The Sun. — London, England, 1860-07-16 00:00:00

TILE VOA 'AGE AND ARRIVAL OF THE CREAT EASTERN. FROM 7 RE TIMES' SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. NEW YORK, JUNE 29. The Great, Eastern arrived in New York harbour yesterday moornhig, after a beautiful, though, from various crrcnimrAances, not a very rapid passage of 10* days. ghe went, however, quick enough at times to show that she really possesses the power of making the most rapid passages that have yet been effected. Bid, as it had been determined that in the first voye.ge nothing like driving should be at tempted, the; real speed of the ship was not deve loped, and imerything was kept subordinate to her making her first trip well and easily and without breakdown. or hitch of any kind. This result, at least, was effected, and there has seldom , if ever, been a ps ssage made across the Atlantic more com fortably or more free from disturbing or exciting causes 'of any kind. In this respect the success was as complete as could be wished , and i t is to be hoped from this change in the fortunes of the vessel that her run o fill-luck is' i over, and that she may now look forward to a long career of maritime triumph and prosperity. A run across the Atlantic is like all other long seay.oyage .s—that i s to say, generally speaking, as dull as possible. Even a passage in the Great Eastern forms no exception to this rule of ennui, w hich al ways so forcibly recalls to mind Dr. John son's say lug that goingto sea is like being in a prison with the chance of being drowned. The latter un pleasant probability was perhaps not wholly disre garded bysome of the passengers, who now and then eyed the gambols of the monster on which they had embarke a their fortunes with a look, of something like disnmy and an evident apprehension that her ill-luck would still adhere to her, and manifest itself by' some villanous mishap or other in the centre of the Atlantic. The voyage commenced when the vessel was clear of the Needles, and when the pilot, who had so carefully brought her thr , 'ugh, put off in a little boat with Mr. Brereto a, and when both did their utmost to make tb.eir parting cheers heard as the word was r=il‘o steam ahead easily, and the Great rn at last commenced her voyage. During the first; part of the day the weather was wet and thick, and squalls of wind and rain. Towards after noon, however, it cleared up bright and fine as we steamed. past the rich undulations of the coast of Devon, and down the Channel, all covered with little, o r, perhaps, I had better say smaller, vessels. All the se latter that were at all in reasonable dis tance instantly altered their course and stood towards the huge ship, their crews all shouting and waving their caps at beholding the Great Eastern at last fairly started on her trial. At 11 o'clock that night the Lizard light was passed, shedding a pale gleam over the rocks and foam beneath it, and, steering a very southerly course, the Great Eastern stood well out to sea, and we saw no more of old England. Next day, Monday, was bright and warm.,—too warm, perhaps, and, as the sun shone down on that huge expanse of deck, passengers were fain to leave it and congregate on seats in front of the pa ddlebova, where a breeze faintly played. We were in blue water already, and the waves had a solemn beauty as they rose up so crisp and cool looking, their deep blue sides fringed with a little ridge of white which sparkled in the sun like diamonds. It was a regular spring day at sea, and seemed to gladden the hearts of the porpoises who kept rolling and plunging alongside the ship and taking great leaps out of water, as if they, too, wanted to have a good look at the vessel, which was marching on so steadily and trampling the great waves into foam and spray beneath her. One of the passengers, having faith in the stability of the ship, had provided himself for his private amusement and delecta tion with a set of skittles. They were instantly had out with acclimation, and the passengers at once set to work to cultivate that athletic game, with more or less success. It was probably the first time that ever skittles was played on board any vessel on the Atlantic, and certainly the first time that anybody on board had ever played them at all,—and facts which gave great zest to the amusement: There was not much skill in the display, though a great deal of fun. Sides were formed, and matches made, and of the amount of bitter ale that was won and lost in these exciting contests the stewards alone can tell. At noon the longitude was taken, 8 deg. 45 min., latitude 49 deg. 27 min., and, though going at easy speed since starting, it was found that the ship had run 300 knots from the time she had passed the Needles at 10 30 the previous day. All being in beautiful working order among the machinery, and the men now accustomed to their stations, the revolutions of the paddles were increased from eight to nine, and those of the screw from 27 to 33. Soon after noon the glass began to fall, and as the breeze aft the beam strengthened all the fore and aft trysails were set- Gradually rain came on; then fog, then more wind, then wind, fog, and rain together, till it was evi dent that we were in for one of those short, fierce, summer gales that seem to have a roving commis sion all over the Atlantic to bully and buffet what ever they may meet with. Towards evening it freshened still more, and went dead astern, when, with the square sails set and drawing fiercely, the Great Eastern began to dash through the waves at a tremendous pace, leaving a wake of foam behind hen so broad and white over the angry water that it seethed as if the mark of her track would never leave the ocean. Night fell, and there seemed every prospect of a gale in our favour, showing what the greatest speed of the ship would be in her then unfavourable trim, when the wind again changed, and going to the north-east, came so much ahead that it was necessary to get in the square sails again. This was not an easy matter. The storm yelled and moaned through the rigging, drowning every other sound, and the hug e mass of canvass, wet., heavy, and as stiff as a board, flapped and "slatted" with a noise like thunder, and escaping every minute from the men who swarmed upon the yard, blew out afresh with a fierce uproar, as if bent on doing battle with the wind. It was late at night before this canvass was well housed in, by which time it was blowing a hard gale, the night dark as pitch, with a thick rain pattering on the decks, and the, wind hissing and howling through the shrouds with a wailing hum that was mournful to hear. On that morning we had tried by getting the stern in a line with the horizon to seethe amount of motion in the vessel. But the weather on Monday night rendered such nice experiments quite unneces sary, as the Great Eastern did not disdain to follow the example of her smaller sisters under similar circumstances, and to roll—with an easy motion, it is true—but still to roll. Doors banged to loudly in the cabins without apparent cause, chairs were not exactly as you left them, the chandeliers seemed to sidle up towards the ceiling, and every now and then a confused tinkling sound which stopped abruptly in the pantry announced that some over looked tumblers or wine glasses had taken advan tage of the opportunity to get adrift, and come to grief accordingly. Stray casks and booms, with other nautical lumber stowed away hastily on the lower decks, also gave token of their derelict condition by fetching away with a little rumble till brought up by a bulkhead. Those lords of the deep—the great waves of the Atlantic—always ready to rise on the slightest provocation, soon showed themselves through the darkness, rearing their huge dark bulk above the sea, and rolling their heavy undulations swiftly towards the ship. It was curious to watch the easy swing with which the Great Eastern baffled these dangerous pursuers, sidling over them one after another with a slow gentle roll, and letting them slip from beneath her at the other side quite subdued, and shorn of half their might. Some how ever, were too quick, and struck her before she rose ; but all in vain. You could never detect that she even vibrated or felt the shock, and the great mass of water recoiled from her iron sides in a shower of foam and spray, beaten back and foiled as if they had struck a mountain. As this was the first time the ship had really been at sea in heavy weather, Captain Hall and the chief officer, Mr. Machin, were on deck, more or less, throughout the night; not that there was the least anxiety felt, for the wind, though strong, was fair, but with a new ship and a new crew, strange to the great ves sel, they very properly wished to see that all was in working order. During the whole night both screw and paddles worked with the most per fect regularity and ease, the former going between 3 3 and 34 and the latter from 9to 10. From 2to 4 a.m. it blew very hard, and the motion on the ship increased, but it never at any time was what a sailor would call rolling, or at all equalled her "'" 011 when off the Land's End during the run fron t Holyhead to SoUthampton last November. Then ratherqualities unfavourable opinions of her sea-going fact that were formed by those who overlooked the her lightestel7as at the time three feet lighter than and 10th showad.