The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-19 00:00:00

APPOINTMENTS.

Lieutenants—Donaidll7l`l:.ikenzie (1841), ad-
ditional, to the Excellent, for service in the Ilotspur
gunnery-tender, at Devonport ; Clvirles W. Russell
(18.50), of the Retribution steam frigate, additional,
to the Britannia, 120, at Portsmouth; 11. P. Banco
(just promoted), additional, to the Castor, 36, at the
Cape.
Mast,,re—John C. Barlow, of the Waterloo, 120,
hg-ship at Sheerness (1835), has been appointed-to
commapd the screw-frigate Megxra, vice, ILffmeister ;
Master Samuel Strong (1824), has been uppointed
to command the Naiad store-ship, ut Callao, vice
Brown.

Mate—C. J. G. Perceval (1850), to the Fury
steam-ship, Woolwich.
Second Master —W. J. Piddell (1849), to the
Castor.

Clerks—William H. Hatch to the Excellent ;
Charles L. Cartwright (1851) and INT. M. Shanks
(1846), of Impregnable, 78, flag-ship, Devonport, to
Britannia; James M'Evoy, to the Impregnable, vice
Shanks.

Master's Assistant—John H. Perry, to the Castor.
Britannia, 120, Captain Goldsmith, is fast pro-
gressing; her topgallantmasts are now being got up.
It is reported that the Rodney, 92, Captain
Graham, C. 8., will aeon be ordered to fill up and go
to Spithead, to be ready to accompany the Britannia
to the MeditQrraneati.

Neptune, 210, Captain Yates, has been masted, and
is fitting as flag-ship for Rear-Admiral Superinten-
dent Prescott.

Hope, freight-ship, with detachment for the regi-
ment stationed in the Mediterranean, sailed for
Portsmouth on Tuesday. Mr. Jones, Ordnance
store-keeper, and family, took a passage to Malta in
this ship.
Messrs. Fox and Henderson, who have the Govern-
ment contract for the erection of a new smithy in
Portsmouth yard, have commenced their work. The
old buildings are being cleared away; it will stand
between the new factory and the building slips, and
will take in Nasmith's patent steam-hammer. As
this part of the yard is all made ground the greatest
difficulty will be to get a good foundation for the
walls. It will be a large building. The Hampshire
Guardian says—" It is to be constructed of glass and
iron, and a part of the late building in Hyde-park
will, in all probability, form the structure. When
completed it will be the most capacious, commodious,
and beautiful building of its kind in the world."

The members of the ship-building committee, com-
posed of Master Shipwrights Edye, Abethel, and
Fiucham, who have been at Portsmouth Dockyard
for so long a period, have been ordered to their re-
spective dockyards.
PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 18.—Her Majesty's steam-
yacht Fairy hauled alongside the South Jetty this
afternoon to repair damage sustained yesterday. The
Court will leave Osborne for Windsor at nine o'clock
on Saturday morning, as at present arranged.
The Birkenhead, iron steam-frigate, Master-Com-
mander Salmond, remains at Spithead awaiting orders.
Captain Patey and the ship's company of the
Flying Fish sloop, on being paid off on Saturday last,
contributed the sum of Si. to the Sailors' Home at
this port.
PLYMOUTH, DEC. 18.—The steam blockship Sans-
pareil was warped yesterday to the sheerhulk to have
her boilers completed.
The ship Nile, having been newly coppered, will
be taken out of dock on Saturday, and the frigate
Constance will the same day be placed in dock.
The frigate Ilavannah will be paid off to-day.
The merchant barque Corinthian, of Hull, Captain
Spence, with coke from Newcastle, bound to Car-
thagena, entered Catwater this morning, with loss
of bowsprit and bow stove in, having been in con-
tact with and sunk the barque Theodora and Sara,
Captain A. Van Oosteroom, yesterday morning off
Start Point. The accident occurred about nine
o'clock, the Start bearing east• north-east, distant
twenty mil. s ; wind south-east to east-south-east.
Tne Dutchmen, burden 310 tons, was ninety nine
days from B stavia, and had a full and valuable cargo
of sugar, coffee, and tin. The. =titer, with his wife
and. daught,r, and the crew, 'took refuge on board
the Corinthian, and have been landed here.

RAILWAY SHARE; 31ARKETS.
BRI \TOL, Dv. 18.

