The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-15 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, FEBRUARI 15, 1847.

suit, in the shape of recommendation to the Crown, is
made known by the Marshal or President of the Diet.
The Ministers, however, who saw the necessity of
granting the present constitution, will see the necessity
of making use of the press in working it. For what is
now done will not only prove useless, but turn to poison,
unless the administration be carried on in accordance
with it. _ _ _

notice, was the array of the aides-de-camp of Bona-
parte, which was So almost furiously striking, that all
other vethnents, even the most gaudy, appeared sud-
denly under a gloomy cloud when contrasted with its
brightness."
•

" The Prince of Orange then passed us to enter the
audience chamber, with a look so serious, an air so de-
pressed, that I have not been at all surprised to hear he
was that very night taken very ill.
" The last object for whom the way was cleared was
the Second Consul, Carnbaceras, who advanced with a
stately and solemn pace, slow, regular, and consequen-
tial, dressed richly in scarlet and gold, and never look-
ing to the right or left, but wearing a mien of fixed
gravity and importance. lie had several persons in
his suite who, I think, but am not sure, were Ministers
of State."
"At length the two human hedges were finally
formed, the door of the audience chamber was thrown
wide open with a commanding crash, and a vivacious
officer—sentinel—or I know not what, nimbly descended
the three steps into our apartment, and placing himself
at the side of the door, with one hand spread as high as
possible above his head, and the other extended. horizon-
tally, called out in a loud and authoritative voice, ' Le
Premier Consul I' .

What a change does this at once make in the politics
of Europe! How much must our fears of French pre •
dominance be allayed by seeing Prussia start up as a
German and a constitutional power! How much must
our alarm at Russian encroachment be diminished at
seeing the Prussian monarch, for the first time, admit
the assembled representatives of the people to his Court
and councils, knowing, as all do, how universal is the
hatred and fear of Russia in every German heart I How
much are British anxieties for the balance of power re-
moved at seeing its true, and great, and national arbiter,
Germany, swelling to its true dimensions, and taking
the place that the wishes of all liberal men long since
assigned it.
We cannot but rejoice that English peers and com-
moners have held their tongues on foreign policy this
session. M. Guizot, M. Thiers, M. Berryer, and the mag-
nates of the French Parliament, have all and each
uttered long speeches. Every one of them is knocked
on the head by this act of his Prussian Majesty.
M. Guiaot and M. Thiers united in representing
the despotic East as ready to coalesce in order to dictate
to France; whilst England was to join them in the new
coalition. The words had been scarcely uttered, when
Prus,ia breaks avowedly with these despotic Courts and
their policy; and professes to rival France, not as the
auxiliary of despotic, but the representative of liberal
ideas. French statesmen and Ministers are thus shoa n
to be as ignorant of German politics as of English.
England and Europe may indeed unite against France
in the matter of the Spanish marriages, but it will he
an union of opinion, of reproval, and of peace. War is
not required to punish the French Court for its un-
worthy acts. Spain alone will suffice to punish Louis
Philippe; and the reproving countenance of Europe will
teach him that neither international rights, nor the
solemn promises of Sovereigns, are to be broken with
impunity.

You will easily believe nothing more was necessary
to obtain attention ; not a soul either spoke or stirred
as he and his suite passed along, which was so quickly
that, had I not been placed so near the door, and had
not all about me facilitated my standing foremost, and
being least crowd-obstructed, I could hardly have seen
him. As it was I had a view so near, though so brief,
of his face, as to be very much struck by it. It is of a
deeply impressive cast, pale even to sallowness, while not
only in the eye, but in every feature, care, thought,
melancholy, and meditation are strongly marked, with
so much of character, nay, genius, and so penetrating a
seriousness, or rather sadness, as powerfully to sink into
an observer's mind.

