The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-22 00:00:00

CITY SEWERS

Yesterday the Commissioners assembled at Guild-
hall ; Mr. Deputy Peacock in the chair.
As there was no notice of motion or business of any
kind upon the paper, an opportunity was taken by one
of the members who are in the habit of complain-
ing of the indefatigable labours of the Great Central
Gas Company, to denounce that company for the
hundredth time on account of the confusion and in-
convenience occasioned by the unavoidable removal of
the pavement for the extension of its operations.
Mr. HENRY BLAKE lamented the extraordinary
monomania under which his worthy friend, who was
really sane upon most other questions, seemed to
suffer the moment an excuse presented itself for at-

" Gentlemen" (said Mr. Stevens) " you may per-
haps have observed that my hair is somewhat grayer
than it was when I last met you. I'll tell you how
it happened. In coming from Havre, we were
obliged, by the darkness of the night and a thick fog,
to anchor some five or six miles from Cowes. In the
morning early the tide was against us, and it was
dead calm. At nine o'clock a gentle breeze sprung
up and with it came gliding down the Laverock, one
of the newest and fastest cutters of her class. The
news spread like lightning that the Yankee clipper
had arrived, and that the Laverock had gone down to
show her the way up. The yachts and vessels in
the harbour, the wharfs, and windows of all the
houses bordering on them, were filled with thousands
of spectators, watching with eager eyes the eventful
trial they saw we could not escape ; for the
Laverock stuck to us, sometimes laying to, and
sometimes tacking around us, evidently showing
she had no intention of quitting us. We
were loaded with extra sails, with beef and pork, and
bread enough for an East India voyage, and were
some four or five inches too deep in the water. We
got up our sails with heavy hearts—the wind had in-
creased to a five or six knot breeze ; and after waking
until we were ashamed to wait longer, we let her get
about 200 yards ahead, and then started in her wake.
I have seen and been engaged in many exciting trials
at sea and on shore. I made the match with Eclipse
against Sir Henry, and had heavy sums, both for
myself and for my friends, depending upon the result.
I saw Eclipse lose the first heat and four-fifths of the
second, without feeling one-hundredth part of the
responsibility, and without suffering one-hundredth
part of the trepidation I felt at the thought of being
beaten by the Laverock in this eventful trial. During
the first five minutes not a sound was heard, save,
perhaps, the beating of our anxious hearts, or the
slight ripple of the water upon her sword-like stem.
The Captain was crouched down upon the floor of the
cock-pit, his seemingly unconscious hand upon the
tiller, with his stern, unaltered gaze upon the vessel
ahead. The men were motionless as statues, with
their eager eyes fastened upon the Laverock with a
fixedness and intensity that seemed almost super-
natural. The pencil of an artist might, perhaps,
convey the expression, but no words can describe it.
It could not, nor did not, last long. We worked
quickly and surely to windward of her wake.
The crisis was past ; and some dozen of deeps
drawn sighs proved that the agony was over.
We came to anchor a quarter, or, perhaps, a
third of a mile ahead, and twenty minutes after
_our auchur was.. down-the- Earl --saf Wilton and his
family were on board to welcome and introduce us to
his friends. To himself and family, to the Marquis of
Anglesea and his son, Lord Alfred Paget, to Sir Bel-
lingham Graham, and a host of other noblemen and
gentlemen, were we indebted for a reception as hos-
pitable and frank as ever was given to prince or pea-
sant. From the Queen herself we received a mark of
attention rarely accorded even to the highest among
her own subjects ; and I was given to understand that
it was not only intended as a courtesy extended to
myself and friends, but also as a proof of the estima-
tion in which she held our country ; thereby giving a
significance to the compliment infinitely more ac-
ceptable and valuable. Long may the bond of kin-
dred affection and interest that binds us together at
present remain unbroken. As a further proof of the
feeling of the Government and the people towards us,
I will mention the following act of kindness :—We
had the misfortune the day before the race with the
Titania to knock off a part of our outer shoe. This
rendered it necessary that we should haul her out ;
and we repaired to the Government dock at Ports-
mouth for the purpose. On the instant the applica-
tion was made, an order was issued by the Admiral
to repair her in the shortest time possible. If
you could have witnessed the vigour and good-
will exhibited, from the Admiral down to the
humblest mechanic of the yard, to complete her for
the next day's race, you would, I am sure, have felt
the obligation (rendered so doubly binding by the
manner in which it was tendered) as deeply and
sincerely as ourselves, and would regret, as much and
as sincerely as ourselves, that any cause of quarrel
should arise to separate two nations that want but to
be better acquainted with each other's good qualities
to become and to remain fast friends. She was
docked at twelve and finished by eight o'clock the
same evening. For this important service no remu-
neration, in any shape or way, would be listened to.
The Admiral, in expressing the pleasure it gave him
to do us a service, endeavoured to prevail upon us to
believe the obligation to be altogether on his side. I
trust, with confidence, that if occasion should occur,
this delicacy and feeling will be as promptly and as
delicately reciprocated. In the race with the Titania,
I suspect—although I do not know the fact—that too
much of her ballast was taken out. It gave he an
advantage in going before the wind, but told very
much against her in returning. There was a steady
breeze and a good sea running, and she fell so rapidly
to leeward as to be hull down, and nearly oat of
sight. We beat her, according to the secretary's re •
port, three or four minutes going down, and some
forty-sight or fifty minutes in returning, on a wind.
In the race for the Queen's Cup, there were, I think,
seventeen entries, most of which, I believe, started. In
addition to them there were seventy or eighty, or, per-
haps, one hundred, under weigh, in and about the har-
bour, and such a sight no other country save England
can furnish. Our directions from the sailing com-
mittee were simple and direct; we were to start from
the flag-ship at Cowes, keep the No-man's buoy on
the starboard hand, and from thence make the best of
our way round the island to the flag-ship from which
we started. We got off before the wind, and in the
midst of a crowd that we could not get rid of for the
first eight or nine miles ; a fresh breeze then sprang
up that soon cleared us from our hangers on, and sent
us rapidly a-head of every yacht in the squadron.
At the Needles there was not a yacht that started
with us in sight, so that the answer said to have been
given to a question from a high personage—of who
was first ? " The America ; " Who is second ?"
"There is no second ;"—was literally true. After
passing the Needles, we were overtaken by the royal
steam-yacht Victoria and Albert, with her Majesty
and her family on board, who had come down to
witness the trials of speed between the models adopted
by the Old World and those of the New. As the
steamer slowly passed us, we had the gratification of
tendering our homage to the Queen, after the
fashion of her own people, by taking off our hats, and
dipping our flags. At this time the wind bad fallen to a
light breeze, and we did not arrive at the flag-ship
until dark. I could not learn correctly at what time, or
in what order, the others arrived. The cup before you
is the trophy of that day's victory. I promised, half
jest and half earnest, when I parted with you to bring
it home to you. The performance of this promise is
another exemplification of the old saw, "that what s
oftentimes said in jest is sometimes done in earnest."i
I am requested by the gentlemen owing this cup to
beg your acceptance of it, as a testimony of_ _ their gra-
titude for the interest you have so keenly felt, and so
of en and kindly expressed, in our welfare and suc-
cess. I have but to regret that the late hour at which
I made up my mind to attempt a reply, has put it out
of my power to make it what it ought to be (and,
perhaps, but for that, what it might be), more worthy
of your acceptance. With your permission, I will
propose as a toast—" The health of the Earl of Wilton."
The Commodore's speech and toast elicited loud
cheers. "The Royal Yacht Squadron of England,"
President Of the United States," "
AU "