The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-10 00:00:00

WONDERS OF THE AGE.

Two of the greatest Ivonders of our day were
exhibited on the Thames and its banks during the
last week. First—that of a ship exceeding an eighth
of a mile in length, and of a far greater tonnage
than any heretofore known, having been floated
from its moorings off Greenwich, and rounding
with great difficulty, from its extreme length, the
sharp angle between Greenwich and Woolwich, on
its Way to the sea.

The second—that of Perkins's wonderful steam
gun, which discharged showers of balls with an
unprecedented rapidity, having been superseded by
gunpowder gas. While the Great Eastern was
wending her w ay down the river onThiirsday last, the
inhabitants and workmen employed at the different
factories on the banks of the river at East Green-
wich were alarmed by a report of musketry, and
attracted towards some buildings recently erected
on the property of Sir John Scott Lillie, where this
wonderful machine, the invention of that gallant
officer, was undergoing inspection by a special corn-
mittee of Ordnance officers; and where, we are in-

formed by a member of one of our universities, who
was present, the effect produced surpassed even
that of the steam gun, as one man was enabled to
discharge, by turning a valve, 120 bullets per
minute, for an unlimited period of time, through
rifled barrels—whereas, with the steam gun, such
rapidity of firing could only be maintained for a
very few minutes, several hours being required to
generate the high pressure steam of 600 to 800 lbs.
in the square inch, necessary for recommencing such
rapidity of firing. This steam engine, with its
ponderous boiler, was, moreover, stationary and
unfit for general warfare—whereas the gunpowder
gas machine is as easily transported as field ord-
nance. Further details are withheld for reasons
easily appreciated.

TILE CASE OF DR. SMET.HU.RST.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sin,—We, the undersigned, being 11 of the jurymen
empanelled before the coroner at Richmond to inquire into
the cause of the death of Isabella Bankes, take the liberty of
stating in reply to a paragraph which appeared in some of
the daily and weekly papers, that the whole of the jury had
agreed to a memorial for a remission of the sentence of Dr.
Smethurst, that such a statement is entirely false, and
without our knowledge, and that we still adhere to the de-
cision we came to, believing it to be strictly in accordance
with the evidence adduced.
FRANCIS BREWER. GEORGE TRUSSLER.
WILLIAM YATES. JOHN ERNEST CHITTY.
HENRY MILES. WILLIAM SANDERS.
BENJ. CHS. BELL. ALFRED BARBER.
ROBT. WOOD. THOMAS HILL.
THOS. MEADOWS CLARKE.
Richmond, Sept. 7.

FRAUD UPON PAWNBROKERS.-At the Maryle-
bone Police-court a well-dressed young man, who gave his
name Richard William Barlow, describing himself as a
medical student, and who refused at the station-house to
give his address, was charged with having, by a false and
fraudulent representation, endeavoured to obtain £lOO from
Mr. Reeve, a pawnbroker, carrying on business at 14,
Chapel-street, Edgeware-road. The prisoner produced a
bar of metal, which he said was gold, and requested a loan
of £lOO upon it. The pawnbroker, after cutting it in
two, discovered it was composed principally of platina.
Remanded. _ .

