The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-11 00:00:00

MORNING, JUNE 11, 1847.

The other .lers of the day were then disposed of,
and the House adjourned at Halt-i.ast One.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL
ENGINEERS.

THE EXPIRING PARLIAMENT.
The now moribund House of Common-, elected in
August, 1841, has proved one of the longest Parliaments
on record—at all events, during the present century. It
has, in fact, only a year more " to run," in order to die
the death so seldom allotted to Parliaments, viz., a na-
tural one. The students of English histery, during the
early period of the last century will not le quire to be
reminded that it was in those days by no meet's
an uncommon event fur the septennially elected Par-
liaments to run out their full career ; nay, 50 powerful
was the power and influence of the Whig Ministry at
that period, that the new elections were usually a mere
matter of form, no change of any importance ever
taking place in the constituent elements of the popular
representation. During the latter part of the eighteenth,
and the early period of the present century, the,
rapid succession of important political events,
both in this country and on the continent of
Europe, produced constant alternations of men and mea-
sures ; and when the great climax of the Reform Bill
changed the representative
bt hy enso:i'
means
eeoma
fn
sot
the
England,improbable
c ha
r charter."
t,
r" annual
Parliaments"ghearivee ehs'ade vfeonu appeared
tehaoruedt
Parliaments since the era of Reform ;
the first, elected in 1832, in accordance with the pro-
visions of the new statute, only lived two ses-
esons, the Ministerial change of November, 1834,
having rendered au appeal to the people a measure of
almost indispensable necessity. Thus perished the Parlia-
ment of Earl Grey. The second, or "Peel" Parliament,
although elected under Ministerial auspices, only re-
turned a very formidable Conservative minority to sup-
port Sir Robert, and the new Premier soon succumbed
to the influence of the Whig majority. The second
Melbourne Ministry, as it is well known, lived on until
1837, with a mere measuring-cast majority, when the
death of the Sovereign extinguished the Parliament ipso
facto, after an existence of two sessions and a half. The
new House of Commons was almost equally balanced, as
regards parties, and but for the forbearance of the Opposi-
tion Lord Melbourne could never have remained at the
head of the Government fur four years longer. A crisis,
however, at last ensued, and the Whig Ministers ap-
pealed once more to the constituencies. The issue of
this contest was never doubted by either party ; the
star of agricultural protection was in the ascendant, and
ad immense majority was returned by the county con-
stituencies to enable Sir R. Peel to take D,wning-
street by storm. The Melbourne Parliament of 1837
lasted about four years. The present Parliament, which
has endured fur six y ears, has been a memorable one.
It was elected to protect the corn laws, and it has
enacted free trade into a law. It began by hurling a
Whig Ministry from office, and has ended by ejecting a
" Conservative ene with almost equal ignominy. Lord
J. Russell, now in a nominal minority of 100, has ac-
tually encountered less opposition, and carried on his
Government with far greater ease since his last acces-
sion to power, than in the very plenitude of his popu-
larity, when, with a small but decisive majority on the
Ministerial benches, he refused to hold office " on suf-
ferance."— Times.

Sir J

ONE 8. ,ohn President, was in the chair.
The paper read was On the Expansive Action of
Steam," by Mr J. M. Llippel, Grad. Inst. C.E.
The object of the pap,r,was to deduce a more exact
formula than those now in use for the dynamical eff ct
developed by steam in expanding hum one pressure to
another.

The usual meth,,d of computing this effect neglects the
influence of the variation of temperature, which always
accompanies chaiige of ciensit), and A hich has been shown
to modify considerably the corresponding pressure. M.
de Pambour, however, has, by combining Gay Lussac's for-
mula for the relation between temperature and density
under uniform pressure with that of. Boyle for the rela-
tion between density and pressure under uniform tem-
perature, deduced a formula containing the density, pres-
sure, and temperature from which any two being given
the third may be deduced.
What was further done in Mr. Heppel's paper was to
combine this iormula with one by Mr. Scott Russell, ex-
pressing the relation between the pr(.ssure and tempe-
rature, and by this means to eliminate the latter, and
obtain a formula containing only the pressure and
density.

Fro-m
this formula another was easily obtained, show-
ing the total dynamical action developed during ex-
pansion from one pressure to another, and the results
were given in a tabular form, exhibiting
1. Tne pressure in lbs. per square inch.
2. The relation volume, or ratio of the volume of
steam to that of the water which produced it.
3. The dynamical effect before expansion, or the num-
ber of lbs. raised one inch by the evaporation of each
cubic inch of water.

