The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-13 00:00:00

PORTUGAL.

SOUTHAMPTON, MAY 11.—The Peninsular and Oriental
Company's steamer, Lady Mary Wood, Captain E. Cooper,
arrived this morning at five o'clock from the Peninsula,
bringing all the mails. Her dates of departnre are as fol-
low :—Froni Gibraltar, May 3 ; Cadiz, 4 ; Lisbon, 7 ; off
Oporto, 8 ; Vigo, 8.
Ships of war lying at Gibraltar—Locust steamer, and Ame-
rican frigate Plymouth. Lisbon—Her Majesty's ship Al-
bion ; French brigs of war, Argus and Volage. Vessels
passed off—Exchanged signals with the Company's steam-
ship. Oriental, being to the southward and westward of Cape.
Esptchel, under all canvass, steering to the southward. The
Company's steam-ship Pacha arrived at Lisbon with the
mails from England early on the 7th. Specie on board--
Twelve packages of specie and bullion, full cargo of fruit, and
eleven head of cattle from Vigo.

The Great Liverpool arrived at the Motherbank early:yes-
terday morning, where she is performing quarantine. She
will be here on Tuesday.

SUICIDE OF A YOUNG FEMALE.-011 Friday Mr.
Baker held an inquest at the Crown and Anchor, Luke-
street, Mile-end New-town, on the body of Martha
Miles, aged 18, a fringe maker. Arthur Strahan, of
20, Luke-street, trimming-maker, said deceased had
worked for him for the last twelve months, and was
sometimes very gay, and at others much depressed in
spirits, and would cry for hours together. Latterly she
used to have severe fits, during which she would
scream violently, and exclaim, " Oh, master, hold my
eyes, keep him from me," but she named no one.
For- the last fortnight she was not.-able to manage
her work, and she attributed her fits to fright,
caused by having seen a woman thrown out of a cab.
Susan Crewe, a fellow work-girl, said she bought a skip-
ping-rope about three weeks since, and when deceased
saw it she said, " Ah, that rope had many a head in it,
and it will soon have another." About three o'clock on
Thursday, witness saw deceased at work in her room,
and she was crying at the time. Soon afterwards she
was missed, and witness thinking she was in a fit, went
in search of her, and at length found her, hanging by the
neck from a rafter in the water-closet, by means of the
'Skipping-rope. She rakei an alarm, and Mr. Byrne,
the landlord of the house, came and cut her down, and
Mr. Burchett, the parish surgeon, having been called in,
pronounced her quite dead. Verdict " Temporary
insanity."

ABINGDON ELBCTION.—We have received com-
munications from several correspondents for which we
are obliged, announcing the return of Mr. Thesiger on
Saturday for this close borough. The return is a matter
of no consequence, and about which there could be no
doubt, though there may be some doubt about the con-
sideration. This is one of the rotten boroughs that some
how or other escaped destruction in the general sweep
made by the Reform Bill.
THE CusTom-HousE.—The Commissioners of Cus-
toms, with the approval of the Treasury, have at length
brought out their scheme for the landing-waiters' and
searcher 4 department in the port of London. Two
offices OA new denomination will be created, with the
style and title of Inspectors-General of the Waterside
and Warehousing Departments. An addition of three
new officers will be made to the number of landing-
surveyors. The six classes of landing-waiters remain as
heretofore. Another rank of officers has been estab-
lished, subordinate to, and under the orders of the land-
ing-waiters, but superior to the lockers and weighers.
This class consists of sixty persons, to be chosen by the
Board of Customs, from the most experienced men
among the lockers and weighers, and 'to be called
Superintendents of Locks and Warehouses. The num-
ber of lockers now employed will by this arrangement
be reduced from 183 to 120, and the number of weighers
from 220 to 180. Messrs. Howe and Kendall, who have
been for some time acting as superintendents of the
landing department, have been appointed the inspectors-
general, with salaries of 7001. per annum each. The
selection of officers for promotion to the additional land-
ing surveyorships is not yet decided. This arrangement
will, no doubt, prove beneficial to the service, as tar as it
goes ; but the frauds which have been perpetrated in
the Customs arose principally from the want of a suf-
ficient controlling power; and the addition of five persons,
viz., two inspectors-general, and three landing surveyors,
is completely inadequate to effect any material and salu-
tary alteration in the old and ineffective system.—
Observer.

REDUCTION IN THE HOURS OF LABOUR.—A re-
duction in the hours of labour has commenced at one of
the principal cotton mills in the town of Preston, that of
Mr. Robert Gardner. The mills commenced running
only eleven bouts a-day for five days in the week, and
nine on the Saturday, the understanding being that if
there was a reduction in the amount of work pro-
duced, the hands would submit to a corresponding
reduction of wages. For the short time that has
elapsed no correct opinion of the result of the ex-
periment can be formed, but we are informed
that for the first week—that is, up to Saturday
evening—the wages of the weavers were only a half-
penny per head below the average of the last three
months, during which they had worked twelve hours,
and that of the spinners one shilling per head below the
same average. The arrangement has been interrupted
during the present week in consequence of a break-down,
by which the engine was twice stopped, and the hands
have to work twelve hours, till the lost time has been
fetched up.— Blackburn Standard.
DRURY-LANE THEATRE.—MiSS Clara Webster, who
is one of the most popoular danseuses of the day, takes
her benefit at this theatre to-night, and offers to her pa-
trons the never-tiring opera of the Bohemian Girl, the
grand s,!ena from Lucia di Lam:mirror, by signor
Salvi, the finale of La Sonnambula, by Madame Castel-
lan, who made a great impression in it last Thursday
evening, and the Revolt of the Harem, with Afaddle. Lu-
cile Grahn. The private boxes and dress circle are al-
ready most fashionably taken.