The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-27 00:00:00

TEE ATLANTIC YACHT RACE.

(From the Correspondent of the Times.)
OFF COWES, Dec. 26.
The Ocean Yacht Race is ended. The Henrietta
passed the Needles at 3 46 p.m. yesterday, winning
the race and the £lB,OOO stakes. The Fleetwing
arrived here at 1 aan. to-day, and the Vesta at 4
a.m. The three yachts are now lying at anchor in
this harbour, and crowds of people are visiting
them and admiring their sharp lines and natty rig.
The citizens of this town vie with each other in
courtesies to the American yachtsmen, and the
hospitalities of the Royal Yacht Club have been
tendered them by the secretary, Captain Brown,
R.N. The Vesta reports no special incident during
her long voyage. The Fleetwing bad rather a
rough passage, and six of her seamen were, unfor-
tunately, washed overboard from the cockpit. Of
the trip of the Henrietta, with which yacht my for-
tunes were linked during the race, I am able to give
you a more detailed account. The logs of the other
boats will be sent to you for publication as soon as
possible.
We left New York city on Tuesday, the 11th
inst. The excitement about the race, which had
been gradually increasing during the fortnight be-
fore the start, seemed most intense when the day
of departure at length arrived. All the vessels in
the harbour and boats upon the river were gaily
decked with flags. Numerous excursion steamers
were chartered to escort the contestants to Sandy
Hook. At the docks, where lay the tugs which
were to convey the yachtsmen on board their craft,
great crowds had collected, and cheered heartily as
the tugs steamed off. The day was clear, cool, and
bright, and the fresh westerly wind was just what
the voyagers most desired. The yachts were
anchored off Staten Island, and there the scene was
even more animated than in the harbour. Steamers
full of cheering spectators sailed around the
little vessels. The music from the band upon
the River Queen, chartered by the New York
Yacht Club, was echoed by the bands upon the
excursion steamers. The United States revenue
cutter fired a salute. The hills of Staten Island
were dotted with observers, and flags flew from
every villa. A fleet of pilot boats clustered off West
Bank to accompany the yachts to sea. The forts
which line the entrance to the harbour dipped their
colours. As the New York Yacht Club steamer
passed the Henrietta the distinguished officers and
gentlemen on board gave three hearty cheers for
"the only man who goes in his own boat." The
enthusiasm was as remarkable as the good wishes,
loudly expressed by every lip, were hearty and
sincere.
It required an experienced eye to detect any im-
portant differences between the three yachts as they
lay at anchor. All are of nearly the same burden,
the Henrietta registering 205 tons, the Vesta 201,
and the Fleetwing 212, American measurement.
The Henrietta and Fleetwing are keel-boats ; the
Vesta has what is termed a" centre-board," or false
keel, like the celebrated yacht America. Of course,
the three yachts had been very carefully equipped,
carrying spare sails and spars, wire rigging, and
extra tillers. In the Henrietta, sailed Mr. Bennett,
the owner; Messrs. Jerome, Knapp, and Fisk,
judges and guests ; Captain Samuels, Sailing-master
Lyons, and a crew of 24 men, including Mr. Jones,
first officer ; Mr. Coles, second mate ; a carpenter,
sailmaker, and two stewards. The Fleetwing,
owned by Mr. George Osgood, was commanded by
Captain Thomas, with a crew of 22 men ; and
Messrs. Centre and Staples, of the New York Yacht
Club, went in her as judges. The Vesta, owned
by Mr. Pierre Lorillard, carried Messrs. George
Lorillard and Taylor, as judges, Captain Dayton,
and a crew of 23 petty officers and seamen. Each
of the yachts had previously won several closely
contested matches, and only the popular prejudice
against " centre-board" vessels in rough water gave
the other two boats an advantage over the Vesta in
the heavy wagers staked upon the race.
At eleven o'clock the racing signal of the Hen-
rietta was displayed, and the yachts were taken in
tow by the tugs for the starting point off Sandy
Hook. Accompanied by innumerable steamers,
propellers, yachts, and pilot-boats, and amid re-
newed cheering and excitement, they were hauled
down through the Narrows and assigned their re-
spective stations. Precisely at one o'clock Mr. Fear-
ing, the starter, gave the signal for the race to begin.
In a moment the tug lines were cast off and sails
hoisted. The Fleetwing, occupying the most
northerly position, first felt the breeze and danced
away over the waves, the Vesta following closely.
The Henrietta, lying nearer the shore, had decidedly
the worst of the start, but regained her position as
she dropped away from the land. The tugs and
steamers sailed in line after the yachts, and pre-
sented a most picturesque sight. The wreck of the
Scotland was in full view, grimly reminding the
yachtsmen of the dangers they were about to brave.
The strains of " Auld Lang Syne" from the
steamers recalled to the adventurers the friends they
were leaving. Then a cloud obscured the sun, the
wind gradually rose, the yachts increased their
speed, the good-bye cheers were faintly heard, the
lightship of Sandy Hook was passed ; the open sea
was before us, and the voyage had commenced in

earnest.
At 2 45 p.m. the " Neversink Highlands" sunk
out of sight. The yachts were then abeam of each
other, the Henrietta having caught the ten-knot
breeze. All canvas was set, and the Vesta sailed
wing-and-wing. Daylight now rapidly faded, and
the sun disappeared in a glory of crimson and gold.
The tug Philip, which had been chartered by Mr.
Lorillard to accompany the Vesta until nightfall,
turned homeward with a farewell hurrah, and the
crews of the yachts bade good bye to the United
States with answering cheers. Each captain now
chose his own course, the Fleetwing keeping to the
northward, the Henrietta holding the European
steamer track, and the Vesta evidently making
for the northern passage. At 6 p.m., the wind blow-
ing steadily from W.N.W., we lost sight of the
Fleetwing in the darkness ; but the Vesta was still
abreast, looking like a phantom ship in the
dim starlight. The Henrietta now increased

her speed, rocking over the waves as gently as a
cradle, and at 8 o'clock the Vesta had disappeared.
. We saw neither of our rivals again until they came
into Cowes. Songs and stories in the cabin, and
heavy snow squalls on deck, marked our first night
at sea.

