The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-07 00:00:00

ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON .REGATIA.

COWES, Am 6.
The melancholy event which plunged a nation
into mourning last December has had a most preju-
dicial effect on the fortunes of the annual aquatic
festival here, and has prevented the admirers of the
noble sport of yachting from witnessing or partak-
ing in the contests which have hitherto taken place
at Cowes among the vessels of the Royal Yacht
Squadron. All aquatic readers know that for many
years it has been customary for her Majesty and the
late Prince Consort to give cups of the value of XlOO
each, to be sailed for by vessels belonging to mem-
bers of the squadron, and although the death of his
royal highness naturally prevented one of these
gifts from being conferred as usual, it was presumed
that her Majesty's cup would be given, and on this
supposition an official announcement was made some
time since that the match would take place, which
announcement has been often repeated ; and indeed,
the official advertisement of the squadron appeared
in Bell's Life in London on Sunday last, so that no
one imagined any alterations in the arrangements
would be made ; but it appears that the committee
of the squadron and the yachting world were doomed
to be disappointed, for at the last moment, after nume-
rous vessels had arrived here to take part in the con-
test and hopes had been excited that one of the finest
matches that had been seen for many years would
take place, the bills issued and circulated through
the town were withdrawn on Friday, and it was
announced that there had been a misapprehension,
and that her Majesty did not intend to give a cup
this year, nor to give the usual donation towards
the funds of the town regatta. When it is remem-
bered that the Queen and her late Consort have
hitherto taken a warm interest in the matches for

the cups given by herself and his royal highness,
4 . - - .1.-
carrie carried on at the town regatta, it can hardly be a
matter of surprise that her Majesty should have
been unwilling to sanction any immediate revival
of scenes which would have recalled so forcibly the
calamity which has befallen the royal house and
the country ; but this does not seem to justify the
course pursued by the committee of the squadron in
giving publicity, without decided warranty, to an
announcement which has had the effect of drawing
hither so many persons, and of causing so much
disappointment and vexation.

In anticipation that the Queen's cup would be
sailed for as usual, that the squadron would also
give an open prize, and that the year would prove
one of more than ordinary interest to the yachting
world, there have been more vessels fitted out this
season than for a long time past. It is true it was
announced that the Queen's cup would be the only
match of the regatta, and that the customary ball,
dinner, and fireworks would not take place, but it
was logically presumed that if her Majesty's cup
would be sailed for (and of course after the official
announcement was so pertinaciously repeated the
public had no doubt this event would take place)
the squadron would think it no mark of disrespect
to the memory of his royal highness if they gave
their annual prize, and thus the disappointment
has been all the more severely felt. As a proof
that the general body of the members of the
squadron anticipated that the contest for the
cup would take place, it may bo mentioned that
two schooners were entered, and additional interest
was felt in the match as the conditions were al-
tered this year, for whereas the contending yachts
have been hitherto required to be of above 200 tons
burden, this year it was stated that vessels must be
under that amount of tonnage. This alteration
gave great satisfaction generally, as the redoubt-
able Alarm was thereby excluded from the contest,
and other and smaller vessels having a chance of
carrying off the prize, there is no doubt that before
the list of entries had dosed six or eight yachts
would have been nominated to compete.
At a meeting of the squadron last week it was
announced that the respected vice-commodore, Mr.
C. IL M. Talbot had resigned, and that another
gentleman would be elected as his successor at the
next meeting. The Marquis of Conyngham is a
candidate for the vacancy.

The town of Cowes is almost as fall as usual of
distinguished visitors, and the roads present the
customary magnificent spectacle of a fleet of splen-
did specimens of naval architecture, of the largest
tonnage known to any yacht club in the world.
The sister yacht club, the Royal Victoria of
Ryde, hearing that there was a disinclination on
the part of the members of the squadron to cele-
brate the aquatic festival in the customary manner,
held a meeting last week, at which the matter
was discussed. The majority of the members felt
inclined to hold a regatta as usual, but the com-
modore, Mr. G. H. Ackers, and the vice-commo-
dore, Mr. T. Chamberlayne, were of a different
opinion ; and the result is that both the
.
officials have resigned. No less than six
the distin-
guishedprinci-
pal noblemen were competitors for
and the
pal post, but no one was formally proposed,' Thlluason,
meeting deferred the election. Captain
vice-com-
of the Aline, was subsequently elae e latter

