The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-25 00:00:00

REMARKABLE DISCOVERIES OF

OIL SPRINGS.

The'Ne:o York Tribune of the Bth inst. contains
the following- communication with regard to the
remarkable diseoveries of oil springs which are
now attracting so
ueh attention :
Cuba',
Allegany, New York, Jan. 3.
Our village is to-day in
a blaze of excitement, conse-
quent upon the discovery of oil in large quantities in this
)
immediate vicinity. To give'ou and the public a clear
idea of the state of the case, I mu.it inform you theta large
hill lies north-west of the village, distant about one mile.
At the foot of that hill, on the west, is what was always
called an oil spring. It is in appearane: a mud hole, say
20 feet across, and 10 feet deep, without any outlet, and
has always been covered with a coating of oil. This oil,
from time immemorial, has been skimmed fron.' the surface
in small quantities, and used for medicinal purposes, cur-
ing of sprains, bruises, &c. :For a full account of this
spring, examine the history of General Sullivan's Cam-
paign through Western New York in the course of otzr
revolutionary war. A mile square of territory, in-
cluding this spring, has always been considered an
Indian reservation, but a few years since ex-Governor
Seymour, Judge Ben. Chamberlain, and ' others, took
possession of it, and have since sold all or nearly all. In
the meantime ;the Indians contest the title to it, and the
decisions in the Circuit Court and Supreme Court in full
bench have all been in favour of the Indians. About a year
since, upon the finding of oil in such quantities in Penn-
sylvania, on the line of the Atlantic and Great Western
Railway, a Captain Aden S. W. Bradley, Esq., and some
associates, came here and leased this land of all parties in
the controversy, and a short time since commenced driving
a pipe for oil. After getting the pipe down 20 or 30 feet,
yesterday the oil suddenly burst up with great force, and
is now discharged in large quantities, much to the annoy-
ance of the workmen. I was there to-day, and although
they only pump now to clear away for the drill to work,
they still get a barrel in an hour, some of the time, and at
others more water and less oil. To estimate the true value
of this well, you must bear in mind that oil is always found
beneath rock; and in this ease they have not yet got down
to the rock, the oil that the) now gathering being only
what escapes through the firs in the rocks, and leaks
up through the earth. A Mt. nis boring a4i inch
well on the east side of the sae pall the way through
solid rock. Ile is now dov t, and the water that
is pumped out to clear fa, is strongly impreg-
.
Anted with oil, forming qu ing on the top of
each pail of water. Thera Ater. a shadow of a
doubt but what we will soot,' ye plenty of oil here
within a mile of the Erie Railroa4, with every convenience
for procuring the oil, shippin it,;-and," if deemed advisable,
building refiners, and furnishin'g the.' .pure oil ready pro.
pared for burning. The stock of the company owning the
last mentioned well, with the par value of 25 dollars per
share, is now held in the faco of offers of 250 dollars per
share.

LEICESTER ELECTION.—A third candidate has
appeared in the field, avowing Radical principles. On
Tuesday evening Mr. P. A. Taylor, of Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, addressed a large meeting in the Theatre Royal.
He expressed himself as a Radical, and stated that he was
in favour of an extension of the franchise, a permissive
ballot, and the abolition of church rates. He denounced
the Reform Bill of last session introduced by Lord Joht
Russell as being a poor, " miserable bantling." He was in
favour of keeping up our defences in an efficient state, con-
sidering the increasing armaments of Franco and the low-
ering aspect of European affairs generally. The foreign
policy of the present Government he approved—viz., non•
intervention. Our continental neighbours might fight for
increased territory and conquest, but he wanted England
to arm for the purpose of defending her liberties and
consolidating her security. Mr. J. F. Hollings,
ex-mayor, occupied the chair. When the name of Mr.
Harris, the Whig candidate, was incidentally alluded to by
the chairman it was received with hisses and groans. Under
present circumstances the chance of Mr. Harris being re-
turned
is almost entirely hopeless. The Conservatives are
gratified with the division in the Liberal ranks, and feel
certain of carrying the election of Mr. Heygate. The only
way of preventing the return of Mr. Heygate would be for
Mr. Harris to retire from the contest, and Mr. Taylor also,
and for some gentleman entertaining sound Liberal views
to otep tanxcl,