The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-26 00:00:00

AXIS cErmurmous.

---
A delegate meeting of the operatives of Lancashire was
held at Manchester on Monday, for the purpose of devising
means to promote the further progress of the Ten Hours
Bill. There were delegates present from Manchester, Bol-
ton, Bury, Preston, Wigan, Ashton-under-Lyne, Chawbent,
Hindley, Oldham, Stockport, Norwich, &c. Each delegate
was requested to give a report as to how far the working
classes were prepared, by organisation amongst themselves,
to give effect to the declaration of the House of Commons—
namely, that the factory day shall commence at six o'clock in
the morning and cease at six o'clock in the evening.
A splendid monument to the memory of the Earl of Lei-
cester has just been completed at Mr. Hall's. marble works,
Derby. It consists of a mass of richly-sculptured Gothic
tracery, forming a cinque-foil arch, resting on buttresses and
columns, and open foliage capitals, and surmounted by a pe-
diment and pinnacles, ornamented with panels, crockets, &c.
Within the niche formed by the columns and arch stands a
massive tablet containing the following inscription, with the
capital letters illuminated :—" To the revered memory of
Thomas William Coke, Earl of Leicester, born May 5, 1754
died at Longford, June 30, 1842. ,
Complete arrangements have been made for the grand
national archery fête which is to come off early in the next
month at Knavesmire, near the city of York. A grand stand
will be erected on the ground, and every facility afforded to
the visitors to witness the sports of the day. Amongst the
competitors are the "captains" and most practised members
of the principal archery clubs, metropolitan and provincial.
The name " Wellington" is about to be inscribed on the
four sides of the base of the Wellington statue, in the City;
and " the 18th June, 1815," on the upper edging, under the
fore-feet of the horse, and also under the hinder feet, accord-
ing to the original directions of the Committee.

DUTCH MAIL.
A3I3TEIMLNI, JULY 20.—1 t appears from the annual re-
port of the affairs of the several provinces of the kingdom
that the population on the l st of January, 1844, was 2,953,618 ;
1843, 2,927,343 ; increase, 26,275.
12 marriages and 36 divorces. Of the
divorces 29 were in North and South Holland. The popula-
tion of which is about a million.
Tonhere the
we 1
were in
of
18J4

THE HAGUE, JULY 23.—The negotiations for the exchange
on sale of the inscriptions in the great book of Belgium to
the amount of 80 millions of florins took place at Amsterdam
on the 19th, in the presence of 31r. Van Hall, Minister of
Finance, and of Messrs. Read and Fock, Commissioners
appointed by the King.
The Minister of Finance laid. on the table a sealed note
containing the minimum at which his Excellency had
decided that the tenders should be accepted. There were
160 tenders, part of which offeved to exchange Belgian in-
scriptions for the equivalent of Netherlands inscriptions, at
24 per cent. The sealed note having been opened, it ap-
peared that the minimum ihred by his Excellency was 61
per cent.
The Minister having retired for some time with the Com-
missioners, to deliberate, it was declared, in the name of his
Excellency, that 320 lots were disposed of, to the amount
of 20,000 florins each, making in all 6,420,000 florins.
Of these lots, 266 were for payment in money at 61 per
cent., and 55 in exchange for inscriptions at 2L- per cent.
Te 160 tenders being opened, it seems that there were
offers for 716 lots, of which 385 were rejected as being below
61 per cent.

VISIT OF THE KING OF IHE FRENCH TO ENG..
LAND.--It is well known that King Louis Philippe has pro-
mised to pay her Majesty a visit this autumn. It Is now
understood that his Majesty will embark at Treport, in the
month of September, for this country. His Majesty will be
accompanied by two ships of 74 guns, and four or five
steamers, and will land at Portsmouth, whence he will pro-
ceed by railway to the station nearest to Windsor. His Bla-
jesty will remain eight days at Windsor, and will not visit
London.—Herald.