(-- line. The brief storm of the 18th and loaded whet,a however, th a t in sea-going trim single ounce on cargo (of which she had not a andboard) the G rea t E as t ern w ill b e the steadiest c rossed the ocean. ea s iest vessel that has ever Tuesday the 19th was fine, though u a rather heavy sw ell was on. A hazy mist h ng at, 7 er the horizon to windward, v ard, and the breeze fres hhow ever , and dead a head. The observation at no on , h o n a a we ic d a l r un since 12 o n the p revi ous day of 294 showed ut miles, being a fract ion more than 12knortsu,hoalhijluitasyt 131. m iles an hour. There seemed eve ry p that the passage would be made within 10 d ays, even by the sout herl y track, which is at b eat 10 0 miles longer than the nor thern route alway s ta ken by the mail steamers. Bat the wind kept freshen ing.ahead, the padd les could not b ee t e got to 35 tur ren quicker than nine nor t h e screw mohan - volutions. There was, it was a dmitta, a serious THE SUN,'"LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, JULY 16, 1860. day's run against the head wind, for noon, on Wed nesday, the 20th, showed the vessel only to have reached long. 22.54 deg., lat. 47.40 deg. or a dis tance of only 276 knots, very little more than 111 knots an hour. It was some consolation, however, to know that during the morning the vessel had been kept off her course to north-east and then south-west for an hour and 40 minutes to ascertain if any deviation had arisen in the compass, and this loss of time had, of course, to be considered as so much.off the run due west. Nevertheless, and in spite of all excuses, it was felt to be a sad falling eff, and caused general disappointment among the pas sengers, who, of course, as passengers , were bound to be well-wishers of the ship, and who, to do them justice, were all most sanguine of her success in point of speed. The gloom, however, did not out last the dinner hour, and was quite forgotten in the games that evening, when the passengers ran races, jumped, climbed a rope hand over hand, and per formed other feats of strength and skill, till the bugler blew " Polly, put the kettle on and we'll have tea," a signal which always announced when that refreshing meal was ready. On this day, as On the previous, and, indeed, throughout the voyage, we sighted other vessels, all of which bore down to wards us, dipping their ensigns over and over again as a mute token of gladness and admiration for the giant ship that was rushing over the water so easily, and in comparison to them, at least, so fast. THURSDAY, JUNE 21. The weather was still cold, raw, and dull, and a mist, which was neither a fog nor a shower, though partaking largely of the attributes of both, hung close upon us, Twelve noon gave us, long. 30.3 deg., lat. 46 16 deg., a run of 304 knots, or nearly 13 knots an hour. This was better than the previous day, though the want of steam was still as keenly felt as ever, and Mr. Gooch and Mr. M'Len nan cast about in their minds as to the best means of remedying such a serious clog on the chance of a quick passage. On the valves of the paddle boilers it was found that the weights which had been so unfortunately removed could not be re placed without stopping the engines. With the screw, however, it was different, as they were there adjusted from inside the boilers, and of course could only be altered when the boilers were empty, and, no matter what the consequences short of danger, it was' determined not to stop the engines for a moment. Mr. M'Lennan had, therefore, to make the best of the means at his disposal, and endeavour to drive her as well as he could against the strong north-westerly wind which blew all day. There had evidently been a south-westerly gale blowing in the latitude we were in this afternoon, for the swell was strong. and high in that direction, and the wind from the north made a rough broken sea over which the Great Eastern, as in duty bound, not only rolled but pitched. It has always been said that she never "could or would pitch, but the truth is that this ship does just the same on a small scale that ordinary vessels in a sea may do on a very large one. The motion in her is reduced in exact proportion with her immense height, bulk, and power, and the Great Eastern against a head sea makes a slow majestic rise and fall, where a steamer of 2,600 or even 3,000 tons would be labouring heavily, and perhaps taking in green seas over her bows. On this Thurs day she dipped down below her hause pipes. It was a fine sight to watch her motion from the bows, splitting the great waves before her into two streams of water, like double fountains, and to look along her immense expanse of deck as she rose and fell with a motion so easy and so regu lar that the duration of each movement could be timed to the very second. Her heavy trim by the stern, coupled by the want of steam for the paddle engines, was, as I have said, found to tell most unfavourably on her speed. A quantity of heavy stores was, therefore, got up from the after cargo deck, the four heavy quarter-deck guns were run forward to the bows, and other small attempts made to bring her more on a level keel. On the principle that " every mickle makes a muckle" the change might possibly have done some good, but when it is recollected that the Great Eastern was nearly five feet by the stern, that 1,000 tons only brings her down in the water some 11 inches, and that the whole weight shifted fcrward was certainly short of 100 tons, it will easily be seen that no very great results were produced by this alteration. The Great Eastern is an awkward vessel to trim down to a level, and it requires the transference of some 1,500 or 2,000 tons fore or aft, as the case may be, to affect her at all. Still, it was an effort to improve her speed, and the very fact of its being made shows that in the next run her proper trim will be more carefully adjusted before starting. There were no skittles this evening, but in their stead a betting mania took possession of the pas sengers, and sixpences and bottles of bitter ale were bet on everything imaginable—on the run of the ship, the sails we should see, the revolution of the engines, the way of the wind—on all, in fact, which could , suggest itself to idle minds as affording a chance for interest or excitement. Such amuse ments, with watching the paddle engines of a night, as the enormous cylinders revolved and the pistons shot out like giant arms, forcing round the wheels with a silent exhibition of irresistible might, which always seemed to charm and fascinate the loungers on deck, got through the day pretty well. It was not easy, however, to remain long looking into this engine-room, for the heat in it was something really awful, and the air kept rushing up through the open skylights almost like the draught from a blast furnace. The stoke-holes of the Great Eastern are cooler than those of any other steam ship yet built; the screw engine-room is also, for its depth, much better than one often finds in other vessels ; but the heat in the paddle engine-room is quite unbearable, and some improvement must be made in this respect, or it will be all but impossible to keep the men at their duty in anything like warm latitudes. Even in the cold and rainy weather that prevailed, and with two large wind sails blowing full into the engine-room, the temperature was seldom under 105 deg., and mostly stood as high as 110 or 1 12 deg., and even 118 deg.