The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-16 00:00:00

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN RAILWAY .—Traf6 a
return for the week ending July 12, 1857 268,283 0 0
Corresponding week last year
GREAT NORTHERN RAlLWAY—Traffic return for the
week ending July 5, 1857 £21,351 5 1
Corresponding weak last year 20,235 16 10

CHESTER AND HOLYHEAD RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for
the week ending July 12, 1857 £6,669 0 0
Corresponding week last year 6,774 0 0
LONDON GENERAL OgNIBUS COMPANY.—Traffic re-
turns for the week ending July 14, 1857 £12,917 12 11

SUICIDE IN THE REGENT'S PARK.—Mr. Wakley held
an inquest on Tuesday afternoon at the Elephant
and Castle, Camden town, on a gentleman unknown,
who committed self-destruction in the Regent'is-
park on Sunday morning last. The attention of
police-constable 240 S, was aroused about half-
past two o'clock in the morning by a report of
firearms on the bank of the canal, near the Zoological
Gardens, and he found the deceased lying there with his
face and head awfully disfigured by the discharge of a
small pocket pistol which lay by his side. Notwith-
standing that his skull had been shattered and the left
cheek and that side of the nose and eye bad been blown
away, he was alive, and, although perfectly unconscious,
survived twenty minutes after the arrival of Dr. Good-
child, of Princess•terracs. Thewdaescefaosuedndw
fans wheisll
pockets,dreased
but only
jenearanelyelllisadiffddnrsesYs card with_ the name " C.
H. Insert" upon it. He appearel about thirty-two
years of age. The jury returned a verdict " That the
deceased committed suicide, but there is no evidence as
to the state of his mind at the time."
WHERE WILL THE LEVIATHAN GO !—Speculation con-
tinues rife as to the first voyage of the leviathan steam-
ship which attracts every une's attention in passing up
or down the river, and a variety of guesses are circulat-
ing as to the ports of her departure and destination.
Holyhead, IViiiford, and Galway have severally been
named for the former, and Portland, Norfolk, and New
York are contending for the honour of entertain-
ing the monster as eagerly as the cities of ancient
Greece did for the fame of giving sepulture to
Romer. The slaveholders of the south have sent a
)omiFsioner to this country to impress upon the owners
of the "Great Eastern" the commercial advantages de-
rivable from shipping cotton from the port nearest
to the place of growth, unmindful of the failure
which attended the attempts to establish cotton-mills
at Liverpool and bonding warehouses at Maochesters
The New Yorkers, having seen all the mammoths of the--
ocean enter their harbour, are uneasy at the idea of the
most stupendous of all going to any other American port,
striving
.to secure the
and have their agents in England,
great ship's first visit for their own city. They admit
that she could not enter by Sandy Hook, but affirm that
there is sufficient water fur her to lay at anchor in Lone
I-laud Sound. Calculations are being made of the profits
to be realised by charging a fee to visitors, for the citiz'ns
of New York are Ls confident as those of Not folk, who
already, in visions of the future, see btheeeixrpceicttyedthseoornivtaol
maythat city predicts her
goenfoitNenerg %%to,
eoh
seetae or rsa.sticking aPhiladelphiala journalists : o of
the bar, as the inevitable
result of the Great Eastern striving to get through Long
Island Sound, and relates how a certain guano ship,
which could not get up to New York, succeeded in
reaching the quays of the Quaker city. All these con.
lectures and suggestions have their origin on the other
side of the Atlantic, and appear to be little checked
by the official announcement, made a short time back,
that the Great Eastern is chartered by the Grand Trunk
Railway Company to convey emigrants to Canada, and
will proceed to Portland in April nest.

TIM GREAT SALE AT ALTON TOWERS.

ALTON TOWERS, WEDNESDAY NIGHT.
The sale of the collection of armour and arms
commenced on Monday, and was continued yester-
day and to-day, and brought to a close this after-
noon. The attendance of buyers was numerous,
and included agents on the part of Government
from the Tower of London. The interest attach-
ing to the sale seems to increase, and the number
of visitors during the last few days who have per-
ambulated the grounds is very large. The railway
has each diy brought thousands from different parts
.of the country.
The sale of Monday commenced with the armour
and arms in the entrance ball ; after which the
contents of the armoury were disposed of. In ad-
dition to shields, halberds, swords, and helmets, they
consisted of several full figures in cap-a-pie suits.
A. lay figure in a splendid cap-a-pie tilting suit of
plate armour sold for 20 guineas. The day's sale
realised 4551. 2s. 6d.

