The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-27 00:00:00

STEAM TRADE TO AUSTRALIA.

To-day a grand dejeuner will be given on board the
splendid steam screw clipper Istanboul, lying in the Vic-
toria (London) Docks, to celebrate the inauguration of a
new and much-needed line of vessels between the me-
tropolis and the Australia', colonies. The entertainment
is given by the Australian Steam-clipper Company
(limited), and the Lord Mayor, Sir Morton Peto, and
many other individuals of eminence in civic and mercan-
tile circles, are among the invited guests. This remark.
ably fine first-class vessel, which leaves the Thames fir
Melbourne on the 10th of November, is described as of
2,200 tons burthen ; and, besides great capacity for
cargo, has superior and varied accommodation for a
considerable number of passengers, at rates much
below any offered hitherto in London, considering
the conveniences offered and the scale of dietary gua-
ranteed. At she lies alongside the jetty she does not
at first sight present that appearance of immense size
which is suggested by her tonnage ; but an exa- i
of her breadth of beam and depth of hOli
soon removes this impression. An adequate idea or
hrr dimensions is only obtained by standing on the
poop, a point of view which enables the eye in
take in length and breadth at one glance. The num-
ber of boats, and the provision against contingencies in
the shape of life buoys, &c., testify to the care shown
fer the lives of the passengers and crew ; and in all the
arrangements the latest improvements in nautical science
have been availed of. The chief cabin, the scene of to-
day's festivity, is remarkable for its length and the chaste
beauty of its decorations, in both of which features
it may vie with those of the great Transatlantic lines.
The front is of polished mahogany, and on each
side of the doors are lonic pilasters, with gilded
capitals. Internally the fittings are white, the panels
being relieved with gilt mouldings of a very tasteful
character ; and a handsome chandelier is suspended from
the ceiling. The establishment of a regular line of steam-
clippers, of the size of the Istanboul, and fitted with like
sumptuousness, will commence a new era from a new point,
in our intercourse with Australia, and induce many persons
from the southern countries and the metropolis to proceed
thither who are now deterred by length of passage and ap-
prehension of those sources of discomfort which we fre-
quently hear of as accompaniments of an A i
Australian
voyage from London direct. The Istanboul, it s con&
dently expected, will make the run outwards under fifty
days. Nothing that expenditure or exp-rience can con-
tribute to render it a safe and plea ant,. as well as a
speedy one, is neglected on the part of the company,
who appear resolved to make their line a model
one for its purpose ; the Istanboul being certainly
an excellent earnest of their intentions thus far
at all events. She has been visited by large
numbers during the last few days at the Vic-
toria Docks, which seem in great request for ocean
going steamers tracing to London, Mr. W. Lindsay'.
Indian steam fleet being now berthed there, as also the
pioneer of the new clipper screw fleet for the West
Coast of South America. The extent of these docks,
the facility they afford of ingress and egress, and the
fact of there being direct railway communication thence
to all parts of the kingdom, seem to account for their
popularity, irrespective of economic rates, as compared
with the older and more confined London, Si,. Ka-
therine's, and other docks.—Liverpool Albion (Monday).

BANQUET TO TR(' OP FIVERS OP TEA
STAFFORDSHIRE MILITIA.

