The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-17 00:00:00

v this port on the 31st ult. The complimentary remarks,
of which the following is a portion, appeared in the
columns of the Patriots of the Ist inst.:—
" English ships are always patterns of discipline, snd
of everything else appertaining to the naval service,
whether acting singly or in squadrons; but anything
to equal those under the command of Commodore Martin
we never yet saw: Scarc.4 a day passed without their
crews being exercised with the great guns, the sails, or
the masts.. Often have we seen from the windows of our
house, which overlook the Tagus, at a signal from the
.rainutes after,
dCoowmnm
hoedrore topmasts,, on e a
of the
ttd noble
in i 5v
ot ngat inny. frigates bring
have them up again and all sail set. In signalising. too,
:hat mute language, to their proficiency in which the
English owe a part of ther successes by see, they were
fry quently exercised. In paying this tribute of praise
to Commodore Martin, it is due at the same time to the
captains of the other ships to say that nothing could
exceed the discipline of their crews and the skill and
promptitude with which they obeyed the Commodore's
orders.'"

MR. HALE'S ROCKET RING AT
OS BORNE.
JUNE 15.—His Royal Highness Prince Albert having
expressed a desire, through Colonel Wylde, who was
prevent at the recent experiments at Shoeburyness, to
witness the firing of some of Mr. Hale's rockets, Mr. Hale
proceeded to Osborne on Friday morning, and received
notice that the Prince would be present at the jetty, or
landing-place on the grounds of Osborne House, at half-
past three o'clock in the afternoon. Mr. Hale was in
attendance at three o'clock, and in a few minutes com-
pleted his arrangements for firing twenty 10-pounder
rockets, the lion. Colonel Grey pointing out the best
position, in the centre of the open ground, betwixt the
residence of her Majesty and the water, the direction of
the rocket-tube being to the north-west. On the arri-
val of his Royal Highness, shortly before four o'clock,
Mr. Hale exhibited one of his rockets, and explained
the principle on which it was constructed, to be fired
without the stick always used with the service-
rocket. Mr. Hale then explained the new plan be
had introduced in connexion with the firing-
tube to resist the starting of the rocket until it had ac-
quired a considerable force, which is effected by a ba-
lance weight, regulated to the desired resisting power,
and the Prince seemed much pleased with the simplicity
of the plan adopted. The tube having been placed at an
elevation of 12 degrees, a resisting pressure t f Sib. was
given to the balance weight, the rocket, which his Royal
Highness had minutely inspected in his own hands, was
placed in the trough-end, the port-fire applied to the
quick-match by Mr. Hale, and it instantly started in a
straightforward direction, making a beautiful flight to
the distance of nearly a mile, and after striking the
water was seen to ricochet to a consider able distance
further. The boatswain in charge of the landing place
then took the portfire and fired all the others. When
the eighth or ninth rocket was firing the Fairy royal
steam-yacht came rapidly round the point from East
Cowes, having Colonel Bouverie on board, and ran vary
nearly into the lire of the reckete and the Prince was
extremely anxious to know if any danger ‘N as
to bo apprehended, as he had heard and wit-
nessed that they could not be depended upon for
taking a straight direction, but Mr. Hale assured
his Royal Highness that ho could now derend
upon his, and the firing Ives continued very satisfac-
torily, while Caine! Bouverie was landing at a short
distenco south of the station of the rocket tube. Two
of the rockets were fired without the resistance balance-
weight acing applied, and the difference was remarkable,
the range being not nearly so great, and tha flight not
so quick, although the direction was good, as were alt
the others without exception. Two of the shell.
headed rockets burst in the air at their extreme range,
and several a second or two after they had struck
and were under the water, and the reports of the latter
were distinctly heard on shore. The Prince was much
gratified with the celerity with which the rockets could
be fired, the whole occupying but Peltier& time. His
Royal Highness, when the rockets were all fired, asked
if they were more expensive than the usual service
rocker. Mr. Lille explained that his rockets could be
made at fully one-third less expense than tho
common service rockets can be wade at the Royal
Arsenal. Mr. Hale subsequently submitted a carcase-
head for a 10-pounder rocket, and titled with a compo-
sition which cannot be extinguished by water, calculated
to burn two minutes on being ignited, when the last part
of the rocket composition is burnt ou', and used for
setting fire to buildings.. The boatswain afterwards set
it on tire, and it burnt with great intensity on the damp
ground. Mr. Hale then submitted a piece of the com-
position with which his rockets are charged, and ex-
plained to his Royal Highness the nature of the ingre-
dients and by which he fills his rockets by hydraulic
pressure, which renders the composition more solid than
when driven home by a monkey or mallet with the hand.
His Royal Highness, after thanking Mr. Halo, returned
to Osborne-house, accompanied by the Hon. Colonel
Grey and Colonel Bouverie.

