The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-27 00:00:00

from saturation. The importers of mahogany have it in
their power to provide ample supplies of the most suitable
curves and -dimensions; and, instead of transferring the
ship-building trade to our colonies or to foreign powers,
We shall, with wise legislation and judicious regulations,
have nothing to apprehend from the rivalry of other
countries.

Mahogany is found to work as freely and bend as
readily as English -oak, as may be ascertained by inspect •
ing some of the fine ships now being built, practically
demonstrating to those who are sceptical that it can he
turned round the most difficult curves without any
symptoms of " spoiling" or splitting. Its strength is I
proved by its durability, since• it would be scarcely
possible for the mahogany timbers of ships of war, which
are known to have lasted above a century in a perfectly
sound state, to have been deficient in this essential
quality. Messrs. Thomas and John White, the well
known ship-builders of Cowes, testify, as the result of a
series of experiments, to " the strength of mahogany
over English oak, East India teak, American elm,
American oak, &c.," and that it is the best wood for
ship-building purposes:' The non-corrosion of metals
is likewise a highly favourable property in this wood,
and this has been ascertained by the celebrated chemist,
Dr. Ure, who, having tested samples of mahogany which
had been submitted for analysis, reports that " a decoc-
tion of the chips or shavings had hardly any chemical
reaction, and scarcely affected iron and copper." The
mahogany which is the best adapted for ship-building is
that which is firm, tough, and roey, by which latter term
is meant the irregular direction or overlapping of the
grain of the wood, the soft or cedar-like kinds being
useful for the inside planking, whilst the hard and wavy
are suited for the outside planking and timbering. Those
different properties were well understood by the Spanish
shipbuilders, who, by judiciously selecting such logs as
were of suitable texture, succeeded in building ships,
some of which, even at the present day, are in commis-
sion in our navy, or, when broken up for age, have had
their mahogany timbers used in new ships. And it may
not be out of place to mention, on authority, that the
other kinds of timber which were in these old vessels
were decayed, whilst the mahogany was quite sound.
Nor let it be supposed that the old Spaniards cut ma-
hogany in their islands alone : their archives attest that
even to the arsenal in Cuba very much wood, cut on the
continent of America, was shipped off for use there in
the Spanish navy. Indeed the botanical character of
mahogany is essentially the same whether grown on the
continent or on the Islands of Cuba, or St. Domingo.
The opinion of an eminent ship-builder, William Pit-
cher, Esq., of Northfleet, goes to state, that " sound,
hard, and well selected Honduras mahogany is suited
for all parts of new twelve years' merchant ships," and
"if long and well squared, it is very economical, the
offal being of much more value than that of any other
wood at present used for ship-building."
The specific gravity of Honduras mahogany being less
than that of oak and teak, it is calculated that a vessel
of 1,000 tons burthen would displace, when afloat, 100
tons water less than if it were built of the latter woods ;
and, as buoyancy is one of the highest qualities in a ship,
this characteristic feature ought to have much weight
with those who are desirous of producing the best speci-
mens of naval architecture.

We have abridged the above remarks from an excel-
lent circular recently issued by Messrs Chaloner and
Fleming, appended to a list of the woods which are to be
sold by them on Monday next and the following day,
amongst which are numerous large cargoes of mahogany
and several lots of other valuable woods.

In addition to the interesting particulars quoted,
Messrs. Chaloner and Fleming point out the utility and
beauty of mahogany in the structure of churches and
houses, and for machinery and other purposes. It appears
that mahogany is now selling several pounds a load
cheaper than teak.
* The immense forests of South, and those of the greater
portion of North, America are practically of no benefit to the
British ship-builder, since the ship timber and masts from
these countries pay a duty of 265. 3d. per load.

