The Sun.
London, England, 1838-10-16 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

"Nis-
SIR— 4 observe a new p ump is being fixed at Charing-
cross ; and having noticed a very considerate provision for
animals, as well as human beings, at several public pumps
(particularly about Sloane-street), I am induced to hope it
Is not too late to adopt a similar accommodation at this
great thoroughfare ; and if the said new pump is not under
the direction of the ceremonious officers of the Woods and
Works, the scheme may possibly succeed : of getting a
small cistern, or trough, beneath the spout of the pump, on
the ground, from which dogs and sheep can drink when
passing by ; the waste drip from the pump always keeps
the trough full and clean in the instances above alluded to.

Your's, Q.
[We think this suggestion worthy the notica of the
" Animals' Friend Society."]—En. SUN.

SPORTIN G INTELLIGENCE.

—NEWMARKET SECOND 0 CT OBER MEETING,
Handica ESTERDA
p Sweepstakes of 10 sovs. each, for three years old and
upwards. T. Y. C. 8 Subs.
Mr. Thornhill's Mendizabal, 5 yrs, 9st. 41b Connelly 1
Mr. Pettit's Anne Boleyn, 3 yrs, Get. 41b 2
The following also started :—Mr. Watt's Dash, 3 yrs, Bst. 71h. ;
Captain Gardnor's Benedict, 4 yrs, Bst. 41b. ; Mr. Wilson's b. c.
by Voltaire out of Yorkshire Lass, 3 yrs, ist. 121 b. ; Col. Peel's
St. Vitus, 3 yrs, 6st. 121 b. ; Mr. Bond's b. f. Maid of the Mill, by
Partisan, out of Coquette, 3 yrs, 6st. 71b. ; and Mr. Forth nd. gr.
L Sister to Professor, 3 yrs, sst. 91b. Bettincr-2 to 1 agst St.
Vitus, 4 to 1 agst Dash, 6 to 1 agst Anne Boleyn, 6 to 1 agst
Yorkshire Lass colt, and 7to 1 agst Mendizabel. Won by half a
length.
Match, 500, h. ft. T. Y. C.—Colonel Peel's Vulture, Bst. 81b.,
received from Lord Lichfield's The Carpenter, Bst. 31b.
The Garden Stakes of 100 sovs. each. 6 Subs. T.M.M.
Mr. Greville's Slorella, 3 yrs, sst 101 b Cotton 1
Mr. Thornhill's Egeria, 4 yrs, 9st
Lord Exeter's Velure, 4 yrs, 7st. 91b
Duke of Richmond's Guava, 3 yrs, a feather 4
t°
Betting-6 to 4 agst Velure, 3to 1 agst Egeria (taken), and 8
agst Guava. Won by a length easy.
Post Match, Bst. 71b. each. R.M. 300, h. ft. One to the post.
--Duke of Portland's c. by Tiresias, out of Souvenir, c. by Priam,
out of Manto, &c. Boeotian received from the Duke of Richmond's
ch. g. Hoogley, br. c. Frontignac, and br. c. Chateau Lafitte.
Match, 500, h. ft. Ab. M.—Lord Suffield's Caravan, Bst. 121 b.,
received forfeit Mr. Greville's Mango, Bst. 51b.
Match, 200, h. ft. D.M.—Lord Suffield's Bamboo, Bst. 71b.,
receives 50 sovs. from Mr. Greville's Osprey (dead), ist; 111 b.
YAL CALEDONIAN HUNT AND WESTERN