PAIRS ON LORD ASHLEY'S AMENDMENT IN
THE FACTORY BILL.
Bernard, Lord Alolesworth, Sir W.
Buck, L. W. Mangles, R. D.
Benttnck, Lord H. M'Taggart
Brooke, Lord Adair, H.
Dickson, Samuel Scrope, G. P.
Walsh, Sir John Cobden, R.
Burghley, Lord " Denison, J. E.
Manners, Lord C. Abdy, Sir T.
Noel, Hon. G. J. Hutchins, E. J.
Gore, W. O. Hastie, A.
Verner, Sir W. Philips. Sir G.

Lord Langdale is to be the Speaker of the House
of Lords on the resignation of Lord Cottenham. Being a
Peer, as well as one of the Commissioners of the Great Seal,
the appointment of Lord Laugthle to the Speakership of the
House of Lords is the most obvious and natural arrange-
ment pending the time that must intervene in the new set-
tlement of the several duties of Lord Chancellor. Lords
Langdale, Denman. and Campbell, were Deputy Speakers of
the Lords, and either of the other Noble and Learned Lords
is still competent to sit as Speaker in the absence of Lord
Langdale.

ERECTION OF A BEACON ON TUE TONGUE SANDS.
—During the last few weeks the Board of Admiralty have
caused an accurate survey of the Tongue Sands to be made,
in furtherance of rendering the channels more sate to ma-
riners beating up and down. The result has been the erec-
tion of a conspicuous buoy at the north end of the Tongue of
the Prince's Channel, the spot where the Royal Adelaide
was wrecked. The new buoy is of gigantic dimensions: it
is painted black, and is surmounted by a staff and ball, and is
discernible at a considerable distance. The subscriptions for
the relief of the widows and orphans •of the .unfortunate
creatures who perished in the illfated vessel have, we are
sorry to hear, been exceedingly small, and inadequate for the
plirposes intended.

CONCERT AT WILLIS'S RooMs.--M. Godefroid's
Gcoondeeefrrto ask place
perfoornmSeartounrdtahye mhaorrnp ihnags.
lo'nrhgebaebenilit3rot' M
acknow-
ledged, and he enjoys a considerable reputation in Belgium,
where he has of late years been a resident. His concert on
Saturday contained some pleasing exemplifications of Lis
talents—also of the superior character of his invention in
writing for the instrument with a view to display its true
genius and availability. The pianoforte playing of Madame
%Vatic!, described in the programme as "celebrated," did
, not produce much effect. The execution was neat, but be-
yond this it was not remarkable. Sainton and Piatti were
among the hstrumentalists. The principal vocalist was
Mdlle. Schloss, who gave the great scena from the Fieischutz,
with her usual faultlesness, both as to style and mechanism ;
and Miss Catherine Browne, a pupil of the Royal Academy
of Music, and the owner of a tine though apparently ever-
forced voice, may be commended for tne tasteful and un-
affected way in which she rendered Moore's pretty ballad
"Rich and rare were thegems she wore.'*tThe remaining singers
were Mdlle. de Ruppliu, Signor Brignoli, M. Jules Lakin,
&c. The pianoforte accornpanyists were NM. Alary, Vera,
and Frelon. The concert was not too liberally attended.

