The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-24 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

The Queen and Prince Albert took a drive it a pony car-
riage on Monday afternoon.
Lord Byron, Lord in Waiting to her Majesty, took his de-
parture from Osborne House yesterday.
The Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, the Princess Royal,
and the Princess Alice, walked on the sea-beach yesterday
morning. The juvenile Royal Family were taken a carriage
drive on Monday afternoon.
Her Majesty and the Prince walked yesterday forenoon in
the pleasure-grounds of Osborne House.
Count de Reventlow, the Danish Minister, transacted busi-
ness yesterday at the Foreign-office.
Lord Stanley has left Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire, the
seat of the Duke of Bedford, for Knowsley Hall, Lancashire.
Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office,
from the Governor of Van Diemen's Land.
Mr. Murphy, the Mexican Minister, transacted business
yesterday at the Office of the Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs.

The Countess of Ducie left Farrance's Hotel, Belgrave.
street, yesterday, for Sherborne Castle, Gloucestershire.

POST-OFFICE NOTICE.

DEPARTURE OF FOREIGN MAlLS.—Yesterday the following
notice relative to the departure of the next foreign mails was
posted at the chief office and principal receiving-houses :
PENINSULAR, &c.—The Royal Tar, for the Peninsular mails,
on the morning of the 27th inst.
The next mails for the Mediterranean, Egypt, Ceylon,
India, and China, via" Marseilles, will be dispatched from
hence on the evening of the 24th inst. (this day).
WEST INDIES.—The Tay, for the mails of the morning of
the 2d of October, for the British and Foreign Colonies in the
West Indies (except Bermuda), New Granada, Venezuela,
Madeira, Mexico, Honduras, and Havannah.
AMERlCA.—Hibernia, for the mails of the evening of the
3d of October. _ _ _ _

SYDNEY_ AND NEW SOUTH WALES.— Midlothian for the
Sydney mails of the evening of the 30th.
The next mails for Gibraltar, Malta, Greece, the lonian
Islands, Egypt, India, &c., via Southampton, will be dis-
patched from hence on the morning of the 3d f October.
MADEIRA, BRAZIL, AND BUENOS AYRES.—The next mails
will be dispatched on the evening of Tuesday, the 7th of
October.

MAIL TO NEW YORK BY THE GREAT BRlTAlN.—Yesterday
the following notice was posted at the Ship Letter-office,
St. Martin's-le Grand :—" Ship Letter-office, General Post-
office, Sept. 23, 1845.—A ship-letter mail will be made up
for New York, to be forwarded by the Great Britain steamer.
Letters in time on Friday, the 26th inst."

