The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-29 00:00:00

CO IVES, ISLE OF WIGHT.—Dee. 28

[PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]
MORDERLY SOLDIERS.—Some msn belonging
to a detachment of the Limerick Militia, at the
Royal Barracks, East Cowes, have been causing
some trouble to the inhabitants during the past
week, by their unruly proceedings. They had a
quarrel with one of the mates and some of the men
of an American ship in the harbour, and some
fighting ensued. On Friday they became more
violent, and ill-treated the ferryman and others.
On Christmas evening 16 of them crossed to West
Cowes, provided with sticks and their belts, deter-
mined on a row. The men belonging to the
American ship were at the White Hart public
house ; but the landlord would not let them out,
nor the soldiers in. Finding they could not get at
the sailors, they determined on attacking every
person who was so unfortunate as to fall in their
way. The first was Mr. John Hollis, master o
the Marquis Conyngham's yacht, whom they struck
with their sticks ; but he ran away, having the
whole of the soldiers after him : favoured by the
darkness of the night, he escaped. They had a
number of stones with them, which they threw in
all directions ; and, as they shouted and yelled as
they went, those who could got away, but many
were struck and injured by these madmen. They
knocked down and ill-used Mr. Slade, butcher—
his son also got some severe blows, as did many
others, and one young man's face was seriously cut
by a buckle. The town'speople now began to
muster strongly, and, fortunately for the soldiers,-
the police arrived and got between the now retreat-
ing-soldiers and enraged inhabitants, and kept the
latter back, enabling the militiamen to effect their
escape to East Cowes. Sentinels have been placed
at the ferry to prevent the soldiers crossing to
West Cowes, and it is said they are to be removed
from East Cowes to Parkhurst Barracks.
FLOATING BRIDGE TO CONNECT EAST AND WEST
Co'Es.—A better mode of communication between
the two towns has long been wanted, and a com-
pany has been formed who intended to run a
steam floating bridge across the Medina ; but as
the river is very narrow at the ferry, the bridge
proposed with the engine in her, it was feared,
would draw too much water : and, as it was a
matter of great consequence that the bridge should
not at all obstruct the navigation, it is now pro-
posed to have a stationary engine .fixed on the
East Cowes side, and to work the floating bridge
by it, by means of an endless chain fixed round a
drum on the West Cowes side. The bridge is
expected to be ready by about the middle of
May.

EARLIER DESPATCH OF DAY MAIL TO THE
WEST OF ENG.bAND, AND ESTABLISHMENT
OF A DAY MAIL TO PLYMOUTH, DEVONPOR2;
TORQUAY, .Ic.

On the' Ist of January, and thenceforward, the day mail
on the Great Western Railway will be despatched by the
express train leaving Paddington Station at 9.30 a.m., in-
, stead of by the present train at 10 a.m. ; and correspond-
ence for conveyance by day mail to the undermentioned
.
towns—
Abingdon Hereford Swindon
Bath High Wycombe Taunton
Bradford on Avon Honiton Tetbury
Bridgewater Hungerford Tewkesbury
Bridport Ledbury Tiverton
Bristol Lme Trowbrid
Charmouth Mayidenhead 'Uxbridgege Cheltenham Marlborough Wallingford
Chippenham Melksham Wantago
Cirencester Monmouth p Warminster
Crewkerne NeNibury Wellington(Som.)
Cullompton Oxford Wells (Som.)
Devizes Reading Westbury
Exeter Ross Weston - super-
Faringdon - Shepton Mallet Mare
Frome Sherborne Windsor
Gloucester Slough Witney
ifanley on Thames Stud Yeovil
must be posted as follows :
Receiving Offices—Letters, newspapers, and book packets,
9 p.m.
London Pillar Letter Boxes—Letters only, 5 a.m.
District Offices, viz. :—Western Central, 126, High Hol-
born ; Northernz Lower-street, Islington; Eastern, Nassau-
place, Commercial-road, East; South-Eastern, 170, High-
street, Borough ; Southern, Westminster-road ; Western,
29, Old Cavendish-street ; North-Western, 28, Eversholt-
street, Camden-town; and at the Branch Office, Charing-
cross—Letters, 7.15 a.m. Newspapers and book packets,
6.45 a.m.

