The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-06 00:00:00

SEAMEN'S HuSPITAL SOCIETY.

The 25th anniversary of this corporation was celebrated
yesterday by a dinner at the London Tavern. The chair was
taken by the Earl of Ellenborough, the new First Lord of
the Admiralty; and his Lordship was supported by Lord
Colville, Lord Colchester, Sir C. Malcolm, Sir J. H. Pelly,
Admiral Bowles, M.P., Admiral Tomlinson, General Pasley,
Lieutenant Waghorn, R N., Captain W. A. B. Hamilton, &c.
There were about one hundred and twenty gentlemen present.
By the report laid on the table, it appeared that the Society
had received on board the Dreadnought, during the last year,
2,421 sick and diseased seamen of all nations (1,349 of whom
were discharged cured), besides affording medical relief to
1,595 out-patients

After the usual loyal toasts, and that of " The Army," the
toast of "The Navy" was responded to by
Lord COLVILLE, who stated that the navy of this country,
if it should be called upon, would be found in a most efficient
state. It was ready for war, in case of need.—(Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN, in giving "success to the Seamen's Hos-
pital, and the Committee of Management thereof," observed,
that he was present at the formation of this institution, and
had been a subscriber to it ever since. He mentioned this to
sh•w that his regard for the naval service was not new-born,
not a thing of the day.—(Cheers.)
Admiral BOWLES acknowledged the toast, and proposed the
health of the Chairman.

The CHAIRMAN observed, that the gentlemen of the naval
service were to consider him, as Lord Colville had said, one
of themselves, identified with them in feeling, and resolved to
support the interests of the service and its honour. It would
be a subject of the highest gratification if circumstances
should enable them to add greater triumphs to those already
achieved.— (Cheers.)
In respondiag to the toast of " The Lords of the Ad-
miralty,"
The CHAILMA.N remarked, that while there was much that
was gratifying in the position in which he had been placed
there was a great deal that was most distressing ;—day after
day
, to see officers, and read their memorials, stating services
which it was perfectly impossible adequately to reward, and
asking employment which it was impossible to give, was by
far the most painful situation in which he had been placed in
the whole course of his life ; it was only in the discharge of
a great public obligation that he could consent to fulfil the
duties of an office in which so much pain was to be endured.
All he could say was, that he would look to the services of all
officers, be they who they might, with perfect fairness ; he
cared not one rush about the politics of any one of them.—
(Great cheering.) He had a much higher ambition than
to maintain any party—the ambition to do justice to the de-
serving officer, and maintain the honour and efficiency of the
British navy ; and he would not condescend to perform the
duty at the Admiralty if he could not do this satisfactorily.
The subscriptions of the evening were here announced to
amount to 1,2751., including h, r Majesty's annual contribu-
tion of 105/. ; the Trinity-house, 3001. ; the Merchant
Elder Brethren, 100/. ; the East India Company, 1051. A
donation of 14/. from " the American shipmasters" was an-
nounced amidst some good-humoured laughter, followed by a
hearty cheer.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the health of Lieutenant
Waghorn, observed that he never met a man of more inde-
fatigable energy, and he believed that but for him the pro-
ject of the overland route to India would never have been
carried out.

Lieutenant WAGXORN, who was most enthusiastically re-
ceived, remarked that the Noble Earl in the chair was the
man who, 17 years ago, when President of the India Board,
first suggested the overland route.—(Cheers.) The origi-
nator of the project at that time, his Lordship had been its
patron ever since.—(Hear, hear.) I thank you all ( added
Lieutenant Waghorn), but I trust I shall yet receive more
praise from you.—(Loud cheers.)
Several other appropriate toasts were drunk, and that of
" The Wooden Walls of England" concluded the festivity.

Tim POTATO CROP.—For some days back the Isa-
bella Lawrence, of this port, has been taking in a cargo of
potatoes for the London market. It was lately deemed expe-
dient to call in the local company of pensioners here, in case
of any outbreak, but it was considered unnecessary to re-
tain them longer than Monday. The price of po-
tatoes in Inverness may, in the meantime, be stated at
from 14s. to 16s. Potatoes are not keeping in pits so well as
was expected, and some parties are apprehensite of suffering
from the murrain, though we know of only two well• marked
cases in this neighbourhood. We learn that no fewer
than seventy-four special constables were sworn in
by the authorities of Nairn, preparatory to the
shipment of potatoes from that port. In that neigh-
bourhood potatoes are sold at 12s. per boll, and the price in
the town is l4s. per boll. We regret to learn that the po-
tato malady has appeared in the Isle of Skye, and also at
Fraserburgh, in Aberdeenshire. The disease prevails in the
district of Buchan also. Large quantities are annually
shipped from that quarter for seed to Yorkshire, and
the dealers refuse to take them at present, even
at the low rate of 10s. par boll. It is, however,
consolatory to learn that Professor Johnston has
submitted to the public the result of the investigation entered
into on this most important subject in October last. He
states that " the information elicited went to show that not
above one-sixth of the crop would be totally lost, and that
as the crop had been nearly one-third above an average, it
followed that, after all the losses, there would remain, in.
Scotland, au average crop of potatoes."—lnverness Courier,

