The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-13 00:00:00

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY).

OLD COURT.
(Before the R.Scorder.)
Frederick Flood, 26, smith, pleaded guilty to a burglary
in the dwelling-house of Charles Mills, and stealing bank
notes and moneys of the value of 30t.
Mr. Robinson prosecuted and Mr. Ribton defended.
The circumstances of the case were somewhat peculiar.
The prosecutor keeps a laundry in the Marlborough-road,
Chelsea, and is father-in-law to prisoner, and on the 28th
of April their house was entered from the back staircase
window, and the money was stolen from a chest of drawers.
Near the house a pair of boots belonging to the prisoner
were found, and he was the neat day found at Greenwich
changing the notes and spending money.
Mr. Ribton, on behalf of the prisoner, said thali this was
a very unhappy affair, and had arisen out of family differ-
ences. He had up to this time an irreproachable character.
Prisoner, after cohabiting some time with prosecutor's
(laughter, had married her, and had lived most unhappily,
in consequence of the prosecutor and his wife always en-
ticing the wife away to assist them in their business. Upon
the night of the burglary he had been to prosecutor's to
see and get his wife to come home, but not being able to
get her to do so, he had gone out drinking, and falling in
with some bad companions he was led to plan this offence
with them.

Several respectable persons gave the-prisoner a good
character, and said up to the period of the acquaintance
with his wife he had been a steady careful man.
On behalf of the prosecutor, it was urged that prisoner
was of idle and drunken habits, and sought to live upon
his wife's earnings.
The Recorder, after hearing some recriminatory evi-
dence, said he should postpone passing sentence.

ST. PETERSBURG.—The letters from St. Petersburg
do not fully confirm the statements in some of the pre-
vions advises regarding the probable export of tallow.
1t is admitted that from 100,000 to 110,000 casks are
likely to be received, but it is added that only under due
most favourable circumstances' could half that quantity
be sent away, while the general calculation, looking at
the means for transport, are, that the total despatched
will not exceed from 20,000 to 30,000 casks.

THE LAUNCH OF THE
ROYAL ALBERT.
(THIS DAY.)

The exciting yet imposing scene witnessed to-day at
Woolwich by thousands upon thousands of persons will
occupy no insignificant place in the historic annals of
those important and interesting events in which the
reign of Queen Victoria has singularly abounded. We
speak not of the actual ceremony of launching a three-
decker man-of-war of 131 guns, screw-propelled, and with
every possible modern improvement, but of the auspicious
novel circumstances under which it took place. We are
far from saying that the first trial of a huge structure
of that description, large enough for the accommodation
of a crew equal in size to the population of a moderately
sized town, and in the construction of which skill of the
highest order, and a vast amount of labour, has been
Amployed over several years, at an expense difficult for
as ordinary arithmetician to calculate, is an occur-
rence of more than ordinary magnitude. None can look
with indifference at one of those noble ships gliding
slowly and gently from the stocks in which she has so
long rested, into that watery element in which she
may play a distinguished part during a period ex-
ceeding perhaps the allotted space of man's existence.
Who knows iu what service she may still add to the
already well-earnt and net excelled reputation of our
navy, or how honourably she may be associated with
achievements which may eclipse all those of former

