The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LoNLON, TUESDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 13, 1866.

orders to call at Portsmouth, Devonport, Madeira,
or St. Vincent, Rio Janeiro, Cape of Good Hope,
&c., through the Straits of Magellan to Hongkong,
to carry out a survey in the Chinese waters.
The steamship Britannia, in the London Docks,
yesterday shipped 700 11-inch shell from Woolwich
Arsenal for Gibraltar. The James Holmes com-
menced receiving hutting materials for Bermuda in
the West India Docks, and the Gazelle in St. Ka-
tharine's Docks, shipped a cargo of timber and
general stores for Malta, all from Woolwich Arsenal.
The Admiralty order quoted a short time ago in
The Sun, in which it was stated that their lordships
had been pleased to permit all men on the 10 hours
system to enter the dockyard at Woolwich at 8 30
for a certain period, as an experiment, was yester-
day announced to have yielded the desired results.
The order is intended to relieve those men who by
sheer accident may not be able to reach the dock-
yard in readiness for the first muster at 6 o'clock,
and, not being entitled to admission until after the
dinner hour, were consequently mulcted of half a
day's pay. The order contained a caution to the
effect that if any undue advantage were takenof the
indulgence the order would be reconsidered, and the
permission would be withdrawn. It was yesterday
announced that no infraction by reason of the pri-
vilege has been reported, but that, on the contrary,
the number of those who failed to be present at the
early muster had been fewer than heretofore.

The steamship Golden Fleece, chartered by the
Transport Department of the Admiralty for the
conveyance of troops to Hongkong, left the Victoria
Docks for Gravesend, on her way to Portsmouth,
on Saturday afternoon. Every provision has been
made for the comfort and accommodation of the
officers, the men, and their families, which are to
accompany them under the regulations of the Admi-
ralty Transport Department. The system intro-
duced by Dr. Edmonds, R.N., which has for some
time been adopted by her Majesty's Emigration
Commissioners in all ships chartered by them, is now
also applied to Government troopships. In the
Golden Fleece provision is made for effective ventila-
tion whether during calms under the line or in stormy
weather, when all ports or even hatches might re-
quire to be closed. This is effective without any
machinery liable to derangement, but by the econo-
mical use of steam as a rarefying agent, or, when a
more powerful action is desired, by its direct pro-
pulsive action. The five large transports now being
built by contract on the plan of the Admiralty and
Transport Departments are all to have Dr. Edmonds's
system of ventilation applied to them. The Golden
Fleece will embark a portion of the troops at Ports-
mouth to-day, and will call at Cork for theremainder
and then proceed to the Cape and Hongkong. When
all are embarked she will have nearly 1,100 souls on
board.

The paddle steam sloop Buzzard, 6, Commander
Charles G. Lindsay, from the West Indies, arrived
in Plymouth Sound yesterday morning. She left
Barbadoes September 26, arrived at Fayal October
20, left November 5, and spoke November 10 the
brig Iris and ship Patrician ; and November 11
the Dutch bark Water Nymph.
The persons employed in the modelling depart-
ment at Chatham dockyard have been busily occu-
pied for some time past in executing a number of
models of the various descriptions of ships belonging
to the British navy, for transmission to Paris,
where they will be exhibited in the French Exhibi-
tion. The various classes of ironclads and other
vessels of the English navy will be represented at
the Exhibition. The models completed include those
of the Bellerophon, Achilles, Hercules, Monarch,
Warrior, Lord Warden, Blanche, and Royal Oak,
besides the various types of partially plated iron
ships, and the different descriptions of wooden
frigates and other ships.
The following is published at the Admiralty,
Whitehall,respecting the loss of the Griffon : —" The
Buzzard arrived at Devonport this (Monday) after-
noon, after a lengthened passage from Barbadoes.
Intelligence has beee received from the West Coast
of Africa of the loss of her Majesty's gun vessel
Griffon. It appears that the Griffon and Pandora,
when standing into Little Popoe, in the Bight of
Benin, on the evening of Oct. 2d, unfortunately
came into collision, and that the Griffon ran on to
the beach shortly afterwards. The Mullet and Pan-
dora had endeavoured, without success, to get the
Griffon off up to the evening of Oct. 6, and it was
feared she would become a total wreck. Officers
and men arc all safe and well."

