The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-07 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN:

Sin,—ln your paper of Wednesday evening, rela•
tive to the extra clerks employed in her Majesty's
Custom-house, you state the expenses of that class
of officers, for the year ending 1844, to be 13;8441.
Now, as the extra clerks are the most likely to be
affected by any alteration Nihich may be made,
I beg to state that there are not more than
one hundred and twenty extra clerks employed
and that their salary, without exception, does not
exceed 781. per annum ; and some of these clerks have
been employed for twelve years, without any in-
crease—Trusting you will excuse this liberty, re-
main, Sir, your obedient servant,

AN RkTRA CLERK.
Custom-house, April 3, 1845.

THE LITE PROFESSOR DANIELL
The late John Frederic Daniell, professor of che-
mistry in King's College, London, lecturer on che-
mistry and geology at the Hon. East India Company's
seminary at Addiscombe, one of the examiners in the
University of London, foreign secretary of the lioyal
Society, D.C.L. (Oxon.), &c., was born in Essex-
street, Strand, March 12, 1790. At an early age he
became a pupil of Professor Brande, in whose society
he made several tours, and of whom he spoke as one
endeared to him by kindred pursuits and early recol-
lections the elky before his death. In 1816, associated with
this gentleman, he started the " Journal of the Royal
Institution," the first 20 volumes of which were published
under their joint superintendence. He married in the fol-
lowing year (Sept. 4) Charlotte, youngest daughter of the
late Sir W. Rule., Surveyor of the Navy, and subse-
quently became Managing Director of the Continental
Gas Company, to forward the interests of which he vi-
sited the principal cities of France and Germany, with
Sir W. Congreve and Colonel Landmann, making those
arrangements by a hich many of them have since been
lighted. On the formation of King's College, iu 1831
he was appointed Professor of Chemistry, and found
himself at length in the position he was au
well suited to occupy. His inaugural lecture}
eminently characteristic of the Christian philosophell%
gave a good earnest of the spirit in which his in-,
structions would be conveyed. Of the extent of
Professor Daniell's scientific labours some idea may Le
formed from the fact that, in lepentient of his " Meteoro-
logical Essays," and " Introduction to the Study of
Chemical Philosophy," he communicated to various
scientific periodicals upwards of forty original papers ;
of these thirteen relate to meteorological subjects, nine to
electricity, and the remainder to chemistry and other
branches of physical science. Of their intrinsic import-
ance some notion may be obtained from the circumstance
that he received all three of the medals in the gift of the
Royal Society. In 1820 he published an account of his
new hygrometer—an instrument which, for the first
time, rendered regular and accurate observations
on the dryness and moisture of the air practicable. It
has since been extensively employed in all climates, and
has enabled hygrometry to take an exact and definite
form. It still remains the only accurate instrument
for making such observations. In 1828 appeared the
first edition of his ",Meteorological Essays," of which he
was engaged in revising proofs of the third edition at the
time of his death. This work was the first synthetic at-
tempt to account for meteorological phenomena as a
whole, the known laws of which regulate the constitution
of gases and vapours. In the following year (1824) ap-
peared his essay on artificial climate in the " Horticul-
tural Transactions," the practical bearing of which on
culture in general, and particularly of plants grown
under shelter, is daily becoming better appreciated, and
which, according to Dr. Lindley, has done more for
the improvement of this art than any single circum-
stance besides. He received the Society's silver medal
for this paper. Iu 1830 and 1831 he published his new
pyrometer, an instrument still the best for measuring
high temperatures, such as those of fusing metals, and
furnaces in general. The Royal Society deemed this
an invention of such utility and importance, that they,
in 1832, conferred on him the Romford medal for the
most important discovery relating to heat that had
been made throughout the civilised world during the
three preceding years. In 1836 appeared a paper of
his in the " Philosophical Transactions," describing
his valuable improvement in the voltaic battery, by,
which he showed the means of obtaining a constant and
unlimited supply of electricity. The importance of this
discovery was recognised immediately throughout the
whole scientific world. In appreciation of its merit the
Royal Society, in 1837, honoured him with the Copley
medal, for the most important scientific discovery of any
description made in any part of the world during the
previous year. Several other valuable papers appeared
in the Philosophical Transactions for the following
years, and for two of these he, in 1842, received one of
the Royal medals.

ROYAL MESSENGERS.
A very curious document (Sessional Papers, House
of Commons, No. 93, ordered to be printed 4th March,
on the motion of Mr. Warburton), has just been
issued from the Vote Office. It is a " Return relative
to the Expense of Royal Messengers for the years of
Edward I. and 1433 ; Accounts of the Master of the
Posts in the reign of Elizabeth; Order in Council,
1626, repecting Transmission of Letters; Extracts
from Rolls of Parliament respecting Statutes of Pro-
visors, 130 G-1350; and Catalogue of Writs de
Scrutinio Faciendo."

