The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-14 00:00:00

PUNCH.

Our facetious contemporary is even better than
usual (and that is no ordinary praise)- this week.
The cartoon, in reference to the recent proceedings
in the Upper House, of " bonnetting the new boy
Parke," is inimitable. The neophyte appears with
his coronet beaten down over his forehead, unable
to see anything, while four of the old boys are busily
engaged in tormenting him. Amongst them we
recognise Lords Campbell, Derby, Lyndhurst, and
Brougham, who is rushing forward in order to
have his full share in the mischief. The lovers of
fuu will have a treat in the present number.

A Cabinet Council was held yesterlay afternoon at
the Foreign-office, Downing-street. The Ministers pre-
sent were :—Viscount Palmerston, the Lord Chancellor,
Earl Granville, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of
Harrowby, Sir George Grey. the Earl of Clarendon, Mr.
Secretary Labouchere, the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
Sir Charles Wood, the Right Hon. R. Vernon Smith,
Lord Stanley of Alder ley, the Right Hon. M. T. Baines,
and the Duke of Argyll. The council sat two hours
and a half.
The Duchess of Sutherland has arrived at Stafford
House from Trentham, where the Duke and the younger
branches of their Graces' family are still staying.
The Earl of Cheeterfield has left the St. George's Hotel
for Bretby Park, near Burton-on-Trent.
Lord and Lady Huntingfield have left the St. George's
Hotel for their seat, Reveningharn Hall, Suffolk.
Sir Fitzroy Kelly entertained at dinner, on Tuesday
evening, at hie mansion in Piccadilly, his Excellency the
Turkish Ambassador and Madame Musurus, the Lord
Mayor and the Lady Mayoress, the Duke of Wellington,
the Marquis and Marchioness of Salisbury, the Earl of
Strad broke, Lord and Lady William Powlett, Vice-
. Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons, Lord Stanley, M.P., Lord
Brougham, Lord Campbell and Lady Stratheden, the
askop of Exeter and Miss Philpotts, Sir Robert Peel,
Mr. Warren, M.P., (te-
Sir Charles Tempest, Captain Cracroft and Mrs. Cra-
croft, and Mr. and Mrs. Stansfield, are among the latest
arrivals at the St. George's Hotel.
Ml'4. Moore, and her sister, Miss Goodden have re•
turned to Moore Hill, Tallow, county Waterford, from
the Sout i of France.
Mr. Drury, and Mr. and Mrs. Watson, have arrived
at the Queen's Hotel, Upper Norwood.
Lord Adolphus Fitzclarenee is gradually regaining
streng h, and has been able during the last few days to
t ike o,ca zonal carriage drives.
Prince Czaatoryeki and General Count Zamnyski had
a 1 audience of the E:nperer Napoleon the day before
yesterday to take leave. The General is about to pro-
ceed to Constautieople to place himself at the head of
the regiments of Polish Cossacks.
FamuitE or SCOTT RUSSELL Alk.7D CO.—lt results from
the disclosures made at the meeting of Messrs, Scott
Russell and Co.'s creditors yesterday that there is a
tolerable certainty of their obtaining a dividen4,ot 10s.
in the pound, and a possibility that, when the affairs of
the estate shall be wound up, it may reach 151. in the
pound.
PURCHASE OP EIGHT tor THE SCREW COMPANY'S SHIPS
BY A FRENCH COMPANT.—With reference to a paragraph
to the above effect, which originated with a morning
contemporary, and. has gone the round of the press, the
statement is extreonely premature. We learn from good
authority that, a letter has been received from the secre-
tiy y of the company, giving a direct denial to such a
on cunastance.
ELECTION OP A COMMON COUNCILMAN, IN THE ROOM
OP THE LATE DEPUTY BEDFORD.—Yesterday a ward-
mote, presided over by Sir James Duke, Bart., M.P.,
was held at the Sessions-house, in the Old Bailey, " for
the pureose of electing a Common Councilman, for the
rear:J..4er of the year 18f6, in the room and stead of
Joshua Bedford, Esq., deceased." Tne son of the de-
ceased gentleman, Mr. William Bedford, was unani-
mously elected.
BRORERS.—A. Court of Aldermen was held yestc--
day, at whizh the following resolution was referred
to the Committee of General Purposes of the Court,
to be carried into effect :—" That it be recommended
to the Court of Aldermen to adopt such measures as
ihey may deem expedient for removing from the office
of sworn brokers all brokers who refuse to pay their
rents, and also all broker` whose rents are more than
one year in arnar."
CHRIST'S HOSPITAL.— Alderman Farebrother, at the
Court of Aldermen held yesterday, requested the at-
tendance of his brethren at Christ's Hospital on Mon-
day next, when a special court would be held for the
purpose of considering a motion to rescind a resolu
tion in direct opposition to the rights and privileges
of the citizens of London. There will, we understand,
be a motion for the exclusion of the members of the
press.