mcdore.
The week will not be entirely a blank as re-
gards racing, for last night a match was
made
between Colonel Markham, owner of the Sultana,
schooner, 130 tons, and Lord Londesborough, of
the Albcrtine, schooner, 156 tons, to sail their
eastward
vessels in a private match. The course to be from
Cowes to Lehe Buoy, about four miles to the west-
ward, on the Solent, and thence round
the Nab light-vessel, and return to Cowes—twice
round.
The vessels started accordingly
this morning at
aboufa quarter before noon' when-- in
Sultana passed her larger opponent to windward,
and in beating up to the buoy gained a lead of
about two minutes. It was generally presumed
that she would be beaten in her turn in running,
and this presumption was fully verified, for on paHg-

itnogiCmo.w2eosBC., asatnlde tbheeforSeultthaenya'hs
aldeaddiswa; e
on
r reducedtdeor
in
rounding Old Castle Point to the eastward, e h
way to complete the first round, there was but 20
seconds difference between them. There was every
prospect of this being a good match, as there was
a fine south-wester blowing, and as at the time of
starting it was about low water, in running to the
Nab they had the flood with them. Shortly before
three the vessels were seen returning from the Nab,
and still there was about a minute's difference be-
tween them, the Albertine leading by this time.
The Sultana so far had the best of it, as her larger
opponent had to allow her film. The match was
watched with great interest at this time, to sec if
the Sultana would again beat her opponent in tack-
ing, but in a short time it was evident that some-
thing was wrong on board the Albertine, and a
boat was seen to be lowered from her. As only two
men could be seen to put off in her, and as three
were soon afterwards seen to board the yacht from
her, there was little doubt but that a man had some-
how fallen overboard. The Albertine having thus
lost so much time, her racing flag was hauled down,
and she returned to Cowes, when it was stated that
the clew of the foresail had given way, and that in
repairing damages the man fell into the sea. The
Sultana continued the course, and on completing
the first round a gun from the Lotus, from which
vessel they were started, proclaimed her the winner
of the stakes, amounting, as it was understood, to
.£5O, but under the circumstances it is doubtful if
her gallant owner will claim the substantial reward
of victory.

Nothing has yet been decided as to any other
contest during the week.

FEMALE PRISONERS AT MILLBANK.

