The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-21 00:00:00

A GUNBOAT VOYAGE TO 0121 NA.

The following are extracts of a letter from an
officer in conmand of one of her Majesly's gunboats
in the present expedition, dated Ta-liell-whan Bay,
July 6 :—" . . All the ships are up here now and
everything ready. I should like very well to go
home a commander at last after this affair is over,
and get a better ship, for a gunboat is not a coin-
Ibrtable command at all, and. the Admiral expects a
good deal from them. You see, when they were
built they were intended for gunboats only, to be
conveyed and supplied by larger vessels ; but our
Admiral makes them quite independent com-
mands, which is better than their being tenders
to larger ships ; yet they have not sufficient
room for stowage as independent commands.
However, I shall stick to her till I am
promoted, which I hope will not be long
first. Now I come to look back to our voyage
out, it seems to me only wonderful that the gun-
boats—both
these and the others that came out for-
merly—all arrived safe, for a very little would have
sent them to the bottom, and at once, not like a
large ship that takes a long time to fill. In a heavy
gale the danger is that the sea, having once got the
upper hand, by the boat broaching to or not being
able to lay to, might turn her right over bottom
up in a moment ; and from what 1 saw myself dur-
ing a westerly gale we had for three days between
the Cape and St. Paul's, 40 S., .I should not like to
bring another gunboat out. Not that I should be
afrai ; but when you have 39 people under your
command, who look to you for the safety of them-
selves and for you to give the necessary orders, it
makes one feel very anxious.. .... . .
In the gale I was up day and night, and, indeed,
during the whole passage out I had not many nights
between the blankets, as I found it better to turn
in on the top of my bed with my clothes on, ready
for, a jumy on deck in case of anything. One night
I had gone below at 12, it being my custom to re-
main on deck till that hour, but about 2 a.m. I
heard the officer in charge shortening sail, though
apparently there was not too much wind ; but a
moment afterwards I turned out, for, hearing him
give his orders in a quick and anxious manner, I
supposed something was not quite right. I was
instantly on deck, and found the boat struck with
a heavy squall—very fortunate it came up
astern. She was being pressed into the sea
forwards, so that the water was pouring over
her bows, and she going through The waves at a
tremendous pace. The hands were on deck in a
moment, but it was difficult to shorten sail on ac-
count of the volume of wind; so when I saw what
was the matter I put her dead before the wind,
which by daylight was blowing a gale, and got all
snug. At first, when I got on deck, I had such a
sea right over me that I was myself nearly washed
overboard. . . Well, this was our first gale. .. .
Our second was from the west, and as we were going
east it helped us along. But it was an anxious time
—very different when I was a lieutenant, keeping
watch on other ships. I used then to go and turn
in and forget all about the ships and her danger, if
she was in any, as I had then given up charge
of the deck to another. But here there is no giving
up charge, unless I were sick and went on to the
list ; but who would do that as long as he could
move about ?"

ACCELERATION OF MZILS TO AND FROM
IRELAND.

On the Ist of October, and thenceforward, a day mail
will be despatched to Ireland, Sundays excepted, by a train
leaving Euston-station at 7.20 a.m., and will be due in
Dublin in time for a la'e delivery the same evening, and in
time to admit of correspondence for the provincial towns in
Ireland being forwarded by the night mails out of Dublin
the slime evening. This mail will be in lieu of that now
forwarded by the 5 p.m. train from Euston-station. A day
mail will leave Dublin at 6.30 a.m., and will be due in Lon-
don, Sundays excepted, in time for the last evening deli-
very, and in time for the night mails out of London. The
mail which now leaves Dublin at 1.30 p.m. will be discon-
tinued.

The night mail to Ireland will be despatched from the
Euston•station by a train at 8.30 p.m., and will bo due in
Dublin in time for an early morning delivery instead of for
a min-day delivery as at present, and in time also for the
day mails out of Dublin. The evening mail, which leaves
Dublin at 7.0 p.m., will also be accelerated so as to be duo
in London in time for an earlier delivery on the following
morning, and in time for the day mails out of London.
The following will be the hours for posting letters, news-
papers, &c., for the day mail to Ireland:—

At any of the ordinary town receiving offices up to
9 o'clock the previous evening.

At the district offices and at the branchoffices at Charing-
cross and Lombard-street, as well as at the pillar letter-
boxes in the town districts, up to 5 o'clock on the morning
of despatch.
At the chief office, St. Martin's-le• Grand, up to 6.30 A•rn
At the post .office in the London and North-Western
Railway Station, Euston-square, up to 7 a.m.
e of posting
There will be no alteration in the present am
Station
for the night mail, except that the box at Euston
an
for the receipt of late letters and newspapers (
at 8.15 p.m,
addi-
tional fee of Gd. paid in stamps), will be closed
—By command of the Postmaster-General s
ROWLAND HILL, ecretary.
General Post Office, Sept., 1860.

instrumental
lltenltFaLl EconVceOrLtoftwtNhaaTesEmg,Ei:S.—ibn.
at the Middleton II 11 IselningY-
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a grand
or
of the district,and
inhabitants
fluential
rifle volunteers. Considerable celebrity having
of the local
achieved bythis •
splendid band, which, unlike
already been
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na
cboo vec
whichP
comprised
many
any other connected with the volunteer force, is composed
_
of 40 of the most talented performers in London, there
were also present many well known musical professors
and amateurs, all of whom were very desirous and curi-
ous to hear a band formed, as this is, of the elite of
the Instrumentalists of the metropolis. The concert
must be pronounced a complete success. The Overtures,
Operatic Selections, &c., were rendered with a precision
and an effect that afforded evidence of the Band being one
of extraordinary excellence. In the overture " Guillaume
Tell," the obligato parts of Oboe, Flute, and Bassoon were
played in the most artistic style by Messrs. Crozier, Berry,
and Snelling, who were equally successful in their respec-
tive solos in the subsequent pieces of the Programme.
Other features of the Concert are deserving of special
notice. Mr. Levy, whose reputation as a great soloist
upon the Cornet-a-Piston is now established, performed
two pieces with admirable effect, which were encored. A
Fantasia on Swiss airs, by Bender, displayed the