—a dry, parched heat, as from hot iron, which was inexpressibly distressing to the engineers. On this night Capt. Hall, always genial and courte ous, and bent on making the passengers enjoy their trip, commenced the Great Eastern harmonic meet ings in the grand saloon, at which, assisted by Mr. M'Farlane and the small band of the ship, some very creditable amateur vocal and instrumental performances were given. With such aids the evening passed quick enough till half-past 10, when lights The lowerwereout deck watchesinthesaloons, wandeirne set, th and ebeehsat 11. all turned in early, to meet again on the deck next morning between 6 and 7—talking nothing but " ship," the run of the night, the state of the weather, condition of the engines, or any one of the half-dozen worn-out topics which had already been discussed till threadbare, but to which all still clung as even then affording some interest to idle passengers at sea. The weather on Friday, the 22d, was fine and calm, but at 12 o'clock at noon showed us only in lat. 44 50, long, 36 22, a run of 280 knots, or less than 12 knots an hour. The paddle engines were not doing more than 94, in spite of constant firing, and although their boilers had been put in connec tion with those of the screw, which, as having two more, were less in want of steam, it w a s evident that something must be done to change such a state of affairs. Mr. Gooch, with Mr. M‘Lennan, there fore decided they would restore in the paddle boilers as near as they could the 51b. pressure which, as it turned out, had been so injudicously removed. This day would have been dull enough but for some goodnatured whales, which, to the delight of every body, came rather close alongside, occasionally showing their huge, unwieldy bulk high out of the water, like capsized schooners, or dropping beneath the waves, and spouting, in honour perhaps of the occasion, with astonishing energy and power. Saturday, the 23d, was a warm, close, dull day, with a calm sea and torrents of tepid rain. The sun did not show, so no observation was taken; but the dead reckoning was found pretty accurate, and gave our lat. 42 50, the long. 42 49, showing a run of 302 knots, or 121 knots an hour. Before noon the .51b. was replaced on the valves of the paddle bo ilers ; but with those of the screw, for t he reasons already given, nothing could be done. The con sumption of coals up to this time had been at the rate of about 270 tons a day, sometimes , falling as I°W as 230, and with a head wind going' up to nearly 300, the average being on the whole 260. This large consumption made the Great Eastern lighter in the water, and of course gave more slip to both screw and paddles. The mean rate of slip throughout the run, however, never exceeded 12 per cent., as shown by the difference between the revolutions of the engines and the result of each day's run. All the machinery worked with the most perfect ease and regularity. It rarely, if ever, occurs that even the best vessels of the Cunard or late Collins line have crossed the Atlantic without stopping at least an hour to " key" up the machi nery on tighten the cylinder packing. On the run of the Great Eastern, however, there was no check or slip of any kind ; there were no hot bearings, nothing r equired tightening, and all went on as smooth and well as the most anxious shareholder could wish, On Saturday afternoon the weather came on very thick and hazy, and, as we were now getting south of the banks of Newfoundland, and in the track where icebergs were lately known to be much about, a careful look-out was kept, and the temperature of the air and water tested every hour. This was well, as in the course of an hour or two after dark the wind became colder and colder, while the thermometer in the water fell from 68 to 53 degrees. Here was an unmistakable sign of ice being somewhere near, though attempts to keep a watch for it seemed hopeless in the ex treme, the weather was very thick. The engineers stood all ready below to stop and reverse the en gines in case of any berg being suddenly seen cr heard ahead, and other customary precautions were taken, but the thickness of the weather rendered the value of them all united but slight indeed. At last, as the atmoshere grew still colder, Captain Hall came to the prudent determination of altering the ship's course more to the south, though hee knew that in taking this step he was giving up almost his last chance of making the passage is less than 10 days. Every one was glad that Captain Hall had exercised such caution,though all were, of course, sorry fox its necessity. After Divine service on Sunday we saw, as usual, many vessels, English and American, homeward and out ward bound. One of the former signalled us, " How many days out ?" but the Great Eastern was then at full speed, under her fore and aft sails, and the questioner was too far off for signals ere his query could be answered. The wind kept steady and strong from the north, with a swell which would have been to other vessels rather a heavy sea. The run at 12 showed 299 knots, or 12 knots an hour, the latitude was 41 deg. 3 min., the longitade 48 deg. 52 min. The increase of the pressure on the boilers had evidently produced a good effect on the resistance of the wind ahead. The paddles were working easily at 11 and 111 revolutions, and feel ing their way up to 12 or 13. At night the breeze went down, and a dead hot calm settled upon the ocean, and prepared us for the beautiful and almost tropical weather of Monday, the 25th. The sea on this day was quiet and motionless as a vast blue mirror, and the sun rose up in a rich misty haze, which, melting before his heat, left the sky above like another ocean, so clear and soft in its unfathom able azure. Not a breath was stirring, and all the passengers seemed to yield to the genial quiet of the day, as they congregated listlessly in the bows of the Great Eastern, so contented and so idle, look ing dreamily over at the little rainbows made as the prow of the huge ship divided the quiet water, or watching the sharks skimming so quickly along, and diving far, far down as the shadow of the Great Eastern came over the sea. We were evidently far south, and well in the Gulf Stream, for lumps of the gulf weed, like broken orange peel, came slowly drifting south. By and by the heat and calm in creased, and groups of little nautili began to rise to the surface, and, spreading their rich purple sails in the sun, went drifting away with the stream. But, alas for the happiness of these frail little beauties ! they seemed always somehow to steer direct for the paddles of the Great Eastern, under which hundreds passed, though none were ever seen to emerge on the other side. Little coveys of flying fish, too, kept rising from beneath the bows, n•w and then, and spreading their wings and tails, went gaily flutter ing along the water, into which amid the stillness that prevailed they dropped with quite a splash ; becalmed cotton ships from New Orleans, with every stitch of canvas spread, but still "as idle as a painted ship upon a painted ocean," were in sight all day, .drifting with the Gulf Stream some half a knot an hour, and apparently making it an even question whether they would reach Liverpool this year or next. At noon the latitude was 40 deg. 58 min., the longitude 56 deg. 10 min., giving a run of 325 knots, or nearly 13 knots an hour. During this night some anxiety was felt at the heat of one of the screw coal bunkers, lest the 250 tons of coal which it contained should heat. An examination was at once made by Captain Hall, and the uneasiness shown to be without cause, as the warmth of the inner plates of the coal bunker was due only to their being opposite the furnace doors. Indeed, through out the whole cruise the most vigilant precautions were adopted on every deck to guard against the possibility of any fire originating, and in this point certainly no ship was ever more carefully watched, or possesses better or more ample means for instantly extinguishing a conflagration, than the Great East ern. Tuesday, the 26th, was our ninth day out, and, according to the rate of speed at which the vessel had run, she ought to have entered New York har bour that afternoon. The long detour to the south, however, which during Saturday and Sunday she had been compelled to make to avoid ice, had added at least 300 miles to her course. Mid-day showed us to have made a run of 333 knots, or at the rate of 14 an hour, Much of this gain was attributable to the paddle engines, which worked easily at 121 revolu tions a minute, the screw making 35. To do their fair proportion of the work the screw should have reached 40 at least ; but with the low pressure on the valves, sufficient steam could not be gained for this. At noon on Tuesday we were still, therefore, 470 miles from New York, and almost to the south of it, still there seemed a chance of making a good run, and doing the distance in 101 days, till the light mists which had been sweeping over the sea during the day at last settled down into a wet fog, which, though certainly thinner than a millstone, was not a whit more penetrable to ordinary visions. The Great Eastern blew steam whistles till one's ears ached, and still kept on her course. But, as is not at all unfrequent during these Atlantic fogs, the wind was strong ahead and the sea rising fast. As night fell, therefore, the necessity of slackening speed became apparent to Captain Hall. The Great Eastern, as may readily be imagined, had very little to fear from a collision with a stray coaster, or even a line-of-battle ship for that matter ; but what would have been almost unnoticed by us, as far as safety was concerned, would be certain death to others, so taking this humane view of the question, Captain Hall, as night fell, ordered the speed of the engines to be reduced to less than half, at which pace the huge vessel went slowly rolling through the fog, which had become by that time as thick as a blanket. The reduction of her speed was a source of disappointment and anxiety