The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-21 00:00:00

THE SUN, LOM)UN, TUESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 21, 1866.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

ROBBERY AT MESSRS. DISTIVS.—James Shearin, appren-
tice to Messrs. Distin and Co., musical instrument makers,
Newport-street, was charged before Mr. Tyrwhitt with
stealing a clarionet, valued at £3 10s.

Mr. E. Lewis appeared for the prosecution, and said the
prisoner was an apprentice to Messrs. Distie, and though
he was at present only charged with stealing one clarionet
it was believed he had stolen other property. He (Mr.
Lewis) would therefore only produce evidence sufficient to
justify a remand.

Mr. Henry Distin said—The prisoner is one of our ap-
prentices, and works at the manufactory in Great Newport-
street. The clarionet produced is my property, and manu-
factured for me in Paris. I do not manufacture clarionets
myself. On Friday or Saturday last I purchased the
clarionet of Mr. Tyler for £2; and, in consequence of what
I afterwards ascertained, I went last night with Gcrdon,
33 0, to the prisoner's lodgings, in East-street, West
square, Lambeth, and showed him the clarionet. I asked
him if he had seen it before, and he replied, " Yes." I
asked him where he got it, and he said, " At your manu-
factory." I then asked him if he had any pawn. tickets re-
lating to other property of mine about him, and he said he
had not, but on Gordon searching him he found two dupli-
cates relating to clarionets upon him—one being pledged
for 6s. and the other for 3s. The cost price of the clario-
net produced is £3 10s.
Mr. Lesi is—That is all the evidence I propose to pro-
duce to-day.
The prisoner was then remanded.

London and Brighton Railway Meeting.—

This Day.

The ordinary half-yearly general meeting of this com-
pany was held at the International Hotel, London-bridge
Terminus, to-day—Mr. P. N. Laurie, Chairman, presiding.
The report, which has been published, was taken as
read.

The CHAIRMAN, in moving the adoption of the report,
said that the shareholders would observe that the capital
account had been increased to a considerable amount,
according to the increase that had taken place in the traffic
of the Company, and which of course necessitated an in-
crease in the expenditure. They had an increase in their
passenger traffic of 500,000, as compared with the preceding
half-year, and there was also a very large increase in the
goods traffic, amounting to 98,000 tons. The increase in
the expenditure would have been greater if great economy
had not been exercised by the management. The Company
had also to contend with bad weather and the stringency of
the money market. Their line was a very sensitive one,
and they depended mainly on their pleasure traffic. The
weather in spring was very unfavourable for parties going
on pleasure to the Crystal Palace or Brighton, and
consequently they suffered from that circumstances.
Owing to the state of the money market several persons
w&ro unable to avail themselves of the benefits afforded by
the line for pleasure excursions. It was much to be re-
gretted that, in order to provide for the increase in the
passenger traffic, it had been considered necessary to in-
crease the number of the lines by a mileage to the extent of
3,800, which far exceeded the requirements of the public,
and the
.accommodation now provided would supply double
the number that travelled on the lino. The increase in the
accommodation did not arise front their system requiring
expansion, but from a desire to afford increase of transit to
the public. Ile and his colleagues were of opinion that a re-
duction should take place in future in the luxurious arrange-
ments for the accommodation of the public, and that the
interests of the company were not to be sacrificed
merely to secure the arrival of the train four or
five minutes earlier than it would otherwise have
done. Ile adverted in detail to the different points
contained in the report, -and contended that the affairs of
the company were iu a promising condition.
Tho proceedings were not concluded when we went to
press.