The next day was bright and cold ; we carried all
sail, making 11 knots an hour until noon, when the
Henrietta was struck by a heavy snow squall, and
the topsails had to be taken in. During the 23
hours we had made 225 knots by observation, and

237 by log, and found ourselves in lat. 40.7 deg.
and long. 68-52. The wind was northerly, and
came in strong gusts. At 4.15 p.m. we passed the
steamer Cuba, and at 9 o'clock another steamer, to
both of which we showed our racing signals, receiv-
ing prompt replies. Several sailing vessels were
sighted, but they all kept away from us as soon as
we showed our dark blue flag, as if believing the
canard that the yachts were Fenian privateers. The
weather grew more stormy towards night, and our
little boat was at times half under water, but be-
having most admirably. The mainsails were reefed
before midnight, but as the weather moderated the
reefs were shaken out and both jibs set. Messrs.
Lyon and Jones, who headed the two watches into
which the crew was divided, vied with each other
in handling the yacht carefully, and through this
storm, as throughout the entire voyage, the Hen-
rietta had all the canvas she could safely carry, but
not an inch more;
consequently
her (peed was
steadily maintained, but nothing was strained, and
nothing carried away.

At noon on the second nautical day we scored 210
miles by chart, and 232 by log, the discrepancy being
accounted for by a current which had drifted the
yacht over 20 miles to the south-west. Clear, sun_
shiny weather during the day, and brightmoonlight,
with occasional snow-squalls at night, closed the
record for the 13th of Dec. The next morning the
weather was cloudy and warm, and the sea had
fallen. Some of the guests enjoyed their siesta on
deck. The servants, unexpectedly appearing in
white trousers, seemed like ghosts from the long-
departed summer. Nothing was in sight upon
the ocean except flocks of gulls and Mother Carey's
chickens. At noon we had made 203 miles by .a

fine observation. In the evening the placid moon
shone silvery upon a sea as smooth as the Thames.
Reclining in the comfortable cabin, with Chateau
Margaux and Partagas within easy reach, the
guests listened to the captain's stories of haunted
ships and suicides at sea, and dismal wrecks in the
Southern Ocean. Towards midnight, however,
the scene changed, and repeated squalls, with rain
and hail, struck the tiny craft and bowled her along
at the rate of 11, 12, and 13 knots an hour.
At sunrise the next morning a snowstorm began.
The sea and sky seemed one, and both were a deep
slate colour. The men, half white with the snow,
moved slowly at their work. The dark horizon was
no. iceably narrowed as the snow drifted down.
The Henrietta hissed through the water that foamed
upon the deck. To leeward a spar from some
wreck lifted itself to the view, like a great skeleton
finger, indicative of ruin. All our surroundings
were mournful and depressing. No observations
could be taken, but by dead reckoning we had
gained 225 miles during the past 24 hours. As
night fell the yacht sailed faster and faster, until,
as we looked over the side where the waves came
cascading over the diminutive bulwarks, we seemed
to be fairly flying along. The sky cleared, but the
wind freshened at sunset, and the light sails were
hauled down and the mainsail reefed. The yacht
quivered like a racehorse over-driven, and the
pumps, which were tested every hour, sounded
dismally, but showed no leakage. Sea after sea
boarded the staggering craft. A wave came burst-
ing through the skylight into the cabin. All night
long this heavy weather continued, but the yacht
ran so easily before the free wind that everybody
slept as quietly as if the Henrietta were the Great
Eastern.
In the grey of the following morning, Sunday,
the 16th of December, we passed a brig bound to
Newfoundland, and her crew, who had evidently
heard nothing of the yacht race, climbed up the
rigging to stare at us as we dashed swiftly and
silently by, like the Flying Dutchman. We were
now crossing the Grand Banks, and at noon we
had sailed 246 miles for the day, and were one-third
the distance to Cowes. The wind still remained
northerly and the yacht kept her course without
variation. At 2 o'clock the captain, officers, and
yachtsmen assembled in the cabin for Divine wor-
ship. While the winds whistled shrilly without and
the waves splashed across the decklights overhead,

the prayers for the day were repeated, and a chapter
from the Bible and one of Jay's brief sermons were
read. At 10 p.m. we were off the Grand Banks and
off soundings, going at the rate of 12 knots an hour.
Heavy seas still boarded the vessel, nearly washing
overboard one of the crew. The wind still held from
the north, and all hands were not too sensible to
credit the captain's superstitious stories, and refrain
from changing their attire lest that should bring a
change of wind. The night passed quietly and the
ship averaged 11 knots, in spite of the seas that
constantly hammered her like marine Vuleans.
The next day found us in " the roaring forties,"
which we had been taught to dread. The character
of the ocean had entirely changed. Instead of danc-
ing over short, chopping wares, like those of the
English Channel, we appeared to be passing on
ranges of water hills. Running thus in the trough of
the sea, there seemed to be no horizon. The water,
glazed by the snow that fell almost constantly, had
the consistency of oil. The sky was filled with dull,

