The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-28 00:00:00

THE IRISH GREAT WESTERN

RAILWAY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

S►a,--Your paper being a great authority on railway matters,
you will perligps find a corner for this exposition of railway
schemes in Ireland:—

To the People of Ireland, particularly to the inhabitants of the
provinces cf Leinster and Connaught, and to these of the
County and the county of the town of Galway.
My Friends,—You will doubtless rejoice on the late truly wisp
decision of the railway department of the Board of T►ede, in favour
of the Irish Great Western Railroad from Dublin to Galway—the
line which we from the first advocated as the best—and which
had your strenuous co.operation all through. Look at the map,
every one must admit the justice and soundness of this decision,
from the enormous advantages to be gained by constructing a great
line of railway along a level that brings the Irish Sea and St.
.George's Channel within a few hours of the Atlantic Ocean.
I wish to lay before you the course which my duty, as a friend
to Ireland, impelled me to pursue during the last six months—
finding that various plans were proposed having much the same
object in view, though not going as far as appeared to me essential,
still fearing to recommend any lest my zeal in the cause might go
beyond discretion, I determined on collecting all the information
possible, which together with facts that nave been obtained,
during the many years I hove devoted to the subject, I sub
witted to the Board ; as soon as its decision was made known
it satisfied me that it carried with it the impress of good sense,
and was calculated to advance the best interest of the country.

Wishing to ascertain the feeling of the parties along the line
and of the country generally, and requiring some calculatione
which could only be made after personal inspection, I employed
my friend, Professor Oliver Byrne (of whose capability and talent
I entertain the highest opinion) to inspect the country between
Dublin and Galway, examine the proposed lines, and give hie
opinion thereon—which, in the shape of a report, together with
my book, entitled " Statistical Evidence in favour of State Rail.
ways itt Ireland," published i❑ 1841, I laid before the Board of
Trade.

The attention of the Board was drawn to portions of that work:,
which were most important—namely, to resolutions of the Grand
Jury of the county, and the county of the town of Galway, Spring
Assizes, 1836, in favour of the line surveyed by Messrs. Bald and
Henry, civil engineers, and to their valuable report on that line,
and on the port of Galway, for which survey and report I paid 5501.
sterling, of which sum 230/. has only been repaid, and that by
the Irish Eastern and Western Railway Company.

The great advantage of a breakwater at Mutton Island was also
strongly recommended in that most valuable report, and all yen.
tured t) hope that Parliament would grant the small sum of
10,0001., the estimated cost of that work, which was required to
complete the harbour of Galway.
The evidence taken before the Select Committee of the House of
Lords in 1836, with a view of improving the intercourse between
the United Kingdom and the North American Colonies, contained
so much valuable information on the western harbours, that 1
a!so called their attention to some of the most material portions of
it—namely, the evidence of Sir John Burgoyne, Viscount Bares,
ford, and of his Grace the Duke of Wellington ; also the very
valuable testimony of Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Walter Otway,
Captain Henry Haynes, R.N., Captain Sir John Franklin, and
Captain F. Beaufort, Hydrographer to the Admiralty; from all
which evidence, especially that of Admiral Otway and Captain
Haynes, the Board must have perceived the absolute necessity of
attending to the western harbours of Ireland, and especially to Gat_
way—so necessary at all times, but doubly so, before the country
shall be engaged in war—to avoid the great danger in which vessels
trading to the United Kingdom are exposed from the enemies•
cruisers.