4. The dynamical effect during expansion, or the
number of pounds raised one inch by the steam produced
from one cubic inch of water in expanding from a pres-
sure of 100ths. per square inch to the particular corres-
ponding pressure. The dynamical t ffect in expanding
from any one pressure to any other must be clearly ex-
pressed by ti,e difference of the corresponding numbers
in this column.

Part or the remainder of the paper was devoted to
showing that whilst the performance of engines could
not possibly be expected to exceed the results ascer-
tained as above, it could not fall far short of them in the
case of engines of good construction. In conclusion, a
simple method was suggested of ascertaining the magni-
tude of all the forces in action during the working of the
Cornish engine, independently of the indicator.
In the course of the paper, the fallacy of the theory of
what had been termed tne '• percussive action" of steam
was ably exposed, and although, from the paper being
full of mathematical formula, it was not well adapted for
being read at a public meeting, it evidently possessed
great merit as an investigation of an important subject.
It was followed by a short paper, also on the "Ex-
pansive action of Steam," by Mr. Tate, mathematical
master of the Training College, Battersea. Its object
was to demonstrate and apply a formula some time since
discovered by the author, expressing the law of the ex-
pansion of steam, and at the same time to establish
certain general equations relative to the work of steam,
applicable to all formulae professing to give the law of
volume and pressure. It also examined and corrected
Pole's formula, which, although a decide d improvement
upon Pambour's, was stated to be not sufficiently ac-
curate for pressures above 701 b., or below 16lbs.
Monsieur Piarget exhibited in the liarary, after the
meeting, specimens of the improvements in producing
ornamental metal surfaces, formed by the deposition 01
metals during the electrotype process, which is conducted
in a peculiar mantle', with mixtures adapted
to the effect desired to be attained. The form
also of the bath is peculiar, and when the plate
is taken out of it, and off the model, it exhibits a
burnished polish, or a dead appearance, according to the
preparation used. The metal thus produced is stated
to be a much better description than metals which
have not undergone such process, as it is more flexible,
and is capable of withstanding the action of heat without
destroying the form or the copper, and the surface will
not tarnish whet exposed to time air. Portions of any
pattern can also silvered by a similar process ;an M
the general expensa is about one. third of that of engrav-
ing or chasing, while the boldest or must minute pat
terns can be equally well product. d.
The paper announced to be read at the meeting of
Tuesday, June 15, was " On the law which governs the
discharge .•f elastic fluids under pressure through short
tubes and orifices," by Mr. W. Fronde, M. Ins,. C. E.