MEETING AT AYR.—TMURSDA
The given by the Duke of Buccleuch, with 50 sovs. added
,
io.LO a Subscription of 15 sovs. each, p.p. Two miles. 3 Subs.
Ir, J. 0. Fairlie's ch. c. Abraham Newland, 4 yrs, Bst. 41b 1
Sir J. Boswell's b. m. Bella, aged, Sst. 121 b 2
Lord Kelburne's br. c. by Jerry, 3 yrs, 7st. 41b
Won by a length.
The Eglinton Gold Cup, by Subscribers of 20 sovs. each, h. ft.
Ridden by Members'of a Hunting or Racing Club in Scotland.
__Two miles. 4 Subs.
blr. Scott's br. Oswald, 6 yrs, 12st. 71b...Capt. Richardson 1
Mr. Merry's Bedershin, by De Vere, 4 yrs, list. 81b
L.; J. Boswell's br. g. Worthy, 6 yrs, 12st. 71b
Lord Eglinton's bl. h. The Black Diamond, 5 yrs, 12st. 21b 4

- - Won by a length.
Fifty soes. given bthe Caledonian Hunt. Heats, two miles.
l'ir• Merry's l3edershin, 4 yrs, Bst. 91b J. Holmes 31 1
9st
Lordg. Eglinton's b. The Potentate, by Langar, 6 yrs,
Air. 1 2 2
Meiklarn's b. c.Wee Willie, 3 yrs 2 dr
A good race.
Two yrs old Stakes of 25 sovs. each, 10 ft., with 50 added by the
Western Meeting ; for colts, Bst. 31b ; and fillies, Bst. Three
v quarters of a mile. 8 Subs.
.1,-4'orcl Eglinton's b. c. Uriali, by Priam Wm. Thompson 1
rd Eglinton's ch. f. Lais, by Corinthian
-Vr. Rarnsay's b. c. Easimmeld, by Mulatto 3 air. Alexander's ch. f. by 'Corinthian
Won by three quarters of a length.
01. given by the Caledonian Hunt. Mile-heats. The winner to
be sold for 200 sovs., if demanded, &c.
Alerry's br. m. Florentia, 5 yrs, 9st W. Edgar 3 1 1
Air. Ramsay's b. g. Luther, 5 yrs, 9st.
Mr. J. 0. Fairlie's gr. c. Pyramid, 4yrs, Bst. 101 b 43 3
Lord Eglinton's b. f. Bellona, 3 yrs, 7st. 81b.
A fine race.
The Harrier Stakes of 5 sovs. each, p.p., for horses not thorough-
bred, &c., 13st. each, heats, once round a distance, were won in
two heats by Mr. Campbell's Baronet, aged (Mr. J. 0. Fairlie),
beating Sir James Boswell's br. g. Cottager.

INGLEWOOD HUNT AND PENRITH RACES.
WEDNESDAY.
Sweepstakes of 5 guineas each, with 20 added by the Members of
the Inglewood Hunt. Two-mile heats. 6 Subs.
Sir J. Boswell's ch. c. Aimwell, 3 yrs, 7st. 11b. ...... 1 3 I
Colonel Cradock's ch. c. by Recovery, 3 yrs, 6st 131 b. 3 1 2
Sir \V. Scott's h. h. the Count, aged, 9st. 51h............ 2 2dr
Maiden Plate of 501. for all ages. Heats, two miles.
Mr. Walker's ch. c. Tyrant, 3 yrs, 6st. 101 b
Dlr. Attwood's b. f. Thero, 3 yrs, 6st. 71b
Mr. Elliott's b. f. by Corinthian, 4 yrs, 7st. 71b.

FRIDAY.

Plate of 101., from the Inglewood Hunt Racing Fund, for horses of
all 0,C5. Two-mile heats.
Sir J. Boswell's ch. c. Aimwell, 3 yrs, ist. Mb.
.Hut-
chinson.
8". W. Scott's b. h. The Count, aged, 9st. Mb.
Colonel Cradock's ch. c. by Recovery, 3 yrs, 7st. 31b 2 2 dr

HUNTING APPOINTMENTS.
Eo
,Alr. Morgan's hounds to-morrow, at Castietown ; Friday, at
bor Bridge.
The Tivyside hounds on Thursday at Llwyngwair Bridge—at 10.
The Pembrokeshire hounds on Thursday, at Trcfgarn Bridge--
at 10.
The Swansea harriers on Friday, at Croeinon.
The York and Ainsty hounds, on Thursday, at Strensall ; Sa-
turday, at Stearsby—at half-past 10.
‘__The Earl of Ilarewood's hounds to-morrow, at `Nike ; Friday, at
Walton—at half-past 10.
The Sinnington hounds on Friday, at Sinnington—half-past 9.

