The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-25 00:00:00

THE CANADIAN OIL REGION.

(From a Correspondent of the Toronto Leader.) '
Leaving London by the 2'40 p.m. train, your cor-
respondent went directly to Wyoming—the de-
barking point for Black Creek, as any one might
suppose who is favoured with a sense of smell. The
peculiar odour of the oil, which is here stored in
large quantities for carriage to the eastern markets,
is perceived, especially if the wind happens to be
favourable, at .the distance of a mile or two. I
noticed that the large platform was covered with
the blackest and oiliest of barrels, saying nothing
of the hundreds of empty ones which were
returned from the east, and which in promiscuous
heaps, oftentimes 20, feet high, covered the ground
for rods. The rapid importance this place has
assumed is astonishing. A few months ago, and it
was no place; now it is the place; than there was
a station at a distance of a few miles on either side
of it ; it was not even a stopping point ; now it has
stores and shops of every kind. Post-office, carpen-
ters, shoemakers, tailors, blacksmiths—in fact, all
the trades are represented—and two doctors hang
out their shingles. A fine foundry has just been
got into operation. There are livery stables and
teams here without number, and last, but never
least, hotels of a very good kind. From the crowd
of drivers, hotel runners, and lounging stragglers,
one would almost suppose himself at the station of
a city. So great is the increase of business on the
Sarnia branch of the Great Western that the com-
pany are now removing one of the neighbouring
stations to this place, and are erecting storehouses
for the oil.
With the arrival of the morning train from Sar-
nia, which, by the way, is only 17 miles distant,
and is the resting place of great numbers of Ame-
ricans who come here, I took one of the half-dozen
stages that run to the oil regions. lam sure not
less than 35 or 40 passengers went on the same day
to the creek. The road for the first six miles was
tolerably gooc, though, the country being a dead
level, with a soil of heavy clay, drainage is difficult.
The road passes through the centre of the township,
is cut and clQared most of the way, and is partially
ditched. But soon we hope the labours of the ener-
-getic contractor, who is building a plank road from
Wyoming to Black Creek, will render the route less
wearisome than at present. At a distance of four
miles we come to a store and tavern ; this is Petrolia.
West from it about half a mile are the wells known
as "Kelly's Wells." These at one time attracted
considerable attention. There are here about_ a
dozen wells yielding tolerably. A refinery has been
built at a cost of 10,000 dols. It is now just com-
mencing operations. Proceeding, we occasionally
passed finely cultivated farms. The last five miles
of the journey subject the traveller to an experience
such as he seldom enjoys. The road is fearfully
rough, so that, notwithstanding the good springs,
we sometimes feared that our backbone might get a
" kink which might not be so easily shaken out."
As some involuntary es.clamations of danger escaped
from me, a rascal sitting opposite laughed. " Why,"

said he, " I guess you're a stranger to these parts,
for if you'd only been here this spring ! Stranger,"
he added, " do you see these logs piled alongside
of the road for miles ? Well, I've seen as many
as 20 men at a time scrambling like monkeys over
these ere logs ; this road was covered with water";
the mud was dear knows how deep, and if you got
in you was likely to leave your boots, as I have seen
good men do before now. Why, I saw a delicate
young chap, a judge's son from Boston, stuck so
tight that two of us had to go back and help him
out. Look here, stranger; do you see that ere
canal ?" I had noticed for same miles a strange
g ditch, about 18 inches deep and five feet
wide,
n
the clay at the bottom of which seemed to
have been smoothed in some way, and had been
puzzling myself to account for it, " That," said my
talkative friend, who was evidently a Yankee,
" that," said he, " is the canal in which they drew
out the oil. It was loaded on stone boats, a barrel,
or perhaps two at a time, and then dragged about
four miles by oxen, sometimes floating, sometimes
slipping through the mud and water, until they got
to the drier road, when the load was transferred to
waggons. Lord! how I larfed at first. Barrels,
oxen, and driver was all of a colour, all equally wet
and muddy ; but these is good times. The road is
beautiful now, and soon the plank road will make
it like railroad driving, and it won't cost no dollar
a hundred to get stuff in as it did last spring, and
their you couldn't get nothing in."
We passed a good many waggons of oil going out
to the station. Each waggon carried from four to
seven barrels. The teamsters looked sufficiently well
lubricated to enable them to slip through the world
without trouble. We arrived safely at Black Creek
in time to partake of a good rough dinner in com-
pany with 30 or-40 others. Having fallen in with
an acquaintance, I was much assisted in my tour of
the territory. The place—Black Creek—derives
its name from a creek of that name running through
the oil region. It is about half way between the

•

than gas, and much more convenient, and furnish-
ing the best machine and lubricating oil yet known,
must ultimately be brought into universal use.

