The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-27 00:00:00

THE HALIFAX MAILS.

Mr. MILNER GIBSON said the Hon. Member for
Bristol had obtained an order for the production of some
papers relative to the contract with Messrs. Cunard, for car-
rying the mails to the United States. He wished to know
when those papers would be laid upon the table. He would
also take the opportunity of asking whether the contract now
proposed to be entered into for the weekly conveyance of the
mail would be open to public competion ? Memorials to the
Government on the subject had been forwarded from the City
I London, Liverpool, Manchester, Bristol, and other large
tio.sw.ns%aell praying that the contract should be open to the pub-
Ptei Innt::taotllwer e
ev,,,,i‘../-t, wtio_uld ask the Government to delay the inquiry of the
pr,,..l4dat the least, the papers to which he had referred
to public comb.% .11, e thought the contract shoald be left open
The CH A.-14,V‘'.:
yett.?„R of the EXCHEQUER said the
pap2rs were not
lotrot
tbiempel.aced
Withon thereg
reward to
w_!..sehot a continuation of the
opruital contract was
but they would be proe:„6,listat
ii‘c,,..aad the
ti, An 1
tehs
es :;..
the contract, the new arraugeZt
tnadscztd.ition to
original contract. At thet,
entered into, it was thrown
Cunard were the only parties
Thecarry i t
Governmentout, and thehad contract tr
desireat w
whateverasaccordin togly
deprive
e public
of the advantage of competition.
After a few observations from Mr. HUME and other Ron.
Members, on the advantage of throwing such contracts open
to public competition, the subject dropped.
SUGAR DUTIES BILL •
The Report of the Commtttee on this Bill was brought up
and received, the Bill was ordered to be read a third time
on Monday next.
ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.
On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the EX-
CHEQUER, it was agreed that the House, at its rising, do
adjourn till Monday next.
ROINIAIs4 CATHOLIC RELIEF BILL.
Mr. ESCOTT asked the Right Hon. Baronet the Secre- i
tary of State for the Home Department, at what time he ex-
pected the Bill for the relief of Roman Catholics from the
House of Lords ? _ _

Sir JAMES GRAHAM replied that it had been fixed for
a third reading, but he could not say on what day it would be
introduced into the House of Commons. There was no doubt,
however, that it would be introduced there in a few days.
FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL.

The orders of the day for the consideration of the Lords'
Amendments on this Bill having been read,
Sir JAMES GRAHAM explained the nature of the amend-
ments, which were eveotnally agreed to.
MESSAGE FROM THE LORDS.
_ _

Messengers from the Lords brought up the following Bills,
which their Lordships had agreed to :—London and south-
Western Railway( Hampton Court Branch) Bill ; Midland Rail-
ways (Clay Cross to Newark) Bill ; Midland nailway.(Erewash
Valley Branches) Bill ; Wilsontown, Morningside, and Colt-
nes Railway (Caledonian Branch) Bill ; Wilsontown, Mor-
ningside, and Coitness Railway ( Bathgate Branch) Bill ; Stir-
lingshire Midland Junction Railway Bill ; Glasgow, Kilmar-
nock, and Ardrossan Railway Bill; Deeside Rail Bill;
Yeovil Markets and Fairs Bill, with Amendments; Wland

Railways (Nottingham and Mansfield Branch) Bill ; London
and Birmingham Railway (Camden and Euston Stations
Enlargement) Bill ; Scottish Central Railway (Alloa Branch)
Bill; Bristol and Exeter Railway (Crewkerne Branch) Bill,
with an Amendment.
PLACES OF WORSHIP, &c., SITES (SCOTLAND)

Cross-examined—He did not think such a case of fracture
difficult of treatment, though the projection of the ulna
might arise after taking tEe greatest care.
Mr. Bransby Cooper, surgeon of Guy's Hospital, said he
perfectly agreed with Mr. Liston in all that he had stated
both regarding the treatment pursued and the condition of
the limb, He had attended Dr. Edwards for a similar frac..
ture, and he did his best to cure him. In that case the pro-
jection of the ulna which ensued was worse than plaintiff 'a
arm.

Dr. Edwards, who was in Court, was called to show his
arm in corroboration of witness's evidence,
Mr. JoFy, surgeon to St. Thomas's Hospital, gave evidence
to the same effect.

