The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-21 00:00:00

THE WEST INDIAN MAIL.

The Royal Mail steam-packet Forth, C. M. Chapman
commander, arrived at Southampton yesterday morn-
ing, at nine o'clock, bringing thirteen passengers and
mails of the following dates:—From Demerara, Nov.
19; Tobago and Trinidad, 20; Barbadoes, 24; Grenada
and St. Vincent's, 26; St. Lucia, Martinique, Domi-
nica, and Guadaloupe, 27; Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis,
and St. Kttt's, 28; Tortola, 29; St. Thomas's, 30; St.
Jago de Cuba, 19; Jamaica, 23; Jacmel, 25; and
Porto Rico, 27.
She also brings, on freight-810 dollars on merchants'

account, 2,723 Oz. gold dust, 991. Is. British coin, 400
francs in gold, and 1,6974 oz. of silver. Cargo-2
cases of cigars (Havannah), 38 serons of sarsaparilla,
5 serons of indigo, 2 serons of hides, 113 serons of
tobacco, 14 tierces, 12 barrels, and 4 half-barrels of
coffee, 1 tierce, 8 half-tierces, and 35 barrels of ginger,
125 cases of succades, 40 kegs of saccades, 8 cases of
tortoiseshell, 1 tierce of beeswax, and 30 packages and
parcels.
The Forth had a fine passage home, excepting on
leaving St. Thomas's, when she experienced a strong
headwind and heavy sea. At the time of her leaving
that island the Royal Mail Company's ship Clyde was
in the Gulf of Mexico, the Dee was on her passage from
Grenada to Jamaica, the Teviot on the Spanish Main,
the Trent had sailed from Havannah to Jamaica, the
Eagle to Porto Rico and Grenada, and the Reindeer
was at Demerara.
We learn also, that her Majesty's ship 'mum was at
Port Royal, her Majesty's ship Pickle was on her
voyage to the Bahamas, and her Majesty's steamer
Vesuvius to Barbadoes ; her Majesty's ship Thunder
was fitting at Bermuda, preparatory to proceeding on
survey at Antigua.
The following Spanish men-of-war were lying at St.
Jago de Cuba :—the ship Soberano, the steamer Con-
greso, and the schooners Teresetal and Isabel IL
Merchant Shipping—The British barque Ellen Simp-
son, the brig Alderman Pirie (Captain Gardiner died at
sea), and barque Helen Hardy.
British shipping at Kingston, Jamaica, Nov. 23 :
The Superior, of London ; the Elizabeth, of Newport ;
the Alice Haviland, of Liverpool; the Union, of Bremen;
and the Grange, of Glasgow.
The Forth exchanged colours with the Isabella, from
Liverpool, outward bound, on the morning of the 18th,
and in the afternoon with the Providence, lat. at noon
48deg., lon. 10deg. 40m.
M. de Fabron, a passenger from Guadeloupe, has been
delegated to advance the money for compensation on the
emancipation of the negro population in the French
Islands.
The news from the other islands is unimportant, ex-
cepting the favourable reports generally as to the grow-
ing crops. The 48th Regiment at Jamaica and the 71st
at Barbadoes have received orders for Cork, and the
Vengeance and Belleisle are expected out to take them.
We have our usual file of Jamaica papers by the
Forth, by which we learn that the House of Assembly
had been opened by the Lieutenant-Governor, in the
absence of his Excellency Sir Charles Grey. There is
like to be a brisk session. A Bill has been brought in
for reducing all the salaries of public officers, including
the clergy. The subject of proposing an income-tax
had been suggested. The agitation on the Sugar Duties
Bill was kept up, numerous meetings had been held in
different localities, and the following resolutions had
been agreed to by the House of Assembly :
"1. That the policy pursued by the Imperial Parlia-
ment towards the West India colonies has been most de-

trimental to the interests of property ; and the Sugar
Duties Act, passed last session, by which they are to be
subjected to an unequal struggle with slave. cultivating
and slave-trafficking countries, must tend to complete
their ruin, and exhibit a flagrant violation of national
faith, consistency, and honour.
"2. That with a limited protection to their produce,
and that fair measure of support from the parent state,
in procuring free African labourers, which they had a
right to expect, the British emancipated colonies might,
in a few years, have been restored to prosperity, and
rendered capable not only of producing, as they for-
merly did, more sugar than England could consume, but
of competing successfully with slave sugars in the general
market of the world, when protection should have ceased
to operate in their favour.

