The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-07 00:00:00

Cbtrtt M7arittott

IMPORTANT NEWS of SIR JOHN
FRANKLIN.

OFFICIAL COMMUNICATION FROM THE
ADMIRALTY.-(THIS DAY.)

With reference to th• article in this day's Morning
Herald, in which it is stated " the writer of the letter
states that he had seen a gentleman from Karnschatke,
who informed him that he had seen Sir John Frank-
lin, that he and all his party were quite safe, and
coming through the North-West Passage," we hare
been furnished with the following copy of a letter
from Mr. Samuel Peck to the Lords of the Admiralty,
by which it will be observed that no mention is made
of Sir John Franklin having been " ssEir" by any
one.

(COTT.)

TO THE LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY.
Liverpool, March 6, 1850.
Mr LORDS,—I hasten to give the intelligence
I have received regarding Sir John Franklin and his
expedition, which I believe to be the first, and I trust
will prove correct, as I can give full evidence to the
honour and truthfulness of the writer, my son.
Here%) ith a full extract of the letter, dated San
Francisco Bay, California, Sunday, Dec 30, 1849 :
" There was a gentleman on board this ship yes-
terday that has just arrived from Kamschatke, with the
news of the discovery of Sir John Franklin and all
his party. They are all well, and hare come through
the North-West Passage.

(Signed) " CHAS WILLIAM PECK."
My son writes from on board the English ship
Blakely, of Liverpool.

I trust, my Lords, that I shall have been the first
to give the intelligence of the missing expedition.
The truth or erroneous information conveyed by the
gentleman alluded to by my son, must shortly become
known.

I give also a postscript to my son's letter :
" P.S.—This is favoured by Captkin Askew, late of
the barque Chillian, of Lpndon, who has kindly
offered to post it for me at Panama, to clear the
Yankee postage."—C. W. P.
I have, &c.,

SAMII7EL PECK.

TuaLATE WAX IN HUNGAItY.— A third edition

of the little volume entitled " Scenes of the Civil War
in Hungary, with the Adventures of an Austrian Officer
in the Army of the Ban cf Croatia," has already made
its appearance. " This," rays the Naval and Military
Gazette, "is a bobk of deep excitement—of soul-har-
rowing interest." In allusio❑ to the late civil war in
Hungary, the Times has remarked that " the recently-
quelled Hungarian rebellion has, in all its stages, excited
the most lively interest in all parts of Europe, and pro-
bably no where more than in England."
THE limmos—the Greek designation for " ever-
lasting"—has been given to a new black silk, which
during its manufacture has been the cause of the re-
moval of many difficulties hitherto considered insuperable.
It is well known to the producers of textile fabrics, that
it is a work of much mental and mechanical application
to obtain a plai❑ silk fit f,r general purposes, which
should at the same time possess the qualificatio❑ of
novelty. In this instance such has been effected in a
silk of great brilliancy of texture, pith an assurance of
lasting w( ar, while it has the further claim of economy
of cost. The hue is said to be proof against acids anti
sea-water. It has been registered under the above title
by the Messrs. Jay of Regent-street, who, we believe,
are ever emulous to obtain novelties adapted to the pecu-
liarities of their trade.—Post.

FATAL ACCIDENT.—OXFORD, MARCH a.—On
Monday se'nnight an accident occurred in this city,
which has since proved fatal to Mr. Edwin Giles Dau-
beny, a promising young man, in the prime of life, demy
of Magdalen College, and nephew of Dr. Daubeny Pro-
fessor of Chemistry, &c, in this University. It appears,
from the evidence adduced at the coroner's inquest, yes-
terday, before Mr. George Valentine Cox, that the de-
ceased, in company with some friends, were on their re-
turn from Godstow, and while walking along the
unfinished Rugby and Oxford Railroad, near Boney's-
bridge, they heard one of their companions, who was in
a skiff, crying out for help; they immediately ran to his
assistance and extricated him and his boat, which had
got among the piles of the unfinished bridge, when, on
crossing a plank, one of them saw deceased lying amongst
some loose bricks underneath. fie went to him, and
found that he was considerably injured. They after-
wards discovered that deceased, in (as they supposed, for
it was almost dark) endeavouring to render assistance to
his friend in the skiff, missed his footing, and fill off the
plank, amongst some loose bricks, a diet ince of nearly
sixteen feet, and injured himself so severely that death
ensued yesterday morning. A verdict of " Accidental
death" was returned.

