The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-17 00:00:00

ADDITIONAL MAIL TO GRAVESEND.

On and after Monday, the 20th inst., an additional
mail will be made up at this office for Gravesend, to be
despatched by the train which leaves the London-
bridge station at 4.50 p.m. (Sundays excepted).
Letters for this despatch must be posted at the re-
ceiving office's in London before 2 p.m ; at the branch
offices in Cbaring•cross and Lombard-street, the south-
eastern district office, 170, 1-lizh-street, borough), and the
western district office (Old Cavendish-street), before 3
p.m. ; and at the General Post•office, St. Martin's-le-
Grand, before 3.30 p.m. They will be delivered
in Gravesend in time for reply by the London mill
which leaves that place in the evening.
By command of the Postmaster• General,
BOWL AND HILL, Secretary.
General Post-office, 16th April, 1857.

...ERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN MAILS.—LIYERPOOL,
seursday.—The Royal Mail steam-ship Africa, Captain
Shannon, sails from the Mersey on Saturday afternoon
for New York, with mails, passengers, and cargo.
Letters must be posted here no later than 1 p.m., with
late fees before 2 p.m., and at the landing stage, with
the usual extra fee of is. each, until 3 p.m. on the 18th
inst. The White Star clipper ship Sir William Eyre,
Capt. Jopp, belonging to Messrs. H. T. Wilson and
Chambers, of this port, sails on Monday next (her ap-
pointed day), for Melbourne, with a large number of
passengers and a full cargo of merchandise on freight.
She will carry a ship letter-bag, for which letters must
be marked " per Sir Wm. Esre," and posted before 11
a.m., or, with late fees, before 11.30 a.m., on the 20th
instant.
MAILS FOR NORWAY.—The steam packet communica-
tion between Denmark and Norway having been re-
established, the mails front the United Kingdom for
Norway will be conveyed direct by sea from Denmark
to
ThNe
Norwayro
ar
iwe aoyf,
will
pi nboses ttleaasg.de4otd f v
o.
tbhieea
taken
halfS wd eo Sweden, until
eul:ntattni
el
dr
letters
sfurtheraddressed
od
nrnotice.ssed to
accord-
ing to the scale in operation for charging inland letters.
This rate comprises both the British and foreign postage
on the letters to the place of their destination ; and it
may be either paid in advance, or the letters may be
forwarded unpaid, at the option of the sender, except,
however, as regards registered lettere, the postage upon
' which, as well as the registration fee, must be paid in
advance. By command of the Postmaster-General,
ROWLAND HILL, Secretary.
The Postmaster-General has given notice that the
Jura will take out the nest overland Australian mail,
and that ship mails for the Brazils will be made up iu
the General Post-office to be conveyed by the screw
steamer Golden Fleece, which is appointed to leave
Southampton on the 25th inst mt.
The dollars brought by the last West India steamer
bare been sold at 607fd. per oz., showing a decline of Ad.
CONTRACTS FOR PUBLIC DEPARTMENTS. —A report
from the (defunct) Select Committee of the House of
Commons on Contracts for Public Departments was
published yesterday. It contains simply the minutes of
evidence adduced by Mr. Thomas Howell, Mr. J. R.
Godley, Mr. R. Eaton, Mr. James Pew, and Mr. C.
Sandys Elliott. The evidence covers a space of 67 pages.
Among other particulars elicited, it is stated that out of
160,000 pa r of boots, 35,000 pair were rejected about a
year ago ; the cause of rejection having been bad work-
manship and bad materials.
FATAL BOAT ACCIDENT ON THE RlVER.—Yesterday
evening; Mr. W. Baker, the coroner, held an inquest as
the Town of Ramsgate Tavern, Wapping, respecting the
death of Christopher William Groves, aged 17, an ap-
prentice to a lighterman. On Monday afternoon last,
while engaged in rowine, a skiff across the river, from
Wapping to the Surrey shore, be came in contact with
the barge Rebecca, of Colchester, whereby the boat was
swamped and the deceased was drowned. The body was
found near Aberdeen Wharf. The deceased had not ex-
ercised proper skill in the navigation of the skiff. Ver-
dict, "Accidental Death."
USED POSTAGE STAMPS.—A. party having assisted in
supplying stamps in answer to an advertisement was in-
formed on unquestionable authority that these advertise-
ments were baits held out to obtain stamps for the pur-
pose of obliterating the post-office marks and defraud-
ing the revenue. It is confidently declared that the
Queen's heads can be cleansed and made fit for use
again so as to elude all detection.—[All persons dealing
in postage-stamps, either buying or selling, except
through the post-office, the stamp-office, or a licensed
stamp distributor or sub-distributor, aro liable to heavy
penalties.]
BristoICONVICTIONcu a
rtquarter
sOeFs s AionFß RoAnU VeLdEnNeTs
dMa
yE,Rbeellf
oArNe Tt.:
RA te
etohre.
der (Mr. Sergeant Kingl'ak e) John Danger, who bad carried
on an extensive business in Baldwin-street in that city,
was indicted for having obtained a bill of exchange for
1841. 165., with intent to cheat and defraud Richard
Latham. The prosecutor, Mr. Richard Latham, de-
posed that he was a currier, carrying on business in
Redcliff-street, Bristol. The prisoner, Mr. J. Danger,
who was a leather merchant, met the prosecutor and
said, " Will you buy some of George Jenkins's butts ?
He is baling up 300 butts for me, and they will come
into my warehouse this afternoon." Mr. Danger then
took him into the counting-house, when he produced
a bill for 1841. some odd shillings, which he asked
prosecutor to accept. The bill was ready drawn when
he went in, and Mr. Danger said if he accepted it
he sheuld have the amount in the butts that were
coming in and the refusal of the 300. He accepted
the bill, and Mr. Danger took it. He never would
have accepted that bill of exchange if the prisoner had
not told him that Mr. George Jenkins was baling up
butts for him, and that they were coming into his
warehouse that afternoon. The butts never did come
in, although he had inquired for them repeatedly.
The prisoner had since become bankrupt. Mr. George
Jenkins proved that he was not on the 27th of Dec.
baling any butts fur the prisoner, nor had he in fact
any stock to bale. He had not contracted to supply
Mr. Danger with any, nor was there any reason why he
should have stated that he was baling them for him.
Toe prisoner's counsel attempted to show that the
evidence faled to make out legaliy all the elements o
obtaining by fat•e pretence. foe jury, however, re
turned a verdict of • guilty. The Recorder postponed
sentence till the next session.

