The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-29 00:00:00

Admission. Is.

On Wednesday, September 4, the Royal South London Floricultu-
ral Society will hold their Las- Grand Dahlia, Hollyhock, and Mis-
cellaneous Flower Show, oven to all Exhibiters. Every Exertion
has been used to render this the most attractive Exhibition of the
Season. An extra Brass Band will attend. All the unrivalled at-
tractions of the Gardens, and extra Fir, works, by Seuthby. Doors
open at One. Admission, One Shilling.

HIGH WATER Al LONDON BRIDGE.
Thu DAY —4forning 36 min. after 5 1 Evening 54 min. after 5
To-X.(3lmm Mcmlng 17 min. after 6 1 Evening 40 min. aster 6

TtIE VEATHER.=-Sux OFFicE, Amara. 21,
, THERMOMETER, IN ME SHADE.

.C 1,—highest since noon yesterday.
,4),:lovrest this morning and during the night.
GO,- this day, at noon.

BAROMETER, 30.13.
WEM Mowing, fine ; Aftemooa, dui: cloudy

weather.

4-I'6 v1(') 40,
3"4:)cif tva*. 7);.`„).1
• 4..47 A. 727.

74}' rm 4.,,,z•A'*41' -qt. •
LONDON, TdURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1850.

Towsrds the development cf commerce there is ab-
solutely nothing of ceurse more requisite than the
opening up of new lines of communication. To this
end, ttferefore, the efforts of persons interested in the
.advancement of mercertile enterprise, are, as a mat-
ter of, currs,e, perpetually direct( d. Formerly this
was the case among all intelligent:communifes. Now-
a days, it is sill more generally the custom, in con-
sequence of those marvellous facilities to locomotion
which have been afforded by the invention of the
steam-engine. Aideil by railroads and by vessels fitted
out on the new principle, the traders of the world
have found thnn2elve.s enabled to accomplish more
in the way of eXportation and importation than could
ever have been dreamed of even by an imagination
such as that of Sir Epicure Mammon, when the Do-
an galleys were yet gliding over the gulf of Genoa,
when the Doges yet passed in procession through
the streets of Venice to celebrate their nuptials with
the Adriatic, while enthusiasts yet cherished a beliefin
the ruby, pebbled rivulets of Cathay, and in the golden
palaces of Et Dorado. Still, notwithstanding all that
has been accomplished in the way of developmentsince
the practical genius of WATT first opened those gi-
gantic paths of intercourse, infinitely greater benefits
in the way of promoting that intercourse remain yet
to be secured, and still more wonderful achievements
are capable of being compassed and brought to a
state of maturity. With the intention of seizing
those advantages as speedily as possible, engineering
skill has now for some time been directed from the
interior of our own country to adjacent territories,
and through these territories to the most
dis-
tanfr quarters of the habitable globe. Esti-
mates have b3en msde of the cost likely to be
incurred in the prosecution of great public works at
th'e other extremity of Africa and on the opposite
shore; of the Atlantic. Scien'ific men have examined
into tee practicability of opening ship canals between
the tvo great oceans in the one direction, and in the
other between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.
According to a bevtiful analogy in geographical con-
formaicer, which has been recently pointed out by an
Inge: ;us writer,* as being-observable in the, general
aspect of our p'anet, it is &awl that " the southern
con:I/tents are chiefly peninsular, being joined at one
of their northern angles to an adjacent continent."
An instant's thought-,wn remind the reader that such
is proved to be the case by the neck of land con-
meting Africa with Asia, and by the simfls bond of
union joining with each other the northern and
southern continents of America. Until such times as
these barriers between the seas and oceans shall be To
far cut through is to present navigable channels of
in tergommanication, two enormous a stacks
will continue to impede the commence of the eastern
and western hemispheres. Such being hedisfeutably
the case, nothing should, of course, be disregarded by
the enterprising, which c.ln in any manner t..nd to the
realizAtion of the desired impror merit.
Already we hove pcatelly dirtc•ei the attention
71)f the public to the proj7ct cf'constructing a ship
can across the latl.m-us of Pena!: a. Less
-4equently, but also. at inters 4, we have,

