The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-24 00:00:00

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10/. ; Charlea Kean, Esq., 201.; and a legacy, from t. he Widow
of the late Mr. John Moody, formerly master of this t society,
100?.
The Cirarnmax then proposed " Success to DriarY-siane
Theatre."—Drank with three times three.
Mr. Burgs returned thanks. He had been connected with
Drury. lane Theatre ever since the year 1820, and. during
the time that he had had the management he had produced
dramatic entertainments of every description, supported by
the highest order of talent—talent that he feared he should
never again
see equalled.—(Cheers.) Many persons sttp-
posed that he was wedded to one species of dramatic enter-
tainment only, but such was not the case. He produced
that species of dramatic entertainment which he was
enabled to produce most perfectly. He had a great many
suggestions offered to him, but it did not always de
to adopt suggestions. Mann'
ari, the scene painter, was once
employed to paint a Roman street. A. crowd of artists assem-
bled in his painting-room, and one suggested to him to
introduce a tree in such a part—another to introduce a rose
bush—another a parterre, and so on ; and the result was, that
when the scene was finished, instead of being a street it was
a wood.—(Applause.) He (Mr. Bunn) must, therefore, claim
the privilege of being permitted to judge for himself.—
(Cheers). So long as he swayed the destinies of Drury Lane
Theatre he would leave nothing undone to merit the public
favour.—(Cheers.) And to use an expression applicable to
members of ahigher place—when he should lose the confidence
of his constituents, he would resign his seat.—
(Clicers.)
The next toast was " The Covent-garden Theat:i !al Fund,"
which was drunk with three times three; and the last toast
was " the Ladies," which was drunk with all the honours,
after which the party broke up.
During the evening several exquisite songs and glees
were given by Miss Messent, Miss Rebecca Isaacs,
(who was deservedly encored in an exquisite air from the
new opera of Matilda), Miss Bassano (who sung Benedict's
beautiful air, By the sad sea waves," from the opera of The
Brides of Venice, so exquisitely, that she was honoured by an
especial encore from the Duke of Cambridge), the Itiiasea
Williams, Mr. Hatton, Mr. Hobbes, and several other ladies
and gentlemen. Mr. Hatton presided at the pianoforte.

IMPORTANT EXPERIMENTUM
CRUCIS, OR DIRECT PROOF OF THE DES-
TRUCTION OF THE POTATO PLANT BY
THE APHIS VASTATOR.

TO TILE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Stn,—ln my treatise on the potato plant, I have
shown that, antecedently to all other changes, a certain
insect is to be found on the leaf, which sucks the juices
of the plant and causes it to die, locally, at the part
affected, or generally through its entire system.
By tracing the insect to numerous other plants it was
found to produce similar effects—the turnip rotted in
the bulb, the carrot in the root, and even the indis-
tructible groundsel equally suffered from its attacks. In
the damaged plants anatomy demonstrates imperfect
tissue—chemistry, a deficiency of the solid materials,
and natural history indicates the source of the mischief
by pointing to the creature which abstracts that which
should form the fibre and starch of the plant.
To those who prefer experiment to observation I have
now to announce that at length the direct proof of the
capability of the aphis vastator to destroy the potato
plant has been obtained ; an experiment which has al-
ready been performed with the same result upon tulips
crocuses and other plants.
Several Russian tubers apparently sound and well
filled with starch were planted in a greenhouse, and tho-
roughly healthy plants were produced. Upon one of
the best of the number, when about two feet high, was
placed a colony of vastators which fed and throve abun-
dantly, and which were prevented from travelling to
neighbouring plants by a covering of gauze.
For a time, this plant throve as well as its neigh-
bours, but eventually the entire haulm died and withered
up, as was observed last year in the blighted fields. Its
neighbours, which had no insect to suck the vital fluid,
' were perfectly healthy, forming a striking contrast to
the withered and dead stalk.

On examining the collar it was found partially de-
cayed in the manner which I have described as being
especially attributable to the ravages of aphides. The
roots were found to be extensively rotten, and the little
tubers although not 1-6th the bulk of the original set
presented a hardness characteristic of disease.
The aerial and fungoid theorists have striven hard to
divert the attention of the farmer from the ravages of
the vastator ; and in the unparalleled virulence of their
opposition, they have even frequently substituted acri-
mony and mis-statement for courtesy and truth. Never-
theless, no scientific man in any country has ever dis-
proved my statements, or confuted my deductions ; and
if amongst practical men there be ono still left who
doubts the destructive power of the vastator I beg him
to consider deeply and repeat this experiment, that all
being of one mind we shall not be diverted upon matters
which are irrelevant, but shall be enabled to concentrate
our energies in the annihilation of the destroyer, and
the protection of our crops.—l am, Sir, your obedient
servant, ALFRED SMEE.
7, Finsbury-circus, April 19,1847.