"3. That by withholding that assistance, and preci-
pitately withdrawing protection in our yet infant state of
freedom, the enormous sacrifices made for benefiting the
African race will not only have been made in vain, but
lead to the aggravation of their misery. Sugar cultiva-
tion must and will be extended in slave-cultivating coun-
cries as it declines in the free ; while freedom, fostered
and encouraged, would far/ more efficiently have
secured to England the object for which she endangers
her own colonies, rivets the chains of slavery,
and compromises her character in the cause of humanity.
" 4. That although the colonists have painfully felt
that the diminution of more than 1,500,000 of annual
.xports, and that the scantiness of productive labour, are
mainly traceable to imperial policy, yet they feel more
clef-ply still, that the recent imperial policy, which tends
to foster the increase and to prolong the duration of
slavery in foreign countries, has destroyed all moral
value of the exercise of the imperial will in 1833, in re-
spect to the natural rights of man, and has weakened the
veneration of the colonists for the moral character, here-
tofore high, of the mother country.
" 5. That, in the now reduced state of the colony,
the prospective benefits of free trade will afford no ade-
pate compensation for the protection so hastily with-
drawn, and more especially when those principles aro
but partially applied to our relief; important restrictions
being still maintained to uur prejudice for the protection
of inthential interests in the parent state.
"6. That, urged by the British Government, and
actuated by our sincere da,ire to make successful the
great national measure of negro emancipation, we have,
amidst accumulating difficulties, largely increased the
public burden:, of the island to provide the costly estab-
lishments rendered necessary by the change in our
social system.

"7. 'that, now cast off by the Government which
pressed those changes upon us with an impatience and
recklessness, justified only by its avowed abhorrence of
slavery, and with little hope of returning prosperity, it
becomes the painful but imperative duty of the House,
in justice to the public creditor, to the owners of pro-
perty,-and to the labouring population (for all must
suffer together), to reduce the whole of the island estab-
lishments commensurately with the diminished and
diminishing means of its impoverished inhabitants.
" 8. That at the period of the passing of the Emanci-
pation Act, the Government held out to us the most
solemn assurances of assistance and protection, to secure-
a successful issue to that great measure of philanthropy.
If that course of policy is now to be abandoned—if we
are now to be involved in a ruinous competition with
slavehclding foreigners—if her Majesty's Government
are now of opinion that the protection and assistance
which alone can avert our destruction are incompatible
with the national interests, it will then only remain for
us, in the face of the nation and of the world, to demand
of Parliament that equitable compensation to which as
British subjects we are clearly entitled.
" 9. 'that a committee be appointed to draw up a re-
monstrance and petition to the Queen in terms of these
resolutions, faithfully setting forth the depressed condi-

tion and hopeless prospects—of the colony, and humbly
praying her Majesty to direct her Ministers to review
their proceedings, and grant us relief."
Jamaica papers announce the arrival of the Indus at
Port Royal, from St. Helena, with 340 emancipated
Africans, captured by her Majesty's brig Waterwitch on
the coast of Africa, and chartered to Jamaica as free
immigrants.

EXPORT or HORSES The celebrated race horse
Sir Robert Peel, with a thorough-bred mare, and a
,howy entire horse, purchased by Mr. Benson for a
Hungarian nobleman, were shipped yesterday evening
from Hamilton's livery stables, Carr-lane, on board the
Rob Roy steam-ship, for Llamburgh.—lfidl Packet.
DISTRESS IN MARYLEBONE.—On Friday last the
overseers were engaged until ten o'clock at night in dis-
tributing relief to the out-door poor. The average
monthly distribution of bread amounts to 8,000 loaves.
A BITER BlT.—Last :Thursday night (the frost
being very intense), I thought I would make some ice in
[Ey garden; I accordingly placed a .basin full of straw-
berry and cream on the snow. In the course of an hour

