The Sun.
London, England, 1845-06-26 00:00:00

IHE, SUN, LONDON,

the pleasure yachts through which she threaded -
her course. This mighty bulwark, moreover, an-
swers her helm with such singular facility and
truth, that even her manoeuvring bids fair to prove as
transcendant and unrivalled as her enormous length, her
six-fold masting, and her combined capacity for tre-
mendous armament and stowage. Leaving her arma-
ment for future notice, we will illustrate the two
other points we have thus noticed by stating that,
prior to taking up her moorings, her captain brought
her head round to precisely the position which six
minutes previously had been occupied by her stern,
describing in this beautiful evolution a circle little ex-
ceeding in its diameter her own length. Her run,
indeed, is enormous, being 274 feet, but it is associated
with the salutary qualification of unusual width of beam.
Its breadth is in the proportion of between one fifth
and one-sixth of this length. Its tonnage far exceeds
that of any ship whatever known to be in existence or
to have been ever built. This seems the proper place
to notice what we apprehend must be an error in the
important Parliamentary Paper (No. 349, H. C., of
this session), the contents of which we noticed the other
day. Under the column giving the date " when
built," we find against the Great Britain the
year 1843 ; and under the column headed " tons "
those figures are repeated. What her registered
tonnage may be we cannot certainly state ; but, if our
memory serves us rightly, the transposition of these
figures, so as to bring the 1843 to 3481, will give a much
more adequate notion of her real capacity. In order to
judge how far the working power is competent to the ma, s
to be moved, and, therefore, of the effective proportion
of what may be called her material force to her bulk, we
mayfairly take a mean between these two estimates of to-
nage according to the Parliamentary Paper (doubtless an
incorrect one) and of her real capacity. Let us suppose
this mean to represent 2,000 tons, and the power will be
the equivalent of about one horse to every two tons. If
the tonnage be taken at 1843, the power is of course still
greater. In either case this is a formidable proportion
of power to tonnage—always bearing in mind, that a,
the rate of tonnage increases the proportion of horse-po)e er
must,from various causes,necessarily diminish. It is to the
credit of the Bristol builders—if they needed any praise
to eke out the paramount celebrity they have so justly
acquired by the construction of the Great Western and
the Great Britain—that their steamer craft is generally
remarkable for this same important element of efficiency,
the nice adaptat,!on of these two conditions. The pro-
portion of horse power in the Great Western is still
higher-400 to 679 tots• In that very fine steamer,
Liverpool built, the Hindustan, it is less, being 400 to
971 tons. she, too, is 217 fret and a half long b.)
35 and a half nroad—a proportion of About one seventh
in width to the length. But among other Bristol craft
of smaller dimensions, especially the tuffs, we find an
enormous increase of power in relation to burden. The
Star, of 140 tons, is of 120 horse-power ; the County of
Pembroke, of 70 tons, 90 horse-power ; the Tiger, 42
tons, 60 horse-power ; and so on. But besides tugs,
there are other steamers built at the same port, as the
Swift, of 100 tons, 100 horse-power ; the Phmnix, 134
tons, 110 horse-power. The Great Britain, in addition
to her overwhelming superiority of dimensions and
power, has approved herself in speed an unequalled
steamer, and finally, she may be fitted for forty guns of
heavy metal.
It is really with feelings of national pride that we
contemplate the auspicious commencement this master-
piece of naval architecture has made of the long, useful,
and prosperous career, which we trust she is destined
to fulfil. She is a worthy guarantee that the old Eng-
lish supremacy on the seas, through whatever vicissi-
tudes of improvement and extension the noble art of
navigation may yet have to pass, will be rigorously as-
serted mid maintained by the sagacity, the spirit, the
liberality, and the native tendencies of the national
genius to maritime pursuits and ship-building. Long
may that spirit and those energies be developed in the
same direction. Long may those tendencies continue
for the advancement of British greatness and prosperity,
the extension of British commerce, the diffusion of Bri-
tish civilization, arts, and institutions, and the conse-
quent welfare of the world at large.

