The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-15 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF THE ATMOSPHERIC.

Yesterday a special trip (preparatory to the opening) was
taken upon the Croydon Atmospheric, from New-eross to
Forest-hill. Nearly the whole of this distance is upon an in-
cline of lin 100. Captain Codington was in attendance, and
was accompanied by Mr. Wilkinson, Mr. Crowley, Mr.
&limiter (directors); and Mr. Peter Clark, the superin-
tendent of the line. The trip was interesting ray so far as
it afforded something like an indication of the power of the
15-inch atmospheric pipe up a long and severe gradient.
The train, which consisted of four carriages, weighing about
sixteen tons, ran through from New-cross to Croydon without
stopping—that is the train, after the piston left the section of
the pipe laid down from the New-cross station to the engine-
house at Forest-hill, was carried by its own impetus up the
incline between such engine-house and the station at the
latter place, and down the short incline from the station to
the next length of pipe. The time occupied in running, from
a state of rest, from New-cross to the quarter-mile-post at
the Forest-hill station—viz., 234 miles, was 5 minutes and
21 seconds, showing a speed of about 30 miles per hour. The
breaks were put on rather heavily as the train approached
the Forest-hill station, and greatly retarded the speed of the
train. We believe this was done to avoid running at a high
velocity round the very short and sharp curve that carries
the train to the down side of the station. But for this the
23/ miles would havo been accomplished up the New Cross
incline in rather less than five minutes, or at a speed of 36
miles per hour. The highest velocity reached with this
light train of 16 tons was immediately previous to the ap-
proach to the viaduct over the Brighton Railway. The train
at this point attained a speed of nearly 60 miles per hour.
The return train consisted of seven carriages, weighing
nearly 30 tons. The highest speed reached by this train was
56 miles per hour. _

A second trip, which was not accompanied by Captain
COdington, or any of the directors, was taken up the New
Cross incline with the same carriages. The train started at
1 hour 42 minutes 6 seconds, and reached Forest-hill at
1 hour 50 minutes 30 seconds, giving a speed of something
less than 20 miles per hour.

OPENING OF TIIE ELY AND rETERDOROUGII RAIL-
WAY FOR PASSENGERS —This important extension of the
Eastern Counties Railway was opened yesterday for pas-
senger-trains. This line branches off about a mile below
the Ely station, and passes.Chittisham, Manea, March, and
Whittlesea, running on •to the North Western at Peter-
borough, its entire length being thirty miles. The works
over the Wash, and the extensive timber bridge over the
Old Bedford River, have been the principal engineering
difficulties in forming the line. It was intended to have
been opened as far back as last September, but various slips
taking place in ti. e embankments in the vicinity of the
Wash, it was necessarily deferred until the works were
restored, and the foundation properly consolidated. The
connecting of the Eastern Counties with the North Western
will prove of the greatest importance to Norfolk. Suffolk,
Essex, Cambridgeshire, and' the more inland counties. Ar-
rangements have been entered into by the two companies, by
which goods from Manchester, Birmingham, and other manu-
facturing towns, will be conveyed direct to the above-named
districts.

ROYAL SEA BATHING INFIRMARY, MARGATE.—
Yesterday the quarterly general Court of the governors of
this institution, founded in the year 1796, for the relief of the
diseased poor. by means of sea bathing, with medical attend-
ance at a trifling expense, was held at the London Coffee
House, Ludgate-hill, the Rev. Dr. Russell in the chair. The
minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, a
report from the board of directors, relative to the appoint-
ment of six additional surgeons to the infirmary at Margate,
was taken into consideration, and after considerable discus-
sion it was agreed, "That it would, in the opinion of that
Court, be to the interest of the institution to elect six visiting
surgeons, one of whom should attend at the dispensary each
day, except Sunday." During the year the number of
patients who had been in the infirmary exceeded 700. It was
also agreed that the beard of directors should appoint all
officers receiving any emolument, except the house surgeon,
who should for the future be elected by the governors 'gene-
rally. A committee having been appointed to confer with the
medical board as to the duties of the new visiting surgeons,
the meeting separated.
FIRE LN THE REGENT'S CANAL. Yesterday
morning, between one and two o'clock, a fire was discovered
burning on board one of the steam tugs, lying in the en-
trance of the tunnel, Montague-place, Islington, the property
of the Regent's Canal Company. The parish engine, with.
two belonging to the London brigade, quickly attended, but
the fire had been previously subdued by the police. The
damage was fortunately confined to the destruction of a quan-
tity of faggots, and slight injury to the boiler board and roof
of the vessel.

EXPERIMENTS AT THE EXCISE-OFFICE.—BREWING
AND DISTILLATION FROM GRAIN.—In obedience to orders
received from her Majesty's Government by the Commis-
sioners of Excise, a variety of experiments have, during the
past and present week, taken place in the private laboratory
of the Excise department, under the superintendence of
Mr. George Phillips, analytical chemist to the board, assisted
by Mr. Dodson, surveying examiner-general, for the pur-
pose of ascertaining how far it may be possible to supersede
the use of grain for purposes other than food to which it is
at present applied. The first process was an experiment as
to the necessity of the use of malt in the production of
ale and porter, and the substitution of sugar or molasses.
It appears that a very superior wort has been obtained
from the above articles, which, when flavoured with hops,
produced a very excellent beverage, the result being deemed
satisfactory. The beer thus obtained is deposited in the
Excise warehouses, to be produced when occasion may re-
quire. The sub6equent experiments were the distillation of
sugar by fermented wash, to supersede the use of malt in the
manufacture of whisky, and it is believed that a pure
spirit, superior in strength, may be had from sugar to what
is now obtained in the ordinary way from grain. The results
of these experiments, it is stated, will be communicated in
o dmedbo toe
the course of a few days.
SUDDEN DEATH.—Yesterday information was for-
BloomsburyCwoalr g, unrredCoroner's office of the death of Mrs. Mary
, ath
, residing. at 26, Little Russell. street,
the following lamentable circumstances:
It appears that about
deceased was sitting at the breakfast o'clock in the morning the
husband, and in the act of b table, together with her
she was suddenly seized withnatter•ink; a slice of toast, when
moments fell back in the chair pain in her head, and in a few
was at once summoned, but whnZeletintlY lifeless. A surgeon
were ineffectual, life being totally extinct
restore animation
REMOVAL OF THE ASPIJALTE PAVEMENT, WHlTE-
HALL—Yesterday Claridge's asphalte pavement at Whitehall
was removed, it having become so full of holes as to
render
l
the footway dangerous. It will be replaced with Portland
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