The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-03 00:00:00

THE LOSS

71ZCOLANO,

M. Sansom, an intimate friend of Sir Robert Peel,
who was a passenger on board the Ercolano in the recent
disaster, has arrived in Paris. The account that he gives
of the affair leaves no doubt as to the criminal negligence
of the persons in charge of that vessel. M. Sansom was
on deck at about 7 o'clock in the evening, when the
steward came to ask him if he would go down to dinner.
He declined, as the sea was very rough, but replied, that
if the weather became more calm, so as to admit of his
taking a seat below without inconvenience, he would go
down to supper at 10 o'clock. Sir Robert Peel, who
was suffering from sea-sickness, was at that time on deck
sitting in his carriage. Soon afterwards M. Sansom
went into his cabin and slept soundly till 10 o'clock, at
which time, it appears, the steward came to him, but he
did not hear him. The steward came again in half an hour,
and M. Sansom, being then awake, desired him to bring
his supper. At the same time he sent to Sir Robert
Peel to invite him to come down, but Sir Robert re-
plied that he feared the motion would make him ill, and
would therefore remain where he was. After supper M.
Sansom lighted a cigar, but finding that the smoke made
him unwell he went upon deck again at about half-past
11. The night was very dark, and M. Sansom saw no
person on deck except the man at the helm. As he was
looking towards the land he saw a light, and called t 9
the helmsman, in French, to take care ; presently he
saw another light (blue), and was then sure it was a
vessel approaching. He called out, "Captain—captain,"
but there was no answer, and no order was given. M.
Sansom, however, heard the bell forward strike four
times. Very soon after his having called for the captain
the last time there was a dreadful shock, and by the
light which he had left in his cabin he distinctly saw the
bow of the Cecilia strike the Ercolano at the spot where
his cabin was situated. He then called out loudly, and
almost frantically, for the captain to lower the boats,
but could not see him, and ran towards the carriage
of Sir Robert Peel to give him assistance. He was,
however, struck down on his back by the boom
of the Ercolano, and soon afterwards the mast
a•nd the rigging fell upon him. Almost by miracle
he was unhurt, and, turning himself, crawled out
on his hands and knees. He ran towards ithe
stern, with the intention of jumping overboard and
swimming for his life, but on reaching the stern he saw
two sai:ors lowering a very small boat, with the inten-
tion of &tying themselves. At this time the Ercolano
was sinking rapidly, and the screams of the women and
children on board were dreadful. M. Sansom jumped
into the boat, and the two sailors pushed off with him,
after having picked up a third, who was swimming. It
was now about ..72 o'clock, the night very dark, the sea
high, and a stronj wind blowing. M. Sansom considers
it wonderful that .lo small a boat should have lived in
such a sea. The men rowed for Antibes, and did not
reach it till half-past three in the morning. A few hours
afterwards he went oil to Nice, but could get no infor-
mation there of the fat e of Sir Robert Peel and the other
passengers. The news of the escape of Sir Robert Peel
did not reach him until he had arrived at Lyons. M.
Sansom intends to bring a n action against the owners of
the Ercolano for the loss of his property on board, and
it is probable that the same course will be adopted by
the other passengers who hay," been saved. It is pro-
bable that the captain will be brought to trial for his
misconduct.

THE MARRIAGE OF TIEB EMPEROR OP

AUSTRIA.

The following (copied from Galignanri's Messenger) are
some details of the ceremony of the marriage of the Em-
peror of Austria with the Duchess Elizabeth :
" The church was fitted up with rich hangings, the part
near the altar being hung with crimson velvet and gold,
and the other part with tapestry, representi:lg subjects of
Austrian history. Rich carpets covered the iloor, and the
church was lit up with 100 large lustres and 10,000 wax
lights. Over the high altar was placed a rich, canopy of
crimson velvet, embroidered with gold, and in front were
placed prie-iieux' of white velvet and gold, for the bride
and bridegroom. At the left of the altar was erected a
magnificent throne for their reception before the ceremony
was to begin. T.he clergy were ranged close to the altar at
each side, and the ;lave was reserved for the Court, the great
dignitaries of the empire, the generals and superior ()Ulcers,
the diplomatic corps, and the persons invited. The ma' Tinge
took place in the evening ; and at six o'clock nearly all
the various personages who wore to be present had taken
their places, presenting a coup d'cril of great magnificence.
The Imperial cortege dui not leave the palace until half-
past seven. It was opened by the great officer of the Court,
and the representatives of all the great families of the em-
pire in the richest costumes, in magnificent equipages ;
then came the Imperial pages ; and after them the Arch-
dukes ; the Archduke of Tuscany and his sons • the Duke
Maximilian of Bavaria; then the Emperor, Wearing the
uniform of an Austrian Field-Marshal, with the grand
cordon of the Order of St. Hubert of Bavaria, escorted by
his aides-de-camp ; after him came the bride, accompanied
by the Archduchess Sophia, and having the Duchess Louisa
of Bavaria on her left, and the Imperial Princesses. The
bride wore a white satin dress, embroidered with gold and
silver, a long train, and a rich lace veil ; on her head was
a rich diadem of diamonds, presented to her by the Arch-
duchess Sophia who had herself worn it at her marriage, and
in her girdle was a bouquet of natural roses. The ladies of
the court, in the richest dress3s, closed the procession.
The arrival of the Emperor at the church was announced
by a flourish of trumpets and. cymbals. The Prince Arch-
bishop of Vienna, who officiated, received the Imperial
couple. The archbishop, accompanied by his clergy,
then led the way to the altar, and after all had
taken their seats, the bride and .bridegroom being on the
throne, the religious ceremony commenced. The Emperor
and the Duchess then placed themselves on the' prie-dieux,*
and after the Archbishop had pronounced a short address,
he asked the question prescribed by the Church, and then
taking rings from a golden cup, presented them to the
august couple, who reciprocally placed thorn on each other's
finger. They thou held each other by the hand, and the
Archbishop pronounced the nuptial benediction. At the
moment (eight o'clock) salvos of artillery were fired from
the bastions, military music sounded a flourish, and all the
bells sent forth a joyful peal. Their Majesties then rose
and quitted the church, the cortege withdrawing in the
same order that they had come, with this difference that
the Emperor and the Empress returned to the Palace side
by side."
A grand dinner was given at the Court of Vienna on
the 26th ult. on the occasion of the marriage of the
Emperor. More than 800 guests were present. In the
evening the Emperor and the Empress went to the
theatre. Their Majesties were received by the audience
with the warmest enthusiasm. The Emperor was
dressed in the uniform of a Field-Marshal with the grand
cordon of the Order of St. Hubert. Her Majesty wore
a dress of white silk sparkling with diamonds.

