The Express.
London, England, 1861-09-23 00:00:00

THE GREAT EASTERN.

The Olotry.r remarks that the breaking of the rudder
post, though a piece of metal 12 inches iu diameter, was "a
contingency which Captain Harriloo, the tint commander
of the ship, had, if not foreseen, at least provided wind.
Below the rudder poet, and upon the blade of the rudder
itself, he had fixed shackles, to which 14 inch cables were
fixed, led up through the quarters of the chip, and trioed
ready fur emergency. We have looked iu vain through the
accounts which have been published of any resort being had
to these chains. On the contrary, it is stated that the cap.
fain gave up to an American engineer the tea► of
fitting up • temp rary arrangement of cables on to what
remained of the rudder post, and that it was to the plan
which he adopted that the safety of the vowel
was due. If this precautionary arrangement existed
when the ship met with the heavy g.de it certainly
did not seem to be known to the commander ; for had rt
been, he would have had ready to his hand &theses of keep.
ing the ship in a state of commual almost as complete as if
no accident hail happened to the rudder post. The managers
of this great ship seem latterly to have lost sight of the im-
portant advice which was given to them by the late Mr.
Brunel as to the care and caution which ought to be exer-
cised in the selection of a commander. Since the death of
Captain Harrison there has not been a commander who ham
had such opportunities as he bad had of making himself
acquainted with the vessel. Two days before this
last trip an officer was appointed to the command wbo
bad no means of acquiring any knowledge of the ship. The
directors have very naturally desired to make the ship pay.
and they have striven to reduce than enormous working ex.
proses to 141 low a figure as possible. Each succeeding con.
wander has received a dinduished rate of payment, until, as
it is stated, the rate to the present captaiu is but a trifle
MOM than rroe•fuurth of that at which the services of 1210,
Harrison were engaged. The staff of officers on board his
been proportionately reduced. Perhaps no other ship would
have lived, as the Great Eastern has done, in such a pod-
tier' and through such • gale ; and probably no other vessel
would have been brought into such a position of danger."

FATAL ACCIDENT ON BOARD THE SHIP.
The Cork Jgreseiner of Saturday supplies the following :
—" From some passengers who Tended from the Great
Eastern to-day we learn the following particulars with re-
gard to Thursday eight : —A very few of the passengers were
much frightened, but much more no perhaps (mamma of
what they had already undergone then from any present
cause of alma. One lady, whose nerves seemed to
have been completely shattered, was in a state of great
terror, and fainted several times. A gentleman who had
several children with him, anxious for their safety, secured
them all to life preservers. The passengers generally,
however, both ladies and gentlemen, were free from any
uneasiness, alai were able to enter with great spirit into the
amusements that had been got up, two gentlemen who
came ashore this morning declariug that it was the
jolliest eight they had spent aboard. The passengers
with whom we had an opportunity of conversing
speak very highly of the way the ship was managed during
the night, and state that the good spirits which reigned oa
board were in a great degree owing to the confidence felt in
the captain. A fatal accident, we regret to say, occurred oa
board on Friday morning. Ono of the quartermasters was
stationed with others at the wheel on the lower deck,
which sometimes, owing to the state of the rudder
gear, jerked violently. In one of these jerka one of the
handles struck the quartermaster on the head with sods
force as to batter in bin skull, carman instant death. No
other accident, 1 believe, occurred while she was out. After
the anchor bad been let go on Friday morning, the vessel
forged a head a little and struck an American barque, the
Samuel Baxley—which was lying at anchor near—with •
pretty smart shock, damaging her toenails the stern and
carrying away her davits and one of her anchors and chains.
This occurred about eight or nine o'clock this moan-
ing. The amount of damage done to the Samuel Mule' has
nut yet been ascertained. It is said that the venal wall be
brought io a little further, if possible, but owing to the
state of her steering apparatus it will be a work of great
difficulty, tinkles she has the aid of some powerful steam
tugs. She is, however, perfectly enure from danger where
she is. One of the directors was expected to arrive at 3
o'clock by the Dublin train."

The Maie states that the marriage of General
Turr and Mlle. Wyse, at Moodovi, was celebrated by the
Vicarfieneral, at the church of 6snta•Frammeuga. Al!
the officers of General Tarr's division were prevnt. The
bride was accompanied by her mother and two brothers. The
General and Mad►me Turr are to proceed from Momlovi to
Turin, and thence to Como.

_
The Nuouit Europa of Florence publinhen the
following letter to the King, signed by the " Roman and
Venetian emigration" :—" Sire.—The garlands which we
had prepared for the virgins of Venice and Rome are hr
ginning to fade. Try to achieve the desired result while
there is yet some life in our dowers ; be at length the King
of all of us."

The Emperor Nitpoloon received at Biarritz three
days back M. Donate, senator, and MM. Larabure, Etch*.
verry, and O'Quiu, deputies. His Majesty conversed with
them for some time on subjects connected with the depart-
ment of the Buses Pyre/lima, particularly the railway, and
also the beet means of increasiag the agricultural produc-
tions. His Majesty dwelt on the necessity of extending as
much u possible the practice of irrigation, and also ex-
premed a wish that the Landes of Pont•Long should be
rendered of some value by draiuiog. His Majesty exprvmed
his regret to M. O'Quin, as mayor of Pau, at not having
been able to visit that town this year, but promised to do
SO next summer.

A point of punctilio in connexion with the ap.
preaching coronation at Berlin, which has occasioned much
discussion, has just been settled. A number of young girls
clothed in white are to welcome their Majesties on their
entry into Berlin, and the honour of being amongst the
number has been eagerly sought for by all the families of
the higher classes, including these of the Jewish relilion.
In order in some measure to restore peace in the bosoms of
these families, the number has been limited to 110. and the
number of honourable matrons (Ehrentniitter) to 10. 4:4
the latter five of the wives of the magistrates (who hoe
an old claim to the honour) will be selected, and the other
five will be wives of the city representatives ; and in order
to set some limit to the ambition of the parents of the
110 maidens, a decree has gone forth that no brillianu are
to be wars by them.