The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-15 00:00:00

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Ifett) Piney (chairman), Hon. Captain A. Pella
1. P., Mr. W. Miles, M.P., Mr. Locke, M.P., and M.
r Brandreth Gibbs. Mr. Dilke act-r.ded on the part of
the executive committee. The bailding committee had a
meeting yesterday.
REDUCTION OP RENT.—The Rev. William Morgan.
Vicar of Kerry parish, Montgomeryshire, made a re-
duction of Si. per cent. in the rent charge due the lit it
January, 1850, at his audit on the Ist inst.—Er/dowels
Journal.

COURT Or INLAND REVENUE.—Yesterday Joseph
Gibson was fined in the penalty of 1,2001., with seizure
of stills, &c., for carrying on the trade of illicit distill*.
tion, with intent to defraud her Majeaty's rereme. Sa-
muel Gillott was fined ,2001., with condemnation, for I
similar offence, as well as 4004 upon another chup.
Edward Singleton, Elizabeth Arnold, Bridget Cockrane,
and Sarah White, were each fined 20/. for selling spirits
without a licence.
The Lord Bishop of Exeter left Bishopstowe, on
Saturday, for town; we are happy to learn that the
Right Rev. Prelate is in good health. In answer to
several correspondents, we can only say that we believe
the Bishop will not be required to institute Mr. Gorham
to the Vicarage of Bamptord Speaker it is not, at present,
known what mode will be taken to effect this li'estcrn Luminary,

MANCHESTER TRADE REPORT, MARCH 14.—Tbe
market to-day has exhibited the features which charac-
terised it on Tuesday, in a more confirmed manner. It
k to day ♦ery dull, with a decided tendency downward.,
This applies, with scarcely an exception, to all articles.
ROTAL SOCIETY OF MUSICILI€B.—The hundred
and twelfth anniversary festival of this time-honoured
and excellent charitable institution will be held in the
Freemasons' Hall this evening. Ilia Royal Highness
the Duke of Cambridge presides on the oyeasion, and
a host of eminent artists, vocal and instrumental, have
volunteered their services. We have much pleasure in
advocating the claims of this charity to the support of
the public.
IMPORTATIONS Or FOREIGN WHEAT AND FLOM'.
—The total quantity of foreign wheat and wheat flour
imported in 1846 was 2.642,999 quarters ; in 1847,
4,283,590; in 1848, 3,055,078; and in the first six
months of 1849, 2,412,851. The average price of wheat
during the respective periods was 54e. Bd., 695. 9d., 501.
6d., and 455. ld.
FOREIGN HAT.—Another novel importation of
foreign production has now taken place in the shape of
a parcel of 108 bundles of hay, by the steamer Earl of
Auckland from Rotterdam, the growth and prodace of
Holland.