JAMES MONTGOMERY, THE POET.

James Montgomery, whose death we announced on
Monday, was born as long ago as November 4, 1771, at
Irvine, in Ayrshire. His father was a Moravian mis-
sionary, who, leaving his son in Yorkshire to be edu-
cated, went to the West Indies, where he and the poet's
mother both died. When only 12 years old, the bent of
the boy's mind was shown by the production of various
small poems. These indications could not save him at
first from the fate of the poor, and he was sent to. earn
his bread as assistant in a general shop. H. e thirsted
for other occupations, and one day set off with 3s. 6d.
in his pocket to walk to London, to seek fame and
fortune. In his first effort he broke down, and for a
while gave up his plan to take service in another
situation. Only for a time, however, was he content,
and a second effort to reach the metropolis was success-
the spot he had longed
success-
ful,
sbouftaruanssubcrciensgsifnugl himto this main hope—that of
finding a publisher for a volume of hips verses. But the
bookseller who refused Montgomery 3 poems accepted
his labour, and made him his.shopman. Fortune, how-
ever, as it generally does: smiled at last on the zealous
youth, and in 1792 he gained a post in the establishment
of Mr. Gales, a bookseller of Sheffield, who had set up
a newspaper called the Sheffield Register. On this paper
Montgomery worked eon, amore, and when his master
had to fly from England to avoid imprisonment for
printing articles too liberal for the then despotic Govern-
ment of England, the young poet became the editor and
publisher of the paper, the name of which he changed
to Sheffield Iris. In the columns of this print he advo-
cated political and religious freedom, and such conduct
secured for him the attentions of the Attorney-Gene-
ral, n
sptraonsceec,utfeodr ,
reprinting
ganad
soimng-
hionrathehefirswt rparli's o nbeyd w;
commemorating " The Fall of the Bastile '
the second case, for an account he gave of a
riot in Sheffield. Confinement could not crush
his love of political justice, and on his second releaso
he went on advocating the doctrines of freedom as
before, in his paper and in his books. In the lengthy
periods between those times and the present, the beliefs
which James Montgomery early pioneered in England
have obtained general recognition, and, as men became
more and more liberal, our poet gained more and more
esteem. He contributed to magazines, and, despite ad-
verse criticism in the Edinburgh Review, established his
right to rank as a poet. In 1797 he published " Prison
Amusements ;" in 1805, the "Ocean ;" in 1806, the
" Wanderer in Switzerland ;" in 1809, "The Wes
Indies ;" and in 1812, "The World before the Flood.
By these works he obtained the chief reputation he
has since enjoyed. In 1819 appeared " Greenla nd,'
poem in five cantos ; and in 1828, " The Pelican Island,
and other Poems." In 1851 the whole of his
workswo
were issued in one volume Bvo., and of which t
tions are in circulation ; and in 1853, " Original 11. ymns,
for Public, Private, and Social Devotion." This. • en 7
rable poet enjoyed a well-deserved literary pens ion of
1501. a-year.

--- ----- --
HYDE-PARK IMPROVEMENTS.—The large plot of glade
on which the Great Exhibition building stood, and ex-
tending from that point to Kensingtotr., is no
erly t longer
available for equestrian exercise, as was form he
case ;it has been entirely enclosed. In order to com-
pensate the riders in the fashionable ride kn own as
Rotten-row, for the loss of this portion of the p ark, and
to make more room for the numbers w
which ide frequha s e nt this
spot at this season of the year,been
widened and enlarged to a very considerable extent, the
entire distance from Albert gate to Kensington. To effect
this a portion of the enclosure has
which_ben added to the ride,
including several fine trees,
_being now in the
centre of the ride, present a very pleasing appearance,
ride is thus formed for equestrians and add to the rural character theof
nearlyiilace
t. w 0 An i
ini
eoßb
inl e
length, in a straight line from Hyde Park-co rner to
Kensington-gate. There are other improvements in this
favourite t h
e park,
authorities which ; show care and attention on the
one of which is inside the Mar-
ble-arch, where a large
been enclosed, and n
alterationsplot
iuneven t
localsand tbya,rtreasn
ground, caused by t
°w presents a green .and p leasing
appearance.