on one or two occasions, commented upon
a aimilar scheme for the severance, by a like
channel, of the Isthmus of Suez. OF the enormous
advantages which would forthwith result from the
performance of these feats of engineering science, it
would be idle to attempt any explicit enumeration.
The benefits derivable from either are sufficiently
obvious in themselves, removing all necessity for the
perilcus voyages now necessarily made round the
Cape of Good Hope and the southern shores
cf. Terra del Fuego. Of the practicability of
either scheme it would be scarcely less giver-
fluous to speak in the way of demonstration,
that having been virtually acknowledged long since
by those acquainted with the resources of modern
science. In testimony of this it is only requisite to
refer to the intention, now for a considerable period
entertained, of carrying both ideas into actual opera-
tion. A number of practical men, not mere enthu-
siast=, but men of practical sagacity, have from time
to time raised the project in reference to Panama.
NAPOLEON dreamed of running a ship-canal through
the sands of Suez. Msucnuer Au entertained the same
determination. Since their reigns the notion has not lost
any of its attractiveness; on the contrary, it is now
none the whit less feasible, and, more than ever, the
object of fascination. Supposing the latter canal cnce
opened, an immediate and marvellous impulse would
be at once given to the trade between Great Britain
and the Red Sea, and the Persian Gulf and the east
coast of Africa. A transit trade of 305,714 tons
per annum each way, at a tell of seven sbi'lings
per ton, would be sufficient to produce the
means essential to the carrying out of the
undertaking, namely, 214;200/. Of this gross re-
venue 64,2001. would be devoted to current ex-
penses and contingencies, leaving 150,000/. as the
dividend upon the necessary capital of 1,500,0001.
taken at 10 per cent. Such are the most rational
calculations yet made as to the project of a canal
between the Red Sea and the Aditerranean.
From the Bay of Tineh on the latter to Sue
on the former, the navigation would extend a
distance of eighty-five miles in length, with
a current running through the cut at the rate of from
two to three uliles an hour, and always from the Red
Sea to the Mediterranean. By means alternately of
sailing vessels, steam-tugs, and screw-propellers this
line of commdnicati,-)n might always be rendered
available in either direction. Having recalled this
matter once more to general recollection, we would
again impress upon all men cf engincerieg science
and mercantile enterprise the importance to British
commerce of such canals across Suez and Panama.

* Mr. Gforge Smith Brent, F.R.G.S.L., in the first
8( cCon of his " Notes on a Map of the World.
culns I. On The Configuration cf Continents." Bm,
pp. 16. 13rottell, London : 1853.

