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

APPOINTMENTS.

WOOLWICH, JUNE 13.—Lieutenant George W. Towsey

(184) to the Sealark, at Portsmouth. -
Second-Master Samuel Braddon (1844) to the Illustri-
ous, 72, depot ship of ordinary, Portsmouth.
Midshipmen—Edward W. Dillion and Edward Tongue
to the Sealark. _ .

Clerk—Timothy Clinch to the Fisgard flag-ship at
Woolwich.

Naval Cadet—Edward Adeane to the Phaeton, 50,
Lisbon squadron.
JUNE 15.—Lieutenant John Cartright (1846) to the
Sea lark.

Second-Master William Stanton to the Illustrious.

Midshipmen—Hastings S. De Roebeck to the Impreg-
nable, 104, flag-ship, at Devonport ; C. T. Williamson
to the Wolverine, 82, sloop, on the coast of Africa.
Naval Cadet—Joseph Crispin to the Victory flag-
ship at Portsmouth.
Gunner:—Charles Hicks to the Retribution steam-
frigate at Woolwich; William Lesby to the Inflexible
steam-frigate at W oolwich.
Boatswain John Smock to the Inflexible.
Carpenters—James Cannaway to the Retribution;
Thomas Conwing to the Inflexible.
Rear-Admiral M. F. Berkley, C. 8., or o of the Lords
of the Admiralty, and Captain Sir Baldwin Walker,
K.C.8., Surveyor of the Navy, visited Woolwich dock-
ard on Friday afternoon and inspected the Retribution
and Inflexible steam-frigates. The gunner and car-
penter have been appointed to the Retribution to-day;
and the gunt,er, boatswain, and carpenter to the In-
flexible.
The shipwrights have been taken off the Agamemnon,
80, steam-ship, to assist in finishing the other steamers,
the framework of the former being nearly completed
except a small portion at the stern. The keel of the
San Fiorenzo, 50, has commenced being laid, and five
lengths are already.down, on the same slip from which
the Nankin, 50 was launched.
The Nile, hired convict ship, is to leave her moorings
opposite the Royal Arsenal, with convicts who will
obtain tickets of leave on her arriving at Van Diemen's
Land. 35 ha►e been put on board from the Warrior
convict ship at Woolwich.
THE AMERICAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.
Amongst the last papers received from America there
is one of much interest from Mr. Meriam, of Bricklyn
Heights, a gentleman well known in the scientific world
across the great waste of waters which separate us.
It is entitled " The Franklin Life-saving and Arctic
Exploring Expedition," and has reference more particu-
larly to Mr. Grinnell's expedition, and to the passing of
the Act of Congress authorising the engagement of
volunteers among the nee, as well as officers, of the
United States' navy for both the vessels fitted out—they
received from the Government their usual pay. Would
that such an Act had been passed in our Parliament to
relieve Lady Franklin of the heavy expenses she has

incurred.
There was no want of volunteers for her expedition.
Never was a finer crew got together than that embarked
in the Prince Albert; and an officer of merit of the
British navy commands them, Captain Forsyth, whose
services are gratuitous, relying upon the justice of his
country to reward him on his return.
In Mr. Meriam's interesting paper, to which we have
alluded, he remarks that " Mr. Grinnell, in his memorial
to Congress, says, ' There are some grounds for believ-
ing this to be a propitious season for exploring the
Arctic seas.' It is my present purpose to state, in as
brief a =liner as possible, some facts and reasons why
the present is thought to be a propitious time.
Be then proceeds to show that within a given period
of the year 1842 one hundred and four vessels reported
Polar ice in great abundance making south, while in 1843,
during the same period, there were but three vessels re-
ported ice.
A tabular statement is g
vessels which have met w
past—viz., from 1840 to

iven showing the number of
ith Polar ice for ten years
L 850; a copy of which we

annex:--

..0
Years. 4 L 72: o to t Z 1
0 w .„, O. ..c.l 0 w
~ 4.4 o 4 -4 A ,-., 0-D "4 rn E-.
________
1841 i-- __ -- 9 11 1 -- -- -- 21
1842 - -- 731 11 16 22 16 1 104
1843 __ __ __ 3-- 3
1,.- -- --1 5 12 3 2 -- __ 22
844.
1845. -.--- ----1 4 10 9 15 5 -- 41
4
1846 - -- - 2-- __
21
77 4 3
1847 -_. -- -- -_ __
1848 - 0
1849 ——— 1 1 1 2-- -_ 5
18i0 1 1 6 5

