The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-24 00:00:00

lATE 1?IN iI,4NAbA.

During the past week w hat rather
heavily, and the frost has been eon what ee r- ter !be
Time of year. But velia. sound i Oita Iti ar as
I it writing ?—jingle, jingle, jingle. "Hurrah ! it is
the merry sleigh bells." Notwithstanding the cull, the
S00:7, and all the other inconveniences of winter, there
is something cheerful and inspiriting :n a rapid drive
over the frozen snow to the music of a set of silt er sleigh
belle. IV° will take a walk through eur principal street
--it is all bustle and life. A few days since trade was
del, cud a farmer's "team" was scarcely to ins seen in
the town. Now we cm; with very little trenble, count
,cures. Farmers who could not last week have ven-
tured one huedred yards from their farm, al )eg the
roads, can now come into to.vn with the greatest ease.
Here we meet the Leary and roneLly-male cordwood
sleigh, there the merchant's travelling or " peddling"
sleigh, with its long " box"i
loaded with goods. Neat
we see the farmer's market waggon, shorn of t- wheels,
fixed on a set of " bobs" or runners, and loaded with the
produce of his farm. Now comes the highly de-
corated, well-padded, double-seated family sleigh
of the well-to-do farmer or merchant, and lastly,
though not least, flies past us the gaily painted
cutter of the business man or the pleasure
seeker. Let us look at the dress of those travelling on
the cordwood sleigh—we see the driver wrapped up in a
thick coat, a woollen scarf round his neck, &c , remind•
ing us somewhat of " Mr. Cabby " at home. The
" peddling clerk " is also welt wrapped up, but in a
somewhat better style, his nether limbs encae,ed in a
warm rug or buffalo skin. The farmer, his wife and
daughters (for if there is but two inches of snow on
the ground, " the girls will come out," at least so says
the farmer, that we have but now conversed with), alt
well clothed to protect them from the vveaih.A., In
the family sleigh and the cutter we see gentlemen
clothed in skins (fur coats, fur hats, far gleves, and fur'
round the neck), and ladies also robed in warm covering
of the mink, sable, ermine, black squirrel, coon, and fox.
While riding the skins (if the buffalo, bear, and deer
protect their limbs ; in fact, all we can see of the ladies
are their head?, surmounted with a neat riding cap of
velvet and fur. But here is a cutter stopping at the
hotel. The gentleman is about to take somewhat "c. 11
without" to prevent the "cold entering within." If the
Londoners were to see him they would at o; 03 say " What
a gun !" He has on his head a cap of coon skin about ten
inches high, "as rough as a badger's back." Are ink; his
neck is a fur skin, so fastened as to make it appear that the
fox, after twisting about the owner's neck, was trying
to bite his tal in twain. lii, body is encased ina rough
and thick bear-skin coat, well padded. His feet are
covered with niocassins made of the ekiu of the deer,
and his hands are protected by gloves (the lappets
which reach near to the elbow), made of the skins of the
mink. This is a specimen of a Canadian gentleman's
winter service dress. But let us examine the pedes-
triane. Fur prevails with many, but here and there we
see others who adopt the " plaid," or scarf shawl of
Scotland, some wearing it twisted around the body, and
thus leaving the arms free, others merely thrown loosely
over the shoulders and fastened in front—Correspondent
of the Canadian News.

SUICIDE OF FREER, THE ACTOlL—Yesterday morning
Mr. Charles Freer, the well-knoNn actor of a quarter
of a cen'ttry ago, committed suicide by cut,ing hie
throat with a razor. He had been reAdin,g until
very lately in Lambeth, and removed a few days
ate to a small room iu Bridge-court, Bridge-street,
Parliament-street. He was in very indigent cir-
cum,tances, having no means of obt,initi; a liveli-
hood, and being nearly 70 years of ale, wai lAA all
theatrical employment. It appears that between six

. _
and seven o'clock in the morning one of the people in
the house happened to go to ois room, and to their

astonishment, found him in bed in a pool of blood,
which, after further examination, was found to have
proceeded from an extensive wound in his throat. An
alarm was given, and a surgeon sent for immediately,
. .

who arrived and did what was necessary with the
wound. A police constable was also called in at the

atne time.

The poor man was then sensible, and told

those about him that he had inflicted the wound himself
with a razor, indicating where the weapon yews to be

round. 114 was at once removed to the- Westminster

Hospital, but, from the (xbau.tion caused by loss of
blood, he only survived half an hour after being laid in
the accident ward. Informaiion ha.. been for warded to

Mr. Bedford, the coroner for WeAmioster, and an in-

quest will be hell this evening

ACCIDENTAL DEATHS.--CORONER'S INQUIRY.—Yee.

terday afternoon Mr. Wakley held an inquiry at
the Elephant and Castle, Camden Town, into the cir-
cumstances attending the death of Lucy Balkner, a
widow, aged 70. Death arose from extravasation of
blood on the brain, o caioned in all probability partly
by suffocation from the position in which the deceased
was found lying, and partly from a F evere injury on the
forehead, the latter to all appearance having been pro-
duced by the deceased falling while in a partial state of
stupefaction from drink, for it appeared she was given
much to gin-drinking, and a bottle which had contained

that liquor was found near her. The jury returned g
verdict of accidental death. In the second case, that
of a female child, the daughter of a house decorator,
named Butcher, it appeared that the deceased was one of
twins, and while the mother was about her daily avoca•
tions she was suddenly seized with the plies of labour,
and gave birth to the deceased on the floor, bel ore medical
aid could arrive. The injuries the deceased received
to the head on the occasion, caused death, but the other
chill was reported to be doing well. A. verdict of acei-
dental death was likewise recorded in this case, and the
inquiry terminated.
BUCKINGIUMSTIIIIE ELECTION.—A. nomina ion of a

