The Sun.
London, England, 1850-08-20 00:00:00

PORTLAND BREAKWATER.

We are favoured with the following extract of a
letter,-dated 'Hardwick House, Chepstow, 14th Aug.,
1850"," from- the highly-esteemed Captain George
Stevenson, addressed *to one of his correspondents at
WeymOutli. We need not enlarge on the propriety
and early accordanCe with his gentlemanly and kind
sentiments to Mr. Harvey :
"I'ltojoe= you have had a prosperous summer, and,
still continue full. I have been expecting to , hear
when 'the tradesmen of Weymouth (on this point
party-Spirit must give way, for the breakwater is
supposed to do good to all classes, rich and poor) pro-
pose to give their dinner—l hope it will be a true
Englishman's dinner, roast beef and plum pudding—
to Mr; Harvey, whose constant exertions and endea-
voursqo bring the breakwater to what it now is, in a
great Measure contributed to its final success ; conse-
quently he merits (as I observed before) a reward
from all 'ranks. Should the dinner not bare taken
place,:i beg the committee to allow me to put down
21., with six bottles of wine, three red and three
white; with three cheers for a merry meeting.
(Signed) " GEOIIGII STEVENSON."
Thi following interesting information reszecting
the. above national undertaking may perhapirprove
interesting to our reader's:—

"The Government works (1850) exhibit an,in-
teresting scene of activity and attract numbers, of
visitors daily ; some of the breakwater in ,annui-.
finished state is now seen projecting from the shore,
and fhe deposition of stone from the quarriei is, re-
gularly and rapidly carried forward by railway. A
number of additional tram waggons have lately, been
received at the works, with a view to the employment
r
of a still large
number of convicts, on the arrival of
wboth this great national enterprise will be carried on
with increased rapidity. Amongst the remarkable ma-
,chinerrto be observed on these works may be mentioned
a gigintic crane on a moveable platform, intended forth.
raising of stones from the recesses of the quarries, and
which is capable of sustaining with ease the immense
weight of sixty tons. An engine has also been re-
cently erected for the chemical impregnation of the
driving piles for their preservation, by a new and in-
genious process, by which they are rendered imper-
vious -to the action of Water. The interest which at-
tachestitself to Portland from its rare and abundant
fossils -its striking geological stratification, and anti-
quaiiin remains, it sufficiently notorious: These
attractions ate now varied and enhanced by the grand
exhibition of the fertile resources, the all-conquering
ingenuity, and profound achievements of the skilful
engineer bending to his uses the most stubborn ob-
sticks, and. circumscribing the power and sway of
the mighty ,ocean."
Several of the inhabitants of Weymouth, Portland,
and their vicinities, have set on- foot a subscription for
a testimonial to Mr. John Harvey, the Postmaster of
Weymouth, to whose' exertions in continuation of
those of his father, the erection of the Portland
Breakwater is mainly owing.
-
TERRIBLE RIOT IN THE SIX-

TEE NTH WARD—TWO MEN KILLED.
About two o'clock yesterday afternoon news came
to the. Sixteenth Ward station-house, in Twentieth-
street,: near Eighth-avenue, that a large party of
tailors; or other persons, had gathered in Thirty-
eighth--street, near Ninth-avenue, and were breaking
windowaand raising a great disturbance. Captain
Freeman immediately summoned a possee of
men, and went up to the place. He found
some- - two- hundred men, apparently all Ger-
mans, - who had driven a tailor out of his !house,
torn his 'shirt off his-back, and were then haranguing
over their act, making a great disturbance in every
way. Captain F. made a sally and arrested the man
who was speaking, when the Germans fell upon the
policemen with clubs and stones, and a general fight
commenced, during which, we are told, one or more
pistol shots were fired. After a short struggle the
disturbance was quelled, and the police returned with
five German prisoners, who were locked up at the sta-
tion -house of the sixteenth ward.

About two hours afterward a large party, some
300 Germans, were discovered in the upper part of
Broadway, making a hasty march for the scene of
the previous disturbance. When they arrived they
attacked a house in Thirty-eighth-street, near Ninth-
avenue, ransacked it, destroyed a quantity of goods
(unmade garments, as we were told), broke up
the furniture, and got up a great row. The
Sixteenth Ward police were quickly on the
spot ;and Justice Mountfort and a body of
16 of the Eighteenth Ward Police about the same time
appeared, having anticipated trouble and followed the
party from P.roadway. They made an onslaught,
and then a da.ngerous fight began. Justice Mountfort
received a very severe blow on the breast, just as be
had collared one of the ringleaders. Just then a Ger-
man raised, a huge-club, and was about to settle Jus-
tice Mountfort, when s policeman gave the man a
blow.that knocked him senseless. The fight raged
for several minutes with daigewout fart'; stoma „d
clubs_ rattled, and knives gleamed, and Prom the
latter three policemen were badly injured. Assistant
Captain May was wounded on the head,with a club.
Finally, the police got the upper hand, and marched
home, with a great number of prisoners. We regret
to learn that a number of Germans were very badly
hurt, and that two have since died. Several of the
wounded were taken off by their friends. About 40
Germans are under arrest. The police say that a
number of them had stones in their pockets when
taken,

At six o'clock all was quiet, and no further dis-
turbance was apprehended.

This is the substance of the affair, as we gathOted
from the officers of the Sixteenth Ward police, and
from :Justice Mountfort.

