The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-11 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Six,—lbeimosiTespectfully to direct the atten-
tion of your nautical readers to another invention by
Mr. Bush, who is well known in the scientific world,
as having erected the "light of all nations" on the
Goodwin Sands. The invention to which I allude
is " Bush's Patent Compass."
I have had much experience in nautical matters,
as commander of the iron screw-vessel Ranger, and
have always found the local attraction of the ship on
the compass cause it to veer two to three points, ac-
cording to the list of the vessel; but having, wit-
nessed experiments made on Mr. Bush's compass for
concentrating the local magnetic attraction of iron
vessels, so that the needles of the compass should
not be subject to that deviation which has proved so
fatal to our ships of war, and to the lives of our brave
tars, and having had several opportunities of testing
the accurate performance of this invention, under
almost every variety of circumstances, I have great
satisfaction in being able to state that nothing could
have
i answered better; for it was always correct—
the iron having no effect on it ; and I much prefer it
to the compass adjusted according to Professor Bar-
low's method.

Permit me to add, that I hope ere long to see
Bush's compass adopted by every ship sailing on the
high seas.—l am, Sir, your most obedient,
ALEXANDER GALLOWAY, R.N.
Greenwich, Jan. 3, 1849.

IRELAND.
THE ANTI-POOR-LAW MOVEMENT.
DUBLIN, WEDNESDAY.--'--The following requisition,
bearing the signatures of a number of landlords and
landholders of the county, has been addressed to the
Sheriff of Westmeath, Mr. Middleton Berry, a gen-
tleman who has taken a prominent part among the
opponents—and they are legion—of the Poor Law in
its present shape :
" We, the undersigned landholders and inhabitants
of the county of Westmeath, strongly impressed with
the conviction that this country has been brought to
the verge of destruction by the operation of the present
system of Poor-laws, and that general injury has been
effected to the trade, manufactures, and agricultural
interests of Ireland by mistaken legislation, request that
you will call a, meeting of the county of Westmeath, on
an early day, in order to petition Parliament for an im-
mediate alteration of .the Poor•law, and the restoration
of our trading and commercial interests on the footing
contemplated by the Act of Union."
The Sheriff has appointed Monday, the 22d instant,
for the day of meeting.
The whole country is now
fairly up in arms against the Poor-law. It is the all-
engrossing and never-ending theme of newspaper
criticism ; but, unfortunately, you look in vain for
two writers among the legion, whose opinions coincide
as to the remedy to be applied to mitigate the evil.
There is a most admired unanimity in condemnation
of the system; but there the union ends. All the
rest is bitter and fruitless controversy.
THE WEATnEa.--There has been a very sudden
change in the weather, which up to Monday night
was remarkably fine for the season. Yesterday was
intensely cold, with incessant rain ' • last night it blew
a perfect hurricane, the rain still falling, and up to
the dispatch of this letter the storm continues to rage
with such violence as to preclude the possibility of
the Holyhead boat making the
passage in time to
catch the two o'clock train to London.

SALE OP TEE OTOWE LIBRARY.—.-There was little
in the catalogue of yesterday calling for particular no-
tice. The chief feature in the day's sale was a remark-
ably choice copy of John Boydell's collection of prints,
engraved after the most capital paintings in England,
with French and English descriptions. This collection,
which includes 450 very fine large plates, many of them
proofs before letters, was selected for Mary Boyden..
The disposal of this lot excited an active competition,
but it was ultimately secured for the Beaufoy Library
for seventy-five guineas. A copy of Bloomfield's His-
tory of the County of Norfolk, in five volumes, very
scarce, sold for 131. Bocattin's Falles of Princes and
Princesses, with other Nobles trough ye mutabilitie and
change of unsteadfast Fortune, with their most detest-
able and wicked Vices, translated by Jo. Lidgate, Monk
of Burye, a rare tract, in black letter (1554), realised
51. Brant's Stultifera Nevis, the. Ship of Fooles, wherein
is sh owed the Folly of all States, Latin and English,
translated by Barclay, another curious black-letter tract,
sold for 10/. 155., to Mr. Andrews, of Bristol. Brea-
denbach's Opus Transmarine Perigrinationis ad Vene-
randum et Gloriosem Sepulcruna Dominicum in Jerusa-
lem, gothic letter, first edition, a rare book, and un-
common object of curiosity and interest, being one of
the first books of travels ever printed, realised 114
Britton's History and Description of Ancient
realised
eaS
lt
iso
en
de
Crosses, sold for 61. 2s. 6. ; and Brockedon's Illustra-
tions of the Passes of the Alps, with upwards of 100
plates, for 41. 165.; the latter purchase being made by
3M6ro.lßBas. in6,d.of the Haymarket. The day's sale

'1 he Christmas pantomime draws good houses at
the Dublin Theatre Royal.
The Queen's Theatre, Dublin, is nightly thronged
to suffocation to witness the new piece dramatised
from Mr. Dickens's Christmas story of the Haunted Man.
GEOLOGI.—Last evening Mr. J. Ashbury Smith
delivered the first of a series of Wednesday evening lec-
tures on Geology and the " Vestiges of Creation," at
the National Hall, Holborn. The lecturer was listened to
with great attention, and was several times applauded
in the course of his able delivery. The hall was well
attended.

DERWENTWATER.—Derwent Lake was completely
froze❑ over last week, and many hundreds daily amused
themselves with skating upon its glassy surface.—Cum-
berland Pacquet.
OFFICE OF HARBOTJa MArrza.--Captain Fisher,
R.N., principal harbour master of the port of London,
has resigned his appointment, after thirty years' ser-
vice. It is an important office, and no doubt the
Lord Mayor, in whom the appointment of a succes-
sor is Tested, will take care that none but an officer
of acknowledged character and qualification shall suc-
ceed to it.

SINGULAR DEATH.—On Thursday a Woman named
Whitby, living in Douro-street, died under singular
circumstances. The husband of the deceased had an
abscess in the side, and about ten days ago, while she
was dressing it, she pricked or cut her thumb. Some o
the matter from the abscess got into the wound and pro-
duced inflammation, which gradually increased, and the
result proved fatal.—Liverpool Courier.
The Lord Bishop of Manchester left Sedgeley on
Monday night for London, to attend some meetings re-
specting ecclesiastical matters. His Lordship is expected
to return on Friday.—Manchester Courier.