"Yet, though the busts and medallions I have seen
are, in general, such good resemblances that I think
I should have known him untold, he has by no means
the look to be expected from Bonaparte, but rather
that of a profoundly studious and contemplative man,
who ' o'er books consumes' not only the midnight
oil,' but his own daily strength, and wastes the
puny body to decay' by abstruse speculation and
theoretic plans or rather visions, ingenious but not prac-
ticable. But the look of the commander who heads
his own army, who fights his own battles, who con-
quers every difficulty by personal exertion, who exe-
cutes all he plans, who performs even all he seggests,
whose ambition is of the most enterprising, and whose
bravery is of the most daring cast ;—this, which is the
look to be expected from his situation, and the exploits
which have led to it, the spectator watches for in vain.
The plainness also of his dress, so conspicuously con-
trasted by the finery of all around him, conspires for-
cibly with his countenance, no sicklied o'er with the
pale hue of thought,' to give him far more the air of a
student than a warrior."
a

"The review I shall attempt no description of. I
have no knowledge of the subject, and no fondness for
its object. It was far more superb than any thing I had
ever beheld ; but while all the pomp and circumstance
of war animated others, it only saddened me ; and all
of past reflection, all of future dread, made the whole
grandeur of the martial scene, and all the delusive
seduction of martial music, fill my eyes frequently with
tears, but not regale my poor muscles with one single
smile.

" Bonaparte, mounting a beautiful and spirited white
horse, closely encircled by his glittering aides-de camp,
and accompanied by his generals, rode round the ranks,
holding his bridle indifferently in either hand, and seem-
ing utterly careless of the prancing, rearing, and other
freaks of his horse, insomuch as to E trike some who were
near me with a notion of his being a bad horseman. I
am the last to be a judge upon this subject ; but, as a
remarker, he only appeared to me ,a man who knew so
well he could manage the animal when he pleased, that
he did not deem it worth his while to keep constantly in
order what he knew, if urged or provoked, he could sub-
due in a moment.
" Precisely opposite to the window at which I was
placed, the Chief Consul station ed himself after
making his round ; and thence the presented some
swords of honour, spreading out one arm with an air
and mien which changed his look ft om that of scho-
lastic severity to one that was highly miliOry and
commanding. 7.
" Just as the consular band, with -their brazen drums
as well as trumpets, marched facing the First Consul,
the sun broke suddenly out from the clouds which had
obscured it all the morning; and the, teffect was so abrupt
and so dazzling that I could not help .observing it to my
friend."

Besides these passages there are a a aultitude of sketches
of the principal actors in the military 3, tenes of the time. In
one page, of Fouche walking with his wife in the Champs
ElysiSe" muffled up in a plain brown roc solo," in another of a
very different person, M. de Chateauhriand, who is de-
scribed as "by no means tall, and ius rather thickset ;
but his features are good, his counheinance is very fine,
and his eyes are beautiful, alike froni.colour' shape, avid
expression ; while there is a striking benevolence in his
look, tone of voice, and manner." 'With these remi-
niscences of a marvellous generatio n the present work
is crowded. It constitutes an afire' !able embellishment
to the more sober history of the r eTiod ' • and for the
accumulation and classification of these literary frag-
ments vre feel indebted to author, editor, and publisher
in their relative proportions.

