The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-02 00:00:00

NEW MODE OF PROPULSION

BOULOGNE, OCT. 27.—A considerable degree of inte-
rest has been excited within the last two days here by
certain experiments made upon an entirely now system
of propelling vessels, which, if capable of being carried
out npon a large principle, must not only supersede
paddle-wheels, but also the Archimedean screw. It has
long been considered a matter of impossibility that the
principle of the paddle wheel could be rendered of any
useful effect when totally submerged. The present in-
vention has demonstrated to a certainty that such a dis-
advantage can be overcome. The experiments yesterday
and to-day were effected by hand labour, the motive
force being fitted into the stern of a pilot boat, and the
authorities of this town having, with great liberality,
permitted the machinery to be used for the experiments
in the harbour, bond being given that it would, after a
certain number of days, be exported. Upon the first
trial the captain of the port, M. Pollet, steered the
boat, and to-day also, when there were present the de-
puty mayor of the city, M. Martinet, as well as the
following official parties connected with the city :—M.
Demarle, president of the chamber of commerce ; M.
Birle, M. Pollet, captain of the port ; M. Coquet, bro-
ker ; Captain de Lattre, and other members of the
chamber of commerce. Captain Tune, of the Emerald
steamer, was, with others, active in testing the merits
of the invention. The parties named entered the boat
in the presence of a great number of individals, who
showed much interest as to the result, French as well
as English. To the French authorities on board the
trial trips were made moat satisfactory ; and also to the
patentee, Mr. llodgson, and the authorities, civil and
military, who witnessed the trials.
As this may lead to a new era in the system of pro-
pelling vessels, the following outline of the modus ope-
randi may be esteemed of interest :
The principle is based on the well-known properties
of the parabola, as respects light, and the same proper-
ties are proved to be true as respects hydrostatics. The
blades are sections of a paraboloid, and are so con-
structed as to impinge on the concave surface, whereby
the water is grasped and compressed to the centre of the
axis, and thrown off in a direct line with the plane of
the vessel's course, thereby rendering the propulsion
superior in efficiency to the common paddle-wheel, being
uniform and continuous, without drawback in respect of
back-water.
Another advantage exists in the area of surface as
compared with the screw, as less than one-half of pa-
rabolic area will work more efficiently with the same
power.

