,2054 •,
14s. 3d. The town and country rent roil, as well as the
wharfage dues had increased ; whilst there was a trifling
decrease in the port and mineral rents, and in the rent
from the warehouses. Mr. Giles, writing in September
stated that the receipts of wharfage, and warehouse
rent for May, June, July, and August amounted to a
larger sum than had ever before been realised during a
similar period. New leases had been granted of 1,197
acres of the country lands at rents varying from
3s. to ss. per acre ' • and of the mineral lands at Mount
Barker 1,000 acres for a dairy-farm at 2s. per acre ; and
102 agricultural purposes, at 2s. to 4s. per acre ; the
minerals and the right of working them being reserved.
The attention of the colonists was beginning to be
again directed to copper mining. Several sections of
land, suburban to Adelaide, containing 655 acres,
the leases of which had expired had been re-let, at an
advance of rent bearing from ss. to 11s. per acre. 2,113
acres of country land, more distant from Adelaide, had
been re-let at an advance of is. to 3s. per acre. Leases
of houses in Adelaide were now more sought after.
Renewals had been effected at an advance of 25
and 50 per cent. ; and with reference to leases about
to expire, Mr. Giles expressed himself confident et
obtaining much higher rents. The port property
yielded a good return for the outlay, and was an
nually improving in value. The railway from Adc
laide to the port was now likely to be carried forwar
without delay, and could not fail greatly to improve tb
company's property. It had not been the wish of tb
directors to sell land to any extent in the present stab
of the colony. The only sales advised up toiSeptembr
last were, two acres in Adelaide for 3501. each ; fie
small allotments at Port Adelaide for 850/. ; being t
the rate of 1,5001. per acre, and fifteen allotments t
Port Willunga township, of about half an acre each, it
301. per acre. And to tenants exercising their right )f
pre-emption, the sales had consisted of 284 acres of tie
country lands, and two small portions (about one qur-
ter) of a town acre for 1, 4731., being at the rate of
41. 15s. per acre for the country lands, and 400/.
acre for the town portions. The great competitionat
the land sales had hitherto prevented Mr. Giles ptr-
chasing to the extent desired. He had, however,3e-
cured 2,991 acres at various prices, averaging 30s. Id.
per acre, nearly the whole of which had already ben
let for pasturage at is.„per acre, and would very son,
it was expected, be leased for agricultural purpoes.
The limited increase of capital referred to at the In-
nual meeting had been .effected on favourable terns
then mentioned, by the issue of 484 new shares only ;ap-
plications having been received for nearly double hat
number. The whole of the debenture debt had leen
liquidated with the exception of 500/., not due till ()to-
ber, 1854. The directors regretted that they wereun-
able to report the completion of the charter, which was
still under the consideration of the law officers as the
crown on technical points."
The CHAIRMAN moved the adoption of the report ii the
usual terms.

Mr. OAKES seconded the motion.
A SHAREHOLDER asked whether, as the report was so
favourable they were likely to have an increased divi-
dend ? (Laughter.) He had hoped that before that
there would have been a much higher rent from the com-
pany's lands and property generanY-
The CHAIRMAN said the subject of dividend was one
on which he felt bound to speak with great caution.
Their fixed annual income was not more than sufficient
to pay what he considered the very high dividend cf 6
per cent, declared at the last meeting. That dividend
arose from extraordinary receipts, such as could not al-
ways be realised. As regarded sales of land, they must
take care not to kill the goose for the sake of the golden
eggs. (Hear.) There was every reason to hope that
they would have last year's dividend again, but he could
not hold out a-prospect of increase. The property, as a
whole, was rapidly increasing in value, and he had no
hesitation in saying that the value of the property at
Adelaide was far above what it appeared to be from the
inventory rates. •
A SHAREHOLDER asked whether the directors had
any information as to the probability of there being any
gold worth working in. South Australia ?
The CHAIRMAN said he could not give any positive in-
formation on the subject. There was undoubtedly a
great deal of gold in the colony ; but whether it could be
profitably worked was another question. He believed
that the prosperity of South Australia must chiefly de-
pend on its agricultural resources, and its copper mines.
The exports of agricultural produce from Adelaide to
Victoria, were enormous.

The report was adopted unanimously ; and the meet-
ing terminated with a vote of thanks to the chairman
and directors.

