The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-18 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 18, 1859.

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.-
On SATURDAY. the 28th of May, an EXCURSION
TRAIN will leave Paddington at 8 a.m. for Plymouth, calling
at Weston-Super-Mare, Bridgewater, Taunton, Tiverton-
road, Exeter, Barnstaple, and' Bideford, Starcross, Dawlish,
Teignmouth, Newton, Torquay, Totness, and liingsbridg-e
Road ; and returning on •Monday, the 6th of June, from Ply-
mouth at 6.20 a.m., and intermediate stations as per hand-
bills.

Fares there and back :—Weston Snper-Mare and Bridge•
water, 20s and 13s ; Taunton and Tiverton Road, 22s and 158
Exeter, 22s 6d and 16s ; Starcross, Dawlish, and Teignmouth
25s and 17s ; Newton, Torquay, and Totness, 278 and 188
Barns, aple, 30s and 20s ; Kingsbridge Road and Plymouth,
30s and 208. Children under 12 years of age half-price.
Tickets not transferable, and only available by the excur-
sion train.

The Bath and West of England Agricultural Show will
take place at Barnstaple on the 30th of May, and following
days.

BANK OF DEPOS.LT,
Established A.D. 1844,
3, PALL MALL EAST, LONDON.
Capital Stock, £lOO,OOO.
Parties desirous of investing money are requested to ex-
amine the Plan of the Bank of Deposit, by which a high rate
of interest may be obtained with ample security.
Deposits made by special agreement may be withdrawn
without notice.
The interest is payable in January and July,
PETER MORRISON, Managing Director.
Forms for opening accounts sent free on application.

AN EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEET-
ING of the PROPRIETORS of the ENGLISH arid
IRISH CHURCH and UNIVERSITY LIFE ASSURANCE
SOCIETY will be held at the Office, No. 345, Strand, on
SATURDAY, the 28th inst., at 12 o'clock precisely, to con-
sider and determine upon various alterations in the Deed of
Settlement, recommended by the DNirectorHs.
ATONY PECK, Secy.

XX. A SECOND EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL
MEETING of the PROPRIETORS of the ENGLISH
and IRISH CHURCH and UNIVERSITY ASSURANCE
SOCIETY will be held at- the Offile, No. 345, Strand, on
MONDAY, the 30th inst., at 12 o'clock precisely, to confirm
such,alterations in the Deed of Settlement as may be agreed
upon at the extraordinary general meeting of the 28th Fast.
ANTHONY PECK,Aecy.

THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the
ENGLISH and IRISH CHURCH and UNIVERSITY
ASSURANCE SOCIETY will be held at the Office, No. 345,
Strand, on MONDAY, the 30th inst., at One o'clock precisely,
To receive the Reports of the Directors and Auditors, re-
spectively ;
To elect four Directors in the place of
Frederick !Leath, Esq.,
Richard Hodson, Esq.,
Rev. Augustus George How,
Rev. John William Watson, M.A.,
_ _

who retire by lot, and, being eligible, offer theniselves for re
election ;
l'o elect Auditors ;
To fill the vacancies in the office of Trustees ;
And on general business.
• By order of the Directors.
ANTHONY PECK, Secy.

CONTRACT FOR THE CONVEYANCE OF HER
MAJESTY'S MAILS BETWEEN

GREAT BRITAIN AND AUSTRALIA, VIA PANAMA.
Departnwent of the Comptroller for Victualling and
Transport Services,
Somerset-place, 18th May, 1859.
THE COMMISSIONERS for EXECUTING
THE OFFICE of LORD HIGH ADMIRAL of the
UNITED KINGDOM of GREAT BRITAIN and IRE-
LAND, DO HEREBY GIVE NOTICE, That on FRIDAY,
the Ist day of July next, at half-past One o'Clock, they will
be ready to treat with such Persons as may be willing to
Contract for the Monthly Conveyance, each way, by Steam
Vessels, of her Majesty's Mails between GREAT BRITAIN
and the AUSTRALIAN COLONIES, via PANAMA.