t-EII,IOUS RAILWAY ACCIDENT
AT STOCKPORT.
A first and second-class train for London, said by
some to be a mail train, and by others called a select day
train, but not described as either in the time bills, left
the London-road station at 20 minutes to ten o'clock on
Tuesday morning, and had proceeded to near Stockport
station, keeping its proper time, seven minutes to ten
o'clock, when it came into collision with another train,
which was shunting on to the up line of rails to get out
of the way and let it pass. The Stockport station is
about a hundred and fifty yards on the other side of the
celebrated viaduct over the Mersey, the up and down
lines being connected about midway of this distance by
points, and it appears that a train of empty coal waggons
belonging to Lord Vernon had arrived at the Stockport
station on their way to Poynton, but the superintendent
of the station expecting the passenger train down in a
minute or two, directed the driver to shunt on the up
line, so that the former might pass him and not be
stopped. The engine-man proceeded to obey the in-
structions given him, and was just backing his waggons
on up the line, when the train came on at a quick pace,
say of twelve miles an hour; all his waggons got clear
on the up line, but before he could get his engine
and tender clear also the engine of the train was down
upon him, and the left corner of his tender came vio-
lently in collision with the right corner of the passenger
train engine, carrying away the buffer, a portion of the
wood work in connection with it, driving in the iron
work in front, breaking one of the cylinder plates below,
and then got clear. The force of the blow drove the
engine of the passenger-train against its tender, which
was forced under it, and both were lifted up at the end a
considerable height, and then fell off the rails, steam and
smoke and dust being pretty plentiful from the fire. The
force of the collision was communicated at once through
the train, and with so great a shock that the very last
carriage in the train, which consisted of five carriages,
showed a crack in which a man's finger might be laid.
The train had a pretty fair complement of passengers,
and immediate attention to their wants was paid by
every one connected with the lice. So far as we could
learn, the injuries sustained were as follows :—Mr.
Thomas Tippett Cole, of Torquay, three front teeth in
the lower jaw knocked out with the gum, and a part of
the jaw, and bis lower lip cut completely through. He
was in a second-class carriage which followed the lug-
gage van next the tender ; and he was thrown violently
against the opposite seat and thus received his injuries.
His wounds were dressed, and he departed for Torquay
in the course of the afternoon, taking his teeth in
his pocket, for the purpose of having them refixed, we
believe, if possible. Mr. Cole bore his injuries with
surprising fortitude, and exhibited his three teeth with
the usmost nonchalance to the bystanders. A clergy-
man, a first-class passenger, with a cut on his forehead,
and bruises about his legs and other parts of the body;
a second-class passenger, a gentleman, a cut above the
eve, which is very much enlarged and swollen, and a
lady slightly hurt in the face, and bruised on other parts
of her person. Another gentleman, Mr. John Stone-
man, a first-class passenger, hurt on the head, and a
lady slightly cut on the head. The names of
Mr. John Black and a Mr. Currie, or Cas-
sidy, were mentioned, but we cannot, with
accuracy, say whether they are any of the parties re-
ferred to above or not. The,guard of the train was
much injured, and though not presenting any outward
marks of violence, it is likely he has sustained severe
internal injury. , The driver, John Ogden, and James
Walton, the stoker of the coal-engine, jumped off, and
escaped injury, but Chris. Winterbottom, the driver of
the passenger train, was caught between two of the
shunting rails and there fixed for some time, and has
received a sprain of the right foot; John Fox, the
stoker, has also been injured. The case as against both
drivers will be fully investigated by the company's offi-
cers, and proper punishment be awarded.—Manchester
Courier.

HIGHWAY ROBBERY, AND CAPTURE OF THE
THIEVES.—Last week, as the servant man of Mr. Wil-
liam Forshaw, of Tarleton-hall, Scarisbrick, was return-
ing from Liverpool market, where he had been with a
cart load of potatoes, he was met about half a mile from
Aintree race-course, on the Ormskirk-road, by two fel-
lows, who, alter demanding his money, seized hold of
him, and succeeded in taking from him six sovereigns,
with which they made off towards Liverpool. After a
few minutes' deliberation, he determined to follow them,
and tying his horse to the nearest gate, pursued and
nearly carne up with them at the canal bridge, about
halt' a mile from the place where he was robbed, but he
still kept at a distance, unperceived by the robbers.
When they arrived at Walton, to the yonng man's great
satisfaction, he met with two policemen in the street.
He exclaimed, " These two men have robbed me of six
sovereigns," when they were immediately taken into
custody, and both confessed their crime, and gave up the
money, which they had divided. On the following day
they were fully committed for trial. It is said that a
subscription will be got up in the neighbourhood to re-
ward the young man for his perseverance and success in
capturing the robbers.—Liverpool Courier,
A SLAVE-HOLDING D.D. WHIPPING HIS FEMALE
SLAVE ON SABBATH MORNING, PREPARATORY TO
PREACHING.—March 28th, 1843, in a public address, at
Cincinnati, the Rev. Edward Smith, True Wesleyan, of
Pittsburgh, stated, that he had lived in slave States
thirty-two years ; and, speaking of a certain D.D., of
his acquaintance, he adds:—" He was a slave-holder, and
a severe one, too, and often, with his own hands, he ap-
plied the cowhide to the naked backs of his slaves. On
one occasion, a woman that served in the house com-
mitted, on Sabbath morning, an offence of too great mag-
nitude to go unpunished until Monday morning. The
Doctor took his woman into the cellar, and, as is usual
in such cases, stripped her from her waist up, and then
applied the lash. This woman writhed and winced
wider each stroke, and cried, • 0 Lord 0 Lord ! I 0
Lord I! !' The Doctor stopped, and his hands fell to
his side, as though struck with palsy, gazed on the
woman with astonishment, and thus addressed her (the
congregation must pardon me for repeating his words),
Hush, you b—h, will you take the name of the Lord
in vain, on the Sabbath day?' When he had stopped
the woman from the gross profanity of crying to God
on the Sabbath day, he finished whipping hryer, and then
went and essayed to preach that Gospel to his congrega-
tion, which proclaims liberty to the captive, and the
opening of the prison doors to them who are bound. Mr.
Smith does not give the name, but, from various circum-
stances which he states, there can be little doubt it was
the Rev. George A. Baxter, D.D., of Virginia.—Anti-
Slavery Reporter.
MELANCHOLY SUICIDE AT MONKS ELEIGH.-011
Monday morning, about half-past seven o'clock, a dis-
tressing event took place at Monks Eleigh, Mr Samuel
Scott Baker, farmer and veterinary surgeon, having com-
mitted self-destruction. He has lately been considerably
excited on account of the fire which occurred last week
on the adjoining premises, and which was at first sup-
posed to have been an incendiary act. Having passed
Sunday night in a very unsettled manner, he on Monday
morning put a period to his existence. He was-in his
44th year, and unmarried.—./petoich Express.