The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-02 00:00:00

DUBLIN UNIVERSITY.

Whilst thousands have been expended in the endea-
vours to discover a north-west passage to India, which,
like Gratiano's reason, when you have found it is not
worth the search, the valuable Indian islands, Borneo
and Celebes hare been entirely neglected ; and at the
present moment we are actually better acquainted with
the geography of the uninhabited and uninhabitable Mel-
ville Island than we are with that of the largest and
most fertile island in the world, which is situated in the
midst of the Indian seas, the Island of Borneo.
We are delighted to find, however, that public attentiv
is becoming gradually awakened to the importance of
this fine island, and the country is indebted to Captain
Keppel and Mr. Brooke—to the former for his interesting
narrative of the recent expedition of the 1)ido to that
island for the suppression of piracy, and to the latter for
his philantrophic endeavours to introduce amongst the
inhabitants the two main elements of civilization, Chris-
tianity and commerce. The opening article of the Dublin
University Magazine for the present month is devoted, to a
review of that portion of Captain Keppel's work, which
relates to the labours of Mr. Brooke. Those labours have
been crowned with great and deserved success. Piracy has
been suppressed, and the " Son of Europe," as the natives
call Mr. Brooke, is now Raja, Prince, and feudal proprietor
of a considerable portion of the country, and is the
agent of Great Britain in his adopted home. The fol-
lowing description will give some idea of the importance
of Borneo in a commercial point of view :
" The soil of this island is one of the most fertile in the
world, producing rice and sago of the best description, nut-
megs, and every kind of spice; it has also camphor of the
first quality. Antimony is one of its staple commodities;
and it possesses iron, lead, gold, diamonds, and—more valu-
able still—coal. The climate, though near the line, is, like
that of Ceylon, temperate; and Captain Keppel reports it as
healthy."

We have a third paper on the " Insurrections and In-
surgents of Italy," bringing down the history of the
struggles for Italian freedom to 1831. " Glintings of
the Shannon," the third of the series on Irish rivers,
gives us some graphic pen and ink sketches of the pic-
turesque scenery of that most magnificent river, and
this paper is followed by some pleasant recollections of
the Burschenshaft of Germany. The concluding ar-
ticle is a review of Mr. Butt's book, entitl?d, " Protec-

tion to Home Industry," in which all the old exploded
fallacies of the protectionists are reproduced, as if they
were new discoveries, and of course lauded to the skies,

TESTIMONIAL TO T. S. DUN-
COMBE, ESQ., M.P.
We subjoin a description of this really exquisite produc-
tion of art, now on view at the Parthenium. The grouping
of the figures, the extraneous ornaments, the limning of
the features, everything in respect to this graceful memento
of the affection and esteem with which Mr. Duncombe is
regarded by his fellow countrymen, is worthy of the deli-
cacy and refinement of the feelings in which this testimo-
nial originated. We congratulate the Honourable Member
for Finsbury on this assurance that his public character has
afforded the fullest satisfaction, not merely to his constitu-
ency, but likewise the mass of the labouring classes: it
must prove a source of the most earnest pleasure to Mr.
Duncombe, to feel that his course has been fraught with
blessings to the multitude, and that he is repaid with
their love. His is no mere clap-trap popularity: it lives
deep in the heart's core of thousands.
The design of this "piece of plate" about to be presented
to Mr. Duncombe is exquisitely beautiful : it is the work of
Mr. Grant, by whom it was modelled, and executed in silver
by Messrs. Garrard. It weighs 800 ounces, is mounted on
ebony, measures in height three feet two inches, and cost
the sum of 6201. On the top a figure, representing the spirit
of British liberty, is seen rewarding the rights of her cham-
pion for defending the rights of her country from oppression
and injustice; and in two of the panels of the base are
bassi releivi, representing on one side a mechanic in pros-
perity, and on the other a mechanic in adversity. On the
third panel is beautifully printed the following inscription :
".Presented to Thomas Slingsby Duncombe, Esquire, ALP.,
by many of the working classes of Great Britain and Ireland,
as a mark of their affection and gratitude for his patriotic,
manly, and consistent advocacy of the rights of the people."
Ou the angles of the plinths are groups of boys, emblematical
of trade, commerce, and the fine arts, directing attention to
the following patriotic votes and motions of the Hon. Mem-
ber in the Housp of Commons :
" 1828. Voted for the repeal of the Tests and Corporation
Acts.
" 1829. Voted for Catholic Emancipation.

