The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-21 00:00:00

The Great Eastern in a Storm.

The following is an extract from the private letter
of a passenger by the Great Eastern in her last out-
ward voyage :—" I left Liverpool on 12th Aug. per
Great Eastern for New York, which place I reached
on the 25th after a very stormy and dangerous
passage. We had strong head winds all the way,
and the ship, having but little cargo, rolled about
fearfully. On the tenth day out, when near this
side of the ocean, we encountered a most fearful
hurricane, such as the captain and oldest sailors in
the ship had never seen the equal of. It came on about
six in the evening, and lasted until about midnight.
During part of the time we all completely despaired
of ever seeing the next day ; and if the storm had
continued two or three hours longer, we should have
been dashed to pieces. The great ship was tossed
about on the waves like a cork. She was entirely
beyond control, and lay in the trough of the sea
during the entire storm. It was what is called a
' cyclone,' and a description of storm very rarely
seen anywhere except in the Chinese Seas. Every-
thing moveable about the ship was dashed to pieces,
and many of the passengers lost all their luggage,
and some of them were severely hurt themselves.
The third officer had his leg and arm broken ; three
or four of the boats were broken to pieces ; one of
the boilers burst, filling the ship with hot steam;
the gallery got on fire with the cook-stoves upset-
ing, and altogether it was a fearful time, enough
to frighten any one from ever going to sea again.
We have all reason to feel thankful, however, it was
no worse, as very little more would have ended the
affair most deplorably. I shall never venture to
sea in the Great Eastern again, nor could I desire
any one else to do so, as she is entirely too large
and unnmanageable. We had 23 men lashed to the
wheel all night trying to right her to the waves,
with as little effect as a cnild would have; so when
such a large ship is left to the mercy of the waves,
in such a storm as we had, matters were very se.
rious. But I must say no more about it, or I will
frighten you from ever visiting Canada. All I can
say is, when you attempt to cross the Atlantic,
come in a moderate sized vessel; don't trust your-
self in such an experiment as the Great Eastern."—
k cotsman.

OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS.—Major Robt. Miller
hlunday has been appointed to be Lieutenant-Governor of
the Island of Grenada; Mr. Benjamin Way has been
appointed chief magistrate, and Mr. Thomas Mayne to be
etipendiary magistrate of the settlement of Lagos ; Mr.
Mildmay Sherrington has been appointed to be attorney-
general for the Island of Grenada ; Mr. James Meagher is
to be superintendent of public Works for the Island of Tri•
nidad.—Observer.

CONFLAGRATION IN ISLINGTON.—GALLANT CON•
DUCT OF A FIRE ESCAPE CONDUCTOR.—On Sunday
morning, shortly after 4 o'clock, a fire broke out at No. 43,
Halleford-street, Isling,on, in the occupation of Mr.
Whalley, which, had it not been for the timely arrival and
gallant conduct of conductor Francis Bartons, of the Lower..
road station of the Fire Escape Society, would have been
attended with fatal consequences to four persons. The po.•
]iceman on duty was the first to discover the fire, and im-
mediately gave the alarm to the inmates, but so rapidly did
the flames gain the raa,tery that it was impossible for them
to escape but from the top of the house. On the arrival of
the escape the four persons were on the parapet in their
night dresses, screaming most piteously for help, and pre-
paring to throw themselves into the streets. There being a
front garden in the house, the fly ladder attached to the
machine had to be used, and in the midst of a dense volume
of smoke and flames, the conductor ascended, and at great
risk to his own life, succeeded in bringing the four persons
down in safety, amidst the cheers of the assembled crowd.
We are informed that the house and furniture is insured.
Owing to the warmth of the late summer, many
chestnut-trees in the Champs-Elyges and other quarters j
of Fula are ROW in bloom for the second time,

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HER MAJESTY.

BALMORAL, Sept. 17.

Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess
Louis of Hesse and the Princess Victoria, attended
by Baroness von Schenck, Captain von Westerwel-
ler, and Dr. Becker, arrived at the Castle at half-
past four yesterday, and were received by the
Queen, the Princess of Wales, and the remainder of
the Royal Family.

