The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-12 00:00:00

THE GREAT BRITAIN.

We have been requested to give insertion to the fol-
lowing letter from the Right Hon. Mr. Goulburn to Cap-
tain Hosken, commander of the Great Britain steam-
ship:— "North Acton, Aug. 28, 1846.
" Sir,—l have received at this place your letter of the
20th of August.
"I can have no hesitation in assuring you, that nothing
was farther from my intention than to make any state•
ment in the House of Commons which could by possi-
bility be construed as derogatory to the credit due to you
for naval enterprise or skill.
" I have not here any means of referring to what fell
from me in the debate with reference to the contract en-
tered into by Messrs. Cunard. Of this I am certain,
that the return from which I quoted the voyages of the
Great Western went no further back than the year 1843;
and so far as I recollect, it was with reference to the
period which has since elapsed that my observations as
to the voyages of that ship were made.—l have the
honour to be, Sir, your most obedient humble servant,
(Signed) " HENRY GOULBURN.
" To Captain Hosken."

EXTENSIVE ROBBERY.—CHATHAM, SEPT. 10.—
Early this morning the premises of Mr. John Isaacs, in
the High-street, were broken open, and a valuable por-
tion of his stock stolen, with which the thieves got off
undiscovered. Entrance was gained, it appears,
through an adjacent timber yard. The booty consisted
of between seventy and eighty watches, plate, and
jewellery. The thieves, with great judgment, selected
the plate from among the plated and German silver
articles. The exact amount of the loss cannot at present
be ascertained, but it is estimated at between 1,0001. and
2,00(1.
On Saturday evening, about nine o'clock, while
the men were at work in the coal-mine of Sainte Suzanne,
near Charleroi (Belgium), the fire-damp exploded and
brought down an immense mass of the vault, killing
eight and burning two very. severely. Seven dead
bodies were dug out by five in the afternoon, and the
eighth had not bee, found. Several of the sufferers have
left wives and families.

EDMONTON FAIR.—On Thursday extensive prepara-
tions were being made in a field adjoining Angel-lane,
Edmonton, to renew this fair, which, previous to last
year, had been twenty-three years extinct. It is to be
commenced on Monday next, and will be continued for
four days. Messrs. Nelson Lee, Richardson, and some
other adventurers, will have theatrical booths, and the
Messrs. Wombwell will occupy a large area of ground
with their menagerie. Pony racing and other amuse-
ments will take place, and an order has been issued by
the person who has engaged the field, which occupies
several acres, that no gambling will be allowed.
A MINIATURE NEWSPAPER.—In Alyth, a village
in the north of Scotland, there is a regular weekly news-
paper published, price one halfpenny, and about half the
size of an ordinary street ballad. A file of this minia-
ture journal is in our hands. It is entitled the Alyth
Recorder, and as it takes a brief notice of what occurs in
the district, is chiefly intended " to be transmitted by
letter to friends at a distance." It records the fairs,
public meetings, accidents, weather, births, marriages,
and deaths, taking place in Alyth ; together with occa-
sional anecdotes, scraps of verse, and riddles.—Glasgow
Citizen.

A VENERABLE REAPER.—There is at present re-
siding in Burton-in-Lonsdale a venerable old dame, over
whose head ninety-eight winters have passed. She is in
the perfect enjoyment of her health and faculties, and
makes a point of going every morning, with two or three
asses, to the coal-pits at Ingleton for coals. On her
return, she has been in the habit, during the present
harvest, of walking a mile to assist her son in shearing,
and has cut as much as four hattocks at a time, without
being fatigued. She has brought up a very large family
of her own, one of the members of which is Richard
Edmondson, the Kirkby Lonsdale carrier.--Lancaster
Goardian.