The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-23 00:00:00

THE RIPON STEAM-SHIP.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Com-
pany, 51, St. Mary-axe, Oct. 22, 1846.
am desired to request that you will have the
goodness to give immediate insertion in your journal to
the enclosed circular, which has been addressed, as far
as their addresses are known, to the friends of the pas-
sengers by the Ripon.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
JAMES ALLAN, Secretary.
" Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Com-
pany, 51, St. Mary-axe, Oct. 22, 1846.
" Sir,—l am desired by the managing directors, with
a view to relieve any anxiety which may be felt by the
friends of the passengers on board of the company's
steamer Ripon, to inform you, that in consequence of an
accident to her rudder, which' happened in the late gale,
that vessel has put into Torbay, where sho is in safety,
and the company's steam-ship Oriental will proceed to-
morrow (Friday) to Torbay, to embark the passengers
and mails, and convey them to Alexandria.
" I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,
"JAMES ALLAN, Secretary.
" P.S. Mr. Lane, the purser of the Ripon, who brought
up the intelligence, returns to Torbay, by special train,
to night, to announce the above-mentioned arrangement
to the passengers."

THE GREAT WESTERN.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SlR,—The Great Western steam-ship appears to have
had a very narrow escape ; she was in imminent danger
of foundering as did, some years since, the President,
and under c rcumstances very similar ; for there is
reason to believe the President was in so helpless a con-
dition, from the violence of the storm she encour.tered,
that she fell off into the trough of the sea, which making
a complete sweep over her she became water-loggeel, and
finally sunk.
Such a catastrophe may, it is known, be prevented by
keeping the vessel's bow to the sea : this can be accom-
plished by the simple contrivance of a float anchor.
The float-anchor is admirably adapted to keep a vessel
of great length in the position desired. A steam-vessel,
for instance, overtaken by a storm, where there is plenty
of sea room, might extinguish her fires, batten down,
and out with a float-anchor, by which she could ride in
comparative ease and with safety.
There is nothing novel in the use of a float-anchor, or
of expedients of a like nature, to enable a vessel, when
dismasted or unmanageable, to bow the sea ; and, as
there are many instances upon record of vessels being
so saved from foundering by a means of preservation so
easily atailable, it may be well to recommend its con-
sideration to ship-owners and navigators.
A NAVAL OFFICER.

October 22, 1846.

LYCEUM THEATRE,

Mrs. Harris that hitherto mysterious lady, about.
whose existence so many doubts have been entertained,
the universal referee of Mrs. Sairy Gamp, who has
been hitherto classed by naturalists with mermaids and
unicorns, as an entity heard of but never seen, made
her appearance at the Lyceum last evening. We went
there in the expectation of having our doubts as to the
existence of Mrs. Harris cleared up, but we are scep-
tical—we still have our doubts. True, we saw Mrs.
Harris, but we did not see Mrs. Gamp ; and so
like is Mrs. Harris to Mrs. Gamp, that until we
see the two together, enjoying separate existences,
we shall not believe in the separate personal entity of
the two individuals. If they have separate existences, then
must Mrs. Harris be the twin sister of Mrs. Gamp ;
Mrs. Harris refers to Mrs. Gamp for her character, much
after the same manner that Mrs. Gamp refers to Mrs.
Harris, and Mrs. Gamp does not appear upon the scene,
so that we may be pardoned if we still maintain our old
opinion that Mrs. Camp and Mrs. Harris are identical.
Certes, Mr. Keeley's Mrs. Harris was marvellously like
his Mrs. Gamp. Like Mrs. Gamp, Mrs. Harris attends
upon invaliges, and, like Mrs. Camp, she has a bottle of
gin upon the chimney-piece to put her mouth to
it whenever she is so dispodged. She is in attendance
upon a cataleptic patient, and as cataleptics can't speak,
she beats her patient after the approved Gamp method ;
moreover she has the approved Gamp taste for cow-
himbers, pickled salmon, Brighton tipper, and shilling
glasses of gin-and-water; and she suffers from the Gamp
complaint, of a constant sinking, which requir4 s fre-
quent supplies of sustenance. Her patient, Henry Masker
(Mr. A. Wigan), is however only shamming. He is
the nephew of an opulent Birmingham manufacturer,
Mr. Mugbolt (Mr. Turner), who has received informa-
tion from a certain Mr. Slickey (Mr. F. Matthews)
that the juvenile is going the pace in London, and is
about to contract matrimony with Fanny Platt (Miss
Arden) a pretty milliner ; whereupon the old uncle deter-
mines to take Slickey into partnership, and to send his
nephew down to Birmingham by a third-class train. The
nephew, thereupon, shams cataleptic, and is attended
by Dr. Biliary Shivers (Mr. Meadows), and by Mrs.
Harris, the nurse. Fanny Platt brings a cap for Mrs.
Harris, newly trimmed, a favourite cap, one which she had
worn on the day when she took the late desieged Mr.
Harris to Guidge Hospital, and at the same time brings
a note from Mrs. Gamp, inviting Mrs. Harris to supper
elf a goose and sausage:. Tempted by the goose and
sausages, Mrs. Harris resigns her post of watcher to
Fanny, but in the meantime Slickey has entered and dis-
covered the supposed invalid busy with Mrs. Harris's
ie
eputs curedth the abdominal
obs eyd
supper. Slickey proposes to change clothes with him
and take his place, so as to afford him an
opportunity of escape, which Masker gladly embraces,
and Slickey, taking the place of the cataleptic, is pur-
suing his designs upon the fair Fanny, when Maskerreturns, returns, having found in the pockets of Slickey's coat
convincing proofs of his villainy. Disguised in Slickey's
coat, wig, and spectacles, he is secure from discovery, arid
having made himself known to Fanny, he arouses the
household, announces himself as the far-famed doctor who
has been sent for to cure the cataleptic patient,
in a powerful electrical machine, and so shocks
Slickey, that he is glad to discover himself to escape
further torture—of course the uncle consents to his'
marriage, and all ends happily. Mrs. Harris returns
just at this moment rather tosticated with liquor, and
seating herself upon the machine, gets a severe shock,
which as she says, dishitgates her entirely. However, as
her invalidge has recovered, she distributes her cards about
the house, and announces, amidst the vociferous cheers,
of a crowded house, that she will resume her ogerous
duties every evening until further notice. Spasms are
cured by shaking the midriff—liver complaints are cured
by putting the abdominal muscles into violent action—
si n is
laughter,
ni
us
cies whichin
to slakes
violentthe mid ri ff,
and)
motion.
Therefore, let all those who labour under spasms, liver
Ic,ii)miephlaainrets,comp spleen,
course of the Harris couof rrethaon
tseer
tvho
eu Lyceum,snes s—o a
r diseases—taken biliousness,
they will
ialnio uhsonui esi,slsl,
be made whole.

