The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-08 00:00:00

MILITARY AND NAVAL FLOGGlNG.—Yesterday after-
noon a large and crowded meeting of the inhabitants of the town of
Hounslow and its vicinity, convened by public notice, was held in
the lecture-room, at the Nag's Head Inn, in that town, " to adopt
resolutions expressive of its opinion on the subject of military and
naval flogging, and to petition Parliament for the total abolition
thereof." After a lengthened discussion the following form of peti-
tion was agreed on :—" To the Hon. the Commons of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled,—
The humble petition of the inhabitants of Hounslow and its vicinity,
in public meeting assembled, humbly showeth, that your petitioners,
being deeply convinced of the great importance to this empire of the
army and navy for its peace, order, and protection, and that what-
ever lowers the self-esteem or alienates the patriotism of the soldier
or sailor tends to weaken our defence and perils our safety, your pe-
titioners are grieved to find that the barbarous practice of flogging is
still maintained as a mode of punishment ; your petitioners, more-
over, being fully assured that a mode of punishment so unmanly,
brutal, and un-Christian, insulting to our common humanity, teed so
alien to our religion and our age, does exasperate and degrade, but
never can amend the offenders ; we therefore humbly beseech your
Hon. House immediately to abolish the degrading and disgusting
practice of flogging in the army and Navy."

::SALE OF THE MISSAL OF MARGARET OF ANJOU.-
Yesterday a sale by auction of a collection of curious and rare manu-
scripts and books took place at Messrs. Sotheby's rooms, and among
them was a highly-preserved and beautiftilly-finished manuscript on
vellum of the fifteenth century, adorned with fifty-one large and
twenty-four small miniature paintings, said to have been the
prayer-book of Margaret of Anjou, Queen of Henry VI. It iscomposed
of 236 leaves beautifully illuminated. Prefixed to some prayers in
the French language is the portrait of Margaret at her devotions.
The first offer was 301., and it was eventually sold for 1151. In ad-
dition to this, there were some other rare books sold, of which the
following are worthy of notice :—" Flodden Field, hereafter ensue the
treme Encountre or Batayle lately don betweene England and Scot-
land, in which Batayle the Scottish Kynge was Blayne," a tract of
only four leaves, extremely rare, sold for 131. 10s. Two volumes, the
first of the second edition, and the second volume of the first edition
of " Spencer's Fairio Queene," sold for 51. 17s. 6d. A beautiful
Italian manuscript upon vellum of the works of Petrarch, the first
page of each work being delicately painted with borders, sold for 81.;
and a similar manuscript of the works of Boccacio, bearing the name
of the scribe and the date of its execution, 1431, sold for 71. 10s. A
small Missale Romanum, upon vellum, dated 1417, last page orna-
mented with an arabesque border in gold. and coloured, sold for 151.

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—An accident, which might have
been attended with the most serious consequences, befel the evening
train on the London and Gloucester Railway on Monday last. A
passenger, in a second-class carriage, on leaving the Swindon station,
thought he perceived something wrong in the motion of the car-
riages, but failed in attracting the attention of the conductor to it.
The train had not proceeded far, when, to his infinite dismay, he saw
the floor of the carriage on fire, and the flame bursting up between
his feet. The united cries of the horror-stricken passengers at length
succeeded in stopping the train, when they were rescued from their
perilous situation, and made their escape down a steep embankment.
On the flame being extinguished the train proceeded at a slow pace
to the next station, where the carriage was detached.
ANOTHER EXPLOSION IN THE ROYAL ARSENAL.—
WooLwrcii, AUGUST 7.—Yesterday mornieg, at eleven o'clock, a 24-
pounder rocket exploded at the rocket sheds, Royal Arsenal, during
the process of driving in the composition by means of a machine
technically called a monkey. The explosion occurred front the same
mould that the rocket exploded from on the previous day. The re-
port of the explosion caused hundreds of the workmen to hasten to
the rocket sheds, an alarm having been given that the shed was on
fire, but in the course of a few minutes it was discovered that the
rocket had done scarcely any damage to the building, and the men
then resumed their work. The man who was employed moulding
the rocket, Jacob Steel, was severely burnt about the head and face
by the composition. He was ordered home by the surgeon, but it is
expected he will be able to resume his work in the course of a few
days.
Low WATER AT PARlS.—Within the memory of man
the waters_of the Seine were never so low as at the present moment.
They are only fifty centimetres higher than they were in 1719, which
is taken as a basis for the water-mark at the Pont Royale and the
Pont de la Concorde. The navigation of the river is completely
stopped for laden vessels. As the navigation of the canals will be
stopped in a few days, if there is not a change in the weather, the
river will, in all probability, be as low as in 1719.