The depot companies of the 2d battalion of the 2d
(Queen's Royals) Regiment left Chatham on Satur-
day, and embarked at G ravesend on board the Irish
steamer Lady Wodehonse, for conveyance to Dublin,
the order from the Horse Guards directing the de-
pot to be quartered at Birr. The marching-out
strength of the depot of the 2d battalion of the 2d
Royals was 7 sergeants, 5 corporals, 2 drummers,
and 120 rank and file, 10 soldiers' wives, and 10
children, together with the following officers—viz.,
Capt. J. M'G. Magill, Lieut. C. D. St. Croix, and
Ensign G. D. King-Ilarward; Capt. F. J. Ilircy, in
command of the depot, is on leave of absence. The
service companies of the 2d battalion of the 2d are
now on their passage home from Bermuda, and will
join the depot at Birr. The regiment left England
Feb. 12, 1858, for Malta, whence it was transferred
to Bermuda. It is relieved at Bermuda by the 61st
Regiment. The depot of the 2d is relieved at Chat-
ham by the 82d Regiment, which marched into the
garrison on Saturday from Colchester.

The mounted A troop of the Royal Engineer
train, with the whole of their horses, pontoon train,
waggons, and other materiel, arrived at head quar-
ters, BromptDn barracks, Chatham, on Friday
evening, from Aldershot, and went into the quar-
ters in the North-square vacated by the Royal
Artillery. The strength of the troop is :-8 staff-
sergeants, 17 corporals, 1 bugler, and 141 sappers
and miners, with 132 horses and the usual accom-
paniments of pontoon trains and field equipment.
The officers who arrived at Chatham with the troop
are :—Capt. R. N. Dawson, in command ; Lieut.
B. Blood, Lieut. A. de V. Brooke, Assist.-Surg. J.
L. Erskine, M.D., and Veterinary-Surgeon T. W.
Mayer. On Saturday the officers and men of the
troop were inspected in the barrack-square by Col.
J. L. A. Simmons, C. 8., director of the Royal En-
gineer establishment.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE•

PENARTII.

The directors of this company have issued a cir-
cular to the shareholders, bringing under their no-
tice the financial position of the concern, which ren-
ders it necessary for them to urge the proprietary to
assist them in taking up that portion of the share
capital issued to bankers and others 'As security for
advances for completing the works. The number
of such shares is 420 original, amounting to £42,000,
and 849 preference, representing £84,900, making a
total of £126,900. The directors announce that
they have themselves taken up £23,000 of this
amount. The powers of the company to raise loans
on the security of debenture bonds have been fully
exercised, and it is imperative that the advances
from bankers and others referred to should
.be
liquidated, and a very large proportion must be
paid off at once, so that it is absolutely necessary
that the shares should be realised without delay.
The railway and docks are now completed and
leased to the Taff Vale Railway Company at a
rental of 41 per cent., and one-half the surplus pro-
fits on the ordinary capital.

3IANCHES TER, SHEFFIELD, AND LINCOLNSHIRE
The total expenses of this company's railways
and canals, including rents, tolls, duty, &c., from
July 1 to November 4, 1866, amounted to £173,766,
as against £160,990 for the corresponding period of
1865. The proportion of the South Junction re-
ceipts accruing to this company from July 1 to
November 4 amounted to £14,636, as against
£14,396 for the corresponding period of 1865, and
the expenses to £7,375, as against £7,038.

