The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-03 00:00:00

THE MILITIA.

Yesterday the Tower Hamlets (King's Own)
Regiment of Militia assembled at Hackney for em-
bodiment. This regiment is noarly 600 strong, and
there were few absentees at roll-call. It is stated
that the officers and men have volunteered for ser-
vice in any part of her Majesty's dominions.
The 2d West York Light Infantry, under the
command of Col. Smyth, M.P., are to assemble at
York on the 9th inst. for embodiment.

THE REPORTED LOSS 01? THB
11YDASPES STEAMER.

SOUTHAMPTON, MONDAY.
Rumours having been industriously circulated,
both in London and this port, and given great pro-
minence to in two morning journals of to-day, of the
loss of the screw steamship Hydaspes, on her way to
India with troops, every inquiry has been made to
ascertain whether they have any foundation in fact,
but nothing can be discovered to give the rumours
in question the slightest confirmation. The agents
of the company to which the Hydaspes belongs,
Messr..Croskey and Co., have set an inquiry on foot
and believe the story to be entirely groundless. It
was stated that the intelligence was received by the
Admiralty last night, but we understand that no
such report has reached that body. The Hydaspes
left England on the 19th ult., and not on the 27th,
as stated in one of the papers referred to. Her safe
arrival at St. Vincent's has been reported. Subjoined
is the latest communication received from the com-
mander of the Hydaspes, with an extract from her
log, from which it will be seen that everything was
proceeding satisfactorily up to the time the vessel
was last heard of :

" Steamship Hydaspes, St. Vincent's, Oct. 1.
" Gentlemen,—I arrived here yesterday morning at 8
o'clock, after a very excellent ran from Gravesend (10
days 22 hours), 2,569 miles ; average per hour 9.81
miles. Weather generally fine. The soldiers are all in
high spirits, and appear highly pleased with their food and
quarters. lam sorry to say our coaling is not going on so
quickly as I could wi .h ; it is caused from want of
lighters. However, when the Me iway leaves we shall
get on much better, so that I hope to finish by tomor-
row at noon. . • The commanding officer, Col.
Riddell, is a very nice man, and all the others equally
so, They are the best disciplined troops I have ever
been on board ship with. And now I must say good-bye'
and with my kindest regards, believe me to remain.—
Yours most sincerely, " H. Bows."
-skey and Co.

"Messrs. Croskey -
Abstract of the log of
.the steamship Hydaspes from
a2nod at
m m1:1., axon:,
Woolwich to St. Vincent s, Cape 'Yard Islands :
" Friday, Sept. 18.—Embarked 24 officers and 607
non-commissioned officers and men of the Royal Artil-
lery. 12.30.—Cast off from the Arsenal-pier and pre-
D.misiclhesa.rgeLdigphiltote,asSttearrlyt
ceeded to Gravesend.
(4sllnpitnl.2l.—Lat. 47 deg..
. 15 lain. N., long.
proceeded down the river. 'Wind north, moderate
breeze. 6.10 p.m.— Dangeness. light bore north.
W. Run 275 miles.
t'd
ePg'.
" Saturday, Sept.
519.,..91:01aat..).5.:
long.F
.8 o id',noi‘Stgi3n.
bearingondnd6edagay.m,y i Sn ri, n
W•t . 20 ,RN:: .2.6-8
breeza and fine.--Noon—lncreasing breeze. Midnight
—Light unsteady breeze and cloudy.
"Tuesday, Sept. 22.—Let. 43 deg. 33 min. N., long.
10 deg. 57 rain. W.
Run 252 miles. Moderate breeze
and cloudy, with passing showers. Noon.—Light winds
and cloudy. Midnight.—Fine weather.
" Wednesday, Sept. 23.—Lat. 40 deg. 32 min. N.,
long. 13 deg. 1 min, W. Run 263 miles. Squally,
with rain. Noon.—Steady breeze and fine clear weather.
Midnight.—Light winds and variable.
" Thursday, Sept. 24.—Lat. 37 deg. 5 rain. N., long.
14 deg. 31 min. W. Rue 219 miles. Light air, ap-
proaching to cairn. Noon and midnight the same.
"Friday, Sept. 25.—Lat.
.38 deg. 33 min., long. 15
deg. 29 min. W. Run 218 mile,. Light breeze and fine
weather. Noon.—Steady breeze and fine. 4 p.m.—
Island of Porto Santo N.W. Midnight.—Decreasing
breeze.
" Saturday, Sept. 26.—Moderate breeze and fine wea-
ther. Noon.—Study breeze. Lat. 30 deg.
2 min. N.,
long. 17 deg, 58 min. W. Run 247 miles.
" Sunday, Sept. 27.—Moderate breeze and fine.
Noon.—Light wind and fine. Midnight.--Fine weather.
Lat. 26 deg. 16 win. N., long. 20 deg. 4 min. W. Run
251 miles.
Monday, Sept. 28.—Light breeze and cloudy. 4 a.m.
—Squally, with rain. Noon.—Light breeze and fine
weather. Lat. 22 deg. 54 min. N., long. 21 deg. 42
rain. W. Run 222 miles. t
"Tuesday, Sept. 29.—Light breeze aid fine weather.

