The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-07 00:00:00

G, ANUARY 7, 1847

GAZINES, ETC.—(CONTIN LIED.)
THE RENFREIVSIIII?I3 MAGAZINE. Nos.

1., 11., 111 , and IV.

Anew asprant for public patronage, published at
Paisley, nad is:AA at a trilling Lniount monthly, is
iyin4 Lunn our table. the con'eut!:, are singularly
tri..l singularly intel-
ligent. We are glad to observe throughout, the
breathings of a gentle and philanthropic spirit. Many
of the contributions are brimming over with an inno-
cent and agreeable humour, such as the " Passages in
the Life of Oliver Nappe," and the " Nights at the
Pees weep," a feeble imitation of the glorious " Noctes
Ambrosianx." Several of the contributions—such
for example as "Dr. Nichol'a System of the World,"
" The Province of Intellect," and others, though
brief, are of superior merit. "My Old Arm-chair"
is an unsatisfactory copy from the ballad composed
by Henry Russell. On the average the periodical
begins admirably.

SIJIMOND S'S COLvIV AVAGAZINE.
It is melancholy to observe the lamentable manner
in which the rhythmical contributions of the Co!on al
fir 1847 are commenced. Such puerility was
scarcely ever perpetrated by the disciples of Bayes as
the lines entitled the " Bell Buoy." Neither Swift
nor Pope could have discovered among the lucu-
brations of Catnach a more miserable specimen of true
bathos—

R.Lr farnel puthouiie, the gr,at of war,
Lieuter.ant- Colonel to the Earl of Mar!"
was nothing to it. The writer kindly infw-ms us in
a foot-note that the production was composed after
reading the account of the perilous voyage of the
Great Western. With the opening of the first stanza
the sun is described as having legs; for the author
says; that luminary " strode on toward the west."
Two lovers are on the deck, looking upon vacancy,
and thinking about the same, when they hear the
sound of the bell-buoy :
" 'Tis a voice like a conscience that warms solmn/y—
-'ris the toll of the bell-buoy that rings out at sea."
Then the bell-buoy is described as having something
or other to do with a " shroudless cone" which it
dandles about—.

" On its many-backed courser, the ocean tides."
A courser with many backs ! why it must be a
kind of equine polygon ! This same come is de-
' pitted as " tugging and tussling the white foaming
main." Shortly after comes an account of the par-
tial catastrophe of the Great Western—which is con-
densed in one charmingly graphic line—
" A rock, and a roll, then mad shrieks of despair!"
and afterwards comes the very acme of absurdity,
when

