The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-06 00:00:00

EVENING, DECEMBER 6, lB4B,

COURT CIRCULAR.
OSBORNE, TUESDAY.
The Queen and Prince Albert walked in the plea-
sure-grounds this morning.
Th younger branches of the Royal Family took
their usual exercise.

A Cabinet Council was held at one o'clock yester-
day afternoon, at the Foreign-office. Lord John.
Russell, the Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Minto,
George Grey, Viscount Palmerston, Earl Grey, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Earl of Auckland,
Sir John Robhouse, the Right Hon. H. Labouchere,
and the Marquis of Clanricarde attended.
The Earl of Minto arrived in town from Scotland
a short time previous to the meeting.
The Council sat two hours and a half.
Mr. 1). Barclay had an interview with Earl Grey
yesterday, at the Colonial-office.
Mr. Wyse had an interview with Lord John Rus-
sell yesterday at his official residence in Downing-
street.

Mr. Higham, Secretary and Comptroller-General
to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the Na-
tional Debt, had an interview yesterday with the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, at his official residence
in Downing-street.
Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-
office, from the Governor of Canada ; and also from
the Governors of the other North American Colonies.

GRAND JUNCTION CANAL COMPANT.—A meeting
of this company was held yesterday, at a hich a dividend
at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum for the last six
months was declared. This dividend would amount to
28,6371. 10s., to make up which sum it would be neces-
sary to take 4631. from the rest. The company are now
carriers, end collect and deliver goods, and the report
stated that this business, which had been commenced in
December last, had increased from 861., the amount of
receipts during the first month of the experiment, up to
5071., which was the amount for September, and that it
was consequently expected speedily to become remunera-
tive. The powers of the company in this respect had not
yet to any great extent been applied to the coal trade and
other heavy traffic, but arrangements are in progress for
that purpose, and the directors "look forward with
patience, but confidence, to a more just appreciation of
canal property," from the feeling now growing up that
" in the inland conveyance of goods, cheapness and re-
gularity, and safety from damage (which are the pecaliar
characteristics of water carriage properly conducted)
are of much more importance than great speed." From
the financial details contained in the report it appeared
that the capital raised originally was 1,785,7301., and
that, by paying off 640,230/. the capital account was
closed in 1818 at 1,145,5001. " The company," it is
added, " has no debt, and is under no guarantees;" and,
in addition to the navigation and works, it possesses a
rest, principally invested in real estate, valued at
240,0001., and producing a clear rental of 7,1441. The
company is also secured by Act of Parliament in the
payment of water-rent yielding 2,000/. annually.
The French Government received on Monday an
announcement that Austria had given an affirmative
answer as to the proposed coaference at Brussels upon
the affairs of Sardinia and Lombardy. The Austrian
Government would immediately select a Plenipotentiary.
Austria was the only power interested which had not
sent in its adhesion to the conference.
SUBMARINE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN ENGLAND
AND IRELAND.—The more speedy transmission of in-
telligence across the Irish Channel, and improved means
of communication between the sister islands, will be
secured by the determination of the Government to take
advantage of the facilities afforded by the submarine
electric telegraph. The Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty have given permission to Charles Blunt, Esq.,
civil engineer, to effect a communication by laying
down his submarine electric telegraph between Holy-
head and Dublin. The telegraphic wires will be con-
nected with the lines of railway radiating from the Irish
metropolis and with the Chester and Holyhead Railway
at Holyhead; and we understand that convenient posi-
tions at both the termini have been chosen and marked
out where the wires will terminate. The Admiralty are
desirous of furnishing Mr. Blunt with the necessary aid;
and for this purpose have authorised Captain Fraser,
R.N., the commanding officer of her Majesty's naval
establishment and dockyard at Holyhead, not only to
permit the former gentleman immediately to commence
his operations, but also to afford every assistance which
he may require in the performance of his undertaking.
This desirable enterprise will form another link in the
gra at chain of communication between the two coun-
tries. By its means space will be almost annihilated,
and in a few minutes the most imp( rtant political intel•
ligence, or the minutest detail of business, will be con-
veyed between the capitals of England and Ireland.
The towns of Liverpool and Manchester would also be
bem fited, as the telegraphic communications would be
at least twelve hours in advance of the ordinary mails.
MONEY MARKET.—The premium on gold at Paris
is 19 per mille, which, at the English Mint price of
3Z 17s. 10id. per ounce for standard gold, gives an ex-
change of 25.63; and the exchange at Paris on London
at short being 25.45, it follows that gold is 0.71 per cent.
dearer in Paris than in London. By the last advices from
Hamburgh the price of gold is 437 per mark, which, at
the English Mint price of 31. 17s. 10id. per ounce for
standard gold, gives an exchange of 13.11; and the
exchange at Hamburgh on London at short being 13.114,
it follows that gold is 0.34 per cent. dearer in London
than in Hamburgh. The course of exchange at New
York on London is 1084 per cent., and the par of ex-
change between England and America being 109 23-40
per cent., it follows that the exchange is 0.83 per cent.
against England; but the quoted exchange at New York
being for bills at 60 days' sight, the interest must be
deducted from the above difference.