to many of the pas sengers, for a grand lottery had been formed and tickets drawn as to the time of her arrival off the light at Sandy Hook, and the fortunate holder of the right hour was to win the whole amount— some £25, Those, therefore, who had early num bers and were betting high and freely on their expected success looked on the fog with feelings of the bitterest anger and dismay, and heard of the reduction to half speed with much the same feel ings with which the news of the lameness of the favourite would be received at Tattersall's the night before the Derby. There was nothing for it, how ever •, even speculation and betting were at a stand still before the thick, damp mist, and as far as per sonal observation went the Great Eastern might have been in the middle of Hyde Park for all that the passengers could see to the contrary. Towards midnight Mr. Murphy, the New York pilot, wished to try for soundings, and, for the first time since leaving Southampton, the engines were stopped and the ship brought to a dead standstill. The deep-sea line was hove, but found no bottom at 115 fathoms. This sounding occupied nearly 40 minutes, and the engineers, under Mr. M‘Lennan, at once took advantage of the pause to examine all those parts of the screw and paddle-wheels which could not be inspected while the ship was in mo tion. Everything in both was found in the most perfect order —not a part showed signs of wear— not a screw or valve required even the most trivial adjustment, and all were reported perfect. After this the night cleared up a little, though the speed was still kept easy till 5 o'clock, when the ship was again stopped and another sounding taken, which got bottom at 65 fathoms. As the pilot had ex pected, we were passing over St. George's Bank, and in what is called pilot's ground. From this time full speed was continued, and 12 o'clock on the 27th showed a run of 250 knots—a far higher rate than was anticipated from her stoppages and half speed through the night. We were still, however, 234 knots from New York, or rather Sandy Hook, and some 12 or 15 to the south of it, with a strong breeze ahead and a chance of thick weather. It was still, therefore, an open question when we should get in, and speculation in the lottery tickets revived with r i n nspite so d l o n t i a n l g l ths d changes, ay redoubled was too rn uch ardour. do w n T b h y e the weasel, st about 700 tons of water were p um p ed into the for ward compartment, which had some e ffect in restor ing her trim ; but at the best it was but a make shift, and the mischief on the speed of the run had been dorm long ago. About two in the morning the weather was hot and close, the sea as still as a sheet of glass, and over the horizon loomed the land clouds, which showed we were fast approaching our destination. By and by a light was reported, and could be faintly seen—a minute speck gleaming now and then as the mist cleared up. Soundings were taken, and we were in 21 fathoms water, so the speed of the vessel was slackened down to do little more than keep steerage way on her until dawn. The voyage was virtually over on the night of the 10th day, but, as it was not intended to take the vessel up to New York till the afternoon tide, no object was to be gained by pressing forward. Dawn showed the coast in a dim blue line, with the spit of Sandy Hook lying like a haze across the sea, and the fir-clad heights the back, already hot and arid-looking in the morning sun. The light ship was passed at 7.20 a.m., and, firing two guns as a salute, the engines of the Great Eastern were stopped, and amid cheers and congratulations the first voyage ended. That morning an address drawn up and signed by all the passengers, was presented to Captain Hall, who in return made a kind and appropriate reply by letter. The address and reply were as follows : " To CAPTAIN JOHN VINE HALL. " Great Eastern, June 17, 1860. " Dear Sir,—We, the undersigned passengers, who have the honour of being the first to cross the Atlantic in your magnificent vessel, cannot now, at the conclusion of our pleasant voyage, separate without expressing our opinion of the great merits of this triumph of engineering skill and naval ar chitecture. _ _ " Our voyage, though fine, has yet (as is gene rally the case in Atlantic passages) been sufficiently checkered with rough weather to demonstrate that, in point of seaworthiness, the Great Eastern has no equal in the world. We are aware that the incredu lity and prejudice which oppose all great under takings when first attempted have been manifested to an almost unusual extent against this noble ves sel. On no point has this feeling been more strongly shown than with regard to her manageability at sea, Her conduct during the brief storm of the 18th and 19th inst. should put all such fears (if any still exist after this voyage) at rest for ever. " Her movements, even when the gale was strongest, were slow and easy, and at all times so much less than those of the best seagoing steamers as to be quite removed from any standard of com parison. Those who know by experience what an Atlantic passage really is will appreciate the high praise bestowed when we express our belief that the Great Eastern, in accommodation, safety, and freedom from disturbing motion, is as much superior to ordinary vessels as she surpasses them in mag nitude and power. " The supposed necessity of working her engines at a low rate of speed for some days has prevented her effecting that rapid passage which we are con vinced she can easily accomplish. Yet from what we have seen, we express our firm belief that the Great Eastern, in proper trim, is:capable of making greater speed than has yet been attained at sea. Such a result will be due not more to her unequalled form than to the efficiency and power of her engines, That the latter will always be found equal to their duty is witnessed by the fact that during the whole of our run from Southampton to New York they have worked with the utma ease and steadiness, never requiring even a moment's stoppage for attention or adjustment of anything. We fully appreciate the anxious vigilance which has been exercised by yourself and your officers in all relating to the safety of the ship and the general comfort of the passengers. "In taking leave of you we most heartily wish every success to yourself and the noble vessel which you have the distinguished honour to command, and remain, &c." Then follow the signatures of all the passengers. The answer of Captain Hall was as follows : " To THE CHAIRMAN OF MEETING OF PASSENGERS. " Great Eastern, off Sandy Hook, June 28, 1860. " Dear Sir,—l am very highly gratified with the comprehensive and expressive address which yo ' - have just presented to me from the passengers. value it the more as it so simply, yet justly, points out the peculiar excellencies of the Great Eastern, being at the same time free from undue panegyric, and stating only facts, and opinions based upon those facts. The expression of satisfaction at the endeavour of my officers and self to promote the comfort and safety of the ship is, and will continue to be, highly appreciated by us. In return, we beg to thank you, on behalf of the passengers, for the unvarying courtesy we have received from them, and only regret that our acquaintance should be so short. With the best wishes for the happi ness and prosperity of every one among the pre sent passengers—the select few who were the first to have practifical faith in the great ship.—l remain, dear sir, with much esteem, yours faith. fully, " JOHN VINE HALL." For the first hour after her arrival the Great Eastern was left pretty quiet in that still, hot sea, with the sun blazing down fiercely on her white decks, and not a breath of wind even to move the dull column of smoke from the funnels, which went straight as the masts high into the sultry air. Coasters, looking like schooner yachts, were all over the bay, their close-fitting white cotton sails drawn flat as boards. - But all in vain ; they only moved to the gentle swell without advancing an inch, and seemed to repose in -their own dark shadows. This state of things, as regarded the weather, continued all day, but the quiet unquestionably tiid not. It was soon known at New York that we were off the bar, and those who know our cousins know that they are about the most excitable people in the world. The ferment caused by our arrival may thus be readily anticipated. At first it only manifested itself in the occasional advent of those queer-looking steamers, very much in, appearance like the popular types of Noah's Ark, with the ad dition of paddle-engines, two or three white cotton reefs, and some 500 or 600 people also in white cotton. These vessels, all decorated with flags, and swaying to and fro under their crowds of visitors, who cheered, waved handkerchiefs, clapped hands, and shouted till one's ears ached, went round and round the ship, and then stopping under the stern