The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-23 00:00:00

THE GREAT EASTERN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—lt is not consistent with my usual habits to
ask permission to bring my name before the public,
or to claim any merit for endeavouring, in common
with thousands of my conntrymen, to discharge
quietly and faithfully
.such duties as circumstances
or position may have imposed upon them. I think,
however, that the Great Eastern steamship has
acquired something of a public character from the
memorial which I have read this day in your
columns, signed by certain members of the House
of Commons, and addressed to the Directors of the
Great Ship Company. I would beg leave to point
out that this is the name of the new company,
which has finished and fitted out the ship, whereas
the company, which built and launched her, was
called " The Eastern Steam Navigation Company."
I think I should fail in my duty to my late col-
leagues in the direction of the Eastern Steam Navi-
gation Company, and to the general and most
generous body of shareholders with whom I had to
deal, if I were to omit, by your kind indulgence, to
claim for them some share of that which is de-
scribed in the memorial as " a debt due by the
country to those gentlemen who have so ably and
zealously extended the principle of steam naviga-
tion," &c.
During years of pecuniary sacrifice and loss, of
ridicule, of disaster by fire, of disaster by failure of
contractors, of discouragements, tedious to relate
and almost heartbreaking to experience, we suc-
ceeded in building and launching this ship, and in
handing her over to the present company, princi-
pally composed of our own shareholders. Of the
present company's board of directors I desire to
speak with great respect, nor should I think of
questioning their merit in the energetic completion
of our work. I may perhaps, however, be per-
mitted to state that I always declared that nothing
short of a visitation of Providence should induce
me to desist from building and launching this ship,
but that I considered that the finishing and fitting
out for sea was a work of detail certain to be done
by some one, and which required the daily attend-
ance of directors remunerated for their services
(which the directors of the old company were not),
and that it would not be consistent with my views
to accept a salaried office or to give the time re-
quired to a matter of traffic management.
To the support of my friend Mr. Campbell I feel
that no small portion of the vitality of the old com-
pany.was justly due, and ho has received my sup-
port in aspiring to the office which he holds and
has fairly earned ; but I am sure that I, as chair-
man, and the directors of the old company, may
claim from him an equal meed of justice for past
exertions.
I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servt.,
HENRY THOMAS HOPE,
Late Chairman of the Eastern Steam
Navigation Company.
. Castle Blayney, Ireland, Aug. 20.

LATEST NEWS.

THE BOMBAY MAIL.

We have been favoured with the following tele-
gram from the Red Sea and India Telegraph Com-
pany, received from Alexandria, via Trieste :

" ALEXANDRIA, AUG. 17.
" The Bombay steamer of the sth arrived at
Aden on the 14th.

The European discharge question still engages

attention.
" The British ship Nathalie was wrecked off
Bombay on the 23d ult. The mate and two sea-
men were drowned.
" The Bombay money-market continues easy.
" Piece goods and other imports were in steady
demand.

j„." No change in freights.
" Bombay harbour was crowded.
" Exchange on London, six months', 2s. Old.
" Freights to London, 15s. to 17s. 6d.
" The American ship Isaac Boardman, from
Liverpool, arrived at Aden on the 13th inst."

The following telegrams have been received at
Mr. Reuter's office :

PARIS, AUGUST 23.

The ]foniteur, in announcing the various nomi-
nations of the chief military commands, states that
the augmentation of these commands is in order to
form a more equal division of the military forces of
the empire.

BERNE, AUGUST 22.
The embarkation at Naples of the fourth regi-
ment of Swiss troops has been effected in the best
possible order, they having previously received the
whole pay due to them. 1,669 privates and 14
officers will be received at Marseilles by the Swiss
Consul.

Yesterday the French and Sardinian Plenipoten-
tiaries held a conference. The King of Naples has
acted in a perfectly loyal manner towards the Swiss
troops that have been disbanded; they receive a
retiring pension according to a decree of the late
King.

The rumour that the Grand Duke of Tuscany had
left Paris is unfounded. He will remain here for
some time yet. To-day he is the guest of Count
Walewski at dinner.

Despatches from Naples state that 1,600 Swiss
troops had embarked at Naples, and 1,300 at
Palermo, all for Marseilles.

The Neapolitan Government was only to retain
,000 Swiss in its service.
Naples and Palermo were quiet.

