The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-08 00:00:00

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THIS DAY'S SHIPPING.

LONDON, April B.—Wind this day at noon, S.S.I light,
with dull weather, and slight rain.
SCILLY, April 6.—Wind S.S.E.—Arrived—Malcolm
Brown, from Cardiff for Smyrna ; cargo shifted and
leaky.
GLOUCESTER, April 7.—Sailed—Alice, for Quebec.
CARDIFF, April 7.—Wind W.N.W.—Sailed—Lenton,
for Quebec.
SWANSEA, April 7.—Wind W.—Sailed—Hercules, for
Coquimbo ; Staines Castle, for Cuba.
MILFORD, April 7.—Wind W.—Arrived—Altna, from
Demerara for London ; short of provisions ; master landed
very ill.
LIMERICK, April 6.—Wind S.—Sailed—William and
Joseph, for Quebec.
SUNDERLAND, April 7.—Wind S.W.—Blessing, for
New York.
HULL, April 7.—Wind W.S.W.—Sailed—Pioneer, for
Quebec.
FALMOUTH, April 7.—Arrived—Anna, from Sierra
Leone.
SHIELDS, April 7.—Wind S.W.—Sailed—British
Merchant, for Ceylon; Ellen Oliver, for Quebec.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
LIVERPOOL, Friday Morning.

Wind, S.W. ; light
Arrived, April 7—White Star, from Melbourne ; Glen
Monarch, from Bombay ; Zouave, from Calcutta.
Arrived, April S—N. St. Pierre, from St. Mao; Eugznie,
from Havre.

(BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Friday Morning.
Wind, W., very light ; tide, six hours' ebb, fine.
Arrived—Rebecca Atrahams, from Randers ; Elise
Marko, from Wrila ; Friends, from Dunkirk.
DEAL, Friday Morning.

Wind, W.N.W. ; fresh.
Passed—European, screw steamer, from London, for
Limerick.
Most of the outward bound that sailed yesterday have
put back.

A BRILLIANT ORNAMENT.—Yesterday a magni-
ficent State ornament, composed entirely of brilliants of the
first water and of remarkable lustre, was submitted to pub-
lic competition at the auction rooms of Messrs. Debenham,
Storr, lira Sons, King-street, Covent-garden. The jewels
were mounted in gold as a miniature locket and stomacher,
and were originally presented by Louis XIV. to a distin-
guished member of his Court. After a liberal competition
the hammer fell at £l,OOO, and the lot was declared sold.
THEATRICAL THUNDER.—The following anecdote
is current in musical circles :—lt is known with what im-
, patience the public awaited the first representation of the
Pardon de Ploermel," but the first performance was de-
layed by a singular caprice of the composer. At one of the
most dramatic periods of the • work a violent storm bursts
forth, and is, of course, accompanied by thunder. The
manner in which the Opera-Comique represented the storm
did not satisfy Meyerbeer, and he wandered about listening
to every noise that was made in the hope of hearing some-
thing that came up more closely to his idea of a thunder
peal. At last one morning, in passing before a house in
course of demolition, the falling of the stones and mortar
to the ground, through a long :wooden trough, gave pre-
cisely the sound which he wanted. Ho hastened to the
theatre, and ordered a long square funnel to be made of
boards, and sent down through it a quantity of stones.
" The sound is too hard," said the composer, "we must
have smooth lead or iron. Grape shot would do admira-
ably." " But it is impossible to obtain them," said the
manager, "without permission from the Government."
Meyerbeer replied. that he would undertake to rocure
them, and he wrote the same day_ to Marshal Valiant,
Minister of War, on the subject. The Marshal is said to
have been much amused at the letter, and to have replied
that all the stores of Vincennes were placed at the com •
poser's disposal. The shot thus obtained produces, when
rolled down the wooden .trough, the thunder which is now
beard each night the piece is performed,
• • • .1 •

RAIL TT INTELLIGENCE.

LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN.