Her captain is heard, still undaunted, to shout—
Mind the helm, boys ! Steady ! Look out, lads—
look out!"
Surely this is the art of sinking in poetry with a ven-
geance ! Besides which, it conveys to the mind a
detestable levity in connexion with a spectacle of real
sublimity. One of the most monstrous specimens of
this kind of levity is in Tom Ingoldsby's " Old Wo-
man clothed in grey :" where the soul of the old lady
is refused admission into Paradise by St. Peter—" so
she tucked up her shroud," and said, " here goes for
a fly !" Hardly a jot less monstrous is the tone of
this poem on the Bell-buoy. Otherwise the magazine
is of its usual merit.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
PORTSMOUTH', WEDNESDAY.— A court-martial, coin-
!
prising Rear-Admiral H. Parker, president ; Captains
Pasco, of the Victory; Chads, of the Excellent, ; Onslow,
of the Daphne ; Cudrington, of the Thetis ; Henderson,
of the Sidon ; Milne, of the St. Vincent : Giiiiiad, of the
Penelope ; and Cllr. ti. L. Grew:Lam, Deputy d udge-
Advocate of the Fleet, assembled at nine o'clock this
morning on board the St. Vincent, 120, Captain Milne,
flag of Sir Charles Ogle, to try the boatswain of the
Revistance troop-ship, Commander G. Lowe, on a charge
of drunkenness, preferred by his captain.
Mr. Gray, first lieutenant ; Mr. Hoggard, second
lieutenant ; and Mr. Sparrow, assistant-surgeon of the
Resistance, were examined, and fully made out the
charge. The prisoner called no witnesses to disprove
the statements for the prosecution, but called his captain
to give him a character, which he had better not have
done, as although Commander Lowe gave him a first-
rate
character as a seaman, he was compelled to prove
him an habitual drunkard, and on the day named in the
charge (the 2d instant) the prisoner was so intoxicated
as to be totally incapable of attending to his duty.
The Court considered the charge fully proved, and
sentenced the prisoner to be dismissed the service.
The Daphne, IS, Captain J. J. Onslow, got under
way last night just after sunset, to proceed to the east-
ward to be paid off. As the wind was dead on end she
was obliged to beat out. Her first reach' as on the port
tack towards the Isle of Wight. She tacked a little
before five, and made her second reach towards the
Horse Sand, when unfortunately, it being excessively
khotk, she stretched too far, and ran aground oa that
sand about half-past five. Guns were fired and blue
lights were burnt to indicate her position to the autho-
rities, and the Echo, with Mr. Bellamy, assistant-master
attendant, and a party of seamen from the St. Vincent,
sere sent out to her assistance. Boats were also sent
to her from the ships at Spithead. The Echo reached
her about nine o'clock, and she was got afloat about ten
without receiving any damage. The Commander-in-
Chief and his flag-captain have been on board her this
afternoon to investigate the cause of her getting ashore.
The Athol! troop-ship, Master-Commanding E. J. P.
Pearn, was towed into harbour to-day by the Echo.
By the last advices from the Miditerranean we are
informed that Mr. Elkens, paymaster and purser of the
Harlequin, 16, Commander Moore, had shot himself
while labouring under a fit of insanity.
The New Board of Naval Construction are expected
to hold their first meeting at this port this week, with
Captain Lord John Hay, one of the Lords of the Adm
ralty, in the chair.

The Resistance troop-ship, Commander Lowe, embarks
here the head-quarters of the 36th Regiment for Corfu;
thence she conveys the 97th to Malta ; whence she
proceeds to Bermuda, and thence to Halifax with the
20th, and home.

Accounts have been received from her Majesty's
ship Kingfisher, Commander Wilmot Horton, of the
21st of September. He had taken two slavers within
a fortnight of assuming the command of the vessel.
Commander Horton is the nephew of the Secretary to
the Treasury, Mr. Tuffnell, M.P.
The Spiteful steam-sloop was at Bombay on the Bth
of November, waiting for her new Captain, Sir William
Hoste; Lieutenant Halsted had died suddenly on the 7th
of November, Lieutenant J. D. Hay had been appointed
to the death vacancy (caused by the decease of Com-
mander Maitland), and had been appointed to the Wol-
verine, 16, vice Clifford, to the Ringdove, 16, vice Sir
William Hoste to the Spiteful.
The America, 50, Captain Sir Thomas Maitland, was
at Corunna on the Ist inst., waiting orders.
The Vanguard, 80, Captain Willes, was at Carthagena
on the 17th of December, expecting to be sent to Malta.
The following ships have served the usual period of
commission (three years), and may shortly be expected
home to be paid off; many of them, having been relieved,
are on their way:—
Agincourt (flagship), 72 guns, Capt. Johnstone, East
Indies, commissioned February 1842.
Albion, 90 guns, Capt. Lockyer, Tagus, Nov. 1843
Alert, 6 guns, Corn. Ellis, Coast of Africa, July 1843
Castor, 36 guns, Capt. Graham, East Indies, April 1843
Cleopatra, 26 guns, Capt. Wyvill, Cape of Good Hope,
April 1842.
Conway, 26 guns, Capt. Kelly, Cape of Good Hope,
May 1843.
Cormorant (steam-sloop), 6 guns, Capt. Gordon, Pacific,
April 1843
Curagoa, 24 guns, Capt. Broughton, Brazils, Feb. 1843.
Dolphin, 3 guns, Lieut. Miller, Brazils, July 1843.
Driver (steam-sloop), 6 guns, Capt. Hayes, East Indies,
September 1843.
Espoir, 10 guns, Corn. Hand, Coast of Africa, May 1843.
Fisgard, 42 guns, Capt. Duntze, Pacific, May 1843
Fox, 42 guns, Comdre. Blackwood, East Indies, Oct.
1843
Frolic, 16 guns, Corn. Hamilton, Pacific, Nov. 1842
Hazard, 18 guns, Com. Egerton, East Indies, Oct. 1841.
Heela (steam-sloop), 6 guns, Com. Starmer, Mediter-
ranean, Jan. 1843.
Helena, 16 guns, Capt. Sir C. Ricketts, Cape of Good
Hope, Oct. 1843.
Hermes (steam-sloop), 6 guns, Com. Carr, West Indies,
May 1843.

