The Sun. — 1864-04-07 (London, England)

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, --APRIL 7, 1864.  after a long and radiant career—is a loss to the profession, an event concerning which the public cannot be indifferent—and an incident in the history of the stage which suggestively reminds us how different is the stage of our day from that upon which our grey-headed veteran, now dead, stepped from the deck of the Raven.  BRAY'S TRACTION ENGINE,  Yesterday the powerful engine manufactured by  Bray's Traction-engine Company, to the order of the Russian Government, for military service, was tested in the neighbourhood of the Sevenoaks Junction station of the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, in the presence of a select company of engineers and practical men connected with locomotive enterprises in almost every part of the world. Among those present were Mr. H. D. Davies, chairman of the company; Mr. Osborne, director; Mr. Clark, engineer ; Mr. Cyrus Field, director of the Atlantic Telegraph Company ; M. Dudot, representative of MM. Lafitte, constructors of the Mont Cenis Tunnel ; M. Blanc, of Paris ; Mr. Lewis Olrick, consulting and marine engineer; Mr. A. Chaplin, engineer, of Glasgow; and other gentlemen of great practical experience. The ground selected for the trial was a steep ascent, in some places not less than 1 in 15 feet, on the old Maidstone road,which the continuous and heavy rain for somewhere about 36 hours previously had thoroughly soaked and softened. The experiment therefore was made under every disadvantage, and the result ail the more creditable to the company.  The engine itself in full working order weighs 14 tons ; the driving wheel is ift. in diameter ; the two cylinders are 9 in., with a 15-inch stroke ; and the train consisted of 5 loaded waggons, weighing 45 tons. Up the steep, soft, and rugged ascent the engine smoothly and efficiently carried thia hoc.vy load at a speed of about 2 miles and a quarter per  hour. The perfect command of the engine, and the ease with which the work was performed, elicited general and warm commendation from the engineers and practical gentlemen present. _ _  The cost of th© engine itself is £1,500, but other appliances have been added for the purposes of the Russian Government, including the derrick and steam lifting apparatus for raising timber, and other heavy articles, which increases the cost to about £1,700. The principle on which Bray's traction engine for common roads is constructed has been so often and so fully described that it is unnecessary to enter into details. _ .  The experiment, or rather demonstration of its capabilities, yesterday would have taken place nearer to London but for the prohibition of the Home Secretary of the use of those engines within 10 miles of London. AS it was, the exhibition seemed to satisfy completely the select company who were invited to witness it.  At one point the ground was so soft that the wheels of the heavily-laden waggons sank at least 4 inches into the ground, but the engine continued its steady pace, and reached the brow of the hill with ease and perfect command, which elicited general admiration. M. Dudot stated that he believed with a few alterations, which he would point out to Mr. Clark, the engineer of the company, the engine might be made to ascend Mount Cenis, dragging heavy loads behind it. Mr. Davies, the chairman, said the object of the company was mainly to promote steam locomotives on common roads, and they had no fear but that the best engines would in the end obtain the largest amount of public support. Mr. Chaplin, of London and Glasgow, who has now become the sole manufacturer of the engines for the company, exhibited drawings of a new engine, more simple, compact, and inexpensive, which appears to possess all possible requisites for the conveyanee of heavy loads on common roads, or rough and soft, surfaces, at a much less cost than they have heretofore been made by the company ; and, altogether, the party separated with the general conviction that this important branch of mechanical science is likely ere long to make such progress as to effect an entire revolution in locomotion, not only in this country but throughout the entire world,  Suicide in Pentonville Prison,  An inquiry of a melancholy character was ins  tuted by Dr. Lankester on 'Tuesday at the Penton,  Mlle 3iodel Prison, relative to the death of a prisoner, Valentine J3ambrick, aged 28 years, who was found dead and hanging in his cell on Friday evening last. Last week a similar inquest was held. Mr' Charles L. Bradley, medical officer of the prison, said he had been told that he (prisoner) fretted, as he was being unjustly punished for a crime of which he was net guilty. His mind was no doubt impaired, and be had suffered from delirium tremens, A letter was written on a slate by deceased, which might be worth the attention of the jury. On the production of the slate the Coroner read the following letter :  " My dear, dear Friends and Family,—Becoming quite tired of my truly miserable existence, I am about to rush into the presence of my Maker uncalled and unasked. To you I appeal forgiveness and pardon for all the unhappiness I have ever caused you. I dare not ask for mercy of God. I am doing that which admits of no pardon, but if He will hear my prayer, I pray to Him to grant you consolation in your hour of affliction, for I know that, notwithstanding all my faults, that love which you always manifested towards me is not withheld yet, and therefore the news of my unfortunate fate will make time sorrowful. Prey for your unfortunate son. "