Improvements at Portsmouth,

From time immemorial the Government authori-
ties in this important arsenal have been perpetually
annoyed and inconvenienced by merchant shipping.
The captains of the several vessels have invariably
endeavoured to obtain the best berth, entirely disre-
garding the requirements of the public service.
Doubtless they do so from regard for the interests of
their owners, bat the nuisance has now arrived at so
great a pitch that immediate steps must be taken to
effect a remedy. Themaster-attendant, whose duties
are at all times most onerous, is wearied with the
continual complaints which he is compelled to make;
not only so, but a large amount of his time is de-
voted to this additional work. Although no provi-
sion is made in this year's Estimates for additional
jetties alongside which our ironclads should lie, it
must be patent to every naval man that some such
must be provided, and it is hoped that the Lords
of the Admiralty will take into their immediate
consideration the propriety of erecting them on the
eastern and western shores of the harbour. We
are informed that the present master attendant
has prepared plans whereby ample accommoda-
tion in the shape of fitting and coaling jetties
would be provided on the western shore ; this, how-
ever, is .not sufficient, being at some considerable
distance from the dockyard ; but we see no reason
whatever why a splendid jetty could not be carried
out in a northerly direction from and in a continuous
line with the dockyard, leaving, as a matter of
course, ample space for the tidal basin at the en-
trance of the prorosed extension of the dockyard.
Some such arrangement as this is imperatively ne-
cessary ; but the question now arises whether the
time has not arrived when the Government could
make such concessions to the inhabitants of this port
as would enable them to take advantage of its capa-
bilities in such a manner as not only to do much
good to the whole neighbourhood, but also to leave
the harbour entirely free for Government purposes
only. The so-called fortifications which partly sur-
rounded the towns of Portsmouth and Portsea are
gradually being removed by convict labour, and be-
fore long the latter-name will doubtless be merged
in that of the former. The millpond, or milldam,
as it is more generally designated. between the two
towns, is now only used for the purpose of driving
a cornmill at its western extremity ; but it is be-
lieved the authorities have at last determined to get
rid of it, and, if possible, to fill it up so as to render
it avai'able for the purpose of a parade ground.
Many years since an article appeared in the prin-
cipal local newspaper, and long before Anglesea and
Cambridge Barracks were erected, suggesting that
the towns of Portsmouth and Portsea should be
connected by means of new fortifications, and that
the area thus gained should be devoted to the
erection of barracks capable of holding 4,000 or
5,000 troops, with ample space for parade ground.
This scheme, however, fell to the ground, princi-
pally, it is believed, from the fact that it did not
emanate from the officers of Royal Engineers, to
whom such matters are ordinarily intrusted. Ports-
mouth proper has but a small area ; but its imme-
diate and adjoining neighbours—the towns of Port-
sea, Landport, and Southsea—embrace a very large
area, thickly populated. It is confidently believed
that if the milldam and glacis round it were ceded
to the inhabitants by the Government upon terms
which might be mutually agreed upon for the pur-
pose of forming a commercial basin, the jealousies
which formerly existed between these four little
principalities would rapidly subside; the town would
rise like a phoenix from its ashes, and the country
generally would be benefited by the formation of
such a work, which would pl.timately prove a valu-
able adjunct to the extensive additions contemplated
in her Majesty's dockyard. To carry out this object
it is proposed that an entrance lock, 950 ft. long and
100 ft. wide, with a caisson in the centre, should be
formed between the Gua-wharves, the northern of
which, by the works contemplated, wi" acquire an
increased area as well as additional wharfage. The
lock will communicate with the harbour at its western
end, and with the outer basin at its eastern end. The
outer basin will have an area of 15 acres, with
3,130 ft. of wharfage, and 'will be connected with
four graving docks, averaging 456 ft. in length and
103 ft. wide, capable of receiving any of her Ma-
jesty's steamers in case of any emergency. The
inner basin, which will be separated from the outer
by means of a caisson, will have an area of 11
acres, with 2,975 ft. of wharfage. Both inner and
outer basins will have direct communication with
the railway, and it is intended that separate
lines of rails should ibe laid down for the ex-
clusive use of the Gun-wharves, so that they
might be in connection with the eastern portz.
As a matter of necessity, some of the roads adjoin-
ing the proposed basins will be diverted, but this will
ultimately be a great local improvement. The pre-
sent communication of Portsmouth withPortsea will
be merged into an extension of the southern Gun-
wharf, and Prospect-row will be widened and form
the new road to Portsea ; a new road will branch
off from this, on the north side of Colewort Bar-
racks, terminating near the south end of Milldam-
road, and form the southern boundary of the works,
the space on the south side beingdevoted to a parade-
ground for those barracks. The northern boundary
will be formed by a new road in continuation with
Queen's-street, leading into Lion-gate-road, the
space on the north side thereof being devoted to a
parade-ground for Anglesea barracks, and that on
the south side to an extension of airing ground for
the convalescents in the military hospital on the Lion
esplanade. Itis also proposed theta newroad should
be carried from the north end of Hampshire-terrace,
SJuthsea, to the south end of Lion esplanade, Port-
sea, which said road will be the piactical division
between the inner and outer basins. The glacis on the
western side of Hampshire-terrace would, we believe,
forma good site for the erection of new staff quarters.
The works would be bounded thus :—On the north
by the Gun-wharf, the rear of the houses in Sun-
street, Lion-esplanade, the Military Hospital, the con-
tinuation of Queen-street and Lion-gate-road ; on
the east by Commercial-road as far as Spring-gar-
dens ; on the south by Nelson-square, &c., the Com-
mercial-road as far as the south end of the Milldam-
road, and the proposed new road on the north
side of Colewort Barracks. Although projects of a
similar nature havebeen submitted for the approval
of the authorities, hitherto without definite results,
it is publicly felt in the neighbourhood that the time
has now arrived when liberal concessions can with-
out prejudice be granted by the Government, more
especially when it is believed that if the plans above
mentioned were carried out considerably increased
accommodation would be gained for the use of
troopships, the supply of coal for steam purposes,
and many other requirements which would be
available by the Government in case of emergency.