DISCOVERY or A GREAT LAZE.-A great lake has
been discovered in the interior of South Africa during
a journey of exploration by two gentlemen named Mur-
ray and Oswall. It is situated in longitude 24 deg. eatt
and latitude 19 deg. south, and its limits appear t) have
been undiscernible. According to the natives, however,
it takes twenty-five days to travel round it. The vege-
tation on its banks is tropical, and palms are abundant,
hut it contains no crocodiles, alligators, or hippopotami.
It is approached by a river, which for some distance is
of small size, and which, ai it approaches the lake, be-
comes as large as the Clyde. The lake itself has no
islands in it, but it is said that iher• are marry at the
mouth of the river, and that these are densely populated
by a race entirely different from those near the borders
of the lake. Fe:icans are numerous, as also fish, some
of which resemble p"rch and t a-p, and weigh between
401 b. and 501 b. There are likewise a great number of
elephants, although of a much smaller description than
those nearer the colony. The native?, whose language
was unlike any known dialect spoken by the other
tribes in Sout'i Africa, appeared to be of an inferior
nature, and to be much afflicted with pulmonary
disease.

SHIELDS, 11SnncTI 6.—Wind W.N.W., strong.—Sid.
Armate, Carthagenl and Hurannah; Deftindtr, I'aim•
bceuf, and North America.

LONDON HosriTAL.—Yesterday afternoon a quar-
terly general court of the governors of this charity was
held in the board-room of the institution, Mr. J. Davis
in the chair. The reports of the house committee, the
minutes of the previous meetings, and the household ex-
penditure of the hospital, having been read and con-
Witig ORtemeat pt the
fimed, 019 aecxetary Nboailted the