PRICE OF GoLD.—The premium on gold at Paris
is piri per mille, which, at the English Mint price of 3/. 17s.
lOid. per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of
25 51 ; and the exchange at Paris on London at short being
25 60, it follows that gold is 0.35 per cent. dearer in London
than in Paris. By advices from Hamburgh, the price of
gold is 4321 per mark, which, at the English Mint price of
3/. 17s. 100. per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange
of 13 8i ; and the exchange at Hamburgh on London at
short being 13 9i, it follows that gold is 0.29 per cent.
dearer in London than in Hamburgh.
AWFUL INSTANCE OF SUDDEN DEATH.—Yester-
day an inquest was held before Mr. Carter, the Coroner for Surrey,
at the Duke of York, Swan-lane, Rotherhithe, on the body of Mr.
Charles Dermes, aged fifty-five, a timber merchant, who died under
very awful circumstances. It appeared that on Friday last the de-
ceased was employed in measuring the cargo of one of the Baltic
vessels, and appeared in excellent health and spirits. Suddenly he
was observed to stagger and fall down, and upon one of his assistants
going to his aid, he appeared wholly insensible. A surgeon was sent
for, who immediately attended, but pronounced the deceased quite
dead, probably from the rupture of a blood vessel. The Coroner
asked if any of the crew were present, but it was stated the vessel
had sailed. The jury returned a verdict in accordance with the me-
dical evidence.
ALARMING ACClDENT.—Yesterday afternoon, be-
tween three and four o'clock, an accident of a most alarming descrip-
tion occurred to Henry Forsyth, Esq. It appears that that gentleman
is on a visit to his daughter, Mrs. Apjohn, a lady residing at Ken-
sington New Town. In descending from his dressing-room, he un-
fortunately forgot that three or four stein intervened between that
and the landing-place. The staircase being somewhat dark, he
missed his footing, and was precipitated over the balusters. In his
descent Mr. Forsyth caught at the handrail, which gave way in his
grasp, and he fell to the foot of the stairs with fearful violence. Me-
dical assistance was immediately summoned to the aid of the unfor-
tunate gentleman, who it was discovered had sustained a compound
fracture and dislocation of the right arm, besides several severe con-
tusions of a very alarming nature.
THE FOOT HURDLE RACING AT WEST DRAYTON.
—Yesterday, the silver cup, which was open to all England for com-
petition, came off near the King's Head at West Drayton. The con-
testing distance was to run over a quarter of mile of ground, and to
leap ten hurdles (5 feet 6 inches high), placed at equal distances. The
spectators were numerous. The entries for the race were—John
Smith (the Regent-street Pet), Patterson (the Flying Tailor), West-
hall, Martin, and E. Smith (of London), and Maxfield (the North
Star). In betting, the Pet was taken against the field. The neces-
sary arrangement was made, and the men came to the starting mark
attired in racing costume ; the signal was given, and the men
bounded away; the Pet took the lead, and cleared the nearer hur-
dles in admirable style : he was closely followed by his opponents for
two hundred yards, when they fell off; the Pet maintained the lead,
and wen the cup very easily, his opponents not having a chance
with him. The race for a silver snuff-box was won by Martin, of
London.
THE NEW JUDGE OF THE WESTMINSTER COURT
or REQUESTB.—Notwithstanding the election of Mr. D. C. Moylan to
the office of Judge of the Court of Requests, in Castle-street, Leices-
ter-square, the several parishes in Westminster on Saturday pro-
ceeded to the election of Commissioners of the Court for the ensuing
year, under the Parochial Act. This had led to some remark in
Westminster, as it was generally supposed the judge was appointed
in the place of those gentlemen, and the question is asked, what part
are they to take in the decisions of the Court? If simply as -a jury
under the directions of the judge, it is expected that many will not
serve, as the qualification required is a high one, and confines the
selection to the higher classes of tradesmen. And, again, it is said,
if the commissioners are to decide irrespective of the judge, his
office will be a useless one. It seems that the Learned Gentleman
cannot take his seat until approved of by her Maje.ty at the next
Privy Council. The salary is estimated at about 1,2001. a year, and
it is expected that under this new arrangement a more commodious
court will be erected in the place of the present inconvenient office.
THE HON. ARTILLERY COMPANY, LONDON.—This
corps, of which Field Marshal his Royal Highness Prince Albert is
Colonel, proceeded from London to Woolwich-marshes on Monday,
under the command of Captain Iselin, and carried on practice with
one iron and two brass six-pounder guns, at 650 yards range. Lieut.
Rooke had charge of the range, and the river being moderately clear
o f vessels, there was not much interruption to the firing, and the
practice was very good. Twenty rounds were fired from each gun.
THE RICHMOND RAlLWAY.—Yesterday the works
on this line of railway were commenced with great activity at
Wandsworth, and before the end of the week the entire line will be
occupied by excavators and bricklayers. The contract has been
taken by Mr. Knill a person who has had much experience in railway
matters, and has executed some heavy contracts on the Great Wes-
tern line. This railway will have its terminus in the Broadway,
Richmond, and traversing almost a dead level, as well as keeping in
a parallel line with the upper Richmond road, will pass through the
upper side of Mortlake, cross East Sheen-lane' Barnes Common, on
which there will be a station adjacent to the Hammersmith-bridge,
New-road, and continue with verb little cutting to Putney. Here,
upon a portion of the estate of Temple Leader, Esq., M.P., a cutting
commences, which will be carried through the High-street,