Some persons have been convicted for one of the
recent incendiary offences in the county of Down, and
sentenced to ten years' transportation.
SEAMEN'S HOSPITAL SOCIETY.—It appears from
the report of this society for the year 1849. which has
recently been published, that- during that year no lees
than 4,338 patients have been relieved on board the so.
ciety's ships, the Dreadnought and Iphigenia. Of these,
2.239 were in-patiente, exclusive of 181 on board at the
beginning of the year, and 2,099 a ere out-patients. Of
the in-patients,: 5,4715 were discharged cured, 230 were
convalescent, 54 had been relieved, 9 not eared, ex-
pelled 8, died 241, under treatment 240. A considerable
number bad been discharged to ships convalescent. Of
the out-patients, 84 were completely clothed after their
cure, and 25 supplied with sheet and stockings. The
income for the
.) ear from all sources amounted to 8,264/.
4-. 6d., sad the expenditure, including the purchase of
2,300/. stock, equalled the receipts. The report an-
nounces that the long-pending question between the so-
ciety and the Corporation of Liverpool as to the right of
the society to the penalties levied by the borough magis-
trates under the Merchant Seamen's Registration Act has
been satisfactorily decided. On the 6th of June last the
Judges of the Court of Exchequer gave their unani-
mous decision in favour of the society, and the Liverpool
Corporation shortly afterwards paid over to the trea-
surer the sum of 6r,51. 6s. 4d., the amount received by
them up to the time of the commencement of proceed-
ings. The Corporation, however, were not satisfied
with this decision, and had refused to pay the penalties
subsequently received by them. The committee la-
mented the loss of her Majesty the late Queen Dowager,
Sir C. Forbes, Bart, and Lord Colville, all of whom
were warm friends to the institution. They thanked
the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty for having
put the Dreadnought into repair, at very considerable
cost, and announced that the Iphigenia was still retained
as on hospital-ship, and during the prevalence of the
cholera had received 250 cholera cases. Since the foun-
dation of the hospital, 93,310 seamen bad received
the benefit of medical attendance, and, in some cases,
clothing and employment.
SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES.—CoIoneI Mure, M.P.
for Renfrew, was elected a fellow last evening, under
the presidency of Mr. Hallam. Notice was given that
at the next meeting an historical paper by Mr. Hallam
would be read, upon Lucius, King of Britain. After va-
rious minor communications, and the announcement of
presents, the secretary proceeded with the conclusion of
the very learned and at the same time amusing paper by
Mr. Octavius Morgan, M.P., on the history of clocks
and watches in Europe, where they were undoubtedly
first constructed. He entered into the question with
great minuteness, and gave the palm of priorityi of in-
vention to Germany, and particularly to Nuremburg.
One of the most interesting points related to what is
called the fusee, employed to regulate and control the
mainspring, which was itself an improvement of the end
of the fifteenth century; the fusee was, of course, of
later date, out the ancient clock belonging to the society,
and eated 1525, has it as originally employed for the
purpose. 'Watchmaking was must successfully carried
on at Ulm and Augsburg, as well as at Nuremburg, sad
about 1600 the trade was established et Geneva.
SCHOOL FOR THE INDIGENT BLIND.-Yesterday
afternoon the 51st annual meeting ot the governors of
this institution wss held et the London Coffee-house;
the Right Honourable Lord Redstock in the chair.
The minutes of the former meetings having been
read and confirmed, the secretary read the report for
the year 1849. It congratulated the governors upon
the highly satisfactory state of the institution. 170 pu-
pils ot both sexes were now in the asylum, and were
boarded, lodged, and clothed gratuitously. They re-
mained in the institution six years and a half, by which
time they were sufficiently instructed in various trades
to prevent their being dependent on their friends—the
consciousness of such dependence being stated to distress
the blind more than the actual privation of sight. The
erection of a new school and class-room had conduced to
render the education of the inmates greatly more
efficient than formerly. Exclusive of the usual in-.
etruction in reading, writing, &c., the pupils now received
oral lessons in history, etymology, and geography,
the latter being taught by raised maps. The health of
the inmates during the year had been remarkably
good, only one death having occurred. While the cho-
lera was raging with its greatest virulence on all sides
of the asylum, the health of those within its walls had
by the blessing of God been better than usual, only one
of the pupils was attacked, a boy, who speedily reco-
vered. 19 pupils had left the school during the last 12
months—viz., 11 boys, 4 of whom were expelled for
misconduct; and 8 girls, 1 of whom was also dis-
missed. 393 persons, exclusive of those who had been
placed in the permanent establishment, or died in the
school, had returned to their friends, mostly able to
maintain themselves. The financial report stated that
the total income of the year, including 1,2001. for the
sale of articles manufactured by the pupils, was
9,0871. 9s. 2d.; whilst the expenditure was 7,650/., leav-
ing a considerable balance in favour of the institution.
This report was receivei and adopted, and after the
usual election of officers the meeting thanked the chair-
man and separated.
MINE ACCIDENTS AT DUDLEY.—In the afternoon
of Friday last inquests were held before the coroner of the
district, Mr. W. Robinson, and jury, at the house of Mr.
Joseph Holt, the Two Furnaces lon, Woodside, in this
parish, on the bodies of two young men, Thomas Pearson
and John Tranter, who had been instantaneously killed on
the previous evening by a fall of eight or nine tons of coal,
while engaged in filling the band down a pit connected with
Messrs. Cochrane and Co.'s colliery in that neighbour-
hood. The jury
who
returnedas in h
verdicts
19th year,dictso was a
f" Accidental
death." Pearson, son
of one of the butties. John Tranter has left a wife and
one child. It is stated that no less than seven persons
have been killed at this colliery within the last tour or
five months by similar accidents. On the following day
(Saturday) inquests were held before the same coroner,
at the Angel Inn (Mr. B. Cole's), Castle-street, on the
bodies of two other colliers, Jarrat Davies, aged 27, laid
Cornelius Fellows, aged 21, who were so dreadfully in-
jured by a similar occurrence to the above on the pre-
vious day at the Baptist Hand colliery, worked by Mr.
Crewe, that they survived but a few hours only. The
deceased men were at the time of the sad occurrence
(which was stated to be quite accidental) also working
in the band. The jury returned verdicts accordingly.—
Worcestershire Chronicle.
HER MAJESTY'S .SHIP GANGES, 64, STRUCK BY
LIGHTNING.—By
,accounts from the Mediterranean it
appears that her Majrsty's ship Ganges was struck by
lightning in January last, near Athens. The electric
discharge fell in forked streams on the foremast, pro-
ducing luminous corruscations, or spouts as the sailors
term them,
The conductors fixed in
.the spars
however, ensued.
nearly half-way down the mast.. No damage,
dischargess wltutthe
notbu l k
aof the
rope-yarn
w
damaged—
another most immense' practical illustration of the
3S Rodney, of 90 guns, a similar ship, but not
In 18 the
great value of lightning cothluctors judiciously applied.
was struck by lightning off Malta. The ship
cleaarsrtiedincooffnvtehneiegnrceeat;
so protected,
was on fire aloft for half an hour. Two men were killed;
two mere severely injured. The very hearts of the spars
'ore ruined, and the ship detained under an expen-
sive repair at Malta for a month or five weeks, thereby
causing a serious inconvenience to the service, and a
very ruinous expenditure.
MOORISH WATERWORKS.—The Moors left traces
of the care they took to secure a supply of water to their
towns, and they introduced into Spain the system of
replacing bridge aqueducts by souterazzi, adopted by the
Greeks of the lower empire. At the Puerto Reel de
Cadix; at Talavera la Reysia; at Castellon de la Plana,
small works of this kind are still in use. We shall have
occasion to describe the principle upon which they
operate more fully when we consider the water supply of
Constantinople ; we will, therefore, merely enumerate
the works of this kind to be found in Spain, without
entering into details. The other hydraulic works
executed by that singular people are not worth dwelling
upon for any length. They consist mostly of cisterns,
baths, and fountains. Occasionally, as near Grenada,
they erected aqueduct bridges, but they were small in
comparison with the Roman edifices, so plentifully scat-
tered throughout Spain. That alluded to, near Grenada,
is one of the loftiest, but its extreme height is only
about 70 feet, and the spans of the arches are little
more than 8 feet 6 inches to 9 feet. In fact, although
the Moors were unquestionably a nation of great taste,
we can hardly regard them as other than mere tyros in
the higher branches of the art of construction. It is the
fashion at the present day to admire them more than
they deserve, in whatever manner we may consider them
..•etratitect Poi liiiiidv4 gGiati•