MYSTERIOUS CASE.—A burglary of a mysterious
nature is reported to have been committed in the course
of Sunday night, at Lawfield, near Dalkeith. Between
five and six o'clock yesterday morning, Mr. Walker,
tenant of the farm before named, was found by his grieve
in bed with a napkin tied over his mouth, both his hands
pinioned to his sides, and his legs fastened to the bed-
post. Mr. Walker says he felt something restraining
him in his sleep, but he has not the slightest conception
haw or by whom he was thus so completely and deli-
berately bound. At a short distance from the dwelling-
house a desk belonging to Mr. Walker was found broken
open, and, it is said, 80/. abstracted from it. The ex-
planation of this extraordinary case, so far as we have
been able to learn, is, that some person, by means of a
ladder, had effected an entrance into the attic story of
the house, and after descending to Mr. Walker's bed-
room, perpetrated the theft. However, from the state-
ments current yesterday as to the result of the partial
investigation into the circumstances made by the autho-
rities, and which is alleged to be altogether of a contra-
dictory and mysterious character, it appears doubtful
whether any burglary has in reality been committed.
The matter, which has created great sensation in the
neighbourhood, is, in the meantime, undergoing judicial
investigation.—Edinburgh Advertiser, Oct. 26.
WHEAT, &c., DUTY FREE.--A Parliamentary
paper was published on Monday, of twenty-four folio
pages, showing the operation of the Act 5 and 6 Viet.,
c. 92, from the 10th of August, 1842, to the sth of
January last. From the summary of the accounts given
ipnostihteedr,eltu9r3n,3,7iot appears that the wheat delivered from
the warehouse or vessel, duty free, numbered 192,543
quarters and 7 bushels. Of the flour and biscuit de-
qrs. of ecalipTa
34,937 cwt. 2 i2:sl,b.bwiseerneitsfinleBs79h7e3atewfloturG,
qrs. llb of biscuit of the standard of that supplied to the
navy, 376,790 cwt. 3 qrs. slb. of common ship biscuit,
and 14 cwt. 3 qrs. 141 b. of fancy biscuit. Of the flour
and biscuit mentioned, only 8,983 cwt. 2 qrs. 81b. was
retained for home consumption, and the remainder taken
out for exportation, either as merchandise or as stores.
The quantities remaining in warehouse, or in the:course
of removal, under bond, from port to port, on the sth of
of January last, were 14,643 cwt. 2 qrs. 211 b. of fine
wheat flour, 1,228 cwt. 3 qrs. 211 b. of captains' biscuit,
5,403 cwt. 2 qrs. 61b. of biscuit of the standard of that
supplied to the navy, and 8,224 cwt. 3 qrs. 171 b. of com-
mon ship biscuit.
DEGRADATION OF AN AUSTRIAN GENERAL.—We
give the following particulars of a recent affair which has
scandalised society in Vienna :—Field Marshal Lieute-
nant Count de Tisch had betrothed his only daughter to
the Baron de S--, a Lieutenant of Hussars, who re-
mitted to him the sum of 6,000 florins (15,600 francs)
in state securities by way of recurity for the fulfilment
of his engagement to marry Mademoiselle de Tisch. Two
months afterwards all parties amicably agreed to wave
the marriage entirely. The Baron of course claimed
his cash, or rather his securities, but M. de Tisch had
the effrontery to deny having received them. An action
was immediately instituted for the recovery of the pro-
perty, but, as the Baron could bring forward no positive
proof of the deposit, the tribunal decreed that in case
Field Marshal Count de Tisch would affirm on oath that
he had not received the bonds, the Baron de 5
should be cast, and condemned to pay the costs.
This ',oath was gulped by Count de Tisch without
hesitation, and he at the same time accused M.
de 3-- before the Criminal Tribunal of defaming
his repntation. The Court sentenced the poor Baron
to pay a heavy fine, and to one year's imprison-
ment, which compelled the young officer to leave the
service. His relatives, however, strained every nerve to
obtain proofs of the deposit made with Count do Tisch,
and they at length discovered that that officer had
secretly sold the securities in question. They imme-
diately denounced the guilty reprobate to the Aulic
Council of War, and the " worthy Count" having been
clearly convicted of perjury and embezzlement, was con-
demned to be degraded as infamous, and sentenced,
besides, to ten years hard labour by way of appendix.
The Emperor, however, considering that M. de Tisch
had been his preceptor, commuted the first penalty to
that of simple degradation, and annulled the other en-
tirely. The sentence thus modified was executed on the
15th inst., at noonday, before the Aulic Council of War.
The Field-Marshal Count de Tisch was led into the hall
before the judges, general officers, and all the colonels at
Vienna. The usher having read the sentence, the pro-
