The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-26 00:00:00

THE THAMES TUNNEL.

The great difficulties which have impeded the completion of
this extraordinary undertaking may with truth be said now to
have been entirely overcome. The work has been wholly com-
pleted under the river and the shield; the avant courier of the
structure, is now below the Companl's wharf on the Middlesex
side. The operations at Wapping, for completing the shaft by
which foot-passengers will descend, are in full activity. Thirty
feet of this shaft have already been completed, leaving about
forty feet more to be accomplished. The natural ground which
has been all eady touched is favourable for the gradual and safe
descent of this enormous and ingenious mass of brick-work.
The engineer, Mr. Brunel, has, in some respects, varied the
scale upon which the shaft is constructed, as compared with
that which was sunk years ago at Rotherhithe, by constructing
it larger at bottom than it will be at i's summit. Immediately
the shaft has been sunk to its required depth the shield will be
advanced from its present position, having traversed thirty-three
feet six inches. The communication, throughout the entire length
of the Tunnel, will then be thrown °Fen. The run of water
from land-springs into the Tunnel at present is from four hun-
dred to five hundred gallons per minute. When, however,
the communication has been thrown open between the whole
line, this influx will cease. The engine with less than half its
power, throws off the water arising from land-springs, and the
visitors archway up to the shield is perfectly dry. It is ex-
pected that the ceremony of opening the Tunnel will take
place about the end of next summer. It need hardly be ob-
served that the engineer (Mr. Brunel), who has devoted his
whole attention for fourteen years, looks forward to the ac-
complishment of the Tunnel with the greatest interest. We
hear that her Majesty, fully alive to the great skill and talent
of the engineer, is about to confer the honour of knighthood
upon him. The assistant engineer (Mr. Page), and indeed
the whole body of workmen, most of whom have been em-
ployed from the commencement on this apparently dangerous,
but now secure work, are also most anxious for its entire com-
pletion. The shield presents a very novel appearance as now
lighted up, viz., that of a Gothic window. Several foreigners
of distinction have recently visited the works.

LUNAR OCCULTATION OF VENUS.—TO-
morrow the planet Venus, now our resplendent evening
star, will be, for about three quarters of an hour, concealed
from us by the intervention of the moon. The immersion will
take place behind the eastern limb of the moon, at 31 minutes
after two, p.m., and the planet will re-appear on the western
side of our satellite at 14 minutes after three. This splendid
planet is now a very beautiful object in the western sky shortly
before and after sunset. As the twilight dies away it shines
forth with great splendour. On Monday evening, March 15,
the atmosphere being particularly clear, the unusual phenome-
non of distinct shadows cast from its light were seen. Sir John
Herschel has remarked that " a shadow frora its light can
rarely be seen unless thrown upon a white ground, as a 'white-
washed wail, or white paper ;" but on the evening referred to
shadows were distinctly observable even upon so dark a surface
as a turnpike road.
ANCIENT CONCERTS.—The second perform-
ance took place on Wednessay under the direction of the Arch-
bishop of York. The selection contained a great variety of
sterling compositions from Handel, Mozart, Haydn, Sze., and
reflected high credit on the taste and judgment of the Most
Reverend Director. The concert opened with Haydn's
" Chaos," which was followed by the fine recitative "In the
beginning God created," beautifully given by Phillips. Phillips
was also eminently successful in Pergalesi's beautiful song " 0,
Lord, have mercy." Madame Caradori Allan was in excellent
voice, and gave " The bright Seraphim" most beautifully. " The
Horse and the Rider" closed a most excellent performance.
The third concert will take place on the 21st of April, under
the direction of the Duke of Wellington, who was present last
night : also Prince Albert (for some time) ; her Royal High-
ness the Duchess of Gloucester ; Lord Burghersh ; Earls of
Cawdor, Denbigh, Devon, Bandon ; Ladies Campbell, Falk-
land, E. Palk, Caroline Graham, E. Marsham ; Lady and
Miss Palmer; Sir E. Bowater, Mr. G. E. and the Hon. Mrs.
Anson, Sir Georg*, Lady, and Miss Rose, Sir T., Lady, and
Miss Broadhead, the Hon. G. C. Norton, Hon. Mr. and Miss
Wyndham, Miss Georgiana Vernon Harcourt, and a very bril-
liant assemblage of rank and fashion.