----- - - - -
The St. James's Theatre is still in the market.
There are lots of aspirants for fame and fortune ; some with
view to opera bulls, others for a regular English opera ;
Whilst many contend that as the Parisian Theatre for vaude-
!llles is burnt down, the very efficient company of that esta
blishment would be very attractive at the St. James's theatre—
unquestionably the most splendid little theatre in Europe,
t'find from its situation most encouraging to any person who has
ttet and a judgment to direct such . On dit—Mr.
Robins asks but 2 000/. rent for it. Surely concern
such a temptation
cannot be resisted,' as it is a much lower one than Mr. Braham
reeeives for his newly constructed theatre at the Colosseum,
where the admission is limited to one shilling.
• e, a Comparative statement of vessels, passengers, and
:onna-_
grrived at the port of Quebec to the 7th of September,
ftt the years 1837 and 1838.
Vessels. Tonnage. Passengers.
1g38............ 752 ... 231,728 ... 2,568
1837........••.. 678 210,894 ... 21,423

More this year... ... 20,834 Less 18,855

Arrivals on second voyage, 1838 35
9
1837

More this year
NEW TENNIS COURT AT LORD'S.—We are glad
t„
find that the first stone of a new Tennis Court has been laid
„a ord's
oers Ground, for the advantage, exclusively, of the Mem-
Zof the Marylebone Cricket Club.- Mr. Aislabre, the re-
ectable Secretary of the Club, performed this grateful office
in 8,4 appropriate speech, of which full particulars will appear
s tam excellent sporting paper, Bell's Life in London, on
"daY next.
b° nThursday night some wretch set fire to the
:13 and other out-buildings of Mr. James Hunt, of Orchard,
bn-Ir Shaftesbury. The fire raged with such fury that no
Vtion of the property. could be saved except the dwelling-
lin-rtise. Several pigs and a large quantity of poultry were
th Lt to death. A fellow who was observed lurking about
Premises is suspected of having perpetrated the act. The
4.l'''Perty is uninsured.—Dorset County Chronicle.
1-11.1\rn
rni, •—N ESs.— to.,C who are
pining away in dark
aitiwr with hope deferred for eventual but uncertain
-ailer from a ''formidable and dangerous operation when the
L-I.(i'ariact is ripe, may now dispel their doubts and fears, and
t L'; 'go the confident and cheering anticipation of restoration
11)41hr, by submitting without delay to the admirable,. singu-
-- Y and efficacious substitute for couching, most inte-
inatinglY detailed in the popular work on Cataract, advertised
another column of our paper.
lb 13RIGuTON.-011 Saturday afternoon, between
vt. and four o'clock, this town and neighbourhood were
isietodehours, -Y a severe and heavy s.iow storm, which, after two
the a continuance, kft the place and its inhabitants with all
at
eoPPearances of winter. Such a circumstance occurring
hhpersoe early
nage, " per•o
athe isoldest i not remem
habitarenbed
"- by that very vene-
tita May be doubted whether the various post and
tele coach-masters, on roads contiguous to railways, are not
,g off their stocks of horses rather prematurely. It by
gaeCreVls follows that the old mode of travelling will be so
gar; ally abandoned as they appear to apprehend, as passers-
by horse conveyed from London to Birmingham at this time
iree:pooancrihiensgfor one guinea inside and ten shillings out,
tthbeirdtc° billings prices by the Birmingham Railway being
and twenty shillings.
othe the 30th ult. two porpoises, the one old and the
far Thong',u had followed some fishes up the river Urr, as
the
ra, Port, which is distant three miles from the mouth of
tide rer, where they were prevented from returning with the
raced? the tea, by boys throwing stones at them, till the tide
rnediae,ki, when they were left in the pool at low water. Im-
in a holtlY afterwards some of the sailors, and others, mustered
after tl t, with boat-hooks, and continued throwing the hooks,
and filled it of harpoons, till they struck the young one,
Iseemo. it. The old one was struck several times, but
strue," to remain almost uninjured. At length a fisherman
and
(Ike a boat-hook into her side, upon which she swam up
taileow the pool with the boat-hook sticking in her side, and
ersa Considerable time it got disengaged. She was several
ne
w struck afterwards, but was not captured till a
a draught-
tar,lea,B g°t, and drawn across the river, when she was en-
log?. uin it, and hauled on board a vessel with tackle. A
Acen;s.nurnber of people was on shore, witnessing this novel
is The old one measured about six feet in length, by five
eurnference, and weighed upwards of 14 stones. The
u-eight of
erthe voung was about 31stooes. Next day the blub-
oil. "" ;jut oft and boiled, and produced four gallons of good
'-'"Thfries Times
31r. Sackville Lane Fox arrived at his mansion in
St, ames's-square on Saturday last, from Scarborough.

