The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-30 00:00:00

FIE SUN, LONDON," WEDNES-D'A V' EVENING, DECE MBER 20, istlT

speculations will then be fostered and stimulated
" Money will become a drug in the market." The
" hard calculators," having achieved their objects,
by obtaining the property of their softer brethren
at less than its actual value, will bring forth their
concealed hordes, having realised profits sufficient
to enable them to await patiently the commence-
ment of another monetary crisis, which they will
be enabled to produce all the sooner in conse-
quence of the additional power they have obtained.
The condition of the rich will thus gradually be-
come more enviable, and that of the poor, ground
down by oppressive enactments, more miserable,
until a state of affairs similar to that which pre-
ceded the decline and fall of ancient Rome will
again be produced. It will require no extraor-
dinary power of vaticination to predict the speedy
decadence of British glory ; and the Moneyocracy
will deplore too late the fatuity that induced them
to incur the risk of forfeiting the substantial be •
nefits they were enjoying, from their greediness
in snatching at further contingent advantages.
The Directors may probably make a further
reduction at their next meeting. They are now
underbid 'in. Lombard-street, and must conse-
quently conform to the present state of affairs.
Enough of mischief has been produced, and it i 3
not always safe "to goad the overdrawn ox."
The tortured animal may possibly turn on his
persecutors ! As it is, the nation should profit
by the painful lesson it has received, and remove
the cause that has produced, or at all events
materially aggravated, the sufferings of the in-
dustrial community—of. all, in fact, who earn
their daily bread by their daily labour.

We have adverted to the apparent fairness of
Mr. BUCHANAN'S language respecting the Kansas
proceedings, while we could but suspect that
something lurked behind which he desired to con-
ceal. It turns out that our suspicions were but
too well founded. So justly indeed, that one of
his partisans, a senator, and a leading Democrat,
has come out in vehement opposition to his policy.
Mr. DOUGLAS who has denounced the course taken
by the PRESIDENT, and has divided against him in
a larger anti-slavery minority, we believe, than
any obtained of late years in the Senate, was the
author] of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill, by which
slavery became possible in that territory ; yet he
regards the scheme of Mr. BUCHANAN, and of the
" Bagus" convention, as such a gross outrage on
the rights of the United States citizens, that he
will not sacrifice his brother freemen to the
shameless violence and intrigues of the pro-slavery
men, and to the cunning and plausible PRE-
SIDENT. Mr. DOUGLAS also was the principal
means of obtaining the votes of at least two Free
States for the PRESIDENT, and he obtained them by
representations, pledging Mr. BUCHANAN, as far
as in him lay, to the admission of Kansas as a
Free State. But for this prevalent opinion judi-
ciously nursed by well-timed silence on the part of
BUCHANAN, he would in all probability have lost
his election. Even the Quaker and traitor-state
of Pennsylvania, could hardly have given her
vote for BUCHANAN and slavery, had she not be-
lieved that Kansas was to be free.
Mr. BUCHANAN has quickly shown his true co-

lours. Governor WALKER, sent to Kansas by

him in the pro-slavery interest, but yet a man of
sufficient public standing and character to be un-
willing utterly to falsify things, and disgrace him-
self by outrageous party violence—Mr. WALKER
soon perceived that the Free-sailers in Kansas
were an overwhelming and undoubted majority,
and that any man who had the least particle of
salf•respect could not ignore the glaring fact. In-
seed, every Governor in succession has been com-
pelled. to acknowledge and succumb to the same
fact. Mr. WA.LKER struck out of the returns at

one election some grossly false ones, in which the

pro-slavery votes were sev9ral times more nume-
rous than the entire population of the district, as
the Governor found by personal inspection. Mr.
BUCHANAN, finding Governor WALKER was not to
be bribed or threatened into desertion of his duty,
and that the Secretary, Mr. SANTON, was taking
measures to obtain an honest expression of public
opinion, has gone already to the extent of super-
seding them, and of nominating to the vacant
posts men who will prove, no doubt, unscrupu-
lous supporters of BUCHANAN and slavery.