THE WHALE FISHING.

- - - -4-- -

In Eastern lauds it is high praise to say of a coun-
wine, and oil abound there—the oil
of the three foremost requisites ;
are equally hopeful for an abun-
dance of oil—but with this difference, that it is not
the mild buttery produce of the olive, but the more
luscious one of the whale w. e desire, and that
we desire it so much as to put it first, conscious that
if our harpooners and shipowners get but plenty of
it their corn and wine will be sure. Taking an ave-
rage of years, the whale fishing pays. One good
season covers many bad ones, just as a little charity
covers a multitude of sins. This year is the year of
reward, the season of makeweight. This year the
catch of our eight ships is (allowing 150 tuns to the
narwhal) 764 tuns, valued, with bone, at about
£42,000. This is emphatically a good year. When
the news left Davis Straits, the fishing was so far
from concluded that we are warranted in expecting a
catch of about one-third more fish before the season
expires; and we may remind our readers that, two
years ago, the whole of that year's catch was taken
after the date at which our whalers are reported
as having this year secured their 764 tuns. It has
been said that this year's success is unprecedented.
That is an error. In 1823 the ten Dundee ships
took among them 282 whales, being' more than 28
fish to each vessel, and 2,168 tuns of oil, or over 216
tuns for each ship. In 1828 all the Dundee whalers
returned " full." This year the average per ship
was, at the end of July, 954 tuns—in 1849 it was,
at the end of the season, 146 tuns ; in 1856, 166
tuns ; in 1850, 100 tuns; and in 1823 it was over 216
tuns. The memorable fishing of 1823 stands by itself.
That year was a famous one. Each fishing port saw
its whalers roll home like so many greasy casks full
to the bung; the fatty ships, sodden from deck to
keel, covered the docks with a film of creamy blub-
ber, and some men drove a good business in skimming
the grease-covered docks as dairymaids skim cream
bowls. How the ships were garlanded and wel-
comed ; how the fatty, ruddy-faced tars came to
port rich in pocket and in perfumee, and how the
boys swarmed in the rigging and raced along the
stays, for the garlands are things not readily to be
forgotten. That year the Princess Charlotte,
Capt. Adamson, came into harbour on the 25th
of September, with 26 fish, 230 tuns ; the Achilles,
Captain Valentine, with 37 fish, 260 tuns ; the
Dorothy, Captain Deuchars, with 27 fish, 225
tuns ; and the Advice, Captain Webster, with 23
fish, 210 tuns. On the 27th of September, the
Thomas, Captain Thorns, came in with 38 fish,
240 tons. On the 6th of October,'the Three Brothers,
Captain Foreman, arrived with 28 fish, 215 tuns ;
on the 10th, the Horn, Captain Jeffers, came,bring-
ing 32:1- fish, 240 tuns; the Friendship, with 17
fish ; and on the 16th the Estridge, with 30 fish.
Last of all, in November, came the Fairy, with 22
more whales, and she closed the arrivals for that
truly extraordinary. year. What the value of the
great bone and blubber harvest was in 1823 we
have no evidence before us to show. The value,
however, of some of the best of more recent years
is thus stated :—ln 1849 Dundee's five ships brought
home over £30,000 worth of bone and oil. In 1856,
when a succession of wretchedly bad years had re-
duced our whalers to three, each whaler got an ave-
rage of 166 tuns of oil, and the gross value obtained
by the three vessels was over £31,000 ; and in 1859,
when the trade was looking up again, and when
our town sent five ships, the total take gave 109
tuns to each vessel, and a collective value of £29,000.
The year 1855 was almost blank, and the whole
gross series of years from 1849 to 1856 varied from a
yield of £2,000 to
£13,000 worth of Arctic produce.
This brief preliminary statement will help our
readers to an estimate of the fortunate nature of this
season's fishing,when eight whalers have, long be-
fore the close cf the fishing time, and with every
prospect of yet securing more fish, secured oil
.and
-bone of the value of
.E 42,000.—Dundee Advertiser.

EX7 I? 4 ORDINARY NON - DPLIT 7. .RY
AND MALVERSATION OF 1,500 LETTERS.

---,
Yesterday the meat remarkable cases of non-de-
livery and partial malversation of public letters
that has occurred' since the establishment of the
General Post-office was brought to light by the
apprehension of a young man, 19 years of age,
who had been employed for the last twelve months
on the Lombard-street and Fenchurch• street walks,
one of the most commercially important and re-
sponsible districts connected with the General
Post-office.

