The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-26 00:00:00

LA TEST INTELLIGENCE,

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

same with the Vesta and Fleetwing.
The Fleetwing, when eight days out, encountered
a heavy southerly gale. The sea boarded her at
9 p.m., and carried away her jibboom, and washed
six men overboard, including two quartermasters—
all of whom were lost. This caused a deficiency of
hands on board, and to that and her loss of canvass
is attributed her losing the race. The Fleetwing
was commanded by Capt. Thomas, of the packet-
ship New York. The Fleetwing is a beautiful spe-
cimen of marine architecture.

The Henrietta is exceedingly smart looking, and
spreads a large quantity of canvass. She will re-
main in Cowes roads open to public view until
Saturday, as also will the other two yachts. The
Henrietta leaves on Monday for Havre, where she
will lay up for the winter, preparing for the Cher-
bourg races.

A grand banquet will be given to the yachts at
Cowes on Monday next.
The Vesta was boarded by Pilot Webb at 8.50
p.m last night 10 miles west south-west of the
Needles, as he supposed, but owing to the misty
weather he mistook the St. Catherine light for the

Needles, and thereby caused the Vesta to be last

instead of second in the race, as she would other-
wise have made the Needles at 9.50 p.m. instead of
12.40 a.m., Wednesday. The Vesta met with no
accident, and did not lose a rope. The Vesta's

greatest run in one day was 277, and her least

165 miles.

According to :arrangements between the owners
of the three xachts before leaving New York, the
winning yacht is open to accept a challenge from

any vessel belonging to any yacht club in the world
for any sum to sail to the Azores and back, and

which Mr. Bennett, jun., the owner of the
Henrietta is ready to accept.

RUSSIA.

ST. PETERSBURG, Dec. 25, Evening.
The following medical bulletin has been published

here to-day :

"Prince Gortschakoff's health, which was lately
such as to afford serious ground for alarm, is now
much more satisfactory, and all danger has passed

away."

BELGIUM.

BRUSSELS, Dec. 25.

The Moniteur Belge of this morning says :—" In

consequence of the spread of the cattle plague in
Holland more rigorous measures have become neces-
sary for the repression of fraud on the frontiers of
Eastern Flanders, and several other communes have,
therefore, been placed under the provisions of the
law of 7th February, 1866."

AMERICA.
PER THE CITY OF PARIS.
NEW YORK, Dec. 15.
A bill introduced into the House, proposing that
the Secretary of the Treasury sell two millions of
gold weekly on certain conditions, was eliciting
considerable discussion at Washington.
General Butler's seat in Congress is to be con-
tested by the Democratic candidate who was defeated
at the last election.

A large number of distilleries in New York city
had been seized by the Government for alleged
evasions of the revenue laws.

The Welland Canal has been officially closed for
be winter season.

Cyrus W. Field was at Washington, arranging
with the Government about matters connected with
the Atlantic cable.

By way of San Francisco a few details of Mexican
news have been received. Letters from-Mazatlan
and Guaymas give no later news. A number of
Liberal troops had occupied Coloma. They were
said to be 3,000 strong. The report of the death of
General Placido Vega was unfounded. He was with
Juarez at Chihuahua.

An Acapulco letter, dated Dec. 4, from General
Montenegro to the Mexican Imperial consul at San
Francisco, states that there is no truth in the report
that the Imperialists intended to evacuate that
place, and says that no official account has been
received there of the capture of Coloma. The
Imperial General Oronoz still occupied part of the
State of Oajaca, and at Tehuantepec the Imperial
Colonel Toledo defeated a body of Liberals who
went from Oajaca to attack him. Per contra, pas-
sengers by the Panama steamer report a fleet of
French vessels in the harbour of Acapulco, one of
which had a large number of troops on board, and
report that the French would evacuate the place in
a few days. The French commander had attempted
to levy contributions on the town of Acapulco and
the property of the Pacific Steamship Company,
but the arrival of the United States steamerstopped
the proceedings. It was also said at Coloma that
the French were defeated near Tehuantepec, three
hundred of whom reached the coast and sent to
Mazatlan for relief.

THE ATLANTIC YACHT RACE.
HURST CASTLE, Dec. 25.
The yacht Henrietta passed Hurst Castle at 4
p.m. for Cowes.

COWES, Dec. 25.
The Henrietta arrived off here at 5.40 p.m.
Neither of the other yachts is in sight.
COWES, Dec. 26.
The Fleetwing arrived at 2 a.m., and the Vesta
at 3.30 a.m. to-day.
Great excitement prevails here in consequence
of this race, and all the yachts arriving so closely
together. The three vessels are lying off the Royal
Yacht Squadron Club House, by the members of
which club the yachtmen have been most cor.
dially received, especially those belonging to the
Henrietta. Hundreds of boats with visitors are
sailing round the yachts.
The winning yacht, the Henrietta, with Mr.
Bennett, jun., the owner, on board, is commanded
by Captain Samuels, formerly of the clipper ship
Dreadnought. With the exception of the Dread-
nought the Henrietta made the quickest passage on
record. She had no accident, and did not lose a
rope, and made the entire passage from New York
to Cowes on one tack ; her greatest run in one day
was 280 miles, her least 113—and that was on the
19th inst., when she laid to in a heavy storm. The
Henrietta averaged throughout the passage 218

miles a day.
On the 12th inst., the day of starting, the Hen-
rietta passed the Vesta at 6 p.m., and was com-
pelled to shift her course to shake the
Vesta off. Heavy squalls, snow and sleet ;
the 13th, squally ; the 14th, moderate breeze ; the
15th, cloudy, heavy with hail and snow, and squally;
the 16th, heavy northerly winds ; the 17th, north-
easterly winds with heavy squalls ; the 18th and
19th, heavy cross seas ; the 20th, strong westerly
winds ; the 21st, heavy swells ; the 22d, southerly
wind, cloudy; the 23d, smooth seas ; the 24th,
weather threatening squally ; the 25th, brisk south-
westerly winds.
The Henrietta parted company with the other
yachts 24 hours after starting, and saw nothing of
them afterwards till their arrival at Cowes. The