His Royal Highness the Grand Duke of Saxe
Weimar, attended by Prince Edwai d of Saxe Weimar
and Count Beust, honoured the Royal Polytechnic In-
stitution yesterday with his presence. His -Royal High-
ness expressed himself highly gratified with the nume-
rous scientific wonders exhibited in the museum of the
establishment, more particularly Mackintosh's engine
and a model which has been lately deposited here, called
Claasen's safety railroad, which, consisting of an addi-
tional rail (termed the guide rail), being placed in the
centre of the line and elevated nine or twelve inches
above the train rails. This rail being formed of wood
or metal; under each carriage is placed two sets of guide
wheels, each set consists of one horizontal and two ver-
tical wheels, so arranged that the horizontal wheel shall
come within a very short distance of the upper part, while
the verticlea which comes on either side of the guide rail,
none of them, however, touching so long as everything
remains in perfect orr'er; but no sooner has the carriage
a tendency to run i.ff the line than the vertical wheels
comes in contact with the sides of the guide rail arid
keel it down in its position; or should an axletree break,
a wheel become displaced, or a rail removed so that the
carriage has a tendency to drop, as it were, from its po-
sition, the horizontal wheel then comes in contact with
the upper part of the guide rail and carries it on in per-
fect safety. It is even shown by the model that two rails
may be removed opposite the other, and still the truck
will proceed in perfect safety; this is a test, however,
that we may say it would never be subject to in practice.
THE Crtors.—ln Nottinghamshire the crops, both
in the sand and the clay ;fiatricts, are most luxuriant. The
falsehoods of the Protectionists, the corn speculators, their
smaller fry, the farmers, and the monopolist papers—all com-
bined—will not serve them much longer. A day of just re-
tribution will overtake them.—From a Correspondent.
A SPECULATOR'S MISTAKE.—Atnong the signifi-
cant facts which lately transpired at Mark-lane, there
was one which we ought not to pass unnoticed. On
the stand there was a sample of a large quantity of
wheat which Has imported into this country from Ame-
rica some weeks ago. The speculator, fancying that he
could procure better prices in France than in Eng-
land, declined to accept 110 s. per quarter, and ordered
the vessel off to Havre, She arrived there just in time
to be too late. The market was found to be abun-
dantly supplied, and prices were giving way. The
"good ship," with the speculator's prayer for a prosper-
ous voyage, was ordered to start forthwith to London.
She arrived in the Thames a few days ago. The wheat
with which she was laden was tendered for sale. No
offer was made for it. There were no buyers in the mar-
ket; and if the owner should find it necessary to press a
sale, he will not get more than 755. for his wheat, being
a reduction of 355. on what he could easily have ob-
tained four weeks ago had his avarice been satisfied with
that price.
THUNDER-STORM.—Manchester was yesterday
afternoon visited by a rather heavy thunder-storm, which
continued from about half-past four to a quarter past
five o'clock. About five there was a flash of light
ning so vivid and brilliant, and followed so immedi-
ately by a sharp and rattling peal of thunder, as to
produce a general impression that the lightning must
have fallen somewhere near the centre of the town,
and this impres•ion proved to be perfectly correct. It
ooraftiathne.s.tcraeleetn, dinerwhwicohrkits
has
its force, in the shape of a
sillet cik,
veryo thett,
obviouslaot f
jt
oy amci
nah
rgi
kmcsnueoryip-.
ragged and irregular groove in the brickwork, ex-
tending from the roof of the building to the summit of
the chimney, where a small portion of the stone coping
has been displaced. Between the roof of the calendar
house and the earth the electric fluid has evidently
passed along an upright shaft of iron which extends
from the basement very nearly to the roof. As in almost.
every case of damage by lightning which has come
under our notice, there are evident marks of upward
action. The lead flushings affixed to the chimney at its
junction with the roof have been partly melted and
partly bent upwards. What seems rather curious is,
that, in many places, the lightning has displaced the
mortar from between the bricks, through the entire
thickness of the brickwork; and the draught of the
chimney has consequently been considerably injured by
the air which flows in through the crevices thus created.
Apparently, however, the stability of the structure is
not at all affected, end the inconvenience: just mentioned
will be easily obviated by pointing the brickwork with
mortar.—Manchester Guardian of Wednesday.
A disease is at present prevalent among horses, but
not to any alarming extent, in the lacalities of Sant..n
Bridge, Go,forth, and Irron.—Cumberlctra Packet.
FRENCH PEAS.—Some arrivals of peas have taker
place from France, which, as a raw vegetable, are free of
duty, and arriving at this early period, before the home crop
has become sufficiently abundant to be very cheap, have no
doubt met with a ready market, and have well answered the
expectations of' the importers, The steamer Columbine,
from Havre, brought 141 baskets of the article, and the James
Watt, from the same port, 157 baskets, the produce of France.
Other arrivals have also taken place, but there have bee..
none, the! we are aware of, from Holland, or any other of the
Foreign States, so that, in this particular, our near neighbour,
France, is first in the market. They are not considered so
good as the peas grown in this country, particularly in the
famous market gardens in the neighbourhood of the metro-
polis, but they are of very excellent quality, and at the same
time that they command a fair, and, no doubt, a remunerative
price, assist in bringing the vegetable into general consump-
tion at an earlier period than would otherwise have been
the case.
CAUTION TO HOUSEKEEPERS.—On Sunday evening
last, between half-past six o'clock and eight, during the
absence of the family at chapel, the house of Mr.
William lltilme, rope manufacturer, Lodge-lane, Liver
pool, was entered by thieves, and property to the amour'
if 1")/. in --Id aid

HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION.—The anniversary
festival. in commemoration of the new building or hospital
tor the receotion of the patients now labouring under the
disease ofctaumption, was held on Wednesday at the London
Tavern. kits Royal Highness the Duke ot Cambridge occu-
pied the chair. After the usual toasts had been given, his
Royal Higline's stated that he had visited the hospital, and
at a time when his presence was not expected, and he was
therefore better able to form a correct judgment of its ma-
nagement and efficiency. It was the only hospital of the
kind in this country, a tact which should induce them to lend
their best assistance to its support. The building of a chapel
was now in contemplation, but, from the want of funds, it
was not possible to carry out the undertaking. His Royal
Highness then adverted to the vast utility of such an insti-
tution to medical science, and referred to a letter received
from a person whose son had died in the hospital, but who,
from the great kindness and attention bestowed upon his de-
ceased child, was in some degree consoled for his loss. The
healths of his Royal Highness, the Vice-Presidents, the Com-
mittee of Management, the Medical officers, the Ladies, and
the Stewards, successively followed, and the meeting broke
up at a late hour. The demands of this charity were last
night more generally- recognised than heretofore, nearly
2,5801. being collected in furtherance ot the important. objects
for which it was founded.
A splendid sample of barley in the ear, grown by
Wm. Laws, Esq., of Prudhoe Castle, was sent to our office
yesterday, along with a still finer specimen grown by Mr.
Isaac Johnson, of Ovingham Boat-house. The latter mea-
sured four feet six inches in the straw, the grain was well
formed, and the plants altogether were in a most healthy
condition. A very tew weeks of fine weather would fender
the bulk fit for the sickle. —Newcastle Journal.
NEW WHEAT. We were, on Tuesday, shown an
ear of wheat, grown by William Jeffery L •ckett, Esq , of
this town, on the Farnworth estate, near Runcorn. We
believe it is the first shot in this county. The seed was :m-
-ported from New Zealand in October last, and is a yew
thing in this hemisphere. It already measures 4 feet 10
inches in the stem, arid 7 inches its the ear. Ou a fair aver-
age of the field there are twenty-five stems to each seed,
and taking the stem shown to us as a basis for calcula-
tion, every seed should produce 1,650 grajns of wheat,
an increase which we may venture to call most amazing.
It also gives us great pleasure to info, m • ur readiers that
the potato and every other production of the soil are in
a most promising condition in the locality to which we
have alluded. We have also seen an ear of wheat, sown
at Holt-hill, Cheshire, in the beginning of November. It
stands four feet high, and presents a very promising ap-
pearance.—Liverpool Courier.
EXTRAORDINARY CASE OF DROWNING.—An in-
quest was held on the 7th inst., at Bures St. Mary, before
Harry Wayman, Gent., coroner, on the body ot Francis
Hardy, aged about ten years, who, it appears, was bathing
with two other children about eight years old, named Philip
Hurrell and Robert Seymour; and Hardy and Hurrell, try-
ing which could go furthest into the river, got out of their
depth, when Hardy sunk, but Hurrell made a spring and
saved himself. The two boys, fearing punishment, sank the
clothes of the deceased with stones, and stayed fishing for an
hour before they gave information of what had happened !
There being no maTks of violence on the body, the jury found
a verdict of " Accidental Death," but reprimanded the boys
for their conduct. —Bury Post.
THE NEW OFFICES OF THE TREASURY AT WHITE-
HALL.—The erection of the new offices of the Treasury at
Whitehall has been completed, and the whole of the scaffold-
ing removed. The new building completes the whole of the
course of buildings of the Privy Council, Board of Trade, arid
Home and Treasury-oflices, formerly an unseemly edifice,
but now presenting a fop ide of elegant and elaborate archi-
tecture, in keeping with the magnificent structure of the
new House:: of Parliament, and a great additional ornament
to Whitehall. The interior is in a forward state for the re-
ception of the officers of the different departments.
DARING BURGLARY.—Yesterday morning, about
five o'clock, a daring burglary was discovered to have bee:
committed at Mr. Earnshaw's, Willfred-street, Kennington.
The thieves effected their entrance by cutting out a panel
from the back parlour windown stayers, and plundered the
lower part of the premises of plate, several watches, said.
of jewellery, and wearing apparel, valued at about 150/.
They also regaled themselves with the contents of the larder
ad wine cellar, getting cle it off with their booty.
THE RECTORY OP SFOFFORTH.—It is said that in
consequence or the vacancy occasioned by the death ot
the Hon .and Rev. William Herbert, dean of Manchester
and rector of Spofforth, it is in contemplation to divide
this valuable piece of church patronage into three por-
tions, to be held in future by that number of incumbents.
—Leeds Mercury.

