The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-20 00:00:00

THREE THURSDAYS IN ONE
WEEI:.

(From an old MS. in French,)
Of all the paradoxes there is none more surprising or
more calculated to disturb the mind than that which as:
serts the possibility of having three Thursdays in one
week. It is, notwithstanding, possible, and during the
last century it was demonstrated more than once. Cir-
cumnavigators in their voyages round the world have
discovered the fact. The ancients never entertained an
idea of the possibility of such a thing. It was a matter
of astonishment to seamen sailing Eastward round the
world, .to find on their return to the place from whence
they commenced their voyage that they had gained a day.
It was Thursday with them, and Wednesday at the ialace
of their arrival. On the contrary, those who sailed 'Vest:
ward round the world, counted on their return, one day
less to have passed than those did who had continued all
the while at the place from whence the ship set out, so
that it was Wednesday with the circumnavigators, and
Thursday at the place Of their arrival, As the pilots
and others kept ,journals, and paid strict attention to
every occurrence during the voyage, they were in the
first instance at a loss to account for the diffbrenee they
found between the journals of those who sailed Rag, and
those who had taken a Westerly course. They accused
each other of negligence, and the dispute led to a strong
contest, Several 4410 mathematicians at last discovered
the cause, They found that the difference in time was
occasioned by the laws of nature, and not the fault of 1
grvi
, The reason will be easily seen. Every 15
navigators.
upons the equator is equal to one hour of time,
ndea
and the vessel sailing East is always approaching sun-
rising. When they have sailed fifteen degrees East from
the meridian of London, it will be noon one hour sooner
than with those of London, When they reach the
meridian of Cairo, thirty degrees East of Lon-
don, they will have noon two hours sooner than
those at London, and so on in the same pro-
portion. Every meridian they arrive at will bring
the natural day one hour sooner than at London, so that
when they have gone quite round the globe, and return-
ed to London again, they will have gone 360 degrees, and
it will be noon, according to their reckoning, 24 hours
or a whole day sooner than to those who stay at London;
or, Thursday with them when it is but Wednesday
noon in England. On the other hand, if a ship set out
from London and sails westward, when they come to the
meridian of the Canary Islands, 15 degrees west of Lon-
don, their noon will be an hour later than at London.
At 30 degrees west, it will be noon two hours later than
at London, and when they get round to London again
through the 24 meridians, their natural day will be
24 hours later than at London, or Wednesday noon
with them whilst it is Thursday noon at London.
In this affair it Is not IlePess4ly. a ship_ should go
round the globe upon the equator, it 14 44111430 t if she
passes through the several meridians as all navigators
must who go round the globe eastward or westward.
For example : suppose a traveller embarks at Rochelle
to go to the Beat Indies, when he shall arrive at
the distance of 180 de ''reel 14ast inngitttd?! 441; 43 cir-
cumference of the earth, it will be midnight there and
noon at Rochelle. It follows that, in making the whole
circle of the globe, he will gain twenty-four-hones upon
the day at Rochelle, If it i 3 Wednesday at Rochelle
when he returns, it will then be Thursday with him.
The next day is Thursday at Rochelle ; thus there are
two Thursdays in a week, To find a third in this same
week, we must despatch another navigator to sail from
East to West, When he has reached 1.80 degrees of
longitude he will find himself opposite to that of Ro-
chelle, and it will be Tuesday midnight when they will
have noon of Wednesday at Rochelle, And, as the thing
is very possible, if those who sailed East and those who
sailed West should meet at Rochelle, they would find a
difference of twenty-four hours between their reckoning.
The Wednesday at Rochelle is Thursday for those who
went to the East, because they pined a day, Secondly,
the Friday of Rochelle is Thursday to those who sailed
West, because they have lost a day, The Thursday at
Rochelle is the third. Thus, according to time, there
are three Thursdays in one week,

TRADE BETWEEN RUSSIA AND
CHINA.
(From Alexander's East India Magazine.)
This trade is based on a mere interchange of the
respective national productions. On the part of the
Chinese, it consists chiefly in the barter of tea for va-
rious kinds of Russian produce and manufactured arti-
cles. In the regular course the traffic commences
between the dealers of the two nations in January,
and concludes in March, durine, which period the Rus-
sians obtain about 80,000 chests of different sorts of
tea, about one-half of which is destined for the annual
July fair of Nishninovogorod, and the remainder is
conveyed to Moscow, and other towns of the in-
terior. This barter forms one of the principal
branches of Russian industry, and has a very
beneficial influence on other commercial operations.
The traffic is always active and flourishing, for there is
constantly a great demand for the tea imported by the
way of Kiachta, and many Russian products, not much
in request in the home market, are disposed of in large
quantities to the Chinese. The transport of the respec-
tive articles is very difficult, and, in consequence of the
great distance they are conveyed, a long period must ne-
cessarily elapse before they reach their destination. The
transport gives employment, on the Russian side, to the po-
pulation of 5,000 versts of country, for such is the ex-
tent of the distance between Perm, the most remote
town of European Russia, and Kiachta, the extreme
eastern point of Asiatic Russia. To this population
the trade affords not only a sufficient subsistence, but
even a considerable surplus gain. The Russian manu-
factories, chiefly in request by the Chinese, are
woollen stuffs and cloths, such as ladies' cloth, Dutch
camlets, &c. The manufactory of the Counsellor Alex-
androv in Moscow, produces these articles in time quality
and form best suited to the fantastic taste of the Chinese.
Next in order may be mentioned Rubnikov and Son, the
brothers Babkin and Dobrohtov-Maikov, also of Moscow,
as the most successful manufacturers for the Chinese
market. They have distinguished themselves by the
strange forms and fashions they give to the articles
they produce in pieces of from twenty-five to forty
arshins, and of different prices, according to the
quality. Last year 40,000 pieces of Russian cloth were
sent to Kiachta. The other gooods in request are plush
stuffs, leather wares, particularly the favourite leather
of Casan, and peltry, more particularly the lambskins
of the, Ukraine. All these articles are exchanged for
tea; large capitals are therefore employed in carrying
on this trade. The value of the Russian merchandise
sent last year to Kiachta exceeded 24,000,000 rubles.
The quantity of tea imported amounted to 80,000 chests,
of which 35,000 were of the finest sort, the remaining
45,000 being of inferior quality. There are about thirty
different species of tea. Of the green, which is distin-
guished from all the others in form and taste, only from
100 to 200 chests are imported. There is a very remark-
able kind, called tile tea, the leaf of which resembles a
.tea, the