THE LATE GENERAL SIR A. MACKENZIE.—This gen-
tleman has left a variety of munificent bequests for re-
ligious and charitable objects. Among them are--to the
Church Pastoral Aid Society, 1,000/. ; to the Consump-
tion Hospital, 1,000/. ; to the Scottish Hospital, 5001. ;
to the Northern Infirmary, Inverness, 500/. ; to the
Poor of Inverness and of Dingwall, 1001. each ; to the
Inverness Dispensary, 1001. ; to the United Hospital at
Bath, 3001. ; to the Western Hospital, ditto, 100/. ; to
the Bath Society for the Relief of the Sick Poor, 2001. ;
to the Bath District Benevolent Institution, 2001.
Several annuities and miner bequests are then directed
by the will to be made, and the residue of the property,
which was proved as under 80,0001., is left equally to his
nephews, Sir Roderick Impey Murchison and Mr. K.
Murchison. Inverness Advertiser,
COUNTRY BANK NOTES.—It appears that in August
the aggregate monthly circulation of country issues of
bank notes in England and Iva. was 6,706,4311.

NAV A.L TELLIGBNCE.

:PORTSMOUTH; DEC. 23.
Rear-Admiral Superintendent !Martin returned from
leave last night, and rehoi;ted his-flag on bOard the Nep-
tune, 120, ordinary depot ship;this nrorning.
The Tyne store-ship, Master Commander .Tucker,
sailed ont:of harbour this afternoon for Ascension and
the Brazils, with stores for the coast of Africa and Brazil
squadrons.
The Sidon, 22, paddle-wheel steam-frigate, Captain
Goldsmith, returned to f3f)ithead this morning, from
Plymouth, where she. towed the Royal George, screw,
120, 'frOrn sheerness. The. seamen riggers belonging to
this aockyarel sent in the Sidon to assist in navigating
the Royal George, were la tided this afternoon.
The Fairy, Royal steam-yacht, Master David N.
Wrileh, was taken into the graving-slip, or "gridiron,",
this morning, to ship Mr! Murray's modification of.Grif-
fitl;r's patent screw-propeller, which will be tried at
Stokes Bak to-morrow, weather 'permitting.
We believe the artgacers of this port and arsenal will,
in common with those of other Government ports, have
a holiday ons4onday next.

PLYMOUTH, DEC. 23.
The Pique, 40, in charge of Mr. Brown, assistant-
master attendant of Devonport dockyard, arrived here
yesterday afternoon in tow of the Magicienne, 16, pad-
dle-wheel steam-frigate, Captain T. Fisher.
These vessels have been at sea since Saturday morning
last, when they left Pembroke. At midnight of that
day they were close to the Longships light, where they
met a 'tremendous gale front south-east, and with a heavy
sea, against which finding it impossible to make head-
way they put back towards Milford Haven. When
within about 25 miles of that place the weather becoming
overcast and thick, they lay to, the Pique being assisted
by keeping fast her hawsers. The sea, however, ran so
high as to snap four in succession, when she was obliged
to trust to her sails, the Magicienne keeping on her
weather beam. All Sunday night the gale blew with
great violence, and a sharp look out was kept on board
both vessels. 'The Pique's light trim did not at all tend
to her stability, for she tossed abolit- in every direction.
The steamer bad never before been tried in a severe gale
and behaved well, with the exception of a peculiar dip-
ping of her stern tinder water, which she did with so
much effect as to smash in the cabin deadlights, flooding
the furniture and doing considerable damage to it. Du'r-1
Ang the height of the gale the deadlights were firmly
Vbattened on the inside with thick planks and caulked, in
order to save the ship from filling abaft. These dead-
lights were some time since " strengthened " by nailing
sheets of copper on the outside, but like deadlights in
general, they are utterly useless as a means of security
against a heavy sea, and, had the vessel been running
instead of lying-to, a different result might have followed.
They have now been fairly tested, and will have to be
replaced by new ones adequate to the strength required
before
_pie ship can be deemed fit for another winter
cruise. ..By Tuesday evening both ships had reached to
the southward of the Loagships, but it blew too hard
•to admit of sending hawsers to the Pique. On the
following "iday, when about ten miles west of the
lizard, she was taken in tow and safely brought a
distance of fifty-five miles in the face of a strong gale,
after an anxious and trying 'charge to the officers in com-
mand. • .
The steam blockship Royal George, having discharged
her powder and shell, will fotl_up harbour to-day.
The repairs offlie Rifleman,will be made good with all
speed. - -
• The steamer Trentham, fro:m4'London for Swansea,
*hi& put in here- to-day, reports that on Wednesday-1
• evening she landed 181 mail bags and one passenger,, re-
ceived in the ChannelfrOre the ship Chowringhee, Cap-
tain 13rown, 118 days from Port Philip for London;
with 172,0090 z, of g01d.... .
-.WOOLWICH, DEC. 28.
APPOINTMENTS.

