The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-25 00:00:00

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS.

The steamer Oak, with 503 bales of upland cot-
ton, was totally destroyed by fire near Wilmington
Island, on her passage from Hawkinsville, on Mon-
day, May 28th. At 9 o'clock that evening the cot-
ton was discovered to be on fire, and in a few
minutes the steamer was wrapped in flames from
stem to stern. The sloop Fleet was a quarter of a
mile astern of the Oak at the time of the disaster,
and as there was no wind she immediately despatched
her boat to render assistance. Captain Macaulay,
the purser, and chief engineer were picked up in
the water, and the mate, Henry Bird, Captain Wil-
cox, the cook, and eight coloured persons were
saved. Before the yawl could reach the Oak the
following were either drowned or burnt to death
George E. Atwell, A. Campbell (pilot), one negro
girl (who was a deck passenger), Alexander Martin,
James Nathan, Henry Morritt, Butler, deck
hands ; William Fleming, steward, and A. De.
Lyon, the cabin boy ; all, with the exception of
George E. Atwell, the second engineer, being
coloured persons. The steamer Oak was fully in-
sured in the Northern offices, and her cotton is sup-
posed to be also covered by insurance.
The New York Herald is exceedingly gratified to
notice that the taste for out-door sports among the
American people is steadily upon the increase. As
a rule Americans keep too closely to their houses.
The Yachting Season will soon be inaugurated
by the annual regatta and review of the New York
Yacht Club, and the base ball and cricket season
has just commenced. At present, however, the
races are the great out-door attraction, and crowds
of people attend them. The old courses upon Long
Island, the new courses at Paterson and Hoboken,
and the course not yet completed at Bathgate—
under the auspices of the Jockey Club—all have
their enthusiastic patrons. On the old courses they
still adhere to trotting horses, although the public
taste has changed in favour of running racers. The
grand race meetings of twenty years ago were
superseded by trotting matches, bat there is a
genuine revival of the racing furore once more.
The Paterson races attract a very different class
from the professional betters, roughs, and rowdies,
who attend the trotting matches. A pleasanter
scene than the race course,• with its thousands of
gaily-dressed spectators, its natural beauties of trees
and turf, and its swift horses mounted by parti-
coloured jockeys, would be very difficult to find.
The Herald approves the English style, but
objects to the English nomenclature. There is no
American Earl of Derby to establish and give his
name to a race, but there are American localities
and persons to supply American names.
The Bathgate course will, be original in form, if
in nothing else. The track will resemble the out-
line of the figure 8.

Its novelty seems to be, adds the Herald, its only
recommendation. Old turf-men shake their heads
over it knowingly and with disapprobation ; but
still it mayprove successful, and, if so, its originator
will be entitled to all the more credit.

Judge Underwood opened his Ccurt on the'sth
inst. at Richmond, delivered a charge to the Grand
Jury, and waited to hear what the counsel of Jeff.
Davis might have to say. Mr. William B. Reed, of
Philadelphia, preferred a request to know whether
the District-Attorney intended to move in the
matter of the indictment of Jefferson Davis, and
announced the readiness of his counsel for a speedy
trial. In the absence of the District-Attorney, his
Assistant promised a definite answer next morning.
The counsel who are engaged for the prosecution
do not expect to bring the prisoner to bar before
October next. The counsel for the defence re-
gretted the postponement till October exceedingly
as every arrangement had been perfected by them
to insure no delay. Both the health and appetite
of Mr. Davis have improved, and he seems to be
well provided with delicacies. New potatoes have
been added to his bill of fare, and tomatoes and
summer squash are now regularly received.
After a protracted debate the Senate has passed
the Reconstruction Amendment nearly as agreed
upon, the only changes being changes of form. The
declaration of citizenship in the first section is more
explicit, and the original third section has been
struck out, which denies to the Southern States the
right of representation till after 1870. The report
of the Committee on this subject is a full and able
declaration of the principles which the Republican
party is bound to carry through. The Tribune
states this report to contain the complete and official
record of the principles of that party, on this most
important question, and on which it feels certain
the party will soon be joined as a unit.
On the Bth instant, at 2 p.m., the Canadian Par-