The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-30 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THITitSDAY EVENING, MAY ' 30, 1861,

but which will, we venture to predict, not long after
the railway is completed, become well-known
enough to the numerous London families who
wish for genuine and healthy sea-side pleasure.

We refer to an extension of the East Anglian
line from the Lynn terminus to HUNSTANION.

The sea prospect here is peculiarly grand
and attractive. It is looked upon from a beautiful

and rather lofty cliff; northwards,there is the sublime

sight of a vast ocean, on whose bosom not a single
island lies to intercept the spectator's gaze to the
North Pole, could human vision reach so far, or the
form of our earth permit it; while, turning to the

west and west by south, the dark line of the Lin•

colnshire coast stretches along at the blue distance

of thirty miles, a distance not too great for the
perception of woods, houses, windmills, and the lofty
tower of Boston occasionally, by the naked

eye—always, in clear weather, by a glass

of moderate powers. Shipping is no
wanting. All which enters and leaves the large
port of Lynn must pass in sight of the Hunstanton
Lighthouse ; and many ships which do not enter
the Wash are yet visible to the spectator. In this
respect the little village is quite a contrast to our
great attraction on the southern coast.
Along the coast, on each side of it, there is a
pleasing country. In the village itself is the old
baronial residence of the L'ESTRANGE family,
which is said have come over with WILLIAM the
CONQUEROR. One individual of it, Sir ROGER
L'EsTRANGE, is well known to English history for
the part he took in the Civil Wars, as a Cavalier, in
which he owed his life to the goodwill of CROM-
WELL. We, of the Fourth Estate, are bound to hold
him in honour ; for though he accepted the office
of Censor of the Press at the Restoration, he
brought out himself a paper, called The Public
Intelligencer, and has been said to be the father of
the English newspaper press, for though news-
papers had existed before, he was the first to infuse
into them life and vigour. He was a scholar
and a writer of numerous political pamphlets. The
ancient hall is occupied, and is still a very interest.
ing specimen of the baronial style of building.
The present representative of this ancient family
takes, we understand, considerable interest in the
project. He has built a large hotel at the terminus
of ►he railway, and is leasing ground in its vicinity
for building purposes ; several houses have
indeed been already erected. From this
spot the cliffs gradually rise to a con-
siderable height, till they reach their highest point
where the lighthouse stands, whence they again
gradually descend till they terminate in sand-hills.
They are perhaps, if not the highest, yet amongst
the most beautiful cliffs in England. The upper
stratum is of a peculiarly solid white chalk, so
strong that it hangs in vast table-like slabs over
the softer rock which has crumbled away from
below. This immediately subjacent stratum is of
a bright red ochreous colour, contrasting strikingly
with the pure white above and with the dark yellow
and brown sandstone which composes the lower
parts of the cliff. At the bottom lie, in wild con-
fusion, huge slabs of the hard chalk which winter
has precipitated from the height above, while be-
tween this debris and the sea, there is a pleasant
beach. The water retires at ebb to a considerable
distance from the shore, affording infinite diversion
to the younger portion of the community, by the
opportunity of hunting out the tenants of the re-
maining water which in pools surrounds the rounded
weed-covered sandstone rocks, which extend a con-
siderable way out from the shore, indicate the great
gain which water has made, and is still making, at
this point on the land.
Of the commercial merits of the line it is not for
us to speak. It is but a short time since Ave paid a
brief visit to the beautiful spot we have imperfectly
described, and we noticed that it will run on a per-
fect level all the way, and a great part of it through
land of but little value. The cost ought to be very
light. But, we confess, visitors, not shareholders,
were in our thoughts, and to the latter we leave
entirely the calculations which concern them.
County visitors to the place will doubtless be
numerous ; but we are much mistaken if London
does not furnish a respectable quota. The distance
is not great ; the scenery novel and attractive ; the
fourteen miles ride along the coast from Lynn itself is
pleasing. Under the patronage of Mr.L'ESTRANGE the
accommodation is now agreeable and sufficient, and
will doubtless be brought up to any demand made
for it ; and, for the numerous families who for

various reasons may prefer comparative quiet,
where the young also IN ill find unusual sea-side
entertainment, we do not know a pleasanter spot.

It has already been notified in our columns tha
a numerous and influential meeting had token place
in the Rotunda at Dublin on Saturday last in
reference to the cancelling, by the present Govern-
ment of the contract entered into with the Gal-
way Packet Company by the late Government—
the Derby Government. The object of this meet-
ing was simply, as amended—" to consider what
steps should be taken to prevent the withdrawal of
the subsidy from the Atlantic Royal Mail Steam
Navigation Company for the conveyance of the
American mails." The Lord Mayor presided over
the proceedings as Chairman. Several speeches
were delivered, among others, by Alderman REY-
NOLDS and by Mr. WHITEsIDE,M P. forEnniskillen.
It is not so much to the speeches which were de-
livered, however, as to the resolutions that were
passed on Saturday, that we are here anxious to
direct the attention of our readers, however cur
sorily. The resolution entrusted to Mr. WHITE-
SIDE'S advocacy, to begin with, ran, it will be ob-
served, then, in the manner following :—" That
bearing in mind that the Galway subsidy was
granted mainly owing to the geographical position
of Ireland, and with a view to facilitate postal and
mercantile commerce between the New and Old
Worlds, we feel that to withdraw the subsidy on
vague and insufficient grounds is a grievous and
intolerable injury 'to the commercial interests of
Great Britain and Ireland." The next resolution,
supported by Mr. PARKER was expressed more
briefly to the effect—" That the reasons put forth
by the Postmaster-General, in his letter of the 15th
instant, for cancelling the contract, are most unsatis-
factory and utterly inconsistent with the terms on
which the subsidy was originally awarded." The
third resolution, introduced to the meeting by the
chairmansubsidy oorfigtihnealAlytlantic Company, being—" That
a
additionalwreason for guaranteeing the
commercial an
omnaereial interests asofalrdeelsainred, toby promote the
direct and rapid communication with America
taonyf ruasettr aotne tthbea t par
object
cotf
asG oavne n
mweenmt ucsatleur el
agtaerad
in-
dication of positive hostility to the progress of this
country." This last resolution is certainly cha-
racteristic of the land from which it emanates..
They can hardly ever, there, make up their minds
but that every act of the Imperial Government that
does not exactly meet their own views, must neces-
sarily originate in some sinister design directly
hostile to the interests of Ireland. As if we
knew not perfectly well that what injures them
necessarily injures ourselves. The last resolution,
like the first, was of a somewhat lengthy
and circumlocutory character. It remarked " That
considering the fact of nearly two thousand per-