WRECK OF HER MAJESTY'S
STEAM-SLOOP SPHYNX.
THE COURT-MARTIAL.
PORTSMOUTH, Fnuas.—A court-martial, comprising Rea-
Admiral Hyde Parker, C. 8., President ; Captain Pasco, of
the Victory; Captain Chads, C. 8., of the Excellent; Cap- j
tain Henderson, C. 8., of the Sidon ; Captain Kingcome, of '
the Belleisle ; Captain Milne, of the St. Vincent; and Mr.
George L. Greetham, Deputy Judge-Advocate of the Fleet,
assembled this morning at 9 o'clock, on board the flag-ship
St. Vincent, to try Commander John Bettinson Cragg, and
the other officers and ship's company who formed the crew of
her Majesty's steam-vessel Sphynx when she ran ashore,
upon the following charge :
" For that you and such officers and ship's company as
aforesaid, on the 16th of January, 1847, all of them being at
that time in actual service and full pay of her Majesty's
fleet, did, through negligence,
run upon the shore in Brix-
stone Bay, at the back of the Isle of Wight, her Majesty's
steam-sloop Sphynx."
All the officers and ship's company having been called
into court, and the charge having been read over in their pre-
sence, all, except Commander Cragg and the Master, Mr.
Wallis, were ordered to withdraw.
o sbkeihnisr; d Commander Cragg then applied for permission to have his
" friend" to assist him, which was immediately granted,
solicitorhim .
il
e (latetria
In:lel
eyno re
commenced
niZetesd-
Ports-
mouth 5r
tour. Jam his e s
seatH
th ), I
by the log-book being put in and identified as the ship's
book by Commander Cragg, who depcsed that the entries
in it relating to the 16th of January last wore correct. At
seven o'clock ism on the 15th, he said, the Start Light north
and by west seven or eight miles, 1 was on the paddle-box.
when the master proposed that we should shape our course up
channel. I inquired what the course was; he replied east
and by south. 1 inquired if that was from point to point or
from the present position of the ship. The master replied,
from point to point, and that east and by south would carry
us the same distance without St. Catharine's as we were off
the Start. I consented to the course being shaped east by
standard compass, the deviation being one point eastward,
and directed that she should not go inside her course. At
this time it rained—sometimes thick—wind from east.
I had some conversation viith the master about reducing
the steam ; he thought we had better make the Portland
Lights first. 1 went below to ascertain if the course pointed
out by the master was correct, and compared the standard
compass with the steering compass, which had been pre-
viously done by the master when he shaped the course. At
eight o'clock I•received a report from the chief engineer, and
ascertained the number of revolutions we were making. I
cannot state now what number he said, but I replied I don't
want to go so fast—l don't want to go into port to-night.
He said, or I directed—l don't know which—that the ex-
pansive gear should be put on another step of the cam (the
3d), and a fire lighted, so as not to have so much coal on,
which was done. I then remained on the bridge or paddle-
box until the Portland Lights were seen, at 10 o'clock, on
the port bow; at 12 we were abreast of Portland Lights,
bearing north four or five leagues. I sent for the master
shortly after, and said I wished the speed of the vessel to be
reduced, I believe I said to half-speed; he said, " Yes, sir,"
and I then said" I will go on deck and order it." He re-
plied, " Let me go, sir, I'm going on deck," and he went. I
think he reported to me it was done. I spoke to him then
about his (the master's) knowledge of the Channel in going
through St. Catharine's or the Needles, as we could when the
day broke take the passage which most favourably presented
itself. The master said he had a thorough knowledge of
the Channel, particularly around the Isle of Wight, hav-
ing been brought up in it all his life. I was on deck all
night. When below I was sitting in a chair, and on two
occasions I heard the order reported. I ran on deck and
observed we were passing vessels showing lights. The officer
of the watch ( Lieutenant Marryat), who was en the port
paddle-box, called out, " How's her head?" The quarter-
master answered S.S.E. and S.E.; the course was conse-
quently kept. I remained on the quarter-deck, looking out,
until after three o'clock, when I went below and desired the
quartermaster to call me at tour. I was called, and the
quartermaster stated, in answer to my questions, that there
were no lights in sight except vessels' lights, and the wea-
ther was the same as when I went off. I told him to call me
at five. I was called at five by Mr. Sullivan. I asked him
if there were any lights in sight. He said, "No,