A banquet was' given on tuesday last at Stafford to the
officers of the Staffordshire Militia. In the absence of the
Lord-Lieutenant, the chair was taken by the Right. Hon.
the Earl of HARROWBY. Near the chairman were the
Hon. Colonel Talbot, the Earl of Dartmouth, Viscount
Sandon, Lieut.-Colonel Dyott, the Hon. A. WrottesleY.
Sir Robert Peel, Bart., M.P., Rear Admiral Mainwaring,
General Sir Harry Smith, Bart., G.C.8., Viscount St.
Vincent, the Earl of Lichfield, the Right non. Viscount
Newport, Viscount Ingestre, and the Bishop of the
Diocese.
Lord HARROWBY, in proposing " The Army and Navy,"
remarked that he hoped Englishmen would not be ungrate-
ful-indeed that was a sin not common to our countrymen
-(cheers)-and that they would never forget the services
the army had rendered them. And while they remembered
the services of their gallant army, and with what anxiety
they looked for intelligence during the late struggle, be
trusted that it would fill them with the determination to
be prepared for another war, if unhappily they should be
compelled again to enter into hostilities. (Hear and
cheers.) No false feeling of security, nor a feeling that
peace would would be lasting, should lead them to linwis'a,
economy in the measures necessary for the protection 00
their country-measures which at one time were in e
degree lost sight of, but which he hoped would rower be
the case again. (Cheers.) When he spoke of an nus'nee,
economy he did not mean thet care was not to be exercised
in the expenditure connected with the protection of the
country, but what he would have remembered was that
that which was cheapest was not always the best, and tha,,
t:
that which was required to be done must be done, wha
ever the cost might be. (Hear.)
At a subsequent stage of the proceedings Lord ITerr°!,,
by, proposing as a toast, " The health of the officers, To'
commissioned officers, and privates of the Ist, 2d, and 3rd
4.„
Regiments of Staffordshire Militia," said-Independet;
of the direct services they had rendered the country, .1",
three regiments of Staffordshire Militia had contribute'
upwards of 1,500 men to the regular army. He migbt .01
further, that the militia had been the means of infindle,
martial spirit amongst the people of the country; and to
himself-he spoke as a civilian-he should like to see ,r
militia used more as a means of recruiting the regular
army. For some considerable time this important elernel•
of the national defences had been allowed to rust
scabbard, and after forty years' peace it was thought
o
some that this weapon, belonging to other days, sollid
the
longer be fit to be called into use. It was thought
the people had become so immersed in trade and unajil;
factures that it would be impossible to man the militia et
we did in former times. But he was happy to 051
when the necessity arrived it was found that the ordinary
occupations of the people did not detract in the least fro
,1
their high public spirit and devotion to their country, "2t04
men of every class in life and of occupation also:l°l°l.r
their ordinary pursuits and placed their time and till,
services at the disposal of the country in her hour of nee
(Great cheering.)
Sir R. PEEL, M.P., in acknowledging a toast drunk. to
him, said he did not know that he could with prePrie
refuse compliance with the request which had been 031'11,
and he would endeavour to make a few observation,' °
what he had witnessed in Russia. He need not bay'
then, that the noble representative of England et
Court of Russia discharged the duty imposed 11P°0
him in the manner that was expected of him, is
in a manner, too, which far exceeded the scald
which other embassies discharged their duties, "try
that he clearly enhanced the character of this coue° e 0
in the eyes of the Russian Court. Besides, in Earl Gras
ville, ville, Government, had one who, though carrying e°Tirsteteos-
to its utmost limits, was not anxious to impress the; eot
sian Court, as another ambassador did, that a dinert-be
feeling prevailed towards Russia to what was re"llYeeith
case. He had had the opportunity of conversing "hO,
Totleben, the distinguished engineer, and a higb,,illb
nourable man; and he had seen Gortschakoff, Mene°lZse
and a number of other distinguished personages, " m
names were almost unpronounceable. He had seen world'
in Russia 120,000 of the finest infantry in the robing
Those troops, in stature and appearance,exceeded royth-hee
he had ever before witnessed, and he had been overf the
whole of Europe, yet he had no doubt that the pluck o
ge
English army would be a match for them. (Cheert)t 0
had visited the fortress of Cronstadt,and there was "14, tbe
opinion, from the Grand Duke Constantine down to the
youngest "middy" on board the Vladimir, that ha .tiob
energy of the commander equalled the pluck of the 1311
navy, that fortress at the present moment would be cruise
bled in dust. (Hear.) Sir Charles Napier had been
throu
It
ghthe whole of the fleet and fortress, and he gave zt as
opinion that it was impossible to destroy the fortress'
03,
was certainly very clear at this moment that it we
possible to attack Cronstadt with success now, but Y-seise
the war commenced the case was very different, and e t
man who commanded the fleet at Copenhagen bad o°, DI;
mended the Baltic fleet, or if a man possessed of the alnrld
and capacity of a Nelson had commanded that fleet, belle
not the slightest doubt that as the fortress at Copenhage°
yielded so would Cronstadt have fallen. (Hear, hear.) 1111,
he was most unjustly on his legs, they would perhaps aloe
him to say, that although peace had been concluded, there
was much to prevent them from relying on a continuance
of peace. They were on the edge of a volcano, whieb,
might break forth at any time ; and among the causes fc"
disquietude were Naples and the Danubian Principalititegh.
Had the war continued, there was no doubt that -to
resources of Russia would have been inadequate a°