. . -
.001. in go, aro. notes was abstracted. The thieves WHEAT FROM THE EAST INDIES.—The vessel So-
made their entrance at the back kitchen window, and crates, arrived from Calcutta, has brought, besides 6,408 bags
ransacked the house. They had laid out a quantity of of rice in the husk (now free of duty ), 50 bags of wheat.
clothes, with which it is believed they intended to This is a most remarkable and, we believe, unusual importa-
decamp, but findine the money, they left everything else• tion front the East Indies, and at the present time, when the
ENLARGING, GOLDSMITHS HALL.—Wednesday pre-
question of the supply of articles of grain food from all guar-
'
parations commenced for the erection of a new wing to this tern is a subject of general and surpassing interest, it assumes
a hall and assay and meltin, house. degree of very great importance.
MAGDALENE COLLEGE.—Sorne discoveries of an
SEIZURE OF AN ILLICIT DISTILLERY.—The Excise
officers Messrs. Kay and Par eter have effected the seizure interesting description have lately been made in the
"
of another illicit distillery, at 39, Hare- street, Bethnal-
(lapel of M igdalene College, in this university, under
green. From information received, they proceeded to the the direction of the very R..v. the Dean of Windsor, the
premises kept by a man named Thomas Rebbeck, carrying Master. The ancient oak roof, the handsome design of
on
retailer
business of an oil and colourman, and also entered as which is formed in a gable of considerable altitude, t •
of tobacco. They went into
the back parlour, been ascertained to he iii good condition not haoit has
ferel noaterialiy in the substantial members of its tr-aMe•
where they found a curiously-contrived trap-door, which
of its eericlunents have been muti•
was concealed by the floor. cloth. On opening it, by a lad- , k although
process consequent open
der they descended to the "celia where the object of their
Iwstierd,.or cl,•sCriiymedanuynder the search soon presented itself. Ars,•ill was fitted-up in brick-the misappropriation of this portion of the interior. The
work, with a tire under it, and running off strong spirits,
and a quantity of molasses wash wasrepared for feeding
interesting discovery recently made at the east end of the
p
the same. The stock of spirits found WAS what is techni- chapel consists of a series of niches in the walls, these
cally called " feints," and other spirits had been recently re- ornamental features have for a long period bey n de-
moved for sale. The fittings and utensils were on the usual raced, and hidden from view by the wood-work
scale, with a large number of barrels, &C. The trap-door which was set up some four score •ear • sin e•, '
above mentioned was the only means of ingress to the cellar, order, one would suppose, to defraud the 3 chapelisco4 i its
appropriate character, and to furs.' me burrowed
and might have defied the strictest search, but for the accu-
upon, It I
rate information received. The whole of the seizure was de- ri.„,, the
proscenium of' a theatre. The recesses of these
posited in a van, and conveyed to the Excise ,exquisitely wrought niches were found to have been
warehouses in
blocked up with the fragments of the buttresse., corbels,
Broad street. The owner has at present escaped from the
officers.
COLONIAL PRODUCE. The vessel Henry, air d o and crotchetted tabernacle wrk, which had been rudely
ire
in the docks from Van Diemen's Land, has brought (from hacked away, to provide an evi n surface to the wainscot
Launceston) 1,466 bags of wheat • and the Elizabeth Buck-
lining. The walls of which these niches appear, are
built partly of stone and partly of brick, and may be re-
ham, from the same port, has brought 433 bags and 782
bushels of wheat, the produce of that distant colony. The garded as the produciions ut diffsrent periods, it being
latter-mentioned vessel has also brought 2 baskets and 3 certain that portions of the structure are of considerably
casks of potatoes, which would appear to be a remarkable more ancient date than the foundation of the College.
importation from Van Diemen's Land, although not one of It is quite time that this chapel was red erred from de-
entire novelty; a secration, and restored to its full proportions, and in the
if previous im ortation of the kind having,
we remember rightly, been!) before made the subject of spirit of the original design. The discoveries we have
especial notice. briefly. noticed are promising indications of imorovement,
WEST INDIAN PRODUCE.—A vessel named the
which we shall be glad to 'cc carried forward, judiciously
Charles Grey, arrived in the St. Katharine's Docks from ,
and
`in correct taste.—Cambridge Advertiser.
Bermuda, has brought a car o possessing a considerable I ,
degree of novelty and interest atg the present time, including I I! REEMASONRY IN PRUSSIA.—With the sanction
251 packages of arrowroot, 8 barrels of yaws, 10 hogsheads . of the Prince of Prussia, the Grand Master of the Masonic
of hams, 772 casks of lard, 82 barrels of beef, and 100 barrels I lodges of the kingdom, the principal lodge of Freemasons
of Breslaw, is about to expunge from its statutes, the
of potatoes, the produce of that,lace. This large imPorta-
tion of lard and of beef would appmar to be particularly re- paragraph which pobibits all persens from being received
aa Freemasons svlo) do not belong to the Christian
markable, and the importation of potatoes, on account of its
extent and the particular place of growth, is also not without religion, and which especially prohibits admissien of
; Israelitec i •
inter,* And iniportauce.