The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-01 00:00:00

MEXICO.

The state of affairs in Mexico could not be worse
than it is at present. Not only is the country in a
state of anarchy, but the cause of one party (the
Liberals);being espoused by the Americans, and that
of the other (the Conservatives) by the Spaniards,
may lead to a serious complication. The latter is the
priestly, and of course intolerant, party. The
Solent brought no specie from Tampico, although
dollars to the amount of £4,000,000 sterling, it is
said, or 800 tons of silver, await a safe conduct to
the coast. The Government authorities at Tampico
had levied a contribution of 100,000 dollars on
foreign merchants. Several of them refused to pay,
and were imprisoned without food ; amongst them
the consular agents of Prussia, Denmark, Hamburg,
and Bremen. Mr. Tolly, the Royal Mail Packet
Company's agent, had to pay 7,000 dollars. A
British subject who refused to pay and took shelter
under the British flag, was forcibly taken from
under it, the flag insulted, and the man im-
prisoned. The Spanish consul had hauled his
flag down and gone off on board the vessel of war.
A number of prisoners of the opposite party
were sent on board the:Solent, to be landed at Vera
Cruz (and here is a proof of the good understand-
ing existing between that party and Spain) ; they
were taken on to Havana and their passports pro-
vided by the Spanish consul. During these
proceedings, involving so much the commercial in-
terests of England, the European powers are re-
presented by Spain—as not a single man-of-war
of any other nation except America is in the Gulf.
In the meantime the Yankees are going ahead.
Shortly the mails for California will go by the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec, thereby saving a week in
the transit. A staff of surveyors had also been
planning a railroad from Vera Cruz to Mexico.

CUBA.
The cool season had set in in the Gulf. Havana
was healty. A terrific explosion occurred in the
latter place on the 29th September ; a magazine
about a mile and a half out of the town having
blown up, it is not known by what means. There
was about 100,000 lb. of powder, besides shell. The
loss of life is estimated at 350 to 400 persons. Some
of the buildings in the city were injured, and the
gas cut off.

DISCOVERY OF ROCK SALT IN
PRUSSIA.

STETTIN, Oet. 28.—A discovery of the utmost
importance for the trade of Prussia and the coun-
tries on the Baltic generally has lately been ir
ale
at a place called Stassfurt, near this city, consisting
in an inexhaustible bed of pure rock salt. Itis now
some months since vague and uncertain reports of
the discovery were circulated amongst our mer-
chants here ;* but they were at first discredited, on
the ground that the general geological features of
Pomerania, being of alluvial and diluvial formation,
were not of a nature to cover a large deposit of salt,
although it was well known that there are in many
parts of the province saline springs which are used
by the Government for the artificial manufacture
of salt.

The fact of the discovery is, however, now so well
authenticated as to convince the most sceptical.
A small cargo has been sent this summer to Scot-
land, to be used in salting herrings, and the result
of the experiment has proved in every way satisfac-
tory, tho quality being considered even superior to
the Liverpool ronk sat. As these salt beds are
of very considerable extent, and from their
proximity to the sea the produce can be raised
and shipped at a very low figure, the discovery is
likely to bring about a perfect revolution in
the salt trade, which in Prussia is a Government
monopoly; and I may mention in proof of
this assumption, and as the first-fruits of a practical
result, that the Minister of Commerce has, in con-
sequence of the discovery, ordered the saline works
at Coberg and Ces?n to be discontinued, it being
found impossible to compete profitably by any arti-
ficial means with this prolific natural store. Govern-
ment has fixed the price for the present at six
silbergroschen per centner (equal to about 11 s.
sterling per ton), delivered free on board at Stass-
furt, which is about the shipping price at Liverpool.
It is, however, highly probable that a great reduc-
tion will take place, as the actual cost of production
only amounts to one-fourth of the above figure.
Under these circumstances the large importa-
tions of salt annually received from England will
of course altogether cease, and the Stassfurt rock
salt will be able, from the extreme cheapness of its
production, to compete successfully with Liver-
pool for supplying Russia and the other Baltic
States with this necessary article, thus creating a
new and lucrative branch' of commerce for
the merchants of Prussia. An unlimited sup-
ply of cheap salt will also have a corre-
sponding favourable effect on the development
and increase of many chemical articles manu-
factured in Prussia, in which salt is the prin-
cipal ingredient. The falling off in our imports of
salt, soda, &c., will, however, be more than com-
pensated by the increase in the exports of
this town which cannot fail to take place,
and thus tend to restore the just 'equilibrium
between our imports and exports, the for-
mer having for several
years past considerably
predominated—so much so that a large part of the
vessels bringing goods to Stettin are unable to find
return freights, and are therefore compelled to sail
in ballast, which tends to materally raise the inward
frieghts on cargoes bound for this port.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION

