The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-09 00:00:00

APPOINTMENTS.

Commander—H. C. Otter, to the Sparrow.
Lieutenants—P. F. Shortland, to command the Co-
lumbia, vice Harding ; J. Giles, to the Tartarus, vice
Stokes, dismissed ; R. ➢laguire, additional to the Agin-
court ; Hon. W. B. De Blacquiere, to the Eagle ; A. G.
Edge, to the Caledonia.
Chaplain and Naval Instructor—J. Burrough, to the
Amazon.

Mate—F. F. Hawkins, to the Eagle.
Surgeon—H. D. B. Kenning, to be surgeon and me-
dical storekeeper at Malta Hospital, vice Whitmarsh.
Assistant-Surgeon—J. Whitmarsh, from Malta Hos-
pital, to be Dispenser at Greenwich, vice Drayton, super-
annuated.

Midshipman—D'Arcy Preston, to the Eagle.
CHATHAM, DEc. 7.—Tke Hornet, 6 gun brigantine,
was paid off at Chatham this day. She arrived here from
the West Indies on the 3d instant, after a passage of
fifty-nine days. She experienced during her homeward
voyage several calms and variable winds, which ac-
counted for her being behind the Griffon (which was
paid off last week at Sheerness), that left Jamaica before
her for nearly a week. Lieutenant C. Seaver, from the
Imaum, receiving-ship at Jamaica, was in command of
this vessel. One corporal and eight privates of the Royal
Marines disembarked and joined their head-quarters at
this division. The Hornet is to be taken into dock, and
refitted for commission. She has been absent seven
years on the West India station, and during part of that
time she was employed in the mail-packet service.
The engines of the Janus, steam-vessel, having arrived
from the contractors, were put on board on the 30th ult.,
and she has been since taken into dock 'again to complete
her fittings.

FIRE AT ST. PETER'S CHURCH, HACKNEY.—Yes•
terday morning (Sunday), about half-past five o'clock
much alarm was created in the Hackney-road, on the
discovery of a fire in St. Peter's Church. Some persons
were engaged in lighting the stoves for warming the
building, and a portion of the pipe under the organ-loft
having got red hot, the fire communicated to the wood
of the gallery. A party of the N division of police in-
stantly procured the parish engine, and, within half an
hour afterwards, several brigade and West of England
engines had arrived. The water-mains were well charged
from the East London works, and the engines having
been set to work, the fire was very soon got under ; not,
however, until considerable damage had been done.
NBW NAUTICAL INVENTION.—A useful invention
is now in the act of being applied to one of our men of
war. It is called a " manceuvrer ;"(it:is the proposition
of R. Foulerton, Esq., is an Archimedean screw fitted
through the deadwood of the ship at right angles with
the keel, and set in motion by the capstan, for the pur-
pose of turning the ship round when, from calm weather,
the helm has no effect on the vessel. It does not project
in any degree, so as to impede the ship's way through
the water, and must be highly useful in the case of
.a
ship being attacked by steamers or gun-boats, in bringing
the broadside to bear on them ; or it may even assist a
ship in the act of staving.
DARING ROBBERY.—A respectable corn-dealer,
from the neighbourhood of Howden was cruelly robbed
in this town on Tuesday last of 2151., with which he
was proceeding to the corn-market. The villanous per-
petrator must have been well acquainted with the habits
of his victim, and the manner in which be carried his
money—in a waistcoat breast-pocket—or he could not,
even in the crowd by which the parties were in all pro-
bability surrounded, at or near the entrance of the
market, have so adroitly effected his nefarious purpose
as unfortunately proves to have been the case in this in-
stance. The pocket, it seems, was completely cut from
the waistcoat, together with the contents—a red pocket-
book, inclosing 20 notes of the Doncaster Bank, 22 of
the Howden Bank, and one of the bank of Beckett and
Co., Leeds, for 51. each-2151. The numbers of the
notes are unknown, neither has the individual who sus-
tained this merciless pillage any suspicion of the thief ;
yet unwilling to return home, he lingers in Hull with the
fond hope of his property being traced. The office has
been given to some of the elite of the police, but we fear
it is a forlorn hope, which even their vigilance may not
achieve.—Hull Packet.
THE ROYAL STAG-HOUNDS.—In consequence of
the extremely severe nature of the frost which has pre-
vailed for some days past the Royal Stag-hounds have
not been hunted since Wednesday. The meet this day
has been appointed to take place at Thorpe Green, in
Surrey ; but, from the appearance, of the weather up to
a late hour last evening, with the wind in the north-east,
there is not the least probability of there being any
hunting for some days.
THE QUEEN DOIVAGER.—Her Majesty has trans-
ntitted 201. towards the fund for the erection of the new
church now in progress at Broseley, Staffordshire; a
donation of 201. in aid of the rebuilding of the old
church, which has fallen into comparative ruin in the re-
tired village of Kingsweare, Devon; and 201. to the fund
for erecting the proposed new church at Skirbeck, Lin-
colnshire, to which laudable object the Earl of Brownlow
has contributed the munificent sum of 100/.
ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC.—The examination of
candidates for the King's scholarship, which was founded
by his late Majesty, with a portion of the surplus 'de-
rived from the festival in Westminster Abbey, 1834, will
take place at the institution on the 20th of December,
when one male and one female will be selected, who will
received a musical education for two years gratuitously.
Musical World.

LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN

RAILWAY.

On Saturday afternoon a specal general meeting of the
Shareholders in the London and South-Western (London
and Southampton) Railway was held at the station, Nine
Elms, Vauxhall, for the purpose of assenting to the va-
rious important projects which the Directors contemplate
bringing before Parliament in the ensuing session.
There was a very numerous attendance ofj Proprietors.
Mr. Chaplin, the Chairman of the Board of Directors
presided.
Mr. ALFRED MonGarr, the Secretary to the Company,
submitted a lengthened report, detailing the various pro-
jects in contemplation by the Directors. These projects
are as follows :-1. A branch from the present Nine
Elms terminus to the vicinity of the Hungerford and
Waterloo Bridges and to the Thames, and from Wimble-
don to Epsom. 2. From Weybridge to Staines and
Windsor. 3. From Woking-common, by Guildford,
Godalming, and Chichester, to Portsmouth and Fare-
ham, including the purchase of the Guildford Junction
Railway. 4. From Hook Pit Farm, on the main line of
railway, to Mottisfont, on the Salisbury branch, and
from Salisbury to Sherborne, and Yeovil to Dorchester
and Weymouth. 5. From Basingstoke to the Great
Western Railway at Didcot and Swindon. And also to
amend and enlarge certain powers of the Company under
their existing Acts of Parliament. The necessary sur-
veys, notices, and deposits have been made and given
according to the standing orders of Parliament with
respect to all these lines, except that from Weybridge to
Windsor. With respect to the first of these, the Hunger-
ford and Waterloo-bridge Extension, &c., the report
stated that the Directors had made arrangements with
the parties who originally contemplated the continuation
of this line in connexion with a railway to Richmond,
the effect of which is that the South-Western Company
will construct the line from Nine Elms to Waterloo and
Hungerford-bridges, and the branch to Richmond will
be undertaken by a separate company, and will join the
South-Western line at Wandsworth. The Directors
had resigned their contemplated junction of the London
and Brighton line at Croydon with their own rail-
way at Wandsworth in favour of the Brighton Com-
pany. The Directors again intend to renew their ap-
plication to Parliament for a branch to Epsom, feeling
confident that it can be worked cheaper than any other,
is shorter, has better gradients, and will be connected
with the best London terminus. The line from Wey-
bridge to Windsor the Directors have been obliged to
postpone for the present year. This project is designed
mainly with the view of completing the communication
between Chertsey and that vicinity with London, and of
affording to Staines, Egham, Windsor, and their popu-
lous neighbourhood the most direct communication with
the southern coast, either by the present mail line to
Southampton and the west, or by the projected line
from Guildford through Winchester to Portsmouth and
the Isle of Wight, Brighton, &c. The Directors some
weeks ago purchased the Guildford branch, granted
last session, the confirmation of which they now asked.
After alluding to the various " direct Portsmouth" lines
now before the public, the Directors went on to state
that they had joined in the promotion of a line com-
mencing at Woking, adopting the Guildford branch, and
passing through Godalming and near Midhurst and Pet-
worth to Chichester, from which city to Portsmouth and
Fareham the line will be the same as already sanctioned
by the Company. A Company has been formed for the
execution of this work, and the capital has been sub-
scribed under the guarantee of the South-Western Com-
pany, to work and lease the line in perpetuity, at such
rent as will give the Shareholders four per cent.
on their subscriptions, and an equal interest in the
surplus profits. By the proposed Hook Pit branch,
on the main line between Andover road station and
Winchester, to join the Salisbury branch at Mottis-
font, the distance between London and Salisbury
will be shortened nearly eight miles. They further re-
ported that they had caused surveys to be made of a
line from the Salisbury branch to Dorchester, Wey-
mouth, and Poole ; and on the necessary capital for the
line they propose to guarantee in perpetuity a return of
four per cent., and a moiety of the surplus earnings.
From Salisbury, also, they have caused a line to be sur-
veyed to Sherborne and Yeovil, which will provide for
all the northern parts of Dorsetshire, considerable por-
tions of South Wilts and East Somerset, and give all
these districts their shortest road to London and the
east, including the readiest communication with the
ports of Southampton and Portsmouth. With respect
to the lines from Basingstoke to Newbury and the Great
Western Railway, the Directors had failed in an at-
tempt to bring about an arrangement with the Great
Western Company, and they, therefore, felt that they
had no alternative but to undertake the schemes them-
selves, recommending that the requisite capital should
be provided by the Company. To provide the capital
necessary for these various undertakings, the Directors
recommended that there should be issued as many new
schemes of 501. and of 401. as there now exist shares of
those respective nominal amounts in the Company, and
that the option be given to each Shareholder (except
holders of the fixed five per cent. Gosport shares) of
taking one new share of the same nominal amount in
respect of every old share ; each such new share to
bear interest of four per cent. upon the calls paid during
the construction of the new works, to be payable out of
the new capital.
The CHAIRMAN, in a speech of considerable length, en-
tered into the details of these various projects, and endea-
voured to show that from the Guildford, Chichester, and
Portsmouth, and Salisbury, and Dorsetshire lines, when
their resources were fairly developed, addditional profit
to the Company might be expected, and as respected the
branches for which the capital was to be raised by the
South-Western Company, although they might not
prove as productive as the parent line, yet they would
bring an accession of traffic that would be remunerative.
The report was warmly received and adopted, and a
series of resolutions confirmed the various recommenda-
tions of the Directors carried.

