The Sun.
London, England, 1848-10-25 00:00:00

HOP INTELLIGENCE.

MAIDSTONE.—Hop-picking being now everywhere
finished, attention is closely directed to the duty, the
announcement of which is awaited with some anxiety
by the speculators. We understand that orders have
been given to each hop supervisor to send in an ab-
stract of his books, within twenty-four hours after
the last weighing, so that the official statement cannot
be very far distant. Opinion seems to be in favour of
the duty, though, as we said last week, there are
many stout betters against it. From the following
statement which has been handed to us, and which we
lay before our readers for what it is worth, it would
seem that it has gone up considerably. A corres-
pondent says—" The hop duty is backed by parties
who have the best information, as follows :
Rochester ... ••. ••• .. 72,000
Canterbury ••• ... ... 41,700
Sussex ... •••
.. ... 72,300
Worcester ... ••• —. 18,125
Farnham ... ••• ••• •
• 13,725
Kingdom .. ... ••• .. 4,000

221,850"
Having no interest in the matter whatever, but that
of laying before the public the best information we
can obtain, we are still of opinion that this is far too
high an estimate.

ROCHESTER COLLECTION OF HOP DUTT.—Wednes-
day, Nov. 15, at Gravesend ; Thursday, 16th, at Ro-
chester; Friday, 17th, at Milton ; Saturday, 18th, at
Lenham ; Monday, 20th, at Tunbridge ; Tuesday,
21st, at Sevenoaks ; Wednesday, 22d, at Westerham;
Thursday, 23d, at Wrotham ; Friday, 24th, at
Mailing; Monday, 27th, and Tuesday, 28th, at
Maidstone.—.3.faidstone Journal.

A FEW WORDS ON RAILWAY
BUSINESS.
TO THE EDIT OR OF THE SUN.

SlB,—Your notice of my observations upon trans-
fer stamps and their baneful effects induces me to
draw your attention to the absurd duty of two shil-
lings and sixpence exacted by Government for proxy
stamps. Speaking from my own experience, I am
satisfied, had not this duty been felt to be exceed-
ingly vexatious but also onerous to shareholders, a
number of lines that have received the sanction of the
Legislature would not have been passed, or at all
events their formation would not have been proceeded
with in the reckless and hurried manner which they
have. Directors having a point to carry, and having
the shareholders' funds at their disposal, have, with
very few exceptions, succeeded in carrying out their
own wishes, even against the feelings of the share-
holders. The reason is obvious : the opposition
shareholder trust pay for his own proxy stamp,
whilst the other party is found one gratuitously by
the directors. To some it may appear only a trifling
amount, but when a man is losing money he is
anxious not to increase his loss even by half a crown
at a time.

I am myself a shareholder in a few railways, and,
like many others, was led away by the mania ot
1844, trusting to the parties whose names were he
raided forth as managers of those railways, relying
upon them to take care that the funds were properly
husbanded, and that a full and honest account would
be rendered by them. It is useless to say lam de-
ceived ; from all the accounts I have seen I cannot
help thinking that, if the accountants would but take
half the pains to render the accounts explicit that they
do to mystify them, shareholders would at least be
more satisfied.

I have now lying before me a circular emanating
from the Midland Railway Office, Derby, professing
to answer certain queries which have been submitted
to the directors ; on perusal it is to me anything but
satisfactory, and I hope the directors will see the
propriety of publishing a more elaborate statement of
the company's affairs. Their accounts, hitherto, it
would appear from the observations of the secretary,
upon the Stock-Exchange list, are not even compre-
bendable by the committee of that body, most of
whom are pretty well versed in accounts. It is,
therefore, too much for the directors and secretary
to expect that the public will be satisfied with the
contradiction to these discrepancies. The public
looks for a full understandable account, and will not
think that pointing out three mistakes in the Ex-
change List is sufficient, without the directors clear
up fully all the mysteries in their accounts. _ _

B. E.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

am not one of those who are often guided
by statements in newspapers put forth by editors or
others, but some remarks of yours in a number of last
week respecting the fall in railway shares agrees so
exactly with my own opinion, that I cannot let it
pass without urging you to stick to the mark, and to
use the powerful influence of your paper to bring
about so very desirable a change. You say that the
principal cause of the ruinous decline in price is the
time bargains in the Stock-Exchange, or in other
words, the effect of a powerful party of Bears
frightening the shareholders by all manner of reports,
who having themselves previously sold what they
have not got, take the opportunity of buying it back
to advantage. To obviate this, you propose or advise
the directors of companies, aided by Parliament, to
interfere, by putting a stop to time bargains—other-
wise, you say, railway property will never be a steady
and secure property. You have indeed laid
open the main and true cause, and if proof
was wanting, you have it in the great
difficulty for a purchaser with money in his
hand to obtain his shares fur weeks, if not menthe,
after the purchase. The broker tells you he must
have the money on a given day. He has it ; but he
tells you he cannot procure the certificates ; and so
it goes on for weeks. Now, what is the construction
to be put on it by one who knobs the secrets of that
lion. House ? Why, that on the day appointed for
delivery;the seller, not haying the shares, pays over in
continuation to the next account, and the broker has
the use of the money.

