The Sun.
London, England, 1834-10-15 00:00:00

PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 14.

(FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)
Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Bladen Capel, K.C.8.,
hoisted his flag yesterday, as Commander-in-Chief of the
East India station, on board of the Winelzester, .50 guns,
Captain Sparshott. =This morning an American ship car-
rying a burgee, but no pendant, passed through Spithead
from the westward for London, and saluted his flag with 17
guns, but it not being customary for men of war to return
the compliment of merchant ships, no return salute was
given. The Winchester will proceed to India about Mon-
day next. The Admiralty has purchased into the packet
service Lord Belfast's yacht the Water Witch, and she is
every way adapted for the purpose : but there is something
in the mode in which the thing has been effected, that is
anything but what is straightforward and honest; in the
first place the dock-yard officers found and reported her to
be properly built, of rather more than sufficient scantling,'
and that she was worth 151. per ton ; upon this Lord Bel-
' fast, or his shipwright, Mr. White, of Cowes, offered her
at 131. per ton to Government ; Jewish like, the Govern-
ment say we will give 121. 10s., and if that price is ac-
cepted, Mr. White shall build us two packets instead of the
one which he has already contracted for. Mr. White is of
course ready and glad to accept the bargain, for he has now
three vessels to build instead of one, for having contracted
to build one packet, he has now to build two, and having
sold Lord Belfast's yacht, he is commissioned to build
another of five feet greater length and eighteen inches more
beam ; and having capacity under water which Captain
Symonds's vessels have not, she will be a very fine craft, if
not over-masted.

WEST NORFOLK AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
The importance and value of institutions like the one
of which I am about to speak, are so well known, and so
generally admitted, that it would be a waste of time to set
about proving that which requires no proof. I proceed,
therefore, at once to business, by stating that the first
ploughing match of the above Society, took place at Down_
ham on Thursday the 9th inst, when twenty ploughs started
for the various premiums.

The spot selected for the occasion was a clover stubble
of Mr. Garnham's, at Wimbotsham, adjoining the Lynn:
turnpike-road. The fineness of the weather, and the inte-
rest generally attached to such meetings, attracted many
spectators, who expressed themselves highly gratified by the
scene before them.- Various were the opinions on the me-
rits of the respective competitors ; but all seemed to agree
on the general excellence of their performance, notwithstand-
ing the disadvantages under which they laboured, in conse-
quence of the dry, chubby state of the land.
The subjoined award does not specify the time it took
to plough each half acre, but doubtless that circumstance
entered into the consideration of the judges.
The shortest period was, by horses, one hour 34 minutes;
the longest, by oxen, two hours, twenty minutes. One pair
of these latter performed their task in one hour, forty-four
minutes—thus satisfactorily proving, that in activity, no less
then in strength, they are able to compete with horses.
Be it remembered that in this, as in all Norfolk plough-
ing matches, whether by horses or oxen, a pair without a
driver is always understood.

HORSES.

£ s. d.

To John Oldfield, servant to Mr. Wright, of S. Rune-
ton, the first prize of
Thomas 01lett, do, to Mr. Bird, of Shouldham, the
second ditto
James Garner ditto to Mr. Garnham, of Wimbots-
ham, the third ditto
Wm. Robinson, the fourth ditto
OXEN.

2 0 0

1 10 0