The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-13 00:00:00

DEATH OF THE EARL OF STAIR.

This venerable and excellent nobleman expired on
Monday evening, at his seat of Oxenfoord Castle, in the
county of Edinburgh. As one of the greatest landed
proprietors in Scotland, and as long, actively, and
honourably connected with Scottish politics, the an-
nouncement of Lord Stair's death will create a wide-
spread interest and sorrow ; but the deepest grief—a
sincere and poignant grief—will be among those who
were privileged to know his kindness and steadiness as
a private friend. John Hamilton Dalrymple, son
of Sir John Dalrymple, Bart., was born in 1771,
and was consequently eighty-two years of age at his
death. He entered the army in 1790 ; became a general
in 1838 ' • and colonel of the 46th Foot in 1843. At
one time he held an acting command of one of the Regi-
ments of Life Guards, and in that capacity occupied his
always active mind in devising, with marked success,
means of avoiding the infliction of corporal punishment.
Many years afterwards, he was sent for by the Duke of
Wellington, and requested to explain the nature and re-
sults of the experiments, which his Grace had come to
think of importance. In 1810, Sir John Dalrymple
succeeded his father in the baronetcy and estates. As
soon as he quitted active connection with the army, he
busied himself in politics, and espoused the Whig
or Liberal cause, when its friends were few, and its
prospects desperate. He made several attempts to
enter Parliament for. Mid-Lothian under the old
constituency, and on one occasion came within a
few votes of success. When the Reform Bill of
Earl Grey was brought forward, Sir John Dalrymple
was amongst the most zealous and influential of its
Scottish supporters ; and on its passing, he was re-
warded by being returned as the first freely chosen
member for Mid-Lothian, beating Sir George Clerk by
a majority of 69. He only held the seat till 1835, when
the constituency was swamped by Tory fictitious votes.
In 1840, by the death of his kinsman, the 7th Earl, he
succeeded to the Earldom and estates of Stair, and next
year received a Peerage of the United Kingdom, as
Baron Oxenfoord. The brother of the deceased Peer,
North Dalrymple, of Cleland and Fordel, father of
Captain Dalrymple, M.P. for Wigtonshire, is now Earl
of Stair, and there remains the consolation of a con-
fidence that in his hands the honours of the station will
not be tarnished, nor its influence misdirected.

SCARCITY OF COALS IN SOUTHAMPTON.—There is, at
the present time, such a scarcity of coals in that town,
that 14,000 tons have been brought by rail from London
this week for the Orinoco steamer, which leaves there on
the 17th inst.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH.—Yesterday morning, between
six and seven o'clock, considerable sensation was created
in the neighbourhood of Lincoln-inn-fields, in conse-
quence of the mysterious death of a man of the name of
William Readin, aged 70 years, who resided in Wind-
mill-street, Tottenham•court-road, being found dead in a
sewer.
DEATH BY DROWNING.—On Tuesday afternoon, in the
river Tees, below Stockton, a boat going to Middlesbro',
with four seamen, named George Tinkler, Jeffery Wil-
son, Henry Williamson, and John Harll, was
upset by
the heavy wind. The three latter met a watery grave
the former was saved, he having succeeded in getting on
the boat's bottom, from whence he was taken by the
crew of a steamer, after having been in this perilous
situation for nearly three hours. What adds to this
melancholy catastrophe is, that Harll is the third son
his bereaved parents have to lament during the short
space of six years, by drowning.
THE FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE EASTERN COUNTIES
RAlLWAY.—Yesterday Mr. William Baker resumed and
concluded an inquiry at the Crown and Anchor,
Cheshire-street, Bethnal-green, respecting the death of
Mr. Richard Pratt, aged 53 years, late landlord of the
above-named public-house, who lost his life from certain
injuries received by jumping from a train on the Eastern
Counties Railway, some particulars of which appeared
in this journal of Monday last. The jury having re-
ceived some additional evidence, returned a verdict of
" Accidental death."

1
THE GRAVE OF ABD-EL-riADER'S ARAB FOLLOWERS,
The mayor of Amboise has just opened a subscription for
erecting a tomb over the Arabs who died at the château
of Amboise during the residence of Abd-el-Kader in that
place.