The Express.
London, England, 1868-08-19 00:00:00

THE AMERICAN YACHTING CHALLENGE.

Our American kinsmen are decidedly in advance
of us in yatching enterprise. In 1851 the famous America
schooner crossed the Atlantic, and made her appearance
in the Solent with the racing Hag at her fore. She dis-
tanced with perfect ease the speediest craft that could be
sought against her from Cowes, and was only defeated
ben she changed her nationality, and became an
glish yacht. The friendly challenge of the three
hooners of the New York Yacht Club which
made the passage from Sandy Hook to the Needles
in little more than a fortnight, thoeiugh December
gales, has not yet been taken up by the yachtsmen
of the Squadron or of the Victoria, although a spirited
member of the Royal London Club offered to put down
50.11. towards a prize for a match from Cowes to New
York. Again, a yacht belonging to the New York Club,
and hailing from " the Elysian fields," has made her num-
ber off Cowes Castle. Her arrival in our waters is cer-
tainly better timed than that of the Henrietta, the Vesta,
or the Fleetwing. The yachting season is still at its full
in the waters of the Wight. The Royal Victorians,
always the most energetic and seagoing of yachts-
men, have just concluded their regatta, always
the most remarkable in the year, by a Channel
match to Cherbourg and a return match from
Cherbourg to Ryde, unsurpassed in the story of yachting
achievements for the display of seamanship and skill in
manseuvring, and for the racing and cruising qualities of
the competitors. Our new visitor, the Sappho, ought to
find antagonists worthy of her fame in such yachts as the
Mine and the Cambria, schooners, and the Oimara and
the Condor and Fiona, cutters. The Sappho it seems, ex-
ceeds in measurement and tonnage the fastest: and most
powerful yachts of the,Royal Yacht Squadron and the
Victoria which have distinguished themselves in the re-
cent contests. Her tonnage admeasurement is 310
tons, which is greater, we believe, than that of
any two-roasted English yacht at present afloat. Her
owner, combining, after the manner of his countrymen,
business with pleasure, has come expressly to try con-
clusions with the finest and most famous craft from the
building yards of Cowes, Gosport, or the Clyde. The
Sappho accepts the Royal Yacht Squadron scale of time
allowance for tonnage, and the scale of measurement
adopted by the Royal Thames Yacht Club, and
chooses the customary course round the Isle of Wight.
Our consuls across the ocean are so well informed
of the merits and qualities of the most celebrated
English yachts, that the commander of the Sappho ad-
dressed a special invitation to the Aline, the Cambria, the
Oimara, and the Condor. The Aline has just won the
match from Ryde toCherbourg, after a very close struggle
with the Cambria ; the Condor was victorious in a Channel
match to Cherbourg this summer ; and the Oimars, whose
qualities have not, perhaps, quite equalled expectation, is
a most formidable cutter of more than 160 tons, launched
from a renowned building yard in the Clyde. There is
nothing, as it seems to us, in the conditions proposed by
the Sappho to which an English yachtsman can object,
unless it be that they a little exaggerate the relative
racing. superiority of cutters to schooners, in
requiring that the Condor cutter, of about 120 tons mea-
surement, shall be placed in the scale as a vessel of 230
tons, and that the Osmara cutter, of about 160 tons mons
surement, shall sail on equal terms with the Sappho, of
310 tons. In this, however, the owner of the Sappho
does but better the instructions of the English clubs,
which have always obliged cutters to take rank for racing
purposes with schooners of much larger tonnage. It may
be worthy of the consideration of the sailing committees
of our clubs whether this somewhat arbitrary classifica-
tion of cutters is justified by the record of their per-
formances against schooners. In a Channel match, at
all events, we should be disposed to doubt whether
the superiority of cutters to scheouers on a wind is so pro-
nounced as to deserve this heavy weighting, and to coun-
tes balance the advantages of greater power in a seaway.
The American yacht having come across tke " Pond '
without • square:sail very fairly proposes that her English
competitors shall dispense on this occasion with all but
fore and aft canvas ; the Sappho, we suppose, renouncing
the use of those sailswhicbarenotknownto Englishyachta.
The American owner, in a wise spirit of liberty, proposes
no limit to number of crew, and allows any other
yachts to cater for the race, with • proviso (which
we should be glad to see adopted as a rule on this side of
the Atlantic) restricting the allowance of time tp twenty
minutes. In other respects the sailing regulations of the
R.Y.S. will be followed. We do trust, for the honour and
credit of our yachtsmen who have shown such splendid
sport this season, that this American challenge, so honour-
able to both sides, will be cordially welcomed, and that
the finest fleet of yachts ever seen in English or American
waters will be found at their stations off Cowes Castle at
8 a.m. on Tuesday next. The prize, • sweepstakes of 201.,
is comparatively insignificantin amount, but the winning
vessel will be the heroine of two worlds.—Daily News.

lI.I.NESR OF SIR BERNARD BURKE.—The Irish
papers state that Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster King at Arms,
is suffering from severe indisposition. Immediately after
his !awn from England, on Wednesday, where he had
been sojourning_ for some time, he was attacked by illnesa.
A KNIGHTHOOD FOR THE MAYOR OF LEEDS.—
Mr. Andrew Fairbairn, the young mayor of Leeds, is to
receive the honour of knighthood. The offer was made
several days age and accepted yesterday. The conipli.
meat is an acknowledgment of the hearty reception given
to the Prince of Wales in May, when his royalhighnea
opened the Leeds Art Exhibition. The ma is father
was knightedin MS, on the occasion of the Queen open-
kg( Um magnificent Town-hall, which is one of the sights
. _

Sir Walter B. Riddell, who has occupied the
position of Recorder of Maidstone for the long period of
22 pars, has, much to the regret of the inhabitaendit
read his oface, His said that Sir Waiter is ascoa
by Mr. R. H. B. Horsham, of the Home Circuit.
MAIM FOR Paiwen.—Arrangements have been
made for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation
Company's packets to veminse the practise of calling at
Penang on their voyages between Point-de-Galle and
Hong Kong. Commencing, therefore, with the mails ap-
point( d to be despatched from London on the 22nd inxt.
TVA Southampton, and the 28th, vid Marseille', the direct
mail reiries between this country and Penang will be re-
established. _ _ _

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