To cure this crying evil there appears to me to be
a simple and easy plan. Do away with the Stock-
Exchange; let a corner of that noble pile, the Royal
Exchange, which is open to all the world, be set a
part for railway share business; let an authorised
person enter the wishes of buyer and seller in a book
which will be open to every one, of IA hich there might
introduce
the many copies. Let the authorised person
the parties, and the one having his shares in his pocket,
and the other the money, let them walk over together
to a railway office, which all the companies should
have at a convenient distance from the Exchange,
and having first satisfied himself as to the owner of
the shares, and their being all right, let the transfer
be executed and the money paid Rt once.
A broker not being r€quired, an extra charge for
transfer might be made by the railway companies to-
wards the expenses of the extra office. A similar
plan might be adopted in all large towns, through
banks, th I
banks, charging, of course, for trouble. Any other
improvement might be added.---Yours, &c.,
A COTANT R
Great Malvern, Oct. 23, 1848 NS. EADER.
I.).S.—A card stuck in the hat would be a sure
plan, stating what they wished to buy or sell.

SUICIDE or k YOUNG WOMAN.--YeSterday Mr.
Bedford held an inquest at the Feathers, I)4'in-street,
Westminster, en the body of a woman, name unknown,
aged about 23. John Collins, a fisherman, living in a
barge on the Thames, said he found the body on Moe-
day morning in the river near Millbank. He took it
ashore, and having washed the face, gave it a kiss.—
(Laughter.) The Coroner—" A kiss to a dead woman!
why ?" Witness—" For affection. I always do it when
I find a female body. Some people laugh at me, but I
don't care." The witness further stated that he thought
the deceased had destroyed.herself about four hours pre-
viewly, as the body appeared to have been in the water
about that time. Verdict, " Found dead."
TYE MURDER AT STROOD.—APPIIIIIIINSION OP A
SUSPECTED PARTY.-02 Monday evening, the adjourned
inquest, respectinc, the death of Mary Abbott, and
ishose body was found at the Fair-field at Strood, was
resumed at the Angel Inn. Since the adjournment the
police superintendent felt justified in apprehending Maria
M`Gill, wife of the fisherman, who first called attention
to the body of the unfortunate deceased, and she was
accordingly brought into the inquest-room, where she
remained during the examination of the witnesses. Not-
withstanding the search made to discover two shawls
worn by the deceased, neither of them has been found.
The inquest was again adjourned.
MIDDLESEX REGISTRATON.—The Barrister held
his court yesterday at the King's Head, Enfield, for the
revision of the lists of Edmonton, Enfield, Friern Bar-
net, Monken, Hadley, South Minas, and Tottenham. In
several instances the names of persons possessing the
required qualification were struck out for misdescriptien.
Several other claims, in which the qualification was in-
fornaably described, were allowed, no notice of objection
having bean made. To-day the court sits at the Jul,
Straw's Castle, ilainpAesd.

THE AURORA BOREALIS OF
OCTOBER 18, 1848.

