The Sun.
London, England, 1841-07-26 00:00:00

ETON REGATTA-SATURDAY.

The Annual Regatta took place on Saturday at Eton,
in commemoration of the four hundredth anniversary of
the foundation of this venerable Colleze—

" Where grateful science still adores,
Her Henry's holy shade."
This event, as most of our readers may be aware, is cele-
brated by an aquatic procession of boats handsomely fit-
ted up for the occasion, and rowed by Eton boys, under
the guidance of a captain to each boat, who is chosen
from amongst the crew. They proceed up the river as far
as Surley Hall, where they partake of some refreshment,
and then return to Eton. It was expected that Prince
Albert would have honoured the festivities on Saturday
with his presence, and accompanied the procession to
Surley Hall ; his Royal Highness, however, was engaged
laying the first stone of an Orphran Asylum at Wanstead,
and was unable to come. _ _ _

The morning did not promise propitiously for the day's'
.
enjoyment, out towards evening it brightened up, and at
six o'clock the boys being liberated from. the painful
durance of the college walls, rushed forth in shoals,
while gigs and wherries began to glide from the shore,
and fast dippiniic oars to sparkle in the light of the sink-
ing sun. At this hour, too, the company were fast as-
sembling in the Brocas ; and though the number of
spectators were not so numerous as we have seen them
on former occasions, there was a pretty fair muster of
well-dressed people on horseback and on foot, who lined
the shore from the Brocas to the Clump. At that part
of the shore from whence the boats started a space was
railed in for the accommodation of the young gentlemen
who were to row, and at this point were drawn up a
number of private carriages, containing for the most part
ladies, who appeared highly interested at the scene. A
gun, which was fired as the clock struck seven, was the
signal for the boats to prepare, and in a few seconds the
juvenile watermen were all aboard their respective craft,
the steerer of each boat wearing the uniform of an
officer of the royal navy. At this moment the appear-
, anco of the river and the shore was exceedingly ani-
mated. After rowing once by the company, the seven
Etonian boats went'off in beautiful style, preceded by
two other boats containing the band of the Oxford Blues
playing the popular air " Nix my Dolly."
The following is a list of the boats in the order that
they started, with the names of the young gentlemen
who rowed in each :

1. Monarch—(Leading boat, ten oars) Arundel, cap-
tain, Woolley, Butt, ma., Richards, Spankie, ma., Bayley,
Clarke, Bygate, Pigot, Temple, Murdoch, steerer.
2. Victory—(Eight oars) Buller, captain, Craster,
Palmer, Smith, Harkness, Mount, StaPylton, Townley,
Whitmore, steerer.
3. Prince George—(Eight oars)—Spankie, mi., cap-
tain, Peel, Wiley, Houston, Cornwall, Newdigatc,

Hughes, Hole, Bill; mi., steerer.
4. Britannia—(Eight oars) Bedford, captain, Courte•
nay, Pepys, ma., Codrington, Follett, Sir M. Stewart
Wigney, Henley, Lord Belgrave, steerer.
5. Dreadnought—(Eight oars) Fellowes, captain, Back
ma., Turton, Lord Guernsey, Lucy, Woodbridge, ma..
Peel, Turton, Foster, Currie, steerer. . .

6. Thetis—(Eight oars) Doraville, captain, Burton
Ruggles, East, Spike, Higginson, Monk, Boughton
Finch, steerer. . _ .

At Surley-hall the crews partook of an elegant repast
in the open air, at which so many champagne corks were
drawn, that the hilarity of the crews was astonishly in-
creased on their return down the river. On returning to
Windsor they pulled to the Cobbler,, and afterwards dis-
played a variety of aquatic feats, to the immense gratifi-
cation of the crowds assembled on the shore. The day's
festivities concluded with a display of fireworks on the
small island below the bridge, which had a very beautiful
effect viewed from the bridge.

EXPERIMENTS AT WOOLWICH, 1
WITH THE PROJECTILE INVENTED BY
THE DUKE OF NORMANDIE.
(From the British Queen.)
The first experiments which took place on Friday at
Woolwich, with the great projectile as prepared by the
Duke of Normandie, although they did not prove suc-
cessful in carrying out the intended effects, yet were
sufficient to convince us that he will, in a very few days,
produce other shells, which will entirely remedy the de-
fect in those used on Friday ; and will enable him to
realise the most sanguine expectation entertained of them.
The chief cause of the failure of the experiments was
in the screw which fixes the brass cap to the shell. It
was found by far too weak to resist the force of the
powder when the cannon was fired ; consequently the
cap, in every case, was instantly broken off, and the in-
ternal preparation of the shell exposed to the blaze of
the powder, which ignited it, and the shell exploded at
the cannon's mouth. This defect can easily be remedied.
One or two other minor defects were pointed out to us
by the inventor, which can be as easily removed. The
caps proved to have too much metal in them, and pro-
ject more than is necessary. In the next experiments
they will be made much lighter ; and, instead of being
fixed on the shell, will be let into it, and form a part of
it, by which means they will become perfectly secure
against the causes which exploded them so prematurely.
FURTHER PARTICULARS.—WOOLWICH, SATURDAY
The powerful engine, under the preparation of the Duke
of Normandie, was examined this day, at three o'clock,
in the presence of Major Belson, when it was
ascertained that the mechanism which was to have
given the explosion to the engine was not in action.
It is supposed that the fly did not take motion
when the machine was wound up and set for a
given time, which accounts for. the explosion not taking
place at the appointed minute. In consequence of this,
it was determined that the machine should be exploded
by other means. This was done, and the explosion was
of a character almost impossible to describe ; although
the engine was small, it dislodged and blew to a dis-
tance of several hundred yards, at least 50 square yards
of the clayey stiff soil in which it was buried ; it formed
a crater of about 15 feet deep at the moment of explo-
sion, the air was filled with balls and shells, which
emitted a blaze of light, and then, in falling to the earth,
burst in succession, equalling a discharge of musketry.
We congratulate the Duke on his success ; and are glad
to find that the Duke is about immediately to produce
two other engines on the same construction, the ma-
chinery of which shall be made perfect and explode at
the time given.

