The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-12 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS.

The Bishop of London on Saturday last consecrated the
new edifice, which has just been erected in Endell-street,
leading from Long-acre into Broad-street, Holborn, &c., by
voluntary contributions, for the purpose of affording the poor
of the surrounding neighbourhood the means of attending
Divine service, &c. The church, which is of plain design,
is in the Gothic style. The interior is fitted up with open
seats, and the ceilings, which are composed of wood, display
portions of the roof. The east and west windows are fitted
with painted glass. The only deviation in the building from
modern ecclesiastical architecture, is the erection of galleries,
a mode of accommodation of late scarcely adopted, The
ceremony of consecration was witnessed by several persons,
including many of the class for which the locality is so pro-
verbial. All the sittings will be free.

The grand national archery meeting is to be held this year
at Knavesmire, near York. upwards of live hundred members
of the principal clubs will compete for the prizes. The meet-
ing will be held on the 25th and 26th of June.
A woman who was incautiously sitting on the bulwark of a
Greenwich steamer yesterday fell backwards into the water
when off St. Katherine's Dock, but was fortunately rescued
by prompt assistance with a boat-hook.

*A rat'; nest, containing no fewer than thirty-five ratlings,
was found, last week, in a pig-stye, belonging to John Jack-
son, of Pasture House, Lytham.
Some time since an officer in the Guards laid the odds of
2001. to 3001. with Mr. Bragg, the proprietor of the North
Star Inn, at Slough, that he could not produce a man on
Friday, the 16th of May, who would run twenty miles within
two hours. Mr. Bragg has had four or five celebrated pe-
destrians in training ever since the bet was made, he not
being compelled, according to the articles of the match, to
name the man until he is brought to the post to start. The
celebrated runner known as the North Star will, it is ex-
pected, be the party selected to attempt the feat, which, if
accomplished, will be one of the most extraordinary under-
takings ever attempted. The match will come off in the
immediate neighbourhood of Slough. Betting, at present,
is 5 to 3, and 2 to 1, on time.

Last week the anniversary meeting of the Indigent Blind
Visiting Society, of which her Majesty the Queen Dowager is
patroness, was held at the Music-hall, Store-street ; Lord
Robert Grosvenor, Esq. M.P., in the chair. The report read
by the secretary stated, that since the establishment of the
Association 370 aged and destitute blind persona had par-
taken of its benefits, and there were at present on the books
151 who regularly received spiritual instruction and temporal
relief, while several received pensions and had had lodgings
provided for them. The report having been approved of,
and several motions acknowleding the utility of the Society
carried, thanks were given to the Noble Chairman, and the
meeting separated.
A curious document has just been issued by Parliament, in
relation to the convict establishments at Portsmouth, Chat-
ham, and Woolwich ; and at Bermuda and Gibraltar, where
are stationed the hulks employed for the confinement of
offenders under sentence of transportation. It thence appears
that, during the year ending 31st December last, there were
eleven hulks for this service, six of which are in various home-
ports, four at Bermuda, and one (the Owen Glendower) at
Gibraltar. The expense of this convict establishment was, dur-
ing the year, 54,6861 ; and the total earnings from the labour
performed by such convicts amounted to no less a sum than
62,1951. Of this amount, 23,0951. were the earnings of con-
victs on the hulks in this country, 30,3481. at Bermuda, and
1,251/. at Gibraltar. On the Ist of January, 1844, there
were on board the several hulks 3,550 convicts ; and during
the course of the year there were received in addition 286,
making fa total remaining, on the 31st December last, of
3,160, after deducting 601 who were discharged, and 75 who
died on board the hulks. The numbers were divided in the
following proportion :-2,202 in England, 1,350 in Bermuda,
and 313 in Gibraltar.

On Whitsunday from forty to fifty thousand persons are
supposed to have passed down the Thames from below bridge,
in the various steamers, of which they were nearly 100.

WHITSUNTIDE EXCURSIONS

AND FAIRS.

Yesterday the morning was ushered in with merry peals
from the church bells, and at an early hour thousands of well-
dressed people were making their way to the numerous
steam-boat piers on the river, and to the terminus of the
Dover and Brighton Railways at London-bridge, for the pur-
pose of escaping the smoky atmosphere of the capital and
enjoying themselves in the country. The cheap excursion
trains on the Dover and Brighton trains carried upwards of
20,000 persons from London at half-fares, which are to be con-
tinued during the holidays. The steamers, of which there
were as many as a hundred in requisition above and below
bridge, came in for a large share of traffic. Before eleven
o'clock thirty steamers left the Watermen's Adelphi pier for
Greenwich, Woolwich, and Gravesend, and also for Putney,
Fulham, Richmond, and other places up the country, and
they were all filled. The Watermen's steamers, a fleet of
thirteen vessels, carried 27,000 passengers during the day
between Woolwich, Greenwich, and London, and as many
were taken up and down the river in the boats of
the old companies. The - boats of the iron and
wooden companies conveyed immense numbers to Vaux-
hall, Battersea, and Chelsea during the day, and
occasionally they were fearfully overcrowded, and some-
times rolled from side to side in a frightful manner.
There were twenty Gravesend steamers in requisition, and
some of them made more than one trip. Between the hours
of eight o'clock in the morning and two in the afternoon
17,000 persons had landed at the Terrace Pier, Town Quay,
the Floating Pier, and the Rosherville landing -place, at
Northfieet. The trains on the Greenwich and Blackwell
Railways were running every quarter of an hour, and the
tea-gardens and other places of resort in the suburbs of the
metropolis were filled with company. The beautiful park at
Greenwich, the favourite resort of the Londoners, presents a
rich and verdant appearance. The late rains have improved
it vastly, and the gay multitude were scattered among the
hills, the dales, and the shaded walks, and the usual diver-
sion of running up and down the far-famed One-tree Hill,
was indulged in by the lads and lasses, who seemed content
with the cheapest amusement- The country in and about
Woolwich, Blackheath, and Shooters' Hill, was thronged
with visitors. The morning was fair and warm, and pro-
mised a favourable day, which promise was not disappointed.
There will be three fairs during the holidays -Greenwich,
Stepney and Wandsworth. The first is on the old spot, and
Richardson's theatre, and Alger's Crown and Anchor booth
are, as usual, the principal attractions. Stepney fair will be
held on two large fields near the Thames Police-office. One
has been laid out by Mr. Pituson, whose theatridal booth is
the principal feature, and opposite to it are Ifylton's and
Wombwell's menageries. The old field has been laid out by
Mr. John Stevens, the celebrated Essex Niggler, whose mon-
ster booth, 400 feet long, and 54 feet wide, for music, refresh-
ment, and dancing, is placed in a conspicuous situation, and is
surrounded by a fives-court, Clarke's equestrian circus,
Powell's equestrian circus, the large Cricketer's booth, con-
ducted by Mr. Nicks, of the Cricketers, in Loudon. street,
Beckett's decorated booth, of the same dimensions, and va-
rious others. Both fields contain a great number of minor
exhibitions, swings, and merry-go-rounds in profusion.

i MAT B.—The Magnet steam-packet has
just arrived from Brighton, after a fine passage of seven
hours, with several parties of distinction for Paris, among
whom was Lady Betchen.
As a man on Thursday last was digging in Swains-
wick Wood, Bath, he found Labtshilling3 of the reign of
George 111.