their delighted passengers made offers of anything we might want—newspapers, cigars, ice, &c. The band of the Great. Eastern had hard work that day standing up on the hot paddlebox (Mount Misery they called it) and playing " Hail Columbia!" every minute, in return to the harmonic compliments of " God save the Queen," " Rule Britannia," &c., which came over the water from all sides. Soon after 11 a tug came alongside with Mr. Yates, the secretary of the company, and about 100 visitors including some of the most eminent gentlemen of New York. These were the only visitors allowed on board that day, as during the rather difficult navigation to New York it was de sirable to keep her as little crowded as possible. Towards neon the sea wa s dotted all over with the white sails of little yachts, which spread their huge folds of canvas in the sun, and certainly did their best to get through the water, though almost in vain. There was not even wind enough to move these exquisite little boats, from the shapes of which our English yacht squadrons might take valuable lessons. By 2 o'clock there were some dozen steamers close around us, all crowded from deck to funnel, and all cheering and shouting as if their passengers were demented. To do them mere justice the Americans do go ahead with what ever they take in hand, and when a furore in favour of anything begins among them it goes to greater length than with any other people in the world. Nor did it only manifest itself in mere acclamation, for, before the visitors from Neve York were an hour on hoard, there was not a pas senger of note on the great ship who did not find himself committed to the acceptance of more invita tions than he could possibly have got through between this and Christmas. At 2 o'clock, as the tide was then making fast over the bar, the Great Eastern fired two guns and got under way. She took a short turn round the bay before" offering" at the shallew to get good way on her, so that in case of touching she might easily push th r ough the sand. She drew 25 feet aft, and there was evidently not depth of water sufficient, as her stern touched slightly and stirred up the sand, but before one could well perceive it she was over, and the last danger of the Great Eastern's voyage was safely passed. Three tremendous cheers were given for Mr. Murphy, the pilot, by all on board, and the voyage up the harbour commenced. With it also commenced such a scene of excitement and enthu siasm as outdid even the great demonstration of that morning when the Great Eastern first left her mooring in the Thames. The spit at Sandy Hook was crowded with visitors, wh.o stood bare-headed in the fierce sun as they cheered and waved their hats to the ship. The bell at the lighthouse was clanging madly in honour of the occasion, and signal flags of every hue and colour were drooping in the sun, though still giving an air of festivity and animation, even to the arid spot over which they were expected to flutter. As the harbour opened out it could be seen covered with a fleet of yachts, which now, favoured with a slight breeze, were skimming across the still water from all directions towards us, their flags waving, their crews cheering and shouting a welcome till they were hoarse again. Great ferry-boats and coasting steamers, looking for all the world like a street of houses floating out to sea, with their three tiers of windows and re gular cotton roofs, came rolling slowly down — decks, roofs, and windows all crowded with eager heads, the ladies waving han dk erc hiefs and clapping hands—the men shouting and cheering—all seeming wild with exultation and delight. Past the shores of Staten Island, and on to the Narrows, the Great Eastern continued her stately way, every minute increasing the excitement, and adding scores to the the numbers of yachts, pleasure. boats, and steamers swarming round. I n va in the band of the Great Eastern played " H a il C o lumbia," in vain the bands of the other steam ers ess ayed 44 Rule Britannia;" music was drowned and shouted down with cheers. The " universal hat" went into the air—the " uni • versal handkerchief" was waved, and the Ameri. cans, always " guessing," guessed for the time truly when theysaid no such ovation had over been paid to any vessel in the world. It was a heart-stirring welcome, and one which even now that it is past and done one cannot recall without a feeling of emotion and astonishment. The departure of the vessel from the Thames, the departure of the Queen from Cherbourg, even the Oxford and Cambridge boat race (the last a wonderful specimen of aquatic excitement) give no idea of the reception of the Great Eastern at New York. Every minute brought down fresh steamers, each seeming more crowded and more enthusiastic than the others, and every minute added to the thousands who lined tho shores and stood bareheaded, cheering under an almost tro pical sun. Off Fort Hamilton the high compliment of a salute of 14 guns was given—the first time that ever a merchant vessel has been saluted in America. To this distinguished honour the Great Eastern re sponded by stopping, and dipping her ensign re plied gun for gun in a regular and seamanlike style. A Government vessel, the chief revenue ship, next saluted and dipped her flag, and this honour was similarly acknowledged. From this time out it was almost one continued roar of artillery, ringing bells, blowing steam whistles, shouting and clapping hands, till one was almost dizzy with the whirl and wild confusion of uproar and excitement. As she came through the Narrows New York could be seen dimly through the smoke and hot haze, red, dry, and baked-looking in the summer sun, with the shore lined with thousands and tens of thou- sands of people, and the water so covered with boats of every size and shape that it seemed a mys tery however the Great Eastern was to get through them all. This difficulty, however, was solved by the simplest of all methods—viz., that the Great Eeastern kept her course, and everythiog else took good care to keep out of her way. As New York loomed nearer and nearer the jangle of joy bells could be heard from the steeples. What had seemed at a distance but a dark line along the shore grew more and more distinct, and showed at last to be dense masses of human beings shouting and waving hats as if they were possessed. Not only, too, were the shores thus lined, but even the roofs of the stores and houses far and near, the rich green hills on the opposite bank, the very masts and yards of all the vessels in the harbour seemed literally black with countless swarms. Right in the middle of the Hudson lay the Niagara at anchor as the Great Eastern steamed up, and the former, hitherto the largest vessel in the world, seemed dwarfed to the dimensions of a cockboat as the huge hull of the great ship towered high over the waters, reaching almost half way up the mast of the fine frigate. It took a little time to turn and fix the Great Eastern, but at last Mr. Murphy, the pilot, brought her up alongide the wharf, where she now lies, and where she was moored with hawsers as easily as one of the Cunard packets. The crowds had assembled at this spot in immense numbers, and amid cheers for Capt. Hall, for the pilot, for the directors, for Mr, Bold, for the pas sengers, for everything, or anything, in short, con nected with the noble vessel, the Great Eastern's first voyage across the Atlantic ended. She is not to be shown till Monday next, the 2d of July. This afternoon, I believe, the Japanese Princes, who leave here tomorrow in the Niagara, will visit her. I have not time now to give any details of this affair, except to record the naive opinion of an American who heard of the intended visit, and who, with some strong remarks regard ing his future welfare, said if the Japanese did go to see the big ship they would think the English the greatest people after all. Certainly they will think the Niagara very small in comparison. ill SLIIIIIE_R ASSIZES. MIDLAND CIRCUIT.