FRANCE.

PARIS, MONDAY.

The Emperor, on arriving at St. Sauveur, 500
miles from the French capital, found an electric
telegraph ready for immediate service ; so that his
Majesty can transmit orders to any part of the
empire and correspond with foreign Cabinets as
promptly as when at the Tuileries.
The Imperial decree relative to the appointment
given to the Marshals of France makes but little
change in what had existed before the war in Italy.
Marshals Magnan, Canrobert, de Castellane, and
Baraguay d'Hilliers retain their former commands
in Paris, Nancy, and Tours. Marshal de MacMahon
is invested with the command of the new arron-
dissement of Lille, and. Marshal Niel replaces
Marshal Bosquet at Toulouse.
PARIS BoLuts.E, Aug. 22.—The market opened
heavy, but slightly improved as the day advanced.
Threes, after having been done at 68f. 85e , de-
clined to 68f. 60c., and are now at 68f. 80c. ; Mo-
bilier varied from 810 f. to 820 f. ; Austrian, 552 f.
50c. to 555 f. ; Lombard, 550 f. to 552 f. 50c.; Or-
leans, 1,355 f. to 1,360 f.; Lyons, 866 f. 25c. to 867 f.
50c. The following were the last quotations :

11 per Cents. .... 97 50 I Credit Foncier 660
Do. end month .. 97 50 I Belgian 4t 9B 75
3 per Cent 5....... 68 75 Piedmonteso (5)
Do. end month.... 68 85 Roman —
Bank Shares 2BOO Austrian
Credit Mobilier .. 820 Spanish Threes
Do. Account

THE PEA

MAILS.

The screw steamship Sultan (belonging to the
Peninsular and Oriental Company), Captain Neil
Cook, bringing the above-named mails, in charge
of Mr. Cavell, master, R.N., Admiralty agent, ar-
rived at Southampton at 2.30 a.m. yesterday. She
left Lisbon at 9 a.m. on the 17th inst., Oporto at
7.10 a.m. and Vigo at 5.15 p.m. on the 18th. From
Lisbon to Oporto she had light northerly winds and
fine weather ; thence to Vigo variable and fine ;
and the remainder of the voyage fine weather and
moderate easterly winds.
This steamer brought 25 first-class, 3 second, and
14 deck passengers ; on freight, £4,342 15s. ld.,
2 boxes of precious stones, 539 chests of lemons, 21
boxes of grapes, 47 boxes of tomatoes, 32 boxes of
apples, 108 packages of elephants' tusks, 56 bales
of mat baskets, 187 cases of eggs, 2 bags of corn,
and 7 packages of general merchandise.
On the 19th inst., at 10.15 a.m., in lat. 44 12 N.,
long. 8 59 W., the Sultan passed the Peninsular
and Oriental steamer Colombo, steering to the south-
west, all well; 21st, at 5 a.m., in lat. 49 6 N.,long.
4 30 W., the company's steamer Ceylon, steering
to the west-south-west, fore and aft sail set; and at
8 a.m., same day, the American ship Richard Wat-
son, beating up Channel.
The Sultan left Lisbon on the 17th inst. Upon
her last voyago out from Southampton, Mr. Sala-
manca was one of the passengers. It is said that
he took with him £27,000, and that he found
other resources at Lisbon to enable him to
complete the deposit of £40,000 for the provi-
sional railway contract he had made with the Portu-
guese Government, and £20,000 deposit required
by those who desired to bid for the line from
Vendas Novas to Evora and Beja, the Government
maximum subvention being declared when the bids
are taken on the 19th of September next. The
maximum subvention upon the Salamanca contract,
also put up for public competition, is £4,500 per
kilometre from Lisbon to the frontier near Elvas,
and £5,400 from Lisbon to Oporto. The Portu•
guese seemed lost in admiration at these Spanish
proposals, and their disconfidence increased
rather than diminished by the promptitude with
which such large deposits of hard cash were made
a month before they are required by the terms of
the Government advertisements.
Lisbon exchanges by this packet are quoted, at
three months,—London, 52 '4 to ; Paris, 512 ;
Amsterdam, 411 ; Hamburg, 461 ; Genoa, 515.
Threce per Cent. Stock, registered, 471 48 ; ditto
Coupons, 461 461 ; ditto Deferred, 33 331 ; Bank
of Portugal shares, 61 to 7 per cent. premium ;
Bank of Oporto shares, 25 to 26 per cent. premium.