vost of the general staff approached M. de Tisch, tore
off his decorations, stripped him of his Field-Marshal's
uniform, and dragged him from the hall, this last act
signifying his expulsion from the army. The sentence
of the Baron de S— has since been quashed, and he
has returned to his military duties.—Paris paper.
AMERICAN PRODUCE.—The following are the latest
arrivals of provisions and articles of general consumption
from the United States of America into the ports of
London and Liverpool, the enumeration of which in this
especial manner at the present time cannot fail to prove
interesting to the public generally, and of the highest
importance to all parties concerned. The line-of-packet
ship Toronto brought from New York the large number
of 2,848 boxes of American cheese, 150 barrels of pork,
100 of beef, 1,796 kegs of lard, 54 casks and 248,5701 b.
weight in bulk of oilseed cake for feeding cattle, with a
variety of other productions ; the Sheridan, from New
York, 30 packages of apples, 1,678 barrels of flour, 1,912
of lard, 203 barrels of pork, 657 boxes of cheese, 7,000
bushels of corn, 9,000 bushels of wheat, 335 barrels of
corn meal, and 3,400 bushels of Indian corn!, the
Wyoming, from Philadelphia, 1,301 kegs of lard, 40
tierces of beef, 6,400 bushels of wheat, 100 barrels of
flour, 563 barrels of eorn meal, and the large quantity
of 14,700 bushels of Indian corn, all the produce
of the United States ; the ship Sea, from New York,
brought 3,605 barrels of flour, 650 barrels and 76 tierces
of lard, 81 firkins of butter, several barrels of hams and
bacon, 21 packages of beef, 270 boxes of cheese, 4,603
bushels of wheat, and 4,115 bushels of Indian cern; the
fromaSap nnao (ledkt
Ihaa
Boston,
roeonss2etos or
varietyfn,
bf,bruilosos, mciu9eoi2Nl
biscuit,
of wheat
or
articles;Owe
bal rhslcal keero4aa raf2etngfl2l Orleans, 3,033
a, s
barrels
oranhd,
fr:der3hloe23ll barrelsav2shomaeobtssr
ifh,
boxes
prllncera 64eosr
Itsddooo,uponff
:fowl
nbklroi
vietua
onions,
beans,
packages
Henry Pratt, from New Orleans, 620 sacks of wheat,
06
f6Obabeafr,r3el,so9o; pork,kegs
and
dp
variety of other productions ; and the Great Western
steam-ship, from New York, brought an unusually large
quantity of American cheese, comprising 4,969 boxes of
the article, 730 barrels of apples, several
packages of
flour, 70 kegs of butter, 92 casks and other pack-
ages of hams, 28 of pork, 37 barrels of beef, and 82
barrels of biscuit, the whole the produce of the United
States of America. The Henry Clay, subsequently
bbaiersercifuv
aietdn,
dtahtpeolrk, thear port of Liverpool from New York, has
brought 2,856 barrels of flour, 532 barrels of apples, the
large number of 2,794 boxes of cheese, 462 barrels of
eel4Bqooubta vinegar,anrtri
tey of lsof
s general r:fi6er3rk oailncis andapuror oci
vtiesrilsonosf,ke
g7Os
oo of
butter, 10 barrels
wheat,
and other productions, which need not be more parti-
cularly mentioned, altogether forming a cargo of an ex-
tensive nature. This list includes the arrivals at the
port of Liverpool up to the 27th, and the port of London
to the 29th inst., inclusively, according to the latest ,
official and current returns, and will doubtless be read
with interest by the general public, as they will form a
subject of importance to the numerous parties concerned
is the importation of provisions from foreign and distant
parts of the world for consumption in this country.
A LESSON Yon, GORMANDISERS.—On Friday morn-
ing a kingfisher was found dead on the banks of the pool
at Allensmore, near this city, with a perch about two
inches and a Walt' long in its throat. The bird had at-
tempted to swallow the fish whole, but the dorsal fin of
the latter appears to have alike prevented descent or
return ; fixed, consequently in the gullet, the victim
caused the death of its beautiful hut voracious destroyer
by suffocation. The plumage of the kingfisher is fur-
nished with a sort of metallic surface resplendent with
the most brilliant hues—hence the action of water pro-
duces little effect upon it, and the manner in which the
bird will dart beneath the surface of a river or stream
and seize its prey transversely is remarkable. Returned
to its position on a tree or bank, it commences the de-
struction of the captive. Without losing its hold, it
passes the fish between its manibles until it has grasped
it fairly by the tail, and then ends the struggles of the
prey, by beating its head against the place where it sits.
The bird next reverses the position, and if it has no
young to which to bear off the prize, swallows its prey,
head-foremost. This appears to have been the case in
apthtrueoffvodepdretfshaeetnatlb. tjfarun.scßteaa,
ksbeuirtt,
wasot hf e rB
found,
oceup.
usa
tdsrt,ebeingat
sht oei
no
figl
B)eohni
oni
in
isifltuysl
ird
mouth.--Hereford Journal.

