The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-28 00:00:00

MRS. HARRIET MARTINEAU.

The following letter, addressed to the editor, appears
in the Deriventevater Journal :
" Sir,—ln a paragraph which appears in your paper
of yesterday, it is stated that Miss Martineau, the cele-
brated authoress, had lately visited Cockermouth. As
it is evidently meant to refer to Mrs. H. Martineau,
of the Knoll, who has been unable in consequence of
severe illness to go beyond the porch of her house during
the last fifteen months, I will thank you to contradict
the report in your next publication. Her increasing in-
irmily makes it desirable that she should not be dis-
turbed by the visits of strangers, who are misled by
your rep )rt to suppo,e that her health has been re-
stored. lam authorised, as her medical attendant, to
make this communication to you, and enclose Mrs. H.
Martineau's card with my own as a guarantee of its
accuracy.—lam,
"j. C. SHEPHERD."

The shareholders of the National Discount Company
have authorised the directors, at a meeting yesterday, to
take the necessary steps for bringing the undertaking
within the provisions of the new Joint• Stock Act.
At a meeting of the Southampton Dock Company yes
terday afternoon, Col. Barlow presiding, the dividend
declared was at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum, and
the report, of which an abstract has been given in The
Sun, was agreed to. The management appears to afford
satisfaction, and the directors are urged to exercise strict
economy.
EMIGRATION TO CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES.—
LIVERPOOL, Wednesday.—The Montreal Steam Naviga.
tion Company's royal mail screw steamer Canadian, Capt.
Ballentine, sailed this forenoon for Quebec and Montreal
with the Canadiaremails, 220 passengers and a full cargo.
The screw steamer City of Baltimore, Capt. Leitch, sailed
same time for Philadelphia with 118 cabin and 220 steer-
age passengers, and a full cargo of merchandise in freight.
Tie Peninsular. Company's new screw steamship Aden
took out the Peninsular mails yesterday from Southamp-
ton. She is 900 tons burden and 210-horse power. She
averaged 124 knots by steaming alone during six trial
tripe, and reached at one time 13}
koots. She is in-
tended soon to run between Bombay and China. She is
commanded by Captain Weeks, late cf the Colombo.
She is an iron ship, and was built by Summers and Day,
at Southampton, and is the largest iron ship ever built
in that town.
We learn from Simpheropol, by a letter written to-
wards the close of last month, that the Russian troops
hitherto in the Crimea had completely evacuated the
peninsula. Only a very weak garrison has been left
behind at Sebastopol, whilst on the spots formerly occu-
piee by the allies a few gendarme,' and a handful of
Cossacks are amply sufficient to maintain order.
The royal group which has created so much admira-
tion and attention from the visitors of Madame Tubeaud's
unrivalled exhibition is now nearly completed, and pre-
sents the most gorgeous assemblage of royalty ever
before exhibited in this metropolis. The beautiful and
faithful representation of nature here produced by the
artistic taste and execution of th Messrs. Tussaud is
extraordinary in the extreme ; also the dressei more
particularly the female sovereigns, are ta-ty and elegant,
and reflect great credit on Mrs. J. Tussaud, under
whose superintendence they have, we understand, been
pr educed.
A MAN KILLED IN A PRINTING-MACJlllNE.—Yester-
day between one and two o'clock a distressing accident
occurred to a man named Samuel Henson, living at No.
9, Brownlow-street, Drury-lane, and employed as a ma-
chinist at Mr. J. E. Taylor's printing-office in Little
Queen-street, Holborn. The unfertunate man was at
work at the machine, when, from some cause as yet
unexplained, he fell in. The machine was stepped as
promptly as pos-ible, but the man was already dead. He
was frightfully mutilated, the head beiug nearly severed
from the body. The corpse was conveyed to St. Giles's
Workhouse, where it now lies, and where the inquest
will be held. It is said that he has left a wife and eight
children. Only the previous day the hands employed
at Mr. Taylor's establishment had a holiday and a treat
at the Surrey Gardens.
At the half-yearly meeting of the Charing-cross Bridge
Company yesterday the report stated that a re luction of
2,5001. has been effected in the debt of the company, and
that a cash balance now in band of 4911. will be required
for miscellaneous outgoings just due. The company have
been in communication with the directors of the South-
Western Railway and the Hungerford-market with a
view to the enlargement of the bridge for horse and car-
riage traffic, and the construction of direct approaches
from the railway. Plans have been prepared for the pur-
pose, subject to any modifications that may he found de-
sirable from the contemplated enlargement of the Soutii•
Western station and the formation of the proposed new
str set from Southwark to the York-road. THE BIRKENHEAD AND CHESTER rtAiLwAy COMPANY.
THE PRIMACY OF ENGLAND.—The Archbishop of York —On Monday morning se dispute, which at one time
is styled in formal documents "Primate of England," threatened to result in a serious
and rßirkenhead Railway
iot, occurred at the
the Archbishop of Canterbury "Primate of all England." dock terminus of the Chester
The origin of this distinction is said to be as follows : Company, at Birkenhead. It appeared that some short
In the reign of Henry a a synod of English prelates time since the railway company commenced building II
was held at Westminster, at which the Legate of the wall between their property and the corporation road
Holy See was present. It is reported by one historian at Birkenhead, which wall the Birkenhead commis.
that on this occasion the Archbishops of Canterbury and sioners considered as an encroachment on the public
York were contending for precedence, when high words highway. Some correspondence took place relative to
came to blows among their respective parties ; the adhe- the matter, and the railway company was served with
rents of Canterbury pulled the Archbishop of York down a legal notice that the wall was an obstruction. As the
from his seat to the ground, and even tore his casule, company, in spite of this, continued to build the wall,
chimere, and rochet from his back. The Papal Legate the commissioners officials proceeded to the spot on
was so terrified at the sight that he fled from the place of Monday, attended by a posse of police and a number of
meeting. Next day the Archbishop of York appealed to workmen, who immediately commenced to pull down
the Pope upon the matter, and the dispute was finally the portions of the wall in process of erection. On this
settled by the respective titles which we have mentioned the railway company collected all their men, and
being given to him and to his brother metropolitan, the brought up a railway engine, which discharged such $
precedence being thus settled in favour of the See of quantity of warm water on the forces of the commis-
Canterbury, In like manner the Protestant Archbishop sinners that they beat a retreat. A parley now ensued,
of Dablin is called Primate of Ireland, and his Grace of which resulted in the railway company deferring the
Armagh Primate of all Ireland. The Lord Chancellor further building of the wall until the nett meeting of the
f the time being, we may here remark, ranks below directors. The treaty thus concluded was at once ear-
th() Archbishop of Canterbury, but above the Archbishop reed out, and good order once more reigned in Birkena
of York. head.