In the French Chamber of Deputies, on Monday, a brief
discussion took place relative to Otaheite, on the grant
2,000,000 f. for the establishments in the Pacific. M. DE
MALLEVILLE referred to the attempts made Iy Admiral
HAMELIN to open np a communication with Queen POMARE,
and said it appeared that, so far from showing any disposi-
tion to co-operate with the French in the government of the
country, she had refused not only to see his agent, but had
rejected all his letters. M. BILLAULT said Ministers had
sacrificed the dignity of France in advising the KING to
write a letter to this QUEEN, and thereby exposing the signa-
ture of his MAJESTY to the contempt of barbarians. Allusion
was also made to a letter said to have been addressed by POMARE
to Louis Pm-um, evidently dictated by the English mis-
sionaries. Admiral MACKAL` said the letter alluded to had
never reached the KING, and might be regarded as apocryphal.
He could assure the Chamber that the dignity of France
would be maintained, and the protectorate of the islands
continued. A Committee of the Chamber had decided on a
direct line of railway to be executed by private companies
from Paris to Cherbourg, by Berney and Caen, with a branch
line to Rotten, and another from Caen to join the Loire.
The political intelligence in the Paris papers is not
important. The Moniteur publishes an ukase issued
by the Emperor of RusslA, doing away with the
prohibition on many articles of foreign merchandise, and
substituting heavy duties on the following articles :—Bronzes,
marbles, clocks and watches, fine hardware, mercery, silks,
engravings, richly bound books, music, &c. The export
duties have been abolished on oleaginous seeds, cables,
hempen ropes, and other vegetable matters grown and ma-
nufactured in Russia. The Phare des Pyrenees, of the 16th,
contradicts, in the most positive manner, the report of the
arrest of CABRERA. According to some accounts he is still
at Lyons, and the report had been spread by the Spanish
Government, in order to induce her MAJESTY to return to
Madrid, without visiting the Basque Provinces. Accounts
from Switzerland announce that Dr. STEIGER had made his
escape from prison, and is now out of the reach of the Lu-
cerne authorities. The following letter gives the particulars
of his escape :
" Zuatcm, Juaig 20.—Dr. Steiger has, with the concurrence of
three gendarmes who guarded him, made his escape from prison at
Lucerne, and the whole party, accompanied by many friends,
arrived here at half.past eight o'clock this morning. It appears he
was provided with a uniform of the gendarmerie, and in this cos-
tume passed, in company of the others, out of the town, entered
a carriage in waiting, and passed the frontier. He remained in
Zurich till three o'clock, whence he took his departure, It is sup-
posed, for Frauenfeld in Turgovia. I hear the plan for escape
had been arranged several weeks since, but no favourable oppor-
tunity offered until last night at twelve o'clock, when it was ef.
fected in the manner above described."

The Funds fell considerably on the Paris Bourse on Mon-
day, but without any a,o4:ped cause. The Three per Cents.
closed at 83f. 85c.; t..ol:fre per Cents. at 121 f. 85c. ; Or-
leans Railroad sharei,*loog, 50c. ; Rouen, 1,050 f. ; Vierzon,
722 f. 50c. ; Havre, 855 f ; Avignon, 1,005 f. ; Basle, 265 f. ;
Spanish Actives, 381,4 ; Ditto Three per Cents., 41.
The following are the quotations for the new lines:-
Orleans and Bordeaux, 190 f. premium ; Boulogne, 107 f.
50c ditto ; Troyes and Montereau, 35f. ; Paris and Lyons
(Laffitte), 18f. 50c. ; ditto (Calon), par; ditto (Ganneron),
sf. ; Northern line ( Laffitte), 25f. 50c. ; ditto (Rosamel),
sf. ; Tours and Nantes (Mackenzie), 9f. sc. ; ditto
(Dronillard), par; ditto (O'Neill), 2f. 50c.; ditto (Jacques
Lefevre), par; Lyons and Avignon (Lecointe), 15f. ; ditto
(Talabot), 38f. 75c. ; ditto (Compagnie Meridionale), 7f. 50c. ;
Bordeaux and Toulouse (Mackenzie), If. 50 ; ditto and
Cette (Lspeleta), sf. ; Creil and St. Quentin, 11. 50c. ; Paris
and Strasbourg (Ganneron), 10f. ; Dijon and Mulhausen,
If. 50c.
MARSEILLES, JUNE 19.-Marseilles and Avignon, 1,025 f. ;
Boulogne, 615 f.; Orleans and Bonk:Aix, 695 f. • Vierzon,
795 f. ; Avignon and Lyons, (Talabot), 540 f. ; ditto
(Sebastiani), 5201. ; ditto (Compagnie Meridionale),
507 f. 50c. ; Bourdeaux and Cette (Espeleta), 515 f.; ditto
( Mackenzie), 507 f. 50c.
LYONS, JUNE 20.-Avignon and Marseilles, 1,0161., end
of June ; Paris and Orleans, 1,205 f, ditto ; Paris and
Rouen, 1.0861., for the 15th of July • Orleans and Vierzon,
764, end of June ; Orleans and iordeaux, 685 f, ditto;
Boulogne, 600 f., ditto ; Montereau, 532 f., ditto.