leaden clouds, but the barometer rose steadily. The
wind, which had been rather doubtful during the
morning, blew from the north once more. A fine
observation gave us 280 miles for the yacht's pro-
gress during the preceding 24 hours. In six days
and 14 hours we had sailed half- way across the At-
lantic. In the afternoon a beautiful rainbow
brightened the horizon ; but this " bow of promise"
proved most deceitful, and brought us renewed hail
and snow squalls instead of pleasant weather. Dur-
ing the night the wind shifted to W.S.W. We
" jibed" ship and hoisted the squaresail, but were
forced to lower it again in a few hours, as the signs
of dirty weather ominously increased.
The effect of " jibing," we may explain to the
uninitiated, is to change the cant of a vessel from
one side to the other. Naturally, then, the guests,
who had gone to rest when the yacht had an incli-
nation of 45 degrees in one direction, suddenly
awoke, cross and sullen, when they were rolled over
in their berths by the careening of the yacht to 45
degrees the other way. The weather was now
exceedingly threatening. The mainsail was double-
reefed, for the first time, and the vessel put in order
for a storm. At noon we had run 250 miles. The
S.W. wind freshened after noon, and at 4 p.m. blew
a regular gale. The mainsail was furled and three
reefs taken in the foresail, and the jibs taken in.
Even with this small spread of canvas the yacht
was driven nine miles an hour. On deck the rain
and spray shut in the vessel like a watery curtain.
Below the pitching and tossing rendered it im-
possible to sleep ; a bucket of water was placed
near the stove to extinguish the fire should necessity
require ; the deck lights leaked unexpectedly and
uncomfortably ; holes were bored in the state-room
floor to let out the water should the skylight be
broken in ; the servants were dashed about the
cabins as if shot from invisible catapults ; the
guests had enough to do to hold themselves insid e
their berths. Under these circumstances, which
would have delighted Mark Tapley, everybody
became again good-humoured.

Just at midnight the struggling yacht was
stunned by a tremendous sea that burst over the
quarter, struck full upon the foresail, and then fell
heavily upon the deck, staving in the yacht's boat.
Simultaneously the carpenter rushed wildly into the
cabin, pale with alarm, and shouted, ,4 Mr. Bennett,
we must
great
heaeatve her to. She's opening forward, sir."
good sense nobody stirred save Mr.
Bennett, who quietly informed Captain Samuels of
the carpenter's report. As quietly the captain
came down from the deck, and examined the
supposed leak, which turned out to be nothing but
the bilge-water oozing through the inner planking,
near the cook's berth. The gale strengthened, ho w-
ever, and at last the captain decided that the Hen-
rietta could be driven no longer.
Preparations were
made to heave to, which is simply laying the ship
head to wind, under close canvas, so that sehetroidbees
as if at anchor. The storm trysail happeod
stored in the cabin, and as the sailors came silently
down, oiled the tackle, and carried the sail up to
the deck, the scene reminded one of the bringing
forth of the pall for a ,funeral. A pause, in a race
like this, seemed the burial of all our hopes. Never-
theless, it was some consolation to be informed by
Capt. Samuels that in his 30 years' experience he
had never seen a vessel that could face such a gale
so long, and charitably to hope that our rivals were
having better weather than ourselves.

Once hove-to, the yacht rocked lazily and plea-
santly. The waves rushed and the winds howled
past, but did not disturb her. Before noon the
next day, December 19, the wind had lulled and

the ship again started off briskly, as if rested and
refreshed. Everybody now changed his attire, and
for once an old superstition proved true, for the
wind shifted to the north and west again. The sun
shone pleasantly, but the sea was still running high,
the waves blown about like the sandhills of a desert,
disclosing strange mirages of tents and sails as they
revealed scraps of the horizon here and there. We
made our shortest distance on this stormy day, gain-
ing only 113 miles. At 3 p.m. we were going 13
knots, and kept up this pace for several hours. In
the evening we sailed calmly in the mellow moon-
light that marked our track before us with its sheen.
The cabin fire was allowed to die out, and overcoats
were discarded. The seas rose on either side like
walls, and the yacht glided swiftly between them at
the rate of 12 knots an hour. There could have
been no stronger contrast to the incidents of the
previous night.

Sailing along at the same pace the next morning
we scored 2GO miles by noon. The clouds, mov-
ing in a grand procession from east to west, and
forming in solid masses behind us, promised a con-
tinuance of the fair wind. At 3 p.m. we passed
the steamer Louisiana, bound west, making out
her name from Afarryatt's signal flag. That night
everything was cheering. The yachtsmen sung lus-
tily in the cabin, and the sailors auiwered as lustily
from the forecastle. The captain turned in for the
first time since our start. 13ut notbin.g is 80 vari-
able as the weather. By 1. o'cloc'the next morn-