PRUSSIAN RUM AND THE ENGLISH

EXCISE.

[FROM A CORRESPONDENT.]
Prussia, as every body knows, is, generally speaking, a
very sandy country, and is very favourable to the cultivation
of potatoes. They are, accordingly, extensively cultivated,
are very fine, and are used for a variety of purposes.
Amongst others, they are employed to fatten cattle, but it
has been found that they answer this purpose best after
they have been subjected to the process of distillation.
Accordingly, spirit is distilled from potatoes, in Prussia,
less for its own sake, than for the sake of the rofuse of the
still to feed cattle, which no former in the sandy parts of
Prussia can dispense with. On every farm almost, in con-
sequence, and certainly on every estate (Gut), there is
a distillery, and spirits are made in considerable quantities.
Spirits in Prussia, as in England, are subject to an excise,
and contribute considerably to the revenue. To allow of
such an extension of the manufacture, as opened numerous
doors to fraud, became in consequence a matter of serious
consideration, but as its extension was essential to the agri-
cultural prosperity of Prussia, the Government adopted a
plan, which both secured the revenue, and admitted of an
unlimited extension to distillation, and which, perhaps,
might be worthy of imitation in England.
About the year 1824, the Pressian Government
passed a law, declaring that the rate of duty at that
' time levied on spirits in proportion to the quantity
then obtained from the mash, should remain the
same, whatever quantity should be obtained, and
should be levied wholly on the mash. Thus suppose
that in 1824, 600 gallons of mash yielded 50 gallons of
pure spirits, and the 50 gallons paid a duty of 9 thalers, or
about 275., the Government decreed that on every 600
gallons of mash distilled in future, whatever quantity of
spirits the distiller might get, the same sum of 9 thalers
should be paid, and the distiller was at liberty to use his
mash in any manner he liked. All the restrictions the
Government placed on the manufacture were, to require
the distiller to inform the Excise officer when he meant to
mash, to specify the quantity, and to work it off within a
given time. The manufacture was placed, therefore, as
completely in a state of freedom as possible, consistent with
raising a revenue from the article, and the manufacturer
was left at liberty, unfettered by any one noxious restric-
tion—unless the obligation to work off the mash within a
given time, may be so considered—to turn his talents, his
knowledge, and his skill to the best account. The results
of this wise freedom have been very remarkable.
A great improvement soon took place in tho manufac-
ture, and the quantity of spirits obtained from any given
quantity of mash has been nearly doubled, we are informed,
since 1824, thus reducing the tax actually levied on the
article one half, while the increased quantity manufactured
has benefited the revenue. Prussia soon became a great
spirit-manufacturing country, and now sends her brandy
and her rum, manufactured from potatoes, to Russia, and
to almost every pit of Germany. The quantity
annually manufactured is not less than 40,000,000 gal-
lons, which, at a duty of 9 thalers per 50 gallons, yields a
revenue of upwards of 7 million thalers. So great have
been the advantages, that the Government has at length
been smitten with a desire to profit by them, and is about,
we are informed, to raise the duty, or has already raised
it, though without otherwise interfering with the manu-