THE QUEEN V. GREGORY.—In this case an attempt
was made by Mr. Cockburn, upon the authority of a dictum in
Coke's 2d Institutes, sec. 109, to show that the indictment was
bad, in not describing the Duke by his own name as Charles
Frederick D'Este, Duke of Brunswick, but by his title of honour.
Lord Denman said he would make a note of the objection, and
after briefly addressing the jury lett them to decide upon the mean.
ing and application of the passages complained of. The jury im.
mediately found the defendant Guilty upon all the counts.
DUBLIN STOCK EXCHANGE, JUNE 23.—There was
a great deal of business to-day, but the prices of Saturday
were barely sustained in the favourite stocks, while there was
a falling off in the minor ones. The following is the official
return :—Government Three-and-a-Quarter per Cent. Stock,
101% 1,12 ; Six per Cent. Grand Canal Debentures,
68 ; Peninsular and Oriental Steam Company Scrip, 26 ;
Belfast and Balleymena, ; Belfast and County Down,
• : Bandon and Bantry, 1% 3/I ; Cork and Waterford, 2 ;
Cork andYoughal, 1 1% prem. ; Dublin and Belfast Junc-
tion, 91,! ; Dublin, Belfast, and Coleraine Junction, ; Dub-
ling and Drogheda, 100; Dundalk and Enniskillen, .1-5 1/2
Enniskillen and Sligo, 2% •, Great Southern and 'Western
Extension, 1214 4; Great Western, Dublin to Mullingar,
• %; Ditto, Extension to Sligo, 12s. 6d., 155., 12s. 6d.
prem. ; Irish Great Western, Dublin to Galway, 314 ; Kil-
larney Junctions, 31,4 prem. ; Limerick, Ennis, and Killaloe
Junction, 6%; Waterford and Limerick, 8% % % ; Water-
ford and Kilkenny, 3% 34 ; Wexford and Carlow, 2% ;
Waterford, Wexford, and Dublin, 2 2% 2 2%.
THE LATE COLLISION OFF WOOLWICH.— On Tues-
day an adjourned inquest was held at the Castle Tavern, Wool.:
wick, before Mr. Carttar, to inquire into the circumstances attend-
ing the death of Thomas Henry Grant, aged twenty.four, lately
carrying on business as a grocer in Limehouse, who wes drowned
on the 14th instant off Woolwich, in consequence of the running
down of a wherry, in which he was taking a sail for pleasure, by
the Mercury, Ramsgate steamer, then on its way down the river.
After a long investigation, the jury returned * verdict of " Ac-
cidental death," adding an expirenton of opinion tat tpera
great want of management on the Part of Harrel, the waterman,
and also on the part of the look-out OA board the Mercury. The
Coroner said he entirely coacunid !!14414 001144
A metallic wire for establishing a communication
• Steen the pirric telegraph of the Rouen Railroad and the Mi-
nistry of f. jntcrior, haf 400 e*Eriefl alobt tOe wale!-couTscs apt;
under the Pont de la CAtoTdet9 the Wallows 40.

`f
.~- .~aM ~~

AMERICAN NEWS.

GREAT FIRES AT QUEBEC AND

NEW YORK.

LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY AFTERNOON, 4 O'CLOCK.
The New York packet-ship Cambridge, Capt. Barstow, has
just arrived at this port from New York, which city she left on
the 2d inst., and consequently made the passage home in 21
days. She brings a number of both cabin and steerage pas-
sengers. Sailing so shortly after the steam-ship Britannia,
the news contained in the New York papers is devoid of po-
litical interest, but we regret to state that the accounts from
Canada are of a most distressing nature. One of those dread-
ful conflagrations, for which the North American provinces
are remarkable, has made shocking ravages in Quebec. We
give it as forwarded to us in anticipation of the American
papers :
New York, June 9, 1845.

I avail myself of the departure of the Cambridge far Liverpool.
to send the following account of an awful and destructive fire at
guebec, which has just reached my hands by express from Quebec.
Yours, &c., CHAS. K. WILLMEII.

A most destructive fire took place at Quebec, where, it seems,
2,000 houses have been destroyed, and 12,000 persons rendered
houselessl The fire commenced shortly before mid-day on the 28113
of May, in a tannery in St. Vathere-street.
The day was remarkably warns, end the heat and dryness of the
few days previous had rendered the roofs of the buildings in the
neighbourhood, and those more remote, highly susceptible of igni.
tion. The adjoining and opposite dwellings were soon involved,
and in an inconceivably short space of time the burning flakes,
carried afar by the then rising wind, had ignited some buildings In
the neighbourhood of the St. Roch's Church—a considerable dis-
tance from the outbreak of the fire.

The wind gradually freshened from the west, with a coming
storm, and it was soon evident that all human endeavours to
arrest the progress of the fire in a locale studded, for the moat
part, with wooden buildings, alone would be useless--an im-
pression but too fatally verified. Onward swept the flames—street
after street fell before them. A species of whirlwind seemed to
aid its fatal advances—for in advance, in the rear, on every side,
the raging element developed itself with momentarily Increasing
fury. Spots that to the shrieking and affrighted refugee were now
apparently safe, in,a few minutes subsequent were wrapped in a
vast sheet of flames.
From eleven in the morning until midnight did this dread fire
hold uninterrupted sway, until its career was arrested in St.
Charles-street—nearly one mile from the place of its outbreak!
At the broadest point the breadth of the burnt district is about one-
third of a mile. . .