1184. 321. Moved forV)tedfor an amnesty
heßem Bill.
Bto all Political Prisoners
(which motion was lost only by the casting vote of the
Speaker.)
" 1842. Presented the Great National Petition, signed by
3,340,000 of the working classes, praying that the People's
Charter might become the law of the land, and moved that
the petitioners be allowed to set forth their grievances at the
bar of the House of Commons.
" 1842. During the progress of the Income and Property
Tax Bill, established the right of the people to petition against
a tax pending its discussion in Parliament, of which right
they had been deprived upwards of 150 years.
" 1843. Moved for an inquiry into the judicial conduct of
Lord Abinger, and certain Magistrates, in reference to politi-
cal and other prisoners.
" 1844. Moved the abolition of the Ecclesiastical Courts.
" 1844. Strangled the infamous Masters and Servants Bill.
" 1845. Moved for an inquiry into the conduct of the Home
Secretary, relative to the Post-office espionage.
"Advocated the principles of Religious Liberty, Commer-
cial Freedom, and Equality of Civil and Political Rights
throughout the British empire."

OXFORD AND CAMBRIDGE BOAT-RACE.--Both crews
have arrived at Putney, where they have taken up their quarters, in
order to train over the course selected fir this great aquatic event.
A SERGEANT OF THE 18TII FOOT SHOT.—On Tuesday
afternoon a detachment of the provisional battalion left the garrison
for ball practice firing at Ilpnor, the usual place the troops resort to
for practice, there being an extensive range of hills bounding the
river Medway. Three targets were placed at equal distances, for
the line of soldiers to fire at ; a volley of musketry having beett
fired, Sergeant James M'Collison, of the 18th Royal Irish, ens of
the sergeants in charge, advanced a few paces, for the pur-
pose of examining the penetration of the bullets, when one of the
privates in the line, whose musket was loaded, fired off his piece,
and the ball striking the sergeant, he instantly fell. On being
raised, it was found that the ball had passed through the fleshy part
of his arm, end entered the side, coming out under the shoulder
blade. The Meer In charge of the detachment had the sergeant
carried off the ground, and conveyed to the detachment hospital,
where the' poor fellow lies in extreme agony; some of his clothing,
it is supposed, has lodged internally, and the bladebone is much in-
jured. The soldier who committed the act had no intention of Wriest-
ing the Bel geant, his aim was at the target.
FRENCH RAILROADS.—The Commerce announces that
the railroad from Amiens to Abbeville may be opened to the public
in the course of this year, as the chief engineer had promised thati i!
should be, a few works only remaining to be completed, andiicicannot require much time. From Abbeville to Etaples the embank-
ments are considerably advanced, and much of the landreui treaty,
without y
the remainder of the line has been purchased by private
permit all the works
without the intervention of a jury, and which will F--i-roin Etapjes to
on that section of the line to be completed this •
Boulogne, the nature of the ground htyjeeia„rigl4rermegniattteedd with
11
contractors to advance so rapidly, the eart.l,ining
humidity. We have, however, hoposionf
Abbeville in 1646, and to Boulogne
announces, that the preparatory
Northern
Friday. her'l
functionaries and the persons
Experimental
arras, and Dou f the North,the line opened to
1847. The Journal ck Lille
uration of the section of the
together with as place
the principal
employed on the line, repaired on that
returned to Lille in the evening.
Railroad
The
hoprc:fnert comprised between aug
that city and Arras took
ay and Valenciennes, to test
day to Arrasibytraainspsecdt train, and
earsndedthedistance
between Lille and
the good condition of the
road, and regalate the service, which Is to commence on the Ist of
Sprit!

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF COMMONS, April 1.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Twelve o'clock.
NEW WRIT.
A new writ was moved for the borough of Richmoq, In
the county of Yorkshire, in the room of the Hon. Ridley
Colborne, deceased.

SECOND READINGS. •
The following Bills were read a second time, and ordered
to be committed, viz.
Preston and Wyre Railway Harbour and Dock (New Dock
and Railway).
Preston and Wyre Railway Harbour and Dock (Longridge
Junction).
Bridgwater and Taunton Canal, Railway, and Harbour.
Chard Canal Railway.
South Leith Church.
Kilmarnock and Ayr Direct.
Hull and Lincoln Direct Railway.
Boston, Stamford, and Birmingham Railway (Stamford to
Wisbech).
North Wales Railway
Herculaneum Docks.
Darwen Waterworks.
Chorley Waterworks.