ing there was a dead calm, and we came on deck
after breakfast to find a warm, summer day. The
yacht was scarcely moving through the water; the
sails hung drooping from the yards ; the ocean was
perfectly smooth. The stillness was remarkable.
There was no ripple of the waves, no rustling of the
sails. Of course another superstitious change of
toilet ensued. One of the servants was discovered
to be a professional barber, and a shaving shop was
improvised, everybody contributing oils, pomatum,
and perfumery. There was a general "rejuvena-
tion." Those who had not been shaven for ten
days came from out the barber's hands as from a
disguise. Bits of unsuspected finery, such as fancy
neckties and scarf pins, were displayed. One would
have thought it a gala day ; but in truth nothing
could have been worse for us than this calm. Wel-
come even another gale, so that it came from the
west.
All this mummery was again effectual. About
11 a.m. a fine breeze sprang up from the south, and
under full canvas, sails drawing well, the Henrietta
cut her way through the calm ocean. The cabin
was too warm for comfort, and the yachtsmen re-
clined on deck, like turtles in the sun. A school of
porpoises passed the ship, and the second mate
started a legend, which I cannot but believe apo-
cryphal, that the yacht was going so fast as to strike
one of the fish and cut it in two. Better evidence
of her speed is to be found in the log, which records
that she sailed 157 miles that day, despite the time
lost by the calm. By night we were making 11
knots, with everything as snug and trim as on the
first day out. A soft, balmy morning succeeded,
and we were roused up at sunrise to salute a Bremen
steamer, that dipped her colours as she passed.
The yacht now ran easily, like a machine, rolling up
252 miles by noonday. At 3 p.m. we fell in with
a Scotch mist, and in the midst of it spoke the
packet-ship Philadelphia, 11 days out from Liver-
pool. The captain of the Philadelphia doubly en-
couraged us by reporting that he had heard nothing
of the other yachts and that the winds were westerly.
The next day, Sunday, Dec. 23, we logged 196
miles. There was a brief calm at daybreak, followed
by light S.E. winds. At noon Divine service was
held in the cabin. The wind gradually rose during
the afternoon, and, as usual in the evening, the good
yacht rallied splendidly, increasing her progress ra-
pidly from 7 knots up to 12, at which rate she was
dashing along as the moon rose bloodred in the hazy
English sky. The excitement in regard to the race
now reached fever heat. All jokes and stories be-
came stale, and nothing was talked of but yachts
and time and winds, and the probabilities and pos-
sibilities of the contest. In every distant vessel we
saw a Fleetwing; every star near the horizon was
transformed into the Vesta's signal light. At 8 p.m.
we were on soundings, and at 12 midnight off Cape
Clear. Thus the next morning, Dec. 24, found us
in the Chops of the Channel, hoping to eat our
Christmas dinner at Cowes. It was a murky, foggy,
dark, damp, disagreeable morning, and even at noon
it was impossible to take a solar observation ; but,
by dead reckoning, we had made 172 miles. The
carpenter, who had given us one sensation by dis-
covering a spurious leak, now treated us to another
by announcing that the Fleetwing was in sight.
Everybody clambered upon deck. Binocular glasses,
eye-glasses, spectacles, and telescopes were brought
to bear upon the imaginary yacht, which was soon
made out to be an English topsail schooner bound
the other way. Indignation followed excitement,
and both quickly merged into a hearty laugh.
Nearing the land of Christmas Carols and of
Dickens upon Christmas-eve it was impossible to
go to rest. After a late dinner we had our Christ-
mas songs and stories, and among the former was
a ditty composed in honour of the Henrietta, and
sung to the familiar air of " Sweet Evelina."

While these festivities were in progress we had
made Scilly Island lights at 7.45 p.m. The
current drifting us to leeward, we steered S.S.E.
for an offing, and passed the islands hand-
somely, having made no tack since we left
New York, and having only varied 11 miles from
the straight line between the two points. So admir-
able a landfall reflects great crelit upon Captain
Samuels. At 3 a.m. we passed the Lizard Light,
going 12 knots an hour steadily, the Henrietta, like
a well jockeyed racehorse, reserving her best pace
for the finish. Running close to the bold coast, we
sighted the Eddystone, Start Point, and Portland
Bill, and at 12 40 p.m. on Christmas day took on
board a Cowes pilot. A heartier cheer never rent
the air than that which greeted the pilot's announce-
ment that no other American yacht had passed up
the Channel. The race seemed won, and as a sud-
den blaze of sunshine lit upon the chalk cliffs of Old
England in silvery glory, it was like an illumina-
tion of welcome. Under every stitch of canvass,
with even her staysail set, and with her racing ilag
and Yacht Club ensign 'proudly floating in the stiff
breeze, the Henrietta dashed by the Needles, and
Messrs. Jerome and Knapp, the judges for the Fleet-
wing and the Vesta, decided that all the conditions
of the race had been strictly complied with. Down
went the racing flag, and the private signal of Mr.
Bennett took its place. As the yacht turned up the
Channel to Cowes the land shut out the wind, and,
like one who has finished a long and toilsome task,
the brave little yacht decreased her speed and floated
leisurely along. Her blue lights and rockets an-
nounced her arrival here, after having crossed the
Atlantic to the Isle of Wight in the unprecedented
time of 13 days, 22 hours, and 46 minutes, mean
time, and that without having carried away any of
her light sails or spars, or even so much as a shred
of canvas or stand of rope. As she dropped anchor
she was cheered from the Royal Yacht Club-house
and by the peopleof Cowes. Capt. Luard, of H.M.S.
Hector, by direction of the Admiralty, at once sent
a midshipman on board to offer Mr. Bennett the
facilities of her Majesty's dockyard at Portsmouth
for repairing anydamages the yacht might have sus-
tained, but this offer was gratefully declined, since
no repairs are needed. And thus the winners of the
blue riband of the Ocean Derby enjoyed their Christ-
mas dinner in Merrie England, and toasted the
Queen, the President, and the Henrietta.

Northampton
Windsor Spring 4
Edinburgh Sp. Meeting 6
Newmarket Craven 8
Curragh

Chester (continued) 1
York Spring 7
Salisbury 9
Doncaster Spring
Bath
JU.

