The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-04 00:00:00

PETITIONS FOR RAILWAY BILLS.

_ -
NORTH AND SOUTH-WESTERN JUNCTION RAILWAY.
Yesterday the standing orders were declared to be
complied with for making a railway from the Windsor,
Staines, and South-Western Railway at Ealing to the
London and North-Western, near Willesden; proposed
capital, 50,0001.; to borrow, 16,6661.
HALESWORTH, BECCLES, AND lIADDISCOE RAILWAY.
The standing orders were complied with for making
a railway between these points in connexion with the
Lowestoft Railway; proposed capital, 150,000/ ; power
to borrow, 50,0001.
STOCKTON AND DARLINGTON, WEAR VALLEY, AND MID-
DLESBOROUGH RAILWAYS.
The standing orders were declared to be complied
with in respect of the Bill for amalgamating these three
railways.

ULVERSTONS AND LANCASTER RAILWAY.
The standing orders wtre declared not complied with
in the case of this Bill.
SHEFFIELD, ROTHERHAM, AND GOOLE RAILWAY.

(FOR DEVIATION BETWEEN SIIEFFIELD AND BARNSLEY).
The standing orders were complied with.

PRESERVATION OF LIFE FROM SHIPWRECK AND
OTIIIR DISASTERS AT SEA.—On MO/Idtty afternoon a new
and clever, apparatus, invented by Mr. John Keyse, of
pproed of. The apparatus, which is
New-
ington, for the purpose of more effectually saving the lives of
mariners and others at sea and on rivers, was exhibited to
globular shape, concave, and of a convex several scientific gentlemen connected with the shipping in-
consist of two pieces of wood of great
Attached to the which is easily attached to the waist. There are also
in-
terest,
buoyancy, andthe
ofhighly
abogdloyb,
ob-
long,
Power of propulsion to
a shield and guard-cap, also a sail and hand paddle, with
ceonnabcalevep
appa-
ratus are ropes of great durability and extraordinary con-
struction, to which fifty or sixty persons can adhere with
ecrlosogns,aptroovreiadeinhgtchoenssihdoerrae.ble
safety in the most violent storms. This invention, if in ge-
send use, will no doubt be the means of saving the lives of
thousands, and prove its utility when disasters occur in sight
of land, as it will save the crews the necessity yof relying on
the assistance of life-boats from the shore, which are so fre-
quently upset and shattered to pieces before they can reach
the ill-fated vessel. It is rather curious that at a recent
shipwreck off Land's End a mulatto saved his life by acci-
dentally adopting the principle of Mr. Keyse's invention,
and had he been in possession of the rope he might have
saved nearly the whole of the crew. The apparatus is very
simple in construction, and can be put on in an instant either
on deck or iu the sea, and takes up very little room. Suffi-
cient of them to save the lives of more than two hundred
persons would not take up more room than an ordinary boat.
The inventor intimated his intention to forward gratuitously
a set to each nation having naval and mercantile marines.
The invention was registerd under the Patent Designs Act,
6 and 7 Vic., on the 28th of December last, and in a short
time will be publicly tested before the Lords of the Admiralty
and gentlemen connected with the shipping interest.
'We have reason to believe that it has been decided
that the duties of the Quarter-Master-G'eneral's department
at the Horse Guards, shall be carried on under the Superin-
tendence of Colonel Frceth, an officer of great experience,
who has served as Assistant Quarter-Master-General for
several years, and is in every way calculated for the ser-
vice. It was at one time supposed that a general officer
would have been appointed to this situation, but we under-
stand that economical principles have had their weight, and
that her Majesty's Government have been influenced by
thew upon We ocatsioa...Chrottick.