---- -
IMPROVEMENT in LOCOMOTION.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sia,—An article of some length, on " Improvement in
Locomotion," appeared in your journal of Friday, the
19th inst., which is calculated to mislead the railway
public as to the novelty of the invention and its only
recent application.
Your correspondent is in error in attributing the in-
vention and its first application to that talented engineer
Mr. E. Galloway, and is in error in alleging that an
approximation to it was projected by Mr. Vignoles and
Mr. Errixon, and in error in asserting that "mechanical
contrivances of a similar character have been attempted
both in this country and abroad, but have always turned
out to he failures," and " that the wonder will be that for
upwards of sixteen years so really simple an expedient
for obviating admitted difficulties should have escaped
undiscovere d."
I hope 3 on will deem it but fair to allow one who oc-
cupied the field before Mr. Galloway, and who has in-
curred large expenditure is carrying the invention into
practice, to correct thost- errors for the information of
those of the public who are interested in the economy of
railway orration: and safety in traveliing.
I think Mr. Galloway is n nt himself awzre that in the
years 1841-2 and 1843 1 enrolled the specifications of
three varied patents for the same invention, not only in
this kingd,im, but also in several countries abroad ; that
in 1842 I publicly exhibited tho invention on large work-
ing models at the Baths, City-road, and that in 1845-6 I
carried the invention into practice on a full practical
scale on the Grand Junction Canal, in its application to
propelling a train of vessels on a canal by a single rail
laid along its margin, and that my specifications described
the invention, as well in combination with the locomotive
engine for obtaining an adhesive propelling power to
surmount inclines independently of gravitation, by add-
ing horizontal driving wheels in combination with ver-
tical driving • wheels, so as to act on each side of a
middle rail laid between the ordinary rails, and so as to
press simultaneously against the opposite sides of the
rail, being pressed by means of adjusting screws acting
upon springs with any required degree of force, and by
such an arrangement to obtain a bite or adhesion far
beyond what is due to the weight of the engine, and
thereby obviate the difficulties which arise from greasy
rails and heavy gradients, and so as to adjust the power
according to the load or gradient. Thus it will be seen
that it is precisely the same invention described by your
correspondent previously made public in this country
and abroad, publicly shown by extensive experiments,
and without " failure," as assumed by him.
Messrs. Vignoles and Errixon's projection was only a
brake-wheel, acting on one side of a rail, for the pur-
pose only of retarding on a descent, and was not in-
tended for the purpose of propelling adhesion at all,
whilst a patent was taken out by me in a foreign coun-
try, in 1823, for the application of guide-wheels, acting
on the sides of rails as a substitute for flange-wheels,
and for retarding on descents.—l have the honour to be,
Sir, your obedient servant,

H. PINKUS.
uare, Gray's Inn, April 14, 1847.

4, South-si

His Royal Highness the Prince Anat., attend•l
by Captain the Hon. Alex. Gordon, yesterday honoured the
Society of Painters in Water Colours by a visit, to view their
fort-t4ird Annual Exhibition, at their Gallery, 5 Pall-mall
East, previuus to its being opened to the public on Monday
next.
EXPLOSION OF A POWDER MILL.—A terrific es-
plosion, attended by the complete demolition of some eaten..
Lave powder mills, took place at the gunpowder manufactory
of Messrs. Wakefield and Bainbridge, at the village of Sag-
wick, near Kendal, shortly after ten o'clock on Monday night
last. The shock was plainly felt at Kendal. Near the man-
sion of John Wakefield, Esq., mayor of Kendal, were two
powder mills, called Back Mill, worked by a water-wheel,
and a few yards distant were two other mills, used for grind-
ing the raw material, the four mills being wholly erected of
wood. Closely adjoining to the two latter mills was what
was called the preparing mill, built of stone, to which was
attached the composition house. From some unknown cause,
at the time above-mentioned an explosion occurred, by which
the entire of these six erections were completely demolished,
leaving only here and there a vestige of the walls standing.
Happily the two night watchmen had but a few minutes be-
fore retired to the watch-house, believing that the manufac-
tory was proceeding in its usual safe course ; consequently no
life was lost by the accident. After th
ankpaltosoionneatimmaesstLf
burning timber was scattered about,
• but by the assistance of the Kendal
elfßthEiglatavu°al
ing,
finally extinguished. ,
flames from a quantity of ignited saltpetre
fiwreer-eenag-einryesalawrmere-
ePveOnUinLgTEtßheEßtSw'
LENT IxsTrr. • the above society,
founded for providing an asylum for aged and infirm mem-
bersaonn inthteheimchpaoirrt.
of the trade, was held at the London Coffee House, Lud-
gate-hill,r. to receive the report for the past year, the election
made during the past year. The receipts d •
coofn°glllreaetursl'akteed, the
in donations, sub-
scriptions, and the last anniversery dinner, " amounted to
1,0261. 13s. 5d., which, after payment of permanent pensions
and casual relief,and all expenses, left a balance of 5171. Is. Id.
The permanent fund of the society amounts to 2,7501. An
asylum is now in course of erection t W dnear
oo Green,
Tottenham, for the
reception of 24 aged and decayed mem-
bers, the cost of which, including
the purchase of the site of
ground, will amount to 3,2501., and which sum is now in
hand. Amongst the recent donations was a further subscrip.
tion of 501. from J. Grove, Esq., in compliance with the wish
of his late wife. A gentleman, formerly connected with the
poultry trade, has also promised a bequest of 1,0001. The
report was adopted, and thanks to the chairman and the
officers being voted, the meeting separated.
FATAL ACCIDENT.—Thursday afternoon, between
the hours of 12 and 1 o'clock, an accident occurred to a poor
woman which terminated fatally. It appears that a brewer's
dray was passing along White Lion-street, Goodman's-fields,
and on going under the Blackwall Railway arch, which
crosses the street, a train passed over it, which frightened
the horses, and they bounded off at a furious pace and came
in contact with a fruit-stall, the owner of which (who was
dent) was in the act of stooping to pick up something when
the dray passed over her arm, and two empty berrels were
jolted off the dray which fell upon the poor woman and killed
her on the spot. She was promptly removed by the police
and others to a neighbouring public-house, where she lies
awaiting a coroner's inquest, which will be held to-day.
SAGE VERDICT.—We have heard it stated that,
somewhere in this neighbourhood, the lower extremities and
trunk of a child were lately found thickond. Tbe sapient
jury, after knocking together their heads, returned_.?
verdict which cleforyea tobe putoarecord,"Fouaddrorned