VCI will now give the version of the story as given
to our." labour reporter" last night at Hillenbrand's,
and at the Sixteenth Ward Hotel, wnere the tailors
have their headquarters.
Our reporter learned last evening that a committee
of German tailors went on a visit to Bloomingdale
esterdsy afternoon,.to get such tailors as had not
joined the German Society to do so, as it was
rninoured two "sub-contractors" on "Southern" work
were dealing out coats at less than the rates.
This 'Committee was met by a strong detachment
of !Aloe and other persons, who attacked the
tailors, killing two of them, dangerously wounding
`others; twenty-five arrests were made; some of the
wounded men were taken to the station-house and
Hillenbrand's Hotel, where the society usually meet.
It is said that on the assembly of these tailors au alarm
of fire was raised, and a large body of firemen entered
a " factory" shop and took out the 250 c oats to be
made at low wages, which was the cause 'o the dis-
pute.

The tailors are going to demand a strict investiga •
tion of this matter from the authorities as early as
possible, and both the American and German so-
cieties adjourned early, to meet at an early hour this
morning.
As usual, there are hundreds of statements about
this matter, and the truth can only be known after
the trial. The tailors were not armed, which explains,
as they say, for the few police hurt, to whom they in-
tended to do no violence. The clothes were taken to
the Tombs.—New York Paper.

THE ROUTE TO CALIFORNIA BY

THE TEHUANTEPEC ISTHMUS.
(From the New York Herald.)
Mr. Letcher, the American Minister at Mexico, it
has been announced, has succeeded in effecting a
treaty with the Government of that country with
respect to the Tehuantepec route across the Isthmus.
It is understood that this treaty is similar in its cha-
racter and conditions to that recently made by our
efficient Charge d'Affaires, Mr. Squiers, between our
Government and that of Nicaragua. The documents
connected with the affair will soon be placed-before
the Senate of the United States. The presumption
is, that the stipulations do not vary widely from
those incorporated in Santa Anua'e decree of the Ist
of March, 1842 ; and in that of Mariano de Sales,
dated the sth of November, 1846. The former de-
cree contained 11 articles, and the third of the
series declared that the passage across the Isthmus
should be neutral and common to all nations at
peace with Mexico. The Government generally
made this whole decree, upon certain terms,
with Don Jose de Garay, who it appears, has sur-
rendered in some way all the concessions originally
made to him to certain citizens of the United States
residing at New Orleans. By way of distinction,
therefore, this may be termed a New Orleans enter-
prise, though the results may be of national impor-
tance. The treaty was made on the 24th of last
month, and it is calculated to call forth much discus-
sion, as well as to excite great interest in every part
of the country.
For many years the idea of making an easy route,
either by railroad or canal, between the Pacific and
Atlantic Oceans, has not only arrested the attention of
our countrymen, but the serious inquiry of several
European Governments. A ship railroad, with a capital
of 10,000,0001. sterling, was proposed at one time in
London, with a view of levying tolls upon all the
nations of the earth. This was a gigantic scheme. When
the mind contemplates the possibility of taking a ship
into a dry dock on the Atlantic shore, of cradling it
upon a car with 48 wheels, running upon eight
rails, of seeing it transported across the country,
and deposited in a dock upon the Pacific,. the inge-
nuity of man becomes an object of admiration. We are
startled with the boldness, though we can scarce doubt
the rationality of its resources. Vast capital can ac-
complish vast results. However, the English plan will
not be carried into effect in the present century. The
French and the Germans have made several surveys
of different routes, as well as the English and Ame-
ricans. That by Tehuantepec may or may not be
practicable. Senor Gaetano Moro's survey gives a
highly favourable picture of the country fur the pro-
posed road. From his surveys, it seems that the en-
tire distance from sea to ses is 135 miles in a right
line.. It presents a wide plain from the month of the
Coatzacoalcos to the foot of the Mesa de Tarifa, which
is a tableland rising to' 650 feet'above the leiel of the
sea, and at • five miles distance descends again to
the plain which reaches the Pacific. Near Tehuan-
tepec, Moro found two extensive lakes, the outer, se-
parated by a narrow sandbank from the ocean, and the
inner and larger communicating with it by a channel
between high banks. Eight rivers flow into them
and, with some improving, ships may find harbours in
these waters. From the inner lake the land rises very
gradually to the Yenta de Chicapa, thence with a
steeper acclivity upon Tarifa—and there is a slight de-
clivity to a river, which is navigable for ships for the
distance of 34 miles from its mouth on the Gulf of
Mexico. Such are the rude outlines of Moro's survey.
The resources of the country are immense for tim-
ber of the best quality for building a road. The fa-
cilities for cattle-feeding are complete. The soil
is prolific, and salt mines are abundant. The cli-
mate is.agreeable and mild, and usually salubrious.
The advantages, therefore, for constructing a road
cannot be overlooked. In a commercial and political
point of .view, however, such a road would be very de-
sirable'; and, could it be made, would add largely to the
prospexity.of our country. From the mouth of the
Mississippi to an Francisco, by Tehuantepec, is
1,825 miles nearer than by Panama. From New
York 1,400 miles-of sea navigation would be saved,
were this route opened.
, :Such are the most obvious advantages of this
route. Others, though not so superficially apparent,
will readily rise, upon • investigation. The Gulf of
Mexico lies chiefly within the jurisdiction of those
who would be interested in this route, and, in a
tione,of war, our commerce could be carried on without
any ierious apprehension of disturbance from foreign
powers. This alone is not an unimportant considera-
tion, and, will, we doubt not, be amply reflected upon
by our senatorial body when they takethe whole subject
[-into coinsiderition. With the details of the treaty we
are not, acquainted, but we are well satisfied that ex
, Governor Letcher, our Minister, who has arranged
the treaty, has too closely studied his subject to make
any mistake as to what is desirable for the present, or
possible in the future. In this belief, therefore, we
trust that the treaty will be raiified and confirmed
without delay. It will in no way interfere with that
of Nicaragua, and both routes across the Isthmus are
required. Panama, though short, is unhealthy, and
will be abandoned.

TILE &LIN, LONDON;-