Hyacinth, 18 guns, Com. Scott, West Indies, Sept. 1843.
Hydra (steam-sloop), 6 guns, Corn. Morrell, Coast of
Africa, August 1843.
Inconstant, 36 guns, Capt. Fremantle, Mediterranean,
May 1843.
Iris, 26 guns, Capt. Mundy, East Indies, Oct. 1843
Larne, 18 guns, Capt. Brisbane, Coast of Africa, Nov.
1843.
Modeste, 18 guns, Corn. Watkins, Pacific, June 1843
Pilot, 16 guns, Com. Wilson, East Indies, July 1843
Racer, 16 guns, Com. Reed, Brazils, April 1543
Royalist, 10 guns, Lieut. Gordon, Ea•t Indies, Oct. 1841.
Salamander (steam-sloop), 6 guns, , Pacific,
June 1842.
Satellite, 18 guns, Com. Rowley, Brazils, Dec. 1843
Sealark, 10 guns, Com. Gooch, Coast of Africa, Oct.
1843.
Spider, 6 guns, Lieut. Pym, Brazils, April 1842.
Spiteful (steam•sloop, Capt. Sir W. Iloste, East Indies
Dec. 1842.
Superb, 80 guns, Capt. Corry, Tagus, Dec. 1843.
Talbot, 26 guns, -- Sir T. Thompson, Pacific, April
1842.
Thunderbolt (steam-sloop), 6 guns, Corn. Boyle, Cape
of Good Hope, Dec. 1842.
Vestal, 26 guns, Capt. Talbot, East Indies, Nov. 1843.
Virago (steam-sloop), 6 guns, Corn. Lunn, Mediterra-
nean, May 1843.
Wolf, 18 guns, Corn. Gordon, East Indies, June 1842.
Wolverine, 16 guns, Corn. Clifford, East Indies, Jan.
1842.

The above list does not include surveying or other
vessels, as packets, troopers, provision or store ships,
employed upon " particular service," whose terms of
commission are not defined as are those of other ships in
the Royal Navy. We have compiled the above from the
official Navy List just published.
We are requested to acdnoiledge the receipt of the
following sums on behalf of the family of the late Lieut.
W. P. Green, R.N.:—By Captain Pasco, of the Victory,
from "An Old Brother Officer," (T. P. C.), 1/.; also
11. ls. from Mr. Wm. Day, 1, Queen- street, Mayfair.
WooLwicii, JAN. 6.—The Amphion steam-frigate,
Captain J. W. Williams, had her steam up to day, to
try her engines in the harbour, and will again try them
down the river in a few days.
The Geyser steam-vessel will leave Woolwich on Sa-
turday for Greenhithe, to have her compasses adjusted,
and then proceed to Portsmouth.
Dr. Lyon Playfair and Mr. John Wilson, from the
College of Civil Engineers, at Putney, visited Woolwich
Dockyard officially on Saturday last, to examine and
report on the cause of the coals near the Foundry taking
fire, which was discovered on Chritmas-day. The coals
ignited a second time, and they heve now been all re-
moved.