tile in form, and has also much solidity. It is prepared in
quite a different manner from common tea, beingstewed
with milk, butter, salt, and herbs, and served up as a
dish, It is accordingly rather an article of food than a
beverage. Tho Russians do not use it themselves, but sell
it to the Armenians and Tartars, who distribute it to
the Caucasian provinces and Eastern Siberia. The Cal-
mneks, Kirgliesis, and Burats, consume the greater part
of it, Besides tea, the Chinese bring other articles to
Kiaahta, the chief of which are satin, crape, pipes, toys,
cakes of ink, and colours ; but the value of these does
not amount altoother to 30,000 rubles bance,
Before the Russians, the greater number of whom remain
only a short time at Riaclita, offer to barter, they meet
and draw up in common a price current, to which they
strictly adhere, It saves them much trouble in their
dealings. The Chinese appear far more eager to get
off their tea than the Russians are to exchange their
manufaetures, The former have seldom any thing left
at the close of the market, whereas the Russians often
hold back considerable stocks. After the Russo-Ame-
rican Company, which has a great share in this trade, the
meg considerable Russian importers of tea are the Ko-
lessovs, LabitAii.o/ 11114 fiYP other mercantile houses in
Moscow, Bassin Kiachta and Medvednikov In Irkutsk.
The great advantages of this trade, not only to the
Russian merchants engaged in it, but to the inhabitants
of tk intermediate route of transport, was rendered
strikingly evident by the failure of the harvest and con-
sequent dearth in isas.o, The employment then
afforded by this traffic proved a great relief to the poor
people pf those districts. It may, therefore, be looked
upon as the most beneficial branch of Russian commerce,
but more considerable funds are required for its develop-
ment than have hitherto been at the command of our
merchants.

The little town of Kiachta, on the river of the same
name, distant only three versts from the Chinese vil-
lage Maimadshin, is two and a half versts in circumfer-
ence. All the wants of the inhabitants of Kiatchta are
supplied by their trade, and the town ranks as a free
port. In order, however, to prevent every kind of
smuggling, the strictest vigilance is observed day and
night by the officers of the customs, and nothing imported
or exported escapes inspection. As stations for mercan-
tile deposits must have market-places and warehouses,
and as those of Kiachta are decayed, and have not suffi-
cient space for great stores of goods, an elegant new
market-place is about to be constructed, for the expense
of which 1,072,000 rubles are destined, in accordance
with the architect's estimate. The merchants are also
building a church, which, though not yet finished, has
cost 400,000 rubles. The houses, which are entirely of
wood, are large and spacious within, and have a hand-
some appearance. During the period of barter in the
winter months the surplus population cannot be
accommodated without difficulty, and lodgings are, there-
fore, very dear. The ordinary resident population does
not exceed 400 of both sexes. Kiachta has fourteen
merchants of the first guild, but only seven of them have
fixed residences in the place. The others, who reside in
European Russia employ factors, and only visit Kiaehta
occasionally. A school for instruction in the Chinese
laugua,p was established in 1835. The young men
taught In It will be employed as interpreters. In 1840
the first seven were tfl§missecit having completed their
studies. The number at present in the POTIPIWP i4tPllPtt3ent
THE MOORS.—PERTHSfIi the lgth
inst. Mr. Campbell bagged at Monzie, 144 brace of game;
kir J. Mackenzie at Dalnaspiedel, 107 ; Sir P. M.
Thriepland, at the same place 93i The Right Hon, Fox
Maule at Kinloch, 63 ; Captain Beautnciut 4t TiPielih4lll
.53 ; Archibald Butter, Esq. of Fascally, at Dalguise, 36;
find James M'lnroy, Esq., at Ludo, 36k.
Tf-IF ftgplAsoNs or PA uts.--The Free-
masons Of Paris in.y§ 444 n hall exclusively appropri-
ated to their imeetingViOd theregiKe"are pttngeil old
:heir lodges and ChapterS Pri4ae
Et 9 YIP Thinks; However; to thle'cOn-
° • e'rq" 9' 't• illthi44P, the proprietor pf extensive
pt.* 9f gr 4444. neeF the4PTKINgiIvOP4PI4,3OPf tbP
an* masonic hall pr temple is about to pc raised
the IN; gINNW §94, Tfie 4FsP stQAeYO laid last
week, with all Aft morrule Frghl6liiest
tion of a deputation fT4III t4l? ORO OVOIIP TAW 01
France, assisted by other members of the fraternity, to
the 41441qer of between 499 And 990, . 4