Noon.—idederste s,nd fine. Lat. 19 deg. 29 min. N.,
long. 23 deg. 16 min. W. Run 224

'7 Wednesday, Sept. 30., 8.30 a.m.—Brougbl up in
St. Vincent's Harbour. Run 190 miles.

"Total miles run, 2,569. Average per ho .ur, 9.8
miles. "H. BROWN, Comma 'der."

THE GOOD OLD TOWN, ITS GOOD OLD INN,
AND THE MAN HANGED AT LA. &CASTER
100 YEARS AGO.

The reader is perhaps aware that Mr, Charles
Dickens and his friend Mr. Wilkie, Collins, have
lately visited Lancaster, and durir.ig their sojourn,
stopped at Mr. Sly's, King's Arms Hotel. In the
Oct. number of Household Words, under the title
of "The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices," Mr.
Dickens presents his readers with a remarkable
story of a Bridal Chamber, from whence the follow-
ing extracts are taken :

r‘ I have heard that t'aere is a good old inn at
Lancaster, established in a good old house ; an inn
where they give you bride-cake every day after din-
ner, said Thomas Idle. Le t us eat bride-cake
without the trouble of being married, or of knowing
anybody in that ridiculous itilemma.' Mr. Good-
child, with a lover's sigh, assented. They departed
from the station in a violent hurry (for which, it is
unnecessary to observe, there is not the least occa-
sion), and were delivered at the fine old house at
Lancaster on the same night. Mr. Goodchild con-
cedes Lancaster to be a pleasant place, a place
dropped in the midst of a charming landscape, a
place with a fine ancient fragment of a castle, a place
of lovely walks, a place possessing staid old houses,
richly fitted with old Honduras mahogany, which
has grown so dark with time, that it seems to have
got something of a mirror-quality in itself, and to
show the visitor, in the depths of its grain, through
all its polish, the hue of the wretched slaves who
groaned long ago under old Lancaster merchants.
And Mr. Goodchild adds that the stones of Lan-
caster do sometimes whisper, even yet, of rich men
passed away—upon whose prosperity some of these
old doorways frowned sullen in the brightest wea-
ther—that their slave-gains turned to curses, as
Arabian Wizard's money turned to leaves, and
that no good ever came of it, even unto the
third and fourth generations, until it was wasted and
gone. It was a gallant sight to behold the Sunday
procession of the Lancaster elders to church—all in
black, and looking fearfully like a funeral without
the body—under the escort of three Beadles.
' Think, said Francis as he stood at the inn window
admiring, of being taken to the sacred edifice by
three beadles I I have, in my early time, been taken
out of it by one beadle ; but, to be taken into it by
three, 0 Thomas, is a distinction I shall never en-
joy 1"
He visits the Lunatic Asylum on the moor, for
example, and says of it that it is "an immense
place, admirable offices, very good arrangements,
very good attendants ; altogether a remarkable
place," which, without the help of any imaginary
aid at all, tells in a few words the truth of one of
the best conducted establishments in the kingdom.
The two apprentices meet together in the good old
inn—and then we are led away into the strange story
which the author has contrived to weave out of a
two days' residence at the house of our enterprising
neighbour Mr. bly. Mr. Goodchild, one of the ap-
prentices, has just finished a brief description of an
incident that fell under his observation at the
asylum, and the tale thus proceeds :
Mr. Idle diverting the conversation to grouse,
custards, and bride cake, Mr. Goodchild followed
in the same direction. The bride-cake was as
bilious and indigestible as if a real Bride had cut it,
and the dinner it completed w:►s an admirable per-
formance.

