The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-20 00:00:00

HIE COURT IN THE HIGHLANDS.

On Friday, the 9th instant, the Prince went deer
stalking in the forest of Ballochbuie, and killed
three excellent stags. On Saturday, the 10th, the
Prince, accompanied by Sir George and General
Grey, went deer stalking in the woods of Aber-
geldie, when the Prince brought down an excellent
stag, and General Grey another. The Queen, ac-
companied by the Princess Alice, Lady Churchill,
&c., had a carriage drive through part of the woods
of Abergeldie in the afternoon. His Royal High-
ness the Prince of Wales arrived at the Castle in
the evening. On Sunday the Queen, the Prince
Consort, Prince of Wales, and Princess Alice, ac-
companied by the other members of the Court,
attended public worship in the parish church
(which is now so far advanced in repairs as to ad-
mit of the service being conducted in future inside).
The Rev. Dr. Cook, St. Andrew's preached a very
earnest and religious sermon from Ist Corinthians
iv., sth and 6th verses. The church was very well
filled. On Mondry, it being very fine, the Queen,
the Prince Consort, Princess Alice, &c., went out
through the road to Crathinaird village, and viewed
the scenery around, the Queen using her sketching
pencil at different times. The Prince of Wales went
grouse shooting on the Gairnsheil moors, and made
good bags. Sir C. B. Phipps went partridge shoot-
ing, and had excellent sport. In the evening there
was a grand ball given at the Castles to the game-
keepers and gillies, when amongst those present
were Lord and Lady John Russell and family, Sir
C. B. Phipps, Lady Phipps, and family. On Tues-
day, the Prince, accompanied by the Prince of
Wales and General Grey, went steer stalking in
the woods of Abergeldie, but met with nothing.
The Count of Flanders arrived at the Castle in the
evening. On 'Wednesday the Queen, Princess
Alice, and Lord Fitzroy, accompanied the Prince
Consort on his way to Aberdeen, to Ballater. Here,
after parting, they drove to Morven Hill, where the
Queen viewed the surrounding scenery with great
attention. This is only the second time the Queen
has been on Morven Hill. His Royal Highness
the Prince of Wales went deer stalking and brought
down a good stag. The Count of Flanders went
grouse shooting on the Gairnsheil moors and had
good sport. Sir C. B. Phipps and son went par-
tridge shooting on the Micras farms, and had good
bags. On Thursday the Queen and Princess Alice,
and Lady Churchill, went to the top of Lochnagar.
The Prince of Wales and Count of Flanders went
deer stalking in the forest, but met with little. Sir
C. B. Phipps and son went partridge shooting on
the Abergeldie estate.—Aberdeen Herald.

THE " LADLE" IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF
CRA.THIE.—The northern journals relate the following in-
cident, which is said to have occurred in the church of
Crathie on Sunday last, at the conclusion of the service :
" On the announcement from the pulpit of a collection then
to be made by the assembled congregation in behalf of the
Jewish Missions, the elders proceeded in the usual manner
to uplift the contributions for that object, armed with the
ladles or wooden boxes, to which are attached handles of
seven or eight feet long. These being diligently pushed
along in front of the occupants of each pew, were soon
filled and carried off, leaving one collector in the section of
the gallery in which was situated the royal pew occupied by
her Majesty and suite. The ladle was in due course passed
along the royal pew, and the official striving to reach its
farther end and leaning on the door, the sneck suddenly
yielding to his weight gave way, and capsized him head
foremost among the royal party, couping the boxful of
bawbees into the laps of some of the ladies in attendance.
The mishap was observed and heard by the ilaajority of the
congregation, who had difficulty in restraining. their met: •
riment at the circumstance, and the confusionot face mani-
fested by the luckless office-bearer, the feeling being evi-
dently participated in by the august lady herself, who
witnessed the occurrence."
FREEDOM OF ABERDEEN TO LORD J. RUSSELL.—
The town council of AberdPen nave unanimously agreed to
confer the freedom of their city upon Lord John Russell.
The day for the ceremony will depend upon lii lordtihip‘o
convenience.

TIIE SCHOOLING OF'THE GREAT

EASTERN.

The martyrs to progress in the Great Eastern—
martyrs by fire and water—will not have given up
their lives wholly uselessly it we know how to rea-
son rightly. The Great Eastern has not been
burnt, as would assuredly have been the case with
a wooden craft, and the boiler fire that threw out
flames like a volcano was extinguished by the effi-
cient water supply. The tiller ropes that broke
were easily replaced by the chains provided by the
sagacity of Capt. Harrison. How far these chains
may be trustworthy we do not know ; but the risks
in chains are considerable. Every link is composed
of a separate piece of bar, which is usually welded
by a scarf-joint heated in a coal fire, and therefore
there is great risk of an imperfect weld. This might
be remedied. We join lead pipes now-a-days not by
solder but by melting them together by gaseous
flame. We could do the same thing by iron rods,
making most probably a sound butt-joint instead
of an imperfect scarf-joint. This is one of the
things worth verifying. For the sake of security,
the smoke funnels of the vessel were surrounded
by water-casings, thus to keep cool surfaces. But
the surplus heat practically converted these cas-
ings or jackets into boilers. These boilers were
not provided with sure safety valves to relieve the
pressure, and one of them burst and carried away
the funnel, the effects of the explosion penetrating
into the passengers' saloons and gutting them, for-
tunately the passengers being absent. Now, the
water-casings were right enough, if we remember
only that they were a kind of prolongation of the
boiler, and should be treated accordingly. Butoutside
the casings there should have been an explosion-proof
iron chamber entirely cutting off the steam from
the other portions of the vessel. Before the vessel
goes to sea again this should be done. It is quite
possible to make the passengers absolutely safe in
such a vessel if rightly constructed, and if the
directors look to profit they must make this clear
possibility an absolute fact. The passengers should
be enabled to turn in to their berths quite certain
that they can neither be burnt, nor scalded, nor
drowned, nor suffocated. Nothing short of this
will or ought to satisfy those who may take
passage in the vessel. The sides of every
boiler-room snould form a solid wrought-iron
shaft, open or lightly covered at top to a suffi-
cient height to vomit forth the results of any
explosion above Vie heads of those on deck. And
exposed as the engineers and stokers must be to
boiler casualties, still they should be provided with
a wholesome atmosphere to work in by the abun-
dant play of cool air around them. This can be
done, and -should be insisted on. Let all frippery
be dispensed with ; passengers will be content with
plain white paint in their berths if they knew that.
those who serve them amidst the machinery are in
a state of as great comfort and as little risk as
may be. The neglect of these things has filled
the mouths of fools with matter for exultation,
and progress is retarded for a while. But it would
be better to put off the sailing of the vessel for
any number of months, rather than put to sea with
anything left undone that may be done in the
way of the most perfect comfort and security.. This
catastrophe should be regarded as a warning, a
source of knowledge bow to avoid future catas-
trophes; as a cause of additional safety to all those
who may travel by this vessel, and not as an
omen of misfortune. Not by having regard to •
omens was England made what she is ; but by
regarding every misfortune as a teaching of some-
thing more to be avoided in the future. And the
essence of safety against explosions in steam-ships
is to remove every obstacle to the upward force of
the explosion, and to provide solid iron walls to
retain it laterally and downwards. Let this be
done, and the Great Eastern will still be the first
in the latest phase of ocean transport. If it be not
done, she will be d, standing menace to passengers
that no amount of decoration can overlay.—Once a
Week.