The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-31 00:00:00

yet that they cannot afford to wait for the advent of
so tardy a succour, as to many " delays will be utter
ruin." The concluding paragraph of this commu-
nication is a very important one, and it is to be
trusted that it will meet with due attention. It
refers to the requisite amount of subscriptions, and
states that so far as it is practicable to form an
opinion, the sums already forwarded will not suffice
to afford relief to all who cannot afford to wait for
it. Instead, therefore, of propounding fruitless
inquiries respecting minutim which those who aro
engaged in distributing succour have no time to
attend to, it will be wiser for all who are willing
and able to assist to do so to the utmost of their
powers. There can be no cause to despond, for
when once the need is folly and fairly stated, it is
never found that a suitable response is not made for
the assistance of those stricken thus by a great
national calamity. It is very gratifying to meet
with this communication from one so well fitted to
impart the requisite and desired details, and nothing
now remains but to wish the committee God-speed
in their efforts, and trust that a bountiful supply of
funds will flow in to replenish the stores for which
so many look with eager and expectant eyes.

The eagerness with which the arrival of American
news has been watched for since the outbreak of
the most disastrous civil war of modern times, has
rendered it a matter of some interest and impor-
tance that the vessels bearing the mails should lose
no time in the transit. A gain of a day or two in
the passage has been reckoned an enviable dis-
tinction, and the gratification always felt at the
prompt and satisfactory conclusion of a voyage is
in such instances anxiously looked for. With such
feelings, we may suppose, the crew and pas-
sengers of the good ship City of New York lay
down to rust on the last night of their voyage.
The perils of the journey were wellnigh over, the
waves of the Atlantic lay behind them, and the
shores of the Irish coast were drawing nearer and
nearer. A splendid passage, during which the
steamer's average rate of speed had been 300 miles
a day, was concluding in congenial fashion. The
weather was remarkably clear and the moon
shining brightly, so that as the ship sighted the
harbour of Queenstown, all betokened a safe and
speedy termination to a remarkably favourable
voyage. But a sudden and startling change was to
come over the prosperous picture, and the vessel,
steaming into the harbour at the rate of 14 miles
an hour, with a cargo and sleeping passengers, was
all at once transformed into a helpless wreck—the
scene of the wildest confusion and distress. Daunt's
Rock, whose name is well known as a word of
terror to mariners in those parts, lay right in their
way. On its terrible ridge the ship was firmly
fixed, while the water rushing into her compart-
ments, the half-dressed and half-awake passengers
startled from sleep, and but half understanding
their danger, the signal guns and rockets fired off
in the hope of attracting assistance, all combined to
produce a scene of the greatest bewilderment and
confusion. Happily, confusion, fright, and loss of
property were the worst features in the case, no lives
being lost. This is itself a very great cause for thank-
fulness, but it behoves us none the less to inquire
stringently into the origin of so lamentable an
accident. Daunt's Rock, which lies to the south-
west of Queenstown Harbour, has long been
known to offer dangerous obstacles to navigation.
It has a succession of ledges, over which the City
of New York happily passed, becoming firmly
embedded on the centre ridge. Had she rested
on one of the outer ledges there is reason to
believe that the disaster would have been far more
serious, as the loss of 11e would most likely have
been considerable. So formidable was this rock
known to be that last year the Mayor of Cork
took occasion to call the attention of the Board
of Trade to the subject, pointing out the great
danger to which ships and their crews were ex-
posed in entering Queenstown Harbour, and sug-
gesting that sours steps should immediately be
taken with a view to preventing catastrophes.
Ho proposed that a lighthouse should be built
upon it ; or, better still, that some efforts should
bo made to remove it altogether from so invidious
a position. Governments, however, have not got
much further since the days of SYDNEY SMITH,
when, as we all know, it required the holocaust
of a bishop to obtain any necessary reform. So
now the circumlocution office, or the economising
office, or some:other malign influence, hesitates,
and doubts, and demurs over urgently needed im-
provements until some great crash, some whole-
sale catastrophe sweeps away hundreds of lives
and millions of property, to the late regret and
tardy commiseration of those who might have
altogether averted the evil. Why, when the
dangers of this rock were so clearly pointed
out by a gentleman whose local office,
as well es his Parliamentary position, rendered
his words of weight, was not official attention im-
mediately directed to the subject, and practical
steps at once taken to provide a remedy. For the
sake of a foolish temporary saving, a valuable ship
has become a total wreck, hundreds of lives have
been jeopardised, a cargo of the most precious of
all merchandise just now is lost and damaged, and
all this anxiety, distress, [led waste has been in-
curred in face of the plainest warnings. On the
appearance of Mr. MAGUIRE'S letter, we called
attention to it, strongly supporting his views.
There were two courses open to the Board of
Trade—either to erect a lighthouse or to destroy
the rock—but neither of these were followed. The
awkward question and the costly experiment were
staved off to a more convenient opportunity, and
we can only rejoice that the lesson has been learned
at the expense of S.; s. d. rather than of human
life ! Surely such a thing as this comes directly
within the scope of our Board of Trade, and it is
certainly strange and hard if our well•paid officials
cannot or will not see to such claims of paramount
force. It has been a mere question of delay ; for
assuredly the public will not be satisfied to leave
the matter where it is, or to suffer Daunt's Rock
to remain barring the passage into Queenstown
harbour, and strewing the very first and last miles
of the Atlantic voyage with great and needless
dangers.

THEATRE RO7AL, LYCEtI3I.—Mr. Fechter, who
has been unable to appear in "Bel Domonio" for the last
fortnight, in coAsequence of an accident which he met with
during the pJrformanco, will resume his original character
on Saturday night next, when the whole of the profits will
be devoted to the fund for the relief of the sufferers by the
inundation near Sheffi

ROYAL DRAMATIC COLLEGE.—The annual per-
formance in aid of the funds of the Royal Dramatic
College will take place at the Theatre Royal Drury-lane on
Wednesday morning, the 13th April next, at two o'clock.
The comedy represented will be " The School for Scandal,"
supported by Mr Phelps, Mr Sims Reeves, Mr Addison,
Mr Creswick, Mr Charles Mathews, Mr Buckstone, Mr
Comp`ion, Mr Toole, Mr B. Webster, Mr Frank Matthews,
Mrs Charles Mathews, Mrs Billington, Mrs Marston, Miss
H. Simms, &c. The amateur orchestra, known as the
Wandering Minstrels, have consented to perform the music
on the occasion.

GREAT SALE OF WORKS OF ART.—A private view
of the valuable and choice collection of pictures
(ancient and modern), coins, medals, gem; and various other
objects of art and virtu, formed by the late Mr. John Wat-
kins Brett, of Hanover-square, 'will take place to-day at the
rooms of Messrs. Christie, Manson, and Woods, where tho
sale of this important collection will commence on Tuesday
next, and will continue for eleven days. There are upwards
of 2,000 lots enumerated in the catalogue, and the sale will
no doubt be attended by amateurs and others from all parts
of the cotuttry.