Mr. TAYLOR, of the proposed " Cornwall and Devon
Central Railway," then entered into an explanation of the
public advantages which he maintained would accrue from
this scheme, which, with one or two. exceptions, were
very well received by the meeting.
Mr. W. TITE moved a resolution to the effect that this
Cornwall and Devon Central scheme would be of ma-
terial advantage to the South-Western Company, and
that the Directors should be authorised to -give such
support to it as they should deem expedient, which was
agreed to.
After a vote of thanks to the Directors the meeting
separated.

DEATH OF A GIPSY FORTUNE-TELLER, AT WANDS-.
WORTH.—On Saturday an inquest was held at the Ship,
water-side, Wandsworth, before Mr. Carter, on the body
of Harriet Larab, aged fifty, a gipsy, who had obtained
her living by professing to tell fortunes. It appeared
from the evidence adduced that on Thursday morning
last a lad, named Cartwright, was going to his work,
when he observed the body of the deceased lying on the
shore opposite to the Ship. She lay between the moor-
ing shores, close under the wharf-wall, over the edge of
which she had apparently slipped. The lad obtained
assistance, and the deceased was removed into the

Ship public-heuse. Her body was stiff and cold, and
there was a _ wound on her head, as _ if she

had pitched with it on the spike of one of the moor-
ing-stones. It was further proved that the deceased
had been in the Ship on the previous evening,
and that she left that place the worse for liquor.
Several persons who knew her saw her wandering about
up to half-past eight o'clock, but they took no further
notice of her, as she lived in the neighbourhood. After
this time she was not seen alive, anti it is supposed that
she must have soon afterwards tumbled over the wharf
wall whilst making her way home, and being stunned
by the fall on the mooring stones, was incapable of call-
ing for assistance. It was proved that the place from
which the deceased fell was a public footway, that the
wall was six feet in depth, but level with the path, and
that although the tide rose nearly to its level there were
no rails to protect people from falling over, and no
lights to warn them of the danger. Several persons had
been maimed for life by falling off this wall, but no
attempt had ever been made to prevent the recurrence of
such accidents. The jury !returned a verdict of "Acci-
dental Death," coupled with a request that some repre-
sentation of the insecure state of the place would be
made in the proper quarter. The Coroner promised
that the suggestion of the jury should be attended to.
MAGISTERIAL COURTESY.—THE LICENSED VIC-
TUALLERS.—A few days ago Mr. Phillips, proprietor of
the Plasterers' Arms, in Seymour-street, St. Pancras,
and Mr. Deacon, of the George and Dragon, Bucking-
ham-street, Fitzroy-square, waited on Mr. Rawlinson,
the magistrate of Marylebone—the latter to transfer his
licence to the former, when the following most curious
scene occurred :—Mr. Rawlinson (to Mr. Deacon)—So
you have disposed of your interest in the George and
Dragon ? Mr. Deacon—l have, Sir. Mr. Rawlinson—
Why ? Mr. Deacon—On account of the ill-health of
my good lady. Mr. Rawlinson—Good lady, indeed !
why don't you say your wife ? Mr. Deacon—The
ill-health of my wife, then, Sir. Mr. Rawlinson—To
whom have you sold the property ? Mr. Deacon
—To this gentleman (pointing to Mr. Phillips).
Mr. Rawlinson (in a rage)—Well, this is worse
than ever ; why don't you say that man ; who ever
heard of a gentleman being a publican ? Mr. Deacon—
Well, that man. Mr. Rawlinson.—flow long had you
possession of the house ?: Mr. Deacon—Just seven
months. ;Mr. Rawlinson—l suppose you had some money