STOCK EXCHANGE. —T h o ;hare Market has been dull
and inactive to-day, with little business doing. Bristol and
Exeter, Old Shares, were done at 80—Midlands, 56.
LIVERPOOL, Bic. H.
STOCK EXCHANGE. —The share market was firm to-day
but the amount of business done has been limited. The
transactions were as follow:—Lancashire and Yorkshire, 571/2
ew
Quarters, 3r,( p.—Midland, 55:1, _
/4 Siuth-Eastern and Dover,
20%—Belfast and Ballymena, 301/2.
Ditto, Fifths, 843 dis. —London and North-Western, Np.—Midland,
MANCHESTER, DEC. 18.
STOCK EXCHANGE. —A moderate amount •of business has
been done to-day, without material aeration in prices. The
transactions were as follow :_.London and North-Western,
116—West Ridings, 534 dis.---Midlani. 5534 South-Eastern
and Dover, 201/2—Lancashire and Yorkshire, 571/2—East
Lancashire, 1476—Ditto, Preference,
Fifths, 3-16 p.
BIRMINGHAM, Dso. 18.
STOCK EXCHANGE—There was little or nothing done in
the share market to-day. The only sale reported was—
South Staffordshire, 11. 18s. 9d. dis.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC
RETURNS.
BRISTOL AND EILLTILIt 1.1,41LwAy..-Trafile for the week
ending Dee. 7 : •
Passengers ... £1,941 4 3
Goods ... *** 1,209 13 3
Parcels ... *** " 140 19 4
Mails ... 7_7 223 4 2

Total ... £3,515 1 0
SHREWSBURY AND CHESTER RAlLCAY.—araffie receipts
,•
for the week ending Dec. 14 :
Passengers
••• ". .. £4lB 15 9
Parcels, horses, &c. 34 16 2
Merchandise, mineralr, 8 .... •.,
932 19 0

Total ..
...£1,386 10 it
Corresponding week last year ...
1,350 14 10
LONDON AND BLACKWALL RAILWAY.—Amount of revenue
for the week ending Dec. 14
Passengers (78,194) . £7119 11 4
Goods ... .• 82 10 0
... .. "' **

Total £782 1 4
Corresponding week last year 660 15 2

MANCHESTER, BUXTON, PrIATLoDic, AND MIDLANDS Jll7O.
W•
TION RAlLAL—Return of traffic lot the week ending
Dec. 14 :
Passengers, &c. £4l 15 8
Merchandise 73 1 3

Total „ £ll4 16 11
Corresponding week last year 111 18 6
GREAT SOUTHERN AND WESTERN (IRELAND) RAILWAY
(188 miles). —Return of for the week ending Dec. 13:—
Passengers, parcels, &c,
... £1,970 1 8
Merchandise and cattle 1,179 18 4

Total ... _ 11,150 6 0
Corresponding week last year 4,121 8 4
871), parcels., horses,
Scorrisit CENTRAL RAILWAY.--.TrafiC for the Week
ending ll
Passengersaencd. lc,ta,rrl
carriages
s '" ••• £746 4 2
Goods, cattle, &c. 912 5 3

Total 1,658 9 5
Corresponding week in last year... 1,544 2 2
Perth, Dec. 17, 1851.

SERIOUS DISASTER TO TEE MAGNET

STEAMER:

Last evening an accident befel the Magnet steam•ship,
while proceeding up the river, on her return from Am-
sterdam, which nearly involved her wreck and damage
to a valuable freight. The Magnet is an iron-built
vessel of considerable power, and When at St. Peters-
burgh station made one of the fastest passages from that
capital, perhaps, on record. A day or two ago she left
ilelvoet for the Thames, with a full freight of boasts,
calves, sheep, butter, and other merchandise, and her
trip went prosperous enough until, on reaching Lime-
house Reach, she unfortunately touched upon some
vessel's anchor. The rush of water into her engine-
room promptly intimated that a serious hole had been
made in her bull, and much alarm etas naturally excited
for the fate of the live stock on board the steamer. The
water kept gaining
.upon her, and lavirg reached the
fires, they were extinguished, and her progress stopped.
The aid of a tug host, however, was secured, and at
length the Magnet, after some difficulty, was got to the
Dublin Steam-wharf, Lower East Smithfield, where she
was hauled in shore, and the live stock got out the best
way practicable. We were unable to ascertain her
actual damage, but it was stated that her engine-room
and after part was full of water. As the tide went down
attempt, would be made to haul her close in shore. The
state of the tide was a most fortunate circumstance, for
had it been flowing, the probability is she would have
sustained much more serious damage. As it is, it is
feared that she has suffered more than was at first anti-
cipated. The disaster created some excitement in the
neighbourhood of St. Katherine's.

THE VACANT MASTERSHIP IN CHANCERY.—No
formal appointment to the Mastership, vacant by the eleva-
tion of Master Kinderaley to the Vice-Chancellorship, has
been made and all the business of the office, by a general
order of the Qourt, has been distributed among the other nine
Masters.