THE SERGEANTS.—The rosf.—tiTiehebecaertetmo otnhyatooffstwheeamtinagn in
the turee sergeants who have been recently called to the
degree of the coif—viz., Mr. Sergeant Pigott, of the Ox-
ford Circuit ; Mr. Sergeant Hayes, of the Midland Cir-
cuit ; and Mr. Sergeant Wells, of the Norfolk Circuit--
took place before the Lard Chancellor in his lordship's
private room, at Westminster, on Tuesday afternoon.
At the appointed hour the three learned sergeants, ac-
companied by their respective " colts,"_ as the nsernbers
of the bar officiating, on this occaiion are somewhat fan-
tastically designated—viz , Mr. Kyffin Lenthall, on be-
half of Mr. Sergeant Pigott ; Mr. Pitt Manson, on the
part of Mr. Sergeant Hayes ; and 21r. Granville S quer-
set, for Mr. Sergeant Wells—were received by his lord-
ship, and the oaths usual on taking the coif duly ad-
ministered. The time honoured custom of presenting the
Lord Chancellor with gold rings of the date of thel3th
century, by each "colt," in order of seniority, and a
brief address from the Lord Chancellor terminated the
proceedings.
MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF A LICENSED VICTUALLER.—
Yesterday some degree of. agitation was caused in Old
Ford, Bow, in consequence of the discovery of the body
of Mr. George Howard (a retired licensed victualler of
No. 33, Banner-stre, f, St. Luke's, Old-street), floating
itt the water of t..ir George Duckett's canal, which
passes along the eastern boundary of Victoria.park.
The case is involved in considerable mystery, as the de-
ceased had been missing upwards of three weeks from
his residence. On the body were- foutid two 'severe
wounds on the head. There was also a bruise on the
chest and various abrasions of the skin from violence,
but how caused remains a mystery. The pockets of the
deceased had been ransacked, and only a little handker-
chief and a card of his address were found upon him,
although it is alleged that he had money and other pro-
perty about him when he left home. The cause of death,
and a full investigation into the mysterious case, will be
gone into before Mr. W. Baker, the coroner for East
Middlesex. The deceased had been many years a licensed
victualler, and had been leading a retired life.
NEW METHOD OF LOWERING AND DISENGAGING
BOATS FROM Sum —On Monday a new method of
lowering ships' boats was successfully tried on board of
Messrs. Jas. Baines and Co.'s ship, the Commodore
Perry, at present lying in the Mersey, bound for Syd-
ney. This method, the invention of Mr. Clifford, may
be thus described :—The unlashing, lowering, and
disengaging are done by one man only is the boat,
whose simple weight, irrespective of any additional
assistance whatever, is made to hold in equilibrium
the weight or descending momentum of the boat with
its entire crew, which he has thus the power to check or
control at will. Each separate operation is the natural
consequence of one act—slacking off a rope ; and they
are also necessary sequents, one of the other. The means
of reducing
NEW SEthewßeaib
lowering, is made the means for preventing the boat
canting in its descent, and the passage of the ropes by
which the boat descends, through a block of an en-
tirely novel character and action, accomplishes this end.
The entire process is as follows :—One man in the
boat unhitches) a rope from a cleet (on the boat's seat),
over which he sla.ekens it off. The boat descends
levelly, both laterally and longitudinally, frees it-
self from the gripes, by which it was firmly lashed
to the ship's side (if there is net time to unfasten them),
and letting go the rope disengages the boat from the
ship. The lowering may be effected as well from one as
two daeite, or from a yard or spar, and with any degree
of velocity, which can be checked at any part of its
dewdent, and with the vessel going at any speed. A hol-
rotatory plug fixed at the bottom of the boat
allows the free ingress or egress of water, which a half
turn stop% ; the plug i 3 consequently never out of its
place- The
were repeated three
experiments yesterday
times in succession, to the entire satisfaction of nu-
merous critical spectators, including Admiral Free-,
,mantle, Captain. schomberg,
RN
,- Captain Newlande,
Mr. T. M. Mackay, Mr. James Baines, and other nauti-
cal and commercial gentlemens—MmAater Guardian. ____