The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-17 00:00:00

LATEST PARTICULARS.

We are happy to state that Miss Clara Webster is
pronounced " out of danger." She was much burnt about
the hands and face ; but the accounts published have
greatly exaggerated her case. Her mind is now
much composed, and she bears her sufferings with be-
coming fortitude, which is a great consolation to her
friends.

THE LATE FATAL EXPLOSION
ON THE SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.

CORONER'S INQUEST ON AARON WILKINSON,
THE STOKER.

An inquiry into the circumstances attending the death
of Aaron Wilkinson. the unfortunate stoker, killed with
his fellow-servant by the explosion of an engine, on the
viaduct of the Croydon and Dover Branch Railway, on
Wednesday morning last, was held on Saturday, before
Mr. Payne.
The body presented a shocking spectacle ; the fea-
tures and head were so much disfigured, that, although
the deceased was stated to be only nineteen years of age,
it was impossible to distinguish him from a man of
sixty.
Mr. W. Tickle, one of the hospital surgeons, described
the nature of the injuries deceased had received. The
upper part of the body was extensively scalded, and
there was a deep cut over the left eye, communicating
with a slight fracture of the skull. There was no
symptom of compression of the brain, but, with the ex-
ception of occasional indications of suffering, the de•
ceased remained insensible from the period of his ad-
mission, and died about six o'clock on Thursday even-
ing. The witness was unable to state the precise cause
of death, not having obtained the sanction of the de-
ceased's friends to make a post mortem examination ;
but there could be little doubt that it arose from concus-
sion of the brain. He never rallied in the least degree,
nor did he make any statement as to how the accident
occurred.

The several witnesses who were examined repeated
the same evidence which was given before Mr. Carter at
the inquest on Buckley, and which appeared in this
journal on Saturday.
Mr. Edward Bury, in the course of his evidence, said
he preferred the circular form of fire-box, considering
that the pressure was more equally disposed over the
surface of the boiler in that form. There were at least
500 of the same construction at work in various parts
of England, and this was the first accident which had
occurred to any one of them. lie had known a circular
box changed to a square one, and burst on the first sub-
sequent trial.
The CORONER having summed up,
The foreman, after the lapse of a very few moments,
and without any private conference, answered, that him-
self and brother jurors were unanimously of opinion
"That the deceased, Aaron Wilkinson, was killed by the
accidental explosion of a certain locomotive engine, ow-
ing to an excessive pressure of steam on the boiler."
It is only right to state, that throughout the painful
investigations consequent or. this catastrophe the autho-
rities of the joint railway companies have afforded every
possible facility to those engaged in elucidating eh-cum-
stancv connected therewith; and it is a fact which can-
not fail to be be gratifying to the public generally, that
the result has shown that no want of care can fairly be
attributable to any one of them.

A SHIP SA .1 .NG 18,000 FEET ABOVE THE SEA
—Some very rem-ikable particulars are given in a Mon-
tevideo journal o I.ritish enterprise, one of whose most
extraordinary f !attires is " a ship sailing on a level of
18,000 feet above the ssm. " The gold mines of Tipuani,
and the emerald mines of Illimani, are situated on the
banks of the Lake Chiquito. The only vegetable produce
of the district is a . pecies cat red potatoe, called chusmo, and
a few nutritious [slants ; bet to the east of the Lake, at
Copacasana, and in the til'eys of the Bolivia, are culti-
vated maize, barley, and frt.it-bearing trees. The diffi-
culty of feeding from their c wit scanty region, the large
body of Indiana working in the mines suggested the idea
of building a vessel for the navigation of the lake. An
old brig was accordingly pu-phased and stripped of her
anchors, sails, and rigging ; and stocks being built, after
two years of painful and unct asing labour, the vessel was
launched or. the lake, and a regular communication
opened with the produce of the valleys of the :Bolivia.-
The brig is Well furnished with all necessaries, except
anchors, which even the perseverance of these English
speculators could not raise to so great a height. The
same enterprising parties have transported a steam-
engine across the cordilleras, dug through the metalli-
ferous; hills of Lacaycota, a canal 2,000 feet in length,
traversed by nine locks, and laid down a railway at its
extremity, for the conveyance of their ore. The island
of Titicaca, in this lake, is assigned by tradition as the
cradle of the earliest Peruvian civilisation, and the sacred
burial-place of the ancient kings of the country.
THE DUNCOMBE ESTIMONIAL.—Sunday evening
a public meeting was held at the Ball, Clement's-lane,
for the purpose of adopting measures in furtherance of
the above object. Mr. O'Neil presided. Several per-
sons were in the body of the room. After some remarks
from the Chairman, complimentary of Mr. Duncombe's
patriotic exertions in the cause of liberty, Mr. Coffy
came forward, and addressed the meeting at some length,
detailing Mr. Duncombe's many claims on the working
classes in England and Ireland, particularly in the oa.e
of the Masters and Servants' Bill. A worse measure, ho
added, was in preparation fvr next session by Sir James
Graham. It was therefore the duty of the working
classes to bestir themselt; and by their strenuous exer •
tions show their gratitude. Mr. Thorn, an : elector o
the borough of Finsbury, next addressed the meeting ii
a short speech, advocating the claims of Mr. Duncombe.
Mr. Stallwood (a member of the Central Committee:,
said that the people of England were equally oppressed
with the poorer classes in Ireland. As an Englishman,
he certainly was surprised at Irishmen claiming equal
justice with Englishmen. Ile would wish to ask what
that equal justice meant ? The people of Ireland com-
plained of the crippled state of the franthise. Now,
would the miserable franchise enjoyed by Englishmen,
satisfy them ? Irishmen complained of a bad poor-law ;
would a similar poor-law with that in England satisfy
them ? lle should say not. The people of Ireland
were oppressed by a State Church. So were the people
of England. The grievances ct the Irish people ‘ese
equal with those of England, it an Englishman,
therefore, he hoped that the peon!, of Ireland would
sympathise with those oppressed u England. After
some remarks in favour of the claims of the lion .
Member for Finsbury, Mr. Stallwoo curcluded amidst
much cheering. A list of the princi a! subscriptions,
which have already appeared in this paper, was next
read ; in addition to which there was announced 10". I us.
from John Follett, Esq., M.P. for Athlone ; and 25/.
from Edward Davis Davenport, Esq., late M.P.
ARCHITECTURE.—We understand that or-
de,

.ers have been issued by the Admiralty to discontinue
for the present the building of the ships after the Albion
and Queen. Some healthy symptoms, thou fore, begin
to manifest themselves ; and, as we anticipated, the good
sense of the men at the head of naval affairs io thiS
country will no longer be deluded in the teeth of such
facts as we quoted in our last. Any one may form some
idea of the uneasy propensities of these ships, when it is
known that the Queen, during the late trials, actually
carried away her fore-top-gallant mast in pitching, and
sprung her main top-gallant mast. She was invariably
beaten on a wind by the St. Vincent ; and she is the
most unmanageable and dangerous ship possible. She
carries two turns of lee helm, with the mail. tack on
board, and foresail up. The Albion also, notwithstand-
ing her beautiful sailing, evidently lost groue. from a
similar cause, so that she did not gain so much after
tacking as she ought to have done by the di: tance she
fore-reached. There is one fact not generally known,
viz., the inclination under sail became greata- as the
Queen lightened, so that her inclination at last was just
as great as that of the St. Vincent or Caledonia both
heeled 6 degrees.—Plynouth Times.