➢lr. Justice WicinnuN left it to counsel for the plaintiff
whether they would, after such decided evidence for the de-
fendant, allow the case to go to the jury.
After a short consultation among the parties,
Mr. Sergeant SIIEE intimated that he would withdraw the
record.

The record was withdrawn accordingly.
The Court throughout the proceedings was crowded with
professional men, who seemed to take great interest in the case.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

(THIS DAY.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
GROUP XVII.

MANCHESTER AND SOUTHAMPTON.

The Committee met to-day at eleven o'clock.
Mr. Brunel, the engineer to the Great Western, was then
called and examined by Mr. AUSTIN—He concurred in the
evidence given by Mr. Locke, and considered that the line
now constructing from Reading by Basingstoke, by the
Great Western Railway, would afford much better communi-
cation with Southampton than the Manchester and South-
ampton. He was of opinion that there was not sufficient
traffic to jastify the construction of the proposed line. No
doubt, if absolutely necessary, the narrow gauge would also
be laid down from Oxford to Basingstoke, as well as on the
Oxford and Rugby, thus completing narrow gauge accom-
modation from north to south. He agreed with Mr. Stephen-
son, that if a railwry communication was required between
the north and Southampton, that it should be made at the
least possible expense.
By the CHAIR3IAN—There was not sufficient traffic between
Cheltenham and Southampton to pay a line of any length
between these points. From Cheltenham to Swindon, from
Swindon to Marlborough, and from Andover to Southamp-
ton, was not an available route for a railway. He could not
see why another line should be made between Swindon and
Cheltenham. It was [possible, in the increased demand for
railway communication, that a line from Swindon, by
Marlborough to Salisbury, might be constructed with ad-
vantage.
By Mr. AUSTIN—Had heard that the Manchester and
Southampton proposed the removal of the station at Swin-
don. The cost of this would be about 30,000/., but if they
removed the engine .houses also the cost would be 100,000/.
Cross-examined by Mr. Sergeant WRANGHAM—The dis-
tance from Southampton to Manchester by the Manchester
and Southampton was 112 miles and a quarter, and by the
Rugby route 131 and a half, but he considered that the
gradients by way of Rugby would compensate for this dif-
ference of 17 or 18 miles. Knew Mr. Locke surveyed a line
from Basingstoke to Didcot, and that the country was rough
in that quarter. The object of the Cheltenham and Oxford
line was to shorten the distance between that line and
London, but it had gradients of 1 in 63, 1 in 75, 1 in 80, and
1 in 100, and so on, which were worse than that in one part
of the Manchester and Southampton, between Cheltenham
and Swindon. If the line from Cheltenham to Swindon
was a continuous one there would be some advantage in
favour of it over the Cheltenham and Oxford, as it was 14
miles less, so that a person going from Cheltenham to
Swindon would no doubt use that line. There would be
delay in getting the carriages on the Great Western line
at Swindon. Every train stopped ten minutes at Swindon,
in order to enable the passengers to obtain refreshments.
All the trains were compelled to stop there in
accordance with an agreement enforced by law. Was engi-
neer to the Cornish line rejected last year, which had
gradients of lin 40. This year they were lin6o ; but they
were not more severe than a portion of the route which the
Manchester:and Southampton followed, the Licky incline,
for instance, on the Bristol and Birmingham. There would
be no change of management at Rugby.
The CHAIRMAN—Then it comes to this, that if the public
require railway accommodation, gradients are not of much
consequence.

Mr._ Brunel was then asked by the CHAIRMAN if he con-
sidered, that the line being shorter, would divert the traffic
from the Great Western ?—He said he did not think it
would, because the traffic from Cheltenham to London would
thake the route of the Worcester and Oxford.

The CHAIRMAN—Then, will you tell me, if it will not
divert the traffic of the Great Western, and will be of ad-
vantage to the public, why they oppose it ?
.7. Mr. Brunel gave no direct reply.
The CHAIRMAN—Do they oppose it to save the share-
holders of this line ?
Mr Brunel—No.

