The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-21 00:00:00

ON THE IR►S?-i GREAT WESTERN

RAILROAD FROM DUBLIN TO GALWAY.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN._

SIR,—As you were kind enough to insert some letters
from me on the all absorbing question in the west of
Ireland, the railroad from Dublin to Galway, permit me,
through your columns, to congratulate my friends in Ire-
land and the empire at large, at the triumphant manner
in which this great national undertaking has passed the
House of Commons—a measure fraught with untold ad-
vantages to the trade, commerce, and industry of this
country, and sure to bring employment to thousands
upon thousands of the half-employed peasantry of Ire-
land, " willing to labour but no man to hire them."
Here, then, is a fund .of employment for years to
come ; for this railroad across Ireland will lead to
numerous branches ; in fact, Athlone, on the river
Shannon, at the centre of Ireland, will be the point at
which all the railroad, north, east, south, and west will
gain their traffic. The magnificent harbours on the west
and south-west coast, which surround Ireland, will be
approached by railroad in a few hours from the metro-
polis (Dublin), which, as well as Belfast, Drogheda,
Wicklow, Wexford, and Waterford will be the points,
as ports opposite England, Scotland, and Wales, from
whence railroads shall convey to Cork, Galway, and
Sligo. By the Galway Railroad (when steam-vessels,
now building for the purpose, shall be finished) the
metropolis (London) can be brought within eight days
of New York, certainly within ten days ; and the inha-
bitants of the; north of But ope will find their way to
America and the southern world through Ireland, alone:
this very line. Surely the House of Lords will give
their sanction also, and thereby afford our gracious
Queen the happiness to put, within one short mouth,
her seal to a work, looked forward to, by so lazge a por-
tion of her devoted and loyal subjects in Ireland, as es-
sential to their happiness.
The Grand Canal, aprivatecompany, alone now oppose
this great measure. Let that company adopt an improved
system of tractage on their Canal, so as to reduce their
charge to one penny a ton per mile, which they can do,
and have a profit, and they need not apprehend competi-
tion in the legitimate carrying trade for this Canal. At
all events opposition from interested motives must not
be suffered to bar the passing of it measure that has
been prepared for the identification of the good of Eng-
land and Ireland. . _

I attended the House of Commons' Committee on the
two Bills, now so happily gone to the Upper House—
one the Dublin by Mullingar to Longford, the othor
the railway I have just mentioned ; and I am happy to
tell my countrymen that five :fairer specimens of honest
independent gentlemen, anxious to hear the truth and
come to a good decision, could not be found, and it must
have struck those who like me attended the Com-
mittee for fourteen days, that every point that
could be made - favourable to Ireland, seemed
most highly to gratify them, and I would not hesitate
to leave in such hands the settlement of national affairs
of the highest importance. Ireland must not forget the
exertion of the talented meniber for Roscommon, who,
with his party, chalked out this excellent line, and suc-
ceeded in passing it in the House of Commons against
the united opposition of the Grand Canal Company,
Since 1830 I have never ceased to advocate this measure,
and others like it, at a great sacrifice of both time and
money. I have now every prospect of meeting the only
reward, namely, in the perfecting a work calculated to
promote peace, union, concord, industry, and commerce,
in my native land, which, though hitherto oppressed,
has now a fair prospect of an advent of great prosperity.
—I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
THOMAS BERMINGHAM.

THE CUSTOMS AT LIVERPOOLi

Under the new arrangement of the Landing Department o
the Customs at Liverpool, to which we alluded a short time
since, the following alterations have been made.'
The number of Landing surveyors increased from seven to
nine, and the maximum salary raised from 400/. to 500/. a year.
The searchers' department, strengthened by the addition of
twenty auxiliary landing waiters, with salaries of 1501. a year
each, and the maximum salaries of the searchers increased from
3001 to 350/. per annum.
The important duties of the gauging department at Liver-
pool have been hitherto performed by the landing waiters and
searchers. It has now been deemed expedient, in order to en-
sure uniformity of practice and a competent knowledge of the
business, that a class of officers should be established at Liver-
pool, as in London, to whom the duty of gauging should be ex-
clusively entrusted ; and a new department has accordingly
been formed, consisting of an inspector and eight subordinates,
with salaties from 150/. to 400/. per annum.
Twenty-four additional superintendents of lockers have also
been appointed.
The increased expense occasioned by this new arrangement is
about 7,0001. per annnra. But the vast increase of trade and
the pressing demands and reiterated complaints of the merchants
of Liverpool have imperatively called for such an augmentation
of the establishment as absolgtely necessary, not only to give
the requisite facilities for trade, but to afford adequate se-
curity for the protection of the revenue; and it is to be hoped
that the completion of this long-delayed arrangement will at
length give satisfaction to all interested in the trade and com-
merce of that most flourishing port.—Observer.

UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION.
On Saturday at two o'clock, a special general meeting of the
members of the United Service Institution, Whitehall-yard, was
held at the museum of the institution, to hear the report of the
committee on certain propositions submitted to their considera-
tion. There were present Lieut.-Col. Elliott, Lieut.-Col.
Campbell, Lieut.-Col. Sykes (Bombay army), F. R. S., Sir F.
Malcolm, the lion. E. S. Knox, Lieut.-Col. Hanmer, Sir C.
Forbes, Lieut.-Gen. Sir H. Douglas, Bart., G.C.8., Sir A.
Eyre, gm
Lieut.-Gen. Sir H. Douglas, Bt., G.C.8., presided, and
briefly stated the objects of the meeting.
Mr. L. W. TONNA then read the report which recommended
the postponement of the question of applying for a royal char-
ter of incorporation, as the probable expenn would be above
4001. It also suggested, that in order to increase the funds, all
officers after the first of Jan., 1847, on becoming members,
should pay an entrance fee of 11., in addition to their suba':rip•
t ion, and that the secretary be directed to open a book to receive
donatims towards building a lecture room, and other improve-
ments.

The Secretary next read the names of the subscribers towards
the building fund, &c. The total donations amounted to
3271. 125. 6d.
The report having been adopted,
Captain Grover moved, and Sir C. Malcolm seconded, a vote
of thanks to the Gallant Chairman.
Sir H. DOUGLAS, in acknowledging the honour, observed
it was of the utmost importance that, as early as possible, the
lecture-room should be completed. When that was accom-
plished, they would then be able to raise the funds to obtain a
charter of incorporation.—The meeting then separated.
Great and extensive improvements have ben made in the
arrangement of the museum, which has been lately much
enlarged by the addition of several curiosities from China; and
it appeared that, to promote the extension of science, Govern-
ment transport have received directions to convey contributions
from abroad to the institution free of expense.

Fox CLun.—On Saturday last the noblemen and
gentlemen of the Fox Club bad their annual white bait
dinner at the Crown and Scentre Tavern, Greenwich.
There were present—Lord darlert.ont, in the chair ;
Lord Zeiland, Lord Scarborough, Lord Sudeley, Lord
Beaborougia, Lord Marcus Hill, .Lord Oramuure, Lord
Edward Howard, Mr. Latigston, Mr. John Abel Smith,
Mr. Stevenson, Mr. George Stevens Byng, Mr. Alston,
Dr. Lushington, Mr. Denison, Mr. Cavendish, Mr. Ho-
beits, &c. &c. &e. The party embarked at the Adelphi
Pier • on board the Waternactes steamer No. 10, at five
o'clock, and proceeded down the river, landing on
floating pier thrown from the tavern, and returned to
town About half-past ten, by the same conveyance,
DEATI4 OF MR. BUTLER, THE TRAGEDIAN.—Mr.
Butler, the eminent tragedian, died suddenly at Manchester,
on Thursday last. He was giving a reading of Hamlet, at the
Athenaeum, on the evening of Wednesday last, but at the con-
clusion of the 4th act, he was taken so in that he was obliged to
be conveyed home immediately. and he expired on Thursday
evening. The deceased gentleman, who was much esteemed
in the profeision, was in his 41st year.
DEATH OF WADE, THE COMPOSER.—Mr. J. A.
Wade, the composer of the opera of The Two Houses of
Grenada, and of " Meet me by Moonlight alone," and a
variety of other popular airs, expired on Tuesday. Ho has
left a widow totally unprovided for.
lolnt Kennet and Avon Canal navi-
gation completion, for the purpose of
GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.—An arrangement
I:rannosw in i
nf e progress,g
to the Great Western Railway Company. The question of
transforming the canal into a railway has for some time been under
transferring the
whole and p
raoppperrot ay c
discussion , but at a general meeting of the Kennet and Avon Com-
pany, on Tuesday, it was resolved unanimously that an offer of
the canal be made to the Railway Company. There is no doubt,
whatever, of the issue of this negotiation, not only from what has
already passed between the parties, but from the obvious interests
of both. The Great Western Company would at once monopolise
the whole of the carrying traffic from Bristol to London, through a
double line of country (viz., the present line and the Kennet line), but
a great part of the canal lies parallel to their Berks and Hants
branch line, and within a few yards. To the Canal Company the
advantages of disposing of a gradually declining concern, and of
avoiding the future competition of a powerful opponent are self-
evident. The purchase will equal in importaneesome of Mr. Hud-
son's in the railway department.
EXTRAORDINARY SPECIMENS OP MOSAICS.—AS an
example of the extraordinary minuteness of the work in some
mosaics, we may state that there is one specimen, a portrait of
Pope Paul V., in which the face alone consists of more
than a milllion and a half of fragments, each no
larger than a millet seed; and from this size up to two
inches square, pieces are employed in various ways. Ano-
ther celebrated specimen is that which Napoleon or-
dered to be made when his power was paramount in
Italy. It was to be a mosaic copy of the celebrated " Last
Supper," by Leonardo da Vinci, and to be of the same size as
the original, viz., 24 feet by 12. The artist to whom the task
was entrusted was Giacomo Raffaelle, and the men under his di-
rection, eight or ten in number, were engaged for eight years
on it. The mosaic cost more than seven thousand pounds, and
afterwards came into the possession of the Ernpeior of Austria.
The Builder. , •

POLITICAL WISDOM COMING EVEN TO THE POPE.—
We learn from Rome that the Papal Government, with a view to
the more effectual prevention of contraband trade, has reduced
considerably the duties of export and import on many articles of
merchandise, and intends to apply the !system of reduction to
many others—Ckron(clet.