The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-15 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1311.

thus the dangerous and tedious navigation of Pentland
Frith might be avoided, they resolved, that the naviga-
tion of the canal was insecure ; that the state of the
canal should be immedia.ely attended to, not only as
regarded the preservation of the work, but also t.s re-
lating to th 3 security of life and property in the districts
through which the canal passed ; that they could not
recommend the abandonment or shutting up the canal,
and that the insufficiency of water, the imperfect execu-
tion of the works, and the absence of steam-tugs, had
prevented the development of the benefits to commerce
which might be expected ; that much benefit would
arise to the trade and commerce on the canal, if the
works were placed in a sufficient state of repair, If the
depth of water rere increased, and the assistance of
steam-tugs were afforded, as recommended by Mr.
Walker : and for these purposes they recommended
that a further sum of 200,000/. should be advanced
by Government.
Subsequently to this Report it appears that certain
propositions had ben made to carry the recommen-
dations of the Committee into effect by private enter •
p-ise, by which means the necessity of application to
Parliament for more money would be obviated, and this
great national work rendered more available to the in-
terests of the country without the further expenditure
of public money.
In consequence of this preposition the Committee
re-assembled and resolved that such arrangement would
be desirable under certain conditions, which were, that
the Treasury should grant a lease of the canal and its
appurtenances to the adventurers for a term of 99
years, gratis ; that the Company, before the execution
of this lease and the application to Parliament, in lieu
of the 10 per cent. deposit, should pay 45,000/., to be
applied in liquidation of the debts now owing on ac-
count of the canal ; that the works recommended by
Walker should be executed, and should afterwards be
kept in repair, and that the Company should relieve

the Treasury and the Commissioners of the canal from
all responsibility from accidents and damage, and should,
at the expiry of the time, leave it in good repair.
In the cveat of theso terms not being acceded to,
the Committee recommend the matter to be again left
in the hands of the Commissioners as before.

It would appear, by the Report now under consider-
ation, that Government were unable to effect a trans-
fer of the Caledor.i in Canal upon the terms suggested
by the Select Committe of the House of Commons,
and, consequently, the navigation has remained under
the charge of the Commissioners during the past year,
Notwithstanding the severity of the winter of 1840-1,
no further serious damage was sustained by the works,
nor is any material deterioration of the general con-
dition of the works apparent ; still it cannot but
be felt, especially with respeJ to the very important
locks of Gairlochy and Fort Augustus, that the lapse
of every additional year renders their situation more
precarious.

Little further of any intere,t appears upon the face
of this report beyond the unpl 'asant fact that the re-
ceipts to the Ist of May for dues received to that day
amounted to 2,7281. 9-. Bd., exclusive of a further sum
of 1731. Os. 7d. for rents, whilst, on the other hand,
the expenditure amounted to 6,4201. Is. 61, and the
total debt to the Bank of Scotland up to the same
time amounted to 23,5921. 9s. Id.
It further appears, that, during this time 1,283 ves-
sels made use of the canal, paying, in respect of ton-
nage-rent, 2,7281. 9s. Bd,
Little else can be gleaned from this Report than
what has been hereinbefore stated, nor does it appear
that anything has since been done towards carrying out
the recommendation of the Select Committee of the
House of Commons.

Upon the whole, a perusal of the Report affords no
ground for forming any judgment on the propriety or
good policy of adopting the advice of the Committee
to repair the canal ; yet it is difficult to imagine what
other course could be adopted under the circumst inces
of the case, as it is evident that, by abandoning the un-
dertaking, the Commissioners would save nothing in the
way of expense, and that the amount which would
be required to make the ground safe after them
would be sufficient to repair the canal, and to provide
that description of steam-power which seems all
that is required to make tie passage through the canal
preferable to the round sea voyage, presuming the canal
to be in that perfect state of repair as to ohviata the
chance of danger to those travelling on it. At any

rate, if we can believe the evidence adduced before the
House of Commons on the subject, there can be little
doubt that the steps recommended would greatly in-
crease the traffic, and would render it, presuming the
canal to be is such a state of solid repair as to be last-
ing, capable of paying:its oa•n annual expenses, and, per-
haps, lay by enough to provide for future unforeseen
contingencies. We confess we are advorse to seeing
the enormous sum of money already expended abso-
lutely sunk and sacrificed without making some further
effort to make the canal useful, and we should greatly
regret to sae the gigantic conception of Telford's mind
sink int') neglect and oblivion without an effort to save
it from such a fate.