master's on the paddle-box, and has sent a man up to the
mast-head to look out for the lights." I asked him if the
patent log had been hauled in. He said, " No." I directed
him (Mr. Sullivan) to go immediately and do it, and let me
know the result. He reported eighty-four miles on the
patent log. I said, " Tell the master to go as slow as pos-
sible, and keep her off; he knows we don't want to go in
to-night." I went on deck at five o'clock, and when I got
on the quarter-deck, or top of the ladder, I cannot say
which, the ship struck. I suppose that was about twenty
minutes after five. I got on the paddle-box as fast as
I could, when 1 heard the master order the ship to " go
astern." She moved astern for some time, but finding she
was fast, and the sea breaking heavily over the vessel, I
directed the engines to be stopped, and the water to be started
overboard and the masts cut down. As soon as the water
smoothed, we got our boat and an anchor out. When off the
Start, and the course was shaped, I directed the patent log to
be set and put overboard. The master said "I've set it, and
put it overboard myself, sir.
PRESIDENT—You say the Portland Lights at 12 o'clock
were bearing north four or five leagues. Was the course
altered at that time?—No.
Who set the Portland Lights?—The gunner, the officer of
the watch. I looked at them afterwards myself.
Was the wind blowing fresh and right ahead, and was
there much head sea P—The wind was ahead; it was not
blowing fresh ; there was no head sea.
What was the weather at 12 o'clock?—lt rained, as it had
done most of the night.
Was that course (east) steered intended to take the Sphynx
in or outside of St. Catharine's?—Outside, decidedly. The
ship was to the south of that course all night.
Was any means taken between 12 and 4 o'clock to deter-
mine the Sphynx's rate of going?—The ordinary log wad
hove every hour.
And what was her rate of going?—Ten knots by the ordi-
nary log in the first watch.
When you went on deck at three o'clock, as you have
stated, was the weather then thick ?—No ; you could see a
long way off. The Portland Lights were seen until near
two o'clock.
Who informed you the weather was the same when you
were called ?—Vincent, the quartermaster.
Did he, at the same time, tell you her rate of going ?
—No.
When you settled the course you stated for the master to
steer by standard compass did you lay down that course upon
the chart with the master ?—I was on the paddle-box when
it was settled, but I went below and looked at the Channel
liirectoty, and found that the course from the Start to St.
Catharine's was E. and by S. 92 miles, as the master had
stated. The standard compass was always to the south-
ward of east. The ship was so frequently kept to the south-
ward, that I had no apprehensions, but fully expected,
from the state of the weather, to see the lights of the Isle
of Wight.
When you were called at four o'clock did you inquire what
distance the Sphynx had gone ?—No.
As you stated that the Directory told you 92 miles from
the Start to St. Catharine's, you surely must have been sur-
prised at not seeing the St. Catharine's Lights, when there
was more than that distance run on the log at four o'clok_e
?
—The ordinary log always keeps a greater speed than the
vessel is going by one mile or more in nine in paddle-wheel
steamers. and
You have stated that you could see some distance,
that it was fair during the night. Was it reported tou
that the weather was changed during the night?
You stated
that
in your letter to the Commander-ins Chief (Sir C. Ogl 01 .
the weather was thick P—l said in the letter that the weather
was thick when we went on shore. ten
Was it to your knowledge that the vessel was going
knots, or more, until she struck ?—I consider that the vessel.
was never going ten knots. The patent log only gave eighty-
four miles in ten and a half hours.
'
Did you propose to the master, or he to you, at four o clock,s
stopping the Sphynx to get a cast of the lead?—N°; 1
con-
sidered there was an order to keep the lead going on all occa-
sions. I did not on that occasion.
Who Bove that order ?—I did.
Was teat order ever given in writing?—No.
Was there any written order on the night of the 16th left
with the officers of the watch ?—No. not.
Was the lead hove at all during the night?--I believe
By Captain HENDERSON—When the ship was
of "dered to
the east at twelve o'clock, what was the differencespeed?
—Three or four revolutions. The safety-valve partly shut as
well.
What speed did a reduction of four revolutions
give you?
knots.
—I should think she then went about seven or eight
By Captain liliossE—Did you consider the master charged
with the pilotage of the ship ?—Yes.
Was he on deck during the first and middle watches, and