Lombard-street Branch Office—Letters, 7.45 a.m. News
papers and book packets, 7 a.m.
General Post-office—etters, 7.45 a.m.
and book packets, 7 a.m. '
On the same date, day mails will be established to the
following towns, viz. :
Dawlish, Plymouth, Teignmouth,
Devonport, Plympton, Torquay,
Ivybridge, Sidmouth, Totnes,
Newton Abbot, Tavistock,
and correspondence for conveyance by day mail to these
places must be posted at the above hours.
By command of the Postmaster-General,
ROWLAND HILL, Secy.

Newspapers

General Post-office, Dec. 28

SOUTH-WESTERN AND BRIGHTON
AND SOUTH COAST COMPANIES.

We regret to learn a very serious dispute has
arisen between two of our leading railway com-
panies, which, unless checked in the outset, will in
all probability lead to great public inconvenience.
The belligerents are none other than the South-
Western and the Brighton and South Coast Com-
panies, universally admitted to be two of the best
managed lines in the kingdom, and until now work-
ing with a degree of amicable forbearance towards
each other which has afforded a favourable contrast
to that of almost all other competing railways.
It will be remembered that both these lines run
into the important garrison of Portsmouth ; the
South-Western hitherto possessing running powers
over The last seven miles of the Brighton and South
Coast Railway, from Havant to Portsmouth. It
appears that owing to the South-Western Company
having formed an arrangement with the direct
Portsmouth line, now in process of construction,
the Brighton and South Coast Company are un-
willing to continue these powers to their neigh-
bours, and notice given to the South Western a few
days since that their trains would be prevented tra-
versing the railway from Havant to Portsmouth after
the 27th inst. The notice was understood by the South
Western Company as merely formal, and intended
to raise the legal question of right; and accordingly
Mr, Scott, the general manager of this line, went
down t 8 Fareham yesterday morning, and endea-
voured to take a pilOt,,engine, with a few carriages,
over the disputed part of the railway. On arriving
at the Havant junction, just below Corsham, Mr.
Scott found a locomotive engine belonging to the
Brighton and South Coast Company standing upon
the crossing, with the evident intention of prevent-
ing him proceeding any further in the direction of
Portsmouth. each company had several of its con-
federates present, The Brighton and South Coast
party, with a view further to obstruct their oppo-
nents had torn up a small portion of their rails
on the main' Portsmouth down line, which the
South-Western adherents, who were very early on
the ground, carefully relaid. The contest was a
drawn battle for- some time, and until one of the
South-Western officers observing the Brighton loco-
motive to be unguarded, suddenly jumped upon it,
and putting on the steam, ran a few yards forward,
thus allowing the South-Western train to get on to
the main Portsmouth line. The Brighton and
South Coast party were, however, too quick for their
opponents, and before the South-Western train
could get her speed on they had succeeded in again
displacing several of the down rails, rendering it,
impossible for any train to go forward. It was now
11 o'clock, and the South-Western train stood
directly upon the crossing, blocking up both roads,
and obstructing the whole of the Brighton and
South Coast traffic. Mr. Scott held this position
for nearly a couple of hours, but at length finding
that he could not get forward to Portsmouth with-
out using more violence than would be justified, he
retreated in good order, and left his opponents in
undisturbed possession of the road, which was
speedily relaid, and the trains of the Brighton and
South Coast Company passed on without further
interruption to Portsmouth.
For the present the South-Western Company are
thus prevented booking passengers to what has
hitherto been considered one of their termini, but
it is hoped,that in a few days the existing difficul-
ties will be satisfactorily arranged. If both parties
continue obstinate the probability is that the Board
of Trade will be called upon to interfere, in which
case the public will probably be the gainers.

PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at
Paris is about atpar, and the short exchange on London is
25.12 f pc rXI sterling. On comparing these rates with the
English Mint price of £3 17s. lOid. per ounce for standard
gold, it appears that gold is nearly 2-10ths per cent, dearer
in Paris than in London.—By advices from Hamburg the
price of gold is 4241 per mark, and the short exchange en
. London is 13.41 per £1 sterling. Standard gold at the
English Mint price is therefore at about the same price
in Hamburg as in London.—The course of ex-
change at New York on London for bills at 60 days' sight
is 109/ to 109/ per cent., which, when compared with the
Mint par between the two countries, shows that the ex-
change is about at par. After making allowance for
charges of transport and difference of interest, the present
rate leaves little or no profit on the importation of gold
from the United States, .

