The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-13 00:00:00

These two great aquatic ct lebrities have been matched
to row twe races on their respective vratere. The stake
in each match is 501. a side, 401. of which sum has
been deposited. The first race will be in London, on
Thursday, the 13th of November, from Putney to
Mortlake ; and the second will take place at Norwich,
from Sarlingbam to Thorpe, on Thu reday, November
27, each cautse extending four and a half miles. The
performances of be, h men have bean very brilliant.
Buttle commenced his career in 1850, beating Aldred,
of Norwich, in a sculler's match at Thorpe. In
1851 he defeated F. Lett, who capsized„ and in three days
afterwards rowed him again, and was again victorious,
since which he has acquired additional fame, and is now
champion of Norwich. Kelly made hi s debut somewhat
later, scarcely being heard of till 18 54, in the Royal
Thames National Regatta, at Putney, .where he defeated
John Mackiouey, and others of great CI :lebrity. In 1855,
in the new regatta, he again defeated John Mackinney,
but, owing to some dispute, was disqiaalitied. Conse-
quent upon this another race was made between him acid
his old opponent Mackinney, when th e latter capsizing,
Kelly of course won, sad they again ro wed in the sprieg
of the present year, when be once me TO defeated Mac-
kinney. After this he was repeatedly victorious, and at
the Manchester Regatta won in the foi sr, pair, and soul•
lers' races, and in the regatta at Putriey this year was
again unusually successful, and is now matched to row
James Messenger, the champion of the Thames.

TOUCHING STORY OF A STREET CLOWN.

The one to whom I refer was a m elancholy-ioelzing
man, with the sunken eyes and other characteristics of
semi-starvation, whilst his face was .scored with hues
and wrinkles, telling of paint and preini aura ago. I saw
him performing in the streets with a se :hool of acrobat,
soon after I had been Tiestioniug him ; and the readiness
and business-like way with which he re: iumed his profes
sional buffoonery was not a little retries kable. His story
was more pathetic than comic, aid pro' red that the life
of a street clown is, perhaps, the m ust wretched of
all in existence. Jest as he may in the streets, his
life is literally 1,0 joke at home. "I have been a
clown for sixteen years," he said, " has ting lived totally
by it for that time. I was left motherless at two years of
age, and my father died when I was air te. He was a ear.
wan, and his maseer took me as a stableb oy, and I stayed
with him until he failed in business. I 'vas then left des•
titute , again and got employment as a s upernurnerary at
Astley's at ls. a night. I was a ' super' so me time, and got
an insight into theatrical life. I got acquainted, too, with
singing people, and could sing a good song, and came out
at last ou my own account, in the streets, in the Jim Crow
line. My necessities forced me into a pul)lic line, which I
am far from liking; I'll pull trucks at is. per day rather
than get 12s. a week at my business. I'vii tried to get out
of the line. I've got a friend to advertise for me for a
situation. I've tried to get into the poice, and I have
tried other things, but somehow there seems an impossi-
bility to get quit of the street business. Many times I
have played the clown, and indulged in all buffoonery,
with a terribly heavy heart. I have travelled very much,'
' too; but I never did well inthe profession. At races I may
fhave made 10e. for two or three days, but that was only
occasional ; and what is 10s. to keep a, wife and family on
for a month, may be ? I have three children, one now
I only eight weeks kid. You can't imagine, sir, what a
curse the street business often becomes, with its insults
and starvations. The day before my wife was confined I
jumped and laboured—doing Jim Crow for 12 hours, in
the wet, too—and earned Is. 3d.; for I keep.a sort of log
of my earnings and expense. You'll see in it what I've
taken as clown, or the funny man with a party of acro-
, bats, since the beginning of the year." He showed me
this log, as he called it, which was kept in small figures,
lon paper folded up as economically as possible. This
account shows an average of Ss. 6.12 d. a week as tie
gross gain, while (if the expenses be adducted) not quite
, remain as the average weekly sum to be taken home
to wife and family. "I dare say," continued this
melancholy funny man, " that no persons think more
of their dignity than such as are in my way of
life. I would rather starve than ask for parochial
relief. Many a time I have gone to my labour with Jut
breaking my fast, and played clown until I could raise
a dinner. I have to make jokes as clown, and could fill
a volume with all I levow. I never dress or paint myself
at home. We all dress at a public-house. In the street
where I lodge only a very few know what I do far a
living. I and my wife both strive to keep the business a
secret from our neighbours,. My a ice does a little wash-
ing when able, and often works eight hours for 6d. I
go out at eight in the morning, and return at dark. My
children hardly know wbat I do. They see my dress( s
lying about, but that is all. My eldest is a girl of thir-
teen. She has seen me dressed at Stepney fair, where
she brought me my tea—l live near there. She laughs
when she sees me in my clown's drove and wants to stay
with me ; but I would rather see her lie dead b fore me
(and I had two dead in my place at cne time last Whit-
sun Monday was a twelvemonth) than she should ever
belong to my profession. I know three or more clowns
as miserable and bad off as myself. I think there are
three regular clowns in the metropolis, and one of these
is not a professional ; he never smelt the sawdust I know.
The most that I have known have been shoemakers be-
fore taking to the business. When Igo out a street-clown
athfteerfitrhsatt thing I do is a comic medley dance, and then
crack a few jokes ; and that is the whole of
my entertainment. The first part of the medley dance is
called the Good St. Anthony (I was the first that es er
danced the polka in the streets), then I do a waltz, and
wind up with a hornpipe. After that I go through a
little burlesque business--I fan myself, and one of the
school asks me whether lam out of breath. I answer 'no,
the breath is out of me.' The leading questions for the
jokes are regularly prepared beforehand ; the old jokes
go best with our audiences. The older they are the
better they are for the streets. The principal way in
which I've got up toy jokes is through associat ng with
other c,owne. We don make jokes °lra eailovgnesai;iayir.:, fact, I
I never knew one clown who did. I mustovvnthat the street
° : it. I c
1 clowns like a drop of spirits,and e
deal ; they are in a measure obligated
to 'at fancy
s.clown being fai:ny on small beer, and I never in all my
life knew one who was a teetotaller ; I think such a per-
son would be a curious character indeed. Most of the
London,
p -striekan. 1
a,
street clowns die in the workhouse. In their old age they
are n
and poverty
be the end of me--II darn's
think say generallywhat
I very wretched
wiil
A few minutes afterwards I saw this
with his face blackened, dan
c
row,
streets as if he was the lightest"
ng manink
and dressed of
singingtilt s
in .
itthat,
si
Jinn.r''the c
—Henry Mayhew.
hearted fellow in all. undon.

COLLISION AND Loss OF A VESSEL AND THIRTY-TWO
LIVES.—RIo JANEIRO, Sept. 9.—ne Raven (American
Ship), Captain Croker, on her voyage from New York
for Sumatra put into this port on the 6th September,
7'91 damage, having been in contact with the Brazdian
ung Cataof';om Bahia to this port, which sank immedi-
ately afterwards ; master and part of the crew raved ;
two hands and thirty nrgro passengers drowned.