The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-14 00:00:00

NAVIGATION LAWS.

On the motion of Lord JOHN RUSSELL the House
went into Committee on the Corn and Navigation Laws,
and a resolution for a further suspension was agreed to.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

Mr. BANKES asked what was proposed to be
the line of procedure with regard to public
business on Wednesdays, and whether it was in-
tended to go on with the Encumbered Estates
(Ireland) Bill on that day. If so, the Poor Removal Bill
which he had fixed for that day would have no chance
of being proceeded with. He regretted that the
Noble Lord had proceeded with the suspension
of the Navigation Laws to-night, as his Noble
Friend the Member for Lynn would have been present
had he been aware that the resolution was to be moved
to-night. He wished to knew at what future stage it
would be convenient that the discussion should be taken.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that if the--Noble Lord
the Member for Lynn desired to oppose the motion, he
had no objection to take the opposition on the second
reading.
ENCUMBERED ESTATES BILL (IRELAND.)
Mr. SHAW desired to ask the Noble Lord whether
he meant to bring forward the Encumbered Estates
Bill (Ireland) on Wednesday next. There was very
considerable apprehension entertained respecting this
Bill. It was very important, and was looked to with
great anxiety.

71Lord JOHN RUSSELL—I intend to bring it for-
ward as soon as possible, but I do not see that I can do
so before Wednesday se'ennight.
QUARANTINE.

On the order of the day that the House go into Com-
mittee on the Navigation Laws,
Dr. BOWRING desired to know what changes this
proposed alteration would effect in the laws of quarantine?
Mr. MILNER GIBSON said that ships with clean
bills of lading would be admitted from any port without
quarantine.
WESTMINSTER HALL

Mr. S. WORTLEY wished to call the attention of the
House to the state of Westminster Hall. A temporary
wood work had been erected by the Committee of the
Fine Arts for the purpose of an exhibition. Leaving
that wood work erected was most dangerous, and he
trusted that it was not intended to use the Hall for the
proposed exhibition this year, and that it would be
removed, as it obstructed the view of one of the noblest
sights in the kingdom.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that his Noble Friend the Commissioner of Woods and
Forests was not in his place. He had no doubt what-
ever that when called upon Le would be
able to give a satisfactory answer. The Noble
Lord said, that in the then state of the nego-
tiations he could give no direct information, but that
the interference, if made, would be effectual for the
protection of the Queen, and for that also of the British
residents in Portugal. The Noble Lord had given the
same reply, and this was all the information which either
the House or the country could obtain until a French
newspaper published the protocol on which this
interference was founded, to all Europe. In all
the foreign politics of the country he (Mr. Borthwick)
had always, to use the words of a Right Hon. Friend
near him, adopted the plain and open course prescribed
by the constitution. This was what he had advised
when her Majesty was about to pay a visit to a foreign
potentate, but neither in that instance nor in
this had the Noble Lord adopted such a course.
He could not but blame the Government for interfering
with the affairs of Portugal until they had pursued the
usual constitntional course of taking the opinion and ad-
vice of that House upon the subject, as 31r. Canning did
in 1826, when a similar interference was asked by Portugal.
The Noble Lord said that it was necessary to interfere
for the interests of Portugal and of this country. Now,
if it should be proved that the result of this interference
had not been attended with these benefits, but, on the con-
trary, tended to alienate the affections of the Portuguese
people from this country, and to disturb the peace of
Europe, what then would become of the arguments and
the course of conduct pursued by her Majesty's Go-
vernment ?

(LEFT SPEARING.)

SIR JOHN FRANKLIN'S POLAR

EXPEDITION.