It will be remembered that there were two con-
ventions, one appointed freely by the inhabitants
of Kansas, called the Topeka Convention, the
other the result of Missouri violence, called the
Lecompton Convention. The Free-soilers will
do nothing to acknowledge the pro-slavery
convention, and abstain from voting under
its regulations. Indeed, we believe that
pro-slavery declarations are still required un-
der the ruffian laws as a qualification previ-
ously to voting. It is not easy to see, therefore,
how honest men can implicate themselves in any
of the transactions connected with the Lecompton
Convention. The Free-soilers accordingly de-
clined to vote for the Convention, which was to
construct a constitution ; they probably felt
secure of nullifying the aotion of the " Bagus "
convention, by refusing the constitution when it
was submitted to them entire before being finally
sent up to Congress. This has of late been the uni-
form practice before asking for a constitution to get
the approbation of Congress, and the Freesoilers no
doubt relied upon it. The President and the
Convention, however, doubtless well understand-
ing each other, have hit upon a clever trick—one
of the most ingenious devices of political sharping
we ever heard of. The Kansas-Nebraska act
does not explicitly say that the whole constitution
shall be submitted to the votes of the people ; the
Convention, therefore, submits only a part. It
puts the question—" Whether the St.►te shall be
admitted with or without slavery into the Union,"
to the ballot of the citizens—it refuses to put
the whole constitution to the vote ! and the
oily Mr. BUCHAXAN says—" Well, we must
settle the question somehow—the slavery question
is the i►nportant one, and as that is submitted
to the people, the main point is placed in their
hands, while—the language of the act is some-

what vague, as must be admitted—the vagueness
being such as rogues only can perceive. Even
taking- Mr. BUCHANAN'S own ,statements, no
honest man can for a moment doubt that Mr.
DOUGLAS, the author of the act, never suspected
that any political knavery would think of sending
up to Congresss a Constitution which bad not, in
its entirety, been submittal to the popular suf-
frage. If the language were somewhat general,
it was because the custom to which it referred
needed no more definite reference.

There is no doubt now, whatever, of the na-
ture of this shameless trick. The Convention,

indeed, keeps the Constitution, except the slavery
clauses, a secret, but enough has transpired to
show that the remaining portion of it has clauses
peculiarly favourable to slavery, and such as will
Confirm the power of the pro-slavery men, or
eave 100
soil pholes for slavery to get a footing on the
which the
free from this moral and political pet. It is
more than ever obvious that the Presisdent and
his slaveholdera are wholly in the wrong. There
could be no need to 'resort to such shifts and
dishonest practices as these, were there not some
sinister end to be obtained. The whole thing

i resembles. the coup cretat election of the EMPEROR

—when. th© candidate submitted himself or
nothing to the overawed voters. Indeed, it seems
worse, for even if the slavery clauses are
rejected, and if it is voted that the State
shall be admitted to the union without slavery,
the remainder of the constitution will not have
been vetoed, and that will afford a fulcrum for
the power of the slavery men to move the whole
state.

It is truly grievous to see the First Magistrate,
of what should be a great Republic, lending him-
self to such paltry trickery, and also to such un-
dignified FOG and DODSON practice in his first
Message. England blushes, even before Naples
and Austria, for such a specimen of Anglo-Saxon
Government. Mr. BUCHANAN'S astuteness on be-
half of Republican slavery surpasses anything we
have seen from the pen of the ministers of despots.
Count NESSELRODE or BUOL must yield the palm
to BUCHANAN, when oppression,—oppression com-
pared with which all is liberty in Lombardy and
Naples—is the thing to be achieved, covered, at
defended. Sincerely do we wish—hope, with
such a nest of sharpers in office, is too strong a
word—that the revealed chicanery of the Presi-•
dent may compel even an American House of lte-
presentatives to take some care of the national
putation. With misgovernment and oppre,
in Austria or Naples we are irritated, but of the
pro-slavery meanness of American Free States,
and the Presidents they elect, we do feel ashamed.
We could wish that they were not the offspring
of England. It is a well-deserved punishment of
the PRESIDENT that the troops he sent to Utah,
having stopped in Kansas, to force slavery on the
overpowering majority there, have reached so
much too late for the expedition, that the Mor-
mom have fairly beaten them. The Kansas
knavery will cost the exchequer an addition of
four regiments to the army next spring !

