The Sun.
London, England, 1856-09-02 00:00:00

AQU ATICS.

KEW ROYAL RNOATTA.
A very excellent regatta came off yesterday at the
above pretty place, and attracted a vast concourse of
spectators. For many years there has been no regatta
at Kew, and Messrs. Williams, Wise, and Wapshot,
watermen, feeling that such a thing was very much
wanted, went about, and by great exertion ,succeeded
in getting up such a day's sport as we hardly ever
remember to have seen at a waterman's wager. There
were no less than four different races, three of which
were arranged in heats, and the fourth a scratch match
—the whole being under the excellent management of
the watermen above•mentioned. The racing commenced
at one o'clock and lasted till dark, and was under the
distinguished patronage of his Royal Highness the Duke
of Cambridge and the Duchess of Cambridge, Lo;
Kilmorey, Dowager Duchess of Northumberland, and a
large number of resident nobility and gentry. Subjoined
is the sport :

WATERMEN'S SINGLE SOMBRE' MATCH.
First Heat.

Thomas Powell — (White) 1
E. Mariner (Blue) 0
W. Franklin (Red) 0
The distance in all the heats was between Barker's-
rails and Old England, finishing at Kew•bridge. White
took the lead and kept it throughout, winning easily.
Second Heat.
W. Mancey (Red) 1
H. Berry (Blue) 0
Good race for one mile, when Red went away. Won
by six lengths. _

Third Heat.

W. Barker (Red) 1
J. Cripps (White) 0
W. Herbert (Blue) 0
Good race with all of them. Won by several lengths ;
same distance between the others,

Grand Heat.
In this heat, as in the other grand heats, the men drew
for other colours, not rowing in the original ones.
W. Mancey (Red) 1
T. Powell (White) 2
W. Barker (Blue) $
They were level for 400 yards ; Red then drew in
front, and won by three lengths ; White picked up to-
wards the end.

LANDSMEN'S SINGLE SOULLESS' MATCH.
First Heat.
_ _

George Pigott . . (Blue) 1
G. Richards (White) 0
T. Richards _, (Red) 0
Blue won as he liked.

"The Ben Avon proceeded satisfactorily on her voy-
age until the Bth of June. We then encountered dark
and cloudy weather, with torrents of rain. About one
o'clock on that day a tremendous peal of thunder broke
over head, and at the same moment the ship fare and aft
was struck by lightning. It was an appalling scene, every
one on deck was struck down with force, and the whole
vessel and rigging presented a vivid mass of fire. On re-
covering themselves they immediately examined the ship
to ascertain the extent of damage the electric fluid h td
done. It had stripped most of the copper off the rig-
ging and mast, knocking off chocks, starting bolts, &0.,
descending to the main deck, set on fire some paper,
melting the lead that covers the rudder-head, and bent
the pivot on which the compass card plays. We imme-
diately listed the ship over, and repaired the damage the
best way we could. On comparing the compasses, we
found them very much damaged, yet we were compelled
to select one which we thought to be the least in error,
and proceeded on. Several days passed with the same
dark cloudy weather, with variable light winds from the
north to the south-east. On the 12th, about noon, we got
a very imperfect sight of the sun, which placed the ship
about 150 miles south of the Pratas Shoal. We accord-
ingly shaped a course to pass to the eastward, about 60
miles, keeping the lead-log constantly going. From that
time, up to the 16th, on the night on which she was lost,
no further observation could be made. The weather was
similar to that which they had previously met with,
oppressively dark and cloudy, accompanied with much
rain. Shortly after midnight of the 16th the wind fresh-
ened up to a gale; increasing in fury hourly with inces-
sant heavy rain. At 3.30 a.m. the ship wag felt to graze
as if she was passing over a shoal; but directly after she
struck with great force, parting in two immediately, and
fell over with her deck to the sea, which broke furiously
over, sweeping everything from it. The mast soon gave
way, and in less than 10 minutes the whole ship was
broken up. The ship's company clung to the spars and
the fragments of the wreck that were floating about, and
in this way 23 out of 28 succeeded in gaining the shore.
All, however, were more or less wounded by the spars
and the breaking up of the ship. The whole of the cargo
was thrown out into different parts of the coast, which
was plundered indiscriminately by the natives, who mus-
tered in great numbers and beat off the men when an
attempt was made to rescue it from their hands. The
spot where the ship struck was on a point to the east-
wardlof Howtoo. The course we were steering, after
sighting on the 12th, was borrowing largely on the For-
moso, on account of our compasses being one and a half
points more easterly than the one steered by."
The names of those drowned are omitted in the pro-
test; but by private letters received, the melancholy fate
of Mr. Leslie and the wife of Capt. Scott is placed be-
yond a doubt.