from your brewer ? Mr. Deacon—l had, Sir. Mr. Raw-
linson (throwing down the licenses.)—Then take them
away. I refuse to transfer them. So, to the utter sur-
prise of the applicants, ended the scene ; and, in what
manner Mr. Rawlinson can justify his conduct we are at
a loss to conceive, as there was not the slightest ground
of complaint against those two named " gentlemen" pub-
licans, who, in their various transactions through life
have been quite as deserving that appellation as the ma-
gistrate himself ; and if either of them sustain any loss
by the extraordinary freak of the latter, we advise them
to bring an action against him, to which he will certainly
be liable for damages. We would recommend a manda-
mus to be applied for against him, for his conduct seems
anything but that of a " gentleman."—Sunday Times.
SEVERITY Or THE WEATLIBR.—The weather has
been so severe the last few nights that the engine dri-
vers and stokers of the various mail trains, have arrived
in town with their great coats literally covered with ice
from the dew and steam freezing on them, although with
so large a fire at their feet. In consequence of the seve-
rity of the weather the Directors on the South-eastern
line have ordered that the engine-drivers and stokers on
the mail trains, shall be relieved every alternate night ;
and they now only run three times a week. This has
been considered absolutely necessary for the benefit of
the men's health.
THE BANK ROBBERY AND TWO WELSIIMEN.—It
is not generally known that Daniel and John Forester
the celebrated Bow-street officers, are natives of Carmar-
thenshire. They were born at Nantycaws, three miles
from Carmarthen, their father having kept the public-
house now occupied by Levi Llewellyn. Another
brother was accidentally shot near Nantycaws.—
Welshman.

f THE RIVAL LINES BETWEEN
LONDON AND YORK.

(From the Atlas.)
Perhaps the most important, in a national point of
view, of all the projected railways, is that between Lon-
don and York, and as the interests, not merely of a lo-
cality, but of a fourth of the population of the entire
kingdom, are concerned in it, we trust that those inter-
ests will not be sacrificed to any erroneous views or
undue influences. As we perceive from the public ad-
vertisements, that the rival parties are prepared to enter
the lists against each other when Parliament sits, we
shall state our reasons for giving the preference to the
Direct Northern line on public and national grounds, as
well as on those of private advantage.
Since the publication of the prospectus of the Direct
Northern Railway, on the 4th of April 1844, the time
has doubtless been spent in preparing the necessary
preliminaries of the undertaking, such as the comple-
tion of the share list—the examination of the line—
the lodgment of the plans and sections—the finishing
of the books of reference, and other requisitions of
the standing orders of Parliament.
Convinced of the priority of their claim to the scheme
of a direct line from London to York, we have delayed
until now stating our opinion of their case, because we
deemed it premature to do so before it was ready to be
compared in all its integrity with its rivals. But the
Parliamentary notices of the various schemes of the Di-
rect Northern, the London and York, and the York,
Lincoln, and Cambridge lines being now published, it is
easy to sea the grounds upon which the Direct Northern
claims a superiority over its competitors.
The principle of the Direct Northern is to take the
straightest line from London to York that the engineer-
ing circumstances will admit of.
This principle has been steadily kept in view, and
minor considerations have not been allowed to interfere
with it. . .