On Saturday evening last we were invited by
the managing director to pay a visit to the above
institution, to witness Mr. Mottle's patent process
of taking photographic portraits by artificial light'
The process was explained by Mr. E. V. Gardner,
the professor of chemistry, who was eminently sue'
cessful in his description. He pointed out fOrcibly
the difference between the luminous rays of the
spectrum and the actinic rays, which latter are
those which exert chemical influence, and are
principally effective in the process of taking Po:
traits. Mr. Moule himself operated, and succeeded
in taking several pictures, the finish and deli'
cacy of which we have never seen surpassed,
even when taken under the most favourable elf'
cumstances in daylight. The gradations of light
and shade were very artistic, and we are quite
satisfied that the problem of taking photographic
portraits by artificial light is solved, and that ane'
ther step is made in that interesting branch of science'
We had also the pleasure of seeing a new series
of dissolving views, illustrating the forest wilds of
North America, after a series of original paintings,
taken on the spot by Mr. Harvey, member of the
Academy of New York. As works of art they
are excellent, but, in addition to that, they are
exceedingly valuable and interesting, as inns'
trating the nature of the country and giving the
audience a knowledge of the scenery of North
America, which could not be obtained by all the
reading in the world. The certainty of an ultiinatn
telegraphic communication with America renders
this series of views doubly interesting. Another
novelty was Mr. Williams's clever entertain'
ment, entitled " Musical Sketches of Popular
Composers," in which he gave illustrations .of the
Buffo Songs of Mr. John Parry in a style that wile
very successful, and which, we are quite sure, will
be duly appreciated by the public. The classes
at this Institution on Chemistry, Latin, French,
Physics, and other subjects are well attended'
The laboratory has been entirely re-organised
and refitted, and is now under the direction of M''
E. V. Gardner, the Professor of Chemistry, Who
has a large class in attendance. The furnaces for
assaying, and all the other requirements of an
operative laboratory, are there in perfection.
The Natural Philosophy department is attended
to by Mr. J. L. King with great success, and
whose lecture on the Atlantic Telegraph is one
of great interest at the present moment. In ad'
dition to other arrangements, we are glad to
learn that Mr. Lennox Horne had been engaged'
and will shortly make his appearance as one of the
lecturers of the institution, when, we have no doubt,
his talent for humorous description will be fully
appreciated. Many novelties are in preparation
for Christmas ; amongst others, a most interesting
series of dissolving views, illustrating the adven-
tures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. The
Museum of Domestic Economy, collected by Mr'
Twining, is now so far complete as to afford the
public ample information as to how best to
procure all the necessities of life at the most
reasonable cost. This is a truly valuable addi'
tion to the Institution. In conjunction 141,
this Museum, Messrs. Silver and Co. have fitted
up a first-class and second-class emigrants' cabin'
with all the requisites for a voyage. They have
also fitted up a furnished home for emigrants abroad'
There is also a very curious clock, which keel)s
regular time without any visible mode of prom
sion. The mechanical models, illustrating Int-
provements from the earliest periods, are novr
motion, and form an interesting and important
feature in the exhibition. The whole institution
shows a greatly improved appearance, and the CO
trance hall especially presents an elegant approach
to the whole establishment.