The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-18 00:00:00

The Loss of the London.

The Melbourne A rgus has the following :—.4g
arrival of the London in this port had for some days
been impatiently expected. There were on board a
large number of persons intimately connected with
Melbourne, returning colonists who had been on a
visit to the mother country, and whose relatives and
friends here were anxious to see them ; and there
were among the passengers two or three gentlemen
in whom there centred a public interest--astheßev.
D. J. Draper, who occupied a distinguished position
among _the Wesleyan Methodists of the colonies;
Dr. J. Woolley, the Principal of Sydney Univer-
sity ; and Mr. G. V. Brooke, the great actor, whose
appearance at the Theatre Royal bad for some time
been a subject of general speculation and conversa-
tion among the lovers of the drama. The intelli-
gence of the noble vessel's destruction, with the loss
of 270 out of the 280 constituting her living freight,
received by telegraph at this office on Thursday, the
15th of March, and immediately published, fell like
a thunderbolt upon our citizens. The telegram
containing the simple announcement, wherever it
owfatshpe shopsosted, arrested eager crowds of readers. Many
were partially closed in recognition of
this great affliction, and in some of the windows were
printed poor Brooke's last words, spoken to Gard-
ner, the steward
farewell to the people of youAl aree
bon
rsaved,n. giveTh The
special
edition of the mail intelligende by telegraph, pub-
lished at this office, was awaited with anxiety never
circulated. din.toheerafliteetriaeofozeie thousands atnhdse
drownedofcopie
passengers copies
w
will give some ideaoeftohuerif:a
and
dl
othergaps
surpassed,
ere
created by the catastrophe in Melbourne
parts of these colonies. On the evening
confrere
ntfhree 15th,
at the Theatre Royal, Mr. Coppin, the
the gallant Brooke, touchingly referred to the mat-
ter, and passed a deserved eulogy upon the deceased
for his genius as an actor, and his qualities as a gen-
tleman. It is proposed to erect some memorial in
Melbourne in honour of Mr. Brooke, and- initiatory
steps are now being taken with
allusion wasthat object. In
places of worship on Sunday special
made to the melancholy event, and appropriate con-
solation offered to the bereaved. On Wednesday
night a funeral sermon, in reference to the Rev. D.
J. Draper and Mrs. Draper, was preachedßmev. the
Wesleyan Church, Lonsdale-street, by the
Eggleston. The building was crowded in every
part, and hundreds were unable to obtain admis-
sion. It is proposed to erect a memorial tablet to
the deceased, and also to found a scholarship in
Wesley College.",

The bulletin of the Paris Obseratory gives the
following as the atmospheric situation yesterday :
" The barometrical rise reported from England has
extended towards the E. and S. ; on one side it
reaches the North Sea, where the absence of Scan-
dinavian returns prevents us from fixing the limits ;
and on the other 'it extends to the Alps and the
Pyrenees. On the Mediterranean, west of Italy, a
centre of 'depression still exists which has been there
for some days and is accompanied by storms, one of
which broke over Naples on Tuesday morning. The
barometer is falling at all the western stations ; and
the wind is fresh from the S.S.E. at Penzance, which
would indicate that a gale is blowing at some dis-
tance out at sea, and will probabiy produce squalls
on the coast." At Paris yesterday the weather waf
much more agreeable, with sunshine ; but the wind
continues in the N.E. At three the thermometer
marked 13.1 Centigrade (61 Fahrenheit.)
During the last few days there has been scarcely
any business transacted in the Foreign and Colonial
Produce Markets ; there have been no public sales

of either tea, sugar, coffee, or rice, and the private

transactions have been of quite a retail character.
Tallow has been in moderate request, but at mode-
rate rates. The markets close to-day for the Whit-
sun holidays, and re-open on Wednesday next, the
23rd inst.

At a public lottery just drawn at Florence two
numbers which came out were 59 and 66. The mass
of the people, who are naturally superstitious, and
attach great importance to such chances, look upon
the coincidence as a favourable augury for the result
of the war.