I have marked, on both maps in single red, the line approved of
by the Board of Trade, and in double red, Messrs. Bald and Henry's
line, both from Dublin to Galway.
On map No. 1, I have shown all the lines that are proposed to be
made—those that have met with the approval of the Board of
Trade, that have been rejected—recommended for postponement—
and those not decided upon. On map No. 2 are those approved of
by the Board—to which ars added a few lines that I think will
meet with the approval of the Board—one in particular from Rath.
downy, on the Cashel line, to Portumna, passing through a rich and
populous country, situated on the River Shannon, at Lough Derg,
navigable for steamers.
The branch line from Drogheda to Kells was a favourite project
of mine, and I was among the first to propose its being made some
years since, in connexion with the Preston and 'Pyre Railway, and
paid out of my packet 3001. towards the survey and preliminary
expenses.
It is worthy of the deepest attention of all classes in Ire.
land, and indeed I may say, of the empire at large, what Professes
Oliver Byrne states in his report, as to the advantage of the steam.
tugs in towing vessels out of the port of Galway, for so soon as this
railway shall be completed—that moment vessels will be prepared
fitted up on the principle of the screw propeller, to navigate
between Galway and New York, and I have the assurance of par.
ties competent to form a just opinion on the subject, that twelve
days on the average will be sufficient to bring the correspondence
&c., from the greatest city in the United States of America, to
the capital of the British empire; a sum of one million sterling,
will be ample to purchase vessels, and form the establishment
necessary for such an undertaking, and I venture to state, that a
company formed for this purpose will make an enormous profit
from the correspondence alone, without mentioning passengers,
&c. &c., whilst the charge for freight and carriage, will, I am iii.
formed, be less than one half of what it is at present.
I remain, Gentlemen your devoted friend,
THOMAS BERMINGHAM.
16, Tichfield.terrace, Regent's Park, April 25th, 1845.

BRISTOL SUGAR MARKET, APRIL 25.—We COW.
tinue to experience a very good demand for all descrip-
tions of raw sugar, and a large business has again
been done at full grices. Refined goods are much
wanted, ai the supply is exhausted, and the refiners
have sold on pro-forward delivery. Standard lumps are
worth 70s. Treacle very scarce, and sale about 191. to
20s. per cwt.
WAKEFIELD CORN MARKET, FRIDAY —The ar-
rivals of Grain are moderate this week. Fresh thrashed
Wheats sell at fully the rates of this day sen'night, other
sorts go off slowly without alteration in value. Barley as
before, the demand is now limited. Oats and Shelling again
rather dearer. Beans ready sale at an advance of Is. per qr.
Other articles steady.
The saving between driving a sheep to is a London
market from Linc)lnshire, and conveying it by steam'
b'+at or railway, is proved to be no less than 10 per
t.—E.c.cex Herald.

The committee of the Royal Free Hospital for the
Destitute Sick have received the following gratifying com-
munication from John F. Maubert, Ralph Ricardo, and David
Mies, Esqs., the committee appointed to wind up the affairs
of the late Children's Friend Society :—" The committee
have been induced to present you with a cheque for 1001.,
fiom the knowledge they have of the excellence of your in-
stitution, and the ready manner medical assistance is at all
times atnn.ded to the sick poor."
The Rev. W. Dealtry, D.D., Chancellor of the
diocese, canon of the Cathedral Church of Winchester, pre-
bendary of Southwell, and rector of the parish of Clapham-.
Surrey, has been appointed by the Lard Bishop of Winches-
ter to the Archdeaconry of Surrey, void by the elevation of
the Venerable Samuel Wilberforce to the Deanery of West-
minster.

DISEASE AMONG GROUSE.—In many places some
disease of a destructive character is prevailing among the
grouse. They are dying by hundreds. By the sides of the
streams they are often found lying dead in pairs. Some and
imputing the disease to the great quantity of corn they ate
in the autumn ; others to the want of nourishing food. The
heath and bent were badly seeded last season, and the birds
now eat large quantities of the dry husks, and imme-
diately fly off to the water, where they drink and die.•_
Elgin-Courant.