JOINT-STOCK BANKS.

•
RIVER THAMES AND THE MUSES OF PARLIAMENT.—
In consequence of the complaints of members that bad
smells were felt in the House of ,Comanons, Sir B. Hall
requested Mr. G. Gurney to explain some parts of his
scheme for " preventing a further pollution of the river
and the atmosphere about tie Houses of Parliament
during the construction of and system of drainage that
may be carried out." The es-planation so given was
ithued yesterday as a Parliameatary paper. The evil ii
attributed to the retention of sewage against the down-
cast influence of the tide.
THE EAGLESHAM MURDER.--We understand that, in
addition to the tacit admission of his guilt made by the
prisoner Thomson while on his way to Paisley on Thurs-
day night, on Saturday he more fully and more formally
acknowledged his guilt. He says that his motive for
committing the crime was to obtain possession of the
small sum of money which he suspected his victim was
possessed of, and that it was only on seeing the poor
girl fall upon the floor, after having partaken of the
poisoned draught of beer, that he was struck with a
s: .a aof the fearful position in which he had placed him-
see- The prisoner was visited on Saturday by Mr.
Sheik'', %sow and Provost Brown, to whom he ex
press, e a wish that the Rev. Mr. Aitken, of the North
Ohre,.:.. Paisley, should be requested to visit him. His
seleco.,n of this gentleman arose from his having heard
him e-each while is the prison of Paisley previous to
his h Thomson, we believe, appears fully alive to
the .a,,.: -1 nature of his position and of the necessity
of foec,e. .ng the advice given him by the Lord Justice
Clerk tc make the most of the short time allowed him
or preparing for eternity.—Glasgow Daily Mail.
OF A WIFE UNDER SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES
—On Monday/John Sager, master of the Keigbley
work'mase, weie apprehended under the following cir-
cumstances :—On Saturday week his wife died, and it
wa arranged that the funeral should take place on the
-ceedieg Wednesday. In the interval circumstances
o wse:ch led to a poet mortem examination of the
y heinee made by Mr. Ruddock and Mr. Aiuley,
e.s. An inquiry before the coroner was opened on
appointed for the funeral, and owing to the
evidence adduced, it was determined to lorward some of
the contents of the stomach to Mr. Morley, surgeon, of
Leeds, for analysis. The inquest was then adjourned to
Saturday last, when a letter was received from Mr.
Morley, but as its contents cculd not be taken as evi-
dence in his absence a further adjournment of the in-
quiry took place to this day (Tuesday).—Leeds Mercury.
DEATH OF A MANIAC.— On Monday afternoon last
Mr. W. Payne, coroner for the city of London, held an
inquest at Bethlem Hospital on Mr. Hugh Pollard Wil
loughby, aged 56. The unfortunate gentleman was con-
nected with the family of Sir H. P. Willoughby, and
became an inmate in the above hospital under singular
circumstances. In the year 1854, in the course of a trial
at the Old Bailey, the deceased persisted in interrupting
Mr. Giffard, who was addressing the Court, and he was
ordered into custody, but ultimately liberated. The
deceased afterwards attempted to shoot the same learned
gentleman (klr. Giffard), for which he was tried and ac-
quitted on the ground of insanity. Mr. Willoughby was
accordingly removed to Bethlem Hospital, where he has
remained up to the time of his death. The unfortunate
gentleman received the utmost attention while in con-
finement, but notwithstanding his health gave way, and
be gradually sank, and died some few days back. The
jury returned a verdict of natural death.
A CAPTAIN CHARGED WITH DESERTING MS CREW.—
Yesterday Captain Brownrigg Candlish was brought
before the Liverpool magistrates on the charge of de.
serting two of his craw on the Isle of Ascension. It
appeared that the ship (the Northern Brute) put into the
island for stores, when the captain and four seamen
went ashore. Two of the men, named Latham and