Assistant-Surgeon---Narcissus .C. Hatherly (1845),
from the. Royal Hospital, Plymouth, to • be Assistant-
Surgeon to the Plymouth division of the Royal Marines.
Midshipman—Christopher Borihwick, to the Medea,
paddle-wheel steam-sloop, at Portsmouth.
There are at present 14 officers of the Woolwich divi-
sion of Royal Marines employed on the recruiting ser-
vice in various parts of the country, and they have been
•so successful in obtaining and sending to head-quarters
a number of fine young men that the allowance of re-
cruits for this division has been filled up, and they are
now acquiring a knowledge of the duties of the prof
sion they have chosen. The Rbyal Marine branch of
the naval service is most valuable for its great utility,
and readiness for sea or land service, and the qualifica-
tions of the officers and excellent discipline of the men
would provds4sf the greatest- advantage on any emer-
-gency. - It ntest prove sireat source of satisfathlon to
the country, when seamen are obtained with difficulty,
that there h such an admirable force as the Royal
Marines an Royal Marine Artillery at the disposal of
the Admira'ty, and that the moment any of the finenew
screw steam frigates are commissioned, from 100 to 200
Royal Marines according to the class of war steamers,
can be put on board, capable of splicing a rope, bending
sails, or working the large ship guns and using the small
arms in the most effective manner. This corps has
always been so popular that a general desire is expressed
that it should be raised to 20,000 men.

THE ARCTIC SEARCH..

We published on Saturday last the despatches re.
ceived by the Admiralty "from the Behring's Straits
division of ships in search of Sir John Franklin."
It may be as well"to remind our readers that in this
quarter the only ship employed in active search is the
Enterprise, Capt. Collinson ; and that the Plover, which
has been lying there since 1849 as a depot or receiving-
ship, was not fitted, and was never destined, to penetrate
far into the ice, and latterly.has scarcely been in a con-
dition to move to and fro between Port Clarence, her
southern, and Point Barrow, her northern anchorage.
The original object of stationing this ship in Behring's
Straits was to afford succour to the Erebus and Terror,
already 3 or 4 years absent, or to any detachment of
their crews which might, after surmounting unaided all
the difficulties and dangers of a north-west passage, suc-
ceed in attaining this ultimate position, the aim and goal
of all their endeavours. There was no intention, appar-
ently, from the beginning, to push on the ship to meet Sir
John Franklin, or endeavour to ascertain what obstacles
bad arrested him in his way, even though it must' have
been conjectured, after so prolonged an absence, that
retreat had been cut off from him, and though it was
rumoured he had pointed to Behring's Straits, rather than
along the track in his rear, as the quarter whence he
should look for assistance in case of need. This latter fact
seems, indeed, to have received confirmation from the

absence, in that rearward track, of any of those depo-
sited records or intentional traces which a man who ex-
pected that ships might follow him would naturally leave
behind. _ _ _

The Plover, however, in Behring's Straits, was not
altogether inactive, and her boat exploration, during her
first year in the ice, of the coast of North America, be-
tween Point Barrow and the Mackenzie, under the com-
mand of Lieutenant Pullen, attests that Captain Moore
did what in him lay to render his means of research
available. _ _ _

Thenore eastern portion of the American coast line
on
south.whichw
es
tllwraa
rndk lin
from
oßu
al dr
rhoawv,e first s
Strait,
a d hebeen
able
to carry out the first part of his instructions, had been
surveyed the preceding year by his devoted and heroic
friend Richardson ; the examination of the remaining
part, though less important, completed the negative
proofs that the Erebus and Terror had not passed this
way. •
It was precisely this same navigation along the shores
of North America which Maclure performed the follow-
ing year (1850) in his ship, and fIA otwervationu of this
diligent and ontciprising officer bring us to the same in-
evitable conclusion as to Franklin's course. " I am fully
confident," says Captain Maclure, "that the missing ex-
pedition under Sir John Franklin has never penetrated
towards the Polar Sea in this direction, as some
portion of the immense mass of stores, spars, or
fitments with which these ships were provided must
have been picked up, when driftwood of very inconsider-
able dimensions did not escape observation.'
Pullen, after the successful accomplishment of his boat
navigation, did not return to his ship. He was met at
the Mackenzie by his commanders commission for-
warded to him through the Hudson's Bay fur posts, and
the following year, after an unsuccessful attempt to
strike northward to Banks' Land, he and his men re-
turned to England through the territories of the com-
pany.
The explorations of the Plover ended necessarily,
faute de materiel, with the brilliant feat of one of her
officers. Had she possessed a powerful steam-tender,
or even several steam launches, with the means of esta-
blishing outposts and depots for extensive exploring par-
ties, together with instructions to direct such means of
research into more northern latitudes some light might
have been thrown over the fate of the missing expedi-
tion.