Yesterday a fine fluted steel Cuirassier helmet of
the time of the Restoration sold for 191. 19s. A
fine circular shield sold for 91. 9s. A figure in a
superb Spanish cap-a-pie suit, 22 guineas ; a lay
figure in a three-quarters snit of tilting armour, 15
guineas. Several other suits sold for from la to
201. each. The produce of the day's sale was
4901. lls. 6d.
The finest portion of the armour was sold to-day,
consisting of several *splendid suits in the Talbot
Gallery—a very fine tilting cap-a-pie suit of plate
armour, engraved, 82 guineas ; a suit of fluted ar-
mour, of globose form, date 1550, 91 guineas ; a
grand equestrian -figure of a knight, in a complete
suit of plate armour, fluted, the figure holding in
his hand a beautiful State sword, inscribed, " Ego
sum Talbotti, pro vincere inimicos suos," sold for
71 guineas. Several flags and banners in the ar-
moury were next sold. A blue silk flag, carried by
the Earl of Shrewshtuy at the funeral of Win. IV.,
was withdrawn. A number of curiosities and orna-
mental objects closed the sale. These included
figures of Le Grand Talbot and his Countess_sold
for 155.! ; and a bust of Sir Gilbert Talbot, of Graf-
ton Manor, carved in wood. _

The proceeds of the day's sale was upwards of
9001., being nbout 1,7001. for the whole.
The Pale of the porcelain, sculpture, marbles, and
marble tables in the Talbot Gallery, the Picture
Gallery, and he Conservatory will commence to-
morrow, and the general impression is that for
several of the articles there will be great competi-
tion and high prices realised. The marbles include
the celebrated mosaic Roman table, wits exotic
birds in the centre, Paid to be the most splendid of
its kind in the empire.

THE CROPS I v THE MIDLAND
410 UNTIES.

We are now arrived at a crisis in the growth of
the cereal crops of the country when some estimate
can be formed of the prospects of the approaching
harvest, and for many years it has not been the lot
of the reporter to have so favourable a report to
present as at this moment. The extremely hot
weather towards the close of last month, when the
wheat was in blossom generally throughout Wor-
cestershire, Gloucestershire, and Herefordshire, led
to some apprehensions of a failure in the kerning,
but happily at the critical moment when it was
wanting we bad some most acceptable thunder
showers, which did no harm to the crops, but had
a wonderfully fructifying effect, and have added
some bushels per acre to the produce. The wheat
is now full, and in forward situations is beginning
to 'harden. The present sunny hot weather just
suits it, and unless a very (peat change takes place
we shall have a very early and no doubt a very
bountiful harvest, for, independent of the average
produce being larger than usual, there is an
increased breadth of wheat planted, especially
in Herefordshire. The barley also was much
benefited—zindeed, saved by the rain, and is now in
ear and looking promising. Oats are but little
grown in this district. Beans were just come into
pod when the rain opportunely arrived. They are
a most excellent crop, being moderately long iu the
straw, wiihout any appearance of the black bight,
which sometimes shortens the crop by destroying
the late blossoms. Peas are promising. The hay-
making is now drawing to a close. The week's
interruption from rain has not been injurious, only
discolouring some of the grass just cut. The crop
is very good in this district—above 11 ton to the
acre, and, with very little exception, will be got
up in first-rate condition. The turnips have becn
much infested with the fly, so that they have had
to be sown two or three times. The turnip crop
will be short. We have heard reports of the reap-
pearance of the potato di-ease, but have seen none.
The early crop is abundant in quantity and of go 3d
quality. The apples are partial. In some parts of
Herefordshire, where the bloom promised a large
crop, they have almost failed. The hop plantations
are looking beautiful ; the bine has thrown out a
promising midsummer shoot, and is free from
blight. The Worcestershire plantations in this re-
spect have a great advantage over the Kent and
Sussex this year.