The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-16 00:00:00

AWARD OF THE JUDGES.

NO. I.—PELARGONIUMS—LARGE COLLECTION—Large
Silver, Mr. Birch ; Silver Knightian, Mr. Bromley ;
Silver Banksian, Mr. Slow ; N. Gold Banksian, Mr.
Catleugh ; N. Large Silver, Mr. Gaimes.
PELARGONIUMS—SMALL COLLECTION.—N. Silver
Gilt, Mr. Catleugh and Mr. Gaimes.
CHINESE IZOSES. —N. Large Silver, Mr. Same.
HERBACEOUS CALCEOLARIAS.— Large Silver, Mr.
M‘V•onach.; N. Large Silver, Mr. Catleugh.
SHRUBBY CALcEoLAnu.s.—Large Silver, Mr. 'WC° •
nach; N. Large Silver, Mr. Catleugh; V. Silver Bank-
sian, Mr. Gaimes.
SEEDLING FLORISTS' FLOAVERS.—SiIver Banksians,
Messrs. Standish, Green, Gaimes, Rev. R. Garth, and

NO. IL—STOVE AND GREENHOUSE PLANTS, IN COL-
LECTIONS OF FROM FIFTY TO SIXTY PLANTS.—GoId
Knightian, Mr. Good; Gold Banksian, Mr. Hunt; Large
Silver, Mr. Bedding.
STOVE AND G lIEENIZOUSE PLANTS, IN COLLECTIONS OF
FROM FIFTEEN TO TWENTY PLANTS.—GoId Banksian, Mr.
Green; Large Silver, Messrs. Good, Smith, and Barnes;
N. Gold Banksian, Mr. Pawley ; N. Large Silver, Messrs.
Jackson and Catleugh.
STOVE ARID GREENHOUSE PLANTS, IN COLLECTIONS
OF SIX DISTINCT SPECIES.—Large Silver, Mr. Bunn;
Silver Knightian, Mr. Kyle; N. Large Silver, Mr. Fraser.
STOVE AND GREENHOUSE CLIMBERS.—GoId Bank-
sian,
.Mr. Goode ; Large Silver, Mr. Clarke.
No. EL—FRUIT, MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS OF.
—Gold Knightian, Mr. Davis ; Gold Banksian, Mr.
Henderson ; Large Silver, Mr. Paxton ; Silver Bank-
sians, Messrs. Tilbery and Clarke.

GRAPES.—SiIver Gilt, Mr. Dodds ; Large Silver,
Mr. Judd ; Silver Knightians, Messrs. London, Wort-
ley, and Henderson ; M. G. Large Silver, Mr. Wilmot ;
M. G. Silver. ,Knightian, Mr. Chapman.
PINE APPLES.—Large Silver, Mr. Toy ; Silver Bank-
sian, Mr. J. Dodds ; M. G. Silver Gilt, Mr. Mann.
PEACHES OR NECTARINES, IN DISHES OF SIX SPECI-
MENS.—SiIver Knightian, Mr. Henderson.
No. IV.—GREENHOUSE AZALEAS.—GoId Banksian,
Mr. Green ;- Large Silver, Mr. Falconer ; Silver
Knightian, Mr. Barnes ; N. Gold Banksian. Mr. Smith ;
N. Large Silver, Mr. Jackson.
CAPE HEATHS—TWENTY SPECIE.—G old Knightian,
Mr. Barnes ; N. Silver Gilt, Mr. Jackson.
CAPE HEATHS—SIX SPECIES.—GoId Banksian, Mr.
R. May ; Large Silver, Mr. Green ; Silver Knightian,
Story, Esq. ; N. Silver Knightian; Mr. Fawley.
TALL CACTIM FLOWER.—Lace Silver, Mr. Barnes.
No V —Six SPECIES OF EXOTIC ORCHIDACE/E.—

Gold Banksian, Mr. Hunt. ; Large Silver, Mr. Barnes
Silver Knightian, Mr. Paxton.

EXOTIC ORCHIDACEX (SINGLE SPECIMENS.)—Large
Silver, Mr. Barker ; Silver Knightians, Messrs. Wray
and Paxton ; Silver Banksian, J. Jarrett, Esq.
SINGLE SPECIMENS OF ORNAMENTAL PLANTS.—Large
Silver, Messrs. Jackson, May, Falconer, and Paxton ;
Silver Knightians, Messrs. Green, Bruce, G. Clark, and
Green ; Silver anksians, Messrs. Bruce, Fraser, and
Green.

MISCELLANEOUS FLOWERS. - Silver Knightians,
Donald and Willmer.