The result is a line of about 178 Liles in length,
which is eight miles shorter than the London and York,
and more than forty miles shorter than the London and
Birmingham. As compared with the lino proposed to
be prolonged from Cambridge, through Lincoln to
York, it is needless to say that it presents infinite
advantages.
The comparison of the different schemes must rest on
the balance of national advantage.
By the direct principle, all Scotland and the north-
eastern counties of England will gain. Every extra mile
is a tax of two-pence upon each passenger and ton of
goods, amounting on the traffic of the line to 3,0001. per
mile. A loss of eight miles in the distance between
London and York, and all North Britain, would, there-
fore, amount to 24,0001. per annum levied on the
through traffic.
Against these advantagos all that can be nrgod is,
that the Direct Northern does not pass through certain
second-rate towns situated on the old northern post-
road, such as Grantham, Newark, and Doncaster, with
an aggregate population of 32,000 ; towns which can
only be accommodated •by sacrificing directness and
other towns on the same route.
Thus the London and York line sacrifices Stamford
for the sake of Peterborough; and Lincoln, Gainsbo-
rough, Thorne, and Snaith for the sake of Doncaster.
If the Direct Trunk Line is constructed, branches to
meet the local wants will be made to suit it, in addition
to those for the accommodation of Bedford, St. Ives,
Grantham, Sleaford, Newark, Doncaster, and Goole,
which the present projects includes; but if the Trunk is
spoiled to meet the local demands, it will be impossible
ever to remedy it.
If the principle of local accommodation is to be looked
to exclusively, the public must adopt Mr. Hudson's line
by York, Lincoln, and Cambridge ; but if a new direct
communication from London to York be the primary
object (as it unquestionably is), then the Direct Northern
clearly has the preference.
The Lateral Line with its branches, projected by the
London and York Company for the accommodation of
Wakefield, Lincoln, and Boston, in connexion with their
main line, is nearly double as long as the whole extent
of the Direct Northern's branches, and may therefore be
expected to involve twice the cost. In fact, it forms a
line three-fourths of the length of the main trunk.
In determining the relative merits of the rival lines, it
is necessary to look beyond the present, and to consult
the wants and capabilities of the people of Scotland, and
the large masses of population at the termini.
Now it is stated by Mr. Baxendale, and other compe-
tent authorities, in evidence before the Select Committee
on Railways, that the traffic generally doubles itself in
fifteen years. The through traffic will therefore greatly
increase.

If circuitous lines be sanctioned there will be constant
fear of new schemes, whereas, if the straightest line
be in the first instance adopted, it will be safe from
future competition. On the whole, we feel con-
fident that the direct principle is the only fair and just
one, and that the population of Scotland and London
will not suffer the monopoly of the Leeds and Manchester
line, who have coalesced with the London and York, or
the scheme of Mr. lludson to save his Midlands Rail-
way, to prevail over the obvious necessities of the great
mass of the population.

PRESENTATION OF A PIECE OF
PLATE TO THE REV. THOMAS DALE, A.M.
On Saturday a deputation of gentlemen of the parish
of St. Sepulchre's waited upon the Rev. Thomas Dale, to
present to him a handsome piece of plate, which had been
subscribed for by his friends and admirers,
Mr. Deputy BEDFORD, in presenting the testimonial, I
said he felt himself particularly honoured in being soli-
cited to present this tribute. On occasions in which our
grateful country rewards her distinguished defenders,
the pride which we feel in successful valour is alloyed by
the reflection that it has been exerted at the sacrifice of
human life, and that the richest laurels ever gained by
victory have always been—always—stained by a tear.
On the present occasion, however, we can have no such
feelings ; our satisfaction is pure and perfect, for we offer
up this tribute to religion and morality, to the good
pastor who, for sixteen years, has discharged the duties
of his sacred office with unwearied kindness and atten-
tion, who has constantly enforced our duty to God and
man, and inculcated the necessity of doing kindness to our
fellow-creature, and has pointed out to us that this world
is but the passage to another, but that it is by our con-
duct in that passage that we shall be received or re-
jected in the realms of everlasting life. Accept this tri-
bute, dear sir, as some proof that your labours have not
been exerted upon an ungrateful flock, but that the re-
collection of your eminent sevices will be impressed upon
our minds, though we be separated in future from your
ministry. " Absent though not forgotten" is our motto,
and our wish is that all happiness and health may attend
you.
The Rev.TUoMAS DALE acknowledged the compliment
in a speech, in which he said, that this handsome tri-
bute, while it filled him with the deepest gratitude, would
keep alive the feeling of regret at being separated from
such dear and affectionate friends. He should ever pray
for their welfare and happiness in this and in a better
state, and the greatest blessing of his life would be to
find that his labours had been so affectionately remem-
bered and so eminently rewarded.
This testimonial has been executed Isy Mr. Turner, of
Ludgate-hill. It is an epergne of exceedingly chaste and
beautiful design. From an ornamental tripod base rises
a shaft, expanding upwards like a convolvulus flower,
and terminating in a slightly recurved border of vine
leaves and grapes. The calyx of the flower supports a
rich and massive cut glass bowl, forming the centre of
the piece, while three branches springing from the lower
part of the epergne sustain three similar cups of similar
design. The upper part of the shaft boars the following
inscription :
" Presented to the Rev. Thomas Dale, M.A., Canon
Residentiary of St. Paul's, and Vicar of St. Bride's, by
a few friends of the parish of St. Sepulchre, London, as
a token of their high estimation of his ministerial ser-
vices as an evening lecturer, during the space of 16
years, and for his great and successful exertions in pro-
moting the interests of the various charities of the
parish-1844."
The design and execution of this beautiful piece of
plate reflects the greatest credit upon the highly-re-
spectable manufactory from whence it came.