We understand that Dr. King, the medical officer, and
for a considerable period the commanding officer, of the
overland expedition in search of Sir John Ross, in
1833-4-5, has addressed a letter to Earl Grey, as the
principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, volunteer-
ing his services in search of Sir John Franklin, who
sailed, in the spring of 1845, in search of a north-west
passage, and has not since been heard of. The plan
proposed by Sir John Richardson, and accepted by the
Admiralty, does not meet with his approbation, and he
has therefore sought of Earl Grey an appointment in
search of Sir John Franklin, under the board of which
his Lordship is the head—the board under which Dr.
King acted in search of Sir John Ross. Dr. King main-
tains that to save Sir John Franklin's party, comprising
126 men, it would be futile to attempt to convey pro-
vision overland to him; and he adduces, in support of
his opinion that the expedition upon which he was en-
gaged for the relief of Sir John Ross failed in their at-
tempt from the poverty of the country over which they
travelled, although in that case it was only contem-
plated to relieve 23 men. Over that same provisionless
country an overland party in search of Sir John
Franklin must necessarily pass. Dr. King proposes to
the Government to send out one or more vessels laden
with provisions next spring to the western land of North
Somerset, where he maintains, for several reasons, Sir
John Franklin will be found ; and at the same time to
call upon the Hudson's Bay Fur Company to store up
provisions in their trading houses on the Great Slave
Lanadlcbeeatantd the Mackenzie River. He then proposes, in
etoompany with any officer the Government may appoint,
o
appear
ate hra etmspo
Slave
vvdei
es 1.(4):
theh
the
same messenger
time o
tf suchtake news
with
himt Sirlndian John
guides Franklin,
for
the conveyance of that veteran officer and his party,
mayoeirth theera iarnki:sitores on the Mackenzie River
only person who has MILO or to the provision vessels, as
—youth, health, great physical c He e
strength,m ai t maintains nasn thathe
intimate
tis m theate
e.r.equisites for such a journey
paclacieueadinatahnecaevwyitrleistphoenC:oibilisi:•j and the Indians. He has
on Earl Grey, for he does
not hesitate to state that it is the
only
has a right
which can
afford that relief to Sir J. Franklinown
to expect from the Government. Sir John Franklin,
asserts, should not have sailed in the face of the
laid before the late Government ; for, to use hisctoswhne
words, it was altogether " impracticable, as the exp
e-
dition would have to take the ice '—as the pushing
through an ice-blocked sea is termed—in utter igno-
rance of the extent of its labours, and certainly with no
R
better prospect before it than that which befel Sir J.oss's party, whose escape from a perilous position of
four years' duratiop was admitted by all to have 0e94

almost miraculous." (Letter to Lord Stanley, February
20, 1845.) As it now stands, therefore, it is imperative
on the Government to use every raearn= to save the lost
party from the death of starvation, or, what is dreadful
to contemplate, the necessity of feeditig upon each
other. Dr. King proclaims aloud against the Govern-
ment for using secresy in their scientific pursuits ; for
it is a fact, that beyond the walls of the Admiralty, not
only the route that Sir John Franklin has taken is un-
known, but also the means that board are adopting to
relieve him. Such a course, he observes, is scarely
worthy the honourable service in which the explorers
are engaged.

RAILWAYS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sir,- -Your Parliamentary report of Thursday last
contains, in reply to a question by Mr. Gisborne, some
remarks by Mr. Strutt and Sir George Clerk, on the
evidence which I had given at the inquest, at Chester,
as to the cause of the failure of the Deo bridge. In
this morning's report also I find that Sir George Clerk
again refers to the matter, with a view, I presume, of
showing that there was no sufficient justification for the
statement I had made on the occasion alluded to.

Although I am extremely unwilling to occupy your
space or the public attention, by referring to what might
have been stated by me either at Chester or elsewhere, I
feel that on a subject of so much importance it becomes
imperative on me not only to offer an explanation, but
to remove, as far as I can, the possibility of a misunder-
standing.
As nearly as I can recollect the words which I actu-
ally used, the following may be considered substantially
accurate ;—" That in the public departments—viz.,
the Admiralty, Board of Trade, or Commissioners
of Railways, less considerrtion was given to the
security of the public travelling by railways
than was given to the navigation or space of tidal rivers
and roads which were crossed or intersected by railways,
and I referred to a letter which had been addressed by
myself, in conjunction with Messrs. R. Stephenson,
Brunel, and Cubitt, to Lord Dalhousie on the subject of
bridges, which had not been attended to."
Although this statement was made at the inquest at
Chester, it was distinctly admitted by R. Stephenson
that the Government department was in no way impli-
cated in fixing the dimensions of the Dee Bridge, and
no attempt was made by any one, as Sir George Clerk
supposes, to lay upon them the consequences of that
accident. _ _

If in the remarks which I thought it necessary to
make I had merely intended to complain of the want of
courtesy in neglecting to acknowledge the receipt of our
communication to Lord Dalhousie, Sir George Clerk's
reference to his Lordship's acknowledgment would be
conclusive. My statement, however, went further, it
complained that the subject matter of the letter had not
been attended to, and that so far as we knew it had never
been considered.

