The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-20 00:00:00

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

By the Trafalgar we have news from the above sta-
tion to the 19th of April inclusive. Affairs in the in-
terior are quiet, and the native police were doing duty
mest faithfully and effectually. The inhabitants of the
colony were in the highest state of excitement at the pro-
posed intention to send convicts thither. The feeling
runs so high against it, that it is surmised the attempt to
carry into force the order in council will be attended
with unpleasant consequences.
The Governor was at Cape Town.

The following officers were passengers by this ship:—
Captain Brown, 53d, Captain Kennedy, 46th M.N.1.;
Lieutenant Cooper, ditto; Lieutenant Crosdaile, 61st;
Quarter-master Peel, 53d, Queen's.
Passed the Enterprise, of Falmouth, water-logged,
dismasted, and abandoned; had apparently been so some
months.

Her Majesty's ship Hercules sailed from the Cape for
England April 17.
Pietermauritzbourg had been visited with an awful
storm of thunder and lightning, which had done con-
siderable damage to property.
The Trafalgar spoke the Vernon, Prince of Wales,
Tudor, and Queen—all for London.

ROYAL MERSEY YACHT CLUB.
The first sailing match of the present season of this
club, came off on the Mersey, on Saturday last, for two
prizes. Many of the members of the club, including
Thomas Littledale, Esq , the Commodore, and most of
the officers, and a large party of ladies, attended on
board the Royal Adelaide steamer, engaged, with a band
of music, to follow the match. The following yachts
were entered to contend, and the sailing was admirable
throughout, with a fine breeze from the N.N.W.
Enigma, 25 tons, R. B. Preston, Esq.
Seabird, 30 tons, H. Melling, Esq.
,Tilt, 19 tons, 11. Lowe, Esq.
Hebe, 15 tons, F. Horner, Esq.
Ranger, 12 tons, T. W. Tetley.
The yachts started from the Commodore yacht, the
Queen of the Ocean, abreast of Rock Ferry, and sailed
round the Bell buoy and back, a distance of about 28
miles. At the usual signal, the yachts started, the
Rangy'. having an advantageous start; the Enigma
fouled the Seabird on the starboard tack, and might have
been prevented receiving any prize at all if the owner of
the Seabird had made the usual protest. After a well
contested race the yachts arrived at Rock Ferry in the
following order of time:—

H. M. S.

Enigma 3 19 0
Ranger 3 28 30
Hebe 3 35 10
It was a time race, and the Ranger won the first prize,
301. value, by only 15 seconds ! the Enigma taking the
purse of 101.
The Seabird yacht, belonging to the Hon. Secretary,
carried away her bobstay, and in the middle of the race
lost a man overboard, who, in his anxiety in setting a
topsail, lost his footing: by great exertions of the crew
and the handiness of the yacht in stays, his life was very
fortunately preserved. This threw her out of all chance
of the race, and she declined the contest.
The Jilt also got disabled by carrying away
of gaff. the jaws

The prizes were delivered on the quarter-deck of the
steamer to the winners by the Commodore, in suitable
and complimentary terms. Both gentlemen made suit-
able and feeling replies in acknowledgement. The ladies
kept up the spirit of dancing with the gentlemen, and the
company disembarked at seven o'clock, after being
highly gratified by the day's excursion, and the polite
attention throughout of the Commodore, officers, and
stewards of the club, was the theme of much admiration
on board the steamer.

THE SIEGE OPERATIONS AT CHATHAM.—The 17th
Regiment of Foot, under the command of iLieutenant-
Colonel Stoyte, now stationed at Canterbury, has been
ordered to march thence on the 22d inst., to arrive at
Chatham on the 23d, in order to take part in the grand
siege operations at that place on the 30th inst. The
regiment consists of 39 officers, 64 non-commissioned
officers, and 750 rank and file; total all ranks, 853
strong. _ _

Yesterday morning, shortly before four o'clock,
the Golden Lion Tavern, Wardour-street, Soho, the
property of Mr. J. H. Smith, was discovered to be on
fire. The inmates were immediately aroused, and for-
tunately succeeded in effecting a safe retreat. The
engine of St. Anne's parish was quickly on the spot,
followed by several others of the London Brigade and
West of England Company. No time was lost in setting
the engines to work, and owing to the exertions of the
firemen the flames wt re confined to that portion of the
premises in which they originated. Fortunately Mr.
Smith was insured in the Sun Fire-office.

ST. STEPHEN'S CHURCH, KENT-STREET.-This
church was consecrated yesterday by the Lord Bishop of
Winchester. The church is in the early English style of
architecture, and is built of brick, with Bath•stone
dressings. It affords accommodation for 600 adults and
200 children. The Itev. J. IL bins= ie the jAcurabent.

NEWSPAPERS.
(From Eliza Cook's Journal.)
Every man, when he awakes in the morning, finds
that the reflections suggested by the preceding day have
been, if not wholly obliterated, at least suspended by
sleep; that new topics of conversation are wanting, and
that surprise is on tip-toe for new calls. A family would
often drink the tea of Lethe, and eat the toast of taci-
turnity, were they not happily relieved from torpor of
thought, and immobility of tongue, by the entrance of a
newspaper.
It is possible, indeed, that the weather might furnish
a brief subject of debate, but the wind must blow a
hurricane, and the rain descend in torrents, to be worth
more than a moment's conversation. When the news-
paper appears, however, all Europe is united to refresh
the languid memory, to quicken the dull thoughts, and
give expedition to the communicative tongue.
No publication surely was ever so fertile in sources of
reflection to those who choose to think, or of conver-
sation to those who prefer the more noisy business of
talking.
Vti hen a newspaper is introduced at the breakfast-,
table, what a copious source of conversation arises for
the rest of tEe day. A man may give a very able ac-
count of an estate without the least desire of purchasing
it; and the a hole family may dispute on the merits of
an entertainment, which not one of the company means
to partake of. It is possible to compassionate the dis-
tresses of an orphan family without contributing sixpence
to their relief, and even to read of the cures performed
by a " famous syrup" without desiring to taste a drop of
it. Conversation and action are different things, and if
a newspaper furnishes the former it is doing much.
To appreciate the true value of newspapers, we have
only to suppose that they were totally to be discontinued
for a month. We turn with horror from the frightful
idea ! We deprecate such a shock to the circulation of
table talk. It would operate more unfavourably than
the gloom of November is said, by foreigners, to operate
on the nerves of Englishmen, and there would be nothing
but accounts of sudden deaths, which had happened in
the interval, with the deliberate opinion of the coroner's
jury, "Died for want of intelligence! "
" Let us praise newspapers," says Dr. Johnson. " One
of the principal amusements of the idler is to read the
works of those minute historians, the writers of news,
who, though contemptuously overlooked by the com-
posers of bulky volumes, are yet necessary in a nation
where much wealth produces much leisure, and one
part of the people has nothing to do but observe the
lives and fortunes of the other.'