No tender will be received after half-past One o'clock on
the day of treaty, nor any noticed, unless made on the printed
form provided for the purpose, and which may be obtained
on application at the said Office.

Every tender must be addressed to the Secretary of the
Admiralty, and bear in the left-hand corner the words " Ten-
der for the Conveyance of Mails," and must also be delivered
at Somerset-place, and state the address of the party tender-
ing.

PRESENTATION O.P PLATE TO JAM'S
TELL TOPHAM, ESQ.

On Friday la, t the members of the Clapham
Literary Society presented to the above gentleman,
who is well known as an accomplished lecturer at
most of the iirineipal literary institutions in the
United Kingdom, an elegant and beautifully orna-
mented silver claret jug.
Mr. Topham lectured at the institution on that
occasion, for the 21st time, to an audience that
crowded the room to overflowing, and, at the con-
clusion of a most eloquent and animated lecture,
the president, amid universal cheering, pr:sented
him with the above testimonial in the name of the
society.
- Mr. Topham, far some years past, has inte-
rested himself warmly in behalf of the institution,
and while by his' intellect he has obtained great
influence, he has by his character and manners
gained universal esteem.
The subscriptions for the testimonial were com-
menced a few weeks ago, at the suggestion of the
Rev. Wentworth Bowyer, the rector, and T. J.
tfassiott, Esq., Fellow of ie Royal Society.
This handsome gift bears on it the following
inscription :—" Presented by the members and
friends of the Clapham Literary and Scientific In-
stitution, to James Tell Topham, Esq., Vice-Presi-
dent of the Society, in appreciation of his distin-
guished talents as a lecturer, and the eminent ser-
vices rendered by him to the Institution. May
13, 1859."

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING TILE

WEEK.

•
(From the 4,egistrar-General's Report.)
The deaths registered in London, which were
1,207 in the last week of April, and 1,108 in the
first week in May, show a further decrease for the
week ending last Saturday, when they were 1,070.
In the ten years 1849-58 the average number of
deaths in the week corresponding with last week
was 1,051 ; but as the deaths that are returned for
the last week occurred in a population which has
increased, they can only be compared with the
average raised in proportion to that increase—viz.,
with 1,156. From these figures it appears that the
deaths that occurred last week were less by 86 than
the number that would have occurred if the average
rate of mortality for the second week of May had
prevailed. _
_

From zymotic diseases in the aggregate 214
deaths occurred last week ; the average corrected
for increase of population is 257. The deaths re-
ferred to phthisis or consumption number 163 ; the
corrected average is 157. Those referred to other
pulmonary complaints are 154, the average beinc,
192. Smallpox carried off 18 persons. The deaths'
from scarlatina, and diphtheria together declined
from 69 in the previous week to 60 last week.
Thirteen cases in which diphtheria is recorded as
the fatal disease occurred as follows :—One at 2,
Brompton-place, Brompton, one at 1, Clara-cottages,
Hammersmith, one at 21, Lillington-street, West-
minster, one at 19, Durham-terrace, Agar .town, one
at 17A, Ann's-place, Hackney-road, one at 28,
Backchurch-lane, Goodman's-fields (where two other
deaths have occurred within seven days from scar-
latina maligna, and where there is a large accumu-
lation of dung, frequently smelling offensively, near
the back of the house), one at 13, Royal Mint,
Aldgate, one at 5, Lemon-street, St. Saviour, one at
12, Vine-terrace, Lambeth, one at 8. Moor-place,
Lambeth, one at 7, Cumberland-row, Kennington,
one at Fernside, Wandsworth-common, and one at
1, Dennett-terrace, Queen's-road, Deptford.
Two boys, aged respectively three and six years,
and a girl, aged eight years, the children of a
journeyman blacksmith, died all on the 7th inst., in
Brewhouse-lane, Putney, from "typhus following
measles." Another child died also in the same
family very recently. The typhoid symptoms were
well marked in three of the four cases, and set in
some days after the children had apparently reco-
vered from measles. The house occupied by the
family is in a most unsatisfactory state, from
defective drainage and other causes.
A woman, aged 82 years, died at 25, Goulston-
court, Whitechapel,- from want of food and from
exposure to the night air.
Last week the births of 993 boys and 823 girls, in
all 1,816 children, were registered in London. In
the 10 corresponding weeks of the years 1849-58
the average number was 1,593.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 30.024 in.
The mean daily reading was above 30 in. on four
days of the week. The extreme barometrical varia-
tion was from 29.86 in. to 30.13 in. The mean
temperature of the week was 51.2 deg., which is
0.3 deg. below the average of the same week in
43 years, as determined by Mr. Glaisher. The
lowest temperature was 38.0 deg. on Monday ; the
highest 67.5 deg. on Wednesday. The entire range
of the thermometer in the shade was therefore 29.5
deg. The mean daily range was 22.4 deg. The
difference between the mean dew temperature and
air temperature was 7.5 deg. The mean degree of
humidity of the air was 76. The mean temperature
of the water of the Thames was 53.8 deg. deg. The
wind blew almost constantly from the north-east.
No rain fell except on Sunday, when the amount
was 0.30 inches.