at what hours?—lle was on deck constantly during the
night.
Did he mark or. the chart the position of the ship at eight,
fter eight
twelve, two, and four o'clock?-1 am not aware after
o'clock whether he did or not. of the Portland
Why did net the master take the bearings
, bearings and
Lights at the different hours, and by the cro.
,s
osition ?
the distance run in the interval, obtain the ship
I do not know whether he did or not; he had a c nart of his
own in his cabin. • • a of the ship to
At what tight o'clock,
he report the positio
him, at twelve
you? —At ght o'clock, and, when I sent for
o'clock.
Did he bring the chart with him ?--
The chart was on the
cabin table.
Did he mark the position of the ship on the chart at twelve?
—No, he did not. deviation of the
When the ship was swung for the
com-
passes, what was the amount of error, with the ship's head
at east?-10 deg. 20 min. east.
Were you furnished by the officer who swung the ship with
•
a table of the amount of deviations, in the leg. and was it inserted in
y
the log ?—Yes, and it was "pastedas
Is it in the log now ?—No-
Are the Court to consider that when the ship was steer-
he actual course was east 10 south?—.
ing east by compass t
Yes.
h.n the Porland Lights were reported to
PRESIDENT--W.-
by the gunner, did you lay down the
you, at 12 o'clock,
ha k all time
ec the
ship's position on th© chart ?—I was on d
siht.
Ithe Portland Lights were in sight.
Dip you, from 7 •
Start, as stated in the
lay down the course
r, se, when you were seven miles off the
log, till the time the Sphynx
og, the Ad • struck,
steered upon Admiralty chart?—
Yes,
the course on the Admiralty'
I measured offchart,
course, as well
and saw it was a correct aslooked in the
cannot say whether I laid it down
Channel Directory. I
or not.
Did any officer during that night propose to you. to get a
cast of the lead?—No•
deck, a little after 5
When you came upon , where did you
suppose the vessel was when she struck?—At the back of
the Isle of Wight.
Had she struck before you got on deck?—I cannot under-
take to say whether I was on the quarter-deck or not; if not
I was on the ladder.
What time of tide was it when the ship etruck P—Flood
tide.
------ By Captain Cnans—You have stated that at 5 o'clock
" WITHOUT MONEY AND WITAO UT PRICE."—The You gave orders for engines to gho as slew as possible, and
following notice is posted on the door of Christ Church, ship's head to be kept off; was tat done?—Yes, as far as
Cheltenham :—"Applications for pews ter sittings to be made the engines were concerned; they were going as slow as
to Mr. Davis, at the Montpelier Libraty, every day, Sundays possible, but the ship's head was not kept off.
excepted. Day tickets may be obtained at the same place, Do you, from your own knowledge, know that the engines
admitting • to all the services of the day, at Is. 6d. Tickets were going slow ?—lt was reported to me. I know it
for single services, Is. each." was so.
HORRIBLE DESTITUTION.--A gentleman, recently
-_Under five knothat rate do you suppose she was going when she struck?
s.
from the west coast, assures us that a family in Kishorn, How was her head when she struck P—The
Lochcarron, have subsisted for several weeks this season on quartermaster
afterwards re orted to me that her head
boiled grass and nettles, without tasting any other species of north. p - Was east and by
has been
food. He adds, that nothing whatever done for ,
Bo Captain MINE—Did the master take t'
:e poor by the parish beyond giYing the paupers akw biis the ~tart at 7, and the rcrtl:ind Lights e hearing" of
of meal, and thinks that, ere summer, Jeantown will b- hew, so. at I:2:—Yes. I!w
as utterly destitute as Skibbereeu, in. Ireland.—Ross-shire I Did he give the compass bearings, or
Advertiser. , corrected for the deviation of the compass ?—Th
were the bearings
SINGULAR AND FATAL Am-oil-Me—An accident standard compass. Ido not think they were e bearings by
corrected
of a very uncommon kind occurred at New Bridge, near Will you produce to the Court the table of i.
Snaith, on Friday last. Mr. Jos'aph Bays, farmer, was , nished to you by the officer who swung the ship e—l cannot.
ploughing in a field in his occupatico, and had finished all the i There is a correct copy (put in).
field but a narrow slip by the side of a drain, when, it is sup- ' By Captain KlNGoostE—When you left the
posed, owing to the reetivee ess of one of the bones, the o'clock at what distance do you suppose deck at three
. you could se- a
,
plough was overturned into the drain,_ and, unfortunately, light at the Isle of Wight ?—Eight or • '
the deceased nine milts. Could see
with it, and 'ire was oirowned.--Doncaster a ship one and a half or two miles a
Chronicle, 1 1
.