WHITE FISHING.—We learn that the cod-fishing
on the west coast has been prosecuted with considerable
success this season, and the takes are still good. By our
latest accounts, the price of good fish was 17/. 10s,
per ton. An instance of rather novel sport occurred,
in connexion with this fishing, a few days ago. As
a party were sailing in a passage boat round one
of the Applecross headlands, they discovered a shoal of
cod on the sand in two fathoms of water. The boat con-
tained, amongst other things, a gaff book and a fresh herring.
The latter was attached to the end of the painter; and after
having been lowered amongst the cod, it was gently raised
to the surface. On each occasion the bait was followed by
one of the voracious fish, which was instantly gaffed and
taken into the boat.—l,trerness Courier.
SHORT TIME.—ANOTHER GOOD EXAMPLIS.—
Messrs. Barker and Co., of Thornes Mill, near Wakefield, have,
for a long time worked their hands half an hour less per day than
most of the mills in the neighbourhood, yet they have liberally
granted them a further respite of half an hour per day, and at the.
same time advanced their wages.—Leeds Times.
ON WIRE AS A MATERIAL FOR BUILDING SUS-
PENSION BRIDGES.—Although the use of wire offers
some advantages, especially superior strength, bulk for.
bulk compared with bars, general opinion is not iU
favour of its adoption, on account of the impossibility,
nearly, cf adjusting the length of the wires, so that
when the cable has assumed its proper curvature, each
wire may bear its due proportion of strain, and because
of the increased liability to oxidate, in consequence of
the increased surface offered by wires to the action of
the atmosphere. It has been proposed that each wire
should be passed through a vessel of varnish imme-
diately after the process of drawing, and that, after
forming the wires into bundles of fifty or sixty each,
they should be passed through a concave vessel of
oleaginous matter at a high temperature. By this pro-
cess it is supposed every particle of moisture would be
driven of in vapour, and its place occupied by the olea-
ginous substance in the interior of the cable, where it
would be retained by its adhesive property, while it
would harden over the exterior, and prevent oxidation,
by removing the possibility of moisture coming into
contact with the wire.—The Builder.

The annual general meeting of proprietors of the
London Institution was held on Thursday, at the
theatre of the institution, in Finsbury-circus, Sir Thomas
Baring, Bart., president, in the chair. The report of the
3a u,2dsiot s 7 s
.announcedannounce.,
ht lat
lea
nce receipts
the treasurer's the
handsyea r as
f
of.
4141. 4s. 7d., the invested property of the institution
being 16,2801. in the Three per Cents. Reduced, and
21,3501. in the Consolidated Annuities. During the past
year very considerable additions had been made to the
library, which was now in a very complete state. Sir
Thomas Baring, Bart., was re-elected president, and Sir
William Curtis, treasurer, and Mr. Alderman and
Sheriff Hunter was chosen a manager in the room of
Wm. Cotton, Esq.
SUICIDE OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP OF
DEnnx —By private letters received in town, we learn that
Dr. Anoughlin, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Derry, died on
Sunday from the effect of a wound which he inflicted on his
throat with a razor on the previous Wednesday. The dis-
tressing fact was kept quite secret in Derry for two or three
days by his relatives, who were led to think by the medical
man in attendance upon him that the wound would not
prove mortal. It was said Dr. rti•Loughlin was in a low state
of mind for some time ; but his friends never apprehended
that he would resort to violence upon himself.
THE CONVICT HOCKER.—THE CONDEMNED SER.
srox.—The convict litickvr attended Divine service yes-
terday morning in the chapel of Newgate. The con-
demned sermon was preached in a most impressive
manner by the Rev. Mr. Davis, the Ordinary of the
prison, who took for his text the 6th verse of the 9th
chapter of Genesis—" Whosoever sheddeth man's blood
by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God
made he man." Hocker appeared perfectly collected
during the whole service, and joined in the responses,
to
and also in the singing of the Psalms. Hrisrre,p0n
a 5
pe.
the -commandment •' Thou shalt do no mu d_e ,
culiarly clear and audible. Culling
TIIE TEMPTATIONS or orricE.—Sir
week, " The Bill
Eardley Smith stated at a public meeting last
should not pass. There
weer, he knew, at least twelve men in
re'
would die on the floor of the House sooner than
Parliament who
Sir Robert it not infallible,
birrhe7lll; shoud sldinre a Al
pretected from this new lyStal of bribllTT...a
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