ORIGIN OF THE MAIL COACH
SYSTEM. -
In the year 1780 Mr. John Anderson, of Fermoy,
the subject of our present memoir, removed from
'
Dumfries where he originally resided, to the city of
Cork, and formed a commercial establishment at that
place, which rankdd amongst the first houses in the
kingdom. Applying himself to business, his perseve-
rance and industry were rewarded, in the course of
a few year, by the acquisition of a large property,
which enabled him, to purchase the extensive Barry-
more property, consisting of the Buttevant, Castle
Lyons, and Carrickotoohill estates, and afterwards the
estate of Fermoy, in the county of Cork. There
he commenced improvements of an extensive and un-
common character, which afforded employment to
thousands of poor persons, who, at the time that
this field was opened to them, were destitute of all
means of living, and absolutely reduced to the last
necessity.* When Fermoy came into Mr. Anderson's
possession it was a miserable village, but, under his
creative hands, it soon became a flourishing town, hav-
ing an extensive brewery,flour and paper mills, and' ma,
nufactories of various kinds, the largest internal corn
market in Ireland, a great military depot, with a popu-
lation of 7,000 inhabitants. Mr. Anderson, having had
occasion to visit England, was struck with the great
public benefits arising from the mail coach establish-
ment, then only in its infancy, and, animated by a
laudable zeal for the interests of his adopted country,
he conceived a wish to establish that great national
convenience in the Sister Kingdom. At this time, it
should be remembered, the journey from Dublin to
Cork, a distance of about 126 miles, occupied between
four and five days, while, during Mr. Anderson's life-
time, owing to the improvements made by him,
it was accomplished in 24 hours. On recommending
the project to the Government, they entrusted its
realisation solely to Mr. Anderson, and that gentle-
man, nothing daunted by the obstacles which he had
to surmount, entered on the undertaking forthwith.
His first line of operations was on the road between
Dublin and Cork, and, on achieving his object on
that road, he passed successively to the roads between
Dublin and Limerick, and Dublin and Galway, via
Mullingar. The road between Dublin and Water-
ford, and that, no less fraught with difficulty, between
Waterford and Cork, next claimed his attention ; and,
in fact (for it were tedious to particularise), to him
may be attributed the formation of mail coach roads
throughout Ireland.
When the French fleet arrived at Bantry Bay, the
kingdom was thrown into the greatest confusion and
alarm, and Lord Carhampton, the Commander of the
Forces, hastened to the south by forced marches. There
he endeavoured to find an eligible position for an en-
campment, but could not. effect his wishes, which in-
volved such serious consequences, unless he consented
to pay an enormous sum under the name of rent. On
becoming acquainted with this circumstance, Mr.
Anderson offered Lord Carhampton the free and un-
conditional use of his splendid estate (Fermov), or
any part of it, for the lodgment and accommodation of
the troops, and the offer was immediately accepted.
But winter was fast approaching, the troops required
to be lodged in barracks, and the Government, having
found Fermoy a convenient site for a military station,
wrote to Mr. Anderson to ascertain what he would
take for such portion of his estate as they might re-
quire. Mr. Anderson, with unprecedented liberality,
replied by presenting the Government with 26 acres
of his best. land, worth about 2,0001., free, for ever.
At Buttevant, also, he gave, 14 acres of land, worth
upwards of 1,0001., for a similar purpose ; and
Sir Ralph Abercrombie, who commanded the forces
at the time, conceived such a high sense of his
munificence and public spirit, which was so particu
larly acceptable at that critical period, that he offered
him, by command of the Lord-Lieutenant, the appoint-
ment of Commissary-General. The emoluments of
this appointment, the most lucrative in the army,
amounted to seven pounds per day, and half-pay for
life ; but as his whole attention was occupied in the
formation of the mail coach establishment, and his
other public works, Mr. Anderson declined it. When
the union of the two kingdoms began to be agitated,
his efforts to facilitate that object, then a very un-
popular one, were highly serviceable to the Govern-
ment, and he had the credit of sending the Minister of
the day the first petition agreed to at Cork in favour
of the measure, which was received. Lord Melville
was so highly pleased with the strain in which it was
conceived, coming from such a quarter, that he read
it in the House as part of his speech, paying a compli-
ment to Mr. Anderson, the originator of the petition,
which few persons have ever had the honour to re-
ceive. During the Duke of Richmond's administra-
tion, the Prince Regent expressed his sense of Mr.
Anderson's public spirit,'which had been productive
of such benefit to Ireland, by raising his son to the
dignity of a Baronet, an honour which Mr. Anderson
declined himself, but which he might be gratified to
see established in his family.
But the palmy days of his public usefulness have
passed away. After devoting the best energies of his
mind, and the most active era of his life, to the ad-
vancement of the solid interests of his country—after
applying the large property which he had accumu-
lated to the furtherance of great national objects,
it is melancholy to reflect that, while the country is
hourly deriving substantial benefits from the plans of
this extraordinary man, who pushed in advance the

* Mr. Palmer, who originated the mail-coach establishment
in England, received 3,000/. per annum, for its management,
and was afterwards awarded upwards of 60,0001. by Parlia-
ment ; -while the Mr. Anderson referred to, for similar services
in Ireland, never received one shilling, notwithstanding the
enormous sacrifices he made to carry out this object, and the
scrtles he rendered to the Government
.