ANOTHER ROYAL VISIT. —We understand that his
Royal Highness Prince Frederic William Louis of Prussia,
brother of the King, and heir apparent to the Prussian
throne, is expected on a visit to her Majesty in the early part
of next week. On account of her Majesty's expected ac-
couchement his Royal Highness will take up his residence at
the mansion of his Excellency Chevalier Bunsen, the.Prn !..11 a
Minister, who returned on Monday last from Berlin; ^for the
especial purpose of receiving the Prince in Pr:do-terrace.
His Royal Highness, we understand, will pr. :,,ably be present
at the Goodwood races.—Post
DREADFUL SUICIDE or A rzstALE.—On Tuesday
female
expired, at the GreenwDiballich un'i
wiry
the unfortunate young
named Hannah , .aed ehteen, precipi-
tated herself from a second-floor wir.dowig of a house near the
Magistrate's Police-office, Woolwixh, on Saturday last, and
received such injuries, that Serge Ant Perry, 8 R, and constable
Gladwin, 122 R, immediately 'sent off for Surgeon Stuart and
Mr. Waters, the relieving e4cer, who both most promptly
attended; the former, aft sr dressing her wounds, advised her
removal to the union, ''..fhich was done by his order. The un-
fortunate deceapd 'RAS subject to fits of aberration of intel-
lect, and in One of those ele destroyed her life.

Yesterday morning, the Lord Mayor, accompanied by
the Chairman of the Navigation Committee, and
attended by the Water-Bailiff, the City Solicitor, and
the Under-Sheriff, inspected the steam-boat piers above
bridge (i.e., above London-bridge). They disembarked
at Blackfriars-bridge, and minutely examined the con-
struction of the pier. His Lordship examined persons
who were present at the time of the accident, as to the
inimediate cause of the disaster. It was quite manifest
to the Lord Mayor that the planks connecting the dumb
lighter with the shore had been of a thickness quite in-
competent for the purpose for which they were laid
down, and that the lighters themselves, and in fact all
portions of the structure were highly dangerous. The
result of his investigation of the Blackfriars-bridge pier
most powerfully confirmed the truth and necessity of the
observations which he had made on the preceding day
in the Common Council, when the subject was so pro-
perly introduced and handled by several of the members
of that body, and he had himself asked why the Com-
mittee which had ineffectually represented the con-
demnation of the pier to a former Chief Magistrate,
had omitted to make a similar representation to him.
The Lord Mayor and the City Officers, after having
examined the Blackfriars-bridge pier, attended a Com-
mittee at the Guildhall, and orders were issued to the
Water-Bailiff and Clerk of the Works, to set off from
London-bridge and proceed up the river, and to compel
the owners of all piers immediately to put them in a
condition for the safe and convenient embarkation of
passengers by steam-boats ; and in the event of hesita-
tion in complying with the regulations, the Lord Mayor
declared that he would sign warrants, which the City
Solicitor bad prepared, for removing with a sti ong hand
every pier not rendered conformable with the rules.
Blackfriars-bridge pier, it appears, had been pre-
sented two years ago by a conservancy jury as unsafe,
and the parties engaged in keeping it in use
were informed that it would be removed, under the au-
thority of the Court, but intelligence having been re-
ceived, that the proprietors were poor watermen,
thrown out of employment by the introduction of steam
navigation on the river, the pier was permitted to remain,
upon an assurance that it should be rendered per-
fectly safe and secure. The manner in which that
pledge was redeemed the late melancholy event demon-
strates, and the Lord Mayor commented in strong lan-
guage upon the readiness with which such a pledge
was received, and the carelessness with which it was
ever afterwards treated. At the last Court of Conser-
vancy, a very intelligent jury presented several of the
floating piers as offering obstructions at a certain state
of the tide to the free navigation of the river. They,
however, accompanied their presentment with a state-
ment that "in the absence of better constructed per-
manent erections for the, accommodatfon of
persons landing from, and embarking in steam-
boats, the continuance of some such piers was a neces-
sary evil, but they represented that measures should be
taken by the Corporation, as conservators of the river,
to compel the proprietors of all temporary piers to render
them now more firm and safe for passengers, and that
they should be provided with coloured lamps at night, so
placed as to show the position of the piers, and to define
their limits."