SHIPS OF WAR AS TRANSPORTS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING HERALD.
Sir,—Seeing in the Herald, yesterday, a proposition
from an • Officer in the Navy' for making men-of-war
useful as transports, and praising the arrangements of
one so employed, by dismounting her lower deck guns,
and putting the carriages in her hold to accommodate
600 soldiers for conveyance from Cork to Gibraltar, thus
reducing her armament to that of a frigate, and lum-
bering the ship throughout, I beg to call to your remem-
brance that the Thunderer, 84 guns, fitted by Mr. Lang,
of Woolwich-yard (whose ability and experience have
been well tested in fitting sailing and steam men-of-war),
was so arranged on his plan for conveyance of troops
that she took out a regiment of 600 soldiers without dis-
mounting a gun, or in the least interfering with her
fighting capacity, or with the comforts of her crew,
from Cork to Gibraltar, where, after disembarking the
troops, she took on board three months' stores and pro-
visions on her orlop deck, and then proceeded to Malta.
The Revenge, 74 guns, fitted on another plan, at the same
time, sent ashore her lower deck guns, thereby reducing
her armament to that of a frigate, and also conveyed troops
to Gibraltar. Having disembarked them she returned
to England for her guns, and then went back to Gibral-
tar, thus not only losing much time, and increasing ex-
pense, but she was reduced from a 74-gun ship to a 46-
gun frigate, out to Gibraltar and again to England.
Now, it is worthy the notice of the Admiralty, that if
ships were fitted as the Thunderer an immense expense
would be saved, and great advantage would be gained,
inasmuch as they would not only be efficient transports,
and be capable of taking stores when required, but by
keeping their guns and good seamen, they would be
always efficient men-of-war—in fact, always ready for
fighting as line-of-battle ships, let them be employed in
whatever service they might be required to perform.
I presume that the important national advantages to be
gained from the employment and exercise of our officers
and the training of a large force of seamen under the
pennant, in the general adoption of men-of-war as
transports, will not be questioned. With the strongest
confidence that your earnest :nd disinterested desire to
benefit the service and to increase our national resources
will induce you to give insertion to the above, and as-
suring you that your past exertions are highly appre-
ciated by all grades and classes,
I have the honour to be, Sir, your obliged servant,
January 6, 1847. AN OLD OFFICER.

THE LATE FIRE AT IRONGATE
name of the man who is missing is Brown. He was the
innocent cause of the fire, as it originated from a spark
from the candle he took into the warehouse to examine
one of the bales of goods. It is supposed that he is not
dead, but that he is keeping out of the way to avoid a
prosecution. This dread, however, is needless, as there
is no doubt the fire was entirely accidental.
THE ASSAULT EY MISTARE.—The woman named
Woods, who was nearly killed on " boxing" night by
Alexander 11,PLeish, who mistook her for his wife, is now
expected to recover. DPLeish was yesterday taken be-
fore the magistrate at Lambeth Police court, but as the
poor woman was not well enough to attend, he was again
remanded,

IRELAND. ________
' DISTRESS IN THE COUNTY OF CORK.
1 DUBLIN, JAN. s.—The Corl: Examiner of yesterday
devotes a great portion of it space to the proceedings of
a meeting held in Bantry on Friday last. The object of
the meeting will be foun'd embodied in the subjoined re-
solutions :
" That the condition of this district is most appalling,
starvation being universal, deaths from want of food
frequent, and fearfully on the increase, whilst despair has
seized upon the public mind from.the apparent indisposi-
tion of the Government to exert itself for the preserva-
tion of the people.
" That thus circumstanced, it becomes indispensable to
provide forthwith, and no matter at what sacrifice of
present or future interest, food and employment for the
people.
" That considering the many obstacles which have
heretofore obstructed the progress of reproductive works
throughout the country, and the hopelessness of making
them immediately available for the relief of the pressing
wants of the people, it is our opinion that we cannot do
otherwi:e than fall back on the admitted evils of the
Labour rate Act, at least until reproductive works equal
to the amount of employment required shall have been
put into active progress within the district.
" That the prices of food have now risen in this dis-
trict to a price which places it far beyond the reach even
of those amongst the labouring classes who are era•
ployed, and this most unfortunate condition is, in our
opinion, mainly attributable to the obstinate refusal of
the Government to establish foot? depots throughout the
country, and to the discouragement given by it at• an
early period to the procuration of food from funds raised
by pli: ate stbscriptions, by its refusal to aid any funds
Lpplie Wle to the object of lowering the prices of food
even to the poor and the destitute."