But whilst the timbers of the "Arctic tub" are rotting
in Behring's Straits, the wants of her people -.: board,
thanks to the constant supervision of the Admiralty,
haveyear, onre,
have ever been carefully attended to. Every up to
of her Majesty's ships in the Pacific has sentbe!an
with pro-
her by the Commander-in-Chief on the station
visions, and this year the Rattlesnake,
On all these
from England,
has conveyed to her a double portion.have
occasions invalided portions of tbec_sahih
.9d7uirennyce the
been removed, and volunteers h
array of names which figuresbut theseu provisioning ships
ender the head of the
Behring's Straits division;
have, in fact, nothing to dowith the search. They are
not prepared to take
ecel and their orders are not
d discharge themselves of
more
that thfethy should
than that they should
stringent
their surplusburd
outeonflat danger from it themselves.
get seasonably
From what has been here stated, it is clear that the
the news from Behring's Straits de-
pends,achievements of the Plover, even
to the
.
so energetic and able a commander as Captain
under.
but on the hitherto unknown movements
interest
nao attached
ta;phoeni
ollaresearching-ship Enterprise, which, having win-
tered at Hong Kong at the same time that her
intended consort, the Investigator, was wintering

[PRICE SD.

in the pack, made her way back again to }Miring, .
Straits in the summer. of 1851, the: last, despatch of
Captain Collinson to the Admiralty. being dated Port
Clarence, the 9th July of that year. Captain Maguire
informsus, on the authority:of the natives At
row, that the two ships, Investigator and,Enterprise,
passed-alongtheir coast,' and were each bonided by the
natives, at the distances of 50 and Iso•miles east. ward.
He does not state that this: was in consecutive' yeari.;:
which must, however, have been 'the case, if, the facts be
true. There Is an ample fund for conjecture as to,what
may have happened to Captain Collins= beyond the
150 miles east of Point Barrow, where we lose sight of
him. Two winters have since passed, and a third has •
arrived. -Is he • spending it in another Bay of Mercy'',
or haS he, enticed by tie constant water-sky which was
seen by •Maguire, even through the winter, over the
nearer barrier of ice, sought and found an opening in -
this barrier, and disappeared fora timebehind it? NVe
have nu fears for his absolute safety .nor can any bLlme.
attach 'to him for having taken his ship along the coast,
of North Ainerica, instead of carrying her into a higher
latitude behind or north of the barrier of ice or islands
which appears to divide the north and south Polar Seas.
Nothing is to be foUnd in Capt. Collinson's instructions
which alludes to the search in higher latitudes, and he was.
ignorant of the discoveries of Penny, and that there
were unmistakeable signs of Franklin having passed up
that way in open water. With these facts- before us
we could have predicted that the researches of Co rk,
and Maclure must be, as they have hitherto proved to
be, so far as the discovery and rescue of the
missing
ships is concerned, wasted efforts. The discovery of the
north-west passage, by the way, must not divert the
public mind from the primary object for which the En-
terprise and Investigator were commissioned, pr else
vain have been the repeated declarations of the Admi-
ralty that it was in the cause of humanity alone, and not
in that of science or geographical discovery, that more
lives were to be risked and more money expended.
Happily, the lives lost have been few indeed, and the
money expended has produced a worthy result.
It is impossible to read the narrative of Captain Ma-
guire without being struck with the testimony he brings,
both to the existence of a vast body of open water north
of Behring's Straits, and to the comparative mildness of
the climate, which renders the sea ice too hazardous to
be travelled on in any season. If Franklin's ships have
been wrecked in these northern waters, these very cir-
cumstances must prevent his extricating himself ; but
the means of reaching him dicist, and unless steam-
vessels aro sent to his succour, he and his companions
are consigned to-a lingering extinction.—Cironkle.