The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-22 00:00:00

THE DERBY DAY.

The great English racing carnival for the year
1867 commenced yesterday with very unfortunate
weather, and thousands augured a continuation of
the rain, at all events, to-day ; but, fortunately,
appearances early in the morning favoured a differ-
ent conclusion. Last night a fine drying wind
sprung up, and the Derby Day gave promise to be
one of bright sunshine, and thus the hopes of the
holiday-seekers rose proportionately high. The visi-
tors to Epsom by rail and road were early astir, the
morning trains by the South-Western and London
and Brighton taking away thousands for the
glorious Downs at Epsom. The " roadsters" were
not deterred by the fear of a wet day, as the usual
scene of bustle, practical joking, and confusion
occurred at the Elephant and Castle caused by the
unusual early arrival of vehicles of all descriptions.
There was the aristocratic four-in-hand, the elegant
open barouche, with the capacious hamper slung
beneath it, charged with chicken, lobster, salad, and
champagne almost to bursting ; the trap of the well-
to-do member of the trading community, containing
driver, wife, and family, and the plebeian pleasure
van, with more than its usual number of passen-
gers. The dangers of " The Elephant" having
been successfully encountered, the travellers pro-
ceeded on their route in the best possible spirits,
despite a sharp shower of rain which fell about half-
past ten. It fortunately was not of long duration,
for a few minutes after the sun shone out again,
and, as a natural consequence, up again went the
spirits of the elated holiday-makers. Along the Ben-
nington-road a number of persons assembled to view
the interesting and apparently endless string of
vehicles, and as the more suburban places were
reached a large number of the residents viewed the
animated cortege from the windows and the neatly
trimmed gardens in front of the houses. Altogether
the scene was of the usual description, and, despite
the facilities offered by the railways, the number
" going by road" seemed to be as great as usual.
The stations of the London and South Western,
the London and Brighton, and the South-Eastern,
at Waterloo, Charing-cross, Victoria, and Lon-
don-bridge, of course, were all besieged ; but by
the admirable arrangements made the vast number
of passengers were all accommodated with compa-
ratively little difficulty.

7IIE REFORM BILL.

BIRMINGHAM, Tuesday Night.

A meeting of the Liberal Association of this town
was held here to-night ; Mr. Thomas Lloyd in the
chair.

Mr. Alderman IIAwES moved the following re-
solution That this association records with
proud satisfaction the triumphant result of the
labours of the Liberal party in amending the Go-
vernment measure of Reform by settling the borough
franchise on the basis of household and lodger
suffrage, divested of the trammels as to compound
rates and two years' residence, and free from the
pernicious consequences of the dual vote, as origi-
nally embodied in the Ministerial measure."
In moving the foregoing, Mr. ilAwKs congra-
tulated the meeting that the bill, as it stood in re-
lation to the borough franchise, was more liberal
in its character than had been contemplated by Mr.
Bright, and was positively revolutionary as com-
pared with the bill of 1832 —it would raise the con-
stituency of Birmingham from 15,000 to 50,000.
Mr. RADFORD, chairman of the Reform League,
seconded the resolution, which was agreed to.

The late Dowager-Countess of Camperdown.

The lamented countess, who had reached a ripe
age, was daughter of the late Sir Hew Dalrymple
Hamilton, Bart., and married, Jan. 8, 1805, Robert
Dundas Duncan Haldane, Viscount Duncan, after-
wards first Earl of Camperdown, who died in
1859. The countess was mother of Adam, second
earl, who died on the 30th of January of the present
year, and was consequently grandmother of the
present peer. Scotch society, and especially the
Scot in London has sustained a deep loss by her
death. She was a remarkable specimen of that
type of the Scottish lady which is now passing
away. In her younger days, when mingling much
in society, she was conspicuous for a graceful
and elegant nobleness of character and manner ;
and Scotch in all her feelings, she delighted
in the use of what with her was a beautiful
language, and what in her earlier years was in
habitual use by persons of education and fashion.
Her house in London was a " trysting place" for
all who once had the honour of an introduction ;
and there at all times of the day might be found
many of those who are supposed to give a tone and
temper to the upper ranks of society, and who,
bringing their news to the happy old countess, went
away amply rewarded by the anecdotes and recol-
lections which her never-failing memory poured
forth. Whig or Tory, rich or poor, found alike a
ready welcome ; and her poor and needy country-
men well knew the way to Wilton-crescent, feel-
ing well assured that there was a benevolent heart
ready to sympathise with all his sorrows and all his
wants. Somefew years since ehe purchased the beau-
tiful villa of St. Anne's, at North Berwick, trans-
porting to her humbler neighbours there all that kind-
liness of manner which had gained for her the love of
a wide spread world of rank andfashion. Thus, pass-
ing part of the year in Scotland, and the remainder
in England, her ladyship spent an amiable, happy,
blameless life, connecting the present with the past
in sympathy and affection, and leaving to loving
friends the bright example of a gentle, cheerful, and
unselfish life, beautifully reflected in the graceful
and devoted affection with which she was filially
attended.—Scotsnt a n.

THE STEAMER SIR WILLIAM PEEL.—A telegram
received from New York, via the Atlantic Cable, was posted
yesterday afternoon at Lloyd's Underwriting Room, an-
nonncing that the Supreme Could at Now Orleans had
decreed "that the British steamer Sir William Peel, cap-
tured by the United States' cruisers during the war with the
South in 1863, be restored, with the cargo, to her owners."
The steamer in question was built at Northfleot in 1865, and
in 1863 became the property of Mr. T. A Cm ry and Mr. R.
Laycock, merchants, in Manchester, who despatched her
from London for Liverpool, whence she sailed for Meta-
mores on the 4th of May, 1863, with an assorted cargo of
merchandise. The cargo was owned by Messrs. A. and S.
Henry and Co., merchants, and consigned to Messrs. Milmo
and Co., at Matamoras, for sale. This steamer arrived out
on the 13th of June, the cargo was landed except two casks
containing iron rings and some railway axles, and a fresh
cargo was being shipped—namely, aboutoo4 bales of cotton,
when she was captured by the United States' commissioned
vessel of war Seminole, Captain Rolando commanding,who
ordered the Sir William Peel to New Orleans for adjudi-
cation. It was clearly estallished that at tho time of the
capture she was lying at anchor in Mexican neutral waters.
The Sir William Peel was insured at Lloyd's, and the
underwriters settled with the owners as a total loss.