(From the Liverpool 711-ercurg of yesterday.)
On 'Wednesday evening last, October 18, the cc-
curred an aurora bcrealit-, which, for length of dura-
tion, brilliance, and variety of eflicts, Las probably
not been excelled, if equalled, for many years. it is
thought desirable to place on record some of the fea-
tures of this phenomenon, in the hope that due atten-
tion may in time be drawn to an effect of nature at
once mysterious and beautiful, and which is so much
neglected, and so rarely seen with attention even when
it occurs. The summer of 1848 has been unusually
wet and cold. The easterly winds, of which we have
generally an average of two spells in a year, which
bring fine clear weather: in summer and frost
in winter, set in about a week ago. The 18th
instant was extremely cold for the season, there being
ice in many places, a rather rare thing in England in
October. During the course of the day a few slight
showers of fine snow and hail indicated the state of
the atmosphere, which became gradually free from
clouds towards sunset, after which, and as night ap-
proached, the arc of the heavens presented acloudless
and starry sky of intense blue.
At a quarter to seven a plain whitish light began
to diffuse itself over the northern hemisphere, em-
bracing fully 180 degrees of the horizon, having the
north for the centre, and extending to the zenith.
This faint suffusion of light slightly dimmed the
stars which it covered, was most intense or whiter at
the extremes, east and west, and gave the southern
hemisphere an appearance of depth of blue, of datka
ness, and brilliance of star light apparently more
intense, but which must be attributed to the contrast.
As the evening proceeded faint vertical rays began
to shoot from the horizon towards the zenith, which
gave every indication of an appearance of this pheno-
menon of unusual magnitude. As these rays, still of
a pale colour, increased, an arc of shadowy darkness
but having evident light behind it, began to occupy
the northern part of the horizon, extending to about
30 degrees each side of the north point.
About half-past seven the light corruscations began
to assume colours of the most delicate reds, blue
greens, and some of the most indefinable gradations,
varying in effect and intensity of light till nine o'clock,
when every accompaniment of this phenomenon in-
creased in brilliancy and effect.
The shadowy arc extended in length and altitude,
overtopping Ursa Major, and becoming double, its
light edge being surmounted by a dark ridge or arch,
which was again tipped with light, and from this last
ridge the vertical rays chiefly ascended. This shadowy
arc did not preserve its form in continuance; it
assumed different altitudes, and occasionally became
indented in its surface, so as to form a sees of seg-
meets of the circle. The character of the shadowy
arc was particularly noticed, because light could be
seen through it, and although the vertical rays were
seen chiefly to ascend from its edge, yet they evi-
dently ascended from beneath the horizon, because,
when one of unusual magnitude and intensity of
light arose, the shadow was not strong enough
to conceal it ; it could be distinctly traced be-
hind the shadow, which appeared as a veil, to
the line of the horizon. Although coloured
rays appeared at various times, the greatest
intensity was from nine to eleven o'clock. The
central rays due north were chiefly of the pale blue
greens, lilac, pale blue, and grey; the fed rays were
chiefly confined to the extreme east and west, and
were more coloured near the zenith, where a broad
expanse of the most luminous and beautiful red was
slightly purpled by its transparency showing the blue
of space beyond; this red, as it decayed, mingled
gradually and softly with the sky, becoming more
purple as the red grew weaker, till lost to vision in a
cloudy appearance at the zenith.
During the culmination of this effect asmcst extra-
ordinary appearance ensued; the rays had chiefly
moved vertically, and from the horizon towards the
zenith, but they now began to move occasionally
horizontally,- crossing each other with the rapidity
of lightning, and, it is believed, always from east to
west. This had a most extraordinary appearance,
and whenever it took place a correspending change as
rapid took place at the zenith, as the illuminating
rays changed their position.

At about a quarter-past nine a splendid meteor
passed from east to west, its course being nearly
horizontal ; it was speedily exhausted, and it left the
ocular deception of a train of light after it, which is
often seen. Afterwards the moon rose and gave
increased beauty to the scene. At eleven the splen-
dour and intensity of the rays began to decrease ;
instead of the sharply-defined rays which previously
shot in streams from the edge of the shadow, and
which continued to be most dense at the extreme
east and west, broad expanses of delicate light and
colour continued to ascend from the shadowy arc
occasionally seen behind it, and gradually decreasing
till a soft blue grey light suffused the heavens as at
the beginning • and a little after one the effect ceased,
save that a softened twilight pervaded the north, the
southern hemisphere having throughout preserved a
continued and intense darkness, unaffected even by
the slightest reflection.

The aurora borealis assumes different characters,
and may be classified into four descriptions, as fol-
lows : That which presents a dark shadow.? arc,
assuming various altitudes, surrounded by a faint or
strong colourless light, but without rays proceeding
from it. Second, that which, in addition to the above,
projects rays to the zenith, which assume various
colours, and adds the additional phenomenon of motion.
The first seldom extends to more than sixty degrees of
the horizon having the north for the centre ; the second
extends to various distances, but never beyond ninety
degrees each side the north point, nor beyond the
zenith of the spectator. The third has an expansive
light, without the dark concave shadow, and without
rays—but in diffused messes ; this is the strongest
' with regard to colour; their transparent masses of
brilliant reds and purples, and more delicate tones
covering the heavens, but through which the stars
may be seen ; these masses frequently extend beyond
the zenith, and beyond 180 degrees of the horizon,
the north being the centre, the masses of colour
ceasing, changing, or pervading the sky with the
utmost rapidity. The fourth and last is rarely seen,
even by those whom habits, from whatever cause,
have led them to watch atmospheric effects at all
hours, and for many years. These are horizontal
rays of the aurora borealis, which shoot from north
to south, arising and terminating in a point; which
k€ep near the surface of the earth, are colourless, and
said to be accompanied by a slight rushing noise, as
of a switch gently struck through the air. The
effects of this description arc exceedingly faint and
delicate, appear to be confined to the lower portions
of the atmcbphere, and are unaccompanied by any
demonstrations of light or colour in the higher regions
of air.