t appears that the Navigation Committee, in concur-
rence with the Lord Mayor, have been for some time
engaged in making arrangements to give effect to these
recommendations of the conservancy juries, and it is to
be hoped that a calamity so deplorable will quicken the
speed of the authorities, and lead to an early consumma-
tion of such an important object.
At a Court of Common Council, held on the 16th of
December, 1841, Mr. Jonathan C. Prior, the Chair-
man of the Blackfriars-bridge Committee, whose
unwearied attention to the duties of that office, and
ability in completing the repairs, entitle his opinion to
great respect, said, in recommending that Mr. Walker's
plan of erecting a pier on the Bridewell side of Black-
friars-bridge, the Court could not forget that already
three or four deaths had taken place in consequence of
the wretched awl badly-managed construction at present
in use. It was quite impossible that the Corporation
should allow such a melancholy appeal to pass unnoticed.
So long as that bungling piece of work was in existence,
the lives of the public would be in constant jeopardy,
and it therefore became the duty of the Court to inter-
fere without delay, for the sake of humanity." Sir Peter
Laurie supported Mr. Prior's view of the subject, and
dwelt most particularly upon the security of the lives of
the public, with reference to the pier.
On the 20th of January, 1843, Mr. Prior, in bringing
up the first report relative to Blackfriars-bridge, con-
cluded his remarks by "urging again upon the Court not
to lose sight of the necessity of remedying the existing
evil at the bridge, but at once to cause the present dis-
graceful landing-place to be removed." Mr. Anderton
also rose and said " he regretted that a committee which
bad so admirably performed its duties should be dis-
solved before they had carried their plan for establishing
a better and safer landing-plane, and it would be most
satisfactory to know that the committee, to whom the
keeping up of the bridge devolved, would not suffer the
question to rest."

The public will see from the above quotations from
the speeches made on the subject of the danger, the
lamentable evidences of which have so recently been
manifested, that some of the members of the Corporation
did not hesitate to speak aloud their apprehensions.

Dispatches were sent off from the Colonial-office to
the Governors of Gibraltar and the Mauritius.
ACCIDENT TO THE EARL OF MORNINGTON.—We are
sorry to find that the venerable Earl of Mornington met with
an accident onWednesday, at his residence at Twickenham. His
Lordship missed his footing in descending a stone staircase,
and rolled to the bottom, where he was taken up severely
bruised, but happily no bones were broken, and it is hoped
that his Lordship has suffered no internal injury. The vene-
rable Earl is now in the eighty-second year of his age, and
his frame has been somewhat shaken by this unfortunate ac-
cident. His Lordship's numerous friends will, however, be
happy to learn that the results of this misfortune are not
likely to be so serious as might have been anticipated.
EXTRAORDINARY AND SHOCKING ACCIDENT:—
On Tuesday morning a tine bull, the property of Mr. Hough-
ton, of Upton, near Aylesbury, was proceeding by the first
train, which leaves that town at seven o'clock, when about
two miles from Tring, a spark flew from the engine, and fell
into the truck in which the ball was; the straw immediately
ignited, and completely burnt the interior of the caziiage to
charcoal, singeing the poor animal exactly as one -would a
bacon hog, large pieces of his flesh were burned off, :Ind one
of his eyes completely destroyed. The poor creat are was
brought back to Aylesbury by the ten o'clock train, and was
taken to Mr. Lepper's, the veterinary surgeon, whe re he re-
mains without any chance of his recovery. What makes it
more distressing is, that he was a noble animal pr oceeding
to the Royal Agricultural Society's show at South ampton,
and was the only specimen sent from the Vale of A ylesbury
More or less rain has fallen every twenty-four
hours since the date of our last, St. Swithin's d: y. On
Sunday it rained nearly the whole day, and agaii t during
a portion of the night ; and from the embrowi se d and
swollen state of our river, it is obvious that thi an der, or
some other showers, must have been still heavier up the
country. In fact, with the exception of passing sl :his to
lay dust and freshen the blade, the soil is now staff ,ciently
moistened to carry the farming community over harvest.
Where strongest and best, the crops have been p artially
lodged—an evil very little dreaded at one time. In sc ime rare
' instances they are so completely flattened, that • they can
hardly regain the perpendicular, even under tl se influ-
ence of favouring breezes. Still we hope the I .est, now
gnat harvest is so close at hand, and grain char ,ging co-
lour in ever direction. The pastures, aftermaths , turnips
and potatoes,' have been greatly benefited within t the last
ten days, from the alternating effects of sun'ihine and
shower, and from the favourable accounts recei'ved from
the south, the trade in cattle, so long marred b y intense
drought, will speedily revive.—D lan/ries Couri. 'r.
THE WEATHER AND CROPS IN THE N ORTH.—
During the last fortnight, in the counties of Cumbe sand and
Westmoreland there was rain almost every day a' nd night,
but the last few days have proved unusually hot and clear.
On Monday and Tuesday the thermometer was up as high as
76degrees in the shade. The crops of grain have made won-
derful progress, so much so indeed, that some odd fields of
barley are already assuming a golden hue, and are of the
best quality. Wheat and oats also look remarkably well and
flourishing, The hay harvest is now at its height in the above
counties.