—NORTIIAMPTON, July 12, (Before Mr. Justice Wightman.) Henry Cowley, a railway policeman, was charged with the murder of a newly born illegitimate child, at Oundle, on the 17th of Match last. Mr. Merewhether conducted the case for the pro secution; the prisoner was defended by Mr. O'Brien. The facts of the case, as appeared from the state ment of the counsel for the prosecution andthe evi dence of the witnesses called in support of it, were these :—The prisoner had since May in last year been cohabiting with a woman, Mary Ann Foulk, who acted as his housekeeper, and in March last was pregnant by him. On the evening of Friday, the 16th of that month, being suddenly taken with labour pains, she called to the prisoner, who was down stairs with a little boy of his named William, and on his coming up desired him to send for some one of the neighbours to be with her. He told her she should have no one, and taking from a drawer a pistol which he pointed at her, threatened if she made any alarm that he would blow her brains out. He then left the room. The child was born soon afterwards, and wrapped in flannel by the mother, and the prisoner, at the mother's request, took it up from the floor where it was lying and placed it on a bed, while she lay upon the bare bedstead in the same room. She again asked him to send for a neighbour, but he said, with an oath, that he would not have any one. She then desired that William, his son, might be sent to fetch her mother. The prisoner replied that he could not spare William, but he bade him sit down and write to Mary Ann Foulk's mother, and bade her go to bed. On her hands and knees she crawled upstairs to a bed in the attic, across which she threw herself; he brought the child to her, and she put it to her breast. Mr. Webster, a surgeon, and the inspector of police, came to her about etght in the same evening, and Mr. Webster then observed that the child was apparently healthy and i , reathed well, but it ap peared that it did riot take any nourishment from the mother. Upon their departure the prisoner In quired of Foulk whether Mr. Webster had asked whose child it was, and, being told that he had not, he took a pistol from his pocket and threatened to blow her brains out if she said it belonged to him. She desired him to spare her for the sake of the child, and asked whose child she was to say it was. The prisoner replied that if she said the ehild was his his children would be thrown on the Union, and he should get "nothing from nobody." He was, it seemed, at that time in the receipt of 4s. a week from a railway club and of relief from the Union. The prisoner then left Foulk alone, taking away a light which he had brought upstairs, and there, without food, light, or companion, the poor woman remained until 12 on the following day, when the boy William came to her, and by her re quest brought her some gruel obtained from the Union. About 3in the afternoon of the same day, the prisoner Cowley came up and asked to see the child, which Foulk showed him. He put one arm over and the other beneath it, as if fondling it, and handled it very much about the cheeks and throat. About 4 o'clock he came again, and again acted in the same manner; the baby then lay on Foulk's right arm, and the prisoner Cowley lay across her as if he was going to kiss the child, and put his hands round its neck. Foulk noticing that he had made its cheek red told him to desist, and that that was not the way to kiss a new-born babe. He was on and off the bed several times. Foulk said to him, " Don't ; if you do, you'll kill the child," and cried, feeling that she was herself hurt about *e body. The prisoner answered, "It would be a good thing if you and the child would both die ;" but he left her, as she told him that she wanted rest, and she fell asleep. On waking, she saw the prisoner sitting on a box in the room.- She stretched out her arm to take the child, and observed that its face looked dark and its finger-nails purple, and she said to the prisoner, " Look, how dark the child looks in the face," and desired him to let William go and ask Mr. Webster to come before bedtime. The prisoner said that it was no use having a doctor to a baby like that, but she ag: - • desired that Mr. Webster might be sent for, adding that he had told her that if anything happened to the child she would be answerable. The prisoner replied, " You and the child may both die." Th e doctor did not come, and site sat up in the bed with the child in her arms and opened its eyes, and the prisoner said he wished that he was as well as the child ; that there would be nothing the matter with him. He and his son then went to bed. In a quarter of an hour the child seemed to grow worse, became dark in the face, and made a noise in the throat. Foulk called out many times, and declared that if the prisoner did not let William go for Mr. Webster she would get up and go for him herself. She heard the door open, and directly after saw prisoner come up to the child. He handled it while it was in her arms, about the throat and top of the chest, and she noticed two drops of blood in its nose, and a gargl e i n it s t h roat. Sh e cr i e d an d said, "My child is dead." He said, " Dead ! not it ; it would be a goo d j o b . " H e t h en went away. This was about 7 p.m. In about an hour after Mr. W ebster arrived, and rapp e d a t th e door, which the prisoner would not open. He therefore forced it and went upstairs, and found the child dead. Sub sequently a p os t mortem exam i na ti on was ma d e by himself and 1)r. M'Dermot, and death was found to have resulted from conge,stiOn of the lungs, brain, and heart, which Mr. Webster attributed to com pression of the throat ; and Dr. M'Dermot called his attention to some marks on that part, which, however, were so slight that until then he had not observed them, To Mr. Webster's inquiry of Foulk as to the cause of its death, she replied that she supposed the child had fits. Dr. M'Dermot was not called. Mr. O'Brien, in the course of his cross examination, elicited that the priso ner h a d b ee n drinking on both Friday and Saturday, and endea voured to elicit from Mr. Webster that death might be attributed to other causes than pressure on the want of steam. The pressure in the boilers was never more than 191 b. ; in the engines it was 171 b., and sometimes even:as low as 151 b. and 161 b. Your readers may recollect that in the account of the trial trip which took place a week before her final start the then unaccountable want of steam power for the engines was dwelt upon. I was not then aware —for the matter was kept very quiet—that the weights had been taken off the valves, and the pressure in the boilers reduced from 251 b. to 201 b. Of course the engineers who did this must have had some reasons for so doing, though what these could have been it is hard to conjec ture, as the boilers of the Great Eastern are perhaps the strongest of their kind ever made, and it was always known that the engines not only required all the steam they could generate, but would easily have found employment for some two or three pounds more. Taking 51b. off the pressure, therefore, had the effect of at once reducing the power of the ma chinery, and therefore the speed of the ship some 25 per cent., and in spite of all the care of Mr. M'Lennan, ably assisted, as he was, by the advice of one of the directors on board, Mr. D. Gooch, of the Great Western Railway, it was found impossible to drive the paddles quicker than 9- 1 4 revolutions a minute, or just 3 1 ; revolutions less than the same engines made last year. The result of this unfortu nate reduction manifested itself at once in the next throat; but neither his inquiries nor those of the Court elicted such an opinion from him.; Mr. O'Brien addressed the jury for the prisoner, and the learned Judge having summed up, The jury retired to consider of their verdict, and on returning into court found the prisoner guilty, with a recommendation to the mercy of the Court. The learned Judge inquired the ground for their recommendation, and being, with some hesitation, informed that it was founded on the belief that the act was not done with malice or forethought, were informed that if they thought the death of the child was not by the wilful act of the prisoner they should find that he was not guilty. The foreman replied that they thought the act of the prisoner was wilful, but that he was drunk, and could not make up his mind to it until he was drunk. Retiring, by his lordship's advice, to reconsider their verdict, they were recalled, and the learned judge instructed them that if they were convinced the death of the child resulted from the negligent or reckless acts of the prisoner, without wilful in tent, it was open to them to find a verdict of man slaughter. Having again retired and returned, after further deliberation, they delivered again the verdict of guilty of murder ; and the learned judge at once placed the black cap upon his head and pro nounced sentence of death in the usual form. The prisoner, astonished at the verdict and sen tence, moved restlessly during the address of his lordship, and protested that he was innocent until he was removed from the dock. George Mobbs, gentleman, surrendered to take his trial upon a charge of bribery at the last elec tion of ir embers to serve for the borough of North ampton, by giving to one John Barron, a voter at the said election, the sum of 205., and promising him a further sum of 20s. to induce him to vote for Mr. Thomas M'Kenzie, one of the candidates, on the 29th April, 1859. Mr. Mellor, Q.C., and Mr. O'Brien conducted, the prosecution ; Mr. Macaulay, Q.C., Mr. Field, and Mr, Markham were counsel for the defendant. Mr. Mellor, in opening the case to the jury, ex pressed his regret that the serious offence with which defendant was charged should be so lightly regarded as it had lately been, and dwelt upon the importance of checking