The Express.
London, England, 1867-08-15 00:00:00

ROYAL VICTORIA YACHT CLUB RBOATTA.

RYDE, Aocuer 14.
The lovely weather to-day drew together a largo
company on the pier to witness the proceedings of the
Royal Victoria 1 acht Club Regatta. The little breeze
that prevailed at an early hour soon ceased. In the re-
port of last evening the winner of the cutter prize was left
in doubt, on account of the allowance for time, and it
was afterwards found that it was won by the Fione, who
had 2 minutes and 14 seconds to spare. Mr. Routcher is
thus the winner of another prize, and it will be remem-
bered that he was the winner of Earl Vane's Cup at Cowes
on Thursday last.
The race to-day was for the Town Cap, a prize value
1001., presented by the inhabitants of the town of Hyde,
open to all yachts belonging to any Royal Yacht Club.
Time race, Ackers' sale. Twice round the Victoria
Comm, from Ryde to the Nab Light, round the middle
buoy and back to Hyde, the whole distance being about
44 miles. The following yachts were entered for this prize
Yachts. Tons. Owners.
Volante
Manna
Witchcraft
Cambria
Condor llll Mr. W. Ewing.
Hone WI Mr. E. Homelier.
Diadem llO Mr. F. Stanley.
Pantomime l4O Colonel Markham.
Aline ll6 Colonel 'Monosson.
Sphymt 47 Mr. .7. A. Earle.
Clorlsaa
&nave lO6 Colonel Nicoll.
OveliFs

pia ln Mr. J. Mulholland.
YeW l9 Mr. W. F. !Quillen
Loadatar 64 blr. C. F. Alison.
Bironders 6B Lord H. Lennox.
Albertine
At the time the preparatory gun was fired the Cambria,
Diadem, Pantomime, Gloriana, Losdatar, and Hirondelle
were not at their stations. At half-past 10 precisely the
starting gun was fired, with a very light breeze and a
strong ebb tide, the course being to the eastward. The
Elphynx soon got round, and was away before the rest, the
Aline being second, the Witchcraft third, the Omiara
fourth, and all the remainder so near to each other that
the difference between them was not worth recording. As
it was dead beat to the eastward against tide, every sail
wee set to catch even the promise of a breeze, and boom-
ing out became the orderof the day. Under a scorching sun,
and with the sealike a sheet of glass. to contend with a strong
ebb tide was a work of difficulty, and the slight puffs of
wind now and then caught only served to show the utter
hopelessness of the work mwhich the ships were engaged. The
position of the leading vessel, the Bphynx, for a time re-
mained unchanged, but after about three-quarters of an
hour spent in playing with catspaws, a dead calm set in,
and all the yachts found themselves drifting backwards to
the place from which they darted. Long after midday
they were all lying about in this listless manner,
when a very gentle zephr, for breeze it could not be
called, sprang up, and the ebb tide having now lost its
force, they managed to crawl along, and were ulti-
mately lost eight in making their way to the Nab
Light. About a quarter before 3 o'clock the Aline was
seen making her way to the westward, and passed Ryde
pier at 3 o'clock, having occupied four hours and a half in
accomplishing something less than 12 miles.
The following time was taken on the yachts passing the
No-man Buoy, going to the westward:

- - -
Aline
Mose
Sphynx
Condor
°raters
Witchcraft
The others were a long way astern.
At the time this report was despatched the vessels had
not concluded the first round, and as that bad occupied
seven hours and a half, and as it is a condition of the race
that it shall he concluded an hour after sunset. it is quite
improbable that that can be done, and therefore the race
must be sailed again on some future day to be named by
the committee.

A coroner's jury at Liverpool have returned a
verdict of " Wilful murder" against a domestic servant
named Maria Darby for strangling her new-born child.
The girl is 18 years old,
Between twelve and one o'clock on Tuesday a
violent thunderstorm burst over Alnwick and the sur-
rounding country. The lightning flashes were vivid and
frequent, and the thunder seemed almost to roll in one
uninterrupted peal. The lightnin in one instance
proved fatal. Mr. Henderson, of Amble, had put out to
sea in his boat, with two other men. As the night looked
stormy they cast their anchor and lay to. Two of them
slept while the third kept watch. Mr. Henderson and
the other man were suddenly awoke by a shock, and on
starting up discovered that the boat was partly on fire,
that the mast was splintered by lightning and OD fire, that
the lamp was thrown down, and that the man who had
kept watch was lying dead la Use WO= al the beat.