times ?
It is not, however, to those matters that we address
ourselves. We speak of this magnificent vessel being
named the "Royal Albert," in honour of the consort of
our beloved and gracious Queen—that amiable and en-
lightened Prince, the sincere esteem of the public for
whom, gained not only by a blameless career for many years
in a position in which the least indiscretion would have
been observed, but by one single act that is enough to
make a man's name live for centuries, and to which the
year 1851 bears testimony, has only been augmented by
the insane and groundless calumnies recently directed
against his person. We speak of the graceful and
well-timed act of the Queen in christening this
worthy addition to the impregnable " wooden walls
of England," in the name of her royal husband.
We speak of the attendance of the greater portion of
the members of both branches of the Legislature, of the
vast concourse of the aristocracy, and of the innumera-
ble masses of her other faithful subjects of all classes,
who were drawn together to the Royal Dockyard to do
honour to the occasion. Independent of the display
itself, which we may mention was grand beyond
precedent at Woolwich, or indeed it may be
assumed anywhere else, the curiosity of the
uninitiated In naval affairs to know something about one
of these floating bulwarks, which have always stricken
terror in the minds of our enemies, it is not unlikely has
been redoubled since we have commenced in earnest to
check the aggressive policy of the great northern tyrant.
The late hour at which the 'proceedings terminated
compells us to give only a very hasty sketch of the
events of the morning. The first topic generally touched
upon in such accounts is the state of the weather, and in
regard to it, it is gratifying to be able to say that thegood
genius who follows her Majesty in all out-door exhibi-
tions of this description warded off, if not all the ominous
clouds from the horizon, at least all cold winds and
everything in the shape of rain or unpleasant dews.
The spirits of the ladies, to be sure, were now and then
damped by the eccentric conduct of King Sol,
who was repeatedly showing himself and then to-
tally disappearing, and seats were in request where
shelter could be obtained, in the event of showers,
but the general feeling was that the presence of the
Queen was tantamount to there being no such drawback
to the enjoyment of the spectators '.
The cards, of which an immense number were dis-
tributed by the Admiralty, fixed the hour of admission
at ten o'clock, but before nine the gates were opened
and persons were at once allowed to pass to their re-
spective booths and positions without any interposition.
On the North Kent line special trains to Woolwich com-
menced running at a very early hour in the morning, and
continued doing so, at short intervals, until near one
o'clock. This was, of course, the principal means of
conveyance for the public, and, notwithstanding the
crowds who besieged the station during the entire morn-
ing, the excellent arrangements of the company enabled
all to avail themselves of it, and, as far as we could
ascertain, there was not the slightest mishap.
Steamboats were also incessantly plying between Lon-
don and Woolwich, and, judging from their appearance,
we should say that the proprietors must have made an
excellent harvest. Numbers of these, as well as sailing
vessels and small boats, gaily decorated with flags, filled
the river in the neighbourhood of the launch, and even
on the opposite banks of the river platforms had been
put up in every place where a glance of what was going
on could be seen.
In the largest of those immense, shed-looking
erections, which so prominently strike the eye in the
Woolwich dockyard, as one passes down the river, the
truly formidable Royal Albert" was comfortably
lodged before the christening ceremony commenced,
and towering up from the ground as it did, higher al-
riiost than the most elevated house in the Strand, it
would have seemed to the casual observer the height of
absurdity, if he did not know that such things had been
done before, to suppose that in a few minutes it could
be lowered down into the Thames. Round the build-
ing an immense number of seats, beginning close to the
keel of the ship, and extending backwards in the shape of
an amphitheatre, were fitted up for the use of the spec-
tators, and we need scarcely say that not a spot was
left unoccupied. This afforded the best points for seeing
it—and was graced by a most brilliant assembly, in
which the fairer sex, it may be said, predominated.
But the roofs of all the different buildings in the dock,
as well as most of the ships there, from which a view
could be obtained of the Royal Albert, swarmed
with collections of humanity. Along each side
of the vessel were suspended every conceivable variety
of flags. As the christening took place at the bows of
the ship, which pointed towards the land (the hinder
part of the leviathan nearly touching the river), a plat-
form and a booth were erected for the Royal party. the
entrance to them was by a covered awning, which was
lined by a few young tars. A detachment of the Artil-
lery and Marines and bodies of police kept the thorough-
fare, along which her Majesty passed, and bands from
those regiments played enlivening airs continually until
her arrival.
The following few facts, descriptive of the Royal
Albert, may not 'be without interest :—The Royal
Albert was designed by the late Mr. Oliver Lang,
master shipwright of the Woolwich Dockyard, and
her keel was laid down on the anniversary of Prince
Albert's birth-day, August 26, 1842. She was origi-
nally constructed for a sailing ship of the line, and was
proceeded with as such till January, 1852, when she
was ordered to be altered to a screw ship of the line,
and was in consequence lengthened about 14 feet at the
stern, to give space for the screw propeller. By this in-
crease of length, the tonnage (builder's measurement)
was increased by about 264 tons.
The Royal Albert is a very fine specimen of naval ar-
chiteeture, and reflects the highest credit on all who have
been engaged in her construction.
With her proverbial unctuality, her Majesty reached
the Dock-yard, at one o'clock, in a carriage, and escorted
by a few Dragoons, and was enthusiastically cheered,
the bands striking up " God Save the Queen," and the
people waving their handkerchiefs. Besides her Majesty
there were in the carriage, Prince Albert, the Prince of
Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Duchess of Suther-
land. Other carriages followed, containing the rest
of
and attendants. The Queen
as also did Prince Albert, who
w
Colonel of the Guards ; the Princess
lookedo rt
ehe
his extremely Royal
uniform
Royal appeared to be quite in ecstacy of delight at the
scene, but her brother seemed to be in a rather thought-
ful mood.
The party entered one of the warehouses which
had been temporarily prepared as a retiring-room, and
in a few minutes reappeared at the other side facing the
river, and having taken a hasty glance at the helm and
and proceeded up a gangway by the side of the ship,
amidst renewed applause to the platform, mentioned
above at the bow. Prince Albert, on arriving here,
bent himself back and took a comprehensive glance at
the sight before him, and, from his manner, he appeared
amazed at the height of the ship and at the gigantic
effigy of himself, by no means an unlike one, which
ornamented the prow.
After a brief conversation with the naval officers, who
s urrounded her, the bottle of wine, attached by a cord
Ur the ship, was handed to her, and coming forward with
a very determined step, she flung it with force against
the bow, but it did not break, and was again given to
her,. and the operation again repeated, but with
the same success. The third time, however,
her Majesty dealt a smarter and snore direct
blows and the bottle was shivered to atoms. She
audi.'rly pronounced the words " The Royal Albert."
Here was another burst of enthusiasm, the like of
which: is not often heard. Her Majesty, accompanied
as bt +fore, then returned by the same gangway
to the river side, and there awaited the lowering down
of the man-of-war into the bosom of old Father Thames.
Afte,r a good deal of hammering and tramping to and
fro inside the ship, in less than a quarter of an hour
there was a loud whisper " she's going," and in a
minute, arid without the slightest noise, she glided
into the water with the same ease as a swan would have
done :

" stud waving streamers floated in the sky.
Thus the rich vessel moves in trim array,
Like some fair virgin on her brida 1 day ;
Thus, like a swan, she cleaves the watery plain,
Tho pride and wonder of the iEgean main."
The hand again repeated the National Anthem, the
people ch3ered, and the ceremony was at an end.