ordered my servant to go for it, thinking it would-be
by that time sufficiently frozen. He returned with a
•mile on his face, informing me that the basin was en-
tirely emptied. At this I was rather surprised, but it
soon struck me that a cat must have been the thief. I
t h e ref o
mr e
yrs replaced h
behind
t omeraba
at
lyy
bushssi
fnaoy,l
with
m hheh
de
aabroygdr—mew,
cream re
eemmalwa;
female
the
it,
ceaewtc ao mnucon-
cealedredws
owfhe
aiefhe we
rime
so mweenrtes , s
hI
tribe of little cues. I was not more than ten !yards off
the basin, the moon being very bright, I was able to see
plainly. When they were seated round the cream in
the midst of their enjoyment I let fly, and bagged the
mother and two of the little ones, one or more making
escape.—From a Correspondent '
contents
Ytr
se- LpnAoe
raNtrEloyf
de-
stroyed,-with THE EXTENSIVE FIRE IN
idngcDoinits
SdakniTtrßag::AlMAirO. MOANING.—esThe llotofroyann,
two upper floors of the front house and
the roof—insured in the Westminster Fire-office; Messrs.
Kendall and Son, wholesale shoemakers, No. 25, roof
burned off—stock insure& in the same office, and the
building in the Royal Exchange; Mr. Durieu, oil and co-
lourman, No. 23, back premises and stock damaged, and
part of front roof burned off—insured in the Imperial
.Fire. office. Several other buildings have also been
damaged to some extent by fire, water, and removal of
goods.
THE WEST-END REFUGE FOR THE HOUSELESS
FOOR.—In consequence of the severity of the weather,
this institution, situate in Market-street, Edgeware-road,
has been thrown open for the nightly reception of 200
poor. Each is furnished with a supper of bread and half
a pint of beef soup, a comfortable bed, and breakfast in
the morning.
The following announcement appeared among the
marriages in the papers last week:—" On the 2d of
August last, at the British Embassy, Paris, by the late
Bishop Luscombe, Dr. Lardner, to Mary-, only daughter
of Colonel Spicer, late of the 12th Lancers; the mar •
riage having been previously solemnised in the -United
States."

The wife of an inhabitant of Armelinger (Basle-
Campagne) says a letter from Bask, has had five children
in the course of the present year. In the early part of
March she had twins, and a few days ago she was de..
livered of three children. The twins are still living,
but the last three children, who came into the world
rather before their time, have died.
UNFOUNDED REPORT OF PRINCE METTERNICH'S
ILLNESI3.—It appears by a letter from Vienna, of the
Sth, that the statement made so positively by a Cologne
paper of Prince Metternich being dangerously ill was
entirely unfounded. The Prince was to give a grand
droner to Lord Ponsonby and the other members of the
diplomatic corps at Vienna on the 9th.
1 SACRED HARMONIC SOCISTY. —Handers "Messuth
Willbe performed at Exeter-hall on Wednesday next.

FATAL STEAM-BOILER
EXPLOSION.

BRISTOL, DEC. 19.—This morning, shortly before nine
o'clock, the utmost consternation prevailed in the neigh-
bourhood of the works of Messrs. Stothert, Slaughter,
and Co., ironfounders and locomotive engine makers,
Cheese-lane, St. Philip's, in consequence of the sudden
explosion of the steam-boiler of one of their stationary
engines, by which it was said that sevetal men were
killed and severely injured. Upon inquiry as to the
facts, it was found, notwithstanding there is a printed
rule in the works to the contrary, that the men, in con-
sequence of the severe weather, have been in the habit
of going into the different engine-houses, and sitting
upon and by the boilers of the steam-engines for the
purpose of the heat while taking their breakfast. This
morning a boa, about sixteen years of age, named
Thomas Thatcher, and four men, went into the engine.
house, and were taking their breakfast, when suddenly
an explosion of the boiler took place, and the steam and
boiling water rushing out, they were all most severely
scalded. As soon as the place became clear of stt-arn
assistance was given, and the five sufferer!, all of whom
were scalded in a dreadful manner, were removed to the
Bristol Infirmary, where the survivors now lie in an
almost hopeless state, the poor boy Thatcher having
died from the extent of his injuries before reaching the
infirmary.
At two o'clock this afternoon an inquest was held upon
' the body, before Mr. J. B. Griudon, the city coroner,
and a highly respectable jury, who having viewed the
body, the whole surface of which, from the head to the
feet, was covered with most extensive burns, returned to
the inquest room, and were addressed by the coroner,
who, after having explained the nature of the accident,
stated that as the law empowering them to give deodands
had recently been repealed, they could no longer do so,
should the evidence be such as should induce them to
wish to levy one. Their duty, therefore, would be to in-
quire whether the deceased had come by his death solely
by the result of the accident, or whether the engine-
boiler had been allowed to get into a bad state, and the
lad's death had been so caused by the negligence of any
one, in which case they would give their verdict ac-
cordingly.
Evidence was then adduced as to the nature
of the accident, and as to the, positive rule
that the men should none of them, except the
engine-drivers, go into the engine-house. The engine-
driver deposed to his having been in Messrs. Stothert's
employ for about ten months, and to his making,
with the foreman of the works, a regular examination
of the boiler every four weeks, the last time he had exa-
mined the boiler which caused the accident having been
on Sunday week, when he went into it with a lighted
candle and a hammer, and thoroughly examined the
joints and sounded the plates of the boiler with the ham-
mer, when he found it to be in a good state. At the
time of the accident the engine was not at work, but he
had been working it until half-past eight that morning,
when everything was correct, and both the safety -valves j
worked freely. The explosion had blown out the brick-
work, and it was found by examination since that one of
the plates in the boiler had given way. Mr. Greig, the
house surgeon, having deposed to the lad's death having
been caused by the agony arising from the extensive
burns and from his having inhaled some of the steam,
which, scalding the air vessels, had produced acute in-
flammation tending to suffocation, the jury returned a
verdict of "Accidental death."