facture. Whether an increase of duty may not be followed
by many evasions of the law, time only can show ; the low
rate of duty hitherto levied, combined with the perfect
freedom accorded to the manufacture, are undoubtedly the
sources of this prosperous trade.
But the most extraordinary result of it is, that in Prussia
rum is manufactured out of potatoes, which is sold
throughout Germany as rum, and is actually imported into
England under bond in considerable quantities, and is sent
to English colonies and sold as rum. We have met with one
gentleman, a rectifier in Berlin, who has for two or three
years past supplied English merchants trading to our colo-
nies with rum made in Prussia from potatoes, which is sold
abroad as rum from the West Indies. During the present
year he has already sent, or is sending, 650 puncheons of
potatoe rum to England, and has 150 puncheons more to
send. At present he is, we believe, in England, and ex-
pects, by exhibiting samples of his rum, and by its low
price, to obtain a large number of orders. That rum should
be manufactured in Prussia out of potatoes—be largely
consumed in Germany—be imported into England, and
then exported as rum to English colonies, is to be placed
amongst the wonders which modern science and art have
wrought, and which warrant the assertion that everything
is possible to the skill and industry of man.
These circumstances suggest a few remarks. We have
heard lately from various quarters much praise of the
Prussian Government, and we are not disposed, after the
example we have quoted of its wisdom, to deny its merits.
But from this example it is evident that they consist in
having set a rising and necessary branch of industry free
from the absurd trammels with which distillation is still
encumbered in other countries. The prosperity, then, of
Prussia, of which we have also of late heard much, arises
less from the Government dragooning the Pietists into
conformity, less from its well arranged schools, where no-
thing can be taught but what the Government approves
of, and less from its continual meddling with the domes-

tic relations and industry of its people, than from having set
one large and essential branch of industry free from the
confront it exercises over other things. Those, indeed,
who " are most ignorant of what they are most assured,"
will continue to affirm that the prosperity of Prussia is
owing to the almost endless regulations of the Government,
and will continue, as at present, to insist on the propriety
of providing for every possible contingency by regulations
as is done in Prussia.
In the one point of setting an important manufacture
free from restriction, we heartily wish her example were
followed here ; and we should like to learn, from our
maltsters, distillers, brewers, &c., &c., how long they mean
to tolerate the noxious restrictions which stupid law-makers
have laid en the exercise of their industry'? Why could
they not make potatoc rum for colonial and other consump-
tion, as well as the Prussians ? At present the excise laws
would prevent it, and it is for them to decide whether they
will submit to have their ingenuity trammelled, and their
profits annihilated by an absurd code of restrictions. At
present, too, if all other circumstances were favourable, the
Corn-laws would effectually prevent our distillers from com-
peting with those of Prussia in the manufacture of potatoe
rum. What with Corn-laws then, and what with Excise
laws, Englishmen have the prospect before them of soon
being surpassed, and their superiority annihilated by the
Prussians and other continental people.
Let us add, notwithstanding the low duty on spirits in
Prussia, and the abundance of them, drunkenness is by
no means common, and certainly not so common as in
England. But then the Prussians have no Sabbath Bill—
no canting, hypocritical bawlers against innocent and
decent amusements—no licenses granted, at the discretion
of Magistrates, as a means of police, they have no vast
array of Parson-justices to take care of the public morals,
and they are not a drunken people, though potatoc brandy
and rum are cheap and abundant.