Mark, left the captain on the pretence of getting some
tobacco, and when they returned they found that the
captain and the other two men had left the island, and
had nearly reached the vessel, which at the time was
under weigh. In answer to the charge the captain
said he was under the impression that the men had de-
ser ed the ship, and he accounted for leaving the island
without the usual certificate of the consul, by saying
that the gentleman was from home when the vessel
sailed. A fine of Si. was imposed in both cases.
LIVERPOOL, Dec. 29.—At an adjourned meeting to-
day of the creditors of Messrs. Klingender, Brothers,
shipowners, after a stormy discussion it was resolved to
reject the offer of ls. 6d. in the pound, and to wind up
the estate under inspection. At a meeting of the cre-
ditors of Messrs. John Fazakerly and Co., timber mer-
chants, to-day, it was stated that the liabilities of the
firm were about 30,0001., and the assets 12,0001., and
an offer of 6;. Bd. in the pound was submitted. Four
gentlemen were appointed to inspect the state of affairs
and to report to a future meeting of the creditors.
Two ROBBERS POISONED BY A LADY.—An American
exchange gives an account of the following occurrence at
Attapulgus," Georgia. A gentleman who had received
a considerable sum of money was compelled to go
from home, leaving his wife alone in the house, situ-
ated some distance from any other dwelling. Towards
evening two negroes entered the house and demanded
of the lady the money, or they would take her life.
Being a woman of great coolness she saw at once that
it would be useless for her to attempt to evade the
demand, so she produced the money and gave it to
them. The negroes then remarked that, as supper was
nearly ready, they would stay and eat with her. Sae
told them to be seated till she got it ready. The woman
had a vial of strychnine in her cupboard, and in sweet-
ening their coffee managed to put a dose of the poison
in their cups. They drank, and in a few moments
were dead. The neighbours were_ns.lted in, and the
negroes discovered to be white men in diegnise—near
neighbours and friends of her husband, who had known
of his receiving the money, and of his absence, (The
whole etnry is prnho.kly o finfion.)
COMMITTAL FOR ARSON IN SUSSES.-0a Wednesday
I last a special petty sessions was held at the Greyhound
Inn, Waldhurst, Sussex, when a labotirer, named Styles,
was charged with feloniously firing some sheds, which
are the property of Mr. Joseph Smith, the landlord
of the Railway Tavern. Aboat a quarter to one o'clock
on the previous. Saturday morning Mr. Watson, a lodger
at the Railway Tavern, near the Wadhurst station, was
awoke by a noise, and on opening his eyes was startled
by the glare of fire. Instantly jumping out of bed, he
discovered that the premises were on fire. The inmates
of the inn were immediately alarmed and were soon out
of doors, when they found that two of the sheds were
being rapidly demolished by fire. The fire had such a
mastery that it could not be stopped by water, and
consequently burnt itself out, the fire fortunately being
confined to two sheds, one a cart shed, in which a cart
aad a stone tug were destroyed, and the other a
temporary shed built for hoop-shavers to work in. Oa
the following day (Saturday) information was given to
the police, and having made inqUiries, Sergeant Wag-
borne went to the residence of Styles, which is in the
neighbourhood of the tavern, and apprehended him. It
was proved that the prisoner had had disputes with the
prosecutor and some of the workmen employed on the
premises, and that he had several times threatened to
be revenged. Shortly before the fire broke out the pri-
soner was, with a companion, about half-a-mile from
the Railway Tavern ; and he was also found near the
tavern soon after the fire was di,,covered. Other evi-
dence was given, and the prisoner, who pleaded not
guilty, was committed for trial at the Lent Sussex
Asssize.—Sussex Advertiser.