Sept. 18.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
Louis of Hesse drove to Abergeldie to visit the
Princess of Wales.

The Prince and Princess of Wales dined at the
Castle, attended by Lieutenant-Colonel Keppel and
Hon. Mrs, Bruce.

The Court in the Highlands;
Although the weather has been somewhat rough
and cold since the arrival of the Court at Balmoral►
yet her Majesty has not missed a day in being cut
of doors and visiting scenes endeared by associations
of the late Prince Consort. On Wednesday she
made a visit to the " cairn" raised to the memory of
his Royal Highness, inspected the new dairy, now
quite completed, and also drove to Abergeldie Castle
on a call to the Prince and Princess of Wales. Their
Royal Highnesses seem to be enjoying the High-
lands very much, and continue to take long drives
among the fine romantic scenery every other day►
accompanied by Col. R. Farquharson, Col. Keppel,
and Captain Farquharson. The Prince has been
deer-stalking in the forest of Invercauld, where on
Saturday he had the good fortune to see a herd of 300
noble stags. Some rare sport was expected, but
the wind having suddenly veered, the herd passed
beyond rifle range, and consequently nothing could
be done. At an after period of the day, however,
when the Princess of Wales had joined the party
—all of wbom partook of luncheon served on the
grass near the skirts of the wood—the sportsmen
were more successful. A deer drive having been
proposed from Craig Cluny, the Prince and Prin-
cess gaily ascended the hill. Her Royal Highness
took up a favourable position at the pass and soon
had the pleasure of seeing a number of fine stags
go bounding past at some 20 or 30 yards' distance.
Two of the herd fell before the rifles of the Royal
party. At the conclusion of the sport, the Prince
and Princess were conducted round to the romantic
Falls of the Garriwalt. On Tuesday the Prince
went out shooting, and killed two fine stags. The
same day his Royal Highness, accompanied by the
Princess, drove to Balmoral to wait the arrival of the
Queen. In the interval they visited the Lochnagar
distillery, where the proprietor, Mr. John Begg, had
the pleasure of explaining to his noble visitors the
whole process of the manufacture of whisky as car-
ried on at his famous establishment. Afterwards
the Royal party honoured Mr. and Mrs. Begg by
partaking of refreshments at their residence near
the distillery. Returning to Balmoral Castle, the
Prince and Princess were in waiting to welcome her
Majesty on her arrival at half-past 6. On Wed-
nesday the Prince of Wales and Prince Alfred bad
good sport among the grouse, and in the afternoon
;he Princess enjoyed what appears to be a favourite
pastime with her Royal Highness—a hill-side pic-
nic. On Wednesday evening the Prince and
Princass Louis of Hesse arrived at Balmoral
Castle and received a very hearty welcome
from the Queen and a number of the
tenantry who had been made aware of their
coming by command of her Majesty. Princess
Alice was always a great favourite at Balmoral,
from her frank and winning manners in mixing
with the dwellers on the estate, and when, on her
arrival on Wednesday evening, she held up her child
so that her old friends might see "baby," the inci-
dent was felt to bespeak kindly recollections of past
days. The crops on the upper reach of Dee are ex-
cellent, and harvest is pretty general. The congre-
gation of the Free Church at Crathie have just
erected a neat tablet in that building in remem-
brance of the late Prince Consort, who liberally
gave the site for the church. It bears the follow-
ing inscription :
"To the noble and illustrious Prince Albert,
K.G., Consort to her Majesty Queen Victoria, and
Lord of the Castle and Lands of Balmoral, this tab-
let is dedicated, in deep sorrow for his early death,
and in pious remembrance of his beneficent gift Of
the site whereon their church is erected by those
who worship under its roof.''

When her Majesty left Windsor Castle for Scot-
land it was with the intention of returning in a month. It
is now understood that the royal visit to Scotland will
extend to five weeks, and that the return of the Court to
Windsor will be on Saturday, the 17th of October,—Court
Journal.