A FIRE ROUND A MAGAZINE
fireWthoie olk tphe laePehiauettehnewaafs off Genoa
ter-eoekpit a ,
jusmtosbt aefolarremg
thein
mago zinc bulk-head. It was in the evening, while the
ship's company were at quarters, and the Captain and
all the officers at their st ttions. The intelligence was
quietly conveyed to Captain Morris first, and, in an
'lnstant, calmness and sell-possession were displayed in
the clearest manner, " Mr. Beaufort," he said, " form
the marines round the hatchways, and let them load
with ball-carteidge, and allow no one to come on deck.
Firemen, with their buckets, attend me on the lower
deck." Arrived on the lower deck, he commanded
silence, and himself superintending and directing
them, the men drew the water, and, guided by the
column of thick smoke, kept up a continual stream of
water. For a time the smoke increased in denseness
and quantity, and each one near the spot could have
had no other expectation than that of a speedy flight
into the air. Captain Morris, however, remained un-
altered, and not a feature gave evidence of the anxiety
which must have existed within his breast. At
length the man who had occasioned the fire was,
in a great measure, the cause of the preserva-
tion of the ship. The place where the fire com-
menced was a locker, in which were the match-tubs
and matches for present use, and also the quarter lan-
terns, and it appeared that the purser's steward had
also been in the habit of putting the purser's lanterns
in the same place. The cooper (who was, as usual, the
steward's assistant) had been drawing off spirits, and
having imbibed rather plentifully of the fumes, or pro-
bably liquor, carelessly deposited his lantern, with the
candle un,Atinguished, in this locker, from whence
arose ti:e dangerous fire. Sobered by the awful conse-
quences of his recklessness, the min endeavoured to
make the best atonement in his power, an 1, aware of
the exact position of the fire, actually jumped into the
smouldering heap, at the imminent risk of suffocation,
and threw the burning matches into the cockpit, where
they were quickly extinguished by the quantity of water
thrown down by the firemen, and the danger was hap-
pily overcome, but not till the bulk-head of the maga-
sine was half burnt through. Captain Morris, re-
lieved from the pressing anxiety, spoke with the ut-
most satisfaction of the ship's company, not one of
whom was heard to utter a word during the whole
time. But, while justly lauding the officers and men
for their attention to his orders, they, in return, were
aware that it was his presence of mind and example
which materially contributed to so desirable an end,—
United Service Joi,rnal.

SINGULAR ROBBERY OF DIA-
MONI)S, AND RECOVERY OF THE STOLEN
PROPERTY.
A young and respectable looking femme de cliamlire,
wearing with rune grace payfaile the white cambric
apron of her apparent calling, entered the shop of a
jeweller in the Rue St. Denis. " Monsieur," said she
to the jeweller, " Madame la Baronne do V-- will
require her jewels to-day ; but I shall bring them back
again to you after she has worn thorn this evening,
that you may change that stone which she objected
to, according to the directions which you have already
received."
The jeweller, who, in fact, had the evening pre.
vmusly received from Madame de V-- a parure de
(humans, in which she wished to have some slight
alteration made, without hesitation delivered the
casket to the maiden, who took her departure unsus-
pected of trick or fraud. But imagine the surprise
of the honest boraiquier, when, in the afternoon, La
Baronne de drives up in her carriage to inquire
whether the alteration has been made, " Madame
must be aware that that is impossible," replies the jew-
eller, as I sent them home this morning by her
femme de oliambre, who came expressly to fetch them."
" What is this I hear ?" demands the Baroness ; " I
sent no person for them." " Madame, je puis vous
assurer—it was a young person, about eighteen, wear-
ing a white cambric apron, with an air degage." "My
ferrnie de eliamLre is more than thirty, and has not
quitted the house to-day," rejoins the Baroness,
" Heavens, I am robbed !" exclaimed the jewel-
ler—and this was but too true. In a state
bordering on despair, he runs to the Commis-
saire de Police, and, in passing the shop of a
tradesman in his own line of business, he sees coming
out of it a person whom he recognizes as the heroine
of the cambric apron and air degage, He attempted
to seize her, but in his flurry he seized the basket in-
stead of her arm, and the adroile voleuse slipped her
arm from the handle, and was off,
.like a shot, leaving
the basket in the hands of the stupified jeweller. He
looked inside, however, and, to his inexpressible joy,
found the
jewels safe and sound.
It ultimately appeared that the interesting little thief
had in the course of the day been trying to dispose of
her booty at several jewellers in the neighbourhood, and
was just coming out, after making an unsuccessful at-
tempt of the kind, when seen by her dupe ; and the
latter was so overjoyed at being thus relieved from his
mental anxiety that lie protested the police should not
make any
attempt. at discovaing her rctreat.—L' Au-
dicti cc.