THE WRECK OF THE POMONA.

The following incidents connected with the
wreck of the ill-fated American ship Pomona are
supplied by the Wexford Constitution:—" On Sa-
turday last a steamtug and lighters arrived here
from Liverpool with the necessary diving apparatus
for the purpose of saving a portion of the cargo from
the wreck of the Pomona at the Blackwater Bank.
They commenced proceedings on Tuesday, the divers
first clearing away the rigging, &c., impeding
access to the hatchways. Since then they haVe
been successfully engaged in bringing up various
articles belonging to the ship. On Wedneday
morning the diver sent down came across three
bodies, which he disentangled from the wreck, and
they floated to the surface, but we are sorry to add,
with a gross carelessness of the commonest rights
of humanity, they were allowed to be washed out
to sea, the only step taken by the crew of the tug
being to tear off the pocket from one of the bodies
(a female), as they said, in order to identify the
body, which at the same time they were so reckless
of preserving. The pocket was found to contain
the sum of Gs. 6d. and a passenger's ticket, which
showed the unfortunate deceased to have been a
native of the county of Cork, named Mary O'Brien,
aged 18. The above information having been con-
veyed by Capt. Newton, in charge for the owners,
to Mr. Coghlan, the collector of customs, that gen-
tleman, with his usual promptitude and vigilance,
immediately despatched several tide waiters to the
spot, to be at hand and secure all property belong-
ing to the unfortunate emigrants that might be
brought up, and to see that proper respect was paid
to their remains. On Thursday evening and yester-
day he also sent down several dozen coffins for the
reception of the dead, which will be brought to
Wexford, in order that a proper register may be
kept of everything found upon them likely to lead
to identification. A very large number of persons
have written to the collector, forwarding particu-
lars respecting their relatives and friends who were
on board the Pomona when she left Liverpool,
almost every one of which mentioned that the de-
ceased had with them large sums of money—a
further reason why every precaution should be
taken to save and restore to their friends whatever
may be found belonging to them. The body of the
young man who was stated by some of the sailors
to have been the son of Mrs. Paxton, it has since
been ascertained was that of the steward, named
Blair, the remains of Mrs. Paxton's son, a youth of
16, not having been found. From a letter received
from Liverpool, it would appear that Mrs. Paxton
had only two children with her, a son named
William, and a daughter, aged 13, named Ann.
It is said that she had upwards of £lOO in her
possession at the time she embarked, but there
was only found in her pocket, when rescued
from the hands of the depraved creature who stripped
her body, about £5 and a letter of credit on a New
York firm for 300 dols. (£64). In addition to this,
however, there has been recovered a small box be-
longing to the unfortunate lady, containing, among
other property, a quantity of silver plate, forming
part of tea, dinner, and dessert service. Her gold
watch, having Thomas Paxton' engraved on the
case, and a coral necklace, With the initials S. P.'
on the silver snap, were found in her pocket. At
the Oulart Petty Sessions, on Tuesday last, Ann
Kirwin, the woman who stripped the body of Mrs.
Paxton, and Thomas Kirwin, her husband, both
residing at Ballyconigar, near to Blackwater, were
each sentenced to six months' hard labour for having
in their possession property belonging to that lady,
and which had been taken from her body while on
the strand. Besides the above these parties are liable
to a prosecution under a section of the Merchant
Shipping Act of 1854, which imposes a penalty of
£5O on offences of this nature, in addition to what-
ever other punishment may be imposed upon them."

