The Sun.
London, England, 1838-09-01 00:00:00

GREAT WESTERN STEAM-SHIP.

On board the Steam-ship Great Western, of Bristol,
29th August, 1838.
SlR—The undersigned gentlemen having been selected by
all their fellow-passengers, 87 in number, on board this ship,
to testify their entire conviction of the success of the highly
important enterprise which the vessel is embarked in, they un-
hesitatingly declare their fullest confidence in the efficiency of
the Great Western to navigate the Atlantic Ocean, from the
superiority and strength of her construction, the excellence of
her engines, and the unremitting attention of her Commander
to all the duties committed to your care. They likewise feel
it due to the Proprietors, to express their sense of obligation
for the arrangements and ample supply for their comforts (lur-
ing the passage; and they conclude by an ardent prayer for a
continuation of that prosperity which has hitherto attended
this undertaking, as well as their sincere thanks to you, Sir,
whose talents and alacrity have so eminently contributed to
this result.

The Committee, moreover, feel that they are only doing
justice to the sentiments of their fellow-passengers, in request-
ing that every publicity may be given to the above declaration
in England, France, and the United States.
John G. Gamble, Florida. I— Dumagerood, France.
Sarni. Swartwout. New York. 'John M. Laughlin. _
_ _

T. Lamount, United States. 'F. Vancennes,Columbia River.
W. Strickland, Philadelphia. J. K. Wedderburne, England.
H. Bagot, Commander, R. N. W. J. Keith, ditto.
Geo. Knight, Havannah.
To Capt. Husker), R.N., C
Steam-ship Great I

)mmander of the
'estern.

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.-(THIS DAY.)

DEAL, AUG. 31.—Wind W.S.W., fine.—Came down from
the River, and proceeded, the Meanwell, Duck, for Rio
Janeiro. The Premier, Were, for Canton, remains.
PORTSMOUTH, Ave. 31.—Wind W., fine.—Arrived her
Majesty's ship Gorgon, from the eastward; Duke of Welling-
ton, from Archangel. The Rosinante, Arrilawna, from St.
Ander, put in here with loss of bulwarks, &c., having been in
contact with her Majesty's ship Gorgon—bound to Scotland.
PLYMOUTH, AUG. 31.—Wind N. W.—Arrived the British
Union, from Prince Edward's Island—sailed 4th inst. ; Vene-
tian. Andrews, from Galipoli.
FALMOUTH, AUG 30. Wind N. W., moderate breezes, and
fine. Arrived the Carelew, Christian, from Dunkirk.
HULL, AUG. 31.—Arrived the Matilda, Cock, from Neu-
stadt ; Petrel, Bell, from Archangel ; Marianne, Hanson, from
Copenhagen; Hope, Paty, from Dantzig ; Willink, Brandt,
from Kiel.

HARWICH, Auo. 31.—Arrived the Henriettc, Egholme,
from Copenhagen.
WAINFLEET, AVG. 30. —Two vessels, names unknown, went
down yesterday, with all hands; one upon Kerock, the other
in Boston Deeps.
WELLS, Auo. 31. —The bottom of a vessel of about 60 tons,
but without any mark, has been picked up off Holme Point.
LIVERPOOL, AUG. 31. —The Sidney, for New Orleans, is
aground on the Middle Patch, Formby Channel.
HUMBER, Auc. 31.—Arrived the Harmony.

LIVERPOOL, AUG. 31.—Wind W., moderate.—Arrived the
Salvadore, from Licata. Arrived off port, the Alice, from
Barbadoes. Sailed, the Colombian, for New South Wales;
Robertson, for Quebec; Georgia, fur New Orleans; Naiad,
for Messina; Amelia, Lister, for Geneva ; Tremont, Hall,
for Natchez; Arethusa, Turner, for Demerara; Turbo, for
Boston; Trunchall, for Newfoundland; Sidney, for New Or-
leans; Thomas for Trinidad; Wilberforce, for Africa; Reso-
lution, for Mirarnichi ; Pactolus, for Philadelphia.
SWANAGE, AUG. 31.—Arrived off, Berger, Vali], Bahia.
BRISTOL, Ave. 31.—Arrived the Capea, from Virginia ;
and Neva, from Archangel.

CARDIFF, AUG. 31.--Arrived the Vesta, Gallenden, Memel.
MILFORD, Arcs. 31.—Arrived the Antceas, G:egson, from
Smyrna. Off ditto, the Emma, Cove, from Oporto; Age-
noria, Evans, from Licata.

DUBLIN, AUG. 30.—Arrived the Shannon steamer, London.
LONDONDERRY, AUG. 29.—Arrived the Rebecca, Drake,
from St. Juhn's, N B.

CORK, AUG. 29.—Arrived the Smith, Harris, from Mira-
machi ; Earl Durham, Atkins, from Quebec; Geo. Harper,
Owens, from Leghorn.