Mr. KEATING said that was a question for the board of li
management to reply to, and did not come within the pro-
vince of the engineer.
The witness was cross-examined by Mr. KEATING at
some length, without eliciting any point of importance.
Lieutenant Haswell, examined by Sir T. Pitimars—liad
been acquainted with the Southern Channel for twenty
years. Preferred Plymouth to any of the southern ports,
both for passengers and exports, and for those from the
southern counties, because it was the western depot for
troops, and possessed an excellent breakwater and harbour,
which protected the ships from danger during the prevalence
of heavy gales. It was superior to the port of Southampton,
the approach of which front the Needles was a source of
great anxiety and danger.
Cross-examined by Mr. Guitxxv—liad heard that the
Oriental and Peninsular Steam-packet Company intended, no
matter from what point the mails left, to keep their station
at Southampton. Convoys, during the time of the war,
started from Southampton and Portsmouth, and put into
Plymouth on their route. The Channel packets for the last
twenty years had left Southampton, and generally at night.
Could not say he ever heard of any accident to those boats.
Capt. Robert White corroborated the evidence of the last
witness.
The Committee adjourned at three o'clock.

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY ErENING, JUNE 27, 1846.

Ditto, ditto (Espelete) .. 2 ....
Calcutta and Diamond Harbour. • 7s. ..
Dutch Rhenish .. . 6 .... 7i2..........
East India* . ss. ....
Luxembourg
Northern of France Constituted.. 5 .• ..
Orleans and Bordeaux
Paris and Lyons Constituted .. 5 .
Paris and Strasbourg Constituted 5 .... 4%
Tours and Nantes Constituted .. 5 .... bee
Real del Monte, Unregistered MINES.—
ay4
United Mexican .. 28/. 25.8%d.. ..........

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93
6

THE POTATO CROP IN DEVON.
Seeing reports in various papers of the probable failure of
the potato crop in different parts of England and Ireland,
we have made inquiries as to the state of theyoung plants in
this neighbourhood, and it gives us great pleasure to state
that at present there is happily no ground at all for
forebodings. The potatoes in the neighbourhood of Ply-
mouth are, generally speaking, looking very healthy and
vigorous, and give no sign at all of having been affected by
the last year's disease. The recent showers will no doubt
prove extremely beneficial to them and to the green crops
generally. The tillage is very extensive, and comprises
several varieties both from France and the Scilly Isles,
the produce of which are so far satisfactory. We
hear that George Frean, Esq., planted a number of
diseased potatoes, with a layer of charcoal under them, on
the Dartmoor hills, a,:d the experiment is so far successful.
They are grown to a height of three feet, and are looking
remarkably healthy. None of the potatoes grown in the
peaty districts of the moor give indications of the disease ;
the young plants there are looking very well, and as if the
dry weather had not affected them. They are quite of a
dark green.

Being in the neighbourhood of Saltash last week, we went
into a potato field, and asked the state of the crop there.
The answer, as to the health of the young potatoes was quite
satisfactory—there was no disease in the potato itself, and
no appearance of any in the stalk ; all that was wanted was
a little wet weather, which they have since had. 'We trust
that these accounts may be still further confirmed by more
extensive information.—Plymouth Journal.

A COUNTRYMAN AT FAULT.—On Wednesdaymorning,
a man, dressed like a mechanic, called at a bookseller and
stationer's shop in Stratford, and inquired for 4, Stratford-
place. In answer to some inquiries, he said he had a cheque
in his pocket on the branch office of the London and West-
minster Bank, held at that place. He was told there was no
banking-house in Stratford, when he produced the draft,
which was for 45/., and drawn on the Marylebene branch of
the latter bank, which is 4, Stratford-place. lle stated he
had come from Whitechapel, thinking the place must be at
Stratford. After scratching his head and exclaiming, " Dang
it, I s'pose I must go back and find Mary'bone out," he left
the shop for that purpose.—Essex Standard.

FRIDAY NIGHT'S GAZETTE.

ADMIRALTY, JUNE 26, 1846,

With reference to the New Zealand dispatches, the following naval
promotions have taken place, dated Jan. 11, 1846 :
To be Captain—Commander George James Hay.
To be Commander—Lieut. Robert Jocelyn Otway ; Lieut. Max-
well Falcon ; Lieut. Charles Randle Egerton.

Mr. W.D. Lock, Acting Mate, and Air. G. D. Murray, Midship-
man, will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenants, on their passing
the required examinations to qualify them for that rank.

DOWNING-STREET, JUNE 24.

The Queen has been pleased to nominate and appoint Lieut.-Gen.
the Earl of %Westmorland, Knight Commander of the Most Honour-
able Military Order of the Bath, her Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary
and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Court of Berlhi, to be a Knight
Grand Cross of the said Most Honourable Order.