a practice so prejudi cial to the interests of the public. He then pro ceeded to state the facts upon which he proposed to rest the case against the defendant, whom he de scribed as a zealous political partisan. From his statement and the evidence of the wit nesses called in support of it the case against the defendant appeared to be as follows : At the election of members for the borough of Northampton, the Right Hon. Robert Vernon Smith (now Lord Lyveden) and Mr. Charles Gilpin were candidates upon the Liberal, and Mr. James T. M'Kenzie upon the Conservative interest. The nomination-day was the 28th of April, and the polling-day upon the 29th. On the 27th the de fendant, in company with Mr. M'Kenzie, canvassed Barron at his own house, but he would make no promise, and again, when alone, canvassed him with like result on the 28th, Barron saying " that he would consider of it." Barron at this interview in troduced a friend, George Avery, whom the de fendant also solicited to vote for M'Kenzie, and who replied as Barron had done. After some little talk of the liberality of Mr. M'Kenzie, it was arranged that Barron and Avery should meet the defendant early on the following morning at Johnson's com mittee-room in Searletwell-street. At parting Barron observed, " It's a dry election ;" and he said that upon that remark the defendant put his hand into his pocket and gave him a two-shilling piece. Barron, Avery, and a third voter, Brickwood, all swore that at half-past 7 o'clock on the following morning they met the defendant in a place called the Mayor-hold, and that on Barron saying to the defendant "You were not at your time, but we were at ours," the defendant pulled out his watch and said, "I am late ; it's half-past seven o'clock," that Barron then said, " I've brought another friend," and upon Brickwood mentioning his name as George Brickwood, defendant referred to a book which he carried, and said " It's all right ; follow me ;" that they then went to the house of one Johnson, a builder in Scarletwell-street, which was used as Mr. Al‘Kensie's committee-room, entered a yard, and went thence through the back door into a kitchen, and from it into a parlour, where Barron swore he saw his next door neighbour, John Foster, one William Tomkins, one William Furniss, the clerk of St. Sepulchre's, and one James Tomkins, who acted as doorkeeper ; that defendant then went into the front parlour, and coming back said, " One at once; I don't want you all three toge ther ;" that Avery and Briekwood then left the kitchen, the defendant came out of the parlour, shut the door of it very carefully, and then said, " What do you want ?" Barron replied, " I don't know." Defendant said, " I'll give you 30s. when you've polled fgr Mackenzie. Barron answered, " I will not do anything that way, and if I do anything at all I'll have it before I poll." The defendant. then said, " I'll give you one sovereign down, and one sovereign when polled; I'll give it you if you work well." Defendant then gave Barron a sove reign, and asked whether the other men would do the same as he had. Barron said that he would guarantee that they would do the same, and went out with the sovereign to Avery and Briekwood, to whom he showed it. Avery and Brickwood then in succession went into the kitchen and returned with a sovereign each, which they showed to Bar ron, who then went directly to Smith and Gilpin's committee-room, and showed the sovereign to Messrs. Briggs, Dennis, and Pierce, and on the same day he voted for Smith and Gilpin. It was elicited by Mr. Macaulay, in cross-exa mination of Barron (who was one of the old•right voters claiming as an inhabitant householder, but having had for 30 years al:house of £lO annual rent), that he had not, until he was before the magistrates, and had heard the defendant's wit nesses depose to the fact of his not having been out until much later thitn half-past 7, stated anything respecting the defendant's pulling out a watch and remarking on the time ; that when first canvassed he had said that himself and his friends all consi dered the franchise a responsibility, and were anxious to vote for the right man. He had always been a Liberal, and doubted whether Mr. Mackenzie was as liberal as he pretended to be. When asked what he had generally had at elec tions, lie affected not to understand the question, and could not be brought to comprehend it. ,He had, eighteen years since, been discharged from the police force for having charged Mrs. Porter, a pub lican, with selling out of hours on a Sunday, Mrs. Porter having, before the magistrates, accused him of paying the person who went into the house and got the liquor, that he might lay an information. He remembered selling some pots of carnation to Mr. Butcher, which were afterwards found to be long to a Mr. Allan ; and had found some tops of boots under a heap of stones, which afterwards turned out to be some other person's property. Avery and Brickwood also admitted that they had found some tops of boots under a heap of stones, which afterwards turned out to be some other per son's property. Avery and Brickwood also admitted that they had made no statement as to the defen dant's pulling out his watch until they heard Mobb's defence before the magistrates. Avery owned that he and Barron had a mutual respect for each other. A witness, Drag, deposed to seeing Barron, Avery, and Brickwood go into Johnson's, and one Watson to having seen them meet Mobbs on the Mayor-hold, and afterwards seen the latter standing at the window of Johnson's house. The case for the prosecution having closed, The learned Judge summed up the evidence, an d the jury, after a very short pause, returned a ver dict of not guilty, which was received with loud acclamations by the bystanders, and, being re strained within the court, rose soon afterwards with , out its precincts. 'am WESTERN CIRCUIT .-WINCHESTER, INCHESTER, July 14. CROWN COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Keating.) Martin Conway and John Farrell were indicted for the wilful murder of Mary Ann Rowe, at Al dershott, on the 13th of May. Mr. H. T. Cole and Mr. Russell prosecuted, and Mr. Edwards, at the request of the judge, watched the case on behalf of the prisoners. From the statement of the learned council it appeared that the deceased was a single woman, about 18 years of age. She was one of that class of persons who are always to be found in the neigh bourhood of a camp. She lived at a publichouse called the Hero of Lucknow. The two prisoners belonged the Military Train, a part of which corps was stationed at the camp. On the 12th of May the deceased went with a girl named Mary Ann Rogers to the Alma publichouse, where they met the prisoners, whom they had known before. At about 12 o'clock on that night they left the Alma in company with a third girl, and went to a place called the Line, which lay in the way t o wards the North Camp, at which the prisoners were stationed. On their way they were seen by several persons, and among those was the Provost, an officer who had the charge of maintaining order in the camp. He saw the prisoners about 12 o'clock. At the time the decased left the Hero of Lucknow she wore a light-coloured frock and a white jacket, and around her neck a blue handkerchief. Her hair was dressed with pins. The dr ess was sound, thou g h no t new, o f leather, leather, with a metal clasp. and the jacket ha d not any hole in it. She had two p T u h r e s es; deceasedone andwas prisoners had a d vanced to wards the Lock -bridge, which was on the way to th e north bridge. That was the last ti me the pri soners and the deceased were seen together, and it wa s the last time the unfortunate g i r l was seen alive. The other girl, Rogers, had gone home pre- viously. At the place called the Lock-bridge there was a lock ; no boat had passed through that lock on the night between the Saturday and Sunday. On Sunday morning, at 11 o'clock, the lockkeeper opened the lock, in order to let a boat pass through and he then saw what he thought was a bundle of rags. He took a boathook and drew it to the bank of the canal, when to his horror he found it was the body of a woman. Her clothes were very much torn, and she had on the white jacket, but no skirt. Hex left shoulder bore the mark of a severe bruise. A piece of the jacket at the shoulder was torn out, and the edges were covered with clay or sand, as if the hole had been caused by the girl having bevel dragged in the mud. A surgeon was sent for and on examination he found a large abrasion of the skin on the shoulder and dirt and sand had been rubbed. into it, and these appearances would seem to have been caused during life. There were symptoms which led the surgeon to believe that the death had been caused by drowning. There was a bruise on the right arm as if it had been violently grasped, and this was done during life. The surgeon was-. of opinion that the deceased had been in a state of syncope or