numbers of patients, from which it appeared that the
total number admitted to the wards of the hospital since
last quarter was 930, of is hem there have been ditcharg
cured 448, much relieved 395, and 17 had died. The in
patients now on the books if the hospital aro 329, the
out-patients, 1,796. The report acknowledged with
thanks the receipt of a legacy of 5001. stock in the Three
per Cent. Consols, from the executors of the late Mrs.
Elizabeth Duncan, and ono of 1001. in cash from the late
Mr. C. Bell. Among the donations was one of 51. 4s. 4d.
from the workmen of Messrs. Tubbut and Co.,Limehouse,
1 The receipt of this small donation was particularly grati-
fying to the feelings of the committee, as the whole of it
had been clubbed together in sixpences and pence, and thus
testified the gratitude with which their exertions were
regarded, and the estimation in which they held the be-
nefits which had been conferred upon some of them
through the means of this charity. 320 beds are kept in
consent occupation at this hospital, 220 of which are re-
served entirely for cases of accidmenetrseatdhmainttetdifew-tihthirodaut
recomrcendation, so that, in fact,
of the cases are admitted fre o. Some idea of the useful-
ness of this institution may be gathered from the fact of
upwards of 69,149 cases of accidents having been re-
ceived and treated there during the last eight years.
The number of persons suffering from accidental injuries
admitted as in-patients during the year 1849 amounted
to 2,370, while the out-patients for the same period were
6,641. Of the in-patients, 2,107 were discharged cured
or relieved, 99 died, and 164 remained in the hospital on
the Ist of January last. The accounts for 1849 are ex-
clusive of other cases (not being accident.), Which
amounted alone to 11,595. making far last year a total
( f 20,906 in and out patients. These reports were re-
ceived an adopted, and some usual routine business bar-
ing been gone through, the meeting separated, after a
vote of thanks to the chair.
THE WALHALLs.—Madame Wharton's exhibition
cf Tableaux Victims has recently excited a good deal of
interest amongst painters, sculptors, and connoiseurs of
art, and her attractive gallery is nightly attended by
numerous and fashionable audiences. There is a clas-
sical purity about her poses, both in conception and
detail, that is really refreshing to the man of taste, while
the beauty of the costumes and magnitude of the pe-
destal, gives a finish and delicacy to the entertainment
that renders any tendency to coarseness either of imagi•
tion or feeling utterly impossible.
ACCIDENT TO THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH WIRIB.
—We understand that yesterday morning an accident
occurred by which about fourteen miles of telegraphic
wires were thrown down, and the communication to that
extent interrupted. We believe the wires were not
1
coiled, as formerly, round fastenings on every fifth post,
but were stretched at considerable tension for a length of
fourteen miles. When a fracture occurred, the extreme
tension and consequent sudden contraction of the wire
caused it to run out of the grooves, and some cf the
liberated wire, lying upon the rails, was caught by the
wheels of a train, and dragged away from the posts for
the remainder of the distance —Manchester Guardian.
The wretched woman, Elizabeth Bradford, in the
county gaol on the charge of drowning her children, is
somewhat recovered, but she is not in a state, either
mentally or physically, to warrant her examination by
the justices.— Western Luminary.
POTATOES.—The enormous quantity of potatoes
lately brought into London from the Continent has re-
duced the price from 90s. to 70s. per ton. As many u
5,000 tons have been imported within the last week,
principally from Dunkirk, Dieppe, Ostend, and Antwerp.
THE CASE OF ALLEGED INCENDIARISM AT
EXETER.—On Wednesday last Mr. Samuel Foote, who
is now confined in the City Prison, awaiting his trial, on
the charge of setting his house on fire, attempted to
commit suicide. He tied his silk neckerchief tightly
round his neck, and, by fastening one end of it to the
window frame of his cell, attempted to strangle himself.
He was discovered when life was almost extinct, cut
down, and by proper means restored.
LANCASHIRE AND YORKSHIRE RaLWAY.--The
half-yearly meeting of the proprietors was held yesterday
in the large room of the Exchange, Manchester. Henry
Houldsworth, Esq., occupied the chair. The report, re-
commending a dividend of 3 per cent., was agreed to,
after an amendment, fixing it at 2} per cent., had been
negatived by a large majority. The amount of dividend
actually earned was stated by the chairman to be two
and six-tenths per annum. The meeting was proceeding
to discuss the question of the appointment of directors
when our express left. Two or three special meetings
had to be subsequently held.
REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO COMMIT SUICIDE.--
Sarah Bott was on Wednesday charged before the police
magistrate at Richmond with attempting to drown her-
self. It appeared from the evidence of Sergeant Povery,
3 V, that on Saturday night, about eleven o'clock, he
found the prisoner in Petersham Meadows, some two
miles from her home, standing by the side of a pool of
water which had accumulated from the overflow of the
Thames. She had no bonnet on, and was in a most ex-
hausted state, and appeared to have been recently im-
mersed in the water. On questioning her she admitted
she had made three attempts to drown herself, and would
have made a fourth and final attempt in the river bad
not the sergeant interfered. Her failure of success in
the preceding instances would appear to have arisen
from the shallowness of the water, being only two feet
deep. A certificate was produced, signed by a medical
man, stating that the unfortunate woman had become of
unsound mind from an attack of the brain fever. The
husband promising the Magistrate that if his wife were
released he would take such care of her as to prevent a
similar attempt, she was discharged. Upon her arrival
