The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-09 00:00:00

of the line between Laybach and Trieste, and is neg-
lecting nothing to promptly fill up this unfinished
portion. We hope that when M. Magne explains
all this in the tribune, the Assembly will see the
necessity of at last coming to some decision rela-
tive to the Lyons and Avignon lines. How can we
consent to any new delays when Austria is making
such immense efforts to terminate the rival line of
Trieste ? Already the Assembly has departed from
the system of adjournment by deciding that Bills for
the resumption of the works should be placed on the
order of the day. The becoming discussion must end
in some useful result, if France is not to lose the
transit from the East and India. The Minister also
found Italy much occupied with the construction of
railways. Austria is busied about the execution of
the line from Venice to Milan. A bridge of 222
arches, three kilometres (nearly two English miles)
in length, cast over the lagoons, joins Venice to the
main land, and the line is already opened to Verona
and Mantua. The Governments of Modena, Parma,
Tuscany, and the Roman States have recently
treated with Austria for a network of railways
to be connected with the line from Milan to Venice.
In fine, the means of execution of the long-projected
line from Rome to Ancona are under consideration.
But no Government is more occupied about railways
than that of Sardinia. The line from Turin to Genoa
is terminated between Turin, Alexandria, Novi, and
Arqueta, to the foot of the Apennines. Works not
less gigantic than those of the Sonimering are at this
moment in the ccurse of execution for the passage
over the Apennines between Arqueta and Genoa. It
is supposed that they will be terminated in 1853,
and the port of Genoa, like Trieste, will then be able
to dispute with us the passage to India. M. Magne
was received at a private audience by the King of
Sardinia. Everything leads to the belief that
during this interview, which lasted not less than an
hour, the King spoke to M. Magne of the projects of
his Government for the execntion of the railway to
unite Turin to Lyons, across Savoy and Mount Cenis.
It is said that an English company has already
treated with the Sardinian Government for the Con-
cession of the line between Turin and Suza, and that
the negotiations opened for the concession of the
line from Modena to Chambery and the French
Neitheredo
notfe
steh the i
ntwo t sec-
tionsthe
frontier
of attar:
far
lin e advanced.
u ti hg
the Pim
French railways presents any serious difficulties ; but
between Modena and Suza Mount Cenis must be got
through by means of a tunnel 12 kilometres (7i
English miles) in length. M. 11Iausse, the engineer
in chief of the Turin to Genoa line, has invented an
excavating machine, by means of which he will be
able, he thinks, to execute this gigantic tunnel in
five years. The Hon. Minister having returned to
France by Mount Cenis and Savoy, went over the
direction surveyed by the Pied moiatese engineers, and
was able to judge for himself of the possibility of this
magnificent undertaking, destined to cross the highest
chain of mountains in Europe ; and we hope that,
when the Assembly shall have decided definitively re-
lating to the Lyons and Avignon lines, it will seri-
ously take into consideration a line to unite France to
Italy. It will then be possible to say that there are
no longer any Alps, and that with better reason than
the great King said formerly, that there were not any
Pyrenees."

POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION.
IF the Great Exhibition has bewildered a few of
its visitors, charmed others, and disappointed some,
there will yet remain a vast treasury of facts in the
recollection of the beautiful specimens of nature's
work, or the handicraft of man, from which those
(whose pleasant and ennobling duty it is to instruct)
will draw never ending themes of learned discourses ;
but, foremost and persevering in this respect, must
be named the lectures at the Royal Polytechnic In-
stitution, where Mr. J. H. Pepper, the professor of
chemistry, is at the present time delivering a very
interesting lecture on iron and steel.

The subject is of course treated in a popular man-
ner, and commencing with a succinct account of the
various ores found in different parts of England,
from which the metal is obtained, the learned lecturer
specially mentioned one he had lately received from
Cleveland, Yorkshire, to analyse, which contained
about 39 per cent. of iron, and was likely, from its
excellent position for water and land carriage, to be-
come one of the largest iron producing districts in the
kingdom. A number of brilliant experiments fol-
lowed, demonstrating the various stages of oxida-
tion, and the smelting of the ores was
carefully explained. The different impurities which
the iron contains, and their prejudicial effects on the
quality, particularly in connexion with manufactures
in steel, were then detailed, and after a general
summary of the preparation of blistered, shear, and
cast steel, the lecturer concluded by bringing forward
some admirable perfectly tempered specimens of steel,
in the shape of sword-blades, manufactured by Mr.
Wilkinson, Pall-mall. An iron plate was pierced
through with one of them, without affecting in the
slightest degree the sharpness or edge, whilst the
other vigorous tests to which it had been subjected
were also explained, and by employing the beautiful
principle first discovered by Mr. Wilkinson, that in
every sword there is a place called the centre of per-
cussion, where the whole muscular force of the arm is
concentrated, the lecturer, though ignorant of the
sword exercise, performed the curious feat of cutting
in half a thick wooden rod, supported on two vessels
filled with water, without spilling a single drop. With
such a happy admixture of science amd practice, it is
needless to add, the audience departed well pleased
with the learned lecturer's clever discourse.