Ascot Summer 4
Windsor Summer
Manchester Summer
Hampton.
Odiham l7
Bibury Club lB

Carlisle 2
Newmarket July 2
Pontefract
Reading • • .•• 9
Liverpool July Meeting 10
Ilungerford
Nottingham July

AUG

TANUARY.

Manchoster.

AP
York l7
Sevonoaks

COURSING.

THE GRlFFlN.—Besides being an heraldic em-
blem, the griffin was an animal in whose existence
the early naturalists firmly believed. Its supposed eggs
and claws were carefully preserved, and aro frequently
mentioned in ancient inventories and lists of curiosities.

" They showed me" (in a church at Ratisbonne), says
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, in ono of her letters, "a
prodigious claw, sot in gold, which they called the claw
of a griffin ; and I could not forbear asking the reverend
priest that showed it whether the griffin was a saint. The
question almost put him beside his gravity, bat he
answered, They only kept it as a curiosity.'" The sup-
posed eggs (no doubt ostrich eggs) were frequently made
into drinking-cups. The Tradescants had one in their
collection, kept in countenance by an egg of a dragon,
two feathers of the tail of a phoenix, and the claw of a
seoiTfarhattrhleiilsos ,n
des hroearapdl.
ruck, "a bird able to trusse an elephant." Sir John
Mandeville gives the natural history of the griffin in his
l thee
rt
vhb eandi
strongertßlti9ath Right
fOuxievab eaglei.
s," so vosmoa s himt
larger
laanr
couldand
with ease fly off to his nest with a great horse or a couple
of oxen yoked together, "for," says he, "he has his
talouns so largo and so long, and so grit upon his feet as
thowgho thei weren homes of grete oxen, of
or bugles, or
of kijgn."—Hotten's History of Signboards.
A PITMAN'S VIEW OF THE QUEEN.__" Hooray !
hooray ! " oi shouted ; for oi wos wat yow call
transported. T' Queen, oi do believe, seed me, for she
looked at me, and shook her handkorcher. Whsn t' Queen
wos gone, oi looked down, for oi am higher than Molly,
and oi sex, " What do yow think on't, Molly ?" and she
wos a cryin'. Sez oi, " Did oi stamp your toes, Molly ?"
for oi thowt p'r'aps oi moight ha' dun so in my joy.
Sho sez, " No." Then sex oi, " Wot are yow a cryin
for ?" "Oi doant know," sed she; " but if of ha' sin' t'
Queen, oi am cryitt' because oi am glad ; and if oi ain't sin
hur, oi am a cryin' because oi am sorry." Ooman's tears is
queer things. "Not sin her," sez oi, " Molly ? whoy that
wos hur, that stout, motherly-lookin' ooman, just the thing
for a queen ; for hur face sex that she's got a mother's hart,
and that she looks onus all as bein' bur lads and wenches?"
" Wos that hur ?" sod she. " Whoy she was dressed
plain " " Plain ?" sez of, " Molly ?" and oi put on such
a look. " Plain ?" sez oi again ; and of stopped,
for it wos a solemn subject, and oi wished
to make a impression. " Would yow ha' her dressed any-
thing but plain ? She ain't cunt hero tow day as t' big
folkses queen ; sho is cum as t' people's queen. If she'd a
cum all goold and feathers, the big folks would ha' sed,
She's ourn ;' but she's cum jest t'way to say tew us, 'Oi
loike yow, moi lads and wenches, as well as oiloike others.'
God bless hur !" sez oi ; " and, Molly, oi feel that if any-
body woe a goin' to hurt hur, that oi should let yow go
home alone, and oi should foight for hur until oi could
neither see nor feel."—Dichni4 "Ali the Year Round."

THE SUN, LOISL ON, TRIMS OA Y E V ENING, DECEMBER 9.7, 1866

Thirsk
Durham
Newmarket lst Spring 22
Catterick
Chester 3O
.AY.

Harpenden
Epsom Summer 2l
Newton 29
Croydon

Stockbridge l9
Chelmsford
Newcastle .. 25
Curragh
Worcester Summer 27
Ipswich 27
LY.

Down Royal Corporatn l7
Stamford
Huntingdon 23
Winchester
Southampton
Goodwood

York August
Dover
West Drayton 22
Plymouth ..... 23
Canterbury
Lichfield
Derby Summer
Weymouth
Tunbridge

Goodwood (continued) 1
Ripon
Brighton .. 6
Brighton Club 8
Lewes
Egham ... . l3
Wolverhampton l3
Stockton
Oxford ..... 15
Hastings
SEPTEMBER.
Warwick
Margate
Curragh
Leicester
Abingdon 5 Newmarket Ist October 24
Doncaster
OCTOBER.

Northampton Autumn. 1 Curragh
Edinburgh Autumn ... 2 Newmarket Houghton
Newmarket 2d October. 7 Worcester Autumn
Cheltenham l5
NOVEMBER.

Liverpool Autumn 5 Leamington Hunt
I
Shrewsbury ll

STEEPLECHASE FIXTURES FOR 1867.

FEBRUARY.
Carmarthen
Birmingham l2 Derby
Windsor
MARCH.
Liverp00l Spring
Grand Military
Chertsey
Mal ton .. . 13

JL.
Kildare Hunt

COURSING MEETINGS TO COME.
DECEMBER.

