The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-29 00:00:00

'HE CANADA STEAMSHIP IN COL-
LISION WITH AN ICEBERG.

The Glasgow Herald publishes a letter from a
gentleman on his passage to New York, to a friend
in Glasgow, giving an account of a terrible col-
lision which the Canada had with an iceberg.
The writer says :—" On Saturday, 9th instant,
about 1.30 p.m., in lat. 48 deg. 40 min. north,
long. 48 deg. 10 min. west, during a dense fog,
and while about 230 miles from Newfoundland,
the ship struck an immense iceberg, the same
not having been perceived until about 300 yards
from the ship, which was going full speed and
with mainsail and yards set. The engines were
immediately stopped, but only about a minute and
a quarter elapsed since we struck, crushing and
splintering the bowsprit like a reed, annihilating
the cutwater, tearing up the forecastle deck, and
staving in the bows of the ship. Death, speedy
and inevitable—for it was feared the ship would
fill and sink before the boats could be lowered—
seemed imminent, and was apprehended by all for
the space of five or seven minutes ; but if minutes
are to be measured by the amount of
sensations experienced in the time, they
were the longest I or any one on board ever
felt. The captain and officers of the ship,
who behaved in the trying circumstances with
great calmness and presence of mind, as soon as
possible ascertained the extent of the damage done.
Our hopes gradually rose as time elapsed, and there
were no symptoms of the ship settling down by
the head, and it was shortly discovered that we had
fortunately struck on a perpendicular face of the
berg, and not where it extended under water, so
that the principal damage to the bows was abo're
the water line. This, with what must have been,
as compared with others, the extraordinary strength
of the ship proved our safety. We remained on
the spot several hours to repair, so far as our
111 sans admitted, the damage, and the heavy part of
the cargo and luggage was shifted back to the
after part of the main saloon, so as to lighten the
ship forward, and lift the broken part still further
out of the water. After this, so long as the fog
continued, we went " dead slow," for another
thump, though greatly less severe, would have sent
usdown at once. The Americans on board, and
ththere are many, are almost unanimous in saying
at had it been a Yankee ship, cur fate would
have been a very different one. From the immen-
2itY of the shock, I have now no doubt of the
_cause of the silent and signless fate of the
rresident, Pacific, and City of Glasgow."—Man
cheater Examiner.

TEE
_RECENT CONSERVATIVE
_DEMONSTRATION.

have read in a London journal a flaming
I,4M:tont of a " Great Conservative Banquet" held in
ajerbY) which, we are assured, was the precursor
of the utter annihilation of Liberalism in South
berbyshire. Eloquent speeches—great enthusiasm
--magnificent presents of venison—wines of the
first vintage-- and the choicest specimens of fish
rrom the rich preserves of Conservative magnates
r
--in short a banquet which for rare excellence and
%.efinement of taste has not been witnessed in Derby
e these degenerate days. We naturally turned over
Pages of the Mercury with laudable anxiety to
vain
the of
outpourings of the orators. In.
Itun did 4.L
length eye follow column after column; until
dest paragraph,
ength it rested in astonished gaze upon a mo-
i:ecord preserved of some dozen lines, the only local
/Ted of the wondrous banquet descri▪ bed
111
_such brilliant terms in some London journals.
our.
curiosity was aroused, and diligent inquiries
Were instituted.
yard at At length we discovered that in a
perso the back of an inn in Sadler-gate a number of
;terns assembled on Wednesday week—" in thun-
,li assembled on
discuss under a tent some
enisou and nut-brown ale at a moderate charge,
least to all who were not admitted gratuitously.
uur dazzled imagination at once sobered down, and
312twithstanding all the viva voce descriptions gi▪
ven
t°,l, the eloquence of our local Ciceros and Demos-
thenes', vie have arrived at the conclusion that some
n/Tdeep reasons of state have prevented our contem-
ra,,is " iy. from disclosing to the world the rare doings
this great Conservative banquet !" On behalf
43f the orators who are thus so cruelly deprived of
."11.e. fruits of their labours, we must protest against
ullsmode of dealing with them. It is too bad.
what. have the done to be thus shrouded in ob-
scurity ? Why should the " great Conservative
lja,ll3r" be deprived of the exhilirating feelings
have Which a perusal of the speeches would doubtless
produced ? We are afraid that, if a satisfac-
ctory answer is not vouchsafed to us, we shall be
ompelled to publish some of the accounts sent of
e remarkable gathering in the back-yard, Sadler-
gate. At any rate we congratulate the " great Con-
servative party " on this last demonstration, which
Everything
we are assured, a most remarkable gathering.
f‘verything was superb—from the speeches of the
Jubilant Chairman and his Fides Achates, down to.
the mugs of nut brown—and "especially the vent-
son ! "—Derby Reporter.