member for the county of Bucks in the room of the
Ron. C. C. Cavendish, who had been raised to the
Howe of Peers, took place yesterday at th.-! County-
hall, Aylesbury—the High Sheriff of the county, Mr.
P. Wroughton, presiding. Sir 11. Verney, M.P., pro.
posed Mr. W. G. Cavendish, son of the late member ;
Mr. Phillips seconded the nomination. Mr. R. B.
Harvey nominated Captain C. J. B. Hamilton (formerly
member for Aylesbury), and Mr. E. Stone seconded the
proposition. Mr. J. Gibbs proposed Mr. Acton Tindal
(lord of the manor) ; Mr. Shaw seconded the proposal.
Mr. Cavendish, in his address to the electors, said he
should give the Government an energetic and indepen-
dent support. He should vote for the admission of
Jews to Parliament. He could not say anything about
the Reform Bill until he knew what sort of measure it
was to be. Captain Hamilton said he came forward
because he had been asked to contest the county on
Conservative principles. The nomination of Mr. Tindal
having barn withdrawn, a show of hands was taken
between the other two candidates, which the High
Sheriff declared to be in favour of Captain Hamilton.
A poll was demanded on behalf of Mr. Cavendish, which
will take place on Saturday. The procLedings termi-
nated with a vote of thanks to the High Site( iff.
NEW BRUNSWICK AND CANADA ItAILWAY.—The_
directors of this company I-tate in their report that
since the last ineeLing important progress has been
made in the company's undertaking. They mow atelate
the shareholders on the opening of the liue on the let
of October last to the 40th mile, from St. Andrew's
to Barber Dam. The statements previously made,
as to the cheapness of construction, have been fully
borne out by an investigation of the total cost of
the 40 miles now open. The works are now being pro-
ceeded with up to the 60 h mi,e ; and the boatel have
recently auth,rised the formation of five mills more, so
that at the present time there are 25 milee r contract.
From the estimate of Mr. Buck, the encineer the cost of
grading, ballasting, fencing', &c., of the 25 miles w 11 be at
the rate of 1,682/. 108. per mile, or 42,062/.; and forraila,
chairs, switches, &c., about 9351. per mile, or 23,3751. ;
making the total cost 65.437 l , or at the rate of 2,617/.
10s. per mile. The survey of the remainder of the line
to Woodstock has also been completed, awl, contrary
to the expectations of the directors, the works turn pit
to be even more favourable than the previous portions
of the line, the estimate being at the rate of 2,3001. per
mile. Tuere will only remainthe branch of St. Stephens's
to be completed when the line is finished to Woodstock,
and in case of need this branch can be limited to four

miles, through a country similar to the average cha-
racter of that through which the trunk line passes.
The directors state that although the line is being thus
inexpensively constructed the works have been well exe-
cuted. The system adopted by the board of letling the
contracts in short lengths, so far as to render large
contracts unnecessary, has been found to work well.
Tne energy of the engineer and manager have also
contributed in no small degree to secure those advan-
tages. The rolling stook already purchased by the
company has cost 6,000/, The manager will require
at least 100 wide trucks and three passenger cars in
the spring, also three more engines by June next.
The cost of this additional plant will amount to
7,0001. The directors continue to entertain the moat
confident opinion as to the traffic capabilities of the
line so eoon as it shall have reached the Howard
settlement, that being the nearest point at ,Ahich it
can tap the St. John's River and secure the traffic) of
the upper part of the country. The New Bruns-
wick Government have shown their perfect satisfac-
tion with the progress of the works by transmitting
18,0001. on account of their stock in the undertaking,
and by the granting to the company 20,0 A acres of
land, which is now being surveyed, accompanied by an
assurance that a further grant will be made so soon
as it is required by the company for the purpose
of settlement. Arrangements are in progress for
disposing of the company's lands. They will be
divided into plots of from 50 to 100 acres each. The old
St. Andrew's and Quebec Company have expressed a
desire to amalgamate with this company, and the
sdb
hei
eettrectorso Nr
introducedeoc vo
.mi3mn 0 ettnhhde thnh,
e,awxt
ts apt joint
smBbei, ln3l for
t 6.81 h
. ,trhialaeat
balanceb purpose.een
re-
ceived, and 55,6791. expended, leaving a balance of
TRADE OF LIVERPOOL.—Liverpool, Monday
2,6T8H9E/.
The Customs Bill of Entry, published
a return of the number and tonnage
have entered inwards from and cleared
foreign ports in the week ending the 19th Dee. 1857, as
well as the corresponding year of 1856.
etall'orlefsdint the
outwardsnsihnigpsgtihv.:aoetrs
It appears that
during the last week 102 ships of an aggregate tonnage
of 54,019 tons, entered inwards, against 99 ships, 65,478
tons in 1856, being an increase of 3 in the number of
ships, and a decrease of 11,459 tons in the tonnage ; the
number of clearances outwards duringthe week, 67 ships
of a tonnage of 32,110 tone, against 82 ships; in all, 43,787
tons in 1856, being a decrease of 15 ships and 16,877
tons. The total number of ships reported inwards from
with a tonnage oi 2,334,355 tone,
foreign ports during the present year up to the 19th
a5i4e132654.34 617 tons in the year 1856, show-
i„g an and d •
increase of 83 - hips, a decrease of 100,262
total number of ships cleared outwards for
foreign ports during the present year up to the 19th Dec.
was 4,799, with a tonnage of 2,451,120 tons, against
4,667 ships and 2,547,097 tons iu the year 1856, show-
hCr2er'
ing an increase of 132 ships, and a decrease of 95,977
tons.