Drama.

OLYMPIC.

Two young ladies from America, known as the
sisters Webb, who arrived in Liverpool a few months
back, and have been unsuoressful for a time in obtaining
a metropolitan engagement owing to the sudden death of
their agent, Mr. Brough, made their first appearance in
Loudon last night at the Olympic Theatre, in a three-act
drama, called The Grasshopper. This piece, we believe,

is a translation by en American-German of a German
drama, founded on Georges Sand's French novel, " La
Petite Fadette," which was played by these ladies in
America under the title of Parisian, the Cricket. The
version produced at the Olympia last night has been ar-
ranged or edited for the English stage by Mr. Benjamin
Webster, jun., much in the same way, we presume, as Mr.
J. o:enfold edited the American translation of Mosesithars
Deborah for Miss Bateman at the Adelphi. The Grass-
hopper adds another pastoral drama to the modern stage,
though it gives us very little character or incident with
which we are not thoroughly familiar. Those who know
as all playgoers must know, Mr. Buckstone's admirabli;
little comic drama, Good for Nothing, will see in it little
more than an extension of this piece in three acts, while
others will see in a grasping old farmer, who is somewhat
prominent in the drama, a repetition of Daddy Eardrum.
The plies is not deficient in true rustic character and
comedy, hat it is disfigured by one of those impossible
witches or gipsy women who remind us of Ela the Outcast
and the *orst kind of cheap fiction. When so many
cooks heels been employed in the manufacture of a dish
of theatrical broth, it is impossible to say, without an
amount 4 research that the importance of a hundred such
dramas would scarcely justify, who has contributed the
I little fierier that is palatable. The interest of the drama
is concentrated in the young half-wild girl, Fanchon, who
gives it Its title, and who is played by Miss Ada Webb
with a degree of dashing spirit and "Yankee-girl" fun
that secures the approbation of a mixed audience. This
girl is converted by love fora young farmer, whose life she
has sant, from a half-savage. mountain-side hoyden,
dressed 4 rags, unwashed and uncombed, into a village
belle, whale coquetry is none the less effective for being
'impulsive: No actress who was afraid to " gush," and
who had the slightest doubt as to her hold on her audience,
could go through half the scenes that Fanchon, the
"grasshopper," has to go through—especially a dance

with a shadow, that may have been taken out of
Dinorak. The part given to the other sister, Miss
Emma Webb, an bid witch of the Meg Merrilies type, re-

quires far more melo-dramatic force than she is able to
give it, and her impersonation scarcely rises above the
very lowilevel of character assumptions in a lecture•hall
entertainiient The Daddy Hardline of the piece, known
as " Old Barbean," is excellently represented by Mr. Horace
Wigan, with all that subdued finish and intelligent force
that will tear comparison with the best style of French
acting. The lover, Is.ndry Barbeau, is played by Mr.
John Clayton in a good, manly, unaffected manner; and
Mr. Dominick Murray is provided with a rather conven-
tional but decidedly amusing char►cter—a village trades.
man—which be makes the most of. Miss Sheridan repre-
sents the niece of old Barbeau, • shrewish young lady,
who is betrothed to Landry, and who marries the village
tradesman, when Landry show. him preference for the
" grasshopper," and acts most naturally and effectively.
The drama is very well put upon the stage, and provided
with Breton dresses, that are sometimes more correct than
elegant. The two sisters, particularly Miss Ada Webb,
were very warmly received and encouraged, but the drama
appeared to meet with only 'qualified approval. Its Gen-
et...action and dialogue are not of the highest o-der, and
we fancy we can see many trues of injury done to the
creation of the original novelist by the joint-stock company
of adapters.