Was it reported to you when it became thick ?—No.
By the PREeIDENT—Did you leave any night orders at
eight o'clock ?—Yes.
What were they ?—To call me on all occasions of cliatiff
of weather, and the officer of watch to keep hit Watch. The
night channel orders were—Ahat I heVer could be called too
often if anything, occUrred.
Who did you leave.those orders with ?—I think the gunner.
He was on the bridge with me for somo time.
To the Master—Do you wish to question any part of the
evidence which has been given ?—No. All is perfectly
correct.

It is therefore unnecessary to give more than two items of
the master's evidence.

e -

By the PnESIDENT—Had there been a cast of the lead at
four o'clock would the Sphynx have got on shore ?—I do not
think she would,
Cross-examined by Commander Cragg—Did you not
alter the course on your own responsibility 2—l did, at live
o'clock.

Mr. John Jones, the gunner; Lieut. Marryat, Mr. William
Cavendish Spencer Sullivan, acting mate; Walter Hall and
John Vincent, quartermasters; Mr. George William Burnby,
midshipman • Mr. Pemberton, first engineer; Mr. Oultine,
engineer of the middle watch on the morning in question ;
and Thomas Bl‘Gellon, engineer, were all examined ; but it
is unnecessary to give their testimony. This concluded the
prosecution, and it now being five o'clock, the Court adjourned
until the following day to hear the defence.
At 10 o'clock on Saturday morning the Court re-as-
sembled, when Mr. Hoskins delivered a most eloquent de-
fence on behalf of Commander Cragg, but which, we regret,
is too lengthy for our limited space. The prisoner's certili-
ficates were of the most satisfactory character, some of the
most distinguished officers in the service having warmly tes-
tified to his merits. The master made no set defence, but
also received an excellent character, from Captain Chads and
other officers.

The Court was then cleared, and after two hours' delibera-
tion, agreed that the charge had been fully proved against
the said Commander John Bettinson Cragg and Mr. Joseph
Wallis (the Sphynx having been run upon the shore in con-
sequence of the lead not having been attended to), and did
adjudge the said Commander J. B. Cragg, in consideration of
his previous high character and length of service, to be only
dismissed from the command of the said steam sloop Sphynx,
and to be placed at the bottom of the list of Commanders of
the Royal Navy; and the said Mr. Joseph Wallis, in conse-
quence of his subsequent gallant conduct in saving the lives
of part of the boat's crew of her Majesty's ship Scourge, to
be only dismissed from the said steam-sloop Sphynx, and to
be reduced from the rank of master of the Royal Navy, and
to serve as a second master in the Royal Navy, and not to
be eligible to be promoted for the space of one year from
the day of the date hereof; and the Court agreed that the
charge had not been proved against the other officers and the
ship's company who formed the crew of the Sphynx steam-
vessel when she ran ashore, and did adjudge them to be ac-
quitted. _ _

Commander Cragg has been 38 years in the navy (although
only five years a commander), and, during 33 years of that
time, has been actually at sea, and mostly employed on fo-
reign stations. He entered the service in 1809, on board the
Lavinia, Lord William Stuart; was midshipman of the Marl-
borough, at Cadiz ; and in North America during the war,
with Admiral Sir George Cockburn ; in the flag-ships of Ad-
mirals Sir Pulteney Malcolm and Plampin, at St. Helena, and
Lord Amelius Beauclerek ; a second time he joined Admiral
Plampin, who, when he struck his flag, promoted him to
the rank of lieutenant, in May, 1828. In 1829 he was
flag-lieutenant to Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Paget, and
commanded the tender to the Semiramis, and, during that
time, captured a smuggling cutter on the coast of Ireland;
he was afterwards in succession lieutenant of the Talavera,
Malabar, and Cornwallis, and joined a second time with
Sir Charles Paget, for the West Indies, in 1837, where
he was placed in command of the Charon steam-vessel,
and on her being paid off, was appointed to the Dasher; from
her was removed to the Ilecla, which he commanded nearly
three years in the West ladies. During the latter command
in 1841, the yellow fever broke out on board, and the surgeon
died on the fifth day, and she was at sea eleven days without
a medical man, during which time Lieutenant. Commander
Cragg personally administered to the whole of the officers
and crew, who were all suffering from the fever, but not one
died. On arriving at Barbadoes, a week afterwards, the
fevaan broke out in the vessel, when every officer, ex-
cept WCragg and one engineer, together with a great pro-
portion of the crew, died ; and there were upwards of 34 in
the hospital. During the time Lieutenant Cragg served in
the West Indies he always acted as pilot, having no officers,
a master's-assistant being lent him from the Rover to take
charge of the stores. On paying off the Heels he was pro-
moted to the rank of commander, having been 31 out of 33
years actually at sea, and was appointed to the command of
the Sphyux on the 29th of June last.

