The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-06 00:00:00

There was no addition to the royal dinner party
yesterday.

.

Di3patches were sent off yesterday from the Colonial
Office to the Governors of the North American Colo-
nies.

DEATE OF DR. PATRICK NEILL.

It is our painful duty to iscordili;icatlioitai; dis-
tinguiihed naturalist, at six o'clock yesterday morning,
at his villa of Cannonmills.

Dr. Neill, we belive, was in the 75th year of his up ;
end although of a somewhat delicate constitution, was
üble, until the last year, to attend to bu,iness and enjoy
his favourite pursuits. To a highly-cultivated and well-
regulated mind ho added a kindly disposition and a
genuine modesty, which greatly enhanced the value of
his general deportment. In his moral character he was
tesaperate, friendly, consistent, and truthful. Religion
had early taken a strong hold of his mind, and while,
strictly Calvsnistic in principle, and regular in the ob-
servance of Christian ordinances, he was no formalist.
At an early period of iife he was a member of the Anti-
burgher Communion, but for many years he was a steady
supporter of the Established Church—an elder in St.
Mary's; under Dr. Grant, and a lay member of the Ge-
neral Assembly, representing the Presbytery cf North
Lies in Orkney. He enjoyed, however, the friendship
of not a few who differed from him in ecclesiastical
politics; and we have seen at his table three
professors of the Ft ea Church College, includ-
ing the late Dr. Chalmers—the guests enj eying the
society of 'their host, and the host delighted with the
comPany of early and esteemed friends. As a man of
business, Dr. Neill was uaiiormly open, honourable, and
accommodating, willing to yield a great deal foe the
sake of peace, but possessed of a sufficient share of
firmness when an attempt was made to overreach him,
or to act in a stealthy manner towards him. As a friend
he was candid, judicious, and conciliatory, and in this re-
spect very many will deeply lament his loss. As a
citizen the to of Edinburgh has lust a clear-sighted
and determined supporter. Whether to establish an ex-
perimental or zoological garden, to decorate the North
Loch, or to protect the Flodden Tower, Dr. Neill was
ever ready and willing, with his pen and his purse, to
promote every useful improvement, or gave from ruin
time-hallowed relics. The merits of Dr. Neill as u rasp
of science were very generally acknowledged. His pub-
lished labours as a horticulturist, botanist, zoologist, and
geologist, bear bat a small proportion to his: private
efforts to advance the interest of natural science—as
secretary to the Wernerian Society, as the patron arising
merit, and as ever ready to offer the warmest sympathy
to congenial spirits. The blank occasioned by his death
will bo severely felt by those who enjoyed his friend-
ship, and by a far wider circle who had satisfactory
proof of his great worth and public spirit,—Edinburgh
Courant.

PEDESTRIANISM.—On Thursday evening itic.bard
Manks finished his great pedestrian feat of 1,750 miles in,tho
Barrack Tavern pedestrian ground, Sheffield, where,.cluring
its performance he 'has been visited by theusands of inte-
rested spectators. From the report of the persons appcinted
:to 'attend upon Manki ih the course of his extraordinary do-:
dertaking, it appears that he commenced it at 9 o'clock P.m.
on Monday, the 23d of June, and finished it on Thursday,
the 4th of September, at 6 o'clock r, u, The feat is de-
scribed 45 040 unrivalled of its kind.