The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-11 00:00:00

EXPERIMENTS WITH LIFE PRE-

SERVERS.
A series of highly interesting experiments were
yesterday made upon the Serpentine in Hyde Park,
in the presence of several of the Commissioners
of Woods and Forests, and an immense assemblage
of persons, some of whom were well known as taking
a deep interest in nautical matters. The experiments
were made for the purpose of testing the efficiency of
a recent invention, which has received the name of
the " Nautilus Life Preserver." The first test ap-
plied was that of attaching "the tubes" to a common-
sized boat, and withdrawing a number of plugs from
the bottom and sides, leaving the boat to fill with
water. Nothwithstanding this great weight and
that of six persons who were on board at the
same time, the boat still preserved its buoyancy,
and was rowed for a considerable period round the
water, all efforts to attempt to capsize or sink the
boat appearing perfectly futile. A number of the
air tubes were then linked together in an incredibly
short space of time, for the purpose of forming a raft,
which sustained the weight of as Many persons as
could possibly crowd themselves upon it, and at the
same time was easily managed. The " Nautilus
Life Preserver" was then applied to several persons,
armed with which they leaped into the water, and
were, without the slightest exertion on their parts,
sustained breast high in the water; one of these belts
was of sufficient power to bear the weight of three persons
in the water. The extreme portability of the article
in question must be a great desideratum, it being
capable of being compressed into a space not larger
than an ordinary-sized circular snuff-box, and could be
carried with perfect ease in the pocket. The celerity,
also, with which it can be made ready for use must
tend to enhance considerably the merits of the in-
vention ; for while other inventions tending to pre-
serve life from drowning necessarily require a consi-
derable time for the purpose of their being properly
adjusted to the person, by means of numerous straps
and buckles, and some indeed requiring to be inflated
previous to use by considerable exertion of the
lungs, the whole period required for pre-
paring and adapting this for use does not
exceed four seconds. By means of a spring the belt
is caused to elongate itself to the required dimensions,
and a small valve at the top being pressed down
causes the interior immediately to fill with atmospheric
air. The tube thus filled is then drawn round the
body, the two ends secured by means of a spring
clasp, and thus equipped the wehrer may float about
at his leisure, fearless and careless of the watery
element. The invention appears to us a highly use
ful one, and one that if generally adopted would have
the effect of saving numbers of lives, and of mitigat-
ing to an incalculable extent those horrors attendant
upon shipwrecks, the accounts of which are so fre-
quently brought before the public.

RAILWAY RETURNS
RAILWAY TAAFFIC.—The following are the Total Receipts of Rail
ways for the past week—that is to say, up to the date to which the
respective returns are made, together with the receipts of the same
week in the previous year:—

nz's
Week Last p, ,cending NAME OF RAILWAY. week. 2f,
..
e., a
x £
Aug. 29 Amiens and Boulogne .••••••• • " • • • • 738 -
Sept. 4 Arbroath and Forfar •••••••• • • • • • • • 260 270
3 Chester and Birkenhead. •••••• • • • • • • 889 953
44 791
2 Dublin and Drogheda ..... • ....... • •
1,218 1,446
9
7 Dublin and Kingstown •••• • • • ..... • •
- Dundee, Perth, and Aberdeen •••• • • • • _,351
4 Edinburgh and Glasgow .••••• • • .• .. 4,245 4,488
5 Eastern Counties and North Eastern.. 12,025 -
9,637
4 East Lancashire .. ••••• • • • • • ........ 1,479
Aug. 29 Eastern Union .... ••••• • • . • • ........ 1,087 426
Sept. 4 Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ayr •• • • •'2,911 3,007
4 Glasgow and Greenock ••••• • • • • .... 1,407 -
1,217
4 Great Southern and Western •••• • • .. 1,715
21,529 21,940
5 Great Western, &c •
- -
Ipswich and Bury... • .• • • • ...... • • • • -
1,499 -
3 Lancaster and Carlisle .•••• • • • • .....
4 London and North Western, &c.. •• • . 47,926 47,099
5 London and Blackwall.• •••• • • ..
4 London and Brighton .•••• • • • •
5 London and South Western .•••• • - .
4 Manchester, Leeds, and Hull Assoc• • 12,042 12,169
4 Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincolnshire 2,485 2,036
4 Maryport and Carlisle 629 623
4 Midland, Bristol, and Birmingham •• • • 24,063 21,078
5 Midland Great Western (Irish) ••• • • • 814 -
4 Newcastle and Carlisle ••••• • • • • • 2,511 2,146
- Newcastle, Berwick, and North Shields -
5 Norfolk.. ••••••• • • • • • • •
4 North British .. •••••• • • .• • ....... •'2,830 2,013
4 Paris and Rouen . .
- Preston and Wyre ••••••••• • • • • • • • " - -
3,537 -
4 Rouen and Havre .. •••• • • • • ••......
3 Shrewsbury and Chester •••••• • • • • • • 544
4 South Eastern and Branches ••• • • ... 12,382 12,069
4 South Devon •
4 Taff Yale .... •• ..
5 Ulster .
4 Whitehaven Junction •••• • • • ... -
4 York and Newcastle .••• • • • • -
4 York and North Midland .-• • • •

