The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-29 00:00:00

DEATH OF THE EARL OF RIPON.

We regret to announce the demise of the Earl of Ripon,
who died at an early hour yesterday morning, at his villa
at Putney-heath. The deceased earl had been ill for the
last three weeks, but about ten days back his indisposition
assumed such a serious form that the medical gtlemen
in attendance at once pronounced his case hopelessi The
lamented earl continued gradually to sink, and at a few
minutes after one o'clock yesterday (Friday) morning, he
expired. The Countess of Ripon, and Viscount and Vis-
countess Goderich, who had been unremitting in their at-
tention to the noble invalid throughout his illness, were
present at the dissolution of his lordship. The late Earl of
Ripon's public and political career had extended over forty
years, and during that period he had occupied some of the
highest offices in the Government, for, in addition to haw-
ing been once, for a few months, First Lord of the Trea-
sury, he had been a member of the Cabinets during the
administrations of the Earl of Liverpool, the Right Hon.
George Canning, Earl Grey, and of the late Right Hon.
Sir R. Peel. The deceased peer, Frederick John Robin-
son, was second son of Thomas, second Lord Grantham,
a distinguished statesman and diplomatist, and Lady Mary
Jemima Yorke, second daughter of Philip, second Earl of
Hardwicke, by Jemima, Marchioness Grey. He was born
Nov. 1, 1782, so that he had recently entered on his 77th
year. He was private secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of
Ireland from 1804 to 1806, in which year he was first returned
to the House of Commons for Carlow. At the general eleo.
tion in November, 1807, he was elected a representative of
the family borough of Ripon, which he continued to repre-
sent for 20 years, up to his elevation to the House of Lords
in 1827, under the title of Viscount Goderich. His first
office in the Government was that of Under-Secretary
of State for the Colonies, in 1809, and his last, that of Pre-
sident of the Board of Control, under Sir R. Peel, from
1843 to 1846. Since then the noble deceased took no active
part in politics, and may be said to have retired into private
life, for beyond occasional support to the Earl of Aberdeen's
Government by a vote in the House of Lords, he has but
seldom appeared in that assembly. Brought up in the Tory
school of politics, he joined in the more liberal views of
Canning, Palmerston, Huskisson, &c. Since the dissolu-
tion of Lord Liverpool's Government in 1827 he had uni.
formly supported all the great measures of reform and pro-
gress, both social and commercial, many of which he
assisted to carry to a successful issue in his place in the
House of Peers. The late Earl was a Governor of the
Charter-house, a trustee of the National Gallery, a D.C.L.
of Oxford (1839), and a Fellow of the Royal Society. The
deceased peer married, Sept. 1, 1814, Lady Sarah Albinia
Louisa Hobart, only daughter of Robert fourth Earl of
Buckinghamshire, by whom (who survives her husband)
he leaves issue an only son, Viscount Goderich, M.P. for
the West Riding of Yorkshire. ' A vacancy consequently
occurs in the representation of that county by his lordship's
accession to the House of Lords.

GIANT TIMBER.—Our attention has been called
to an importation of three cargoes of mast-pieces of timber,
now discharging in the Commercial Docks, Rotherhithe.
The sizes, both in length and square, are so unexampled as
to be worthy of record. One vessel, indeed, the Bostonian,
of 1,000 tons, has spars of a magnitude that we believe were
never before made timber of commerce ; they run from 90
to 140 feet in length, and from 26 to 40 inches square. One
mast contains 28 loads, weighing about 33 tons, and is (as
are most of them) nearly as straight as a ruler, and without
a knot ; being 1391 feet long and 391 inches square. When
felled, it measured- 316 feet to the branching top, and for
150 feet was without any branch at all. It was squared to
41 inches; but was of necessity reduced to 311 inches to
admit of its entering the ship's bowport. The quantity of
timber in this enormous tree is worthy of notice ; call it 300
feet by 41 inches square, it would contain 3,502 cubic feet,
or 70 loads 2 feet as squared, or 116 loads as round timber.
It would saw into 2,050 boards 41 inches wide, half an inch
thick, and 12 feet long ; or, allowing about 12 per cent. for
waste in sawing, 1,800 boards 36 inches wide by half an inch
thick, and 12 feet long. If laid out quite close it would
cover 72,000 square yards, or 1 acre, 1 rood, 2 chains, 6
poles, 10 yards; or, allowing for unavoidable interstices,
about two acres and a quarter. It is difficult to imagine a
tree half as high again as the Monument before it branches
out. The masts are considered worth from £l2 to £l4 per
load, and we understand are secured for the British navy ;
and it is said that the longest may perhaps be raised as a
flag-staff at Windsor. We are indebted for these particu-
lars to Nrs N, Ciowa, ,Thc ,11?Wer.