CHURCH-RATE CONTESTAT GREENW3II.—In pursuance
of a demand made at a vestry meeting of the parishion-
ers sf Greenwich, held on Friday the 18th inst., a poll
took place on Monday and yesterday for the purpose of
determining whether or not a church-rate of ld. in the
pound should be granted, the vestry having decided by
an immense majority against the rate. The poll W 33
brought to a close last evening at 7 o'clock, when the
Rev. M. A. Soames, the vicar, announced that the
making of the rate had been carried by a majority of
533, the numbers being --for the rate, 921 ; against it,
388. The opponents of the measure deny the validity
of the rate, notwithstanding the majority thus obtained,
in consequence of the rev. chairman having refused to
put a motion for the adjournment of the vestry for six
weeks for the estimates to be amended.

Too LONG CRIDITB.—The credit system, under
prudent restrictions, is a necessity of trade. Cash
down is simply impossible, except in a very limited
kind of businees. But there is a vast difference
between a proper credit system and an improper one,
and this difference is not only exhibited in a very
s•riking, manner in various kinds of business in New
York in which short and long credits are gven, but
in the business of this city as compared with that of
Philadelphia. The Joarnal of that city publishes an ex-
tract from a letter from a New England manufacturing
concern to their agent in Philadelphia, which says We
think you were very much mistaken in yoar ettimates
of most of your concerns, and, on the whole, we
think it very discreditable to the jobbing trade of your
city to make such a show as most of your suspended
houses do. So far, we have not lost as much in the
wsfhu thistle t r i United
e m
ed
to ent States as in your city alone." The truth
is not denied, and the cause of it
the recklessness of the Philadelphia
is
statement
houses in selling on ruinously long credits, for
the purpose of introducing customers from the
West to purchase their goods there instead of
coming to New York. The consequences of such
imprudence have been palpable enough ;
Philadel-
phia jobbers have sold an enormous quantity of merchan-
dise, and they have made more disastrous failures than
in an other of the great cities of the East; their banks
were the first to suspend, and they will be the last to
resume specie payments. The journal states that the
jobbing merchants have been in the habit of purchasing
their goods at six and eights, and selling them at
nine and twelve. Such a system as this could not
end otherwise than in disaster, and it is not at 01l
strange that more bad debts (should be contracted
there than in any other part of the Union. There have
been meeting in this city of the hardware dealers, the
booksellers, and the wholesale druggists to regulate
their system of credits, but nothing has been done by
any other class of our jobbers in relation to this matter.
The experiments of the past /six months have taught
important lessons to all classes of traders, importers,
and manufacturers, which they will profit by, for a
while at least, in their future transactions. The no-
minal terms of credis require no change ; they haye
been established to conform to the exigencies of
commercial transactions in this country, but it is
their er.forcement which is needed to rave the commnU
nity from the evils which have afleted it the present
year. With the opening of trade in 1853 there will be a
new method of doing business inaugurated, which will
be bet' er for the importer, jobber, retailer, and con-
stimer.—Nciti York Times.

THE BRITISH MUSEUM.—AII the departments of this
in;ti.ution will be closed from Friday next, for a week,
as is usual at the commencement of the year. The new
readirg-roorn, large as it is, is very much crowded.
Yesterday .as many as 433 readers resorted to it ; the
pressure on the attendants was very great, and in the
afternoon there was even difficulty in finding a seat.

bishopric of Cuba, to which he was nominated some
time ago, but is to be made an archbishop in
partibus. The members of the Narvaoz Cabinet
had, says the Epoca, held a meeting to come to an
understanding ontho explanations to begiven to the
Cortes relative to their fall from power. A now
bank, called the Bank of Commerce and Manufac-
tures, was about to be established. An advance
had taken place in public securities, and, on account
of the favourable news from abroad, it was thought
likel to continue. Notwithstanding the crisis pre-
vailing in several countries, no bank in Madrid had
increased its rate of discount. A French journal,
to be called the Cosmopolite, was about to be esta-
blished at Barcelona. A letter says :—" It appears
certain that the Spanish government will consider
the mediation of England and France in the Mexican
affair as broken off, if Mexico does not accept all
its conditions. In consequence of this resolution
preparations are being actively made both in Span-
ish ports and in Cuba for an expedition against
Mexico."