[AuvEnTissmENT.J—A DANGEROUS CASE OF ERY-
SIPELAS, ATTENDED WITH SWELLING AND INFLAMMA-
TION, CURED BY HOLLOWAY'S OINTMENT AND PILLS.—
Extract of a letter, dated East Real, Spilsby Lincoln-
shire, Oct. 8, 1845:—" I beg to announce to you a most
wonderful cure wrought upon myself by your ointment
and pills. I had a very severe attack of erysipelas in
my right foot and ankle, with swelling and inflammation
to an alarming extent. I was unable to move without
the assistance of crutches. I consulted nn eminent
physician to no purpose; however, in less than. two weeks,
by the use of your ointment and pills, I wan cured, to
the surprise of all who knew me. (Signed) JosErn
GILDON (a farmer)."—Sold by all medicine vendors;
and at Professor Holloway's Establishment, 244, Strand,
London.
DONCASTER RACES.---011 Sunday, Sept 12, Fore.
gatherings by Pegasus; Latest Movements in the Betting
Circles ; Programme of the Races ; Bulletinn from the
Battle-fields—Phelps and Keane ; Reidie and Driscoll.
A sixpence enclosed to Mr. Clement, j un., 170, Strand, will
insure a copy of Bell's Life, by the return of poste o
any part of the United Kingdom. The wnekly sale of
Bell's Life exceeds 27,000.
THE LATE MURDER OF A CHILD BY ITS MOTHER.
prisoner, Ellen Tuxford, was again brought up
...—LOUTH, LINCOLNSHIRE, SEPT. 9.--Yesterday, the
to the
Town Hall, before the Rev. W. Smythe and F. W. Wel-
fit, Esq., charged with the wilful murder of her illegiti-
mate daughter. The evidence was very similar to that
adduced at the inquest, no additional fact of importance
being elicited. The Bench, after going over the whole
of the evidence, fully committed the prisoner to take her
trial at the next Lincoln Assizes for the wilful murder
of her child. Upon hearing the decision of the magis-
trates, the prisoner said, " A many persons seemed to
bother their heads about the matter; she did not, and
,herefore she cutild no see why anybody else should."
THE DUTCH FLEET.—On Monday, soon after 11

o'clock, the crews of the ship, of war composing
the
squadron might be seen busily preparing for departure.
A royal salute, discharged about twelve, announced
that all was ready, and in a short time the whole fleet
had spread their swelling sails, and were steering in
line past Incbkeith. Another salute then boomed
through the air, which was promptly ret.urned from
Leith Fort, and the noble vessels steadily glided away
before a light rippling breeze. We believe it is Prince
Henry's intention to take a short cruise with the squa-
dron ander his command b,,fore directing, his cour.';e
ward,-- Witness.
COPriat Orts.—A vessel arrived Legliofn
brought, besides a general cargo of A
an unmeriusual can produccl-
tions, 106 casks of copper ore, rather artie
of import from that quarter of the world,