The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-08 00:00:00

HARWICH DOCKS, AND BIRMINGHAM AND CENTRAL
ENGLAND RAILWAY.—Among the many projects competing
for public favour and support, this great project appears to
have a claim to our particular notice. It has for its object to
connect the port of Harwich, by the shortest and most direct
routes, with all parts of England, which on reference to the
map, it will be seen, itcompletely accomplishes. By its con-
nexion with the Eastern Counties' Railway, the shortest
route to London is afforded ;—by its junction with the London
and Birmingham Railway at Blisworth, the most direct ac-
cess to all the manufacturing districts of taffordshire is
opened up; by its connexion at that point with the North-
ampton, Banbury, and Cheltenham line, the most
direct communication with the port of Bristol and
West of England; and by the South Midland and
Midland Counties Railways, direct communication is
opened up between the port of Harwich and all the
northern and manufacturing towns of England. The port
of
Harwich, it is, perhaps, not generally known, has, since the
termination of the war, been altogether neglected, and its
beautiful and capacious harbour, described by the Government
Commissioners as " the finest and only sate harbour on the
east coast of England, and, as a packet station for all North-
ern and Central Europe, its preservation of national import-'
ance," allowed to fall into decay—a liberal Parliamentary
grant had been made for its improvement and preservation,
and the above Company had been formed to carry out more
extensively the objects of Government by
.the construction
of docks, so as to adapt the port of Harwich for the great
commercial and passenger traffic which, on the completion of
the railway, must inevitably flow thither. Harwich
is destined to become the grand outlet to all parts of
Northern and Central Europe ; and, from the circum-
stance of its being the shortest and most direct route from
England, by way of Antwerp and Ostend (by means of
existing foreign railways) to Trieste, it is evident also
that Harwich must also sooner or later become the most
direct route for all our communications with Greece, Egypt,
and India (overland), this route being, as a glance at the
map will show, by far shorter and more direct than the pee_
sent overland route to India by way of Paris and Marseilles.
We are glad, therefore, that Harwich is destined to see
brighter days, :-.nd that this hitherto neglected and decayed
port is likely, from a fortunate combination f circumstances,
to become one of great national and commercial importance;
and looking at the names of the parties connected with this
great undertaking—to the identification of the work with
the objects and intentions-of the Government, and the favour-
able light in which it is viewed by the all-powerful London
and Birmingham Railway, we cannot estimate too highly
the success of the project, whether we look upon it a, an
important national work, or as an excellent commercial
speculation. For these reasons, therefore, we consider the
project deserving of every support, both in and out of Par-
liament, and we have no doubt it will obtain it, because it
deserves it.—lron Times.
UNIVERSITY INTELLIGENCE.—OXFORD, OCTOBER
7.—Although no public announcement has been given of
the election of Vice-Chancellor, we have it from good au-
"thority that a convocation will be holden for that purpose
to-morrow, at twelve o'clock, when letters of nomination
from the Chancellor will be read by the senior proctor, and
is
if the same are not submitted in the usual manner for the
approbation of the house, a scruy, it extin
Peca'd; will be
demanded. At present there are but few members of con-
vocation here. The Latin sermon at St. Mary's, on Times-
day, the 9th ins;unt, will be preached by the Rev. William
Hayward Cox, B.D. of Queen's College, and vice principal
(if St. Mary Hall. The various colleges and halls meet as
follows : viz., on Saturday next, Christ Church, Worcester,
, Bra senose,
Wadham, Pembroke, University, scholars of St. John's and
Alban Hall. On Saturday, the 18th, Lincoln
Jesus, Exeter, Trinity, Baliol, New Queen's, commoners and
gentlemen-commoners of St. Johns, Corpus
's" Christi, Oriel,
Magdalen, Merton, and the halls of St. Mary, New
Inn,
Magdalen, and St. Edmund.
THE NAVY.—THE ItETlnElgFsr•—ft has BOW be-
come a matter of absolute certainty, that long before the
latest time tithe Ist of December) for app:icutions to be re-
ceived by the Admiralty from those Captains who may be
desirous of accepting the retirement, their Lordships will have
the names of more than the full number (300), to whom it is
proposed to grant a retiring allowance of ss. per day, in ad-
dition to their present scale of balf-pay. The number of
applicants already amount to 260, of which, we believe, 45
are captains of the first hundred on the list, on the half-pay
of 14s. 6d. per diem ; 85 are captains of the next 150 on the
list, on the half-pay of 12s. dd- Per diem and 130 are on
the half-pay of 10s. fid. per diem. Of this 260, five are hold-
ing good service pensions, 10 have out-pensions from Green-
wich, and about 20 are companions of the Bath.—Herald.
It was reported in Liverpool, yesterday
morning, that the Great Western steamer had been on fire.
Our correspondent, on making inquiries, states, that the acci-
dent arose from some sweepings of one of the flues of the
vessel having been left very carelessly on board on Monday
night, which ignited, but was instantly put out, without the
least damage being done to the vessel, or to anything on
, board.