THE AUSTRIAN ARM' .IN PIEDMONT.

(Fjom the Special Correspondent of the Times.)
AUSTRIAN HEADQUARTERS, MORTARA. May 10.
Your correspondent at Vienna has probably kept
you informed of those movements of this army
which are of sufficient importance to be communi-
cated by telegraph, I will, however, recapitulate
briefly what has been done since the beginning, as
telegraphic despatches are not famous for either
extreme accuracy, or even for consistency one with
another.
The first Austrian troops crossed the Ticino on
the 29th of April, five days after the French had
passed the western frontier of Sardinia. This delay,
as you know, was in deference to the wish of the
British Cabinet. •
A brigade of the sth Corps, under General Fes-
tetics, had the honour of leading the way. It crossed
at Pavia, and pushed on the same day through
Garlasco to the Terdoppio river, followed by the
entire 3d Corps, under Prince Schwarzenberg, to
Gropello.
Thelth Corps, upon Baron Zobel, had come up
from Bergamo and Brescia to Rho, intending to
cross the Ticino further north, then made a demon-
stration at Buffalora, and then turned southward
through Abbiate Grosso towards the bridge at Vige-
vano, which, however, it found blown up. It was
therefore obliged to cross at: Bereguardo on a pon-
toon bridge constructed by the Engineers. This it
did on the 29th, reaching Gambolo the same day.
On the following day, the 30th, the sth Corps,
under Count Stadion, passed the same bridge, and
the Bth Corps, under the renowned General Bene-
dek, crossed at Pavia ; the 7th pushing on to Mor-
tara, acrd the 3d to Garlasco.
On the Ist of May the 2d Corps, under Prince
Lichtenstein, crossed at Pavia, so that it took three
days for the whole five corps d'armee to cross the
Ticino.
On the night of the Ist of May the line extended
along the Agogna river from Vespola on the north
to San Nazzaro, and thence to the eastward along
the Po ; the 3d Cores still keeping the centre, with
the sth and 7th on its right, and the Bth and 2d on
its left. This relative position having been kept
until now, I need not detail the marches, but will
briefly say that the line was gradually advanced
and extended in this order until the day before
yesterday, the Bth, when the headquarters of the
Commander-in-Chief, General Gyulai, were at
Vercelli, and the whole country north of the Po as
far as Biella and Craglia on the north- west, and the
Dora Baltea on the west, was occupied by the
Austrians almost without opposition. The Pied-
montese dug trenches across and otherwise .njured
the roads, and placed batteries to defend them, but
did not io so. At Vercelli they mined the magni-
ficent railway bridge acress the Sesia, but the
Austrians discovered and withdrew the gunpowder.
This non-resistance is very remarkable, for the nature
of the country is such that the advance of an army
can be most easily impeded. The roads are in most
eases artificially raised, the fields on each side being
dead flat and kept under water for the cultivation
of rice, besides which, numerous canals at several
different levels cross each other in every conceivable
Nva_y.
The chief opposition occurred at Valenzia, where
there were two fine bridges across the Po. Thepne
the Piedmontese had themselves destroyed, and the
other the Austrians determined to destroy for them ;
so, on the 3d and 4th they made great demonstra-
tions as if to cross the river, both there and opposite
Frassinetto, and succeeded in mining the bridge.
On the 4th also General Benedek, the enemy's
attention being drawn to the abovenamed points,
succeeded in crossing the Po at Cornale, with
40,000 men, on a bridge constructed by the Engi-
neers, a corps which in Austria has reached a
wonderful degree of efficiency. He pushed on to
Voghera and reconnoitred Tortona with a powerful
detachment. In retiring he blew up the railway
bridge of Pontecurone, which must be a serious
blow to the allies. In the night of the 4th to the
sth the Po rose 15 feet, and destroyed General