Under Class No. I.—" Extracts from the Ward-
robe Account of 28 Edw. 1., giving the total expense
for that year of the Royal Messengers"—it is stated
that in the year 1299-1300 (28 Edw. I.) the sum
paid by the Crown for messengers, exclusive of sum
paid to messengers conveying intelligence of royal
births (which may be considered as extraordinary
payments), was 1481. 4s. Sd., which contained about
the same weight of standard silver as would be con-
tained in 3001., measured by the old standard shilling
of Geo. 111. And in the Wardrobe Account, pub-
lished by the Royal Society of Antiquaries, we find
some curious items and still more curious Latinities.
Thus, we have a fee of 2s. to a person bringing to the
King " a little dog." (" I. Dimetori portanti ad
Regem unum parvum canem.") There is something
whimsical in the notion of a present to, or purchase
by, the iron-cased and iron-hearted subduer of Wales
and Scotland of a tiny lap dog. For the expenses of
De Kyrkeby:travelling as far as Berwick-upon-Tweed,
and returning with the utmost expedition, we read
the following item, the idiomatic and vernacular
felicity of which will commend itself to the more
fastidious of our readers :—" Expensis Radi de
Kyrkeby euntis usque Berwickum-super-Tweedam
et redeuntis cum summa festinatione, 155." It is ob-
servable that the largest of the disbursements in this
account are made to one of the Queen's messengers
(" Russell, Nuncio Regina"), 10/. ; to messengers
from the Duke of Brabant, 6/. 13s. 4d.; and from
the King of Arrsgon, 51. For messengers announcing
"royal births," the disbursements made, reference
being had to the value of money at the time referred
to, seem to have been at least as costly affairs as they
are now. To one set of messengers (Nunciis Monti
Martini), there were issued 1001.; and to one of the
Duchess of Brabant's gentlemen, 1261. 13s. 4d. In
the year 1433 (12 Henry VI.) in the statement of
the receipt and expenditure of the Crown submitted
to Parliament by Richard Cromwell, Lord High
Treasurer, the expense of the "Nuncii missi tam
extra regnum quatn infra regnum" is estimated at
2001., which sum contained about the same weight of .
standard silver as would be contained in 4001., paid
the old standard shilling of George 111. This is ex-
clusive of the expeme of ambassadors, which was
2,6261. 13s. 4d. Very curious are the
."Accounts of
Thomas Randolph, Master of the Posts from Oct. 1,
8 }lizabeth, to Sept. 30, 13 Elizabeth.' They occur
amongst tl e Records of the Court of Exchequer
(Pipe) in the Public Record Office, in custody of the
Right lion, the
Although
audited
clumsy
msbyy system
' s‘tem W
Master
o f
theyth the
are signed
RRolls
b Y.
bs yt a t`
; land
Burgh:2
Vic.,
Dleyo'd'ingantdon::, theyil dm
exaYh'ibit an
a d
rudeare
of allowances to provincial postmasters
, in quittance
disbursements out of her Majesty s Exchequer on
M and
account of the " Maister of the Postes," and in dig-
charge of the payments to " Thomas Heneage, Esq.,
Treasurer of H. Majesty s Chamber," which would
horrify the administrative habits of Mr.:Rowland
Hill. The " somme total), of the saide paymente and
allowances aforesaid," is thus primativel7 stated :
" nil. ml. ml. nil. ml. Deeexxvin/i. xixs: (or 5,8281.
IQ.

We conclude our notice of this curious paper by
respectfully directing Sir James Graham's attention
to an " Ordinance of Parliament passed in 1346
(20 Ed. III.)" "No letters of aliens to be in-
spected." This ordinance should have protected M.
Mazzini, if it could not shield Mr. Thomas Duncombe
from the " searching" interest, by the Home-office, in
the contents of sealed letters addressed to certain in-
dividuals.

STEAM-YESSELS.—The Commissioners of the Cue-
toms have issued directions to the collectors and controllers
of several ports of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland to prepare and transmit to the Registrar-General of
Shipping, with the least possible delay, the undermentioned
account, according to an approved form, se far as the same
relates to their respective ports, viz. :—A return of the names
and descriptions of all steam-vessels registered in the ports of
the United Kingdom, showing where and when built, tonnage,
horse power, length, breadth, draught of water, and what ar•
mament they are capable of carrying. And as some of the
particulars may not be recorded in the official books of their
several departments, they have been directed to obtain the
information, as far as practicable, from other sources, in order
to enable the Registrar-General to prepare a complete return
to the order of the House of Commons.
ATTEMPT TO DESTROY • SHIP BY
RAMSEY (ISLE OF MAN), MARCH 29.—0 n Tuesday morning
last, between twelve and one o'clock, as Mr. Medwood was
returning home, he discovered names of fire issuing from
some balks of timber, lying parallel about three or four
yards distant from a large schooner in frame on the stocks,
in a small field adjoining the Ramsey ship-yard. Thesebalks extended under the ship's bottom to about midships.
Upon the ground a fire had been kindled by some incendiary,
with various materials, such as are generally used for light-
ing fires, and would have shortly communicated with the
schooner but for Mr. Medwood's prompt activitym arousing
the neighbours, and with whose assistance the fire was ex-
tinguished, and fortunately very little damage was done. The
diabolical deed must have been done on purpose to destroy
the vessel, as no person had been at work OA Or about her
since the 14th of August, 1843.