We seek to give a wide publicity to this letter,
because we have reaso❑ to know that intrusion of
curious strangers has become an absolute persecution to
the distinguished authoress to whom it relates. We
can sympathise with the strong desire, inherent in in-
genuous mind., to see and converse with gifted individ-
uals who have devoted their talents to the service of
humanity. But mixed with these are a number of
curious impertinents who are simply animated by a silly
curiosity. It is precisely this class that is most intru-
sive, and during the summer months the lake districts
swarm with such. When we have adverted to the fact
that, notwithstanding her shattered health, Mrs. H.
Martineau devotes every hour in which pain leaves her
free to prosecute her labours in disseminating informs.
tion on the most important economical, political, and
social questions—that on the verge of existence her
active interest in all that concerns humanity is as genial
and comprehensive as ever—we have said enough to
show all right-minded persons the absolute necessity of
not harassing her by the intrusion of visits of mere idle
curiosity.

THE ROYAL NORTH LANCASHIRE AGRIO&L•

TURA L SOCIETY.

PRESTON, WEDNESDAY,

The proceedings in connection with the annual meeting
of the Royal North Lancashire Agricultural Association
commenced this morning by the trial of agricultural im-
plements, which took place in a large field at Pen-
wortham, a beautifully-situated village, on the banks of
the river Ribble, about two miles from Preston. There
was a large and varied number of implements on the
ground, and the display attracted the attendance of a
considerable number of visitors, including several of the
leading gentry and farmers of the county and surrounding
district.
The show of live stock and agricultural produce, which
will take place tomorrow, promises to be one of the
finest that has ever taken place in the north of England,
and from all that I can gather the competition will be
close and interesting.
The annual dinner will take place in the rooms of the
Corn Exchange, which are sufficiently spacious to ac-
commodate from 600 to 800. Lord Stanley, M.P., will
preside.