VALUE OF THE SELF-RIGIITIN6
PRINCIPLE IN LIFEBOATS•

(From the _Lifeboat Journal.).
In the 19th Number of this Journal we replied
to the various theoretical objections that had heel
advanced against the self-righting principle, all,
demonstrated that the same means which were the
ployed to produce that effect contributed to t
safety and efficiency of a boat in other respect`' o
There was, however, one objection made which,
01
ll
we then stated, could only be disproved by aa'
experiment.
It was maintained by some that the proPer4l, '' o
of
self-righting would be of no service to the crew a
lifeboat if she were upset, inasmuch as that wile,o
she had righted she would be quickly carried arh
by the wind or tide beyond the reach of her halme'd
crew, who could never regain. her in a seaway, It
would then have to trust to their life-belts alone
safety.
Now it so happens that within the last fl
months three accidents to lifeboats have occurr',o
one to a small self-righting boat, the other tw°
of
non-righting boats. By comparing the resultssio
these accidents together, we shall not only ebt;ad
an illustration of the value of the self-rig,
alit
principle, but shall perceive that the partlea 5
objection which we are now replying to is Ilot
valid one.

The three accidents are as follows :-
1. On the 4th Jan., 1857, the Point of Mr
ihe
boat, when under sail, upset at a distance from cut
land ; the accident was seen from the shore,
~,ie
no immediate help was available, and the orsco
of the boat's crew, 13 in all, were drowned. ,4
or three of them were seen clinging to her keel
twenty minutes, by which time they became eit,,
hausted, were washed off, and, having no life-be -
perished.
2. In February last the Southwold lifeboat;
for
large sailing boat, considered to be one of the fine
sr
the kingdom, but not self-righting, when out
c,
exercise only, was running before a rather hl,
surf with all sail set, when she suddenly ran be.L'or,
a sea, broached to, and upset. The crew having A
their life-belts, and, the accident being withlnoh
short distance of the shore, were all saved, alth°ll'
two or three of them were in an exhausted state' off
but three unfortunate gentlemen who had gone
in the boat, and had neglected to 'put on lifebe'w last their lives.
a
3. On the night of the 19th of October last, ;rie.
gale of wind, the small six-oared self-righting `.OO
beat belonging to the National Lifeboat instituti
at Dungeness proceeded through a heal' se,
managed by eight Coastguard men, to a Weer
which was seen to be aground at about thrf,he
quarters of a mile from the lifeboat station.
er
wreck was reached soon after midnight, and of ter
aseertaining that she had been deserted bY„e,
crew, the lifeboat returned for the 6'llV
For the first half mile she was rowed sa.,-,er
before a heavy broken sea, but on crossing a de%t
channel, between two shoals, she was canon
up and struck by three heavy seas in succesalL3ei
which followed so quickly one on the other tnio
the boat could not recover herself, and the cooly
losing all command with the rudder, she was et,
tied away before the sea, broached to, and uP'i,ec,
throwing her crew out of her. She immediate:l,
however, self-righted, cleared herself of all ovate
and her anchor having fallen out when she Icio
keel up, she was brought up by it. The crevr,ej,
the meantime, having on good life-belts, flood
regained, and got into the boat, cut the cable, Ito
returned safely to the shore, not one of them es
• cci
•
being hurt. When it is considered that this gre
dent occurred in the middle of the night, and its,
sults are contrasted with those ofthe two similar °tic
dents above alluded to, both of which occurredill ot
daytime, we conceive that we have at once,
simply a triumphant reply to those who still rep
diate the advantage of the self•righting properitu
list
but a proof that the discovery and adoption of this
principle form an era in the history of lifeboaof
which promises to materially lessen the danger d,
the arduous service in which they are emPloeo
and thus to confer an important boon on suffer`"°
humanity.
; tile
May we not even safe` conclude that this -s„10
first instance that has ever occurred of a 1""ols
boat's crew passing unscathed through such
ordeal ?
the
In justice to the brave fellows who forme-
fe,
crew of the boat on this occasion, we must sta`o;
that they expressed their readiness to hl
gone out in the boat again immediate;'i
after their landing had their services bee
again required; and that they, unaske &
for, certified to their entire confidence in her a-n
a
their readiness to trust their lives in her whene/et
.se
they should be called on to do so. They likels:l,,e
bore testimony to the value of the lifebelts, onthis
plan of Captain J. R. Ward, R.N., supplied by t"
institution to its lifeboat crews.