The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-23 00:00:00

rtirb V,Silittton

SUN OFFICE, Sias o'clock.

TATTERSALLS'--(This Bvening.)

TWO THOUSAND GUINEAS STARES.
100 to 15 agst Brother to Marchioness (taken)
7to 1 agst Clydesdale (taken)
8 to 1 agst Lord of Lorn (taken)
9 to 1 agst Happy Land (taken)
DERBY.
13 to 1 agat Clydesdale (taken)
14 to 1 agat Toxophilite (taken)
18 to 1 agat Kelpie (taken)
25 to 1 agst Vandyke (taken)
25 to 1 agat Ditto (taken)
25 to 1 aget Happy Land (taken)
50 to 1 aget Physician (taken)
50 to 1 agat Coxwold (taken)
50 to 1 agst Grand Secret (taken)

NAVAL APPOINTMENTS.—(This Day.)

The following appointments were made this afternoon
at the Admiralty

Lieutenants—T. Stackhouse, to the Ardent ; A. J.
Coatfield, to the Alacrity; R. Adams, to the Cambrian;
FI. Dui,lop, to ditto ; J. D. Hopkins, to the Racoon ;
F. R. Blackburne, to ditto.

Sargeons—G. F. Banks, to the Alacrity; P. D, J.
Dorgan (additional), to the Cornwallis.

THE CONVEYANCE OP THE AUSTRALIAN
MAILS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIR,—At this period of severe commercial pres-
sure, the unsatisfactory manner in which the Aus-
tralian postal service is conducted merits the serious
attention of the Legislature, the more so when we
remember that the contractors, under the pretence
of securing unusual speed and certainty for the
transit of the mails, have obtained from the Secre-
tary of the Treasury 44,0001. per annum in excess
of the amount demanded by another company com-
peting with them for the same service. Notwith-
standing, however, the high subsidy accorded, it
would hardly have been possible for the mails to
have been conveyed in a manner more calculated to
occasio❑ loss and inconvenience to our Australian
merchants.

I am far from desirous to hold the contractors
responsible for accidents over which they have
no control. This would be highly unreasonable;
but what I desire to point out is that they
have been wanting in common forethought, and
are responsible for the results of their own wilful
acs, as well as for the neglect of precautions which
it is clear it was incumbent on them to take.
In the first place, they are clearly responsible for
the loss and inconvenience resulting to the public
from the break down of the Oneida, for it is well
known that the foundatien plate of the engines of
thst vessel was cracked when sbe left Southampton;
and Sir C. Wood admitted in the House of Com-
mons that the Admiralty surveyor had in conse-
quence reporeett the vessel unfit for the mail ser-
vice. Notwithstanding, however, this grave defect
in her machint-ry, she was wilfully sent out, and
mark the result—she broke down on her very first
mail voyage ; all postal steam intercourse with
Australis was-in consequence necessarily suspended
for a month, and the homeward despatch of the
mails for four succeeding months was disorganised.
In the second instance, owing to the contractors
omitting the prec tution of placing a rest ship at
Suez—in short, owing to their having the temerity
to.assume that no tic edents could possibly happen
to their ships, the last mail to Australia, contain-
ing, perhaps, the most important commercial ad-
vices and warnings which ever left this country,
will have been detained one entire mouth at Suez.
As to the accident which has occurred to the Emeu,
it is a casualty over which the directors themselves
had no control, but it will not be denied that it is
attributable to the unaccountable neglect of the
servant of the contractors, the commander of the
ship, in permit, itighis vrs,el to get among the reefs
of the Nubian coast, instead of keeping to the beaten
track of vessels—that is, to the central parts of a
sea which is considered free from nearly all those
difficulties of navigation which perplex the mariner
in other oceans. Be the fault of the company's or
their servant's, one of its immediate results is this,
that while the entire correspondence of the Aus-
tralian colonies, to the expressible loss and harass-
ment of the merchants, will probably not be here
for 14 days, in the interim 526,0001. in gold inca-
pable of identification must lie profitless in the
hands of the mail contractors until the letters and
bids of lading arrive, and permit it to be claimed
by the owners, whose feelings on the subject may
better be imagined than described.
If the public here aro silent under these circum-
stances, rely upon it the colonists, who have to pay
one-half of the subsidy, will not remain tongue-
tied. They will peremptorily demand that the con-
tractors should take those steps and precautions
adopted by all the large companies to ensure the
due conveyance of the mails,- or they will insist on
her Majesty's Government forthwith cancelling a
contract which has hitherto been carried out with
so wauch loss and inconvenience to the public.—
Yours, Sso., AN AUSTRALIAN.