DIABOLICAL ATTEUPP TO EXPLODE A POWDER MILL.—
Asa workman of the extensive powder mill of St. (Mamas
which belongs to the Government, was on Saturday af-
ternoon, after dinner, about to resume his work in one
of the roams in which there was at least ton tons of gun-
powder, he perceived some blueish substance in the
midst of the powder which he had to handle ; and on ex-
amining it found the heals of a dozen chemical matches,
so arranged as probably to cause an explosion on beirt
touched. He immediately summoned his chiefs, and the
heads of the matches were removed with the greatest
precaution. The operation was attended with consider-
able danger, as in addition to the vast quantity of gun-
powder in the place, there were at least thirty tons in an
adjacent storehouse. As it was impossible to suspect
any one of the workmen of the establishment of hav-
ing formed the design of causing an explosion, inas-
much as in all probabil.ty ha would become a victim
of it himself, suspicion fell on a young man named
Mouttet, a granger to the establ.shment, who, on
some pretext, had entered it just as the workmen
were suspending work to go to dinner. He was
sought for everywhere, and was at last found stationed
on the top of a high hill which dominates the mill,
gazing earnestly below, as if in momentary expectation
of some great event. He was at once arrested, and as his
replies to the questions put to him were not satisfactory,
he has been 'detained in custody. About two months
ago a terrible explosion which did great damage and
killed five persons took place in the same mill, and the
cause of it was never discovered. It is now not unrea-
sonably suspected that Mouttet may have occasioned it.
His motive remains, however, a tuyet::ry.