The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-22 00:00:00

BOZ AND THE YANKEYS,

The following graphic account of the enthusiasm
evidenced by the Americans for Charles Dickens
on the occasion of Boz's famous visit to the United
States, is taken by us from 1)r. Nichol's Twenty
Years' of American Life:—
So it was a ball at tho Park Theatre—the Old Drury of
New York—where the Cooke!, and Keane, and liembles
had delighted us, that was fixed upon. There was a supper,
I believe, and there was a series of tableaux mans, repre-
senting some of the best scenes in the " Pickwick Papers,"
and the earliest works of the "immortal lloz." I remember
the immense crowd of the " beauty and fashion" of New
York that tilled the theatre from its dancing floor, laid over
stage and pit, to the gallery. I remember the mixed com-
mittee, official, fashionable, and literary, and some who
aspired to all these distinctions. I think Irving and Cooper
were there--I am sure of lialleek and Bryant. Willis
sported his ringlets there no doubt—and can I ever forget
the beaming rosy, perspiring face of the American Korner,
General George P. Morris? There was :a rush near the
door, a flutter through the crowded theatre, a hush of ex-
pectation, a burst of " See, the conquering hero comes,"
and the author of " Pickwick" and tho " Uncommercial
Traveller," with all of humour and pathos that lie betwcou
burst upon our astonished and delighted vision. Then the
cheers, then the waving of handkerchiefs from floor to
boxes, and all the tiers—and tears, no doubt, of joy and
happiness—end bouquets innumerable, gave what expres-
sion war possible to the irrepressible enthusiasm of the hour.
I remember Mr. Dickens as my eye caught him there, with
all that throng around me, and he the cynosure of ten
thousand eyes, allowing each person present the usual
number. Ills hair was in the bright p loss of its youth-
ful silken curls; his face was full, and ruddy with
English health—not seamed, as now, with the thought
and work of all these years. Ilia dress, was, I
thought, sufficiently pronounced; bnt he was on the
whole, eminently satisfactory and sufficiently imposing. It
was hard to open a passage where two •r three thousand
people were crowding to see, and be near, and if possible
shako hands with him, but, with tremendous efforts, ho was
escorted around the room. We tried to dance. Mrs.
General Morris honoured the thrice-honoured author with
her hand for a quadrille, but the effort to dance was absurd.

THE AMERICAN BLOCKADE.—The Exchange,from
Vera Cruz, at New Orleans, a prize. Washington,
Feb. 9.—Thu steamers Pet and Hercules have run through
the blockade into Wilmington. Beaufort, N.C., Jan. 26
The Alice, Fanny, Vince, Terry, and Nancy, are at Wil-
mington, watching an opportunity to slip out. hey West,
Jan. 22.—The yacht Millie was captured on Mosquito Inlet
Jan. 15. The prize steamer Mail, which was captured near
Tampoo some time ago, was sold on the 20th January for
12,100 dole. New York, Fob. 3.—The steatner Bonita was
captured on the 28th Jan., in lat. 25 N., long. S 4 W., by
the Federal steamship Western Metropolis; she was
freighted mostly with liquors and ammunition. The British
locamer Sylvanus was captured on the night of the Jan.
in Doboy Sound, Georgia, by the Federal gunboat Huron ;
after being repeatedly shelled and well riddled, she was run
ashore, and sunk in one fathom water. The blockade run-
ner Advance, recently run ashore at Wilmington, is safe,
as well as her cargo. The steamer Austin arrived at Mobile
on the 9th Jan., with a cargo for the Confederate Govern-
ment. The Confederate schooner Caroline Gertrude was
captured at St. Mark's Bay, Florida, on the '.:Bth Dee.., by
the Federal steamer Stars and Stripes. After taking out
about 43 bales of cotton, she was destroyed. On the 18th of
Jan. the Stars and Stripes captured, in the same locality,
the steamer Laura. On the 14th Jan. the Federal steamer
Union captured, south of 'letup' Bay, Florida, the Confede-
rate steamer Mayflower.

a.CIIICAGO TO LIVERPOOL.—We are gratified at
the announcement that a line of first-class p ►ckete
is to run between this port and England, commencing in
April next. Of the successful issue of this movement we
entertain no shadow of doubt. The first-class barks
Etowah, Ravenna, and Wirraito, well known on our lakes,
have-been purchased for this purpose and altered and
arranged tA) adapt them to the ocean and lake service in
compliance with the rules and regulation■ laid down by the
Lloyd surveyors, and policies of insurance can therefore be
effected on goods shipped on these vessels on the same terms
as the ocean vessels running between European ports and
the Atlantic cities. The brig eressingt.n and the new bark
Thertnutis, now building at Cleveland, will also be in this
line,— Chicago Tributie.

During a heavy snow storm on Friday morning,
the well-known ship Golden Age, Captain Park,
ens of the Black Ball line of passenger ships, on her
homeward voyage from Madras to London, with a
cargo on board valued at £200,000, was driven
ashore in the Channel near Dungeness, where she
tilled, and it is expected will become a total wreck.
The Golden Age was formerly an American ship,
when she was bought into the service of Messrs.
Baines and Co , the owners of the Black Ball feet.
Owing to the valuable cargo which she shipped at
Madras, her arrival in the Channel had been anxi-
ously looked for, and the first that was heard of her
being off the coast was on Thursday. A foreign
galliot put into Dover in the course of that day in a
damaged state, and reported that she had been run
into by a large ship called the Golden Age, off the
North Foreland, the vessel being in tow of a tug.
The next that was heard of her was her being seen
on Friday morning off Dungeness by the coast-
guard. Bow she got so far has not not been
clearly reported, but it is thought that the tug
might not have had sufficient power to keep the
ship in tow against the driving wind and snow, and
she drifted down Channel and went ashore on the
Roar Bank,opposite No. 2 Battery, near Dungeness.
When first discovered she had had the main and
mizen masts cut away. A heavy sea was breaking
over the ship, and it was observed that many on
board, crew and passengers were in a most critical
position. The coast-guard stationed at No. 27
'Power at once volunteered tA man the the New
Romney lifeboat and to go off to the rescue of those
who• were on h)ard. A high sea was rolling in over
the bench, and it was with difficulty that the boat
could be got through the surf. The boat, however,
was at length fairly launched, and tho men, in the
most courageous manner, succeeded in reaching the
stranded ship and taking off the Trinity House pilot,
the captain and several of the crew, in all amounting
to 22 Previous to the lifeboat reaching the vessel
a pilot cutter, coil(d the Queen, had managed to
get alongside the ship, and rescued three of the
passengers and some of the crew, who were landed
in the course of the day at New Romney. When
the crew abandoned her the ship was about a quar-
ter of a mile from the shore, and the next tide filled
her with water. A heavy gale had been prevailing
ever since from the north-east with a tremendous
sea breaking in on the shore, and it is feared that
the ship will go to pieces. The cargo, es before
stated, was most valuable, and comprised cotton,
silk, indigo, and other East Indian produce, and
was insured at Lloyd's end the different insurance
companies for £200,000.