Benedek's bridge over the Po, thus isolating him
entirely. In 24 hours, however, another bridge
was constructed, over which he retired on the 6th,
carrying off vast stores of bread, tobacco, salt, rice,
meal, corn, hay, &c., from Voghera.
At Valenza the unparalleled rise of the Po filled
the first mines 'formed, and it was not till the Bth
of May that the bridge was destroyed. At Frassi-
netto the intended deception was completely suc-
cessful. Quantities of boards, &c., were ordered
with great ostentation at Candia, and some hundreds
of labourers. On the 3d of May some Lancers led
the way across a ford of the Sesia to an island
between that river and the Po. Four companies cf
Grenadiers followed and half a rocket battery, the
whole under Colonel Puchner. The island is thickly
covered with brushwood, so the smallness of their
number was concealed from the enemy, who opened
a heavy fire from the southern bank of the Po.
This was answered by the rocket battery and the
Grenadiers, who extended themselves along the
bank. As the Piedmontese fancy they did much
mischief that day, a few accurate figures may be
useful. The Austrians lost on the 3d, before mid-
night, one man killed and eight wounded ; of
the latter, one has since died. At night Captain
Dwyer, an Irishman, led over another battalion to
the island, and a noise of hammering was kept up
till morning, as if bridges for the passage of a
large army were being constructed. During the
entire night the loss to the Austrians was only
three men wounded. Here, too, the rapid rise of
the Sesia, which took place a few hours before that
of the Po, nearly caused a loss, but happily the
whole force was withdrawn in safety, owing to the
voluntary exertions of the Piedmontese labourers,
who saved many drowning men. This circumstance
clearly proves how untrue are the statements made
about the animosity of the Italians against the
Austrians. I have myself been only three days in
Piedmont on this occasion, but I have already ridden
140 miles, and stopped at nearly every village, and
to an Englishman the natives would not conceal
their feelings. I can assure you that their anger
is all against their own Government, not for this
war merely, but for the whole policy of overloading
them with taxes, such as our exploded window tax
and a tax on carriages, for the purpose of keeping
up an army beyond the wants of the country. I
speak of the peasantry. The burghers and lawyers
may think differently. Yesterday most of the troops
were withdrawn to the east of the Sesia, and the
head quarters moved to Mortara this morning.
Not knowing that, I rode to Vercelli, and had to
return. The Piedmontese reconnoitred Vercelli in
the afternoon, and some skirmishing took place,
but to the west of the town. The timing of the
reconnaisance preVes how well informed the Ver-
celli people kept their friends of the Austrian
movements. The head men of Vercelli were
equally aware of the approaching reconnaissance,
and threw every possible difficulty in the way of
finding horses and carts for the transport of bag-
gage, forage, &c., for the troops, hoping to cause a
delay. The Austrians bore this very patiently.
I must postpone till to-morrow or next day
some anecdotes of the campaign. One, however, I
must relate now, to prove to you how little the
Piedmontese people like this war. When the
Austrians arrived at a certain town, which I
must not name, the inhabitants reproached them
much for not coming a fortnight sooner. Ex-
pecting them, they said, they had made every ex-
cuse to delay providing their quota of the reserve
of the army, and had the Austrians arrived they
might have escaped sending at all. By the way, the
Piedmontese have carried off nearly all the horses
and provisions from this part of the country. At
Stroppiana they even carried off the women to work
at Casale. The Austrians sent provisions for the
starving inhabitants left there.

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