The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-26 00:00:00

and wife of the Anglican Minister
Catholic. Received 1845.
Mr. Mathias Woodwason, wife, t►
a son. Received 1845. •
Mr. F. W. Tarleton;i Lawyer. Hjs
sister. Received 1845.
Mr. Geo. Talbot Bridges, Barrister. Received 1545.
Lady Annabella Acheson and Lady Olivia Acheson,
daughters of the Eard of Gosford. Received 18,45.
Mr. Edward T. Hood, Barrister. Received 1845,
Mrs. and Mies Wood, the wife and daughter of the
Rev. Mr. Wood, the Author. Received 1845.
Mr. Leicester Buckingham, Secretary to the British
and Foreign Institute. Received 1845.
Mrs. Watts Russell, aid Miss Watts Russell, wife and
sister of the Anglican Minister, who has become a
Catholic. Received 1845.

Miss Munro, daughter of Lady Doherty. Received
1845.

Mrs. Marshall, wife of the Anglican Minister of
Swallow Cliffee, who has become a Catholic. ReceiveAl
1845.

Mr. J. Capes, Proctor of the Prerogative Court of
Canterbury. Received 1845.

Mr. James Robert Judge, Law yer. Received 1845.
Mrs. Capes, wife of the Anglican Minister, who has
become a Catholic. Received 1845.
Mr. Grenville Weed, Received at Antwerp, 1846.
Mr. Henry Foley, L.iwyer. Received 1846.
Mr. Gilbert Horner, Lawyer. Received 1846.

SOUTH LANCASHIRE ONCE
A LAKE.

On a clear day, a person standing on the highest part
of Barton Moss, can perceive that the valley watered by
the rivers Irwell and Merses is completely encircled by
en amphitheatre of hills, except at the point where the
united waters of those two rivers discharge themselves
into the estuary of the Mersey at Runeorn Gap. The
opening
are, is not more than two or three miles in width, and if
it was closed up, the greater part of South Lancashire
and of the northern part of Cheshire, would be turned
into a vast lake, bounded by the Yorkshire and Derby-
shire hills on the east, by the high land, which extend
from this great chain across Delamere Forest, and as far
as Halton Castle on the south, by acorresponding range of
which Rivington Pike and Haigh and Billinge hills are the
I most conspicuous objects on the north, and by the range
of high land crossed by the two inclined planes on the
Liverpool and Manchester Railway, on the west. This
latter range is continued by way of Pex Hill, and the
other high grounds, to within a couple of miles of Ran-
cor!' Gap, and the Cheshire hills. At some very remote
period, the waters flowing from the high grounds which
surround this valley, and which are now carried off by
the channels of the Irwell and the Mersey, and the
Sankey Brook, were probably thus collected in a lake
in this great natural basin. It was at this time,
probably, that the vast deposits of marl, rich in lime
and beds of sand and gravel, the latter containing
stones altogether different from the red sand stone
rock of South Lancashire, were deposited on the
great Lancashire plain. Here they are still found
in every direction, altering the natural features of the
country, and entirely changing the constitution of
the soil. It is only at few spots that the red sand
stone rises to the surface of the ground, whilst the coal
strata, in which the northern part of this district is so
rich, are nearly all buried at great depths below thick
beds of clay. * * * The only part of the township
of Barton in which the marl does not form the principal
constituent of the soil, is in the rich meadows on the
banks of the river, which appear to have been covered
by the waters of a much smaller lake, at a comparatively
recent period. The ancient banks of this lake can be
clearly traced, on both sides of the river, from its higher
extremity, which is close by a ledge of sandstone rock,
at the point where the Duke of Bridgewater's canal
is carried across the river Irwell, by means of an
aqueduct, to a point about two miles lower,
where the stream appears formerly to have been
again blocked up by a ridge of red sandstone rock,
through which, however, it has gradually worked its
way. After heavy rains, this valley still resumes its
former appearance of a lake, the waters covering it on
both sides of the stream, and leaving behind, on retiring,
a rich deposit of slime, resembling marl in some respects,
but aut containing any portion of lime, owing to the
circumstance of there being no limestone in any
part of the district watered and drained by the river
Irwell, which produces these floods. Still, notwith-
standing the absence of this fertilising substance, the,
meadows are preserved in a state of perpetual fertility
by these deposits alone. They are never touched by
the plough or mainured, and yet they have yielded heavs
crops of hay in summer, and abundance of grass in the
winter, as long as the memory of man, without either
labour or care. In the midst of this rich valley is au
orchard of thirty or forty acres, which is generally
flooded, as well as the surrounding meadows, and which
bears fruit of all kinds in abundance.—Liverpool Times.

MACCLESFIELD AND LICHFIELD
OR CHURNET AND BLYTHE JUNCTION
RAILWAY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR—In your paper of Thursday last, in the Parlia-
mentary proceedings, under the head of Manchester and
Lichfield Railway, it is stated that Mr. Muntz withdrew
a petition in favour of the Macclesfield and Lichfield
Railway, and presented one in favour of the North
Staffordshire (Churnet Valley line).
Now, I beg to inform you, that the facts were just the
reverse, as the petitions really presented were from
two individuals w ithdrawing their opposition on standing
orders to the Macclesfield and Lichfield ; and another
from the inhabitants of Cheadle, against the A'orth
Stu/Ton/shire (Churnet Valley line.)
Isbell feel obliged by your correcting this mis-state-
ment in your ncxt &c.

,
RATTENBURY, Secretary,
11, New Palace-yard, Feb. 25. 1846.

COURT CIRCULAR.

