The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-20 00:00:00

Third class, the same for both Bills.

The people of Kent ask for a public inquiry.
They are aware, from the evidence submitted upon
the question of cost, direction, and population, that all
these points have been shown to be greatly in favour of
the scheme of the South Coast Company, and inasmuch
as it is found that the claim to superior gradients set up
by the South-Eastern Company cannot be established,
they demand, naturally enough, to know how it was
that a Committee of the House of Commons should have
so decided against the direct and approved line, and in
favour of an inferior line, which altogether leaves the
local population.

. .
The people of Kent believe that Mr. Stanley's judg-
ment has been improperly biassed by the opinions of
Mr. Stephenson, from the circumstance that Mr. Stanley
is a director, while Mr. Stephenson is the engineer to
the Chester and Holyhead Company. They consider
their having interests in common with respect to the
Chester and Holyhead Company, is sufficient to ac-
count for Mr. Stanley's undue leaning towards the opi-
nions of Mr. Stephenson, in regard to the Kent lines.
This is a very natural conclusion.

An inquiry, however, into the whole question, must
take place in the House of Lords, and on the fare ques-
tion particularly. A thorough sifting of the evidence
must there be resorted to, in order to expose fully the
delusive and deceptive evidence of Mr. Macgregor on
this subject. The evidence of Mr. Macgregor was no-
thing more than a juggle—a bold and unscrupulous
attempt to impose upon Parliament, and to obtain,
through its excited sympathies, further arbitrary powers
to exact unjustly from the public. The attempt was as
unwise as it was unworthy of a great company to resort
to, and it must, therefore, be dealt with accordingly.—
Canterbury Journal.

ABORIGINES PROTECTION SOCIETY.—The tenth
annual meeting of the members and friends of this so-
ciety, was held at Crosby Hall, Bishopsgate-street, 11r.
Samuel Gurney in the chair. After a few prefatory re-
marks from the chairman, in which he spoke in high
terms of the operations of the scaiety, Dr. Hodgkin
read the report, from which it appeared that during the
year no great triumphs on the part of the society had
to be recorded, although meetings had been held with
more than ordinary frequency, and tracts, pamphlets,
&c., had been extensively circulated, together with a
new publication which had been started with a view to
the more general dissemination of the society's princi-
ples. The difficulties of Otaheite and other islands of the
south Seas had engaged the attention of the committee,
and interviews with Lord Palmerston had been obtained,
and the result of his Lordship's intervention had been
productive of the utmost benefit. The report proceeded
to give a brief statement of the present condition of the
Aborigines in the British dominions and other parts of
the world. It has been ascertained that the Aborigines
in Australia were rapidly disappearing, and many of
them had been mercilessly slaughtered. Lengthened
statements were made to show the character of the
Aborigines generally, most of them being described as
living in antagonism to Christianity and civilization.
The society anticipated much benefit from the appoint-
meat of Mr. B. Hawse to a post in the Colonial-office,
indeed they acknowledged that he had already conferred
great benefit on the cause they had at heart, and the
proceedings terminated.
ROME.—The anniversary of the foundation of the
Eternal City was celebrated, on the 21st tilt,' with un-
usual solemnity. A grand banquet took place in the
baths of Titus, near the Coliseum, at which Messrs.
Orioli, Dragonetti, D'Azeglio, Rossi, Guerini, Meucci,
Sbalerdi, and others, delivered patriotic speeches, which
were enthusiastically applauded by the 800 guests, and
the 20,000 or 30,000 spectators present at the fete. M.
Meucci congratulated the Italians on the sympathy ex-
pressed by England, for their cause. " England," he
said, " is a free country, and cannot give chains to
nations, that article not figuring among her manu-
factures. England admires and respects us. Let
us, then, love those who love us. respect those
who respect us, and hate those who hate us." This
speech was received with the most deafening ap-
apdladursees.sed Onby tChae r dfollowing
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tohaf Rome_dh tceed o f rendezvous. There they
formed'2aza delin t oP°PI platoons, and walked in the greatest order,
preceded by banners and bands of music, to the Pontifi-
cal residencek.aearredhhebi
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balconies
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of the
who,
after giving one immense cheer fur his Holiness, quietly
dispersed. Several Roman Princes had, on this occasion,
joined
lLte popularnehFolyL:_ prTb(,)ceet:msiaoin;
fu
that, during the last long winter, bwe,earuettiobl
be
aquatic
seen
bog and creek of the Moray, Beaulv, and Cromarty friths,
have all vanished to their homes and breeding places on the
Western Islands and hill lochs. All torts of gay plumaged
tribes which swim the broad waters, or dart on their finny
prey from an aerial height, were more than unusually abun-
dant. Flocks of grey and brent geese, the golden eye, velvet
duck, sheldrake, goosander, merganser, pintail, millard,
widgeon, and teal; of other kinds there were cormorants,
grebes, cootes, the solan goose, swans, herons, guillemots,
golden plovers, the redshank, and several kinds of sandpipers.
The little auk, or sea dove, from the Arctic regions, was
wild
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Hay MacKenzie, Esq., of Cromertie ; from his insular little
watch-house, as many as fifteen wild ducks, six geese, and
numbers of plovers, have been shot in the course of an hour
and a half. The author of " The Wild Sports and Natural
History of the Highlands," Charles St. John, Esq., is also
in a fine locality for the sport; he shot last winter a swan
weighing 191115., and with extent of wing seven feat seven
inches, besides many varieties of ducks and geese. H. W.
White,:Esq., and A. Mackenzie, Esq., have mounted gunning
punts—the latter was occasionally seen gliding silently along
the water, until the boom of the long gun swept its charge
into an unwary fiock..—lnverness Courier.