* See 4 Geo. IV. c. 114; 5 Geo. IV. c. 83. 7 and 8 Geo.
IV. c. 30; 5 and 6 Wm. IV. C. 59; 2 and 3 Vict. c. 47; 2
and 3 Vict. c. 94; 2 and 3 Vict. c. 71; 6 and 7 Vict. c. 86;
and many other Acts. . .

fi Thi; is a matter of detail, which it had been, perhaps,
better to have omitted from the paper. Market-gar-
dening is here referred to merely because that mode of em-
ppelir,yioid of
landng t
the
ea ffyoeradrs,
thanor a light
eelabour, during a greater
London, active occupation for women and lads is found
i
during nine months of the year, n digging, trenching, dres-
sing, cropping, hoeing, and weeding the land of market-
gardens—of some descriptions of produce three or four crops
in a year are obtained, and a market could be found in Lon-
don or other large towns for an unlimited supply of produce,
without materially interfering with other interests—it is an
object of importance, in all establishments of this descrip-
tion, to fine a profitable occupation for the inmates, with as
little interfereuce as possible with the free-labour market.

• The annual expense of Parkhurst Establishment for
young convicts amounts to 25/. 6s. Ild. each inmate: more
than sufficient to provide them with a boarding-school educa-
tion ; and more than the wages on which the greater portion
of the agricultural labourers have to support a whole family.

REVERSION OF THE CORPORATION IN THE BIRKIN-
HEAD Docxs.—We understand that the arbitrators who
were appointed to fix the value of the reversionary interest
of the Corporation of Liverpool in the Birkenhead Dock
estate, have decided that the value of the reversion is one
hundred and thirteen thousand pounds! We have also
heard that the arbitrators have decided that the Woods and
Forests are entitled to from fifty to sixty thousand pounds
for the property which they surrender to the Commissioners
of Birkenhead.—Liverpool Times.

APPOINTMENT EXTRAORDINARY.— We congratulate
the Government upon their having adopted Lord Mor-
peth's suggestion to infuse, in imitation of our trans-
atlantic brethren, a little more of the democratic prin-
ciple into our institutions. Southampton has been chosen
as the field for tie first display of the new-born love
of democracy, and it is to the Iron Duke we are
indebted for the great fact. His Grace, as Lord Lieu-
tenant of Hampshire, has just been pleased (we hear) to
confer the dignity of Deputy-Lieutenant upon two worthy
tradesmen of our borough—Mr. Lobb, citizen and haber-
dasher, our present Mayor, and Mr. Le Feuvre, packet
agent, &c. We understand that the appointment, gratifying
as it is to the gentlemen and their friends, is by no means
plea sing to the majority of their confreres, who look upon
these honours as the exclusive privilege of the landed gentry.
—Hampshire Independent.
TS 7E NEXT POTATO CROPS.—At the ordinary meeting
of the .Uorticultural Society, held on Tuesday, Dr. Lindley exhibited
several specimens of new frame potatoes, as well as those grown in
the open ground, from various parts of the country, which prove the
lamentab 'a fact that the disease will be greater in the ensuing than
the pasts Cason. In addition to the Bias made at the gardens of the
Society at Chiswick, experiments with regard to the prospects of the
crops under every variety and the best advantages of skill, cultiva-
tom, and s od, had been undertaken, amongst other places, in the
gardens of Lady Rolle, and Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, in Devon-
shire, and A( r. Meyrick, in the Isle of Anglesea, specimens of which
were laid. es. a the table. The details were very ngthy, but tile
substance nm ybe conveyed in the statement of a few facts. The
potatoes fro!' s Anglesea were from sets of 1844, when the disease had
not made it s appearance; but although they had not exceeded the
size of mart h s, they were in a lamentable condition, the disease being
fully develol xi in the interior. From some sets new potatoes in an ap-
parently sou r. d condition had been produced, although the decayed and
blighted haul, n showed that they could not continue so. The pro-
pagation of it e disease was of an ambiguous character, as, although ,
potatoes whin ut apparent disease had been produced from,diseased
sets, those in • which it was apparent it had not existed had produced
diseased issue:a Experience and science had gone hand in hand
without pi odu •ng any result, and no general practical remedy had
been suggested.. Dr. Lindley further stated that on Saturday he had
received from Lord Aberdeen the correspondence with tile different
British Consul s; amongst the most interesting of which was that
from Washing ton, in which it was stated that tile disease first ap-
peared in 1843 and had gone on in intensity the succeeding two
years. The as use might be expected in this country, and it required
the utmost can 'ion to guard against its effects. That the disease
was not confl tied to potatoes was apparent from some carrots
exhibited by ti e Marquis of Lansdowne, which were placed on the
table. It had Chown itself also in bilious, which'would not keep this
season, and 11C prly all the Dutch hyacinths are in a similar affected
state.