"The allegations of the Brunswick correspondent
of the Constitutionnel, relative to the note of the
Cabinet of St. Petersburg on the Duchies affair,"
says the Nord, "produced a very unfavL arable im-
pression in Germany. It was supposed, from what
the correspondent said, that the French Govern-
ment intended to intervene in the difference be-
tween Denmark and the Germanic Diet, or at least
to submit it to the Congress which meets in Paris.
In recognising that it has been led into error, and
that the despatch of Prince Gortschakoff, already
published makes known the real attitude assumed
by the Russian government in the affair of the
Duchies, the Constitutionnel destroys any supposi-
tion of a difference between France and Russia.
Our Paris correspondent besides reminds us that
the French government has declared that the ques-
tion is exclusively German, and that the powers
which signed the protocol of London of 1.852 would
only have to meddle in the affair in case the in-
tegrity of the Danish monarchy should be menaced.
Nothing causes this last eventuality to be antici-
pated, and consequently France, like Russia, con-
fines herself to counselling moderation and a spirit
of conciliation. England, on her part, manifests
the same dispositions."

" The opposition made by the German duchies
annexed to the Danish nannarchv against what is
called the unitary constitution accorded by the
King on the 2d of October, 1855," says the
Independance of Brussels, " becomes every day
stronger and more decisive. It is known that the
deputies sent by the duchies to the Supreme
Council of the monarchy have in succession
given in their resignation. New elections
to fill up the vacancies left by the elections
are to take place in a few days; but,
according to a let rer from Hamburg, there is not in
Holstein a man of any importance who will stand,
and the electors en masse have resolved to abstain
from voting. As to Lauenburg, most of the mem-
bers of the Provincial Diet have resolved to abstain
from taking any part in the elections. It is conse-
quently possible that the province may remain un-
represented in the Supreme Council, of which the
session is to open on the 10th Jan. In Holstein,
it is feared that a still stranger circumstance will
occur ; the Danish officers in garrison there possess
the property qualification required both for elec-
tors and candidates, and it is possible that some of
them may be elected.

A Stockholm letter states that the session of the
Swedish Diet, which has already lasted more than
18 months, is about to be brought to a close.

HACKNEY COACHES IN PARIS.

The hackney coachmen of Paris, who not long
since gained a grand victory by persuading the Pie-
feet of Police to repeal his decree, which had esta-
blished an equitable scale of fares, according to the
time for which a carriage was kept, have now com-
pletely routed the unfortunate public. Not content
with the revival of the old tariff, they have now got
for their etrennes a considerable augmentation.
Adieu to the ride for 22 sous. The worst carriage
and the slowest horse in Paris will not, after to-
morrow, be had for loss than 25 sous, to go from one
street to the next ; and for the hour the price is
raised from lf. 50c. to lf. 75c. In other words, inas-
much as a tip of 5 sous will be generally given, if
only because a coachman has never any change, 2f.
will be the least sum for which any ride can be had
if a single halt be made, although the carriage may
be only in use for teu minutes or a quarter of
an hour. The fiaere drawn by those diminutive
horses (not ponies) which excite the curiosity of
every stranger to know where they can come from,
is to cost 1f.40c. the ride, and 2f. the hour, instead
of lf. 25c, and if. 750. The superior sort of
broughams, called voitures de remise, are to be 2f.
the ride and 21: 25c. the hour, instead of lf. 75c.
and all 2. In this change I have no hesitation what-
ever in saying that the public is very ill served.
There must be some occult jobbery—some interested
interference with wholesome competition, to account
for the retrograde movement. Time was when
Paris was a model to London for the regulations of
its hackney carriages. That can no longer be said.
In London you may get a long ride for sixpence in
a good vehicle, and now here, with a very inferior
horse, if not carrage, you cannot move a step under
double the money. This is not all. The supply
of common carriages is altogether insufficient for
the wants of the population, and if you are in a
hurry the chances are that you must perforce take
a remise, which, without being substantially better,
is nearly four times as dear as a London cab for a
short distance. It is quite evident, taking a broad
view of things, that the interests of Paris must
suffer from the want of facilities for locomotion.