The letter itself, together with the reply, are below,
and I may add, that no alteration in the clause has yet
been made, nor any explanation given for adhering to it.
That the clause, as Sir George Clerk states, was ori-
ginally determined upon " after full consideration" I am
not disposed to doubt ; but I would venture to add, on
the other hand, that there is not a practical engineer in
England accustomed to railway works who would have
advised the adoption of such a clause.
Sir George Clerk also states that it is limited to
bridges of 35 feet span ; but this is only true when the
roads are crossed at right angles. When they are crossed
obliquely (which is by far the most common case), the
span is increased sometimes to 60 and 70 feet. It needs
no engineer surely to show that a rise of four feet for
such a span is not sufficient.
I have confined my remarks simply to the matter re-
ferred to in the House of Commons, not feeling myself
called upon to enter into any further discussion.
Your insertion of this communication will oblige, Sir,
your obedint servant,
JOSEPH LOCKE.
11, Adam-street, Adelphi, June 12.

(Copy.)
London, 11, Adam-street, Adelphi, bin,y 2, 1846.

My Lord,—having found great difficulty in carrying
ou:, the provisions of clause 49 in the Railway Clauses
Consolidation Act, defining the dimensions of bridges for
carrying railways over public roads, we have thought it
prudent to address your Lordship in regard to it.
Although we have often found that the widths required
for such bridges by the Act are greater than the roads
for which such bridges are required, it is not our present
intention to do more than direct your Lordship's consi-
deration to the heights required from the surface of the
roads to the springing of the arches. That height is
specified to be twelve feet, thus leaving only four feet in
the case of turnpike roads, and three feet in the case of
other public roads, for the rise or curve of the arches.
We submit to your Lordship that, for arches so wide
as the Act requires, this rise is not sufficient, and our
object in addressing you is to obtain your Lordship's aid
in altering the springing height above the road from
twelve feet to eight feet, so as to give more curve, and
consequently more security to the arches.
We have already found, in miny instances, that it is
impossible to comply with the requirements of the clause
in question without resorting to iron girders, and in those
parts of the country abounding in stone and brick (where
iron can only be obtained at a considerable distance),
this obligation is attended with great increased cost and
inconvenience.

We shall be happy to give any further explanation
which your Lordship may require on this matter.
We have the honour to be, my Lord,
Your Lordship's most obedient servants,
(Signed) JOSEPH LOCKE.
ROBERT STEPHENSON.
I. K. BRUNEL.
W. CUBITT.

Railway Department, Board of Trade,
Whitehall, May 23, 1846.
Gentlemen,—With reference to your letter of the
30th ult., to Lord Dalhousie, drawing his Lordship's
attention to the difficulty of carrying out the provision
of the clause No. 49 of the Railway Clauses Consolida-
tion Act, in regard to the dimensions of bridges for
carrying railways over public roads, I am directed by
his Lordship to acquaint you that he will confer with
Lord Shaftesbury and others in respect to the practica-
bility of making the alterations which you propose.
I have the honour to be, Gentlemen,
Your obedient servant,

(Signed) D. O'BRIEN.
Messrs. J. Locke, R. Stephenson, I K. Brunel,
and W. Cubitt.