Mr. Archer, the box-book-keeper at the little
theatre in the Haymarket, will take his annual benefit
on 'Wednesday next, for which occasion we perceive that
an overpowering programme of performances has been
announced. The kindness and conciliatory disposition
evinced by Mr. Archer in the discharge of his duties
would have secured for him a full attendance on his be-
nefit night, independently of any other attraction.
REINSTATEMENT OF A CONVICTED INSPECTOR OF
POLICE.—Our readers will recollect that several months
since a long investigation took place at Bow-street into
the conduct of an inspector of the A division, of the
name of Tierney, who had interfered in the most un-
warrantable manner with a constable named Weaver, of
the F division, while taking into custody a friend of his
(the inspector's), named M'Bride, for a brutal assault he
had himself witnessed upon a female. After two long
investigations, one before Mr. Hall, the chief magistrate,
and the other, which lasted two days, before Mr. Jar-
dine, the inspector was convicted, and committed to a
month's imprisonment without fine, Mr. Jardine declar-
ing him unworthy to hold any situation of trust or re-
sponsibility. The inspector served his time, and months
have rolled on, but it appears has not effaced his memory
from the police authorities; for, monstrous as it may ap-
pear, this same inspector, convicted of a flagrant derelic-
tion of duty. and held by a magistrate to be unfit for any
situation of trust under Government, has been lately re-
instated to all the honours and emoluments he lost, and
is now in the G division, which, we believe, is the first
vacancy since his release from his prison, and caused by
the promotion of Inspector Shackell to the Detective
Force. If the public are to rely on the police for pro-
tection, surely they ought to have confidence in those
who compose it. A grosser attack on the liberty of the
subject, and more direct insult to the magistrate who
convicted cannot be given; while it is a direct infringe-
ment of the Police Act, which declares no man con-
victed of crime shall be eligible to serve. This, however,
only falls on the men, it appears; it clearly is not very
scrupulous as to the officers.
LONDON JOURNEYMEN BAKERS.—Saturday night
a meeting of master and journeymen bakers was held at
the New Hall, Swan-yard, St. Martin's-lane, to hear a
lecture from W. Brooke, Esq., upon the nature and ob-
jects of the " Lendon Journeymen Bakers' Provident In-
stitution." He, at great length, dilated upon the object
and nature of the institution, and stated its objects to be
threefold, viz., to provide an asylum and relief for the
aged and infirm, and their wives or widows, and
orphans : to provide district houses for the accommoda-
tion, comfort, and mental improvement of the members
of the institution. According to the lecturer, the be-
nefits of the institution wore confined to journeymen
bakers residing within twelve miles of St. Paul's ca-
thedral.
The Rev. W. Harrison (morning preacher at the
Magdalen) was. on Saturday elected to the office of after-
noon preacher in the chapel of the Foundling Hospital.