To whatever cause the whole of these phenomena
may be ascribed, whether of electricity or any other,
we leave to those able to speculate on the subject.
We wish only to offer a few remarks on the colour of
the aurora, to show that it is simply an effect of Ite
common law of light, which is the origin and cause
of all colour.
Affirming pure light to be white, and the absence
of all light to be darkness or black, all gradations of
colour between are the result of the density of the
former and its admixture with the latter. This
theory is established by the agreement of the effects
with the cause, which are as follow :—Light pro-
jected into a pure atmosphere, illuminated by itself, is
colourless or white; but the illuminated medium
through which light passes becoming more dense, it
becomes yellow, and so increases to the utmost den-
sity that light is capable of being transmitted
• by,
which is red, which is the most powerful of all co-
lours, The least mixture of pure white or light with
darkness produces blue; a more dense stage of light—
t amely yellow, mixed with darkness, is green ; and
its most dense stage, or red rays, mixed with dark-
ness, become purple. These can be modified infi-
nitely, to every possible grade of colour, every shade
of which will agree with the theory of their cause—
namely, light and darkness. As, for instance, the
least possible degree of darkness mixed with the ut-
most density light is capable of, namely red, produces
crimson, crimson diluted again with pure light be-
comes pink, &c.
These remarks are thought necessary, because the
(,ffects of the aurora borealis exactly coincide with the
theory here expressed, the colour of the rays being
neither more ncr less than their light (from whatever
cause) being modified by density and mixture with
darkness. This accounts for the crimson rays being
chiefly confined to the east and west, where we have
shown the light was most dense and accumulated,
the crimson being caused by the most dense or red
rays, still being so thin and transparent as to cause
the darkness or blue beyond to be dimly seen
through.
From the same cause the different rays assumed
different colours, exactly in proportion as the light
was more or less dense, and capable of overpowering
or amalgamating with the darkness it penetrated.
The reason why the rays nearer the north were more
faint in colour, and those more distant more intense,
is accounted for entirely on the principle of density;
:he same that causes the zenith of daylight to be
more blue from thinness, and the sun to be red at
setting.
We have endeavoured, with son's) difficulty, to
render our account of this phenomenon as familiar as
possible, and free from technical terms, being desirous
hat all classes of our readers should avail themselves
,f a description by an eye-witness of this extraor-
Hilary and beautiful effect.

LATE STRAWBERRIES.—A basket of large ripe
strawberries, of Kean's seedling variety, aas exposed in
Niesars. Maclean and Son's fruit warehouse, on Saturday.
l'he fruit was produced in the open air, a few miles
iouth of Edinburgh, and was as good a specimen of
itrawberries as any grown in the height of the summer
saeson.—Edinburyh Advertiser.