Name. Judge. Days of Running
Corrio, Lockerbie Mr. Warwick
JANUARY, 1867.
Huntingdon Club Mr. Warwick l, 2,
Lincolnshire, Ho!beach Mr. Spafford
Coole, co. Cork (Open)
Third S. Lancashire, (South-
port (Open) Mr. Westropp 9, 10, 11
Spo'thorn° Club Mr. Warwick 9, 10, 11
Border Union (Longtown)
Cumberland Mr. Warwick l5, 16
Barton-on-Humber, Lincoln. Mr. Spafford
Altcar Club, Lancashire
Wigtonsh. Club (Stranraer) Mr. Boulton
Little Crosby Mr. Welding
County Louth Club, Ireland Mr. Spafford
Ridgway Club, Lytham - . 30, &c.
FEBRUARY.

Rufford, Lancashire
Cardiff Club Mr. Warwick l4, 15
Waterloo, Lancashire
Tamworth, Staffordshire ... Mr. Warwick 26, &c.
MARCH.
Irish Grand National (Open),
county Loutn
Ardrossan, Sharphill
South Lancashire (South-
port) Champion Mr. Westropp l4, 15, &c
Leinster (Open) Courtown... Mr. H. Spriugall l9, 20
Scottish Open, Lanarkshire - 26, &c.

SEPTEMBER.
Brampton, Cumberland Mr. Warwick
OCTOBER.

Ancasier and Willoughby,
IVLincolnshiro Mr. Spafford ! l, 2

Extraordinary Inquest.

At noon yesterday Mr. Richards, deputy coroner,
held an inquiry at the Adam and Eve Tavern,
Lower Homerton, relative to the supposed murder
of the illegitimate female child of Mary Ann Shinn,
a domestic servant.

Mr. Charles Debenham, linendraper, in Upper
Clapton, said that on the sth December Mary Ann
Shinn came into his service. She had been engaged
for him as a domestic servant by his sister at Bury
St. Edmunds. She came from Brandon. Her age was
21 years, and she was single. On last Friday she
complained of being a little ill. Mrs. Debenham asked
her if she was in the family way; but she positively
denied that she was so. The next morning witness
observed a great difference in her appearance as she
was going about her usual avocations ; his wife
observed the same, but attributed it to want of her
usual crinoline. Later in the day Mrs. Debenham
had her suspicions aroused, and Dr. Dudley Kings-
ford was sent for.

Mr. Charles Dudley Kingsford, M.R.C.S., said
that he was requested by the wife of the last wit-
ness to examine her servant. He Aaw Mary Ann
Shinn, who appeared in the best of health, and who
denied that anything was the matter. Ultimately,
however, she said that she had had a miscarriage.
She was then ordered to bed, and after a little time
she confessed that she had bad a child, and that the
body was in the chimney. He searched for it and
found a full-timed female child wrapped in a bundle
above the top of the register stove. He made a
post-mortem examination that day, and found a
punctured wound at the right side of the neck divid-
ing the jugular vein. It was a clean deep wound,
the breadth of half an inch, and was very deep.
He believed that it had been inflicted with a pen-
knife. It had been inflicted during life. The child
weighed six pounds, and was of the ordinary size.
The lungs were perfectly healthy. He had no
doubt the child had been born alive, and had a
separate existence from the mother. The body
was generally healthy. The punctured wound in
the neck would produce death. If a surgeon had
inflicted the wound it could not have been done
more accurately or with greater neatness. It was
inflicted in a fold of the neck where it altogether
escaped witness's observation at first. The young
woman told him she had been confined on the
night before he was called in to see her.
Inspector Bywater said that the accused was at
present in custody. She had been removed under
his orders and by the permission of the surgeon, to
the workhouse infirmary. She was not at present,
however, aware that she was in custody ; he took
measures to have her removed as if by order of the
doctor, for he was fearful of the effect upon her if
she were told the fact at once.

Mr. Kingsford said that the young woman seemed
to be in a state of great terror m to what would
become of her if the matter were found out. She
for a long time :stoutly maintained that nothing
whatever was the matter with her.
The Coroner said that before the verdict was
returned it would be only fair to give the accused
the :opportunity of giving any explanation that she
might have to offer. He would, therefore, adjourn
the case until such time as the young woman should
be sufficiently recovered to come before the court.
The proceedings were adjourned accordingly.

RAINE'S CHARITIES.—DRAWING FOR TIIE £lOO
MARRIAGE PORTION.—The 26th of December in each year
being ono of the days appointed for the interesting cere-
mony of "drawing for the marriage portion of £100," in
accordance with the provisions of the will of Mr. Bahia, au
eminent 'Wapping brewer, who died in the early part of
last century, bequeathing a sufficient sum in real property
for the purpose of qualifying 40 girls to become candidates,
under certain restrictions, for the receipt of a marriage
portion of £lOO twice a year, the drawing of the prize for
bestowment on the Ist of May next took place yesterday.
There Were several well-qualified candidates, and the one
who obtained the prize was, in the next place, to seek a
properly qualified and duly certified young man "of the
parish of Wapping," to become her husband. After most
minuto inquiries have been made by the trustees as to the
character and position of the young man chosen by the
"bride elect," and upon a satisfactory report being made
by the trustees, the marriage of the "happy couple" is
fixed to take place on the ensuing "May-day," in the
presence of the governors and friends of the institution,
who being convened subseqUently at the schoolhouse at
dinner, present the £lOO in a purse to the bride and bride-
groom, the ceremony being unique and most interesting to
all parties.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