THE GREAT EASTERN.—The Great Eastern w
certainly be the most complete vessel ever sent to sea. No
only has every valuable improvement been adopted in the
building of the ship, machinery, rigging, &c., but no expense
has been spared to add to the health, comfort, and conveni-
ence of the passengers and crew. Among other great im-
provements Stevens's Patent Bread-Making Machine has
been fitted up in the kitchen, so that new bread of the best
quality can be supplied to every one on board, a boonwhich
can be best appreciated by those who have hitherto been
compelled to take long voyages.
Millen her Majesty was leaving Edinburgh last
week for the north, she entered the royal railway carriage
in presence of the Duke of Buccleuch and a small circle of
spectators. Her Majesty immediately commenced to ar-
range the interior, and forthwith appeared at the carriage
door, and with her own royal hands held out a heavy chair,
which she intimated was one too many. This little trait re-
cals to mind the anecdote of the Princess Frederic William,
who, on being very delicately. and sagely apprised that it
was not usual for Prussian Princesses to hand chairs, re-
plied with great sweetness, "My mother, the Queen of
England, hands chairs for herself and her children too."
As may be supposed, the question of etiquette was settled
at once.—Xorth Briton.
A RARE HIGHLAND GATHERING.—The proceed-
ings at the meeting of the British Association at Aberdeen
next week are, we understand, to be rendered more than
usually interesting from the circumstance that her Majesty
the Queen and his Royal Highness the Prince Consort have
most liberally and thoughtfully given instructions that pre-
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bably take place about 2 o'clock. Balmoral is 50 miles
from Aberdeen, and 18 miles of the distance can be accom-
plished by railway. This will be a Highland gathering
worth speaking about.
SHORT HORNS FOR AUSTRALIA.—The short-
horned bull Druid, shown by Viscount Hill at the Liver-
pool and Manchester Agricultural Society's exhibition, to
which the first prize of £lO was awarded, has been pur-
chased by Mr. Lindsay, of Sydney, for Mr. Lester,
" squatter," of Moreton. Bay. A high price was given for
this superb animal, which is three years and eight months
old, though the exact sum given has not been mentioned.
The breeder is Mr. Edwd. Bate, of Kelsterton, near Flint.
NEW WESTMINSTER BRlDGE.—Yesterday the
removal of the facings of the piers of the old brigde on the
lower or eastern side was being proceeded with preparatory
to the demolition of the entire structure. Great progress
has been made within the last few weeks in the construction
of the upper section of the new bridge ; all the arches, with
the exception of that next the Middlesex shore, have been
turned, and a great portion of the permanent way has been
laid down. It is now confidently anticipated that the first
half of the new bridge will be ready to open for public
traffic early in the spring of the ensuing year, when the old
bridge will be at once removed and the construction of the
other Portion of the new bridge proceeded with.
TIIE EDINBURGH ANNUITY-TAX ARRESTS.—Mr.
Fairbairn, one of the gentlemen arrested on Wednesday for
non-payment of annuity-tax, was released from prison,
after a three hours' incarceration, by payment of the impost
being made by Mrs. Fairburn. On Thursday Mr. Brown
was visited in his place of confinement in the Calton Gaol
by his wife and a number of friends, at the usual hour for
visitors, between eleven o'clock a.m. and one p.m. He had
passed a quiet night, and was satisfied with the accomoda-
tion provided for him in his cell. Mr. Hunter is still at
large, and, it is said, suffers from the violence attending his
attempted arrest. Thursday night, the Aniti-Annuity-tax
Committee held a meeting at 6, York-place, and made
arrangements for convening a public meeting of the citizens
on an early day next week, for consideration of the tax and
the recent proceedings connected with its collection.
ELECTION EXPENSES.—Among the elections
which exalted the greatest interest on the occasion of Lord
Derby's appeal to the country was that of Ashburton. Mr.
Moffatt, the Whig member, who had represented the
borough for a great number of years, was defeated by Mr.
Astell, the Conservative candidate, by a majority of one.
A petition was presented, but the Parliamentary Committee
confirmed Mr. Astell's election. The expenses of the two
candidates have just been published by the election auditor.
Those of Mr. Astell amounted to £342 9s. 3d., which is
composed of the following items :—advertisements and
printing, £l5 9s. 6d. ; agents, £173 18s. 7d. ; carriage and
horsehire, £59 13s. ; committee-room messengers, £5O 13s.
6d. ; the returning officer, £2B 3s. 7d. ; and election au-
ditor, £l4 11s. Mr. Moffatt's expenses were £340 4s. 5d.,
being only £2 less than those of his opponent. Among the
items are the following :—agents, £lOO 18s. 10d. ; printing,
rs;)o9lclh
messengers,
ecsasrertitaggeers,aNnydathehormseenh, ikee„,££4124682.5.1,1dd..
;;
eterilnliilt6teel9-
ming fficer, £lB 9d. ; election auditor, £l4 10s. 4d.
I THE LATE BIGAMY CASE—MATRIMONIAL OFFERS.
—From the period of the application at Lambeth police-
court, and more particularly since the apprehension of " Cap-
tain William Denbigh Sloper Harrison Marshall," Mrs.
Hayes, the second wife, or rather the lady who is supposed
to be the second wife—as it is supposed the spruce Mr.
Sloper has been married, if not three times, at least twice
before—has become the victim of the greatest annoyance by
a perfect host of suitors for her hand and property. The
letters she has already received exceed fifty. Indeed, so great
is her annoyance, that she declares that every letter she
receives for the future she will deliver up for publication.
The letters Mrs. Hayes has received have been from trades-
men in "prosperous businesses;" " tradesmen retired on
handsome competencies ;" country farmers, with " well.
stocked farms;" country squires, with nice "little pro-
perty ;" " Leatlemen of the law ;" professional " gentle-
men ;" half-pay lieutenants in the navy ; non-commissioned
o beers in the army, and, in feet, from persons of all sorts
arid sizes ; tut the most importunate amongst the "lot" has
been a "bold dragoon," who boasts of being decorated
with no less than six Crimean and other medals, and
seven clan is. A late inspector of the "Blues" (the L
division), who was obliged to cut the force without a
pension, and a portly son of Esculapius, who has had
niuch more than sixty summers pass over his head, has
held on nearly as fast as one of his own. leeches.
This gentleman, who is a good representative of Friar Tuck,
called at the house of Mrs. Hayes immediately after the
first examination of Marshall, and representing himself as
the intimate friend and fellow professional of the late Dr
Hayes, her late dear husband, offered his deep and sincere
sympathy in her trouble, and denounced in unmeasured
vehemence the rascally and scoundrel• like conduct of the
villain Harrison, or Marshall, or whatever his name might
be. His "oily fervour" and apparent sincerity threw the
lady off her guard, and she received the " doctor" as the
friend of her husband. His attentions for seine days were
most marked and respectful, but by degrees his real cha-
racter oozed out, and the question with them will be which
was the greatest scoundrel, the doctor, or the soi-disant
Hon. Captain William Denbigh Sloper Hardison Marshall ?