SKETCH OF THE CIVIL ENGINEER-
ING OF NORTH AMERICA.
EY DAVID STEVENSON, CIVIL ENGINEER.

This is a work of great interest, not only to professional
men, to whom it is chiefly addressed, but also to the gene-
ral reader ; and considering the short time that Mr. Ste-
venson could spare (only three months), the vast tract of
country he traversed, and the varied practical information
which the work contains, it is highly creditable to his skill,
intelligence, and minute observation of the principal
features of this great modern republic. In the course of
that period he visited Upper and Lower Canada, and the
most remarkable, parts of the United States, directing his
attention chiefly to the sea ports, navigable rivers, canals,
railroads, bridges, and other means of communication in
that extensive and prosperous country. He met with
every facility for prosecuting his researches from all classes
of persons in America, and the utmost readiness to com-
municate freely every kind of information, without any of
that narrow, jealous spirit of concealment which still distin-
guishes some of the old decrepit' States on the Continent of
Europe. The President of the United States, the Secretary at
War, and other public functionaries, as well as the various en-
gineers employed in the construction of public and private
works, rendered him every assistance in prosecuting the
object of his journey. Next to the vast rivers, numerous
canals, railroads, and steam-boats in that country, the most
striking feature to a stranger is the almost endless accom-
modation for vessels of large burden, obtained in such a
satisfactory manner, and at so small an expense, along
nearly the whole line of the American coast. In proof of
this, Mr. Stevenson states that there is no occasion there
for stupendous asylum harbours like those of Plymouth,
Kingstown, and Cherbourg, and that the smallest Post-office
packet station in the Irish Sea has required a much larger
expenditure of capital than the Americans have invested in
the formation of harbour accommodation for trading
vessels along a line of coast no less than 4,000 miles, ex-
tending from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Mississippi.
With such natural advantages, need we wonder that the
Americans, descended from the most commercial nation in
the world, should outstrip all other States, save the mother
country, in the amount of their shipping, and the extent of
their commercial transactions? These ready-made har-
bours, rivers, navigable for thousands of miles into the inte-
rior of the country, and almost communicating with these
rivers numerous lakes of an enormous extent, afford such
encouragement to the construction of canals, and other
artificial means of communication, that, even great as the
enterprise of the Americans is, we must abate some of our
astonishment at the vast progress in these respects which
this wonderful people have made within the last century.
The line of coast formed by the margins of these lakes
alone extends to upwards of 4,000 miles ; they have all

deep water throughout the whole extent, and present every
facility for the purposes of navigation. Their rivers are on a
still more gigantic scale. The Missouri, the greatest of all the
rivers of North America takes its rise in the Rocky Moun-
tains, its whole course is 3,217 miles, and its navigation is
uninterrupted for 2,532 miles from its mouth. The Missi-
sippi affords an uninterrupted line of navigation for 2,0.50
miles. The Ohio and the Arkansas are only inferior to
these giant rivers, and the Moine, another tributary to
the Missisippi, is said to be navigable for a distance of
1,500 miles. The whole length of the Missisippi, with its
tributary streams, is upwards of forty-four thousand miles !
Now the Rhone, and the Rhine, and the Danube, and
every European river, dwindle into pigmy streams when
compared with the long, navigable, and deep rivers that
flow into the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico ! The
Americans, it 'must be admitted, have not failed to take
advantage of the vast resources which these rivers and
lakes have afforded them. In almost every part of the
interior of this vast continent towns are springing up in end-
less succession, canals and railroads are formed to connect
lakes and rivers, and some two thousand miles from the
ocean they have established shipping ports on rivers which
in a few years may vie with some of the greatest sea-port
towns in Europe or America. The following description
will give some idea of the busy scene presented to a
stranger as he approaches the capital of one of those new
States, just formed in the " Great West :"