TIMES.—The Americans have once more done a
thing never attempted by any other people. They
have set three pleasure yachts to race against each
other at headlong speed across the broad and stormy
ocean, from New York to Cowes, and, not content
with the longest race, they have added to the dar-
ing feat by rewarding the victor with about the
largest money prize ever proposed in such a contest.
The Henrietta, the Vesta, and the Fleetwing started
from New York at 1 p.m. on the 11th inst., and the
first of the three which arrived at Cowes was to re-
ceive a prize of $90,000, or no less than £lB,OOO.
The victory has been already won. At 5 40 p.m. on
Christmas-day the Henrietta appeared off Cowes,
having accomplished the passage from New York in
14 days, 4 hours, and 40 minutes. What this means
the reader will understand whin we say that the
quickest passage across the Atlantic ever yet made
by a sailing vessel was only performed in 13 days
and 8 hours. In fact, the voyage would have been
a fair one even for a powerful steamer. The umpire
in the match left New York in the Scotia, and did
not get here much too soon to see the winner appear.
The two rivals of the Henrietta were only a few
hours behind her. No observer of American charac-
ter will be surprised at the interest which this un-
precedented contest excited on the other side of the
Atlantic. For some days before the start New York
was alive with excitement, and the sensation was all
the more intense from the evenness of the match.
It does not appear, indeed, that the Henrietta was
the favourite. Odds were laid at the last minute
upon the Vesta, though the beauty and promise of
the other two were thought astonishing. There is
only one circumstance which may be supposed, per-
haps, to explain the result. "The eye of the master"
is a potent spell, and the owner of the Henrietta
took passage in her himself. The Vesta and the 1
Fleetwing were intrusted to their respective cap-
tains, while their owners remained in New York ;
but the Atlantic Cable will have completed the
marvels of the story, and the issue of the race will
have been known in America as soon as it was
published here. A communication despatched from
our Government to the United States' Consul at
Southampton is evidence not only of the interest
taken in the event, but of the perilous character of
the race itself. The Fleetwing, it will be observed,
had six of her crew swept off by a sea in mid pas-
sage. Admiral Pasley was directed by the autho-
rities to hold himself in readiness to offer the racing
vessels the assistance of the dockyard, and the com-
pliment was deservedly paid not only to these re-
preaentataves of a friendly and kindred people, but
to the daring spirit of adventure in which the match
bad been conceived and executed. There is, indeed,
no other such match on record. Some of our own
merchantmen have occasionally raced against each
other from China to England, but these were large
clipper ships striving to get a few hours' start in the
way of business. It was reserved for the Ameri-
cans to send three yachts to do in the Atlantic
what is usually done in the smooth waters of an in-
land sea, and to carry on a race of this kind, not
for a few hours, but for a whole fortnight, through
night and day. The success, however, of the Hen-
rietta is as complete as that of the America a few
years ago, and far more surprising. The America
was simply an example of new principles dexterously
applied to shipbuilding; this ocean yacht race has
brought high national qualities into play, but in
both cases the Americans were true to their own.
pretensions and shot clear ahead of the Old World
It is remarkable that yachting, in which the
Americans have thus excelled us, has always been
regarded as the peculiar pastime of England, and it
is true enough, no doubt, that in no country is the
pursuit invested with so much favour and popularity.
But our yachtsmen take things comfortably. We
build our pleasure-boats really for pleasure and sail
them for pleasure. An Englishman's yacht is his
home, and the home often of his family, too, for
weeks together, and considerations of convenience
are allowed to preponderate in the design and equip-
ment of the craft. The Americans are both less do-
mestic and more adventurous. They want yachts
which can do what no other yacht has ever done,
and they get them. Perhaps the comforts of these
vessels might not be exactly suited to our tastes, but
they teach us something nevertheless. It is well for
progress that there is a nation which knows no
trammels of routine and shrinksfrom no experiment,
however hazardous or audacious. The Americans
have always, and naturally, been distinguished for
shipbuilding and seamanship. They have set us the
example in half-a-dozen new models, and they are
pursuing the same course now, but we shall, perhaps,
not be wrong in considering this ocean yacht race as
expressive of another and more general spirit which
has been remarked for some time past as on the in-
crease in the States. The Americans are fast be-
coming a sporting people. They are establishing
races, and conductine, them as they are conducted in
the Old World. That irresistible spirit which trans-
figures our whole metropolitan population on the
Derby Day is rapidly developing itself on the other
side of the Atlantic, and we may expect before long
to see all such sports as popular in America as they
are here. We rejoice at the sign. As it is our be-
lief that national character is substantially improved
by such pastimes, we are sincerely glad to find the
Americans moving in that direction. They have
got all the qualities of sportsmen. They are adven-
turous, fearless, fond of excitement, persevering,
and acute. hat they can accomplish as well as
design this very yacht race shows. It is no slight
thing for the owner of a pleasure boat to bring her
from one side of the Atlantic to the other in the
depth of winter with such skill and rapidity that the
passage could hardly be exceeded by strong and
well-handled steamers. Probably few people ex-
pected to see the visitors so soon, but the public will
certainly be pleased to hear that a suitable reception
had been already designed, and that a grand enter-
tainment will be given to the gentlemen on
board the racing vessels on Monday next. We can
have no feeling of jealousy in such a matter as this.
We will not say that Englishmen could not have
accomplished such a race, but the idea would per-
haps hardly have occurred to them. Its novelty and
boldness are eminently characteristic of Americans,
and they may depend upon it that they will lose
nothing in this country of the credit to which such
success entitles them.

