The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-02 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIN, —ln one of the leading articles in your paper of
Saturday you speak of the two great wants of agricul-
ture, and of the great boon that would be given to the
country by the supply of either of them. The first has
proved a problem of very difficult solution, but the
second, I hope and believe, might be easily solved, and
the corn in the straw be dried at a cheap rate, and al
most, if not quite, as rapidly as it could be reaped by
the sickle, if Mr. Brunel or Mr. Stephenson would take
the trouble to adapt the centrifugal machine used at the
Staffordshire Potteries, which dries a ton of clay in a
few minutes, to drying corn in the straw. The object
would be at once accomplished, and the machine ready
for use at the next harvest, and a most useful boon con-
ferred upon the country. The machine I allude to is
stated in Chambers and other periodicals to dry a ton of
wet clay in a few minutes. Now, any machine which
has the power of driving out the wet in a few minutes
from such a compact and tenacious substance as clay,
and where the wet is so thoroughly combined with the
substance itself, how much more readily would it expel
the moisture from straw, to which it merely adheres ex-
ternally, and is not in any way combined with it. The
principle being already so fully proved and demon-
strated, nothing more is required than to adapt the ma-
chine so as to work equally well on a different material ;
and I cannot think that to a skilful engineer there would
be any difficulty in doing so. The machine might be ap•
plied not only in drying corn in wet weather, but if found
worth the expense it might also be used under similar cir-
cumstances for at once converting grass into hay, and re-
taining more of the nutritive properties of the grass than
it would do if made into hay either under a broiling sun
or exposed to drenching showers. As it is seldom the
case that a new machine will work quite right in the
first instance, but requires subsequent alterations and
improvements, it is too often the case that the original
inventor receives no profit or remuneration for his
labour and expenses; but in the present instance the
result required is so very desirable, that were I either a
machinist or a capitalist I should think the experiment
well worth the trial ; but as I am neither, I can only
hope that Mr. Mechi, or some machinist or capitalist of
equal spirit, may be induced to carry the plan into prac-
tical operation. In drying corn in this way another ad-
vantage of very material importance might also be de-
rived—the corn being made so thoroughly dry it would
probably keep as well for four or five years as it now
does for one, and thus the abundance of one year might
be made to supply the deficiency of two or three suzceed•
ing years, to the great advantage at least of the labour-
ing populatiln.

Your insertion of this in your widely circulated paper
will oblige, sir, your obedient servant,
THOS. BRAMLEY.

Wakefield, Sept, 1, 1856.

EUGENIE'S BABY.

The Empress saluted the people. One said "We should
like to see the Prince Imperial."
" My friends, I should ba happy to show him to you,
but lie is asleep !"
" Don't disturb him then."
And the people abstained from any cheers, that the sleep
of the Prince should not be broken.

—.Extract from Tho Sun, 23d August, 185 G.

Now Europe is quiet,
We'll have no more riot,
Let all be at Peace ! or beware of a rap ;
Blow soft every breze—
Not a cough or a sneeze—
For Eagenie's Baby is getting his nap.
2.
You, Bear, cease your growling !
Around his cot prowling ;
Grim Eagles of Gcrcnany, silenc., your scream !
',ranch, Bantam, stop cro wing—
And BULL, your loud lowing—
A.nca-ANGEL or EXPIRE, come, whisper his dream.

Thera's Governess Bruce,
Will soon shy her shoe at
The first that disturbs the sweet Infant's repose ;
A truce to War's jangling !
We'll have no more mangling,
But pass a flat iron o'er his dear baby-clothed.
4.
And—if, silence keeping,
We worship him sleeping,
The light of his waking will surely surprise ;
_ _

You might think 'twas the sun—
But there you'd be done !
For 'Lis EIIGENIE'e BABY that opens his eyes.

The specie brought yesterday by the West Indian and
American steamers amounts to 730,0001., of which
220,0001. is gold, and the remainder silver, principally in
dollars. The gold will all go t s the continent.
The overland mail of the 3d inst. is expected to take
out nearly 800,0001., principally silver for China.
FURNESS RAILWAY.—At the half-yearly meeting of
this company, held on the 27th ult., a dividend at the
rate of 8 per cent, per annum was declared. Out of the
balance standing at the revenue account the sum of
2,0001. was set aside as a fund for reconstructing in
masonry a part of Barrow Piers ; and the sum of 1,0001.
f ,r renewal of the permanent way. The gross receipts on
the revenue account exceed by the sum of 7,5001. those
of the corresponding period of last year, and, notwith-
standing that this is the case, the working expenses show
a reduction of 5001, The sum remaining in hand, after
providing for the dividend, and aided to the balance
carried over la4t balf-year, will be upwards of 2,500/.
SUICIDE BY LEAPING DOWN A COAL MINE —Mary
Kellett, a girl 13 years of age, daughter of Daniel Kel-
lett, labourer, Wike, destroyed herself on Wednesday
under the most painful circumstances. She had no
mother, and when her father came home to his dinner
be detected her in false's° for which he thrashed her
with a leathern strap. This chastisement bad such an
effect upon her, that directly her father had left her she
threw herself into a coalpit 64 yards deep. An inquest
was held upon the mangled body on Thursday. Verdict,
" Temporary insanity."—Manchester Guardian.
MONSTER BLAST AT PENDERYN LIMESTONE QUARRIES
—Some two years since a monster blast was fired at the
quarry of Wm. Crawshay, Esq., the powder chamber
containing 2i tons of powder, with the intention of
opening the deep side of the quarry, and in the presence
of many spectators, a great fall was produced. Many
falls since have taken place, of 3,000 and 4,000 tons
each, but the crowning fill was (as predicted from the
day of the first blast) to come, and on Wednesday it
came with good effect and profit to the owner. The old
chamber, which had much broken and riven the bottom
beds of the superincumbent strata, 147 feet high, was
cleared out to a length of 10 yards, and the small quan-
tity of 10 cwt. of powder exploded. • The match was
fired, and in eleven minutes from the time, the bottom
of the quarry, a mass 10 feet thick, for 20 yards square,
was literally ejected, and the superincumbent mass of
120 feet high came rolling down like a flood, and filling
the quarry with its torrent of stone to the amount of
12,000 tons certain—many compute it at 15,000 ton.,
but the more cautious say 12,000 tons. The fall at
present is untouched, and will remain so for a time, as
new roads are required to be put in to clear the mass.
There were stones from 150 to 250 tons each thrown
do wn.—Cardiff Guardian.