" It is impossible to convey to the reader an adequate idea
of those vast bodies of moving water, or to describe the feel-
ings which the traveller experiences, when, for instance, after
crossing the Allegheny Mountains, and completing a fatiguing
land journey from the eastern coast of several hundred miles
into the interior of the country, he first comes in sight of the
Ohio River at Pittsburg. Hare, in the very heart of the
Continent of North America, the appearance of a large ship.
ping port, containing a fleet of thirty or forty steamers moored
in the river, cannot fail to surprise him; and his astonishment
is not a little increased if he chances to witness the arrival of
one of those steamers, whose approach is announced, long be-
fore it makes its appearance, by the roaring of its steam, and
the volumes of smoke and fire which are vomited from the
funnels; but his wonder only attains its height when he is
told that this same vessel has come direct from New Orleans,
in the Gulf of Mexico, and that fifteen days and nights have
been occupied in making this inland voyage, of no less then
two thousand miles, among the meanderings of the Mississippi
and Ohio."

These steam-vessels have neither masts nor sails, and
not, one of them is commanded by a professional seaman ;
but, what is of far more importance, many of the vessels
are decidedly unsafe, and their management is entrusted
to mcn, whose recklessness of 'human life and property is
equalled only by their ignorance and want of civilization.
Mr. Stevenson says—

" When the crews of these frail fabrics, therefore, engage
iu brisk competition with other vessels, and urge the machi.
nery to the utmost extent of its power, it is not to be won-
dered at that their exertions are often suddenly terminated by
the vessel taking fire, and going to the bottom, or by an ex-
plosion of the steam-boilers. Such accidents are frequently
attended with en appalling loss of life, and are of so common
occurrence, that they generally excite little or no attention.
During my stay in North America, a steamer called the Ben
Sherrod, as already mentioned, was burnt on the Mississippi,
when 120 persons were reported to have lost their lives. lam
happy in being able to add, that there is reason to believe that,
in consequence of this accident, the Government of the United
States have resolved to take some measures to insure the better
regulation of this navigation, which has been too long neglected
by them."
But loss of life there is only a very minor consideration,
their great object is trade, and for that they disregard all
risks and spare no expense. The general cry is " forward,"
and, to do them justice, they progress most wonderfully.
What people ever made such strides ?
" Forty years ago, that country was almost without a
lighthouse, and now no fewer than two hundred are nightly
exhibited on its coast; thirty years ago, it had but one steamer
and one short canal, and now its rivers and lakes are navigated
by between five and six hundred steamers, and its canals are
upwards of two thousand seven hundred miles in length ; ten
years ago, there were but three miles of railway in the
court.
try, and now there are no less than sixteen hundred miles in
operation."
Nor are the labours of the people at an end, for there
are now no fewer than thirty-three railways in an unfinished
state, whose aggregate length, when completed,will amount
to upwards of two thousand five hundred miles. We have
room for only the following extract. It is worth quoting,
as a proof of the business-like character of the people, and
of the little regard which Jonathan has for what John Bull
prizes above all earthly considerations—comfort. Only
think of a fat Cockney, placed in a particlar part of a
canal-boat, not from choice, but according, to the directions
of the captain, to act as ballast, and turned out every
morning on deck at five o'clock, while the hammocks are
stowed away :