SOUTHAMPTON, DEC. s.—The Washington, Ocean
Steam Navigation Company's steam-ship, with the usual
mails from New York, arrived this day at one o'clock.
She left New York on the 20th ult., consequently the
news by her, from the United States, has been antics
pated by the arrival of the America, at Liverpool, yes•
terday, which steamer left on the 22d, two days later
tha❑ the Washington. She had a full valuable cargo;
with specie to the amount of 85,000 dollars, and 28 pas-
sengers. She is now discharging her specie and English
cargo, and will leave for Bream to-morrow.

THE ARTIC VorAGEas.-:-S—ubjoined we insert a
letter received the other day by the mother of Dr. Rae,
the second in command in Sir John Richardson's expe-
dition .—" Athabasca Lake, Half-past three, A.m., July
11, 1848.—1 have scarce time to scribble you a line, as
the boats of Mackenzie River have just hove in sight, on
their way to the Long or Methy Portage. It is true I
might have written a day or two sooner, but I hoped to
have reached Fort Chipevvyau before the boats passed.
All the expedition party are quite well, excepting two or
three of the sappers and miners, who have got sore
limbs ; their exertions on the portages is the kind of
work they find most severe. We have been driving
with the current down the Athabasca River, with the
musquitoes so numerous that we could get no sleep. On
entering the Lake (Athabasca), the first object that
struck our attention was the sails of the boats at a dis-
tance of five or six miles. They were making for a
narrow channel that leads by a shorter but more intri-
cate route into the Athabasca River, so that had we
been an hour later, we would have missed them altoge-
then—John o' Groat's Journal.
On Wednesday morning, the Chairman and several
of the Directors of the Hull Dock Company, met Mr.
Hudson and a deputation from the directors of the York
and North Midland and York and Newcastle Railways,
at the Old Station of the Hull and Selby Railway in this
town, and had a rather long conference upon various
matters affecting the interests both of the railway and
the docks, and of importance to the trading community.
We understand that amongst other matters mooted was
that of increasing the facilities for the export of coals,
upon which subject there was the must perfect unanimity
of feeling and determination on the part of the Dock
Company and the railway directors to give every pos-
sible facility that the trade can require. Mr. Charles
Wilkinson had afterwards a short interview with Mr.
Hudson, and represented that the export of coals here
was likely to increase very greatly. His object was to
impress upon Mr. Hudson the necessity of preparing for
that increase, but it appeared that the railwaycompanies
needed no spur on that subject. Coals are now being
shipped direct from the railway waggons into the Hum-
ber dock, and also at the New Staith on the Humber
foreshore near Lime-kiln Creek, and further accommo-
dation is to be provided as soon as required. Amongst
the gentlemen present at the above interviews were Sir
John Simpson, Mr. Richardson, and Mr. Jennings, of
York, Mr. Harrison, the engineer of the York and New-
castle Railway. Mr. Firbank, chairman, Ald. Thomp-
son, Mr. George Liddell, and Mr. Tall, directors, and
Mr. Frost, solicitor to the Hull Dock Company, also
Mr. Locking, the secretary to the Hull and Selby Rail-
way and superintendent of traffic at Hull.—Hull
Advertiser.
SUICIDE OF AN OFFICER'S WIDOW THROUGH DlS-
TRESS.—Yesterday, Mr. Bedford, the Coroner, held an
inquest at the Red Lion, Robert-street, Grosvenor-
square, on the body of Mrs. Emily Brown Staples, aged
fitly, widow of the late Captain Charles Staples, an old
Peninsular officer, who committed suicide on the even-
ing of Saturday last. The body of the unfortunate lady
was identified by her sister, Mrs. Maria Gearing, and
Mr. James Toley, of Markham-street, Chelsea. It ap-
peared that the deceased had become very much reduced
in circumstances, and that she had for some time past
lodged in a small back room at No. 7,
Robert-street, for
which she paid the trifling rental of ss. per week. She
was excessively proud in her poverty; and latterly con-
trived to live by the exercise of her talents in drawing,
painting, and millinery. She had fallen into a few
weeks' arrears of rent, and although her landlord did
not appear to have pressed her, the circumstances evi-
dently took a deep hold upon her mind, and at last her
intellect became so deranged that she resolved upon the
act of suicide, and unfortunately accomplished it on
Saturday evening, by swallowing the contents of two
bottles of laudanum. On a paper on the table, near her
bedside, were found the following heartrending words:
—" God bless you all—remember me. Distress, disap-
pointment, wretchedness, and despair drive me to this
unhappy end, and are the cause of all."—Verdict—
Temporary Insanity.
THE EDUCATION QUESTION.--Meetings of the
clergy of Wakefield, Cuckfield, Abingdon, and other
places, were held during the last week, when addresses
to the bishops of the dioceses respectively were adopted,
expressing strong disapprobation of the management
clsuses proposed by the Committee of Privy Council on
Education, and a hope that the Right Rev. Prelates
would find it consistent with their own opinions to op-
pose their imposition. It is generally believed amongst
the clergy that the Archbishop of Canterbury, on the
part of the National Society, will decline calling a meet-
ing of that body to consider the clauses, on the ground
that the charter does not provide for the convention
of a special meeting of the members. The requisition
for the meeting has received a great number of sig-
natures,

CATASTROPHE ON BOARD THE