EXHIBITION or 1851.—We are glad to hear that
the directors of the British Institution at their last meeting
voted the stun of 1001. to the funds now raising towards
earning into effect the great exhibition of industry. The
corporation of Plymouth have also voted the sum of 504 to
which the Chamber of Commerce of that town have added
a further sum of 101.

DIABOLICAL ATTEMPT TO BURN A LADY.--EXE-
TEN, JuNr. I.s.—lnformation has just been given to the po-
lice of this city by Sir George Adam, Bart., of one of the most
diabolical attempts to take away the lite of a most amiable
lady, and at the same time burn down her house, which we
have ever had occasion to record. It appears from the
statement of Sir George Adam that Lady Kirkcudbright,
who has for some time past been residing the vicinity of
this city, was awakened out of her Bleep the night before last
in consequence of experiencing a suffocating smell of tobacco,
and almost immediately afterwards she heard sundry small
explosions, resembling crackers. 'laving called out to know
if any person was in the room, and receiving no answer, she
again went to sleep, and in the morning, when the servants
came to call her Ladyship, they found that the door had been
screwed to the side posts, and that all ingress or egress was
thereby cut off. As soon as the doors had been unscrewed,
and the rooms examined, it was discovered that some mis-
creant kad placed some hay under Lady Kirkcudbright's
door, and had afterwards forced under a lighted cigar,having
previously fastened down the door, so that in the event of
the house taking fire, her Ladyship must most inevitably
have been burned to death. The
police are making the most
active inquiries with a view to discover the perpetrators_
ave not
of so
t
barbarous a design, but up. to th
been successful. The affair has the present
pcaairtseas.oenh time they
gloomla universally re-
, over the neigh-
' bourhood, as Lady Kirkcudbright
speeted on account of her liberal and affable habits towards
the poor.
Int E —The arrival of her Majesty's
ship Medea, Captain N. L. Lockyer, with this valuable gem,
looked for. It has been confided by the
Governor-Genera to the charge of Lieutenant. Colonel
may be dnailycE.
his agent with the Commander-in-Chief
'd
-de-camp to Lord Dalhousie. The selection of
during the late. campaign, with whom is. associated Captain
Ramsay, al
Lieutenant-Colonel Mackeson for that missicn appears to
have been very appropriate, inasmuch as that ouster's dis-
tinguished services have all been performed in the countries
with which the history of this valuable diamond is specially
engaged in every campaign on the north-western
connected; Colonel Mackeson having been more or less pro.
frontier from our occupation of Caubul in 1838 to the:subjuga-
tion of the Punjaub in 1849, when this diamond was captured
by the British army.
GOOD WATER. V. BEER. -- Besides the immense
benefits of soft water in processes of cleansing and of manu-
facture, the encoura,ement to temperance in the supply of
so pleasant and wholesome a beverage is not to be despised,
and is what the Londoners have little conception o£
Strangers who come to the metropols from Joe:alines where
so salubrious a draught as pure and even moderately soft
water is customare, draught were a mere solution
y, are horrified in drinking the metropolitan
water, with a feeling as if th
of lime, giving as little gratification, or quenchment of thirst,
as the parched throat of the dreamer of draughts of water
feels alter swallowing imaginarybucketfuls. Hence it is
that the metropolitaus, knowing nothing of the delights of
waver drinking, have a settled but mistaken. idea that it is
water in the abstract that is 'loft tor human drinking.
Hence it is that brewers make hundreds of thousands for
their heirs to throw aw,y.—Builder.
STEAZ,I FROM GLASGOW TO NEW A ORE.—The
new screw steam-ship City of Glasgow sailed from Glasgow
on Friday, on her second trip to New York. The City car
ries a full cargo of light valuable goods; and all her berth
are also taken up.