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.
(most OUR OWN CORRESPO'NDENT.)
FEHRUAHT 14.
IVONDMENT TO THE LATE COMMODORE 61 tgs PtOTAt
YACHT SQUADRON.—The subscription for this object DOW
amounts to more than 8001., to which 2001. is to be added
from the club funds, so that there is no doubt of its reaching
the proposed amount, 1,200/., by May next, the time for
holding the general meeting of members.
Tux NEEDLES LIGHT.—The loss of her Majesty's steamer
Sphynx
may, we hope, impress on the Government the ne-
cessity of altering the position of this light, as it is notorious
that when most wanted it cannot be seen, being always capped
in bad weather. It is well known that the unfortunates on
board the Clarendon, the Sphynx, and the fifty other vessels
that have been lost on the rock and cliff bound coast of the
Wight were not able to discern the Needles light or they
would have been saved.
TILE Srmstx.—Great exertions have been made to save
this ship : her being so near our great naval yard has given
her a chance no other vessel has had, and everything pro-
ceeded favourably till this morning, when the:wind came round
to the south-west ;blowing bard on the shore. Had the fine
calm weather of the last week continued only three days
longer she would have been safe in Portsmouth harbour, now
all is a lottery.
The barometer has sunk from 29.76 to 29.48.
DISTRESS OF THE LABOURING POOR IN THE ISLE OF
WIGHT.—At the weekly meeting of the guardians of the
poor on Friday, there were more applications from the agri-
cultural population than ever before remembered. Heavy
rain set in on the 7th ; in the evening came snow, and con-
tinued part of the night, followed by a sharp frost on the
Bth, the snow being from four to six inches deep, which had
not been witnessed for the last seventeen years. During the
day thousands of larks passed over, making for the south;
this continued during the 9th, numbers of the birds alighting
in the turnip fields, feeding on the tops, and, strengthened by
the warm sun, again took flight to the south. In many parts
of the island they were taken in great numbers; in all parts
they devoured the cabbage plants, &c. The frost continued
by nights, but the warm sun of the days thawed the snow so
much that the grass in the meadows dipping to the south
and west, again pressed through on the 10th. It froze very
hard till midnight on the 13th, when the wind shifted to the
south-west, attended with rain, and on the 14th the snow
had almost entirely disappeared. The winter has been long
and severe, and as the poor are not relieved by the charities
of those that are gone, no rich legacies having been left to
them, they rely on their own exertions, the poor-house, or to
the voluntary subscriptions of the tradesmen, ase. There
are no rich residents; the tradesmen therefore subscribe
weekly to the compassionate fund to relieve the destitute and
distressed in the' inter. The committee commenced by dis-
tributing bread and coals once a fortnight, then weekly, and
at last twice a week; on the Ist inst. to 160 families, on the
4th to 170, on the 10th to 220, and on the 12th to 227, each
family receiving one hundred weight of coals, and to families
of six, 12 lbs. of bread, of four, 8 lbs., of two, 41bs. This
vast amount of good is effected by a weekly subscription of
tradesmen, &c., of only sixpence each, the far greater num-
ber of whom are yearly subscribers; but there are some, well
able to afford it, who never subscribe to this or any other
charity, men in whose breasts charity has no place : but it is
so in all towns. It is to be regretted that all towns have not
a compassionate fund, from which the afflicted and distressed
can at all times receive relief, for from this fund money (when
more particularly needed) is given, in sums of 2s. 6d. to 205.,
as well as food, without distinction as to creed or politics. The
committee meet every Wednesday, and every subscriber is a
member of the committee if he attends the meeting.
THE DISTRESSED IRISH AND SCOTCH.—Collections have
been made from house to house throsugh this town in aid of
these funds, and a considerable amount obtained.