The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-08-23 00:00:00

PORTLAND.

It was expected that the Channel fleet will leave
Spithead on Saturday morning for a cruise of eight
days off Ushant, at the end of which time it will
return to port for three days, when it will again put
to sea, and being joined by Her Majesty's ship
("mar, from Dcvonport, will cruse until about the
20th of September, when it will form two divisions,
one of which it is suppowl, will winter at Bantry
Bay and the other at Portland.

THE GREAT EASTERN. —The following relates to
the offer of .Nlr. Lever to charter the Great Eastern
for .£20,000 for a trip to America and back :—" 11,
King William-street, Aug. 17. Sir,—Referring
to the paragraph in your city article of this date,
wherein it is stated that a proposal has been made
by Mr. Lever, M.P., to charter the Great Eastern, I
am desired to inform you that the directors have
declined the offer. lam further desired to observe
that the ship is not open for charter at present, the
views of the directors in reference to her having
undergone no change since she became the property
of this company, as will be seen from the announce-
ment in your advertising columns fixing destination
and date of departure. I am, Sir, your obedient
servant, J. H. Yates, Secretary." It appears that
the Great Eastern it to leave the Thames for the
Nore on the 3rd of September, and that she will
proceed thence to Portland, Dorsetehire, from which
place she will make a trial trip on the Sth, to a diut-
tance, probably, of 500 or 600 miles. She will then
be prepared to start on the 15th on a direct voyage
to the United States, Portland, in Maine, being the
harbour to which she will proceed, On this occa-
sion passengers will be carried at fares ranging from
.ClB to £23, and many applications for berths are
said already to have been received.—Times. In
commemoration of their recent visit to this noble
vessel the following very gratifying memorial has
been presented by the members of the House of
Commons who accepted the invitation of the Direc-
tors of the Great Ship Company:—" To R. J. R.
Campbell, Earl. Chairman; W. Ja:kson, Esq.,
M.P., Deputy-Chairman ; and the Directors of the
Great Ship Company, : We, the undersigned
members of the House of Commons, having bad the
opportunity of inspecting the Great Eastern steam-
ship, are desirous of expressing our admiration of
this effort of genius and mechanical skill, one of the
noblest which has ever been produced in this or any
other country ; also our high appreciation of the
object fur which this great ship has been designed.
She is not more remarkable for her size than for the
completeness of her general arrangements, which I
appear to us to be successfully carried out in the
minutist detail. The country is deeply indebted to
those gentlemen who have no zealously and ably '
extended the principle of omen navigation, an effort
which we trust is destined to bring about improve-
ments in sea transport as important ss those which
railways have effected on land. While expressing
our admiration we desire to convey to the directors
our hopes that this undertaking, which is calculated
to advance the cause of civilization, may be carried
out with complete success." Since the presentation
of this memorial, Lord Palmerston, with the Duke
of Somerset, Lord Clarence Paget, Sir It. S. Dundas,
Mr. Sydney Herbert, Sir George Grey, Captain Car-
negie, and Mr. Cardwell, paid a long visit to the
vessel, and partook of luncheon on board with Mr.
Campbell, Mr. Jackson, and Captain Harrison.