STAGE FOOT-LIGHTS DISPENSED WITH IN THEA.-
TRES.—I had often been struck with the classical or
picturesque expression thrown over the features of even
a very plain and inelegant countenance by the elevation
of the artificial light, when alone reflected on it, from
a point exclusively above its level—not directly above
the head, but immediately in front of it, at an
angle, probably, of forty-five degrees, so that
the expression of no feature be lost. Again, I
had often admired the purity and serenity, as
well as brilliancy of effect produced on colours
and on scenery under the like circumstances—
an effect which every one must have observed,—so jar
as regards mere colours and shades, or these with
forms,—in the windows of jewellers, drapers, &c. • and,
—so far as regards perspective or scenery,—in picture
galleries, where the light in general is also made to de-
scend exelsively from above. The unnatural glare of
the foot-light, therefore, particularly on the faces of
those on the stage, I got rid of altogether, and that too
successfully, and to the satisfaction both of actors and
spectators, by the bold substitution of a central con-
geries of lights in the very body of the house, and
almost in the place usually occupied by the chandelier,
with a reflector sufficiently large and powerful to
turn the whole flood of light upon the stage, at about an
angle of 45 degrees. A second congeries, however, was
requisite within the proscenium, to aid in the proper and
uninterrupted display of the scenery on the like prin.
eiple, the complete design for which display compre•
handed the systematic use of scenery so illuminated also
from behind as to give the dioramic effect, as far as pos-
sible. The experiment was carried out, at all events, to
a sufficient extent to prove, not only its practicability,
but its great superiority to the usual method of lighting
the stage; and I believe that nothing else is requisite to
the most brilliant realization of this striking novelty in
all its details, but the well-filled treasury of a metro-
politan theatre.—Correspondent of The Builder.
POPE PIES IX. AND THE notice appeared
lately in our columns of a rosary and an autograph letter
from Pope Pius IX., which were on their way to England to
be disposed of for the benefit of the suffering Irish. We are
now requested to state, that this valuable gift has arrived,
and is at present in possession of the lady by whose friends
it was sent from Italy. The rosary consists of eleven agate
beads, set in gold, with a head of the Saviour engraved on
cornelian, pendant from a small gold tassel at one end; to the
other is attached a ring to suspend it from the finger when
used in prayer. On the letter (of which we subjoin a copy,
with the translation) we need make no comment—it speaks
for itself. The managers of the London Joint-Stock Bank,
69, Pall-Mall, have kindly undertaken to exhibit the rosary,
and to receive subscriptions ; and the noble names of Shrews-
bury, Arundel, and Surrey, Stourton, M'Farline, Throck-
morton, Sir James Kempt, and many others, which are
already on the list, leave little doubt that the hope of realiz-
ing 1001., in fulfilment of the intentions of the benevolent
and liberal-minded Pontiff will be easily accomplished. We
ought to add, that his Holiness's letter is addressed to his
sister-in-law, the Contessa Mastaj :—" Amata Cognata,—
Alla darns Sienese the si ha communicata sa lodevol
inten-
zione di raccogliere un sussidio per poveri Irlandesi colpiti
del flagello della fame, potiete, mandare l'unita coronaa, ac-.
compagnata della nostra benedlzione estensiva a tutti quell'
the si occupano e contribuiscienso a questa pia opera. La
pace del Signore isci con toi e con tuta to famiglia. Pio P.
P. IX., Papa."—(Translation.) " Beloved Sister-in-law,
—To the Sienese lady who has communicated to you her
praiseworthy intention of affording some relief to the poor
Irish snaring from the scourge of famine, you may send the
enclosed rosary, accompanied by our full and general bless-
ing to all who are occupied in, or who contribute to, this
pious labour. The peace of the Lord be with you and all
your family. Pius P. P. IX., Pope."—Times.
The accounts from the wheat markets of the
French departments mention the continuance of a decline,
the average fall by the latest reports being from 2f. to sf. per
hectolitre.
44 TWA SUNS I' THE LlFT."—Robert Burns has
long since settled the fact, that
" twa means" are occa-
sionally to be seen in the lift, especially by the sons of John
Barleycorn who are out at e'en ; but a couple of suns is a
phenomenon that was observed, we should think for the first
time here (Aberdeen), on Saturday, since the days when our
forefathers used to see armies in the heavens,
and prognosti-
cate therefrom the coming events by shadows thus cast be-
fore. Tho phenomenon which was seen on Saturday even-
ing, however, was singularly beautiful. There was first the
sun, in all the quiet beauty of a summer eve, sinking in the
west ; then a golden ring appeared around him, and then the
aapnpdeoaf alrasnmceolefr diameter.
rtEx T
i thenie
north,
phenomenon with ac
osinctkinlyuedo
aspectfr
about an hour, and was an object of much interest to those
who wituessed Scotland Gazette.