Yesterday afternoon a special general meeting of
the proprietors of the London and South-Western
Railway Company was held at the Waterloo Sta-
tion, Ross Mangles, Esq., M.P., in the chair.
The SECRETARY having read the advertisement
convening the meeting,
The CIIAIRMAN said that circumstances had
arisen since the issuing of the circulars which
would materially shorten the business of the
meeting. The second bill upon the list, viz., that
for authorising. the amalgamation of the Portsmouth
line with the company, had not advanced suffi-
ciently in the committee of the House of Commons
to be submitted to the consideration of the share-
holders. The same remark applied to all the re-
maining bilis which it was the intention of the
directors to bring before the meeting. He should
therefore move that the consideration of them be
adjourned till the 18th inst. The first bill on the
list, namely, that authorising the company to raise
£lOO,OOO capital for the construction of new works
and branches in connexion with the main under-
taking, was the only one which it would be neces-
sary for the shareholders to give an opinion upon.
The SOLICITOR having explained the various
clauses of the bill,
A SHAREHOLDER asked when it was likely that the
ruinous competition which had sprung up between
the South-Western and South-Eastern Companies
would be discontinued.
The CIIAIAMAN said he was about to anticipate
the question of the hon. proprietor. The subject
alluded to had occupied the most serious attention
of the directors. The contest which had been
entered into had neither been begun nor provoked
by the South Western Company. They had not
only made every reasonable concession to the
South Eastern, but a 'gsod many which were more
than reasonable, for .the , purpose of preserving
peace, but without effect. The South Western had
not taken the initiative in lowering the fares ; it
was the act of the Brighton Company; and, as a,
measure of self-defence, had only been followed by
the South Western board, days after. The board,
notivithstanding the many concessions they had
made, were still ready to come to au amicable
understanding.
A SUAREHOLDER asked, was there not an agree-
ment between the two companies that neither
should take up an independent line running
through the districts; and had not that agreement
been broken by the South Western taking up the
direct Portsmouth line ?

The CHAIRMAN said there certainly was such an
understanding' but the South Western did not
encourage the formation of the Portsmouth diregt
line. It was made in spite of them, and the boa
were obliged to take it up in self-defenee ; but in
doing so they had offered the South Eastern the
most liberal traffic arrangement. The South
Eastern had, however, in the opinion of the board,
broken other parts of the same as The
board had done all they could to forward a settle-
ment of the differences, and were ready to do more
if the South rastern would meet them half-way.
Mr. PUNCHER said that the whole complication
was due to the board taking up the direct Ports-
mouth line; that line- was a bad undertaking, and
the directors had no right to purchase it with the
proprietors' money. He should move that the
meeting be adjourned, with the view of taking
into consideration the bill brought forward, till
the 18th inst.

Mr. HERAPATH said the bill which it was pro-
posed to sanction had nothing whatever to do with
the competition in question; and, though they all
felt very strongly on that subject, they ought not
to postpone the legitimate business of the company
on that account.

Mr. Punchers motion for the adjournment having
been put was negatived.
The CHAIRMAN then put the resolution that the
bill be approved and sanctioned by the proprietors,
which was carried.

The meeting was then adjourned till the 18th
inst. at one o'clock.

PRESERVATION OF LIFE FROM SHIP.

W.RECK.

Yesterday a meeting of the Royal National Life-
boat Institution was held at its house, John-street,
Adelphi, Thomas Baring, Esq., M.P., in the chair.
Mr. LEWIS, the secretary, having read the
minutes of the previous meeting, a reward of £4
was voted to the institution's lifeboat stationed at
Appledore, Devon, for saving the crew of five men
of the schooner Caroline, of Fowey, 'which during
a heavy storm of wind from the westward was
wrecked off that place on the 11th ult.
The thanks of the institution, inscribed on vel-
lum, were also presented to Captain Willoughby,
R.N.. for bis valuable services on the occasion of
the lifeboat of the institution, stationed at
Brighton, putting off to the assistance of the barques
Viscaya and Aurora, and in testimony of his long
and cordial co-operation in the establishment and
management of thesociety's lifeboats at Lyme Regis,
Newhaven, and Brighton. A reward of £8 was
granted to the crew of the lifeboat of the institu-
tion stationed at Padstow, for putting off in her
and rescuing, during a heavy gale of wind, the
crew of seven men of the French schooner Gonsalve,
which was wrecked off Padstow on the Bth ult.
Also £8 to the crew of the same lifeboat, for going
off in her again, on the 15th ult., and rescuing the
crew of four men and a pilot from the schooner
Frederick William, of Newport, which during a
heavy gale of wind was wrecked off Padstow. The
lifeboat's gallant coxwain, D. Shee, was also pre-
sented with the silver medal of the institution.
A reward of £6 was also voted to the crew of the
institution's lifeboat stationed at Holyhead, for
assisting, on the 11th ult., to bring, during a gale
of wind, to a port of safety, the schooner Scotia,
and her crew of nine hands.