at home, and a nurse having been procured, she was
conveyed to bed, and the nurse having imprudently left
her patient fur a short time, the unfortunate creature in-
stantly took advantage of her absence, and precipitated
herself from the firs.-floor window, by which act she
sustained injuries which will most probably terminate
fatally. Several of her ribs and collar-bone are fractured,
and her spine is seriously injured.
EXPERIMENTAL BALLOONS.—The largest of the
balloons dispatched from the Admiralty, on Friday
last, carrying with it 2,500 slips, or messages, has been
very successful. The first lot of slips were liberated
over London at an elevation between 3,000 and 4,000
feet, and some cf the slips fell in Lower Thames-street,
some in Bethnal-green Cemetery, others were found on
the Surrey side of the water, and down the river side to
near Greenwich, affording evidence that the first let
were scattered over au area of several miles. From the
numerous slips of paper returned to the Secretary of the
Admiralty from different places, the balloon appears to
have taken the direction of Woolwich, Gravesend, and
Rochester, and then crossed fcr a short period into
Essex, and again altered its course for Maidstone,
Cranhrook, and Dungeness, which it left in the direc-
tion of the French coast. In travelling to Dungeness,
according to the time it was seen there, it had dropped.
1,200 of the slips, and 1,300 remained for further dis-
tribution. Some of the parties who have returned the
messages of the Admiralty have particularly requested
to be informed whether "it is all right," or "if some
person has not been playing a joke upon them." One
lady stases that her daughter found the slip of paper in
her garden, and she was confident it was not there the
night before ; bat how it came she did not know.
REFORM MEETING AT HADLEIGII.—A very spirited
and well-attended meeting took place at the Town hall,
Hadleigh, on Monday night; and that being a thorough
agricultural neighbourhood, many parties looked with
peculiar interest to its results. Mr. I. Everett, a landlord
and tenant-farmer, took the chair, and the large room
was well filled with respectable agriculturists and me-
chanics. Exactly a week be fire a protection society had
been formed in the same town; but it would seem that
many of the farmers begin to think that financial and
Parliamentary re form is a step in the right direction, for
several who had joined the Tory society attended the
reform gathering on Monday. The following resolution
was proposed to Mr. Thomas Hawkins, of Milden, a
tenant-farmer: " That the principles of the National
Parliamentary and Financial Reform Association meet
the entire approval of this meeting, and that an associa-
tion be now formed, to be called the Hadleigh Parlia-
mentary Reform Association." The resolution met witk
a unanimous and hearty reception. Mr. S. Matthews,
farmer, made an excellent speech on the reduction of tax•
ation, as the only measure likely to affect the interests
of the farmer. Mr. M'Enteer also addressed the meet-
ing, and after a vote of thanks to him and to the chair-
man, three cheers were given fur the Financial Reform
Association, when the meeting separated. A number of
names were enrolled on the books of the new society.
DEEP SEA. FISHINGS.—We are glad in being able
to report favourably of the success of these fishing.,
which are at present prosecuted by our resident fisher-
men with something like energy, their enterprise reap•
ing a commensurate reward. The large boats are being
used, and the crews proceed with them to a great dis-
tance from the shore. The weather during the week
has been very favourable, and the boats have returned
every evening with great cargoes, for which a ready sale
is obtained at prices considerably advanced,in consequence
of the speedy transit we now enjoy to populous markets.
On Saturday evening one boat arrived with 66 score of
fish, the sale of which realised 9/. los., another boat ob-
tained 71., and others various considerable sums. As
each crew consists of six men, the profitable nature of
the speculation will be apparent, and ought to stimulated
bl B •
the demand being alike inexhausti 0.
be
built
other parties to take up the employment—therezpApdlydat
tr.
County Lunatic
aLhuonrtakyticcotsmyleunmcedt.o
The site
IliseaTdrehcßelraerEuedtswse°tox°dbe unequalled, and the building promises
to be second to any in the kingdom. It will be in the
Tudor style, and the cost is estimated at 50,000/.
SIR JOHN FR•NILIN.—A Lan Francisco paper,
The Public Good, of Dec. '29, publishes a vague state.
meat to the effect that Sir John Franklin had been dis-
covered " by an English expedition."
THE STANFIELD HALL PROPERTY.-- bince the
family of the late Mr. Jermy have left their residence
at Stanfield-hall, it has remained tenantless, the gate-
keeper being left in charge. On Saturday last, however,
two men, named Jermy and Lerner, who have previously
put forward claims to the estate, contrived to gain an
entrance into the hall, and retained possession until the
police were sent for, but the intruders prudently with-
drew before the arrival of the authorities.
DITORCES IN AMERICA.—The Baltimore Corre-
spondent of the New York Herald states that the Legis-
lative Houses of that city are overwhelmed with appli-
cations for divorces. "It has," says he, " become a
business with members of the Legislature to get those
applications through, for which they receive pretty heavy
feei. Each member, when he goes to Annapolis, has a
half-dczen cases if this kind in hand, and a kind of log-
_.
rolling syst,,m is adopted among them, by which they
agree to vote for each other's cases, let them
theme bailed
lon ever so frivolous a cause." One of the
~ m_e brn rs, a
Mr. Causin, introduced a Bill, said to be a burlesque
Bill," for the purpose of enabling parties to be legally
divorced, on simply declaring to each other their wishes
to that effect.
Mr. Campbell Wyndham's bunting stud produced
excellent prices, the nine horses sold realising 7801.
Six of the animals were hunters, two carriage horses
anti one a shooting pony.