The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-18 00:00:00

ACCIDENT TO THE MEDUSA

Marseilles (on board the Medusa),
Jan. 12, Eleven o'clock, A.M.
The India Mail, which left London on the evening of
the Bth, only reached this place this morning at half-past
two o'clock. The mail was immediately put on board
the Medusa, Commander Bathurst. The wind blowing
strongly from the N.W., the steamer could not get under
weigh before nine A.M., the wind blowing almost a hurri-
cane. Trying to round the point of the harbour, the
wind caught the steamer on her bow, and prevented
her from answering her helm. Perceiving that she
could not weather the point, the commander, who is
one of our most energetic officers, ordered the engines
to be stopped and the anchors let go. On swinging to
the wind the steamer took the ground abaft. The
French vessels immediately sent their boats, and gave
every assistance in their power. I am happy to say,
owing to a soft mud ground, the Medusa has not sus-
tained the slightest injury, and was got off in less than
two hours.

The excellent manoeuvring of the commander and the
master, Kiddie, has been greatly praised by the French
naval officers.

The Medusa will not in all probability, owing to the
strong north-west wind, be able to leave the port to-day,
The Lieutenant of the port, Mr. Michil, gave the most
efficient assistance to the steamer.

OTEs CONNECTED WITH

THE LATE LORD NELSON.
(Continued from The Sun of Monday, Jan. 15.)
Our readers will observe that in the article above
alluded to Lord Nelson was in the Gulf of Paria, with
the fleet under his command, on the morning of the
discovery that the Island of Trinidad was still in pos-
session of the British forces, under the command of Sir
Thomas Hislop, the Governor.
The mortification of Lord Nelson on finding that he
was deceived in the, information he had had given to him,
and had lost much valuable time in his pursuit of the
French and Spanish fleet by his coming to Trinidad, and
not finding the above fleet at anchor there as he ex-
pected, was extreme. H. did not lose a moment, but was
instantly under weigh again, and before night was
through the Straits, called the Boceas, making all sail
towards the French West India Islands, fully bent, no
doubt, on wreaking his vengeance on the enemy, who,
on hearing of his Lordship's being in full pursuit of
him, very wisely bent his course towards Europe.
It may, however, be deemed a most fortunate circum-
stance that Lord Nelson did not meet with the enemy's
fleet in the West Indies. The latter, though the same
number in ships as the British fleet, was considerably
stronger in guns—and the difference was probably such
that the former might have been disabled, as, notwith-
standing the great disparity of force, there is no doubt but
that Lord Nelson would have attacked them, weak as his
force was in comparison to the enemy. The papers of
the day will give all the details of the pursuit, and
which ended in Lord Nelson being fairly baffled in his
exertions to overtake the enemy, who found his way to
the Spanish coast to suffer defeat by the glorious
victory of Trafalgar.
By a singular coincidence, the officer who commanded
the batteries at Hislop's Advance, which might have
caused the destruction of Lord Nelson, was on his
passage from the %Vest Indies to England, and passed
very near the fleet under the command of his Lordship,
landed in England about the same moment the battle
of Trafalgar was fought, was present at the funeral
ceremony of the gallant and lamented Nelson in St. Paul's,
and we have reason to believe is now in London.
We understand that he had lately in his possession an
unfinished letter of Lord Nelson's, written before he re-
ceived his death-wound as well as the identical pen with
which this letter was written.

By another singular coincidence this same officer was
at Gibraltar at the time when the British fleet under
Lord Nelson was in the bay of that fortress, and being
in indifferent health in consequence of the fatigues at-
tendant on his professional duties, which had been very
severe, ho was desirous of taking a cruise in the Medi-
terranean in one of the line-of-battle ships of the fleet.
In communicating his wishes to Lord Nelson, his
Lordship remarked he was going on a most arduous ser-
vice which might render a cruise not at all favourable to
an invalid. In point of fact he was at that moment
planning the battle of the Nile, which there is no doubt
was all concocted in the Bay of Gibraltar; and with the
wonderful foresight of that extraordinary man, was
no doubt followed up by his finding the
French fleet in the Bay of Aboukir—exactly as he ex-
pected he should find all his arrangements being
made, he had nothing further to do than to let the sons
of England do their duty, which duty the battle of the
Nile showed to the world they most nobly did.
During the whole time the British fleet lay in the Bay
of Gibraltar, Lord Nelson is said never to have quitted
his cabin—at all events, he never once set foot on shore,
his whole mind, no doubt, absorbed in the anticipation of
meeting the French fleet, and thwarting the designs of
the ambitious and restless Napoleon, who saw in the de-
struction of the L'Orient and the rest of the fleet scat-
tered here and there the overthow of all his hopes.
*4* In the last sentence but one of the former communi-
cation, "at the tomb" should have been printed " and the
tomb."

DISPENSARY for CONSUMPTION.
The first anniversary dinner in aid of the funds of this
excellent institution took place last night at the London
Tavern, Bishopsgate-street; Mr. Benjainin,Bond Cabbell,
M.P., in the chair. There was a full attendance of the
friends and supporters of the dispensary, and ample
justice was done to a very sumptuous repast, which of
course embraced all the delicacies of the season.
After the cloth was removed the usual loyal and con-
stitutional toasts were given from the chair, and heartily
responded to.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the " Army and Navy,"
remarked that latterly a disposition had been shown in
some quarters to throw discredit on the services, but he
was happy to say that sentiment was shared bat by a
very small portion of the community. Whatever might
be their feelings in reference to either a reduction of the
army or the navy, they ought never to forget the ser-
vices which the members of both professions had ren-
dered the country, and in proposing this toast he bad
much pleasure in uniting with it the names of Sir John
Campbell and Captain Powell,

Ca7ptain FOWELL, of the Cherokee, in returning
thanks on behalf of the navy, said, with regard to the
questio❑ of a reduction in either service, he had no ob-
jection to it provided it did not interfere with the inte-
rests of the country; but be believed they were met
there for:a Christian purpose, and as a Christian he must
deprecate war. But although he deprecated war, he
hoped both the army and the navy would bo ever ready
to do their duty when the defence or maintenance of the
honour of the country required it.
The CHAIRMAN, in proposing the toast of the even-
ing, namely, " Prosperity to the Dispensary," said this
was the first meeting in respect of this institution, in
fact, it might be considered the inauguration of the
charity, for they had met to sanction and ratify the
proceedings of the gentlemen who had been instru-
mental in its foundation. In establishing this institu-
tion those gentlemen disclaimed anything like rivalship
or opposition to the parent institution at Brampton, but
they did think the managers of that hospital were wrong
i❑ removing its sphere of action so far from the metro-
polis. However many of the warmest supporters of the
hospital had assisted in establishing this dispensary, to
supply the deficiency which that removal bad created, and
to prove what success had attended their efforts he might