FORGING Sgt.HEWS CRRTIFICATRS.—The practice of
forging these certificates has been of late carried on to
such an extent in Liverpool that the most vigilant exer-
tions are required on the part of the officiate at the
Sailors' Home to discover and punish the offenders. By
means of these certificates sailors of indifferent character
and ability are palmed upon ship captains, to the great
detriment of the service, and to the injury of the really
excellent and worthy sailors. The persons who manu-
facture these certificates are for the most part boarding-
house keepers—a class who, particularly in Liverpool,
are often the worst enemies the sailor has. A detective
officer has been recently. placed at the Sailors' Home to
facilitate the exposure of this fraudulent system.
CUILD BURNT TO DRATII.---INQURST.—Last night an
inquest was held on the body of Henry Martin, a little
boy, five years old, the son of a poor widow, living at
22, Clement 'e-lane, Clare-market. On Saturday evening
the mother stepped out for a minute to buy a candle,
leaving the child playing before the fire, which was un-
protected by either guard or fender. On her return the
child's clothes were all on fire. He was found to be so
burnt that he died during the night. The coroner re-
marked forcibly on the impropriety of leaving children
alone with an unguarded fire.

THE LEVIATHAN.—Somewhat formidable preparations
are being made for resuming the launch of the Levia-
than towards the close of the wear. Portions of the
ways over which the ship has travelled have been taken
up, and several fresh.buttresses erected nearer the cradles
for the rams to actagainet. Altogether there will be no
fewer than 18 presses brought to bear on the ship, one of
which is of considerable power, and was used at the
raising of the tubular bridge over the Menai Straits. The
metal of the cylinder is 15 inches thick, and it is stated
that it can accomplish a pressure equal to 1,200 tons,
although not near her full power will be applied, the
buttresses not being equal to the resistance. This mon-
ster ram weighs 30 tons, and has been placed on the
forward end of the after cradle. The other presses are
12 inches in diameter. The hydraulic power that will
be applied will be more than double what has previously
been put on. The moorings of the hauling chains have
also been strengthened. Mr. R. Stephenson, M.P.,
Paid his second visit to the building yard, accompanied
by Mr. Brunel, and inspected the arrangements and
position of the rams. The ship remains in a fair and
even position on the ways, and does not exhibit the least
perceptible deflection. Amongst the visitors we noticed
Sir LB. Walker and several officials from Woolwich
DOckyard.—Shipping Gazette.
Ma. CHARLES DieSENS AT CHATHAM.—Probably on
no former occasion was there a more brilliant or crowded
audience assembled in any building in either Ilachester
or Chatham, than congregatedin the Lecture-hall on
Tuesday evening, to greet Mr. Chas. Dickens on the oc-
casion of that gentleman giving a "reading" from his
well-known Christmas tale, the " Christmas Carol."
Long before the time of Mr. Dickens commencing, the
spacious building was crowded with the elite of the
towns and more distant neighbourhood, and the officers
of the garrison and dockyard, the appearance of the hall
being most imposing, the effect being considerably
heightened by the elegant decorations designed by the
committee. Since Mr. Dickens has become a resident
in the neighbourhood of Chatham, he has ever taken a
most lively interest in everything connected with the
Mechanics and Literary Institute, for the progress cf
which he has been most anxiety. This has.been shown
in the graceful manner in which he announced himself
an annual subscriber, and subsequently permitted him-
self to be elected president of the institute. Being
informed that the library required augmenting, he very
handsomely consented to give a reading of his " Christ-
mas Carol," the proceeds of which to be devoted exclu-
si,dy to the proposed object. Unless we have been
misinformed, the result has exceeded the roost sanguine
expectations of the committee. Apart from Mr.
Dickens being a resident near Rochester, the neighbour-
hood of that city has, if we may so speak, peculiar
claims on that gentleman. In Chatham he spent a
considerable portion of his early life ; and that the asso-
ciations connected with his early home were. not for-
gotten, is proved by the fact that nearly.all,theincidents.
chronicled in his immortal " Pick wice are laid
.at
either Rochester or Chatham, while many of. the peculiar
names of the prominent individuals made illustrious in
those pages are almost indigenous to this neighbourhood.
--South-Eastern, Gaxcete.