over which a very handsome bridge, fifty feet wide, will
be thrown, and a station will be erected. The cutting continues to
North Fold, when an embankment succeeds, and is carried to the
high road leading from Wandsworth to Putney, over which a bridge
will be thrown, and then commences the most difficult part of the
undertaking. A viaduct, 300 yards in length, consisting of 20 arches
of 26 feet span, and three arches will be those crossing the Wandle,
the canal, and the mill-streams. A great portion of the viaduct tra-
verses an extensive osier bed, the drainage of which will be extremely
difficult. Three millions of bricks will be consumed in the erection
of this viaduct, and its estimated cost is 18,0001. The railway after-
wards crosses the Lower Wandsworth-road, at which point there
will be a station, and a continued embankment unites it with the
South-Western Railway at Falcon-bridge, Battersea, where triere
will also be a station. The entire line is positively to be opened in
the early part of May next.
INFLUX or SHIPPING.—A great number of vessels
have arrived in the river and different docks within these two or
three days, from China, the East and West Indies, the different
colonies, and indeed every part of the navigable globe. No less than
upwards of 150 vessels reported at the Custom House on Monday
alone. and the long room of that establishment was literally
besieged by the captains of the different vessels tendering
the reports, or authentic accounts of the cargoes, according
to law, which requires the master of every vessel to report his
vessel and an account of her cargo within twenty-four hours of
arrival. The present influx is remarkable, as, although the weather
has been very blusterous of late, the winds have not been adverse to
the arrival of ships in the Channel. This timely spur to business
will be much felt and estimated at the different dock establishments,
as, front the extreme slackness and consequent want of employment
for the numerous poor and hard-working labouring men at those
places, a great deal of poverty and want has existed in the neigh-
bourhood. The present pressure appears also to extend to Liverpool,
as in two days nearly sixty reported, and the day before very nearly
an equal number of vessels arrived from all parts of the world at that
great mercantile and commercial port.
THE DESERTER'S FEE.—A question having arisen
as to the payment of the fee of 2s. to the magistrate's clerk for
making out the commitment of a deserter, the military authorities
referred to the Secretary at War, and have been informed of the re-
gulations established at the War-office, dated April 23, 1835, viz.:—
That the fee in question should be paid by the party receiving the
reward for apprehension ; or, where no reward is offered by the
public, proved inconvenient, and was, therefore, altered by memo-
randum, dated April 25, 1840, which directs that this fee, as well as
that to the civil practitioner for examination, shall in the first in-
stance be defrayed by the gaoler into whose custody the deserter is
committed, who is to be repaid by the escort sent to remove the pri-
soner from custody.
NIGHT BALLOON ASCENT AT CREMORNE GARDENS.
—Yesterday evening, Mr. Henry Green, in company with a gentle-
man of the name of Williams, made a night balloon ascent from
gemaene-gardens, which was stated to be the last of the season,
and which was unfortunately attended with nearly serious conse-
quences to the adventurous aeronaut, arising from the improper
construction of the firework machinery, which was attached to the
car of the balloon, and which was the manufacture of a pyro-
technic artist of the name of Baker. As this was the first
occasion of two persons making an aerial excursion with fire-
works, the weight of which was about 301b5., it was necessary
that the gas should have greater power. To give the gas an
Increase of power, it must be deprived of a great portion of
its carbon, and which was effectively done under the direction
of Mr. Kirkham, jun., who is attached to the Chelsea station of the
Imperial Gas manufactory, from which the gas was supplied. About
nine o'clock Mr. H. Green and his companion entered the car, when
the frame-work which contained the pyrotechnic exhibition was at-
tached. It was now, however, found that the mode of ignition
hitherto adopted, which was hy,means of a fusee or percussion (and
which is a course practised by Mr. Southby and Mr. Darby), so that
the discharge does not take place till the aerial machine has attained
so high an altitude that to those on terra firma there can be no
danger, was not to be pursued, and that a match was to be applied.
Everything being in readiness, Mr. H. Green was released. At
the same time the match was lighted, and this before the balloon
was free from the earth almost immediately communicated with
the fireworks, which commenced discharging a shower of fire
among those who were close upon the balloon. The effect was mo-
mentarily appalling to them ; but before they had time to recover
from their state of alarm, there came a rapid discharge of Roman
candles, which were projected to the fence that was formed to pre-
vent the ingress of the company. The utmost consternation now
prevailed, and many ran away for their protection. Some alarm at
the same time was raised for the aeronaut, as some of the Roman
candles ascended toward the balloon, while one of the candles set
fire to the gas, which immediately ran towards it. Fortunately the
machine escaped uninjured, but there is no doubt that the aeronauts
were in a state of great alarm. The gas was promptly turned off
by order of' Mr. Kirkham. Some ladies fainted, but there was no
report in the gardens of any one having received any personal in-
jury. The balloon went in a westerly direction.
MANLY SPORTS.—Whenever public expectation is
at the highest pitch amongst the sportiny=r, the inwiable re
max pi wait till we see loudLifelll