EXTRAORDINARY INVESTIGATION

AT BRISTOL.

At the Bristol police-court yesterday Mark Bu
a master tradesman, and owner of considerable
house property in the city, and Henry Baily, a
grocer, carrying on business in Newfoundland-
street, were charged before the sitting magistrates,
W. Herapath, Robert Guy Barrow, and 0. C. Lane,
Esquires, with having capitally assaulted Mrs. Ann
Cottle, the wife of a respectable butcher, residing
at Hill's-place, Newfoundland-street. Mr. Ayre
appeared for the prosecution ; Mr. Edlin (of the
Western Circuit) and Mr. Sherrard appeared for
Baily ; and Mr. Pigeon defended Butt. The case
excited an unwonted amount of interest, and the
court and its approaches were densely crowded.
The inquiry occupied nearly five hours, but the ex-
traordinary facts elicited may be briefly stated. The
complainant, Mrs. Cottle, has a younger sister named
Perry, whose husband keeps the Newmarket Tavern,
in the Horsefair, Bristol, and on Monday evening,
the Bth inst., the complainant spent the evening at
her sister's house. Just as they had done supper a
pony carriage, belonging to the prisoner Baily,
drove up to the doer, and he and the other prisoner
Butt got out, entered the tavern and called for
something to drink. It happens that Butt is Mr.
Cottle's landlord, and Mr. Baily, a near neighbour
and an acquaintance of her husband, and they both
spoke to her and handed her a glass of beer, which
she drank. They chatted a little time, and then
they said they were going to drive straight home,
and she had better get into the carriage and ride
with them. She at first declined, but they advised
her to do so, and as her sister also urged her to ride
she consented. Instead of going straight home, as
they had promised, they turded up Bury-street.
She told them they were not going right, to which
one of them replied, " We are going to drive you a
short distance for a little air." They drove her to
the Black Horse Inn, where they induced her to
take a glass of brandy and water, and they subse-
quently drove to the Bridge Inn, where they gave
her something more to drink. After that she had
remembered no more excepting that she had an in-
distinct recollection of being at the Black Horse
Inn, West-street, and seeing a niece of hers there,
until she found herself the next morning on her
own bed, with the exception of her shoes and bon-
net, in the clothes she had worn on Monday. Her
habiliments IA ere soiled and disordered, and she was
very ill, and had been ill ever since. Other evidence
disclosed the fact that after leaving the Black Horse
the accused drove her to a stable yard belonging to
the prisoner Baily, where, she being in a state of
helplessness and unconsciousness, and inca ;able of
resistance, they successively committed the offence
charged against them. The crime was established
' by the evidence of a policeman, and after an ad-
dress from Mr. Edlin, both prisoners were fully
committed to take their trial upon the capital
charge at the next Gloucester assizes. Mr. Edlin
• and Mr. Pigeon applied to have them admitted to
bail. The magistrates said they would receive the
• application as a notice, and would give it their
best consideration. The prisoners, who appeared
greatly surprised at the decision, werethen removed
- in custody, the prisoner Baily loudly protesting his
- innocence.

grubbed, the division fences made, the land pre-
pared for cultivation, and the holdings arranged
and let, and within nine months afterwards the first
crop harvested and the first rent paid. For promp-
titude of execution and quality of work this con-
version of Whichwood Forest has hitherto been un-
equalled in this country; and whether it is re-
garded as an undertaking of interest or a lesson of
instruction it is equally worthy of inspection by
the landowner or the professional surveyor. It was
considered by some members of the club the rent
was somewhat high, but Mr. Clutton refuted that
opinion by the fact of the property being free
from tithe rent charge, as well as almost exempt
from poor rates, being by the Act declared a new
parish, called the parish of Whichwood ; and the
roads and building being newly and most substan-
tially made, very little reparation can be required
within the period of thirty-one years. The novel,
skilful, and economical system adopted by some of
the tenants in obtaining their first crop, especially
that of Mr. Belcher, has great merit, and is worthy
of imitation. The well known kindness which
characterises the Crown surveyor will secure the
necessary information to any gentleman who may
desire to inspect this truly national work.—Sufolk
Express.