:____-------__
..It will be seen by this statement," observes Mr.
Meriam, " that there was no Polar ice reported as Rowing
south during the year 1848, and but five vessels reported
as having seen any iu 1849; but as early as January of
the present year immense islands of Polar ice have been
reported as having reached lat. 44 N, long. 45 W • thus
most clearly showing that the Polar regions have' been
acted upon by some unusual phenomena.
All this is very cheering, and gives token of a
goodly
day that may yet dawn upon us, and restore our long-
lost countrymen to their homes. It is a noble, generous,
and humane act on the part of the Americans to send
forth this expedition, and there is something very manly
in Mr. Grinnell's memorial to the Congress, wherein he
stated, " That the paramouonstibnl in e, the discovery, and
inducement to this enter-
prise, is to aid, as tar as
psi
, of John Franklin and his compa-
nions;the rescue he trusts,
but that he shall think it due to tho cause
of science to instruct the officers in command of the
oxpedition to use all diligence and zeal in the explo-
ration of the frozen regions to which they are bound.
There are strong "grounds" he continues, "for be-
lieving this to be a propitious season for such an explo-
ration, and he will not easily relinquish the hope of
being, in some degree, instrumental in solving the long-
disputed question of the existence of a north-west
passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific?'
Happy, indeed, should we be if the American expedi-
tion succeeded in rescuing
too great magnanimity on our part to wish them to
Franklin ; but it would be
make the north-west passage, which, year after year,
we have endeavoured, for 300 years and upwards, to ef-
fect, but hitherto without offeet—unless, ineed, Franklin
et comes out through Behring Straits, as swe till think
y
[ he may .—Herakl.
COMMODORE MARTIN'S SQUADRON.

The following is an extract from the letter of a Lis-
bon correspondent, dated June 9 :
The whole of the British squadron, meld the
Rogue, valich hes benleft in the Ti.gup, miloct from

this port on the 31st ult. The complimentary remarks,
of which the following is a portion, appeared in the
columns of the Patriota of the Ist inst.:—
" ' English ships are always patterns of discipline, and
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. Scarcely 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
Commodore, one of the noble 50-gun frigates bring
down her topmasts, and, in not many minutes after,
have them up again and all sail set. In signalising. too,
that mute language, to their proficiency in which the
English"owe a part of their successes by sea, they wero
fry quently exercised. In raying 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.'"

HALE'S ROCKET-FIRING AT

OSBORNE.
JUNE 15.—His Royal Highness Prince Albert having
expressed a desire, through Colonel Wylde, who was
present 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 Hon. 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 he
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 (-f 51b. 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. llale, 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 considerable 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 very
nearly into the line of the rockets, and the Prince was
extremely anxious to know if any danger was
to be apprehended, as he had heard and wit-
nessed that they could not bo depended upon for
taking a straight direction, but Mr. Hale assured
his Royal Highness that ho could now depend
upon his, and the firing was continued very satisfac-
torily, while Colonel Bouverie was landing at a short
distance south of the station of the rocket tube. Two
of the rockets were fired without the resistance balance-
weight being applied, and the difference was remarkable,
the range being not nearly so great, and the flight not
so quick, although the direction was good, as were all
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 cccupying but a short time. His
Royal Highness, when the rockets were all fired, asked
if they were more expensive than the usual service
rocket. Mr. Hale explained that his rockets could be
made at fully one-third less expense than the
common service rockets can be made at the Royal
Arsenal. Mr. Hale subsequently submitted a carcase-
head for a 10-pounder rocket, and filled 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 out, and used for
setting fire to buildings. The boatswain afterwards sit
it on fire, 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. Hale, 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 Molesworth, Sir W.
Buck, L. W. Mangles, R. D.
Bentinck, 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. Hutchine, E. J.
Gore, W. 0. Hastie, A.
Verner, Sir W. Philips, Sir G.