The house was a genuine old house of a very
quaint description, teeming with old carvings, and
beams, and panels, and having an excellent old
staircase, with a gallery or upper staircase, cut off
from it by a curious fence-work of old oak, or of
the old Honduras mahogany wood. It was, and
is, and will be, for many a long year to come, a
remarkably picturesque house ; and a certain grave
mystery lurking in the depth of old mahogany
panels, as if they were so many pools of dark
water—such, indeed, as they had been much among
when they were trees—gave it a very mysterious
character after nightfall.
When Mr. Goodchild and Mr. Idle had first
alighted at the door, and stepped into the sombre,
handsome old hall, they had been received by half-
a-dozen noiseless old men in black, all dressed ex-
actly alike, who glided up the stairs with the
obliging landlord and waiter—but without appear-
ing to get into their way, or to mind whether they
did or no—and who had filed off to the right and
left on the old staircase, as the guests entered their
sitting-room. It was then broad, bright day. But,
Mr. Goodchild had said, when their door was shut,
" Who on earth are those old melt I" And after-
wards, both on going out and coming in, he had
noticed that there were no old men to be seen.
Neither had the old men, or any one of the old
men re-appeared since. The two friends had passed
a night in the house, but had seen nothing more of
the old men. Mr. Goodchild, in rambling about it,
had looked along passages, and glanced in at door-
ways, but had encountered no old men ; neither did
it appear that any old men were, by any member of
the establishment, missed or expected.
Night had come again, and they had been writ-
ing for two or three hours ; writing, in short, a
portion of the lazy notes from which these lazy
sheets are taken. They had left off writing, and
glasses were on the table between them. The
louse was closed and quiet, and the town was
quiet. Around the head of Thomas Idle, as he lay
upon his sofa, hovered light wreaths of fragrant
smoke. The temples of Francis Goodchild, as he
leaned back in his chair, with his two hands
clasped behind his head, and his legs crossed, were
similarly decorated.
They had been discussing several idle subjects of
speculation, not omitting the strange old men, and
were still so occupied, when Mr. Goodchild abruptly
changed his attitude to wind up his watch. They
were just becoming drowsy enough to be stopped
in their talk by any such light check. Thomas Idle,
who was speaking at the moment, paused and said,
" How goes it I"
"One," said Goodchild.
As if he bad ordered one old man, and the order
were promptly executed (truly, all orders were so,
in that excellent hotel), the door opened, and one
old man stood there.
He did not come in, but stood with the door in
his hand.
" One of the six, Tom, at last !" said Mr. Good-
child, in a surprised whisper.—" Sir, your plea-
sure 1"
"Sir, your pleased?" said the one old man.
" I didn't ring."
" The Bell did," said the One old man.
For the remainder of the story of a Bridal Cham-
ber, we refer our readers to the popular periodical
in which it originally appeared.—Lancaster Gazette.

MARKET NEWS.—(This Day.)

HAY MARKETS.

SMITHFIELD.—Meadow hay, 21 10s to 41 OA; clever
88 to 41 183; and straw, 1/ 4i to 1/ 94 per load
A moderate supply, and a sluggish demand.
CuIiBRELAND. —Meadow hay, 21 12* to 4/ 03; clover,
31 Ss to 41 16s ; and straw, 11 43 to 11 10s per load.
Trade dull.

WHITECHATEL.—Meadow hay, 21 I.os to 41 Os ; clover,
3/ 103 to 51 .03 ; and straw, 1/ 4s to 11 9s per load.
Supply goed, and trade dull.

COLONIAL.

TEA—The market is firm. Common Congou is quoted
is 11(1 per lb, with the usual prompt.
SUGAR—A. very limited business has been done, and
easier terms have in several instances been current In
the refined markets prices rule rather easier, and fine
pieces are selling at 57s per cwt.
COFFER—There is a good demand for plantation Ceylon,
and rather higher rates are current.
Ricz—Very little business has been done, and holders
demand fully former rates; no sales, however, of any
moment have been reported.
Rum.—The inquiry has been extremely limited, but
prices remain unaltered.
FRUIT.— The demand for home consumption has rather
increased, but the high prices demanded for currants
checked consumption. Valentin raisins are at steady
rates.
SALTPETRE. —There has been a limited inquiry for the
finer qualities, but only a few sales were effected, at about
previous quotations.
TALLOW.—The market has been dull, and prices have
given way. P.Y.C., on the spot, is now quoted 56s ; all
tke year, 54s 3d ; and spring delivery, 55s per cwt.

NAVAL COAST YOLUNTEERS.—The go►ernment are so
satisfied with the Naval Coast Volunteers in Scotland
who have come up for training that they have sane
tioned the increase of the force to 2,000 men.—Banrshire

Journal.
SOLDIERS' WIVES.—We regret to learn that the sol-
diers' wives left behind in many towns are in a most des-
titute state,some receiving chsrityfrom private individuals,
some actually begging, others at the poorhouses. Would
it not be as well to allow the soldier prior to embar-
kation to fix a rate of pay for hie family (not exceed-
ing a sum which would leave a balance necessary for
him in India), and cause the officers commanding regi-
ments and depots, to forward to the Secretary of State
for War, as soon as known what men are to go to India,
a list of the married men, stating opposite the name
of each the amount he is desirous to leave for his
wife ! leaving the Secretary of State for War (if he
approved of the amount) to direct the paymasters of
their depots or staff-officers of pensioners to pay to the
soldiers' wives the amount so left, also the three shillings
and sixpence per week given by the public 1 This wool
be a great boon to the soldier and inflict no additional
loss upon the public, particularly if paid weekly or
monthly in advance, and in all cases from the date of the
soldier's embarkation, either with a regiment or draft.
Unit 4 &nice gazelle.