• -
HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.
The performances last evening were for the benefit of
Fanny Elssler ; and, as might be expected, the house
was crowded in every part long be:bre the rising of the
curtain. The opera was La Gazza Lad; a, with Grisi as
Ninetta, Favanti as Pippo, Fornasari as Fernando (Ni-
netta's father), and Lablache as the Podesta. Of the
Ninetta of Grisi it is unnecessary to speak. Who
has not seen—who has not admired—this most
perfect specimen of domestic tragedy? Equally un-
necessary is it to speak of the Podesta of Lablache ;
the simple announcement of the fact that Lablache per-
sonated that worthy magistrate is sufficient to assure
every one that the Podesta was the most humourous and
laughter-moving of Dogberries. Mademoiselle Favanti
appeared for the first time in the character of rippo,
and we sincerely congratulate her on her success in the
part. She is gradually acquiring more confidence in her
powers, and consequently that occasional incorrectness
of intonation of which some of our contemporaries have
complained, is rapidly disappearing ; in fact last
night, nothing of the sort could be discovered.
Her Pippo was an admirable performance, both as re-
garded acting and singing. She was deservedly encored
in the exquisite morceau in the second act " Pegno ado•
rato," and, encouraged by the applause which she re-
ceived, she repeated it even more effectively than she
had given it in the first instance. In the duet which
follows, " Mi cadono le lagrime," her fine contralto tones
told admirably, and formed a most effective support to
Grisi. Of the Ferdinand of Fornasari, it is impossible
to speak in terms of too high praise.. Never were the
agonies of a father more pathetically depicted ; in the
scene in the last act, in which he breaks from the
soldiers to take a parting embrace from his daughter,
his acting was heart-rending. Not only is he the best
Ferdinand on the stage ; but we are inclined to believe
that Ferdinand is his best character—at all events, it is
entitled to rank with his Belisario and his Loustalot.
We have mentioned one encore ; the only other encore
of the night was the exquisite trio in the first act, " Oh
Nume benefice," which was beautifully given by Grisi,
Fornasari, and Lablache. Grisi, Favanti, Fornasari, and
Lablache were called for at the fall of the curtain, and
received with the usual honours. Between the acts of
the opera we had the divertissement of Un Bal sous
Louis XI V., in which Elssler and Cerito danced the
minuet de la tour, Elssler personating the preux Che-
valier, and Cerito looking bewitchingly prudish in her
powder and hoop, as a dame of the seventeenth century.
After the opera Cerito danced the Gitana, as she
alone can dance it, and was of course encored ; and then
came the new divertissement La Paysanne Grande Dame,
in which the acting of Fanny Elssler, as the peasant girl
suddenly transformed into the fine lady, was the most
arch and espiegle that can be imagined. The scene in
which, dressed for the first time in grand costume, she
runs round the room, looking over her shoulder and
admiring her train, is one of the richest things that can
be imagined. Her pas with M. St. Leon and Made-
moiselle Plunkett and Barville was wonderful; she outdid
herself in her performance of those rapid steps—feet-
twinklings they may be justly called—for which she is
so celebrated. She was encored, as a matter of course,
and the stage, for a moment, assumed the appearance of
a parterre, from the number of bouquets that were
showered down upon her. The divertissement, how-
ever, flags towards the close, and requires some judicious
pruning. The audience became very impatient at the
commencement of the ballabile in the last scene. The ap-
pearance of Fanny Elssler, however, in a very picturesque
national costume, completely restored them to good
humonr, and her pas La Bearnoise brought the diver-
tissement to a triumphant conclusion. The greater part
of the audience, which was a very fashionable one, re-
mained until the conclusion of the performances.