MELANCHOLY CATASTROPHE.
On Friday last Mr. T. T. De Lasaux, one of the
coroners of Kent, held an inquest, at Whitstable, on the
bodies of Edward Polhill, aged thirty-four, William
Polhill, aged twenty-five, George Miles, aged thirty-two,
John Mason, aged thirty-one, and Henry Pym, aged
thirty-three, the whole of whom had been unfortunately
drowned on the evening of Wednesday last, while passing
from Whitstable to the Isle of Sheppey.
Mr. Pym was a farmer, and for some years occupied
an extensive farm at Leysdown, in Sheppey, but had
recently retired from business, and at the time of his
melancholy death resided at Bridge, near Canterbury.
His companions in misfortune were men engaged in the
Coast Guard service, stationed at Whitstable, and were
all highly respected by their companions in the service,
as well as by the inhabitants of Whitstable and Seasalter,
by whom their untimely fate is much regretted. E.
Polhill and G. Miles have each left widows, with five
young children ; and J. Mason, also a married man, has
left a widow and one child ; the other two—viz., W.
Polhill and H. Pym, were unmarried.
The jury having been sworn, proceeded to the Coast
Guard station-house to view the bodies, which presented
the melancholy spectacle of five human beings, in the
prime of life and full of health, hurried into eternity
without a moment's warning, as may be conceived by the
evidence adduced.
Mr. Aldridge, Chief Officer of the Coast Guard Ser-
vice at the Seasalter station, stated, that shortly after
four o'clock in the afternoon of Wednesday he directed
E. Polhill, chief boatman, and his companions W. Pol-
hill, G. Miles, and J. Mason, to proceed to sea in the
" four-oared gig" on duty, to watch the various craft
that might be rounding the Shellness point, and also to
proceed to the station at Shellness, and communicate
with the chief officer there. Mr. Pym, who was at Whit-
stable at the time, asked his permission to be allowed to
pass over in the boat to the Isle of Sheppey, which he
assented to, and the five left the beach on board the
boat for the above destination. He (the witness) saw no
more of them; but the men not returning all night, fears
were entertained for their safety, and he on the following
day went in search of them, and between one and twe
o'clock in the afternoon of Thursday found the bodies of
E. and W. Polhill, Pym, and Miles, lying on the Ponard
Sands, and the boat a short distance from them, lying on
her larboard side. On further search the body of Mason
was found in the water with an oar under him, appa-
rently as though he had attempted to save his life by its
assistance. The whole of the men were perfectly sober
when they put to sea, and were well known as being
steady and careful men. Witness believed that their
deaths were caused by the capsizing of the boat, caused
by a heavy swell of the sea, which often takes place by
the meeting of two tides near the place where the bodies
were found.
Charles Foreman, a dredger, of Whitstable, stated
that he was in a punt near the Pollard oyster-grounds
on Wednesday last, shooting wild fowl, and saw a boat
crossing towards Shellness, and noticed that she was
going at a fast rate, and shortly after he lost sight of
her, when he supposed those who were in her had lowered
the sails. On the following day he found the body of
Miles, and gave information of the fact, and shortly after
the other bodies were found. When he first saw the
boat on Wednesday, there was no other vessel of any
description on the water with which it could have come
in collision by accident or otherwise.
Captain Blair, R.N., inspecting officer of the district,
was in attendance, and at his suggestion several ques-
tions were put to the above witness, as to whether it was
prudent to allow a boat of the description to go to sea in
the then state of the weather ; and also as to whether
the men who bad charge of the boat were proceeding to
their destination in a proper direction ? To which
questions the witness replied, that there was nothing. in
the weather that would prevent any one going to sea for
such purpose in a boat of that kind, and had he been
going, he should have proceeded in the same direction
as he saw the boat, without any idea of its being
unsafe to do so ; but he stated that at times the passage
across was a difficult one, arising from what was termed
by the seafaring men of Whitstable a "hollow," or
" counter sea," occasioned by the general tide and by
the water flowing through the " East Swale," which
divides the Isle of Sheppey from that part of the coast
of Kent. Captain Blair explained that he, had merely
required those questions to be put to the witness, who,
being a seafaring man of the place, might be better able
to show if danger was to be apprehended at the time
the boat went to sea, and not that he (Captain Blair),
considered there was, as, in fact, he himself was at sea
in exactly the same description of boat at the same hour
on Wednesday, in which they stretched out full three
miles, passing on from Reculver to Whitstable.
No other evidence being adduced,
The CORONER addressed the jury, calling their at-
tention to the facts elicited ; and remarked, in the ab-
sence of further evidence, and almost certainly with the
whole that could ever be produced, he felt justified in say-
ing that the deceased had come by their deaths by purely
accidental circumstances ; in which opinion the jury
concurred, and returned a verdict of " Accidentally
drowned," levying a small deodand on the boat.

