The Sun. — 1848-12-06 (London, England)

SOUTHAMPTON, DEC. s.—The Washington, Ocean Steam Navigation Company's steam-ship, with the usual mails from New York, arrived this day at one o'clock. She left New York on the 20th ult., consequently the news by her, from the United States, has been antics pated by the arrival of the America, at Liverpool, yes• terday, which steamer left on the 22d, two days later tha❑ the Washington. She had a full valuable cargo; with specie to the amount of 85,000 dollars, and 28 passengers. She is now discharging her specie and English cargo, and will leave for Bream to-morrow.  THE ARTIC VorAGEas.-:-S—ubjoined we insert a letter received the other day by the mother of Dr. Rae, the second in command in Sir John Richardson's expedition .—" Athabasca Lake, Half-past three, A.m., July 11, 1848.—1 have scarce time to scribble you a line, as the boats of Mackenzie River have just hove in sight, on their way to the Long or Methy Portage. It is true I might have written a day or two sooner, but I hoped to have reached Fort Chipevvyau before the boats passed. All the expedition party are quite well, excepting two or three of the sappers and miners, who have got sore limbs ; their exertions on the portages is the kind of work they find most severe. We have been driving with the current down the Athabasca River, with the musquitoes so numerous that we could get no sleep. On entering the Lake (Athabasca), the first object that struck our attention was the sails of the boats at a distance of five or six miles. They were making for a narrow channel that leads by a shorter but more intricate route into the Athabasca River, so that had we been an hour later, we would have missed them altogethen—John o' Groat's Journal. On Wednesday morning, the Chairman and several of the Directors of the Hull Dock Company, met Mr. Hudson and a deputation from the directors of the York and North Midland and York and Newcastle Railways, at the Old Station of the Hull and Selby Railway in this town, and had a rather long conference upon various matters affecting the interests both of the railway and the docks, and of importance to the trading community. We understand that amongst other matters mooted was that of increasing the facilities for the export of coals, upon which subject there was the must perfect unanimity of feeling and determination on the part of the Dock Company and the railway directors to give every possible facility that the trade can require. Mr. Charles Wilkinson had afterwards a short interview with Mr. Hudson, and represented that the export of coals here was likely to increase very greatly. His object was to impress upon Mr. Hudson the necessity of preparing for that increase, but it appeared that the railwaycompanies needed no spur on that subject. Coals are now being shipped direct from the railway waggons into the Humber dock, and also at the New Staith on the Humber foreshore near Lime-kiln Creek, and further accommodation is to be provided as soon as required. Amongst the gentlemen present at the above interviews were Sir John Simpson, Mr. Richardson, and Mr. Jennings, of York, Mr. Harrison, the engineer of the York and Newcastle Railway. Mr. Firbank, chairman, Ald. Thompson, Mr. George Liddell, and Mr. Tall, directors, and Mr. Frost, solicitor to the Hull Dock Company, also Mr. Locking, the secretary to the Hull and Selby Railway and superintendent of traffic at Hull.—Hull Advertiser. SUICIDE OF AN OFFICER'S WIDOW THROUGH DlSTRESS.—Yesterday, Mr. Bedford, the Coroner, held an inquest at the Red Lion, Robert-street, Grosvenorsquare, on the body of Mrs. Emily Brown Staples, aged fitly, widow of the late Captain Charles Staples, an old Peninsular officer, who committed suicide on the evening of Saturday last. The body of the unfortunate lady was identified by her sister, Mrs. Maria Gearing, and Mr. James Toley, of Markham-street, Chelsea. It appeared that the deceased had become very much reduced in circumstances, and that she had for some time past lodged in a small back room at No. 7, Robert-street, for which she paid the trifling rental of ss. per week. She was excessively proud in her poverty; and latterly contrived to live by the exercise of her talents in drawing, painting, and millinery. She had fallen into a few weeks' arrears of rent, and although her landlord did not appear to have pressed her, the circumstances evidently took a deep hold upon her mind, and at last her intellect became so deranged that she resolved upon the act of suicide, and unfortunately accomplished it on Saturday evening, by swallowing the contents of two bottles of laudanum. On a paper on the table, near her bedside, were found the following heartrending words: —" God bless you all—remember me. Distress, disappointment, wretchedness, and despair drive me to this unhappy end, and are the cause of all."—Verdict— Temporary Insanity.