The Semaphore of Marseilles states that a notice
has been issued by the Paris-Lyons-Mediterranean
. Railway Company to. the effect that the conveyance
of goods by slow trains is suspended beyond Saint
Michel in Savoy. The reason seems to be that the
Italian lines have no longer a regular correspondence
with the French, the trains beyond the Alps being
reserved for carrying troops and materials of war.
TENYEARS'DISCOUNT. -During the 10 years end-
ing with last week the rate of discount at the Bank
of England has experienced great fluctuations. The dates
indicated show when changes were made, the rates ap-
pended being the terms current until an alteration was
adopted ; -1856-May 17, 6 per cent.; May 24, 5 per cent.;
June 28, 11 per cent.; Sept. 27, 5 per cent.; Oct. 4, 6 and 7
per cent.; Nov. 15, 7 per cent.; Dec. 6, 61 per cent.; and
Dec. 20, 6 per cent. 1857-April 8, 61 per cent.; June 18,
6 per cent.; July 16, 5} per cent.; Oct. 8, 6 per cent.; Oct.
12, 7 per cent.; and Dec. 24, 8 per cent. 1858-Jan. 7, 6
per cent.; Jan. 14, 5 per cent.; Jan. 28, 4 per cent.; Feb. 4,
3} per cent.; Feb. 11, 3 per cent.; and Dec. 9, 21 per cent.
1859-April 28, 81 per cent.; May 5, 4} per cent.; June 3, 31
per cent.; June 9, 3 per cent.; and July 14, 21 per cent. 1860
-Jan. 19, 3 per cent.; Jan. 31, 4 per cent.; March 29, 41 per
cent.; April 12, 5 per cent.; May 10, 41 per cent.; May t 4, 4
per cent.; Nov. 8, 41 per cent.; Nov. 13, 5 per cent.; Nov.
15, 6 per cent.; Nov. 20, 5 per cent.; and Dec. 31, 6 per
cent. 1861-Jan. 7, 7 per cent.; Feb. 14, 8 per cent.; March
20, 7 per cent.; April 4, 6 per cent.; April 12, 5 per cent.;
May 16, 6 per cent.; Aug. 1, 5 per cent.; Aug. 15, 41 per
cent.; Aug. 29, 4 per cent.; Sept, 19, 3} percent.; and Nov.
7, 3 per cent. 1862-Jan. 9, 2} per cent.; May 22, 3 per
cent.; July 10, 21 per cent.; July 27, 2 per cent.; and Oct.
3, 3 per cent. 1863-Jan. 15, 4 per cent.; Jan. 28, 5 per
cent.; Feb. 20, 4 per cent.; April 23, 3} per cent.; April
30, 3 per cent.; May 16, 3} per cent.; May 21, 4 per
cant.; Nov. 2, 5 per cent.; Nov. 9, 6 per cent.; Dec. 2,
7 per cent. ; Dec. 3, 8 per cent. ; and Dec. 24, 7 per cent.
1864-Jan. 20, 8 per cent.; Feb. 11, 7 per cent. ; Feb. 25,
6 per cent. ; April 16, 7 per cent.; May 2, 8 per cent. ; May
5, 9 per cent. ; May 19, 8 per cent. ; May 26, 7 per cent. ;
June 16, 6 per cent. ; July 25, 7 per cent. ; Aug. 4, 8 per
cent. ; Sept. 8, 9 per cent. ; Nov. 10, 8 per cent. ; Nov. 24,
7 per cent.; and Dec. 15, 6 per teat. 1865-Jan. 10, 51- per
cent.; Jan. 26, 5 per cent.; March 4, 41 per cent.; April 27,
4 per cent. ; May 11, 41 per cent. ; May 25, 4 per cent. ;
June 8, per cent. ; June 20, 3 per cent. ; Aug. 5, 4 per
cent. ; Sept. 28, 41 per cent. ; Oct. 2, 5 per cent. ; Oct. 5, 6
per cent. ; Oct. 7, 7 per cent. ; Nov. 28, 6 per cent. ; and
Dec. 28, 7 per cent. 1866-Jan. 6, 8 per cent. ; Feb. 22,
7 per cent. ; March 15, 6 per cent.; May 3, 7 por cent. ;
May 8, 8 per cent. ; May 11, 9 per cent. ; and May 12, 10
per cent. Thus in 1857 there were nine changes in the
rate ; in 1858, six ; in 1859, five ; in 1860, 11; in 1861, 11;
in 1862, five ; in 1863, 12 ; in 1864, 15 ; and in 1865, 16 ;
while up to May 12 this year seven alteratiOns have already
been made. It will be seen that at ,the close of last week
the rate of discount was higher. than it had been since
November, 1857. Rather a severe pressure was again ex-
perienced in February, 1861, and 1864 may be said to have
been one prolonged financial crisis. The spring and sum-
mer of 1865 formed a period of comparative ease, but since
October we have again had to deal with very trying diffi-
culties. The organization of the Bank appears, in fact, to
have been unequal to the emergencies with which it has
had to grapple since 1862.

PHOTOGRAPHY.—Pursuing his valuable researches,
M. Niepce de St. Victor has obtained new and
highly interesting results. He can now produce a deep jet
black, whereas hitherto the utmost he could obtain was a
very dark brown ; but his latest prints give the illusion of
relief with almost as great power as the stereoscope itself.
M. Niepce has chosen small coloured engravings for his
originals (his object being, as we know, the reproduction,
of colours, or heliochromy); and yet his prints have
strong lights and shades as if he had operated .on
e
bas-reliefs. Though unable for the present
it tooro'aTvioldn
this singular phenomenon, he can produce
late and
it at pleasure. After chloridizing_
applying a varnish of dextrine and chlondsenholeif
ap-
poses the plate under the original theton re
sufficient;
the
ply heat. A few minutes' insolatio
would be called
original (which in ordinary photographynthe image appears, but
the negative) wlepaithd'ouhteex-
heat is ap
ing visible. It is now
brought out. The origi_chef are
very faintly coilsoutarekd,enonalwysltta_ blue,p lrieedd, whereby
all
lotmhe-
colours and the illusion of
and a new exposure to the sun
more, and
colours and brings out the*
effected;
wthlaiisd
• There is at present a curious philoso-
figures mores r
i 2. which is gradually superseding Pharaoh's
Placa plaything
Ith; drawing-room, and is fortunately more
serpents 1 intensifieson
lonceen
two small
white paper,
one of which is shining, the other
leaves of
r innocent. It consists of an envelope enclosing
dull. If the latter be moistened and laid on the former, an
image will immediately appear. li. Niepce gives the fol-
lowing process for preparing the leaves. An untoned phol
tographic print is selected, and effaced by means of bi-
chloridide of mercury.; it is then rinsed in pure water and
allowed to dry. So much for the first leaf : the second
must be impregnated with sulphuret of sodium or else with
hyposulphite of soda and chloride of gold. By moistening
the leaf so impregnated, and laying it on the effaced print
thiiraagi Will be luirattittely royiired,....aaiign4rii,