Another orthe unfortunate sufferers, named Joseph
Walker, who was 24 years of age, and who had only been
in the employment of the Messrs. Stothert three weeks,
died late this evening.

ALIWAL.
SIR H. SMITH AND THE 52D REGIMENT.
The accompanying letter has recently been received by
the 52d Light Infantry from the distinguished hero of
" Aliwal," whose signature it bears.
" Cawnpore, India, July 29, 1846.
" Sir,—The honorary distinctions recently conferred
upon me by our Gracious Queen enable me to take sup-
porters to my family arms. I have, therefore, the ho-
nour to acquaint and to request you would make it
known to my gallant comrades, the 52d Light Infantry,
in full remembrance of the period.l was Major of Bri-
gade to the 2d Brigade of the immortal Light Division,
of which the 52d formed so prominent and distinguised
a part, involving the glorious contests of the Peninsular
war, I have adopted a soldier of the 52d Light Infantry
and a • Rifleman' my own regiment. The many affairs
and battles this brigade so nobly fought in (no man
better knows than yourself) include the Coa, Pemba],
Foy d'Anez, Sabugal, Fuentes d'Onori, siege, storm,
and capture of Ciudad Rodrigo, siege, storm, and cap-
ture of Badajoz (where you lost an eye as my brigadier),
Salamanca, San Munoz, San Milian, Vittoria, the
heights of Vera, that most irresistible attack, although
on fortified mountain, Iran, crossing the Bidassoa, Ni-
relic, Nive, the many affairs near Bayonne, Tarbis,
Orthes, and Toulouse, with the numerous skirmishes
each of these actions entail upon light troops. To this
brigade, and to the great school of the illustrious Duke
of Wellington, am I indebted for that knowledge of my
profession which has led to my present aggrandisement,
and which has so lately acquired me the approbation of
the Queen, the Duke of Wellington, and an expression
of thanks from my grateful country. I pray you, there-
fore, Sir Edward Gibbs, and the 52d Light Infantry, to
give me that credit for the feeling of a grateful comrade
I desire to demonstrate, and that you, and the renowned
corps may regard me as not unworthy to take a soldier
out of your ranks to support me, in conjunction with
their brothers in arms, a • Rifleman,' and as the means,
in declining life, of remembering the gallant regiments
who taught me to fight for my country.--I have, &c.
SMIT Major
" To Major-General Sir E. GibbHs,,.o K.B. ,General.
" Colonel, 52d Light Infantry."