What is the,ohject cf penal laws? Is it that
society wiahes to avenge itself on an offender, or that
it is desirable to prevent the repetition of similar prac-
tices ? If Sir SAMUEL ROMILLY was right in
stating that it was " the protection and security of
the innocent, and that the punishment of the guilty
is resorted to only as the means of attaining that
end," there can be but little doubt as to the answer
that must be returned to that interrogetory. That
"prevervion is better than punishment " has long been
received as a self-evident proposition. It may, how-
ever, be carried even to this extent—that, cxc pt
for the purpose of prevention, punishment cannot
possibly be justified. _ The entire spirit of the
Christian religion is opposed to the desire for revenge.
Its most sublime precepts are founded in the forgive-
ness of injuries. " Vengeance is mine, saith the LORD,
I will repay." And al•hough the feeling is deeply
implanted in the human heart, it is at least but a
portion of our fallen nature that should be discouraged
as far as practicable.
We feel justified then in asserting that the "so'e
object, of- punishment is to deter from a repetition of
the crime." Whenever it fails to attain that end,
remedies of a different character must be applied.
It d )es not follow , that those remedies should be
more stringent than those formerly in operation.
Experience has prored that the extreme penal ty of death
did not prevent the commission of larcenies and other
comparatively minor offences, for which the perpetra-
tors forfeited their lives in "the good old times." All
right-minded persons were horrified at the constant
repetition of the revolting spectacles of human beings
in the full vigour and steength of their existence being
strangled on the gallows. The petial laws have been
materially altered during the last quarter of a century.
They no longer emulate the Draconic code, which
might be said to be written in letters of blood, con-
demning every offender to be cut off from among the
people, and yet crime has not increased! Since
the tenour of the punishment has been abated
new measures of precaution have been adopted.
Persons do net rely for the protection
of their property m:rely on " fear ;" they are
obliged to guard it with greater vigilance, so that
'the chances of success are diminished, while those of
"detection," and if so, of "punishment," are greatly
increased. Numbers of criminals having been suf-
fered to escape altogether in the olden time, rather
than be exposed to such disproportionate punishment,
as excited the sympathies of the people in favour of
the offender, rather than of the law he had violated.
Tried by this test, then, it cannot .li3adenied that
the practice of summary convictions, and inflicting
corporal punishment on juvenile offenders, has failed
to attain its object. When once a youth has entered
upon a course of " thieving" as a profession he can-
not be retrieved merely by flogging, or imprisonment
with hard labour. Something more must be at-
tempted if any effort is to ba made for his redemp-
tion; he mast be separated from his evil companions
and instructed in the mode of earning an honest
livelihood by his own industry. Under the present
system an unfortunate child, without friends or relatives
to shelter or protect him, is d--tected in some
paltry theft, brought before the magistrates,
summarily convicted, and sentenced to a few
days' imprisonment, and to be " well whipped." He
is cEscharged ; but nothing is done to divert his infant
mind into a better direction. lie has no means of oh-
taining the common necessaries of life ; no one milt
employ him with a blasted character, and he must
" thieve" in order to gain his livelihood. Again and
again the same thing occurs. He becomes familiar
with every House of Correction, and indifferent to the
lash. He is unquestionably tortured a great deal,
but he preys upon society, and costs far more, to
use no higher argument, than wool 1 have done to
direct him into the paths of industry, if adequate
measures were taken for that purpose when his
destitute condition first became known to the autho-
rities. At length he is convicted, after numerous
trials, of some offence that justifies a sentence of
transportation, and then, but not till then, he is sent
to Parkhurst, and steps are taken to reclaim him,
who by that time has become a hardened and expe-
rienced thief.

A strong illustration was afforded of such a case
at Hicks'd Hall, on Tuesday. Two boys were convicted
of piZking pockets in St. Jameb's Park, on the 15th
instant, during the prorogation of Parliament. • The
following history was given of one of them, sgtd
fourteen years :

" Lockyer, one of tl-.0 officers of the Westminster
House of Correction, teplied that he could give the
Court the history of the boy Durkin, which, he added,
was rather an eventful one. It was as follows:—On the
19th of Ally, 1848, he was committid for two days, and
was well whipped. On the 3d of June following he was
committed for four days, and was well whipped. On the
221 of the same mon h he was again committed for two
days, and was well whipped. On the 31 of July :uc-
ceeding ho was committed for 14 days, and was whipped.
On the 9th ef AlLrch, 1849. he was cvmmitted for three
months, and was again whipped. On the 10th of Novem-
ber, in the same year, he was committed for ten days.
On the 29th of that month he was committed for one
month; on the 6th of April, 1850, he was once more
committed for one month, and was well whipped. On the
uenhd, tehramvin of
giemopmreisoon out
11th cf Lley, having been out of prisen but five days, he
imprison-
meat tcoemxpmirtetdtedonfotrhe ltwouh months,(fjly
which
ar
from his confintaatnt, on that very day be was again
convicted of picking pockets, when he was for the tenth
mlimonetbse,natneriacteod tboeim,periiiswonizepnetd. foiri,ntmhe
thpaerti
imprison-
ment poifisoonhe.
mane the boy was released on the 1 1 th of the present
month, and four days afterwards, namely,
on the 15th,
he was apprehended upon the present a arge."
What chance, we ask, was there for that wretched
lad during any portion of that time ? What advan-
tage was deriv(d frcm the various summary convic-
tions—the repeated floggings to which he was sen-
tenced ? Would it not have been fir better if he had,
on the 19th of Aiay, been brought before a
jury and then sent t, Parkhurst? We believe nu
pawn wl.o reads the above melancholy narrative
will differ frcm that ppinion, and will not ccncur

with us in saying that' prevention is better than
puni:Jament."

THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.

We have received the Paris journals of yesterday.
They all contain long extracts from the English
journals, narrating the death of LOUIS PHILIPPE.
The Republique says, "He carries into the tomb with
him the crowned forehead of. the last King of the
French ;" while the Journal des Debate thus com-
ments on the death of that monarch of whose rule
and policy it was certainly the most talented, and, we
believe, the most honest supporter. The Debate
Says :--,
" Melancholy news, too surely foreseen for some time
past, was yesterday received in Paris, where it produced
a general and painful impression. King Louis Philippe
died on Monday, at Claremont, in the 77th year of his
age. We have a right to here express, without any
reserve, the bitter regret and deep affliction which the
death f this lust King of Constitutional France calves
us. We have alvvays honoured, supported, and Served
him. His taus,-, which was that of representative mo-
narchy, was our awn; we honoured his person—we de-
fended his policy. But we do not know whether there
exists in France and in Europe an honest party, an
avowable opinion, a man of feeling who does not, with
us, feel regret at this sad end of a Prince who,
after having secured to his country the most
calm and the moat prosperous eighteen years of its
history, went to die in a foreign land, bet .re his time,
it may be said, for his old age was still green and
vigorous; but neither the vigour of his health nor the
strong spirit of his mind were sufficient to bear up
against the ingratitude of his country. Not only h.es
the life of King Louis Philippe terminated in exile—it
has been shortened by exile. If his heart had been less
French, the King who saved France in 1830, and whom
France abandoned in 1848—he whom the great alarm
of French society had raised as a buckler in July, and
whom a caprice of the country overthrew eighteen years
afterwards—this King, if he bad not been an honest
man, public misfortune would have well avenged after
February. Had he been less of a patriof than he wag,
he would have triumphed at the ruin, the humiliations,
the disasters, and the disgraces of all kinds, which vio-
lently succeeded his peaceful and honoured reign He
would have triumphed at these sanguinary struggles to
which factions, unchained by the fall of his Throne, gave
themselves up over its ruins. But at all these misfor-
tunes, which were like a demonstration, which Provi-
de nce, justly severe, wished to give of the wisdom of his
poltcy, the King only felt the most hi tPr affliction. The
striking justification which the catastrophe of February
gave him, supported his conscionee; it desolated hisheart
and shortened his lite. It is this which makes us think
that we than not he alone in regretting and deploring
the death cf the Krik7. Irs cause was,
.before his fall,
that of constitutional monarchy; it became after Febru-
ary that of society itself."
_ _ _

The Asumblie .Nationale says—" We have been
informed that the body of Louis Pnimrra si ill not
he transported to Drcux. The Princt.s of the Orleans
family have refused to entrust to any one the duties
which the loss c,f the head of their family imposes on
tht,rv."

The PRESMENT of the Republic lift Mttz on the
morning of the 27th; he was to vibit Verdun, sleep at
Chalons-sur-Marne, proceed to Rheims on We d-
nesday, and return to the Elytee on Thursday
evening.
The Moniteur pubishca a circular from the Minis•
ter of the Interior to the Prefects of the Departmf nts
with respect to the business to which the attention of
the Councils- Gi.neral ought to be directed. He strongly
recommends economy of the departmental funds, and
gives some advice with respect to Leal taxation. lie
makes no allusion to the questio vesata of the revision
of the Constitution, unless the folio hing general re-
commendation with which he dozed his circular
should be considered as g it :—" It closing, I
request you once more, Monsieur le Pr( f:cP, to second
the views of the G ivernment by the most. serious anti
the most severe examination of all the pri jects which
in any degree whatsoever can affect the fortune of the
department."
The Buretin de Paris contains a no+ice of the
Nepaulese Ambasnder, from which we extract as
follows