Lord Lansdale 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 Langdale 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 THE 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 safe 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 ill ,fated vessel have, we are

sorry to hear, Been exceedingly small, and inadequate for the
purposes intended.
CONCERT AT -WILLIS'S Rooms.--M. Godefroid's
concert took place on Saturday morning. The ability of M.
Godefroid as a performer on the harp has long been 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 his
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
Warfel, 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 instrumentalists. The principal vocalist was
Mdfie. Schloss. who gave the great scene from the Frcischutz,
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 fine though apparently over-
forced voice, may be commended for the tasteful and un-
affected
erhened,,e,orered.,.tATlohoerree'smapirneitntgy b
singersallad
were Mdlle. de Rupplin, Signor Brignoli, M. Jules Lefort,
d r inNrth gemsh e
ti
eh a n aay r e v
e whiche
&c. The pianoforte accompanyisis were NM. Alary, Vera,
and Frslom. The concert was not too liberally attended.
EXUIBITION OF 18.51.—We are glad to hear that
the directors of the British Institution at their last meeting
voted the sum of 1001. to the funds now raising towards
carrying into effect the great exhibition of industry. The
corporation of Plymouth have also voted the sum of 50/, to
which the Chamber of Commerce of that town have added
a further sum of 10/.
DIABOLICAL ATTEMPT TO BURN A LADT.—EXE-
TER, JUNE 15.—Information 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 life 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 in the vicinity of
this city, was awakened out of her sleep the night before last
in consequence of experiencing a suffocating smell of tobacco,
mnornaviningg, v.c,ahl leend
tohu t
et
servantso- know
eaxgapillolsv.io.enns,t rteosesmleebpli.nagncdraincktehrse.
and almost immediately afterwards she heard sundry small
if any person was in the room, and receiving no answer, she
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 Borne mis-
creant had placed some hey 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 moat
active inquiries with a view to discover the perpetrators of so
barbarous a design, but up to the present time they have not
been successful. The affair has cast a gloom over the nleigh-
bourhood, as Lady Kirkcudbright is a lady universal yr
spected on account of her liberal and affable ha bits toward=

the poor.
shiripHMEedliefliC
may be daily looked for.h It has been confided by the'
-arpiNainooNn..l:-.
LTohcekyaerr,riwviatlhotfhishevralMuasbjleesgteym's
h itso a
gte
net charge,B,ith t h
eo f c
0L imei
nu taenndaenrt:i ColonelCommander-in-Chief
hia(
Governor-General
to Lord Dalhousie. The selection of
during the late campaign, with whom is associated Captain
Lieutehneaennt;(e:royloanpepl
rtlra,reiksetes,oninfaosrmtuhnaht
ams itshsiaotn
ofhapepeera,sradisto.
have
tinguished services have all been performed in the countries
Mackeson,
Ramsay,
B .
with which the history of this valuable diamond is specially
connected; Colonel Mackeson having been more or less pro-
minently engaged in every campaign on the north-western
frontier from our occupation of Caubul in 1838 to the:subjuga-
tion of the I'unjaub in 1.19, 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 encouragement 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 of.
Strangers who come to the metropolis from localities where
so salubrious a draught as pure and even moderately soft
water is customary, are horrified in drinking the metropolitan
water, with a feeling as if the draught were a mere solution
of lime, giving as little gratification, or quencliment of thirst,
as the parched .throat of the dreamer of draughts of water
feels atter swallouing imaginary bucketfuls. Hence it is
that the metropolitans, knowing nothing of the delights of
water drinking, have a settled but mistaken idea that it ia
water in the abstract that is unfit for human drinking.
Hence it is that brewers make hundreds of thousands for
their heirs to throw away.—Builder.
STEAM FROM GLASGOW TO NEw YOBX.—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 bath
1 ale alio taken UP.