---
COURT CIRCULAR.
Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester left
town at three o'clock yesterday afternoon, for Cashio-
bury-park, Herts, on a visit to her Majesty the Queen
Dowager. Her Royal Highness travelled from the
Euston-square terminus of the London and North-Wes-
tern Railway, to Watford, and proceeded from that
station to Cashiobury-park.
Lord John Russell arrived at his residence, in Che!-
ham-pl:me, yesterday morning, from Wimbledon. His
Lordship left town in the afternoon,
on a visit to the
Marquis of Salisbury, at his seat, Hatfield House, Herts,
to have the honour of meeting her Maest.
Lord Campbell arrived in
town yestejrdayy, from Hart-
rigge House, Roxburghshire, and transacted business at
the office of the Duchy of Lancaster.

of her Majesty andil
LD, ..DURSDAY N
PrinceELD Consort HOUSE.
to
AtbTPF.
HER
MAJESTY'S - - .
:G VThIeSaIT TO
HATFIELD, ir anticipated visit
there to honour the Marquis of Salisbury by their august
presence for two days,Hatfield House,
gave occasion to a most loyal dis-
play at the small
town of Hatfield. At an early hour
the town was rife •
with a busy population, anxiously d -
corating the exterior their in . e
of houses various fashions,
to publicly testify the devotion loyal
andregard they
entertained towards th • Sovereign.
en-
The same busy preparations was as going forward within
the mansion of the Marquis o
Salisbury, hundreds of
persons being actively employed in the completion of the
arrangements for the due t" rece
short notice the Noble Marquisp t
on of her Majesty. The
honour to be conferred on himhad of the proposed
a great
Imetture,
the cause of the backwardness everything"•as'ite and
the utmost exertions were requisite toaicorredeanything
like a suitable welcome to the Queen.
The Duke of Wellington arrived from town before
eleven o'clock ; Lord and Lady Charles Wellesley, Mr.
A. B. and Lady Mildred Hope, and Mr. J. M. and Lady
Blanche Balfour had previously arrived.
The Duke of Rutland, the Marquis and Marchioness
of Exeter, the Earl and Countess Brownlow, the Earl
and Countess Spencer, Lord John Russell, Lord and
Lady Cowley, Lord and Lady Bray brook°, and Hon.
Miss Neville, Lord Sandys, and Lord Marcus •
Hill
arrived in the course of the day, and formed the circle
staying at the house, as guests of the Noble Marquis, on
this occasion.
As the day advanced crowds of people from all parts
of the county, both near and remote, congregated in the
town, and by three o'clock some thousands of expectant
spectators collected along the road and line of route of
the royal cortege, manifesting the greatest patience to
obtain a sight of the cavalcade.
The Marquis of Salisbury, accompanied by the Duke
of Wellington, Lord Charles Wellesley, Lord Robert
Cecil, and Mr. James M. Balfour passed through Hat-
field about three o'clock, on horseback, on his way to
meet the Queen in the St. Alban's•road. and to escort
the cortege to his Lordship's house. We must here
slightly digress to explain the route of her Majesty.
At three o'clock yesterday afternoon the Queen and
his Royal Highness Prince Albert closed their visit to
Queen Adelaide at Cashiobury Park, and after taking an
affectionate farewell of the Dowager Queen and the
Princess of Hesse, her Majesty departed for Hatfield

House.
i
The route was by St. Alban's, where the Marquis of
Salisbury's own horses formed the relay for the Queen's
carriage, and thence to Hatfield, and through the town to
the park entrance on the London-road.
Marquis
port Salisbury'siortotheQtiroconp reaching.f.theSouth
St.ut Alban's, the
Hefts
m
Yeo-
rnanry Cavalry,who were in waiting to escort her Majesty
to Hatfield, mustered at the I own-hall, where the royal
carriages changed horses.
The royal party arrived at St. Alban's shortly before
four o'clock, and after a brief delay resumed the jour-
ney. At about four miles from Hatfield the Marquis of
Salisbury and the Duke of Wellington met the royal
cortege, when her Majesty's carriage was stopped, and
the noble and gatlant Duke advanced to congratulate
the Queen, and the Marquis to offer his attentions.
At a quarter past four the royal cortege arrived 4t fie