The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-25 00:00:00

ROYAL MAIL STEAM COMPANY.

A meeting of the Royal Mail Steam (West
India) Company was held yesterday, Captain C.
E. Mangles in the chair, when the report was
adopted, and a dividend declared of £2 per share,
free of income-tax. It was explained that the in-
crease in the working expenditure arises from the
use of larger ships, which have enabled the service
to be carried out with greater speed and regularity.
The large earnings of the Tasmanian and the pro-
ceeds of the letting of the Parana to the Galway
Company do not appear in the present account, al-
though they have been now received. The cost of re-
pair has been beyond the stipulated sum, but the
amount standing at the debit of this ac-
count will be considerably reduced in
the current half-year. To show the satis-
factory working of the new service it was
mentioned that of the 14 trips to St. Thomas's, out
and home, 13 have been performed within the time
allowed, while the other was only 10 hours behind.
The Brazilian service has been performed equally
well. Annexed is a list of the company's fleet :
Registered Horse
No. Name. Tonnage. Power.

1 Shannon (iron)
2 Seine (iron) 3,440 800
3 Atrato (iron)
4 Parana
5 Magdalena
6 La Plata 2,404 1000
7 Oneida (iron screw)
8 Tasmanian (iron screw)
9 Tyne (iron)
10 Avon
~,,,

it Tamar 1,707 400
12 Medway
13 Thames
14 Trent
15 Solent
16 Teviot 1,744 450
17 Dee
18 Clyde
19 Mersey (iron)
20 Conway
21 Wye (iron screw) 751 180

22 Derwent 794 260
23 Eagle
21 Prince (iron)

44,345 11,730

UNEXPLODED SHELLS.—A fatal accident with
an Armstrong shell took place on Tuesday at the tower
near Eastbourne, which was fired at some two months ago
with Armstrong guns. This tower is being prepared for a
further series of experiments, several workmen being en•
gaged in clearing away the debris of the last bombardment ;
among this it was known there wero several unexploded
shells, a caution to this effect having been distributed at the
time the experiments terminated. In the course of clearing
away the rubbish several live shells have been found, and
on Tuesday afternoon a 100-pounder was fished out and laid
on the beach, a short distance from the tower. Three sol-
diers, belonging to the Line Depot stationed here, were exa-
mining the tower, when one of them saw the shell and com-
menced handling it; it is said that he pushed a piece of
paper into the fuzee-hole, and lighted it with a inciter. The
shell exploded, inflicting injuries from which the poor
fellow died in about four or five hours afterwards, the only
wonder being that he was not blown to atoms. As it is, the
destructive nature of these shells was most fearfully appa-
rent, the left leg being blown off at the thigh, the right one
smashed and broken, and the whole surface of the chest
driven in, while one of the arms was broken in several
places, and the face blackened, presenting a most ghastly
spectacle. As soon as possible the sufferer was taken to the
Military hospital, but he sank rapidly from the fearful
in-
juries he had sustained. A coroner's inquest will be held,
when it is hoped that a full investigation will be made as to
the way in which the shell was ignited.
Two MURDERS IN BRECoNSHIRE.—At a very
early hour on Friday morning the body of a man named
David Price was found in a meadow through which passed
a footpath to his own house, at C wmdyhesfa, near Trecas-
tle, with injuries which put out of the
question any doubt,
as to their having been wilfully inflicted. Two ribs had
been broken, and ends had passed into the lungs. having Some
other ribs had been loosened from the cartilage, a knife or
other sharp weapon had been thrust quite through the fleshy
part of the thigh, and several cuts appeared on the scalp.
The deceased had been at a sale by auction about two miles
distant, and, having partaken freely of drink, had been
quarrelsome on the occasion. Ile bore the character of be-
ing a violent and quarrelsome man, and was particularly
unpopular in the neighbourhood. Two young farmers who
had last been seen in his company have been taken into
s
hitherto
obtained and a coroner's inquest opened on Saturiay has
been adjourned to the 31st inst. The evidence
obtained has been of a scanty nature, there being gr:cat
re-
luctance in the vicinity to give any information: Cries
of
distresst
to b t h oNsVeeroef idleraurndk(enl n t
men
eh prev
rei
tolut
rsnni
hi ggh tfro,btrart,tbheernsgalrele,
wereemed
Crickhowcll, was
suffered to pass unheeded. On Saturday a middle-aged
woman residing at Gwyn VecLant, near
__e_.lla
few
shot by a young man, her own nephew, and d
the aspect of murder, and not of accident, a • is
minutes. Statements made by the nephew ngive the affair
d
custody of the police, awaiting the result of au inquest,