fainting, from the effect of a violent blow, and while in that state had been dragged to L the water and thrown in, and had been drowned before she recovered from her state of syncope. All the appearances lead to the inference that this I unhappy girl had been foully murdered by some person. The question then arose by whom was this dreadful deed committed ? The girl had lived. at the Hero of Lucknow, which was kept by a Mrs. Davis, and in the afternoon of Saturday, about 4 o'clock, she had been nursing a baby for Mrs. Davis, who observed that her skirt, which was lying on the bed, was not torn. She took out a purse with a metal clasp to pay Mrs. Davis some money, and Mrs. Davis saw some coin in it, but she refused to take the money. She left the house on the 12th of May, having that purse with her, and it was on the evening of that day that she met the prisoners and accompanied them to the Alma pub lic-house. Marks as of a scuffle were afterwards found. near the Alma, and there was the appear ance of a person having been dragged along, and it was near those marks that the poor girl's skirt was found. About 12 o'clock that night, as two girls, named Blower and Dommett, were passing in the neighbourhood of North-lane, they heard the screams of a woman; there were the cries of "Murder !" "Leave me alone !" and " Provost !" Those screams were believed to have proceeded. from the unhappy girl, and it was supposed that the fatal struggle was then taking place. The sound certainly proceeded from the direction of the North Camp. Similar cries were heard by a sentry in the South Camp, and the lockkeeper was awoke by them. It would seem that the prisoners had passes which permitted them to remain out of their quarters until 12 o'clock at night. The sentry supposed that the prisoners had returned to their quarters about 12 o'clock. They had not, however, left the public-house until ten minutes after 12 o'clock; therefore it was clear they could not have returned until some time after 12. There was no thing particular in the demeanour of the prisoners when they returned, nor were they much affected by liquor. In consequence of the prisoners having been the last persons with whom the deceased was seen alive suspicion naturally fell upon them, and a policeman went to the prisoner Conway and asked him if he had been at the Alma public-house on Saturday evening. He made answer " No." This was false. Conway added that he was very drunk on the Saturday night, and did not know what ho did. The camp constable and the sentry at the prisoners' quarters said the prisoners were not drunk, but were sober. The prisoner Farrell was then sent for, and, in answer to the policeman, he denied having been at the Alma on the Saturday night, and he also denied all knowledge of the girl. The prisoners were then charged with the murder, when Conway said, " Yes, and a very good thing too," and Farrell added to this, " Yes, and so say I." And this was after they had both denied all knowledge of the girl. The prisoners were after wards taken before the coroner, and were committed for trial, and on their way to the gaol Conway turned to Farrell, and crying, said to him, " If you had done what I told you and left the girl alone we should not have been here." The poor girl's purse was found in the possession of Conway after his apprehension, The learned counsel said these were all the facts he should place before the jury, but the jury would naturally inquire what were the motives which could have induced the pri soners to commit this murder. It was often difficult to discover motives which prompted to crime, and there had been many instances where no motives could be discovered. One of the most common motives for the commission of the crime was that of robbery, or gain or plunder, and not withstanding the spoil might be but small yet the pcsrpetrator of a crime frequently imagined the property to be of greater value than it afterwards turned out to be. One great feature was that the purse belonging to the unfortunate woman was found in the possession of one of the prisoners, and the obtaining that might have induced the prisoners to destroy the girl. The jury would take. all the circumstances of the case into their consideration, and would do their duty with firmness as well as with mercy. The facts as above stated having been proved, Mr. Edwards with great zeal and ability ad dressed the jury for the prisoners, putting forward every point that could be suggested in their favour, urging upon the jury that the only features against the prisoners were their being seen with the de ceased and their having the purse. The fact of their having been with the deceased on the night in question was no proof whatever of guilt, and as to the purse that might have come into the posses sion of the prisoner in various ways. He also urged that the evidence of the surgeon as to the cause of death was extremely unsatisfactory. The learned Judge summed up with great care. The prosecution was bound to make cart the case. If the evidence did not satisfy them that the woman was murdered, or, being murdered, that it was done by the prisoners at the bar, they were entitled to an acquittal, but if the evidence in their opinion did bring home guilt to the prisoners they would pronounce their verdict accordingly. The jury then retired for a short time, and then returned a verdict of not guilty. COUNTRY LEICESTER—JULY 14. There was a moderate supply of wheat to-day, in fair condition, and trade steady. White wheat,, 58s to 60s —red, 56s to 58s per 36 stone; a moderate inquiry for barley, grinding, 34s to 368; malting, 40s to 468 per qr. ; oats, 28s to 36s per 24 stone. Beans—old, 50s to 528, new 42s to 46s per 38 stone. Fine flour, 43i1 Seconds, 39s Thirds, •29s per 20 stone. NORTHAMPTON—Juror 14 At this corn-market wheat was in middling supply, with a rather dull trade, at scarcely the rates of this day se'nnight, ranging from 57s to 60s for white, and 54s to 58s for red. There was a dull business passing in barley, malting 38s to 445, grinding 3.5 s to 37s per qr. Oats in poor sale, the turn in seller's favour, quoted as 26s to 34s Rr 24 sto ne . B eans , o ld, 48s to 50s; peas, 40s to 465. ye, 36s to 40s; malt, 68s to 72s ; flour, 33s to 37s per sack. NORWICH—JULY 14. To-day's market was only thinly attended, and the wheat trade was still in a most inactive state. Fully last Satur day's terms, however, were realised. White wheat 60s to 65s I Red wheat 56s to 601 Malting barley....42s to 46s I Chevalier barley 34s to 40s Distilling do ......25s to 27s I Oats. Flour, 36s to 40s Od per sack from the miller. CAMBRIDGE—JULY 14. with an There was a moderate supply of wheat, and, inactive demand in the trade, white moved off a t 54s to 565, red, 52s to 54s per 36 stone. There was a small trade in barley to-day; malting, 34s to 40s; grinding" 308 to 34 s per 30 stone. Oats at 24s to 28s for new ;_ old oats, 28s t o 295. Beans in limited supply, and a steady sale—new, 40s to 44s ; old, 44s to 46s per 38 ston e ; p eas, 40s to — s p er 36 stone. White cloverseed, 86s to 89s ; red, 46s to 50s per quarter. The past week has been very favourable for grass cutting and leading, and the y ield is well s p oken of . ----- DUBLIN—JuLY 1 3. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. -- Wheat, white.. 3 3 oto 3 0 Do., new . 0 to 0 ...... 18 oto 24 0 Oatmeal Do., red .. 31 0t033 0 Bere . ........ 13 otol4 0 Do., new .... ot o 0 Ra peseed .... 20 oto 23 0 Barley Bakers' e fl orn our . ... 3 1 7 7 0 0 t t o o 2 38 2 0 6 15 0 to 17 6 O D a o t . s , black 1 516 0 0 to to 1517 6 Indian 6 B 1 TH S. BitowN .—On the 12th inst., at Hampstead, the wife of Dr. Brown, of twins, son and daughter. C o NsTABLE.--On the 13th inst., at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, the wife of the Rev. John Constable, of a daughter. LANE.—On the 10th inst., the wife of Major Powlett Lane, of a son and heir. MARRIAGES. Cox— NoßitisH.—On the 7th inst., at St. Paul's Church, Ball's -pond, Henry Cox, Esq., of St. Paul's-terrace, to Mrs. Charlotte Norrish, of Union-square, Islington. PAL MER..-TILBURY.—On the 12th inst., at St. Marylebone Church, Philip Palmer, Esq., of No. 1, Park-crescent, Brighton, to Clara, fourth daughter of the late Edward Tilbury, Esq., of Patriot-place, Brighton. DEATHS. HAwLEY.-0a the 12th inst., at Highbury, suddenly, Alfred Hawley, Esq., aged 56. HOTCRI,IN.—On the 13th inst., at the Mall, Kensington, Lambert Hotchkin, Esq., aged 76. JEAFFRESON.—On the 13th inst., Christopher Edward Jeaffreson, Esq., of Bexhill, Sussex, aged 35. KNOLLYS.—On the 9th inst., at Wells, Charlotte, the youngest daughter of the late Colonel the Hon. Samuel Knollys, aged 81. LONDON : Printed and Published by MURDO "YOUNG of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun °ince, No. 112, Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, is the county of Middleaer, Monday, July 16, 1860. oil tic a I its (nc Es , Inc Gr Jo S] fet gig ag Sc