A Dover paper says that the Nelly steam-tug,
Captain Wilson, is at present engaged with Messrs.
Brunel and Ha wkshaw in surveying between Dover
and Calais, in connection with the projected tunnel
between England and France. The vessel has been
specially fitted with scientific apparatus for that
purpose and may be seen any fine day from the
pier.

Tie Island of Cuba.

The following is the official translation of the
Royal order suspending for the term of six months
the payment of duties upon exports from the Island
of Cuba :--

Superior Civil Government of the Ever Faithful
Island of Cuba, Secretary's Office.—His Excel-
lency, the Colonial Minister, in a Royal order,
dated 22d of August last, communicates to the Most
Excellent Superior Civil Governor of this Island as
follows

Most Excellent Sir,—The Queen (whom God
preserve) has been pleased to issue the following
Royal decree :

ID view of the reasons shown me by the Colo-
nial Minister, and in accord with the council of my
Ministers, I hereby order the following :
Article 1. The- payment of export duties on
articles in the actual tariff will be suspended for the
term of six months, commencing from the publi-
cation of the present decree in the Gaceta de la
Habana, in all the custom-houses of the Island of
Cuba.

Article 2. The exemption allowed by the pre-
ceding article will be free, without any distinction
of flag. Exportations which may be made in the
period indicated from all payment of the estab-
lished duties, and neither now nor at any time
can be exacted of the exporters, owners or con-
signees, the payment of the duties which would have
been due during the six months counted from the
publication of this measure in Havana by reason of
the tariff duty, the collection of which is hereby
suspended.

Article 3. As a consequence of the termination of
the two preceding articles, whilst the aforesaid sus-
pension of export duties exist, no guarantee what-
ever will be exacted by the custom houses of the
Island of Cuba that vessels, loaded with goods
otherwise subject to export duties, will land their
cargoes solely and exclusively in Spanish ports.

Article 4. The custom house administrators
and marine authorities, without at all hindering the
liberty of traffic and exportation, will furnish to
the central dependencies of the Treasury charged
with the collection of revenue the necessary statisti-
cal data to determine the quantity of articles ex-
ported and the amount of duties of which they are
exempted.
Article 5. The Colonial Minister will order the
necessary instructions for the execution of the pre-
sent decree.

Given at Zarauz, the 20th day of August, 1866.
Signed by the Queen.
ALEXANDRO CASTRO,
Colonial Minister.

Which Royal order I communicate to your Ex-
cellency for your knowledge and the corresponding
effect, and his Excellency having fulfilled the order,
it is published for general intelligence.
MIGUEL VERDEGUER MESTRE,
The Acting Secretary.
Havana, Sept. 24, 1866.

A New French Law.
_ -o-

Count de Montholon has communicated the text
of a new French law, as follows:
Article 1. The duration of the rights granted by
anterior laws to the heirs of irregular successors,
grantees or legatees, and of authors, composers or
artists, is extended to fifty years, dating from the
decease of the author. During this period of fifty
years the surviving husband or wife, whatever may
be the matrimonial arrangements, and indepen-
dently of rights which may result in favour of tha
survivor from the regulations of the community,
has all the enjoyment of the rights which the de-
ceased either has not disposed of by private contract,
being parties in being or by will. However, if the
author have heirs in reserve, that enjoyment is
limited for the benefit of such heirs, according to
the proportion and distinction established by articles
913 and 958 of the Code Napoleon. The enjoy-
ment does not take place when tiere exists at the
moment of death a separation of persons pronounced
against this surviving party. It ceases in the case
where the survivor contracts a new marriage. The
rights of heirs in remainder, reserve, or of other
heirs or successors during this period of fifty years,
remain, moreover, regulated in conformity with the
prescriptions of the Code Napoleon.
First. When the succession devolves to the State
the exclusive right is extinguished, without preju-
dice to the rights of creditors and the execution of
agreement of cession which may have been con-
sented to by the author or his representatives.
Second. All the provisions of anterior laws con-
trary to those of the new law are and remain abro-
gated.