GLOOMY PROSPECTS OF THE

HARVESTS IN FRANCE.

Pan's, Joni 22.—With unfeigned concern I turn to-day
from politics to a subject of an infinitely mere important natui e
than the success of Radical or Conservative—the weather.
Yesterday was stormy and showery as usual. With the ex-
ception of a few drops of rain which fell at eleven o'clock this
foremon, this was, until three o'clock, a fine, windy, warm day.
At that hour, however, came on a storm with rain from the
S.W., which, although it lasted but for a brief space, will pos-
sibly have replaced the crops in the situation in which the
previous rains had left them. I shall drop narrative, however,
in order to communicate to you the observations, reflections,
calculations, and assurances I have received from the very
best authority in Europe on the subject.
"Since Saturday last the price of flour in the Paris market
has risen 7f. the sack, of 159 kilogrammes, or 3181b5., nearly
3 cwt. Within three weeks the price of wheat has risen 23
per cent. It is not, however, in France alone that this calamity
begins to be experiencEd ; the north of Europe suffers, and
fears even more. Already the price of wheat had risen at
Dantzic to 19f. the hectolitre. What the situation of Great
Britain and her dependencies is, in this respect, you require
not that I tell you.
Everything depends upon the weather during the next ten
days. lithe weather continue bad, not only will the quality of
the harvest, already seriously compromised, be still more de-
teriorated, but the quantity, which appeared sufficient, will be
no longer so. Thus, from the present date to the 2d or 7th of
next month (that is, in ten or fifteen days), we may incur that
irreparable calamity, a very deficient harvest of bad quality;
and hence it is on the barometer, on the thermometer, and on
the eudometer, that the statesman must keep his eye during
that period, and not upon the political balance.
" Should the weather prove unfavourable in that interval,
whither are we (France and England) to turn for supplies?
You (English) have already tried the northern markets of Eu-
rope, but you were too late. Those of the United States of
America alone hold out hope to you.
" Are you aware that one day's consumption of corn in France
is equal to the freight of 175 vessels of 100 tons each ? and that
a day's consumption of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland would freight 145 vessels of the same burden?
Thus it would require 320 vessels to convey to England and
France a single day's supply of corn or flour. Taking the va-
lue of the article at 400 f. (161. sterling) the ton, a day's con-
sumption would cost 12,800,000 f., or rather more than half a
million sterling.
" In 1816 there were at this season 23 days of rain, which
produced 96 centimetres, or very nearly three feet of water.
The temperature was 2h degrees (of Reaumur) lower than at
present, and it caused France to expend extraordinarly
1,700,000,000 f., or 68,000,000/. sterling.
" The consequences of that dreadful season were, that Great
Britain imported in 1817 supplies for thirty-six days; in 1818,
for seventy-three days; in 1819 (when the dearth had ceased),
for twenty-six days.
" The comparison between 1816 and the present year is
rather in our favour, but I cannot too often repeat, all depends
upon the weather during the next ten or fifteen days."
It were presumptuous in me to attempt to add a single word
to this communication.

The Duke and Duchess of Richmond and
family have left Goodwood, Lord William Lennox will do the
honours there during the race week, and the Hon. G. Byng
will act as steward for the Earl of March.
_

---
In 1674 the summer in Scotland was remark-
ably hot. It is related that one of the minions of tyranny,
who at that calamitous period harassed the poor Presbyterians
with captious questions, having asked a shepherd of Fife
" Whether the killing of Sharp, Archbishop of St. Andrew's
(which had happened in May) was murder?" he replied "that
he could not tell, but that there had been fine weather ever since."

The stormy weather during the week has con-
siderably delayed the arrival of the steamers from France,
Holland, and- Belgium. On Thursday several vessels were six
and eight hours longer than usual on their, respective voyage
and three steamers expected on Thursday . afternoon from'
Scotland, Dublin, and Rotterdam, did not arrive till Friday
morning.