The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-07 00:00:00

PRE MARCO .POLO AND THE KENT,

TO. THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin,—ln reference to a letter that appeared in your
issue of to-day from the owners of the celebrated ship
Marco Polo, I would not trouble you with any remark,
for, as has been observed, the difference of a day is of
little importance in such a voyage with sailing vessels ;
but, as there are some heavy bets on the two ships in
Melbourne, I must request you, in justice to those who
have staked their money on the Kent, to place the facts
on both sides in your journal. Messrs. Baines and Co.
state that the Marco Polo was off Tuscar Point on Mon-
day, the 26th of February, at noon, and was in the
Mersey on Wednesday evening, and her gold delivered
at the Bank of England on Friday.
The Kent was abreast of Plymouth before noon on Sun-
day, the 25th, and would have larded her mails there at
that date had not the weather been so very thick. On
Monday at noon (when the Marco Polo was off Tuscar)
tb• Kent was abreast of Brighton, and hove to that after-
noon in a dense fog off Beach, landed mails and passer •
gars at 9 o'clock on Tuesday morning at Hastings, was
reported in London early on that day, and the news of
the riots at Ballarat, brought by the Kent, was in The
Sun on Wednesday morning—that is, before the Marco
Polo in the Mersey; and the Kent, when abreast of
Hastings, was nearer London (the place where the mails
were to be delivered), and had come a greater distance
on the run from Port Philip than the Marco Polo when
in the Mersey.
Let the public judge as they may of the sailing quali-
ties of the two shipi, there is no doubt the owners of
the Marco Polo themselves will bear away the palm for
" fast sailing." Writing from Liverpool, on the 2d inst.,
Messrs. James Baines and Co. say " the Kent was only
coming up the Thames to-day," whereas she was actually
in the East India Docks on the evening of the Ist.
They add, " Her gold will not be at the Bank until to-
morrow at the soonest," whereas it was actually in the
Bullion-office when their letter was written, it having
been delivered there the morning of the 2d, the same
day as that from the Marco Polo. I think, from the
foregoing, I am justified in saying that, for vivid imagi•
nation and rash assertion, Messrs. James Baines and Co.
fairly distance your obedient servant,
G. COLEMAN, Commander of the ship Kent.
156, Leadenhall-street, March 6.

THE ELIIPEEOR ALEXANDER'S FIRST
DESPATCH.

A letter from Berlin of the 3d says :

" The first despatch by which the Emperor Alexander
11. announced to the Kin, his accession to the throne
arrived here at six o'clock lai.t evening. A second des-
patch arrived this day at twelve, announcing that the
garrison of St. Petersburg had taken the oath of Utility,
and that the great dignitaries of the Empire had presented
their homage to the new Emperor. Prince Charles of
Prussia and the Grand Duchess Dowager Alexandrine of
Mecklenburg are to leave this evening at eleven o'clock
fi.r Saint Petursburg. The Prince of Prussia intended to
go there, but his physician has not thought right to
a Ithorise hint to make the journey. The Prince Royal
of Wurtemburg, and his wife, the Grand Duchess Olga,
daughter of the Emperor Nicholas, are also to go to St.
Petersburg ; they have both arrived here this day from
Stuttgardt. It is said that a few days before his death the
Emperor of Russia succeeded in effecting a complete re-
conciliation between his two elder sons. The last words
pronounced by his Majesty were in French, and were
addressed to the Empress Tell Frederick (the King
of Prussia), said he, to continue to remain attached to
Russia as he has hitherto been, and never to forget the
wishes of his father.' "