STATE OF CLARE.
The Clare Jostrnal has the following statement with
respect to the adoption of measures for counteracting the
mischief resulting from the neglect of all agricultural
labour in that district:—

" We are given to understand that seventeen of the
relict committees in this county have agreed to the pro-
posal made to them by the Killalue committee for a ge-
neral meeting of a deputation from each body, to take
place, we believe, in Ennis, for the purpose of devising
means to secure the cultivation of the land now ready
for tilling in the several districts. We shall, therefore,
wait for some short time to learn how far this proposal
will be carried out before we further address our inquiry
to each relief committee, as to what efforts they may
have made in their separate localities to secure this very
desirable object—one which, if neglected, will be the
means of perpetuating the misery we are now suffering
under. The Ennis committee have taken the first step
towards procuring seed wheat for their district ; and
this, we should hope, will be followed by efforts to se-
cure, in the proper season, a supply of seed barley and
oats. They will, we are sure, at all events, do their
duty. We hope others will do likewise."
Meanwhile, outrages on the public works in progress
in that county are still rife:—

" The public works have been suspended in the parish
of Ruan, in this county, in consequence of an attack
having been made upon Air. Harrington, the principal
overseer in that parish, because he was a stranger in the
district. Mr. Harrington was severely beaten, but we
are glad to hear that the medical attendant has pro-
nounced his life out of danger."
Extract of a letter, containing some American in-
formation, received from a friend at Liverpool by Mr.
John Singleton, Quinville, county of Clare:—" Amongst
many intelligent friends with whom I have conversed
here, one was an extremely well-informed gentleman
from New York, who told me there was plenty of food
for us in America; and that, as my countrymen seemed
to adopt Indian corn, he could assure me that any
quantity could be grown for fourteen cents a bushel to
the farmer; the shipping price depending, of course, on
the current of speculation, as well as the expense of
inland transit. New Orleans is the safest port to look
to, because corn can be borne on the Mississippi at a
light charge and from any remote districts. Then the
price at New Orleans was 30, while at New York it was
70 cents a bushel. One great comfort we have—that as
yet none of the Indian corn of 1846 has been exported
from America. This month, January, is the first for
thrashing and preparing the crops, and I do hope it is true
that Government design sending some of their ships of
war, unarmed, for supplies, because the mercantile navy
is not yet sufficiently numerous to embrace this new
traffic in addition to its usual calls."
DARING ATTACK AND ROBBERY.
The following is an extract of a letter received in town
to-day from the neighbourhood of Cahir, county of Tip-
perary:—
" On Sunday last, at 12 o'clock in the day, Captain
Batley's house, near Cahir barracks (an officer in the
Bth Hussars) was attacked by an armed party, who
rifled the house of two guns, two pistels, money, &c.
The fellow: were pursued by the military and police to
the neighbourhood of Clogheen, where they were lost
sight of. Houses are attacked every day, provision-
carts plundered, cattle and sheep taken off the fields—in
fact, society is totally disorganised. Every ruffian in
the country has arms; neither life nor property is secure
for one moment."