Dzsrilkz IRA AMMO:QR.—The death of Ira
Aldridge, w was well known bi"ffingland a few years ago
as • black tragedian, and who was termed the African
Romans, is announced at Lodz, in Polonia. He was about
62 years of age. He was the son of • chief of Senegal, who
was brought over to New York by • Christian protestant
American missionary to be educated in the faith, and who
returned to his native country after having completed hie
education. But the desire for • civilised life prevailed
over the love of country and home, and after some difficul-
ties and troubles he contrived to obtain • passage
to America, where he settled down as • pastor to • negro
congregation. Young Ira was destined by his father for •
similar position, but he had an irresistible penehaat for
the stage, and at length contrived to make a debut
in New York with • troupe of amateurs. His
talents were immediately recognised, and be re-
ceived a perfect ovation ; but his representations
appeared to have provoked serious riots, for the police
• put • stop to them at the time, and he found himself
obliged to accept the position of • servant at an inferior'
' theatre in the city. In the year 1833 his father sent him
to England to pursue studies in theology ; but here
again the Tragic Muse enchained him, and yielding him-
self to her charms, he, after many attempts to overcome
the obstacles in his way, made his first appearance in
England in Othello, and subsequently played Macbeth and
Sactork. He was enthusiastically received, and entered
into an engagement to perform in Covent-garden Theatre,
after fulfilling which he made the tour of the kingdom,
and won laurels as well as more substantial rewards,
in Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Dublin, and
the principal towns of the kingdom. Though well appre-
ciated in these islands, his performances were, however,
yet more applauded and better remunerated on the conti-
nent of Europe, and especially in Russia. His genius was
also more particularly noted as that of an African, and his
race gave an additional zest to thb spectators of his dra-
matic creations. In Brussels, Cologne, Peath,
Vienna, Paris, lie., he has ben received with acclama-
tions by crowded and delighted audiences. From the year
1852 he was in the habit of making tours through the
principal cities of Europe, but he was particularly fond of
Russia. He had the honour of receiving decorations from
the Emperor of Russia, and had bees similarly noticed by
most of the European sovereigns. Not many weeks since
he performed in Bromide, where he was most warmly re-
ceived, and he was on his way to St. Petersburg when he
wait taken ill and died.
Two MEN EATEN BY SHARER.—On Monday, the
American ship Josephine, Captain Mitchell, arrived in the
harbour from Rumados, Cuba, for orders. Captain Mit-
chell reported the fearful death of two of his crew, by
being devoured by sharks while the vessel was lying at
Rumados. He had been on shore on the 26th of June with
two of his crew purchasing some stores. Having trairested
his business, Captain Mitchell took his boat, and • fair
wind blowing, he rigged sail. Having accomplished half
the journey, accompanied by the two seamen, a *quell
struck the boat, and it was so severe that she was com-
pletely turned over. The captain and his men were preci.
hated into the water, the boat sinking under them
Inabout two fathoms of water. Two barrels which had
been in the boat were floating about, and Captain
Mitchell directed his men to hold on by them till assist-
ance came, while he himself seized the mast, about a foot
of which projected above the water. The captain believes
the men did as be told them, but in • few minutes after
be heard their cries. On looking round he found the two
, men had disappeared from the surface of the water, and in
a minute he saw the water about where the men were
become red, which left no doubt on his mind that the
unfortunate men had been taken by sharks. The captain
then prepared for the worst, and at the time be gave up
all chance of escape, as the waters in this place are actually
infested with sharks. He lashed himself to the mast of
the boat, and for 13 hours he remained in a state of fearful
suspense. The accident to the boat occurred at four
o'clock in the afternoon, and about two o'clock on the
morning of the 27th he found that his fears during the
ten hours were well grounded, for when the
precedingyt
to dawn Captain Mitchell's alarm may be ima-
gined when he saw two immense sharks swimming about
him, at an oar's length, evidently watching an opportu-
nity to plunge at him. With these two monsters of the
deep watching over his person, Captain Mitchell remained
in this very perilous position for three hours longer. The
captain, from mingled fear and exhaustion, was getting
insensible, when fortunately, about five o'clock, a lighter
Iwhich was passing came to his assistance. The approach
,of the lighter frightened off the sharks, and Captain
Mitchell was rescued from his awful position in • half in-
sensible state. He accounts for his preservation by the
' fact thata small portion of the sad was above the water,
and the wind kept it continually waving and splashing the
water, which, honeys, kept the sharks from coming nearer
to him than they did.—Cork Examiner.
ADMIRALTY, Arrorurr 14. APPOINTMENTS.
Lieutenants A. M. Williams to the Nassau; C. H. Bliss
, b the Warrior. Aesietent-Paymaster T. D. Goodwin to
the Irresistible. Assistant-Surgeon C. O. Mitchinson to
„the Cumberland.

At the Liverpool Assizes yesterday, a young
women named Roberta an assistant in an outfitter's shop,
brought an action against a Mr. Edmunds, a wholesale
spirit dealer and bottler, to recover oompeasation for in-
juries received by falling through a trap-door into a cellar.
It betas proved that the door was Item% and its holdings
rotten, the jury gave the plalatiff damages 1501. and tests.