A reward of £6 was granted to the crew of the
tubular lifeboat, stationed at Rhyl, for assisting to
bring to a port of safety the sloop Mary, of Ramsey,
and her crew of three hands. The sloop was ob-
served, on the 29th ult., in a perilous position in
Abergele Bay.
A reward of £6 was voted to the crew of the
Fishguard lifeboat, for the assistance she had ren-
dered to the crew of the brig Lord Gough, during
a heavy gale of wind on the 15th ult.
Rewards amounting to ;CSC were voted to the
crews of the lifeboats of the institution stationed at
Aldborough (Suffolk), Penmon (Anglesey), Brigh•
ton, Newhaven, and Arklow, for putting off to
vessels in reply to signals of distress, and rendering
to many of them important services.
A reward of £ll was voted to the crew of the
society's lifeboat at Thorpness, Suffolk, for putting
off early on the morning of the 2d inst., and saving
the crew of eight men from the brig Velocity, of
Sunderland, which during a heavy gale of wind
sank on Sizewell Bank.
A reward of £6 was voted to the crew of the
Irvine lifeboat for saving the crew of four me
from the schooner Ebenezer, of Beaumaris, which
during a gale of wind on the 7th ult., was wrecked
on Irvine Bar.

A gratuity of £lO was voted to the widow of a
coast guardsman who had unfortunately lost his
life on the night of the 30th ult., in attempting to
render assistance with the mortar apparatus to a
vessel in distress off Sunderland Pier.
The institution has now 81 lifeboats under its
management ; to maintain them therefore in a state
of efficiency requires a large permanent,. income.
The institution has decided to place a lifeboat at
Mullion, near the Lizard, the Hon. Mrs. Agar and
T. J. A. Robartes, Esq., M.P., having munificently
contributed towards theundertaking. There are
still many, exposed points on the Cornish coast
which requires lifeboats, which the Duchy of Corn-
wall ought from its immense revenues to supply or
liberally to assist others to do its work. A contri-
bution of £242 to the institution was announced
as having been made by the seamen members of
the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Society,
The Earl of Derby, Vice-Chancellor Sir Page
Wood, William Stuart, and S. Lyne Stephens,
Esqrs., were elected vice-presidents of the institu-
tion. Payments amounting to £9OO for new life
boats, carriages, and for the maintenance of the
society's lifeboats, having been made, the proceed-
ings closed.

has just left Paris for
the "United States, after a stay 4-
Vapital. He was obliged to zCglraonEridtsfiS
80.7.1
nhikitishr
return
FtMuriemonrctolhthe
de-
part so unexpectedly that time was not allowed to terminate
the chess tournament commenced not long since, as wo
mentioned at the time. The admirers of Mr. Morphy could
not, however, permit him to leave without a public demon-
stration of their full sense of his merits both as a wonderful
chess-player and a most straightforward and courteous,
gentleman. Accordingly, upwards of 40 of the boat
players in the French capital invited the American
player to a splendid dinner, which took place the day
before yesterday, M. St. Amant in the chair. At the
dessert, M. Delannoy rose, and in a wry ele-
Fantly-turned speech proposed the health of their
illustrious guest, who had known how, during
his visit to Paris, to secure alike the admiration and affec-
tion of the chess amateurs of that city. Mr. Morphy re-
turned thanks at sonic length, and after expressing how
deeply he was sensible of the cordial reception given hint
by the French players, co acluded by proposing the " health
of M. St. Amanc, who had for so long a period shown the
deepest devotedness to the cause of chess, and who had
aided the progress of that noble game by the triple talent of
brilliant play, well-reasoned articles, and eloquent speak-
ing." This toast having been duly responded to, a white
marble bust of Mr. Morphy, from the chisel of M. 1 e.
quesne, and an excellent likeness, was crowned with a
laurel-wreath amidst the loudest acelamapens. Ther
of the evening was spent in the most cordial
rapaaprtye ineke
Areis,t.
Morphy playing several fine games before the
Regence.
up, The bust is to remaind
at the Cafe o

_.. ~ ,

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—(YESTERDAY)•
The LORD OHANCELtOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock:

The Earl of Albemarle presented a petition from Norwich
in favour of the Thames Watermen and Lightermen's Bill.
SECOND READINGS.
The following bills were read a second time :—Banff and
Macduff and Tnrriff Junction Railway, Formartin and
Buchan Railivay, Great Northern Railway, Great Western
and Brentfoid Railway, London and North Western Rail-
way, and Wirral Railway.
THIRD READINGS.
- - - - - - -

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Dublin and Drogheda Railway; London (City) Gas; Ulster.
Wimbledon, and Dorking, and Epsom and Leatherhead
Railway ; Norwich (City) Water ; Falmouth Dock and
Harbour Bill.