, NOVEMBER 2, 1846

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
COURT OF BANKRUPTCY, October 31.
THE TRING, READING, AND BASINGSTOKE RAILWAY

COMPANY.

The Court was much crowded during the investiga-
tion of this case by shareholders and creditors of the
company.
Mr, Lawrence appeared as the solicitor to the fiat of
bankruptcy, Mr. James as counsel for the directors, to
dispute various claims ; and Mr. Sergeant Allen for the
shareholders, who contended that the directors had ex-
ceeded their authority, and varied from the terms of
the subscription contract deed, and that they only were
liable to the debts incurred.
Mr. Blunt, their engineer, claimed a balance of 4501.;
his examination was' not finished when the Court rose.
In one item he charged five guineas for attending the
committee to receive 1001. on account.
The case was adjourned to Friday next.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE
GUILDHALL. _

Mr. Ward, of the firm of Ward and Co., letter-press
printers, Bear-alley, Farringdon-street, appeared to
answer a complaint made by Edward Billing, a journey-
man in the press department, for refusing to pay him
two weeks' wages, due under a hiring for eleven months
certain, and not yet completed.
Mr. Alderman Wood joined Mr. Alderman Hooper in
the further hearing of the complaint.
Mr. Wolfe supported the complaint, which was made
by the order of the Trade's Union; and Mr. Wilkins, a
solicitor, attended on behalf of Messrs. Ward, or rather
a body of master printers. Several masters and jour,
aeymen were present.
Billing deposed that he entered the service of the de-
fendants nine months ago, and was employed on press-
work. In April an apprentice was taken, and a man
named Plummer was appointed to instruct him. Plum-
mer absented himself after a month, and complainant
was appointed to work with and instruct the boy. After
working two or three weeks, he heard that his employers
intended to place the boy under the tuition of an elder
apprentice, named Cooke, and, as he would not be made
a convenience of in this way, he immediately
sought an explanation from his employer in the
counting-house. He asked how he was to consider him-
self to be engaged, for he had heard he was to be dis•
charged when the work was short, and Cooke was to be
put over the boy. Mr. Ward said he had no idea of
making such an alteration. Complainant understood
stereotype work, and working wood engravings, and
jobbing generally, and,so long as he attended to his time,
and attended to the boy, he should continue for the rest
of the twelve months. Witness immediately said, " And
have the two guineas ? " Mr. Ward replied, "Yes, ex-
actly the same as Plummer." This satisfied him com-
pletely, and he went to work. 31e entered on this con-
tract on the 13th of May, and worked till the 10th of
October. He had a fortnight's warning at the end of
September. He remonstrated on being so discharged,
as contrary to the custom of the trade, which was, that
a man who instructed a boy should be engaged for a
whole year, at fixed weekly wages, and have two guineas
at the end of the term. Mr. Ward said he intended to
employ him again as soon as the work came in. He
now claimed to be paid wages as being hired for a year.
His wages were 1/. 12s. a week.
Benjamin Price, the apprentice, proved that he was
bound on the 7th of April; the complainant instructed
him; and that he was now working with an elder appren-
tice, who received 245. a week. No journeyman had
been taken in complainant's stead. There was only
work for the one press which he worked.
John Killingback, a master printer, the secretary to
the Pressman's Union, deposed to the custom of the
trade, which was, that when a boy was placed for instruc-
tion under a journeyman, it amounted to a tacit hiring
for a year, at fixed weekly wages. It was forced by
masters against the men to their annovince. For in,
stance, all the men at Norman's printing-office, in
Maiden-lane, struck for some cause, but he forced one
man to return back and do his work, because he had
contracted to bring up an apprentice for one year, and
to receive 2/. 2s. at the end of that time. Again, a clever
hand desired to leave Mr. Whiting's, in Beaufort-build-
ings, in consequence of a dispute, but Mr. Whiting en-
forced his return on the ground of having undertaken
to teach an apprentice, and that being a hiring for the
year by the universal consent of the trade.
The fact appeared to make a great impression on the
mind of Mr. Alderman Hooper, who thought there
should be a reciprocity of advantages as between masters
and men.
The foreman was called by the defendant to show that
the complainant had spoiled some work, and from this
the solicitor inferred Mr. Ward was at liberty to termi-
nate the hirine for incompetence. The solicitor for the
defendant further denied that there was any such custom ;
that if his client had assented to the contract the com-
plainant proposed to him, or, that if there were such a
contract, that it could not be enforced except by actiob
He proposed to call a number of masters to deny the
custom.
Mr. Wolfe proposed to call further evidence to prove
the competence of his client to teach ; but Mr. Ward had
employed Billing three months before he put him over
the apprentice, and therefore knew beforehand that he
was qualified.
Mr. Alderman WOOD said he was not satisfied with
the proof of the contract. It should have been reduced
to writing, as it was of some importance, and then it
could not have been alleged on one side and denied on
the other. He thought he ought not to extend the Act
to implied contracts and customs, especially where the
custom was disputable. He regretted that the workmen
continued to form unions, which harassed the masters,
and in the end produced no pecuniary advantage to the
men, the expenses of maintaining the union counter-
vailing all the benefits. Free competition was the proper
law to obtain the best recompense for labour.
Mr. Alderman HOOPHIt concurred in holding the proof
of a contract to be insufficient, and the case was ells-
' missed.