DOVER, Auo 31.—Arrived off port, the Venus, Gronbreck,
From Cadiz.

The Carnatic, Richards, which sailed from Mauritius on
the 18th April, for London, has put hack, having experienced
bad weather off the Bauc des Aigeullis.
The British Union, arrived at Plymouth, spoke the Cum.
berlaud, of Newcastle, from London, the 25th ult., in lat.
50, long. 13 ; arid Ceres, from Liverpool, the 27th ult., in
lat. 50, long. 11.
The Antceus, Grcgson, arrived at Milford, spoke the Alert,
Newport, bound to Trieste, the 2d ult.
'The Earl Durham, Atkins, arrived at Cork, spoke Mary
and Isabella, from London to Miramichi, the Bth ult., lat. 46.
long. 57 ; Mary White, from Belfast to Quebec, the 16th ult.
lat 49. long. 36. ; Doncaster, from Quebec to Llanelly, the
22d ult., lat. 50. long. 25. ; Hero, of Workington, bound to
Quebec, and Louisa, from Liverpool to Ariehat, the 26th ult.,
lat. 51., long. 10.
The Smith, Harris, arrived at Cork, spoke the Mary of
Newcastle, bound to Quebec, the 27th ult., lat. 50. long. 11. ;
Henry of Harrington, bound to Restigouche, the 22d ult., lat.
48. Jong. 27.

The Virgil, bound to Mexico, has put into New Orleans
baying been ordered off by the French squadron.

THE HIGHLANDS.

The " lialf7foot" system, under which such a vast multitude
of cottars. contrive to eke out their scanty means of support,
comes now to be described. These people are undoubtedly
the poorest and most dependent of all the Highland popula-
tion. They generally rear their dwellings about the outskirts
of large tacksmen's farms, as well as in every locality where
they can find a footing. They meet with kindness and indul-
gence to a degree which those on whom they are a burden can
in general but ill afford. Such of them as raise small quanti-
ties of oats, do so in the following manner : The tacksman
allots a portion of ground for them, which they till with the
" cas-chrom," and when ready for sowing, the tacksman fur-
nishes one-half of the seed, and the cottars the other half.
The cottar then sows and harrows the ground, which he
watches and protects until harvest, when he reaps it, securing
the one-half of the sheaves for the tacksman, as remuneration
for the ground, and the other half for himself. In the same
manner, also, the cottar raises potatoes for his family. As
the potatoes require manure, the tacksman allows him to cut
sea-ware, which he carries in creels to the ground ; and after
receiving one-half of the seed from the tacksman, furnishing
the other half himself, he plants the same, and watches over
its growth, until he lift the potatoes in harvest, when he gives
one-half the produce for the use of. the ground, and and has
the other half himself. Sometimes the cottar is permitted to
which is allowed to range with the other cattle of
In this case, besides the oats and potatoes which
thialevefaarmco.w,
be raises on the " half-foot" system just described, the land-
occupier generally gives him - a piece of ground wherein to
plant potatoes with the manure of his cow, the produce of
which he keeps entirely for himself. For the said cow and ground
he pays the land-occupier partly, perhaps, in money, but for the
most part in labour, either as "grass-keeper," or by cutting
pcats, mowing grass, reaping corn, or such other employ-
ments as may be required about the farm.— Quarterly Jour-
nal of Agriculture.

RAILWAY LABOUR.—The spot on which the men
employed on the Great Western Railway are now at work has
been, perhaps, the greatest rendezvous of railway labourers in
the world. Within a few yards of each other, winding be-
tween the new Cemetery and the Hippodrome, runs the lines
of the Thames Junction, the Great Western, and the London
and Birmingham Railways. A canal and a high road also
intersect the way. The whole space swarms with exca-
vators, navigators, engineers, stokers, coal-breakers, stone.
smashers, tunnel labourers, and all that amphibious subter-
ranean race of men who labour in the various capacities of
railway producers.
The St. James's Theatre is about to change hands
for a few years through the instrumentality of Mr. George
Robins. Brahmin, the most splendid of all English vocalists,
asks for a little repose, and it is known that the manager of a
Theatre " sleeps not on a bed of roses." Mr. Mitchell is in
treaty for the approaching season for his Opera Bea, for
which it is admirably suited.
An inquest was held yesterday, in Westminster, on
the body of William Cumming, a private in the Ist battalion
of the Scotch Fusileers, who, as proved in evidence, commit-
ted suicide by throwing himself int 9 the soil in the privy of
the Wellington barracks. He could not have fallen in by ac-
cident. Ho was taken out quite dead. Deceased had
been
lately in the habit of attending an Irvingite chapel in
West-
minster, and had become much dejected. Verdict—" Tem-
porary derangement."