Ditto Ditto ..•
Exeter, Yeovil, aral Dorchk s;er
Ditto Nc.v ••• •••
Great Northern . . ..• •••
Ditto Evonsion ••• •••
Great Southern and W,.stern
Gleat Norsk of England 401.
Ditto New 15/. ...
Great Western . . •••
Ditto Quarter; •••
Ditto New, 17/. •••
Lancaster and Ctriislo. Thirds ...
Lancashire and T-rkshire ••• •••
D:tt) Ditto ..•
Moo Halt shares
Ditto Qaartk-r shares ... •
Ditto Fifths
Ditto Thirds ••• ••• ••.
Ditto euaranteed CI.
Liverpool and Bury ••• .•• •••
Ifuddorstivld and Sheffield
%Vast Riding Union .•• ••• •••
PrOston and Wyre, Half Shares ...
Lc.eds and Dewsbury, Scrip ••• .••
Leeds and Thirsk, New „.
Ditto Preference •••
Liveapcol, Crosby, and Southport •••
Liverpool, Manchester, and Nerve. June....
London and Blackwell Extension •••
London and Brighton, it. Guaranteed ...
London and North-Western, Quarters ...
Ditto New Ditto • • .„
Ditto Fifths
ytto 40/. ••• • • •••
Ditto 101. A. ..• •••
Ditto 10/. B
Ditto 101. C•
London and South-Western, 501. •••
Ditto 401. ••• •.. •••
Ditto Thirds ... ••• .••
Ditto New Scrip ••• •••
Lon,lon, Salisbury, and Yeovil ...
Londonderry and Coleraine ..•
Londonderry and Enniskillen ... •••
Lowestoft, Guaranteed 61....
Matlock and Buxton ••• ••• •••
Sheffield and Lincoln, No. 1 ...
Ditto No. 3 •••
Great Grimsby and Sheffield ...
Ditto 20/. •••
Ditto 12.1/. •••
'•'
Ditto Docks
•••
SheffieldSheffieldaad Lincoln •••
•••
Manchester and Lincoln Union
Midland, 501. •••
••• ••• •••
Bristol and Gloucester •••
•••
••• ••• Ditto Ditto
••.
Mildland Great Western
•••
Newmarket ••• ..41•
Ditto Extension ••• ..„
Newport and Abergavenny •.•
Newry and Enniskillen ...
Norfolk, 201., New
Ditto Waeeney ..•
Northern Counties Union ••• •••
North British Extension ... ..• •.•
North and South- Western
Worth Staffordshire ••• ••• •••
North Wales .•• ••• ••• •••
Nbrth Western •••• ••• •••
Reading, G uildford, and Reigate ... ..•
Royston and
:Scottish Midland, New ... • •
Sheffield, Rotherham, anti Goole, Nor. Dir.
Ditto Sou. Dir.
Shrewsbury and Birmingham, Class A.
Ditto Class B. ...
Shrewsbury anti Hereford...
•••
Shrewsbury and Chester ... •••
Ditto Halves
..•
Ditto Oa-vestry
Ditto Naw
Shropshire Union ".•• —•
•*"
South Staffordshire... •••
•••
South-Eastern, No. 1
***
Ditto No. 2 •••
Ditto No. 3 ... • •••
South Wales
••• •••
South Yorkshire, Doncaster, &a
Swans. and Loughor and Camb. Steam Coal
Taw Vale Extension ••••
Thamus Haven Dock and Railway
Vale of Neath ••• • •••
•••
Waterford and Kilkenny •••
Waterford and Limerick ••
Waterford,Wexford, IVicklow, and Dublin
est C.:raw/all ..• •.• •••
Wear Valley, 61. Guarantee ••• •••
Ditto Ditto ..•
Whitehaven and Furnes3 ••• • •
Windsor, Staines, and South-Western ...
Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth ••
York and Newcastle, No. 1 ••.
Ditto No. 2 ••• .••
. Ditto Preference ••• •••
York and North Midland Preference ...

75,000
1,7C0,000
294,910
15,848
333,696
122,500
3.25,000
300,000
640,000
620,000
2,703,000
944;200

Total ..£6') 760 335
••• ••• ••• •
LINES NOT INCLUDED IN THE LONDON LI .3T.
Cornwall-zit is probable that only a small
part of this line will be made ...
Cotk and Waterford—this line is reputed
to be abandoned.
Coventry, Nunnaton, and Lincoln
D2rby, Staff., & Wore. Junction—defunct.
Dublin and Dundrum
Dublin, 1-311,fAq• and Coleraine—defunct.
Dublin an Kinvitown
Colchester and Stour Valley
Ei";.t and Mist It lia Dock itailway

£1,460,000

135,0:0

110,230

2,55.01 A
150,000
300,000
182,000

Stir Hog and Danftircr.!irle ...
Edraburgh and Bad:gat°
Stirling and MilLnd Junction

30,000
6`),600
634,3'20
243,200
134.200
2()0,(00
103,600

Glasgow, Paisley, and Ayr
NEWSPA EA ouceeter aryl
' triton and Drie lie
1d
an Forest
r<74". -''''''.-,.......:--P2);. -;:, land an.l Great W.sterii ... ,
..,- /-_ --'''''' Mq Vale
—l'', 1-:',!•,rri-,.':::'.,>-- 'k:: "AI
Ct,,,
••• •.• ••• •••
.---
i:i- -:- ,• ' c--. .fl Total ... •.• . .£66,762 3C5
- T e following is a statement of the deductions
, - wbith must be male from the above sum on account
- -- _ ----:x_of/defunct schemes, calls to pay off loans, and calls
•-•.-. c'-'•