DUBLIN.—The inquest on the body of the
Italian boy, murdered on the 27th February, which has been
continued for eight days, has at last been brought to a close.
The Jury found that strong suspicion attached to Richard
Cooney, a tinker, and his wife, who were fully committed to
take their trial at the Commission on the 3d April.
In a letter to the Bolton Free Press, Colonel
Thompson, one of the earliest and most efficient opponents
of the Corn-laws, says the opinion of your correspondent
that " there is no scarcity of food in England or Ireland,
but there is a scarc;ty of work and wages, wherewi h to
purchase the food," I fear may be likened to the same as-
serzion made in the case of a beci god town, or one where
the gates were voluntarily closed with the patriotic rnct've
of raising the price of corn. Of the corn that should be
grown on the house-tops or in boxes at the windows,
thHe vvoul I always be a further quantity which would
be grown if men would give an increased price far it.
Wht reon your correspondent would say,. the want. was
is the work or in the wages. It was some defect of
man.gement on these points, which did not give men as
much abundance off flag-stones as out of a ploughed
field. For it is c:car there is some work ald some
wages, which if wen had them, would enable them to pay
for raising corn on flag stones; what more plain therefore,
than that if it is not done, it is for want of taking measures
to secure this work and wages? Whether after all, tbe-e
is not excuse for thinking, that the wages and the hours
worked for them, a ill have some connexion with the quan-
tity of corn to be divided, is what must be left, as hereto-
foe, to the judgment of the public. In despite of your
correspendert's barring the plea of impossibility, there are
few tougher, when once effectually set up. The fact is,
after all, that it i as impossible that after the gates of the
besieged town are opened, a ages should be reduced till
men starved as before—as it was that they should rise when

the gates were shut, till they gave every man as much out
of no corn as out of an abundance. The impossibilities
are precisely the counterparts of one another." •
HIBERNIAN MILITARY SCHOOL.—The ma-
terial alterations are three. First, all cli!dren who do not
belong to the Established Church are exempted from at-
tending public worship i-i the InstittviJn. Secondly, tho
children of Catholics and Disseaiers, in case of illness,
certified by the mediell attendant of the Hospital, can be
visited by the Clergymen of their respective communions
within tl'e Hospital. Thirdly, Catholics and Dissenters
will be at liberty to attend their peculiar places of worship
on all tit ilg occasion;.—Dublin Evening Post.
The Times is on the yin rive for mares'-nests ;
arid has found one in the arrangement by which Sir W.
Parker, one ( f the Lords ( f the Admiralty, proceeds to
China, as successor to Admiral Elliot, t ) whom our Con-
temporary assigns the seat at the Admiralty, to be thus
vacated. We have authoriv to contradict this statement.
—Evening Paper.
BADMINTON, MONDAY.—The Duke of
Beau-
fort, we are happy to 'near, has nearly reccsvesel from the
effects of his accider.t last week. His Grace purpses
i.ta3if.g here urt 1 after the 15th if the ensuing month,
with his amiable Duchess and family. Theme is to be a
meeting of the Noble Duke's hounds on tht lawn on Wed-
nesday next,

wi a open, and I &see:teed
BONE-HOUSE AT RIPON. The massive door
arches of which are filledw
intoih tshkenlclrsy pt,
dt h
de
et
tharceie)
evda uj Int: d.
bones with leg and thighbone?,in some p:vs piled twelve
feet deep inwardly,
in-
ternally virtually
bones ; and the floor ise walled in all round with dead men's
tiers, ono at the a
1 these va.l
seven feet in height, in careful
top of the other. The crypt is thus
is composed of them to the
c.
f depththe
them
f pledth r e enfpe e
is
, nahboonut t f
ntnwr ctnh
lones acre found, and some
ago, and the rest, amountingatiUs 'IL
sfiavned ey ()eV
plete remains, wera at first
heated up
against the outside of the church, like a great wall
buttresses. There they remaiced between two east-end
eajien a great pit, ten feet square, wasuntil eight years ago,
church-
yard,and the whole heap of
skulls and
dug
in the
bons were throwd
e
into it pole mele, the ground afterwards being
trees.— Granville's Spas of England. planted with
A rumour reached us yesterday, that , ,
in the au-
vices received front Barbadoes by a , eipectable firm '
this town, it was stated that a French Let of ten ships in
had arrived at Nlartinique. The object, of , of
war lnt! French
in so suddenly planting such a fares in that quarter ar
at present but matter of surmise. It i 3 judged, however,
that they may have quietly despatched a fleet to await the
result of the recent dispute touching the Eastern question,
when, in the event of this country having become involved
in war with France, cur West India possessions, slightly
defended as they arc, would blve stood in a somewhat
ticklish position.—Liverpool Courier. [We copy this
rumour, but attach nu credit to it.—Zo. $1471,]