" The Americans place themselves entirely in the power
and at the command of the captains of the canal-boats, who
often use little discretion or civility in giving their orders, and
strangers who are unaccustomed to such usage, and would
willingly rebel against their tyranny, are in such cases com-
pelled to be guided by the majority of voices, and quietly to
submit to all that takes place, however di-agreeable it may be,
About eight o'clock in the evening, every one is turned out of
the cabin by the captain and his crew, who are occupied, for
some time after the cabin is cleared, in suspending two rows
of cots or hammocks from the ceiling, arranged in three tiers
one above another. At nine the whole company is ordered
below, when the captain calls the names of the passengers
from the way-bill, and at the same time assigns to each his
bed, which must immediately be taken possession of by its
rightful owner on pain of his being obliged to occupy a place
on the floor, should the number of passengers exceed the num-
ber of beds, a circumstance of very common occurrence in that
locomotive land. I have spent several successive nights in
this way, in a cabin only 40 feet long by 11 feet broad, with
no less than forty passengers ; while the deafening chorus pro-
duced by the croaking of the numberless bull-frogs that fre-
quent the American swamps was so great, as to render it often
difficult to make one's-self heard in conversation, and, of
course, nearly impossible to sleep. The distribution of the-
beds appears to be generally regulated by the size of the pas-
sengers, those that are heaviest being placed in the berths
next the floor. The object of this arrangement is partly to
ballast the boat properly, and 1 a•tly, in the event of a break-
down, to render the consequence less disagreeable and dan-
gerous to the unhappy beings in the lower pens. At five
o'clock in the morning, all hands are turned out in the same
abrupt and discourteous style, and forced to remain on deck in
the cold morning air while the hammocks are removed, and
breakfast is in preparation. This interval is occupied in the
duties of the toilette, which is not the least amusing part of
the arrangement. A tin vessel is placed at the stern of the
boat, which every one washes and fills for his own use from
the water of the canal with a gigantic spoon formed of the
same metal ; a towel, a brush, and a comb, intended for the
general service, hang at the cabin door, the use of which,
however, is fortunately quite optional. The breakfast is
served between six and seven o'clock, dinner at eleven, and
tea at five."

MONEY AND CITY NEWS.

(FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.)
TIME s. —A certain heaviness hangs over the Stock-
market, generally arising out of the unsettled state of the
foreign affairs of the country. To this, and to the gloomy
nature of the exhibit of the revenue just published, is to be
ascribed the depressed appearance of the funds.
According to the New York papers to the 21st ult., the
fall trade was going on favourably, and the city was said to
be full of dealers from the south and west. As, however, it
is understood that the orders for goods from the United
States have by no means been so extensive in the manufac-
turing districts here as was the case in the regular course
of trade formerly, it is probable that the animation noted in
the New York market is in great part comparative as consi-
dered with reference to the prostration of affairs last year at
the same period. It may, at all events, be assumed that
business in the aggregate was not carried on upon the same
scale as formerly. This gradual improvement in commercial
matters is, however, upon the whole, of a more healthy and
satisfactory character than would have been any sudden reaction
approaching to the old times of speculation and overtrading
and " racehorse bills."
There was also another feature worthy of notice as a favour-
able symptom of the aspect of affairs at New York. In pro-
portion as trade became more active and was returning to its
customary channels, Stock and Share gambling was on the de-
cline. The depression in the prices of Stocks and Shares,
which bad been going on for some time, was clearly not owing
to any peculiar circumstance by which the intrinsic value was
affected, but to the more apparent disinclination to speculate.
The Banks appeared to be steering a prudent course since
the resumption of specie payments, and were no longer in-
clined to make advances on the deposit of Stocks and Shares,
at least not to the same extent as in the times of the paper
currency mania, and th. jobbers, who in the main were people
of little pretensions to substance, were thus discouraged, be-
cause no longer able to raise the ways and means for the exer-
cise of their calling. It does not appear that there was any
scarcity of money for the legitimate purposes of trade, for
which the demand would naturally be on the increase according
to its increase and amelioration. An impression was generally
prevalent of a disinclination in London capitalists to invest in
American Securities, which, under the circumstances, would
nct be surprising, although here a contrary feeling seems to
be taken for granted.
It is remarkable upon the whole how much the results of
the resumption of specie payments have so far belied the sinis-
ter predictions of Mr. Biddle and those who concurred with
him. The firmness of the Government in resisting every pro-
position for rechartering a United States Bank, and establish-
ing an inconvertible paper currency, has evidently been prr?..
du..tive of the best effects in the gradual restoration of public
credit and confidence, accompanied with a revival of trade, con-
sequent on the discouragement of a spurious currency, and the
spirit of gambling growing out of it.
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