The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-12 00:00:00

script of a Dominician friar, preserved in Pembroke Hall,
Cambridge, they are open to grave exceptions, and form
but a sandy foundation for the calculating astronomer
of the nineteenth century. Is there not also a palpable
difference of several degrees between the elements of the
two ? Considering, therefore, that the cometary re-
volutions are subject to extensive fluctuation:,
since these frail bodies ate so susceptible of opposite
attractions from powerful neighbouring orbs--
weighing the difficulty of proving identity after
a lapse of 292 years—and the laxity of previous ob-
servations ; above all, reflecting that the orbits of
only three of these singular bodies are satisfactorily
settled, whereas probably son appearances are known,
and the elements of nearly 100 recorded; may we not
reasonably pause, and, with the sagacious Halley, legiti-
mately doubt before yielding assent to a predic-
tion, not wholly gratuitous, nor placed beyond the
range of possibility, but yet depending too closely
upon conjecture, though seeking to ally positive
calculation and observation in its support ? But,
in spite of mathematical discrepancies, imperfect
instruments, and conflicting data, should the approach
of this comet crown the other wonderful occurrences of
this eventful year, it will afford another astronomical
triumph; as the comet will then have completed its
twentieth revolution round the su❑ since the creation of
the world.

-- ---
A NEW OPERATION on the FOOT.
REMOVAL OF THE BONES OF THE HEEL AND ANKLE-
JOINT.—we have just seen in the Lancet an account of
the progress and successful termination of the case in
which Mr. Thomas Wakley removed all the hinder por-
tien of the foot (the astragalus and os calcis), at the Royal
Free Hospital, of which Mr. Wakley is one of the sur-
geons. The man who became the subject of the opera-
tion had for many months suffered from disease of some
of the bones in the foot, and bad been a patient in
hospitals both in London and Brighton, without having
derived relief. As he had set himself strongly
h had
df which
u
orse to u lfde r against losing either his leg or his foot, the
removal
havesuoh
a been
case thea s rheemperdeys
e,
ut
od
pre-
viously
Mr. Wakley determined upon the bold and daring
operation of extracting only the bones which were
recourse
diseased, leaving the patient, if possible, the sound
portion of his foot, and trusting to time to show how far
usefulness and power might be restored to the then use-
less portion of the body—a method of proceeding never
before attempted.
" Various operations have been performed upon the
ankle-joint, the most important being of the two Moreau's
—viz., the excision of the lower extremity of the tibia
and formula; portions or the other bones entering into
the formation of the foot and ankle, have been removed
by the gouge and the saw; but there is no previous case
on record of the entire removal of the two important
bones of the foot—the astragalus and os calcis."
This operation was, however, performed on the 27th
December last, by Mr. Thomas Wakley, and it was
briefly noticed in our journal about the same period.
The patient was placed under the influence of chloro-
form, and the extraction of the bones was completed in a
few minutes with only slight loss of blood, and the
complete safety of the anterior tibril artery, the antici-
pated danger to which had been supposed to
form an insuperable obstacle to the successful issue
of the attempt. On the 17th of January, the wounds
made in the operation had healed, and on the 21st of
February the patient was discharged from the hospital
convalescent. He is now, we find, a stout and healthy
man, able to pursue his former occupation as a tailor,
walking with ease with the help of a stick and a high
heeled boot, and preserving a useful member, which
under a less advanced state of surgical science, he must
have inevitably been deprived.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
PORTSMOUTH, JULY 11.—Sir Charles Napier's squa-
dron has received sailing orders, and will leave with the
squadron under his command, the St. Vincent, flag, 120,
Captain Dacres; the Prince Regent, 92, Captain Martin;
the Bellerophon, 78, Captain Baynes; the Amphion, 36,
Captain Williams; the Dragon steam-frigate, Captain
Hall; the Blenheim steam guard-ship, Captain Chads;
the Tweed, 18, Commander Lord F. Russell; the Pilot,
16, Commander M. Lyon (both hourly expected to join
the squadron from Plymouth); the Helena, 16, Com-
mander Smith; tile Frolic, 16, Commander Vansittart,
&c., about Saturday for a cruise in the Channel. Yester-
day the Blenheim and Anaphion` had a short trial
from Spithead round the Knab and back. The. Ble-
nheim weighed at ten A.M., and started in an
easterly course, making very good speed. The Am-
phion was delayed until 11.30, from "a screw loose" in
the old quarter; she then used steam and sail until well
up with the Blenheim, outside the Knab; Amphion then
furled sails, and both vessels went off at full steam before
the wind until 1 15 P.M., the Amphion beating the Blen-
heim about three-quarters of a knot an hour; rate of the
Blenhoinl4l- knots. They then steamed back to the en trance
of the Channel to Spithead against the wind, which was
light, when the Amphion beat the Blenheim nearly at
the same rate; Blenheim stopped and made sail, working
to Spithead. The Amphion proceeded to the former
anchorage, where she arrived about tour; Blenheim did
not take up her former berth before six. Her per-
formances are considered as highly satisfactory. Cap-
tain Chads exercised the crew aloft when off the Knab,
which, it is almost unnecessary to say, was done i❑ first-
rate style.
The Collingwood, 80, Captain Smart, K. H., was
mustered, &c., yesterday, by Sir Charles Ogle, the
Commander-in-Chief. The inspection and exercise of
the men resulted in the most gratifying compliments
from the Admiral. She was towed into harbour last
evening, and this morning at four o'clock commenced
unloading the freight. The specie, amounting to thirty
tons, was expressed to London by a special train on the
London, Brighton, and South Coast Railway, in charge
of Mr. Chambers, the freight agent, and Mr. R. Sut-
ton, the superintendent of the Portsmouth traffic on the
above railway, who delivered it at the Bank of England
this afternoon. The ship will be ready for paying off
early next week.