The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-27 00:00:00

THAMES HAVEN PIE&

The chairman and directors of the Thames Haven Com-
pany (Limited) and numerous invited guests proceeded
from Fenchurch-street station yesterday morning by
special train to Thames Haven, to inspect the works re-
cently completed there. The place is about a dozen
miles below Gravesend, on the opposite shore, and is too
insignificant in appearance to attract the attention of the
excursionist sailing down the river If, however, the
expectations of the Thames Haven Company are
realised, it will be developed into one of the most
important stations on the river. The chief object
is to facilitate the transport of cattle from the con-
tinent to the Metropolitan Cattle-market, and this desirable
end is to be achieved by landing the beasts at Thames
Haven, and conveying them at once by the London, Til-
bury, and Southend Railway to the Islington market. The
present system of landing cattle at Blackwall not only in-
volves risk, and often absolute loss to the ship and stock
owners; but, as recent deputations to the Home Secretary
have shown, inflicts increased torture upon the poor brutes
driven through the streets, and outrages the feelings
of humane passers by, who are compelled to witness the
cruelty of the drovers. When the advantages of Thames
Haven are better known a considerable goods and passenger
traffic is also expected. Hitherto the works have been
mainly confined to accommodation for cattle, and the in-
spection yesterday showed that it was ample and conve-
nient. The new pier is nearly 200 feet long, and so broad
that the superficial area amounts to 7,000 feet. There are
four landing-places constructed, to allow vessels to unload
at any portion of the tide ; and the peculiarity of the shore,
notwithstanding the comparative shortness of the pier, gives
19 feet depth at the end at low water. In connection with the
landing-places are improved hoisting cranes, and tramways
by which cattle or goods may be transferred from the hold
of the ship to the railway waggons in a few minutes. Close
to the shore a slaughter-house has been built, where 50 car-
cases, in case of necessity, can be dealt with at once. Seve-
ral dozens of large cattle pensadjoin, each being provided
with water springing from a well sunk for the purpose by
the company. Seventeen acres of pasture land and some
open yards complete the provision made for cattle. There
are sidings communicating with the pens, enabling three
trains to be loaded simultaneously. The merits of such a
station as this are obvious. Instead of cargoes of cattle lying
be-fogged off the marshes higher up the river for hours,
and sometimes days together, they can be taken direct per
rail from Thames Haven to the market in an hour and a
half. The portion of the voyage most fatal to cattle, and
destructive to shipowners, will thus be avoided. From
this now pier passengers and goods can be conveyed to
Fenchurch street station in an hour. Vessels can reach
Thames Haven in six hours from Boulogne and Calais,
and twelve hours from Rotterdam. Both isitors and
shareholders in the concern were yesterday much pleased
with the premises, and the sanguine opinion of all was
that the undertaking could not fail to prove of immense
advantage to the !public, while it paid a handsome per-
centage to the promoters.

A SHILLING CHRISTMAS ANNUAL, edited by
Edmund Routledge, is about to be issued by Messrs. George
Routledge and Sons, which will contain original Christmas
stories, by Mrs. Henry Wood, the author of " East Lynne,"
Miss Amelia B. Edwards, Andrew Halliday, Thotnas Miller,
George Manville Fenn, Arthur Sketchley, Charles H. Ross,
an original Christmas play by Stirling Coyne, and a new
Burlesque, by F. C. Burnand, together with comical illus-
trations by William Brunton, and a variety of Christmas
jokes and puzzles. Mrs. Henry Wood, the author of
"East Lynne," is writing a story of school life for Rout-
ledge's Magazine for Boys, entitled " The Orvill College
Boys."
Mu. ISAAC Burr, Q.C.—A gentleman in Dublin
who is personally known to us, and of whose intimate and
confidential relations with Mr. Butt, Q.C., we have the
clearest evidence, writes to us "to give the most unquali-
fied contradiction to ilia rumours as to this distinguished
Irislumn having changed his roligious principles," and we
most willingly comply with his request that the widest
publicity may b., given to this contradiction, which we have
no doubt will be republished by every journal in which the
rumour in question was mentioned.—Northern Whig.
THE STIIINE IN THE BUILDING' THADZ.—INTIMI-
.

DATION OF WORKMEN.-At the borough police-court, Not-
tingham, yesterday, Ja.nos Bush was charged with using
threatening language for the purpose of intimidating a
man named Robert Moore, in the employ of Bell and Wood,
builders. On Friday night the prisoner saw the prosecutor
in the market place and entered into conversation with him.
Eight or nine other men came up, and the prisoner asked
Moore to go with them to their lodge house, whore the
society is kept; prosecutor declined to go. They then said
they would find him money to leave the town and go to
Yarmouth. He replied that he did not want their money ;
what money he wanted ho would work -for. They then
said that if he did not leave the town, they would " give
it him," or "do for him," or something like that. Prose-
cutor still refused to go to the society house, and gave
information to the police, and prisoner was apprehended
by detective Goulding. The case was remanded until
Friday. A numter of men on strike were in court, and
appeared to take considerable interest iu the proceedings.