PRESENTATION OF SILVER GOBLETS BYNAPOLEON.
—The Emperor has just forwarded to the prefect of the
Yonne 24 silver goblets as presents to the proprietors of
vineyards at Auxerre, Avallon, Joigny, Tonnerre, and
Chablis, who presented the wines of honour to his Majesty
on the occasion of his recent visit to the agricultural show
of that region.
A. CONSULAR "DIFFICULTY" IN CYPRUS.--.A
"difficulty" has arisen between the Porte and the Ameri-
can legation on a matter of some interest to our consular
readers. Some time ago the American Consul, aM. Luigi
Palma de Cesnola, at Larnaca, Cyprus, took into his
service as cavas a Mussulman native, named Mustapha.
Shortly afterwards the mud:~ of the town claimed the
man as a &awn conscript seek'ug to evade military ser-
vice, and ou the Consul refusing to give him up ordered a
parry of zaptiehs to enter the hnuse of the American
consular dragoman, a certain Costand Bebess, and carry
off the man. Thereupon the Consul addressed a formal
complaint to the Governor of the island, demanding the
punishment of the mudir, and an ample apology for the
alleged outrage on his own consular dignity. On inquiry
into the facts, however, the Pasha considered the mudir
to be in the right, and therefore refused the consular
demand. M. Palma de Cesnola accordingly " suspended
relations," and referred the matter to the Hon. E. Joy
Morris, the American Minister in the capital. The latter
gentleman, accepting his subordinata's version ofthotofacthtso,
has addressed an energetic and categorical note
Porte, demanding (1) the dismissal of themudir;
personal apology from the Pasha to the Consul, at th (2) a
house
of the latter, with a simultaneous salute of 21 guns to the
American flag; (3) that done, the dismissal of the Pasha
himself ; and (4) the liberation and payment of a substan-
tial compensation to the cavas Mustapha. In the event of
the Porte's unwillingness to concede these four points, Mr.
Morris has, it is said, requested Admiral Goldsworthy,
commanding the American squadron in the Mediterranean,
to send one of his iron-clads to Larnaca—what to do our
infgrnuition states not,—Levant idtrald, Aug. 8.