- -
The Queen held a Court and Privy Council yesterday
afternoon at Buckingham Palace.
At the Court, Sarim Effendi, Ottoman Ambassador, had
an audience of the Queen to take leave.
Baron Dedel, Netherlands Minister, had en audi-
ence of her Majesty on his return from the Continent.
Their Excellencies were respectively introduced by
the Right Honourable Sir James Graham, Baronet
(cfficiating for the Earl of Aberdeen) one of her Ma-
jesty's principal Secretaries of State, and conducted by
Sir Robert Chester, Master of the Ceremonies.
Sir Thomas Cartwright, G.C.H., was presented to
the Queen, at an audience, by the Right Hon. Sir
James Graham, on his return, on leave of absenoe, from
his mission.
Mr. Mandeville was presented to her Majesty, at an
audience, lay the Right Hon. Sir James Graham, on the
return from his mission to Buenos Ayres.
The Privy Council was attended by his Royal High.
ness Prince Albert, the Lord President, the Lord Privy
Seal, the Commander-in-Chief, the First Lord of the
Treasury, the Secretaries of State for the Home and
Colonial Departments, the Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster, the President of the Board of Trade, the
Postmaster-General, the Secretary-at-War, the Lord
Steward, the Lord Chamberlain, the Master of the
Horse, and the Groom of the Stole to Prince Albert.
At the Council, the Most Honourable James Marquis
of Abercorn, and the Honourable Jrunes Archibald
Stuart Wortley were, by command of the Queen, sworn
of her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, and
took their respective places at the Board.
The Honourable William Bathurst was the Clerk of
the Council in waiting.
The Queen gave a
uke of
Wellington, t o the
Lord
thlChamberlain,ke
Sir James Graham, the Duke
of Buccleuch, and Sir Robert Peel.
The Court was attendedty.thteheMvariegeu_ics
hoafruLboenrcliaoinn:
derry, Gold Stick in Waiting ,
the Treasurer of the Household, Lord Glenlyon, Lord
in Waiting, and Colonel Drummond, Groom in Waiting,
Yesterday (Ash Wednesday), Divine service was
performed in the private chapel, Buckingham Palace,
The Hon. Rev. C. Leslie Courtenay officiated. Divine
service was performed yesterday in the Chapel Royal
St. James's.
The Queen and Prince Albert promenaded in the
garden yesterday morning.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent visited her
Majesty yesterday.
The Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and e
Princess Alice, were taken their accustomed exercise
yesterday in the pleasure-grounds of the Palace.
his Royal Highness Prince Albert rode out on horse-
back yesterday, attended by Colonel Wylde, Equerry in
Waiting.
The royal dinner party at Buckingham Palace, yester-
day evening, included her Royal Highness the Duchess
of Kent, the Duke and. Duchess of Norfolk, the Marquis
of Abercorn, Lady Fanny Howard, Baroness de Speth,
the Earl Delawarr, the Right Hon. T. Pemberton Leigh,
Colonel the Right Hon. G. L. Dawson Darner, and the
Hon. and Rev. C. Leslie Courtenay.
Their Royal llighnesses the Duke and Duchess of
Cambridge, and the Princess Mary, returned to Kew, on
Tuesday evening.

COMPENSATION FOR THE CORN LAWS. Sir Grahame
Montgomery, Bar t. , has intimated to his numerous tenantry
in Peeblesshire that although he feels confident that Sir Ro-
bert Peel's measure, when once fairly carried into effect,
will produce a result highly beneficial to society at large,
still with an anxious wish to satisfy the minds of his tenantry,
he begs to assure them, should any reduction take place on
farm produce in consequence of these measures, a reduction
\\ill be made upon their rents.—Edinburgh Witness.
favoured.
NEW ANCHOR.—A few days ago we were
with the sight of a newly invented and ingeniously
_er.con-
structed anchor, made under the direction of Captain rlitp.itain
ningham, with stock and flukes, to be fired f
Manby's mortar. The peculiarity of its construction
so as to prevent
in terminating in a ball to lit the motfukes
are moveable,
windage. For this purposethe ed
consists
appearance it is likely to
on leaving the mortar.
Adosubfiliirngasonoitliemalaiyan
jkt,idbguet
fertxpanndling
o we have had no oppor-
tunity the desired end, but
oa, presentit.
of witnessing a trial f
S ND —With a view to.
p.ortant achievements in,
foil particulars of the lb,.
furnish 11'-- purposes publishing a gratuitous half-sheet Sup-
lndia, the Obt
"'"1.1)* no contains on Sunday next, March
OnsErtvEß-oFFicE, , 1 69,1
riTilßyAi.in
I. Tit%
• the Supplement) Sixpence. A Mon,
(including
price of the Obsert
Editione'' of the Observer is regularly published at Four
day afternoon
plemcnt
edition is best adapted for the country and readers
o'clock, which
of twenty io
sl,road. The Obsert ev• was the journal that first announced the '' n-
tended alteration
bers anticipated all the ocial nlevelnentS in progress.
•i ffi
qtient num .
ew mected with that highly important measure.
CUSTOM-HOUSE DESTRUCTION OF DAMAGED WIIIIAT.
.—This week a quantity of foreign wheat, :cinch had been imported
by Messrs. I'llillpotts and Co., of this 'port, but which had since be-
come damaged, so as not to I,e Worth paying Pis. duty upon,
was destroyed raider the super-
,•ls,ion of a very vigilant Custom-house
officer, by throwing it into *.'ne river Severn, and by keeping a very
close official watch till L was carried away by the stream, or so inter-
nnxed NV it 11 the nit' that it could not be in any way used. The
wheat thus desttiyed was not of course fit to make bread, but it
would have dolts very well to feed pigs, &c., and the waste :Ad official
eereme.ny eft total destruction is anything but calculated to impress
tlia apectaters of Snell a scene With the Wisdom of etu• laws.—
i 0/ouctxr /maul.

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it who has: eaosse I
;wo diti ter!, any
His wife and he