cope with the resources of France and England, 6130
that a most effectual blow would have been des
•
that power, from which it would have taken herl 3
lone time to recover. But peace had been made, enucila
was to be hoped that it would continue, He must at •
that there never was a contest in which the people °lei
counties were more justly engaged than were the people of
this country in the late war, or in which the people he
come out of it with greater honour and distinction.
Sir HARRY SMITH, in returning thanks for his heel"'
having been drunk, said he thanked them from the 1/01
tom of his heart for the honour they had that "Oaten'
conferred upon him. It had been his good fortune in ec,erii;
quarter of the globe to witness evidence of the princll34-
by which, as it had been said that day, Englishmen weir
actuated, viz., a discharge of the duty they owed in their
Sovereign. However fortunate he might have been a'
soldier, he was, he assured them, indebted for the ghat
fortune to the men and his comrades, for, no matter WS
mistake a general might commit, the pluck of the Briti7
army would set it right. (Laughter and cheers.) g°ll,!nsi
there was no doubt, bean the subject of a series of g-
fortune, and had witnessed many a contest ; and no mss,
he assured them, could witness the gallant deeds °-1.
hie
countrymen without a feeling of pride at their braoli
nor could he look back on the victories achieved by the h 10,.;,
of his countrymen without emotion. It had fallen to
lot to organise levies from various countries, and to brill
them rapidly to the seat of war, and he assured them, fr°
his own experienCe and ocular demonstration, as well
es
from history, that no forces were found so formidahbe
those coming from a country united within itself, and dw
at
people of which were united in their determination to ress s
the common foe. (Cheers.) The militia system was a Inlo
important part of the constitution, and he assured the
that there was not a general officer in her Majesty's seillece
but could bear testimony to the active, energetic, devoted)
and obedient services of the militia of Great Britain. (Cheers:
When he commanded at Portsmouth there were two reve;
ments of militia there, composed chiefly of law recrnitse";
such was the attention they paid to their officers that nino
few weeks' time they were not only fit to perform gerril-
duty, but became effective, obedient, trustworthy soldiert
It afterwards became his duty to command in this distit4
from Berwick to Peterborough, in which there were 10,T,
or 15,000 militiamen, and he must say of them, as a n°"Jci
that they had manifested every desire to please him, as
wherein whereie the officers were ignorant of certain points it °ls
been their anxious study to be made acquainted WIeL 0
them. (Hear, hear.) One spirit seemed to animate Le,.
whole of them-that of obedience to their Queen and t, ,bei"
country. (Cheers) It was indeed a great pleasure to 01,01
to be present on that occasion, when they had asseinlNA
to do honour to the militia of the county, which compri;
he was happy to say three most effective regiments. 1101,
first regiment was commanded by Colonel Talbot, whchi.ii
though a young man, was an old soldier ; and he, with s'
regiment, gallantly volunteered to serve his country abroli
His offer was accepted, and, although he and his men tell
not been exposed to the enemy's fire, they had been exe"'-
to a more deadly foe-to the raging pestilence and the lEoei
ness which walketh in darkness. (Hear.) That man mule
be a coward indeed who was not ready to meet and greP,l,l
with the enemy in the open field ; but when a commanon
officer saw his men knocked down by an unseen hand, Win-
pestilence raged around him, then, if he maintained rees
courage, and under such trying circumstances condue"l3
himself manfully, he deserved equal if not greater crew
than the man who in the heat of battle led his men/
the cannon's mouth. (Hear.) In Colonel Talbot they et,
such a man. (Cheers.) Of the militia of Staffordsln,-,
generally, he was proud to say that they had been ren
to discharge any duty demanded of them. (Chow.)
ld
the feelings which animated the militia as a body he if°tl,..
relate an anecdote. There was an Irish regiment qu'-ee
tered in Sunderland, and some of them in a disturbensse
got into the hands of the police. Paddy was not the in,t;
to stand by with arms in his hand and see his comes
into custody--(a laugh)-and accordingly the Met,
were rescued. The authorities of the town telegrhphedees
him to remove the militia from the town, but ho repels,.
that he would do no such thing, but would leave it to t_ie;
officers to maintain order. A great fire shortly afterlifo7,e
took place in the town, and the militiamen, without Dee:
asked, turned out and rendered good service in extinguto
ing the flames, and for which they received the pubs",
thanks of the very men who had asked for their remove'
(Cheers.) The gallant general resumed his seat amid
„°e;
please by repeating that it was with the greatest pleig-a
that he attended that day to pay honour to men who
so nobly done their duty.

THE GOLD DISCOVERY IN TASMANIA.--The rerl,tO
from the gold fields are still encouraging. Mr. Clark
's
who at the request of the authorities, inspected the l;
was surprised at the promising indications of gold whit
his short visit to Fingal showed to him. Unfortuusta
he could stop at each field but one day, and
therefore time but to make the most superficial obsera ;
tions. Those observations will shortly .be publish to
and as Mr. Clarke has expressed a wish to be allowed f
present them to the gold committee himself, I will r:a
as yet detail the various remarks which the rever",,o
gentleman has made during his visit. Gold ."8,
lately been found in the neighbourhood of Deloriono
about twenty miles from Launceston. The n ort bee a
papers speak highly of the prospect of a paying gold 00
being found in the locality speoiaed.—Audraligo
New Zealand Qazale,