Between 1,500 and 2,000 houses are supposed to have been
consumed, and it is calculated that 12,000 persons (one-third
of the population) are this day houseless. Moat of these people
have lost their all, the rapid advance, and sudden capricious
directions taken by the flame, not only rendering it impossible to
save any portion of the property In the dwellings, but in a vast
number of instances barely allowing the inmates sufficient time to
escape living.
The clnireh in St. Roch's is in ashes. The convent is saved. St.
Peter's Chapel is also burnt. The large brewing establishments
of Messrs. Lloyd and Lepper and M'Culium are consumed, and
the line of wharfs from Munn's to the one at the foot of Hope
Hill. On these were an immense quantity of deals, which were
all consumed.

At this point the fire was arrested by throwing down the piles of
deals, and on the town side by blowing up two houses. This opera-
tion was conducted by Lieut.. Colonel Warde, of the Royal Engi-
neers, and some of the officers and men under his command.
Two Methodist churches were iso burnt. The Artillery Bar-
rack was three times in danger. A general meeting had been
called, attended by 3,000 persons, at which between 3,0001. and
4,0001. were collected on behalf of the sufferers. At Montreal steps
were being taken to aid the unfortunate persons who have lost their
all by the calamity.
The moat painful event was the destruction of the hospital, to
which, as being considered entirely out of the reach of the con.
iagration, numbersof sick persons of all classes were carried. The
building became ignited by the flakes of fire carried from the dis.
Lance by the wind; the unfortunate inmates, unable to help them.
selves, perished miserably,
The losses by the mercantile lower town people will be heavy.
Almost all the bakers are burned out—M'Conkey, Clarihue,
Tourangeau, &c., and nothing saved. What renders matters more
disastrous is, not one house in ten in St. Roch's was insured, and
those insured are principally at the Mutual Insurance Company,
which being composed of persons resident at St. Roch's, the
company is defunct, for if one man owes his neighbour IQs,, and
his neighbour owes him l Os., and neither have wherewith to pay,
both are ruined.
Every exertion was made to relieve the unfortunate sufferers,
Lord Metcalfe forwarded 2,0001. for their relief; the Catholic
bishop sent 5001., and the Hotel Dies 5001. The good bishop
has addressed a circular letter to his clergy, imploring subscriptions
for the poor families thus dsprived of a home and an asylum, and
suggesting the calling of public meetings in every parish for
that purpose, together with contributions of clothing, money, and
previsions.
The loss of life, according to one of the accoun's, exceeds one
hundred persons I and the lose of property is said to be above
750,0001. Eighteen schooners were burnt at the Patois. " No-
thing left," says one of the letters from the scene of the conflagra.
tion, " from where you begin to descend Cote les Bras at Tou-
rangeau's, running down the large street towards the Marine
Hospital ; everything on the right until you reach the water,
thence to the two distilleries, M'Cullum and Lloyd's, these in-
cluded, is destroyed : the fire ending, or rather being arrested, at
the point where the roads St. Paul.street and Hope-hill diverge.
The loss in round numbers cannot be easily ascertained, but half
a million will not cover the losses, nor perhaps 750,0001."
New York, we regret to find, has also been the scene
of a similar, though not so extensive, a calamity as that of
Quebec. By the New York fire, which occurred on Saturday
night, the 31st ultimo, one hundred buildings and twenty-
five horses have been burned, and four hundred families left
destitute. The greater portion of the demolished buildings
are represented as "poor shanties," occupied mostly by Irish
families. It is said that not fifty dollars' worth of furni:ure
or property of any kind has been saved by any of these poor
individuals, and not twenty of them all have been saved.
" Nothing," writes the New Fork Tribune," can be conceived
so utterly sad and pitiful as the condition of these three
thousand men, women, and children (for the number will
reach that), thus in an instant reduced to ab,olute want and
hunger, shelterless, and many of them unclad, and with only
a blanket about their shoulders They are sitting weeping
and starving under the fences, and in the vacant lots, crowded
into cow-pens and out-houses—the middle-lifed, the Young,
the decrepid, aged—the helpless infant—what a scene !" The
same paper humanely suggests that a public meeting, fur the
relief of the sufferers, should be held without delay.
In the commercial affairs of the United States nothing
worthy of notice had occurred from the time of the sailing
of the Britannia to the departure of the Cambridge.
There was but a moderate amount of business done for
the steam-ship Britannia. English bills of exchange were
offered at 109% ; France, 5. 25.
The account of the weather and crops throughout the
United States is rather encouraging, and in many parts the
approaching harvest is represented as likely to be both early
and abundant.