" The Ambassador is accompanied by his two
brothers, and has a suite of 20 persons. He is only
26 years of age, but he is already a distinguished gene-
ral, and is considered one of the most intelligent men of
his country. Ile appreciates the diplomatic attentions
that he has received here, but expresses an earnest ee-
sire to sf.e3 the President of the Republic before his de-
parture, which is at present fixed for the 29. h instant.
In his own language he said, When will the Sove-
reign President return ?' and his interpreter replied
that it would he possible for him t, be presented to the
President berore his derarturee He then said, It is
well, for my nation and myself have a great venera-
tion for the name of the liaiperor, whose courage and
exploits we admire.' General Changarnier and his
suite have paid him a visit, as also th Mi-
nister for Foreign Affairs, and he was much !littered
at this mark of Lttention by .the Government.
The 'Turkish Ambsssador had previously called
upon him. It is difficult, however, to make the Ambas-
sador comprehend that France is a Republic, and cannot
offer him the same splendid files as Queen Victoria
when, he was in London. Tie Ambassador and his
suite have expressed a wish to conform as much as pos-
sible in Europa to the religious usages of India, which
require that the Princes should themselves immolate the
animals destined for their food, but they have experi-
enced great obstacles. It has been erroneously stated
in the journals that the animals are slaughtered daily in
the yard cf the llo►el Sinet. It is true that the Prefect
of Police has given permission for this to be done, but
neither Paris nor the banlieno have furnished the kind
of animals fit for immolation according to tee prescrip-
tions of the Indian religion. The Ambassador asked fur
a fat male deer, of from one to three years old, but could
not obtain it. Several females were brought, but these
would not do. As yet neither he nor his suite have
killed any. animal. Their mode of living is very sin-
gular. There must be as many rooms as there are per-
sons, for each must eat alone. As yet their only animal
food in Paris has been a little game. Their principal
feed is fish and vegetables. Oa the return of the Presi-
dent of the Republic, he will offer a grand fete to the
Ambassador. it' he can postpone his ceparture."
A letter from Cherbourg of the 25th says :
" The 23 division of the eq•iadron has not yet arrive&
The maritime authorities are so astonished that they in-
tend sending out to seek it. The Magellan steamer,
which put into port on the 18th for repairs, went out on
the 22d. The following is the list of the vessels here at
present:—ln the roadstead: 6 ships of the line, the
Friedland, the Hercule, the Jemoaappes, the Henry IV.,
the Inflexible, and the lei ia; 1 sailing-frigate, the
Minerve ; 3 steam-frigates, the Descartes, the Msgellao,
and the Cefferelli; 2 tranaport-corvettes, the Licorte
and the Becephale; 2 steam-corvettes, the Caton and
the Chaptal; and 2 advice boats, the Pi sieix and the
Ariel; in all 16 vessels. In commission de Jost 1 sailing-
frigate, the Porte, of co guns; 1 steam- frigate, of 20 guns
and 450-horse power, the Canada; 3 corvettes, the
Colbert of 8 guns and 320-horse power, the Patriete,
of 8 guns and 220. horse power, and the Newton, of
26 guns and. 220-horse power; the Pa se-Partour, ad.
vice-bc at of 120-horse power, and the Colieri, of 80-
horse power. Under repairs : The Artemise,
corvette of 30 guns, and the lefernel steam corvette, of
400-horse power and 12 gun:. Disarmed: The Roosig-
nol, advice-boat of 10 guns, aed the Parisien, of 8.
This makes 22 vessels, and with the others, 33 in all.
All the lodgings are engaged. There is not a room to
bo bad at the hotels or in private houses, and, in the
evening the jetty is literally encumbered with prouee•
folders. Ail per sons, whether foreigners or not, who
go on board the vessels, are received with the greatest
politene s!."
PARIS Bounsr, AuG. 28.—Latest Prices.—Five
per Cents. 97f. ; Three ler Cents. 58f. 35c. ; Bank
Actions, 2.322 f. 500.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK-EXCHANGE, Aua. 28.

Central of Francs (Orleans and Vierzon), 14—Dnth
Rhenish, 23/4—East Indian, 7 sB—Great Indian Penisula, l7fi
—Northern of France, l4.%—Orleans and Bordeaux, 2%
—Paris and Roneß, 23;q.