The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-04 00:00:00

LOYAL UNITED FRIENDS.

On Monday list en excursion of the members of this
igh-ly-mipecsaidessocial body took place to Rye House,
11,d,lesdon, Hertfordshire, on which occasion between
seven and eight hundred ladies an I gentlemen left the
Shoreditch station of the Eastern Ceunties Railway
shortly after ten o'clock, and proceeded to the Rye
House station, vdlere they arrived at about half past
eleven. The Rye House is situated on the banks of the
river Lea wiibin one hundred yards of the railway
station near Hodlesdon, and is famous in English history
as having been the place where a pretended conspiracy
was designed, proposing to take the life of King Charles
the Second. This plat was made the engine by the eor-
rupt Parliament of that period to Effect the judicial
murder of those martyrs for freedom and liberty, Lord
Russell and Algernon Sydney. The ruins of the Rye
House are still in good preservation, as aro also those
of Netherhall, a mansion or rather a lodge to a castle of
the time of Henry the Eighth. A short distance on the
banks of the river Lea, is the interesting village of Am-
well, where are the Shadwell Springs, the source of the
New River, with the urn and tomb of Sir Hugh
Middleton, that great benefactor who spent the whole of
his fortune in bringing the New River water to London.
After the company bad alighted from the train and
reached the Bye House, the rain pouring in torrents all
the time (in fact a wore day has not occurred for some
years past) they proceed ed to do justice to their appe-
tites, but were compelk d in consequence of the bad
weather to remain within doors instead of enjoying
themselves in boating, angling, cricket, trap-ball,
archery, &c., as they bad done on a previous occasion.
In the course of the afternoon a considerable portion of
the party assembled in the long room, P.S.P. Robertson,
presiding chairman, and supported among others by P.P.
Burgess, P.S.P. Spearing, P.P. Jaques, P.S.P. Watson,
P.P. Hughes, P.S.P. Burns, l'.P. Watson, P.S.P. Bull,
P.P. Studd,' P.P. Weatherly, P.P. Holder, I'.S P. W,lls,
P.P. Woodman, P.l'. Shiers, P.D. Dormer, P.D. Francis,
D. Wilson, P. Perry, Treasurer Payne, and P.S.P. Price,
treasurer of the relief fund. The chairman, in a few
appropriate words, proposed the health of her
Majesty the Queen, which was received with
much applause. after which he gave the health
of Treasurer Price, which was well received;
then followed the health of the chairman; this toast was
acknowledged by Mr. Robertson, in his usual spirited
style. Secretary Crawley gave a brief statement of the
receipts and expenditure of the "Friend in Need" fund,
for the benefit of which the excursion took place. After
a few more toasts had been given, and properly
resp)nded to, P.P. Dean caused a large balloon (round
which were the words "Thanks to all Friends") to as-
cend in the air. Several excellent songs were sung by
Messrs. Townsend, Perkins, Murrell, and Smart, and
although the very unpropitious state of the weather,
was calculated to dampen tha spirits of the party, yet
they maintained their tempers to the last, arid every-
thing passed off extremely well. Much credit is due to
Treasurer Price, P. P. Watson (No. 5), P. P. Weatherly,
and P. P. Jaques, for their unremitting attention to the
comforts of the company, and the assiduous attention of
Mr. Chairman Robertson was beyond all pruise. The
company left the spacious and beautiful gardens shortly
after eight o'clock, and arrived in town between nine and
ten, the rain comingsdown much faster than it did in the
morning; had it been a fine day, more than 1,000 persons
were expected on the excursion.

DEATH OF MADAME DORVAL.—One Of the
brightest luminaries of the French dramatic world is
extinguished. Madame Dorval died a few days ago at
the age of 51. Satisfactorily to describe an actress to
those who hay° not witnessed her performance is a task
difficult of accomplishment; and, unfortunately for the
English public, Madame Dorval never visited London
professionally. Of the general character, however, of
her genius, it may be said to have been Siddonian ; and,
had she been an English woman, she would unquestion-
ably have been a great Shaksperian actress. Though
she had an honourable success in the French classical
drama, she was in some degree cramped by its
,ant tram-
mels;Sh like Telma, she might have said, " I
spore to grapple with ;" so that it was not till the adventak-
of the modern school that her extraordinary powers
found space for their development. The pl ays of Victor
Hugo, Alfred do Vigny, Alexandre Dumas—Chatterton,
Angelo, flernani, Marion- Delo? ng l
nte—abounding •
pas-
sion, feeling, real-life emotions, furnished her witnh con-
genial materials upon which to work; whilst those pro-
ductions found in her an interpretress by whose aid they
achieved_ an immediate popularity. But by such of the
English visitors to Paris as had the advantage of seeing
her she will, perhaps, be best remembered in Marie-
Jeanne— Mai ie-Jeanne, once seen, never to be forgotten.
As a private member of society, her good humour, her
unaffected manners, and a heart overflowing with kind-
ness, will cause her loss long to be regretted by all who
enjoyed the happiness of being numbered among her
friends..—Post.
THE IRON TRADE—BIRMINGHAM,SATURDAY...-.
The reduction of 11. per ton in the price of iron has been
generally adopted, and it it now appears that many of
the masters never sold at the advanced rate resolved upon
at the January quarterly meeting. Some extensive
dealers are of opinion that it will be difficult to maintain
even the present price, and that a further reduction may
be expected at or before next quarter- day. The work-
people have, in most instances, with good humour ac•
eepted the reduced rate of wages.
The cost of the ball and offices at the Euston
Station of the London and North-Western is understated
at 125,0001., the interest of which, at five per cent., is
6,2501. per annum. The company must, therefore, earn
more than 171. per day for every day in the year, includ
ing Sundays, simply for the use of these
new
buildings,
exclusive of the cost of repairs.--builder.