The Sun. — 1838-02-12 (London, England)

COAL.—Of the heat produced from foul fuel, in a common fire place, seven-eighths ascend the chimney. One full eighth of it floats unburned, in the shape of coal smoke. At present, over London, at any instant are to be seen floating in the atmosphere as smoke, mane chaldrons of the most precious part of our coal—that part, in fact, which, with proper management, is convertible into gas for lights. Authors have calculated that one-eighth of all the coal brought to London escapes in this w iv, which at present must be a loss of 100,000 chaldrons a year ! A beautiful spcciinen of the moth butterfly, active, shining, and to all appearance full of vivacity, has been for nearly a week in the possession of the editor of this paper. The appearance of such a stranger, during the most inclement season that has occurred for many years, is a circumstance almost unprecedented ; and the wonder is increased by the nature of the locality is which it first revisited the glimpses of the sun or moon—the farm of Airdrie, parish of Kirkbean, situated at the base of the giant Criffel, now buried in the deepest snows. Mr. M'Naughton, the tenant, brought the moth with him to town on Wednesday last, and as the Minister of the parish happened to call at the same time, he had an opportunity of seeing it. In the room in which it was caught, fires are only used occasionally ; and, altogether, we as little expected to witness such a sight, as to see moose and reindeer looking down from Critic'. or antelopes and camelopards grazing on the plains below.—Dunfries Courier. The river at the Steam Packet Station presented a sheet of solid ice, upon wl:ich people crossed to the opposite side, safely as if on terra firms, and ska•ing was enjoyed in perfection on other parts of the river, within the constant action of the tides. The large and thick masses of ice, with their keen edges, carried by the water against the vessels at the mouth of the river, in many instances cut deeply into the planks. On the wharf persons going out of their offices, with pens in their hands or mouth, found the ink in them frozen in a very short time. Wild fowl were shot in abundance on the moors. Trade has suffered a great stagnation. Since Sunday the weather has opened end continues to look favourable. On Monday last seven swans passed over the town, winging their flight so near the houses in Mellicentstreet, as to afford a labourer an opportunity of shooting one of them, which he accomplished at a distance of twenty-five or thirty yards.—Cardiff Chronicle. The cold in Switzerland has been extreme, 30 degrees below Zero of Reaumur. At Neufchatel the wolves have abandoned the mountains fur the plain. Wednesday Mr. Clarke, proprietor of the Ohl Ship Stables, and also of the Old Steine Mews, Brighton. made a determined attempt at suicide by inflicting some desperate wounds on his arms, with the view of bleeding to death. The unfortunate man was not discovered till nearly exhausted, when he was conveyed to his residence in Old Steine-street, where he now lies in a very precarious situation. Some pecuniary losses which he had recently sustained are supposed to have driven him to the commission of this desperate act. SHOCKING SUlClDE.—Yesterday afternoon, hetxonri three and four o'clock, a woman about fifty years of age, climbed up on the parapet wall of Gearge the Fourth's Bridge, at the south-west corner, and threw herself over. She was observed by a gentleman passing at the time, who immediately sprang forward to seize her, but he was too late to prevent the con:mission of the rash act. She fell into a yard adjoining the Cowgate, and, singularly enough, she alighted o❑ her feet. Medical assistance was procured with the utmost promptitude, but she survived only about ten minutes. She has left a husband and several children ; and it is said that the disagreeable terms on which she lived with the former was the cause of herself-destruction.—Edinburgh Evening Courant. _  A vessel was observed yesterday on the most dangerous part of the Goodwin Sands. Boats from Deal were soon rendering assistance, and rescued the crew, with the exception of three, who found a watery grave.—KentishObservo. A new expedition has been ordered by the Russian Government to proceed to Chiva and Bockara, with the object of surveying the territories comprised between the Oxus and the Caspian Sea, and of determining the position of an ancient bed of this river communicating with that body of water. It is said that the members of this expedition will also be intrusted with the task of reclaiming s2veral Russian subjects, who have been sold as slaves by the Tartars of that part of Asia. A LARGE FAMlLY.—According to Mr. .J. Baillie Fraser, Futtee Alice Shah, the late King of Persia, had, at the time of his death, from 700 to 800 wives in his harem. Of this goodly collection were born to the King, first and last, from 120 to 130 sons, and about 150 daughters ; which progeny increased so rapidly that, when the King died, had descendants been all gathered together he would have seen, it iti said, a tribe of five thousand souls—men, women, and children—clustering around his throne.—Mirror. Some days ago, the diligence called the Marseellaise did not arrive at Flours, in the Loire, till four hours after its regular time. On stoppir', at the hotel, the driver, instead of getting down, remained on his seat. Being spoken to several times by the landlord without giving any answer, some one went up to him, and found the poor man senseless and stiffened by the cold. He was taken down, carried into the house, placed in a warm bed, and carefully treated. He at length gave some signs of life, but his complete recovery remains 1 doubtful.