MR. MECHI ON AGRIOULTURI.—At a meeting of the
Cozgtsbail A!,ricultural Sooiety on Thursday last Mr.
l`acchi in the course of the evening rose and said an allu-
sion had been made to his year of office and his return
among them. They had all great duties to perform, but
he assured them his heart came back with delight to the
pursuits of agriculture and the varied objects of interest
which it presented to the observer. He could not help
comparing his position 14 or 15 years ago with what it
was now. He then was considered little less than an im-
postor, or the promoter of some wild and visionary
schemes, but he knew that he had strong prejudices to
encounter, and that the truth would prevail. For in-
stanee, when he put up a steam-engine, it was thought
the most absurd act which he could perform ; and new
ho had the gratification of seeing his neighbours possessed
each of his steam-engine, and beard of one gentleman in
Chelmsford having as many as 13. which he let out upon
hire. The farmer had now flund it to his interest to oast
away the flail, which cost is., as an instrument for
thrashing his corn, and to use a machine which cost
3001., as, notwithstanding the enormous disparity in
expense, the steam-engine would produce a cheaper
result. The other day he went down to Wandsworth,
with Mr. Caird and Mr. Morton, to see a scheme of
railway adapted for agricultural purposes, patented by
Mr. Halkett, by which he promises to plough land at a
cost of is. 7d. per acre, hoe it at ls. 3d., and get in the
harvest a: ls. per acre, carrying the manure, atc., of the
farm at id. per ton per mile, leaving a margin for the
interest of the cost of railway, which could be adapted
to the farm at a cost of 241. per acre. By this scheme he
might plough his land by night as well as by day if he
pleased, and if it were necessary for the production of is
good crop that the land should be brought in contact
with the air they would see how important it was to have
a long fallow. Mr. Mechi further described the nature of
this implement, and expressed his opinion in favour of
its practicability. With reference to the appropriation
of sewage manure to the soil he said Professor Way had
been sent to Milan for the purpose of examining drain-
a4e, so as to adopt some scheme for saving the sewage of
London, which was of immense value, but which now
ran into the Thames and was entirely lost. He believed
the difficulty presented was merely a test of ecientifio
skill, and that it only required some mechanical contri-
vance to accomplish the object. There were yet many
things which might be done by agriculturists to great
advantage, but he could not forget how much some had
done, and that there was one gentleman present who
every year burnt at least 1,000 tons of earth into ashes
which, laid upon heavy clay land, greatly inoreased its
fertility. His experience of French agriculturists con-
vinced him that they were not behind themselves in
point of intelligence, but he was also convinced of the
vast superiority of Englishmen in point of capital and
means, the cry of France being, •‘
Where is the money
to come from I" Upon the question of thin sowing he
was glad to find a great change of public opinion in
favour of the adoption of such a plan ;an one . btushuel
per .
acre was enough seed upon his land, d,t h! gh e
would not lay that down as a principle,.he would mom.
ho:rpteadinthoaft thehis
frreiseunldst.
He begged non
them,*trytoit,
mend them to
to them, carry out any
nld, as far as practicablesug-
gestionmight have thrown out.—Essex and
and he en
dw
he
es
Tx .M.A.NAGIUNNT OF WaRKSHOPS.—A. ohangen is
wivoeslsewehr
ahazeette.
coining over the management of our workshops and ma-
nufactories ; the introduction of steam power, and the
subdivision of labour, which has in a great measure been
the result, has caused colossal establishments to rise up
which are really wonderful to behold. Fifty years ago,
a manufactory which employed 100 men was an esta-
blishment worthy of notice : now we may travel over
this land and see it thickly studded with works where
from 1,000 to 2,000 heads are busily employed. Whe-
ther this concentration of human power will be eventually
better for the working classes, or otherwise, is • ques-
tion worthy of the most careful consideration, but which
we will not now attempt to discuss. One thing, how-
ever, is certain, that some of these mannfactativriees;
including the men employed and their families,aah
ple to
population of 3,000 or 4,000, enough. g p
porstaat bodies
occupy a small town. Amongst s
d of the subject.
extent in proportion to the
dlnuegeful in towns, would not
it local government is tou.n
these large communities be
of the English people there shouuldiuttieheplinrOvision made of
a system of management in
consequence of various cOnVaraa-
before our readers, in
and
We are induced to bring this matter
n cf several
,nqually.valuableth?
flans with both . In most cases the masters are
large ma/Infector' •6, •
e
r power for the benefit and
n2enagers workmen
most anxious to do all 'n their
improvement of the social position of the men, but there
seems to be a fear on their part of being intrusive ; the
tives are similarly sensitive, and so it is that little
opera •
in comparison with what might be done is effected.