(From Female Life in Prison. By a Prison /1/atron.)
The first inexorable rule to which the new pri-
soner has to submit, and which is a trial that is
always one of the hardest to bear, is that of having
the hair cut out. With the woman new to the
rules, a comer who has not sat in that room before,
with the scissors of Atropos snipping round her
head, it is seldom performed without a remon-
strance. Women whose hearts have not quailed
perhaps, at the murder of their infants, or the poi-
soning of their husbands, clasp their hands in
horror at this sacrifice of their natural adornment;
weep, beg, pray, occasionally assume a defiant atti-
tude and resist to the last, and are finally overcome
by force. It is one of the most painful tasks of the
prison, this hair-cutting operation—moreover it is,
in my opinion at least, a test of character. One
woman will be resigned to her fate in the instant,
and with a Socratic stoicism will compress her lips
and submit herself to the shears, and march away
to her bath in a business-like manner_ A second
will have a shivering fit over it, a third will weep
passionately, and a fourth will pray to be spared
the indignity; and implore the matron on her
knees to go to the lady-superintendent and state
her case for her. Some women are impressed with
the idea that coaxing will go a long way to-
wards softening the matron's heart, or at least ob-
tain a variation in the rules, and a less length of
hair from their heads ; and consequently bestow
many " My dears," and " God bless you's" on the
operator. The greatest trouble in my experience
of prison life was with an old woman of 60 years
of age, and with about the same number of grey
hairs to her head_ She was an old prison-bird—
had spent two-thirds of her life in prison, and was
as vain of her personal appearance as any girl of
seventeen. " No, Miss B." she said to the operator
after catching sight of the scissors, and drawing
herself up with the haughtiness of a duchess—‘' not
this time, if you please, Miss B. It can't be done."
But Miss B. replied it could be done, and was ab-
--'---a., ---- --r .-- v•-• Ann,. before the nrign,“ -
left the room. " Things have altered a little, Miss
8., since I saw you last, I can assure you. You've
no power to touch a hair of my head, mum."
" How's that ?" "If you please, mum, I'm mar-
ried," and the old woman regarded the matron with
undisguised triumph. " And what's that to do
with it ?—sit down—you really must sit down."
" What's that to do with it ?" shrieked the old
woman, indignantly; "IV hy, it's my husband's
hair now, and you daren't touch it, according to
law. It belongs to my husband, not to me, and
you've no right to touch it. Lord bless you, the
Queen of England daren't lay a finger on it now."
And the old woman's staunch faith in the law of her
country to protect her grey hairs, would in any
other place, under any other circumstance, have
been supremely ludicrous. Argument with her was
useless—she did not see that anything more was
required after an expression of her opinion—she
would not object to the bath, because the law had
nothing to say in the matter of baths to married
women, but her hair couldn't be touched by any
mortal power. When there were signs of being
uninfluenced by her eloquent exposition, she de-
manded to see the governor—he knew the law of
England, of course—and when her hair was cut to
the statutable length, she vowed to make a full
statement of the ease to the directors, on the
next board meeting, and please put her name
down to see those directors at once. Such an
infamous violation of the laws of her country
she had never been a witness to in her time.
And strange as it may appear, the plea of mar-
riage has latterly been very often urged
by prisoners, under the same circumstance.
" It's their husband's hair" has now become a
constant reason why the rules of the prison should
be waived in their particular cases. And when it
is not urged as a plea, women,whom a repetition of
crime has brought back to the old quarters, gener-
ally offer, as their first piece of information, that
they have been married since their last incarcera-
tion. There is a peculiar craving to be considered
an " honest married woman," and the husband,.
more often than otherwise,isalleged to
to the military
be i.n. the
army, probably out of compliment There
character of the governor and his deputy.
irectly
have been times, as I have alreatairi indg
all idea of men-
tioned, when some woman, re
dis-
cipline, will stoutly maintainh_simesradnetermination not
,
if my memory
to have her hair cut. one woman,
do not fail me, from Stafford
gaol, persisted in scof-
fing efforts ofthe matron, and re-
plying thereto b- at all persuasivea
torrent of vituperation. She
9
was a tall, powerful woman, with the face of a
tigress and
the limbs of an athlete, and one glance
convince the matrons in attendance
that it
„fedent to
was su—wa-is beyond their power to master her. On
such occasions the guards on duty in the outer
yards, or in the men's prison, are summoned to put
handcuffs on while the
the necessary ceremony is
gone through. In this case it required three men
to secure her wrists while her hair was cut the re-
quisite length, she struggling, and cursing, and
swearing long after the operation was over, even
when she was in her refractory cell, and the gas
was burning feebly in the wards, and the matron
on night duty was gliding noiselessly along the
passages, and the clock in the yard was chiming the
early hours of morning. I can remember one pri-
soner delirious for a day and night after the ope-
ration—the mortification of losing her hair, or the
impression made upon a nature more highly sensi-
tive than ordinary, tending to that un frequent re-
sult. She was a young, fair Scotch girl, and her
" Dinna cut my hair—oh, dinna cut my hair,"
rang along the deserted corridors with a plaintive
earnestness.

The cotton mill of Messrs, Arrowsmith and Sons,
in Bolton, was nearly destroyed by fire on Monday, unfor-
tunately adding to the general distress of Bolton by throw'
ing 200 people out of employment. The fire was discovered
soon after it broke out, but the flames spread with ouch
amazing rapidity that the whole part of the old building,
with a considerable amount of property and machinerY7
were destroyed. A policeman fractured his snide severely
thro:ghtutfall whilst riding for the Ore eogin"' ,