THE GLASGOW CIRCUIT.
GLASGOW, MONDAY EVENING.—This was the
closing day of the Glasgow Circuit Court, which has
been remarkable beyond any that has preceded it for
the number of trials arising out of deaths by violence,
and the injuries from shooting and stabbing. As
already noticed, a man named Hare was sentenced on
Thursday to be hanged on the 22d current, for mur-
der by stabbing ; and to-day, a powerful Irishman,
named Thomas Haggerty, had a narrow escape from
the same fate. He was accused, under the Cutting
and Maiming Act, of stabbing Mr. Frederick Irvine,
a tartan manufacturer (who had given him no offence),
to the danger of life. The case was fully proved, and
it came out in evidence that since 1844 this fellow had
been convicted and imprisoned no fewer than 10 sepa-
rate times, for crimes of assault committed in Glas-
gow. On the very day on which he came out of prison
for one of these offences the crime for which he was
now tried was committed. Before leaving his lodgings
he had sharpened his knife, stating, on going out, that
he would " rip up any one who encountered him,"
and that it would give him especial satisfaction to
shoot the Procurator-Fiscal, at whose instance he had
been previously tried and imprisoned.
The jury unanimously found Haggerty guilty,
Lord COLONSAY remarking that had the Depute-
Advocate not restricted the libel, he would have felt
it his duty to have sentenced the fellow to be
executed.
He was sentenced to transportation for life.
A painful sensation has been created in Glasgow
by another cruel case of stabbing. It appears that
at a late hour on Friday night, or early on Saturday
morning, three Irishmen were upon the streets, when
one of them, named Patrick M'Cluskey, had a quarrel
with a man, whose name is unknown. In the course
of the struggle M'Cluskey was cruelly stabbed ; his
left thumb was nearly severed from his hand, and his
bowels protruded to the extent of 14 inches. The
assailant coolly walked off, the bystanders, of whom a
considerable number had collected, believing that the
quarrel was an ordinary street fight. The magis-
trates have offered a reward of thirty guineas for the
apprehension of the unknown stabber, and meanwhile
M•Cluekey lies in the Infirmary in a critical state.
A. still more painful sensation has been excited in
Greenock by the occurrence of the happily rare
bcarge in Scotland of a wife poisoning her hus-
". It appears that an old man, named Thomas
b"eveY, who earned a living by dealing in apples,
utter, Beh
about six month
, and other articles, took into his house
Mullen, as al a ago a young Irishman, named David
edger. Macvey soon had cause to sus-
pect an improper eel, • •
wife, Sarah MeGaue,
purgineY Was
nexion between this man and his
out of doors. mac, n, when the former was turned
vomiting and
The late lodger (Mullen)°ll
extreme suffering died week
wake the same night, Thursday week, and after
suddenly taken ill with
the following Sunday.
the following day the
was hurriedly burieT
body and mad
wake the same night, and On a his appearance at the
terment taken place than Mullen°"en" had the in-
preparations for getting married,
and the widow made
on the part of the neighbours became ut the suspicions
Mullen was pelted by a mob of
womenexcited, and
as he left the house. In the
eantimeal.ed children
m
that the woman had purchased arsenic at alt•larae out
on the Thursday her husband became ill,
anrduggist's
on the Saturday before his death, which she
ostaeitg atin
tiously mixed with oatmeal in the shop, on the pretext
that the poison was intended to kill rats, although it
has been ascertained that rats did not infest the house.
The woman was taken into custody, and the body Was
exhumed on Saturday last, and Drs. Auld and Laurie
are engaged in snaking a chemical analysis of the
contents of the stomach and bowels, with the view of
determining the existence or non-existence of poison.
Meanwhile the people of Greenock are in a state of
painful excitement on the subject until the result of
the chemical analysis shall have been known.
woCoal

...iMITTAL OF A COLLECTOR OF
%Tolls G•ciy...—Yesterday Mr. Inspector Levy, of the
asi.i
division, couveryed Mr. Bowmann, the collector of the
aefteed and property taxes fur the parish of Deptford, to
desan ounds Mr, Hills, of High-street,
TAXES TO MAID-
Maidstone, as a defaulter to an amount little short of a thou-
dairyman, and Mr. liouldsworth, of Lewisham, farmer and
dairyman, are his sureties. It is said that there is ample
property available to make geed the deficieaciea. Mrt 11401 Y
Deptford, tallow-
man hays held the app9inteaut many '
years.