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
" CARIB, JAN. 3, 9 O'CLOCK, P.M.—A very daring
outrage took place here this day. Mr. Batley, pay-
master of the Bth Hussars, rents a house about two miles
from the barrack. At about two o'clock this afternoon an
armed party entered his house ; four went into the room
in which he was with his wife ; they presented two guns
at his head, and threatened to shoot him irhe moved.
They remained about half an hour, holding him all the
time ; they would not take his watch, or any of the
plate in his house, but took a double gun, pistols, and a
esi bine, and all the money in the house, about 11. 16s.
They had handkerchiefs tied on their faces. When it
was reported here, the police, with Inspector Brew,
started, but have not yet returned. I don't think there
is any chance of finding them, as all the peasantry are
armed."
EMPLOYMENT UNDER THE BOARD OF WORKS
The subjoined return shows the daily average num-
ber of persons employed on public works in Ireland for
the week ending the 26th of December, 1846 :

LEINSTER.

Carlow
Drogheda, Town of.
Dublin
Dublin, City of
Kildare
Kilkenny
Kilkenny, City of 576
King's County 3,999
Longford
t.
Louth 3,693
Meath
Queen's County : - I. 4,268
Westmeath
Wexford
Wicklow ... 2,383

UNSTER.

1,961

Clare 40,778
Cork, East Riding
Cork, West Riding 11,788
Cork, City of
Kerry
Limerick
Limerick, City of 690
Tipperary, South Riding
Tipperary, North Riding
Waterford 8,535
Waterford, City of

CONNA.UGIIT.

69,585

163,213

Galway, East Riding
Galway, West Riding 21,040
Galway, Town of 2,844
Leitrim 11,460
Mayo 22,208
Roscommon 30,548
Sligo
13,482

119,848

ULSTER.

Antrim .
Belfast, Town of .
Carrickfergus
Armagh
Cavan
Donegal
Down 429
Fermanagh
Londonderry
Monaghan 6,650
2,715
Tyrone

45,487

398,231
Total for the four provinces

AWFUL FIRES.
the sentry
.on
A little after two o'clock this morning
guard at the gate of the Lower Castle-
"lll3' perceiving
the smoke issuing from the shop of Mr. Mears,but,
boot-
maker, in Dame-street, promptly gave the alarm;
before the family were well aroused to
in a sheet o
asel:lse of et their
danger, the whole premises were ofenveloped
flame. Mr. Mears and bis wife rushed to the drawing.
room window, and, throwing open the sash, the latter
sprang into the street, and was caught in the arms of
the soldier who discovered the fire; she fortunately
escaped without any injury. Mr. Mears was saved in
,a similar manner, and also received no hurt. By the
exertions of the police some of the inmates
who slept in the top of the house were got
out through the roof ; but two children, and s
ntoieee extricateo fMr.
Mears,themselves,who
and oa
perished
a visit, were
A little after four o'cock the whole concern was,
in spite of every exertion, completely gutted. About this
time an alarm was given that another fire had broken
out in the extensive premises of Mr. Clifford, the drug-
gist, in Castle-street, and quite adjacent to the scene of
the previous conflagration. The engines were imme-
diately set to work, but, from the combustible nature of
the stock, all efforts to check the furious element proved
unavailing, and, in a few hours, not a vestige of the
house was left standing except the front wall. Here
also there was a loss of life. At nine o'clock two men
were ascending a fire-ladder for the purpose of gaining
the roof of an adjoining house, and had reached to nearly
the top story, when the ladder snapped across, and pre-
cipitated the two men into the street below ; one saved
himself by clinging to a lamppost, but the other, falling
on the pavement underneath, was so severely mutilated
that he died shortly after the accident. At two o'clock
this afternoon the bodies of the two children of Mr.
Mears were discovered in the ruins ; both were literally
burnt to cinders. The third body has not bean yet
found. At three o'clock P.M. the house adjoining Clif-
ford's took fire ' • but by great exertions it was sup-
pressed,—not, however, before serious damage was in-
flicted on the owners, two elderly ladies, who carried on
the haberdashery business there. At post-hour the en-
gines were kept playing on the smoking ruins in Dame-
- street and Castle-street.