The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-02 00:00:00

THE ATLANTIC CABLE.

The Quebec Morning Chronicle of the 22nd ult.
says :—" A private letter from Cyrus W. Field
states that all representatives of the press of Eng-
land, 'America, and France, were to be excluded
from the Great Eastern during the laying of the
cable, the Telegraph Construction Company be-
lieving this course necessary, as some members of
the press might enter into conversation with the
engineers, and thus distract their attention from
their important duties. A journal of the trip and
its results will, however, be furnished to the Ame-
rican press immediately on the arrival of the Great
Eastern at Heart's Content, and the connection
being made with the shore at the terminus of the
line. As the cable across the Gulf of St. Lawrence
between Cape Breton, N.S., and Newfoundland, is
now seriously damaged for the first time in seven
or eight years, it is probable the message to and
from the cable will have to be sent across the Gulf
by a steamer, which will delay the press reports
from five to six hours. Should there be enough of
the Atlantic cable to stretch across the Gulf, 80
miles, which it is confidently expected there will
be, it will, we understand, be immediately laid, and
thus in a few days not only restore the continuity
of the New York and Newfoundland line, but place
the two continents in uninterrupted telegraphic
communication."

A New York despatch, dated the 21st ult., says :
The beautiful steam yacht Clara Clarity has
been placed by her owner, Mr. L. W. Jerome, at
the service of Mr. Everett, engineer of the New
York and Newfoundland Telegraph Company, and
will sail to-morrow for Aspey Bay, with a large
number of assistants. It is expected that the yacht
will reach Aspey Bay in season to restore the pre-
sent cable across the Gulf of St. Lawrence before
the arrival of the Great Eastern with the western
terminus of the Atlantic cable. This accomplished,
the telegraph lines of the country will be at once
intact from the extreme eastern to the western
shores of this continent."

THE CASE OF COLONEL DAWKINS.—We under-
stand that the actions which Colonel Dawkins has
commenced against the Duke of Cambridge and Lord
Rokeby will not be tried at Bristol on the 12th inst. as was
expected, they will have an order to change the venue to
Middlesex, on the ground that the causes of action arose
there, and that it would be inconvenient for the Dike of
Cambridge, Lord Rokeby, and others to attend at nristol.
The actions, therefore, cannot be tried until November.
GREAT WESTERN FETE.—This very popular fete
—the tenth given in aid of the Great Western Rail-
way WiAftvs' and Orphans' Fund—took place yesterday at
W okefield-park, near Reading, the seat of Mr. Robert
Allfrey. The heavy rains on the previous day deterred
many persons from being present, and had a perceptible in-
fluence upon the number of passengers travelling by the
special trains, which the directors kindly granted, from
Cheltenham, Glocester, Oxford, London, Reading, Basing-
stoke, and other places. Still the attendance was quite as
largo as could have been expected under the circumstances,
and not less than 7,000 or 8,000 persons visited the park.
The last train reached its destination shortly before two
o'clock, and almost immediately the concourse of people
had collected in front of the stage erected near the mansion
to listen to the performances of Stead, "the Cure," and the
other artists of note who were engaged, the rain descended
in torrents and scattered the audience in all directions, the
majority taking shelter under the marquees, of which there
were seven or eight. However, the state of the weather
improved, and afterwards interfered but little with the
amusements of the day. The vocalists, acrobats, &c., kept
together a numerous assemblage, whilst dancing was kept
up with unflagging spirit, the bands being the Paddington
Rifles and the Great Western band from Reading ; Mr.
Bareham, of London, officiating as M.C. The other sports
consisted of archery, "Aunt Sally," &c., and an interesting
feature of the gathering was a fancy bazaar, at which the
Misses Baker, daughters of Mr. Baker (the indefatigable
secretary to the fund) presided. The magic post-office
brought in a satisfactory sum. During the day Major Sir
Paul Hunter and party, the Right Hon. J. R. Mowbray,
M.P., Captain Allfrey, Captain Gould, Mr. George Montagu,
Mr. F. A. Bulley, and other gentry visited the park. The
special trains returned between 8 and 9 o'clock, and the
beautiful grounds were cleared. The committee carried
out the arrangements of the day in a very satisfactory
manner.

SPIRITS ON THEIR LAST LEGS —When rogues fall
out, says the proverb, honest men come by their
due. So, when tricksters begin to abuse each other, the
poor dupes they have gulled come to their senses. This
is the crisis at which spiritualism has arrived. Mr. Home,
who for a long time hold undisputed possession of the
spiritual field, has lately stigmatised the Davenports as
"unmitigated humbugs," and the friends of the Daven-
ports retort, through the medium of the Spiritual Times
(price twopence weekly, advertisements two shillings a
line), that Mr. Homo is so notoriously jealous of every
medium but himself that he is utterly disqualified for
passing a judgment upon any medium whatever, or him-
self into the bargain. Mr. Home has worked his enter-
tainment out ; the Brothers Davenport have been exposed
and denounced by Mr. Home himself, and their mysteries
have been left in the hands of a few obscure ignorant men
and women, who find séance-holding more profitable, more
pleasant, and much easier work than the shoe-making, or
bonnet-building, which is their proper vocation. In fact,
spirit-rapping has come down to the level of fortune-tell-
ing, with this difference, that the rappers have a weekly
organ through which to communicate their names and
addresses to the public; while the old woman with the
dirty pack of cards is obliged to prowl about areas, or trust
to her private and confidential connection with the servant
maids.—Dickens's "All the Year Round."