Tneir Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Wales will prolong their residence at Abergeldie till the
close of next week, and will then go to Sandringham, Nor-
folk, for a few weeks.

A report is afloat that the PRINCE IMPERIAL is
to be made KING OF ALGIERS, and Marshal Pelissier is to
be his Viceroy.

The Duchess of Hamilton (nee Princess Marie of
Baden) and Lady Mary Hamilton are expected to leave
Baden in the course of the ensuing month, to make a short
visit to Hamilton Palace, N B.

The Eirt Grosvenor, M.P., has arrived in town
from Homburg. His lordship has improved in health by
his short visit to the Continent.

The Earl of Warwick has arrived in town from
Warwick Castle. The countess and family remain at the
castle. On their journey south the earl and countess visited
Lord and Lady Willoughby de Eresby at Drummond Castle.
The Earl and Countess of Cardigan arrived in
town on Friday from a tour of the German Spas, and will
proceed to-day to IJeene Park, to receive a select circle of
friends for the shooting season.

The Earl of Craven leaves town to-day for Ash-
down Park, Berks. The Countess of Craven and family
arrived at Ashdown on Saturday from Coombe Abbey, near
Coventry.

Viscount St. Asaph arrived at Baden-Baden a
Few days since.

The Right Hon. Sir Alexander Cockburn, the
Lord Chief Justice of England, arrived in town on Satur-
day from a tour in Germany. The learned baronet has been
detained on his way home by illness.

The Grand Reception Room at Windsor Castle,
which has been closed to the public for several wee"
past, will shortly be reopened. The decorations, in the
Louis XIV. style, have been entirely repainted in the same
richness and splendour as when originally finished from
designs prepared in the reign of George IV. The painting
was entrusted to Mr. J. Vyse Cooper, of Windsor. As soon
as the scaffolding is removed the public will be admitted as
heretofore.

HERNE'S OAK.—Before removing the time-worn
trunk of " Shakepeare's Oak" from. the place on
which it fell, it was visited, we learn from the Court Jour-
nal, by her Majesty and the members of the royal family,
when the Queen, who has taken much interest in this inte-
resting relic of bygone ages, commanded that its remains be
converted into a variety of ornamental furniture for the
principal rooms of Windsor Castle, such as cabinets, work-
table, dressing-cases, &c., and for which purpose Mr. Goertz,
the royal upholsterer, who has great taste in these matters,
has been entrusted to carry out her Majesty's wishes. The
tree is supposed to have been flourishing 300 yews previ-
ous to William the Conqueror coming to Windsor, and
there is little doubt but it is the identical tree alluded to in
Shakspeare's "Merry Wives of Windsor." Some portions
of this tree are nearly in a state of petrifaction. On Friday
last, the ground having been prepared under the directions
of Mr. Ingram, the royal gardener, and a fine young Eng"
lish oak, between tour and five years old, ten feet in height,
brought from Mr. Turner's royal nursery at Slough, her
Majesty, in order to eternise the spot of this historical tree,
attended with the members of the royal family, and planted
the oak with her own hands, which will carry to future
ages the memo, y of a good Queen with that of the prince of
dramatic writers.

THE NEXT MAILS DUE FROM AMERICA.—There
are three steamers due at Liverpool this wrek with
the mails from Amenca—viz., the Jura (a.s.), with dates
from Quebec to the 12th, may be looked for at Londonderry
to •morrow (Tuesday) morning; the City of Baltimore (s.s.)
from New York on the 12th, may be expected to reach
Queenstown in the course of Wednesday; and the Cunard
steamer Africa, with dates from Boston to the 16th, and
from Halifax to early on the morning of the 18th, will no
doubt turn up at Queenstown on Saturday next.

During the past week Dr. Milnasn, Dean of
St. Paul's; Dr. Trench, Dean of Vi estminster; Dr. Alford,
Dean of Canterbury ; the Rev. Thomas Aveling, Kings-
land ; Prof. Craik, of Queen's College, Belfast; Mr. Robt
Davis, of York; and Mr. IL. G. Bob; have been added to
'llO Nativicial Slashopere Committee,