THE STEAM-ENGINES OF THE
RETRIBUTION.
(FURTHER PARTICULARS.)
After some preparatory trials the engines were set to
work on Friday, and several persons distinguished for
scientific acquirements or mercantile eminence, received
invitations to witness the performance. No inconsider-
able number of gentlemen attended, and several ladies.
We are glad to see such a deep interest taken in the suc-
cess of our steam navy, for one of greater national im-
portance hardly exists. There was no pleasant trip on
the occasion to give excitement, for the vessel was lying
the whole time fast bound to the dock pier, but so far
from it as to permit the paddle-wheel freely to revolve.
The mere performance of the machine, and wonderful it
was, excited the highest interest.
As we approached the vessel we saw the immense
wheel, 34 feet in diameter—the paddle-boxes which
cover them standing high above the top sides of the ship,
and looking, we must say, unsightly—throwing the
water away with great rapidity, and though that was no
index to the rite at which the vessel would move were
she at liberty, the velocity with which the water was
thrown past the ship was a sufficient test of the vast
power which was at work within. It has been said, in
depreciation of man's faculties, that he " dashes the
water to hasten the speed of the cataract ;" but each of
the mighty wheels of the Retribution, as it revolved,
gave rapid motion to a body of water that may be ap-
propriately styled a river. It made as much ferment as
a little cataract, and it raised the water to which it gave
an impetus. The wheels, however, were not at full
work, for only half the float boards were on, yet the
rush of the water filled us with astonishment. So dis-
turbed and so aeritied the usually still waters of the
dock probably nevsr were before.
We entered the ship, expecting. to find her trembling
with the exertion. She was perfectly still. Not a
vibration was felt. We descended into the engine-room,
convinced that so great a power could not be exercised
without considerable elatter, but it was working almost
as noiselessly as the heavenly orbs. It did not tick as
loud as an eight-day clock, and yet it was raising and
sending astern, on either side, a long stream at the rate
of eight or nine miles an hour. We saw cranks, weighing
each thirteen tons, moving backwards and forwards, and
they were perfectly silent. Such great power, combined
with such a total absence of every kind of noise, as is
exhibited by these two noble engines, is, perhaps, no-
where to be found, except in the works of nature.
We were astonished, too, at the large space prepared
for the machinery, and at its compactness. The two
engines, with their boilers, which occupy the whole
breadth of the ship, weigh no less than 540 tons. They
occupy nearly one-third of the tonnage of the ship; but
they are as compact and well arranged as they are
powerful, and every part of them is easily accessible. If
any man get entangled with the machinery it must be
by his own fault ; he can move about amidst it as com-
fortably as in a parlour. The whole, too, is as simple as
it is compact and gigantic.
Four cylinders, two to each engine, each cylinder 72
inches diameter, occupy the hold of the vessel; and the
double cylinders giving motion to one beam must work
identically. The smallest deviation would cause a waste
of power. The two legs, though they each contribute
equally to move forward the body, do not work so pre-
cisely together as Messrs. Maudslay's double cylinders.
By their invention a great power is obtained in compa-
ratively small space, and the immense wheel receives its
impetus from a short and slow stroke. Abaft the cy-
linders, but with an ample space betwixt, the boilers are
placed, and the stoker's-room seemed no more confined
or heated than a well-warmed kitchen. With all this
power and ingenuity great neatness is combined. The
cylinders are cased with mahogany, and instead of the
places about the engine being like a dirty smithy, they
resemble rather a ladies' drawing-room.
After admiring this wonderful union of power, simpli-
city, order, compactness, and neatness, remembering that
the Retribution is to be what the Victory and the Queen
Charlotte were, the means of ensuring the safety of the
nation, we could not help asking ourselves how many
generations of small farmers and spade husbandry men,
whose gradual disappearance it is at present the fashion
to regret,land whose restoration is the object of so many
prayers and wishes, it would require to construct such a
model of skill ? By similar instruments has Great Bri-
tain in past times been made triumphant—by such in-
struments must she be henceforth defended; and they
are blind admirers of her great maritime superiority,
and her national independence, who would impede the
increase of those classes who construct such admirable
machines.
Naval victories, it is conclusively shown in the present
number of Blackwood's Magazine, are far more decisive)
of the fate of empire than land battles. Those wiles
form a contrary opinion derived it from contemplating;
the naval battles of something less than a century ago.
But the writer in Blichwood only described half the
value of our great naval victories. They were obtained
at a comparatively small cost of human life. The great
battles won by Lord Howe, Lord Duncan, Lord St. Yin..
cent, and Lord Nelson cost the country less than 5,00i1
men, or less than fell in each of several of the battles in t
the Peninsula. The reason is, that disabling machinery.,
instead of slaughtering human beings decides the fate cti
naval warfare, and the more machinery is used the leae
bloody will be naval encounters. The more it is used
the more time and labour it requires to equip a fleet, ana
the more decisive will be those victories which destroy
it. At the same tune, the more complete is the machi-•
nery the more certain will be the success. We look,
therefore, on this invention, and such works as those et
Messrs. Maudslay, as having a greater value than merely
strikes the eye, impressive as they are. They are the
means of securing the national independence and the
national superiority.

The Hon. H. T. Liddell, M.P., has arrived at Rao
vensworth Castle from Eslington House, on a visit to hit
noble and venerable parents, Lord and Lady Ravens.
worth. During Christmas holydays Ravensworth Castle)
will be full of vissitors, and old Ei iisla hospitality wilt
b. dispensed in bounteous profusion..

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