The Sun.
London, England, 1865-07-27 00:00:00

THE ATLANTIC CABLE.

The following telegram has just been received by
Reuter's Telegram Company (Limited) from A.
K. Glass, Esq., managing director of the Telegraph
Construction and Maintenance Company :

" VALENTIA, JULY 26 (6.35 P.m.)
" Two hundred miles of cable were paid out from
the Great Eastern at 3 p.m. to-day. All well.
The Hawk has returned here. The Great Eastern
picked up 11 miles to the fault in the cable, which
was caused by a piece of wire being driven quite
accidentally into the core by the payiug-out ma-
chinery. Gapt. Gilpin reports that the picking up
gave great satisfaction to all on board the Great
Eastern. The fault was localised most accurately
by Mr. Saunders, electrician. Captain Gilpin also
reports that the paying out was perfection."
VALENTIA, THURSDAY MORNING.

The Great Eastern telegraphs that 300 miles were
paid out at 5.50 a.m. to-day; and that 300 miles
wero run at 9.50 a.m. All is going well. The sig -

nals are perfect.

1 SERIOUS ELECTION RIOT IN LEICESTERSHIRE.—
On Tuesday a serious riot broke out at the fashion-
able little town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire,
whore was one of the polling places for the northern divi-
sion of the county. In the district is a large number of
colliers, and on Tuesday they made holiday for the purpose
of having their share in the license of election time. Some
of these men were decorated with blue ribands, and in the
"Frewen interest" began to throw stones at the voters and
overturn the carriages of their opponents. A general melie
took place, and the small force of police present vainly en
deavoured to stop the disturbance. About 60 police-officers
were obtained from Leicester and Derby, but the riot had
assumed in the meantime such proportionsthat the gates of
the market-hall where the polling was going on had to be
closed, and the polling adjourned until the next day. Some
of the police officers received most severe injuries in trying
to quell the riot and many of the rioters had their heads
broken. On Tuesday morning a reinforcement of 100
officers was brought in from the country and the poll re-
opened; but four votes, however, were recorded as it was
found that Mr. Frewen's chance was lost, and it was agreed
on each side not to provoke further violence by bringing
up voters. Nearly one-third of the electors, it is said, re-
main unpolled. There wns no further disturbance. The
declaration of the poll will take place to-day (Thursday)
at Loughborough, but as many of Mr. Frewen's most ener-
getic supporters are expected to bo present, Lord John
Manners and Mr. Hartopp, it is said, will decline to put in
an appearance.

BIRDS VERSUS CATERPILLARS.—The Memorial
d'Aix publishes a curious piece of statistics to show
what serious mischief may be done to agriculture by the
destruction of birds' nests. In former times, it says, and
before people had begun their war against blackbirds,
nightingales, linnets, chaffinches, wrens, kc., there were
found on an average about 10,000 nests on every square
league of ground. A nest generally contains four eggs,
and the parent birds give every day to each of the little
ones 15 caterpillars, making 60 ; and consume 60 more
themselves, making 120 for the daily supply of each nest.
Multiply, then, 120 by 10,000, and you will have a total of
1,200,000 caterpillars destroyed every day, or 36,000,000 in
a single month. Just imagine such a number of cater-
pillaro fruits and vegetables.

The Loss of the Mail Steamer Athens.

The subjoined details have been received at Lloyd's
concerning the wreck of the Athens mail steamer,
belonging to the Union Steam Navigation Company,
during the great gale off the Cape of Good Hope :
"At this time there were lying upon the beach,
more or less dismantled, 15 sea-going vessels, be-
sides smaller craft ; a tremendous sea was rolling
in, threatening every moment to carry away the
few vessels remaining at their anchors. The barque
City of Peterborough and the steamer Dane were
dragging their anchors, and signalling in vain for
more anchors and warps. The steamer Athens was
also showing signals of distress, and letting off large
quantities of steam, showing that she was prepared
at any moment to put forth her full power. The
Dane and Briton likewise had their steam up. The
officers and men of the port department were en-
gaged in taking off the crews of the various stranded
vessels by means of lines from the shore, the vessels
furthest out being reached by rockets fired from
Manby's apparatus ; and before dark all were safely
brought ashore, the great majority of them in utter
destitution. There was every prospect of the gale
increasing, with a probability that ere morning
should break there would not be a vessel remain-
ing at anchor. Mr. Anderson offered £5OO for an
anchor to be run to the Dane, and Mr. Searle
£l,OOO for one for the City of Peterborough,
but without effect. No boat would incur the
risk. Directly afterwards the Athens signalled that
her last anchor was gone. After the sun had set the
fury of the gale increased. The barometer continued
to fall. At nine in the morning it had stood at
29.72, at three in the afternoon it had fallen sixth-
tenths, and the most dismal apprehensions for the
safety of the people on board the vessels remaining
in the bay were entertained, and but too sadly were
those apprehensions realised. After losing her last
anchor, the Athens endeavoured to steam out of the
bay. She was seen passing the breakwater under a
full pressure of steam, apparently making headway.
Whether her engines broke down, or her fires were
extinguished, or whether, when she got to the mouth
of the bay and endeavourd to wear to the westward,
the tremendous sea that was rolling in overpowered
her, is not known, and never will be known. But
certain it is that, about seven o'clock, she was carried
broadside on upon the rocks at Green Point be-
tween the lighthouses, and very rapidly broke up.
The calls for help of those on board of her could be
distinctly heard upon the shore amid the roar of the
breakers ; but the crowd of persons whom those cries
attracted were powerless to aid. All that those on
shore could do was to light a fire and thereby indicate
to those on board that their peril was known. There
was not a rope nor lantern at the lighthouse, no rockets,
nor Manby's apparatus within a mile or two of the
spot ; and yet for two hours a continued wail of
anguish and appeals for help came from the
steamer, which occasionally could be seen lying on
the rocks broken-backed, but still above water, with
masts standing, until after nine o'clock. Fragments
of wreck washing ashore then bore testimony that
the ship was rapidly breaking up. About 10 o'clock
the cries ceased, and thick darkness gathered over
the scene. Nothing remained of the vessel except
her engines and boilers, which have been carried
some distance from the place at which she is be-
lieved to have originally struck, and nearer to the
Mouille Point Lighthouse. All the way from the
reef to the breakwater the shore is strewn with
fragments of wreck ; even the masts and yards have
been snapped into short lengths ; and the lighter
portions of the ship have been literally smashed into
matchwood. During the morning two bodies were
recovered, both very much bruised from pounding
against the rocks, and both were stripped, with the
exception of under drawers, showing that before
taking their final plunge the unhappy men had
calmly prepared themselves for a last struggle for
life. The following is a complete list of those on
board the Athens when she left the bay :—Captain
D. Smith, J. Heath Curtis,M.D. ; C. Downer, first
engineer ; T. Brown, third engineer ; Mr. Baker,
second engineer, of the Dane, on board at the
time ; George Baker, steward ; W. Sharp,
cook ; W. Chiney, butcher ; C. Palmer, baker ;
Louis Burchill, saloon boy ; E. J. Lus-
combe, stewardess ; W. Doughty, cook's mate ;
J. Bernard, W. Butler, and J. M. Clintock,
waiters ; J. Cunningham, carpenter ; R. Stone
and A. Mitchell, able-bodied seamen ; J. Leeson,
W. Lutton, F. Young, G. Baker, W. Bagshaw