THE LOCOMOTIVE ESTABLISHMEN AT ASHFORD.
—There can be no doubt that the approaching comple-
tion of the Paris line to the coast will materially increase
the traffic of the South-Eastern Railway. It is not alone
for this increase of traffic that the company are, by the
erection of an immense locomotive establishment at
Ashford, preparing. The North Kent line to Graves-
end will require a very large carrying stock. The im-
mensity of the river passenger traffic to and fro between
London and this town, is too notorious to need particular
remark. Experience teaches us that a great portion of
this will inevitably pass over the South-Eastern Rail-
way. The directors are looking forward to the con-
struction of the stock necessary to work such a traffic.
The ground on which the works at Ashford are being
erected was originally a hollow, the surface rising
in the direction of the railway (east and west), and to
the south. This hollow has been filled up level with
the rail. The works consist of a large engine shed, a
' repairing shop, smiths' and boiler shops and tender
sheds. The engine shed, which is for the accommoda-
tion of 16 locomotives, with their tenders, is 208 feet 9,
by 63 feet, parallel with the railway. Four lines of rail
extend longitudinally through the whole length of the
building. The repairing shop has room for 15 engines
and tenders. The length of the building is 395 feet by
45. Attached to the front of this building is to be a
stationary engine of 25 horse power, for driving the
works. A tranverse crane will move on iron rails, lon
gitudinally along the shop. It will be capable of lifting
20 tons at its centre. To the south, and parallel with
the repairing shop, is the smithy. This will contain 20
fires. It is 176 feet long by 45 wide, and 28 high.
These and other buildings comprise about one-half of
the works that the South Eastern Company intend to
carry out simultaneously with the construction of their
new lines.—Kent Herald.
Tun Mans.—SOUTIIAMPTON, DEC. 20.—The
Oriental and Peninsular Company's steam-boat Oriental,
Captain Keene, took her departure from the Docks at
10 A.M., this day, for Alexandria and Malta, with the
East India and China mails, in charge of Lieutenant
Tancock, R.N. The Oriental has a valuable cargo in
bale goods, and takes out ninety-three passengers. On
Friday evening (but too late for the train) the Gibraltar
packet Queen, Captain Weeks, arrived in the Docks, and
landed the mails, which were forwarded by early train
yesterday. The Queen's dates are—Gibraltar Dec. 6th,
Cadiz 7th, Lisbon 10th, Oporto 11th, and Vigo 13th,
She brings thirteen passengers.
WORSHIP-STREET.-02 Friday last Mr. Bingham
made some observations upon the misconduct at tributec
to William Cotton, the discharged soldier of the 22d
Regiment. The facts of his case are, as we are informed,
as follows : —He was enlisted on the 14th of December,
1835, at the age of 16 8.12 years, and was discharged on
the 11th of June, 1844. His claim to a pensicn was for-
feited by three convictions of desertion, viz , on the 18th
of May, 1837, the 31st of January, 1833, arid the 26th
of December of the same year. He was besides conEned
in prison for another crime, from the 11th of November
to the 18th of December, 1337. His wound was received
from the firelock of one of the guard at Sukkur, on an
alarm of an attack at night, when a sentinel on his post,
in February, 1843.
THE FOREIGN Maros.—The following notice,
fixing the dates on which the foreign mail., will be made
up in London to be forwarded via Southampton Mar-
seriles, Liverpool, and Falmouth, and the dates on which
the return packets will be due at the :said ports, was
issued on Saturday at the General Post-office ma_
deira, British West Indies, &c.—The mails for Madeira,
the British and foreign colonies in the %Veit Indies (ex-
cept Honduras, Bermuda, and the Havannah), and Vene-
zuela, will be made up on the morning of the 2d ofJanuary
and evening of the 16th ; Mexico, Honduras, and Haven-
nab, on the morning of the 2d only ; Bermuda, San Juan
de Nicaragua, New Granada, Chili, and Peru, on the even-
ing of the 16th only, via Southampton ; mails due on the
7th and the 22d at Southampton. Mediterranean, India,
&c.—The mails for Gibraltar, Malta, Greece, the lonian
Islands, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, India, Hong-Kong, and
China, will be made up on the evening of the 2d and
morning of the 20th, to be forwarded vid Southampton.
By the fortnightly closed mail to the Mediterranean,
Egypt, India, &c., vid Marseilles, ou the evenings of
the 7th anti 23d. British North America, &c.—The
mail far Bermuda, British North America, and the
United States, will be made up on the evaaing of the
4th, to be forwarded by the Hibernia steamer tat Liver-
pool ; Cambria due on the 15th. Madeira, Brazils,
&c.—The mail for Madeira, Brazil, and Buenos Ayres,
will be made up on the evening of the 4th, vid Falmouth;
her Majesty's brig Crane due on the 27th. New South
Wales, &e.—The mail for Sydney, New South Wales,
Australia, Van Diemen's Land, and New Zealand,
bb made up on the evening of the 31st, to be forwarded
y the monthly sailing-pack a vie" Gravesend. France',
the monthly
for France and Belgium are made up
via Dover,
eve Tails
at the General Post effi,el and forwarded
Dover, Calais, and Ostend (Sundays excepted) ' • due
e
daily. Holland, every Wednesday
and Saturday tuorn-
ing ; due Wednesdays aredvThursclays. Flatutith,
every Tuesday and Friday'
ns, forwarded by the Geinegra;l d4ie Tuesdays and
Saturday
General team Navigation
Company's packets from the Thames."
BRISTOL SUGAR-MARKET, DEC. 18 A
business has been done this week at former rate. steady
market , d
has closed with a firmer appearance.
The the
re..
fined ralrket is also more animated, and rather dearer,