POST.—As the time for the meeting of Parliament
approaches, and town begins to fill up with the
harder working men of public life, the interest felt
in the position and prospects of parties naturally in-
creases. This interest is heightened, too, by the re-
membrance of the peculiarity of the circumstances
under which the late Cabinet resigned, and of the
conditions under which the present Ministry holds
the reins of power. A great deal has been said about
taking office in the face of a majority; but it is
nevertheless certain—and, indeed, it is not likely at
this time to be seriously disputed—that Lord Derby's
Administration did, at the time of taking office, re-
present more nearly than that which it ousted from
the Treasury bench the opinions of the majority of
the House of Commons on the one vital subject of
Reform ; and, great as was the regret expressed by
a portion of that majority at the necessity for losing
the services of such able men as those who composed
the late Cabinet, there is no doubt that the cost
had been counted, and that it was considered a
necessary price to pay for escape from the im-
position of the Russell-Gladstone views (and
in some degree, too, from their manner of enforcing
their views) on this question. Whether the pre-
sent Government does now represent the opinion of
the majority on that same question it is useless to
ask, because it is impossible to discover at present
whether it does or not ; but the situation presents ,
some features which are well worthy of attention,
and which are calculated to throw light at any rate
upon the difficulties surrounding the question, as to
the vitality of the Ministry, which, as is usual at
this time of year, all politicians are now going about
asking each other. As regards numerical strength,
the Ministry and the Opposition are pretty much in
the same respective positions as the end of last ses-
sion left them. The Ministry have gained a few
elections during the recess, but not sufficient to be
of any importance, and the nominal forces on either
side can be gauged therefore pretty accurately.
Reform, however, is still, as it has been for a long
time, the chief object of political solicitude, and the
impediment to legislative progress in every other
direction, and has very fully shown that on this
question numerical force furnishes no test of actual
strength, and that there exists a moderate section of
politicians who do not agree with the views of either
the more timorous of the Conservatives or the more
enthusiastic of the Liberals, and rho are sufficiently
powerful, by uniting with either of the extreme
parties, to prevent the other from having its
wicked will of the question. The lesson to
be learnt from this state of things is obviously
that which Mr. Seymour Fitzgerald inculcated
upon his former constituents at Horsham a week
since, that no settlement of the question of Reform
is possible without a compromise ; and, indeed,
what with unredeemed pledges and unsuccessful
performances, the whole thing has got into such an
imbroglio ,that, unless a spirit of concession is
shown ou both sides, there is manifestly no hope of
any issue at all being found to it. This, then, is
the old question which the Ministry has to face on
meeting Parliament, and upon which it must very
shortly elect to take one of two courses. It were
useless to guess which of them will be chosen, or
whether, indeed, a third may not yet be found ; but
those which are at present apparent present diffi-
culties of no inconsiderable degree, and such as can
be met by no ordinary solution ; and the dilemma,
as it now appears to stand, is—Reform or no Re-
form. It has been assumed in certain quarters the
latter alternative will be chosen--that the Conser-
vative party will, as it might very logically and

reasonably take the ground that as Reform has been
tried so often and has failed every time, and as,
moreover, it is positively through the failure of their
opponents in the last trial of it that they themselves
are now in power, they will therefore trouble them-
selves and the country with it no more, but devote
themselves to administrative improvements and the
redress of the countless abuses which have so long
been kept waiting. The wish that such a course
may be taken is possibly father to the thought, for
there is scarcely a doubt that in such a case.the Op-
position would measure their strength at once upon
an amendment to the address; and if, as is probable,
notwithstanding the defections of last seseion, they
mustered in sufficient force to snatch a victory, the
Ministry would then be almost forced, in justice to
their own supporters, to a dissolution—and a dis-
solution professedly on the question of Reform or
no Reform—would probably make things consider-
ably worse instead of better, not only for the Con-
servative party, but for the country at large. It
would, in fact, give an opportunity for galvanising
into something like life the cry on which so many and
such feeble changes have lately been rung, and of
carrying out upon a still larger scale the mass meet-
ings and monster demonstrations with which recent
experience has already made us familiar. It is pos-
sible, however, that Lord Derby's Cabinet may
again try its hands at Reform, and it is also very
possible that, warned by past example and past
failures, it may succeed in framing a bill calculated
not to please all, for that no Reform Bill will ever
do, but to embody with pretty fair accuracy the
moderate views which obtain among the majority of
thinking men both in and out of Parliament. This
contingency has been foreseen, and some of the
more advanced Liberals have provided for it by an-
nouncing that they cannot, and will not, believe
that any good bill can come out of a Conservative
Government, and that even if it does they will not,
give it a fair consideration. That threat, however,
is of but little value, for the whole country is most
anxious that the question should be settled ; and
such a bill can be framed there is no doubt that,
come from whatever quarter it may, it will obtain
sufficient support to carry it through. There are
crying abuses enough around us, and it is most de-
sirable that Reform should stop the way no longer.
Next session will at any rate, it is to be hoped, bring
a settlement of the question satisfactory in itself and
offering some guarantees of finality.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

SHEFFIELD-WEDNESDAY.

Tuesday being Christmas-day our market was hold this
week on Monday. There was only a middling show of
wheat, and trade ruled dull at about former rates. Barley
slow,and rather lower in price. Oats firm. Beans are not
in demand.

Red wheat, per load of 3 imp. bushels....23s Od to 21s 61
White do do ....25s Od 27s Od
New red do do —.218 Od 23s Od
New white do do ....248 Od 26s Od
Beans do do ....20s Od 22s 01
Peas, per qr
Grinding barley, per qr 35s Od 38s Od
Malting barley, t o 4os Od 48s Od
Oats, do 278 Od 32s od
F10ur....1s 10d to 28 4d per 141 b.