It appears, from the most authentic information
that could be gained upon the subject, that
ever since April last numerous representations
have from time to time reached the " Mis-
sing Letter Department " of the Post-office
from hankers, commercial firms, and companies in
Lombard-street and its neighbourhood, stating that
letters containing notes, cheques, advices, and cor-
respondence, had not duly come to hand; and the
authorities, although, through their dectectives and
other officers, exercising every vigilance, were alto-
gether, until yesterday, completely non-plussed and
at a total loss to account for their non consignment
and delivery. From information, however, re-
ceived, and from suspicions afloat, Edmund William
Bullen, of 5, Mercer-street, Shad well, unmarried,
and living with his parents there, was taken into
custody, and the circumstances that led to his ap-
prehension and to the subsequent discovery of this
wholesale detention of letters are rather remarkable
and curious. A short time ago some notes were
presented and cashed at the Bank of England, but
these notes not having been received by the proper
parties, notice of the non-receipt of them was com-
municated to the Post-office, who gave information
s, a well-founded sus-
of it to the accountant of bank-notes, who for-
warded them for inspection to the Post-office autho-
rities,picion by
wasNevnhtoemr
entertained
ead that
appear
the
endorsement of the
name and address upon the notes, although
fictitious, was in the handwriting of the delinquent.
On being apprehended yesterday, and brought
before Mr. Peacock, the solicitor to the Post-office,
and the other authorities, Bullen was requested to
write his name and address upon paper, and on
comparing it with the handwriting on the stolen and
abstracted notes the similarity was so self-evident,
so unlike an escrow, that the authorities at once
determined on detaining Bullen in custody. He
was then searched by the officer, and on examining
his pocket-book two £5 notes were found that had
been abstracted from a letter sent through the
Norfolk post, addressed to Messrs. Hankey's,
bankers, in Fenchurch-street, and which in the
usual course of things should have been delivered
at the bank ten days ago. On being asked bow
he came by these notes, Bullen replied,
"I found them yesterday on Cornhill." Sub-
sequently the prisoner's cupboard, a recep-
tacle that each of the letter-carriers bas at
the General Post-office to put his things in, was
searched, and there, to the astonishment of the esta-
blishment, were found whole bundles of letters, con•
taining not fewer than 1,500 in all, with dates and
postmarks from all parts of the country, as far back
even as April and May, and extending over subse-
quent months up to within the last week, and which
ought to have reached their destination in the city.
During the day they were forwarded to their re-
spective addresses, to the no small surprise and per-
plexity of the parties who ought to have received
them some weeks and months ago. Upwards of 100
letters alone from amongst those that were im-
pounded were received by commercial firms occu-
pying chambers in St. Micha-l's House, George-
yard, Lombard-street—Messrs. R. Smith and Co.,
East India merchants ; Messrs. A. Milne and Co.,
and other firms, containing dock warrants, advices,
and correspondence. Similar letters were delivered
at the various banks, insurance and other companies
in Lombard-street and the district; Mr. Elmslie,
solicitor, of Lombard street, a dividend warrant for
£5O, indentures, and numerous other remittances
by other parties. There were also between 70 and
80 letters addressed to barristers and solicitors in
the Temple, the explanation of this being that,
Bullen being what is called a supplementary or
assistant letter deliverer, was occasionally employed
on other walks besides the one in Lombard-street.
Bullen, it appears, was taken into the service in
consequence of his respectability and the satisfactory
nature of his testimonials and antecedents. re-
ceived 18s. per week, and was employed in the ordi-
naryire
collection and delivery business from 5 o'clock
in the morning until 6in the evening; but recently,
by means of some arrangement with the other men,
he had occasionally absented himself from his duties,
indulging in billiards, skittles, and excursions on
the river, and commenced the career of "a fast young
man," latterly working of y about eight hours a
day, and going on some three or four deliveries,
with which he was entrusted, over men who had
been for years in the service. Further inquiries
have been set on foot to ascertain whether there are
any accomplices connected with the extraordinary
transaction.

Bullen was brought up before the magistrate at
Bow-street in the course of yesterday, charged with
stealing a great number of letters containing mo-
ney and other property.
Smee, the Post office constable, deposed—l was
present at the assistants' office, General Post-office,
yesterday, when the prisoner was brought there on
another inquiry, and I received orders to search him
with his own consent. I found in the pocket of
his official coat 35 post letters of various dates. He
was asked how he aclounted for having them in his
pocket. •He said some he had neglected to deliver,
and time he had been unable to deliver,

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER • 25, 1861.