The Sun.
London, England, 1832-09-29 00:00:00

ECCLESIASTICAL PREFERMENTS.

OXFORD, SEPT. 28.—The Rev. Thomas Blackburne,
8.A., of Brazenose College, has been instituted by the
Lord Bishop of Lincoln to the Rectory of Bygrave, Hert-
fordshire, on the presentation of the Marquis of Salisbury.
The Lord Bishop of St. David's has been pleased to pre-
sent the Rev. William Jones, Curate of Penbryan, Cardi-
ganshire, to the Vicarage of Llanrian, vacant by the death
of the Rev. Wm. Roberts, of St. David's.

On Saturday last the Rev. Thos. Hill Lowe, M.A., was
installed Precentor and Prebendary of the Cathedral Church
of Exeter.

The Rev. Robert Grier has been licensed to the Perpe-
tual Curacy of Walpole, Suffolk, on the nomination of the
Rev. Benjamin Pnilpot, Archdeacon of the diocese of So-
dor and Man.

The Rev. G. G. Stonestreet, F.S.A., of Hastings, to a
Prebend in Lincoln Cathedral.

The living of Hayfield, near Buxton, in the county of
Derby, which is in the gift of the resident freeholders of
the place, and for which there were several candidates,
ha., by a considerable majority, been presented to the Rev.
Samuel \Vasso, Master of Sherburn Grammar School,
Yorkshire.

In the Episcopal Palace, on Friday, the 21st inst., the
King's Advocate, Sir Herbert Jenner Knight, LL.D., was
invested by the Lord Bishop of Worcester with the office
and dignity of Vicar General and Official Principal of the
City and Diocese of Worcester, void by the resignation of
James King Arnold, LL.D., one of the Advocates of the
Arches Court of Canterbury.
The Earl of Darnley has appointed the Rev. J. D.
Glenie, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge) one of his
Lordship's domestic Chaplains.

PORTSMOUTH, SEPT. 27.

(FROM A MORNING CONTEMPORARY.)

From an early hour this morning, the who!e of Ports-
mouth, together with the towns and hamlets adjacent, pre-
sented a scene of the greatest bustle and animation. Pub-
lic curiosity was excited in a very high degree by two anti-
ciltted events of peculiar public interest. The arrival of
the French squadron from Cherbourg was momentarily
expected, and this was the day fixed upon for the launch

•
of Bri•ain to defend and maintain her power, as mistress
of the ocean. The morning mist was scarcely dispelled
when Sir Pulteney M.leolin was seen on the platform
which commands the harbour, pointing his glass in the di-
rection of Spithead, but the French flag could not yet be
descried. Several other naval officers paced up and
down at the same time, and made ob•ei vations in the
indistinct horizon, but no foreign sail presented itself.
Meanwhile, Sir James Graham, the First Lord of the
Admiralty, had come down the night before, .and the dis-
tinction was reserved for his lady, of conferring a name
upon the new giant of the deep. I must also observe that
another important personage has just made his appearance
here. The Eatl of Dundonald, much better known to
friends and foes, as Lord Cochrane, has come to Ports-
mouth, and his presence, at this critical juncture, gives
rise to various surmises, the most probable of which is,
that he is likely have some part assigned to him in the ex-
pedition to the Scheldt.

LAUNCH OF THE NEPTUNE-ARRIVAL OF A

FRENCH CORVETTE.

The hour appointed for the launch to take place was
half-past twelve o'clock, and by this time every building,
street, and lane in the neighbourhood of the duck-yard,
was occupied by an immense mass of spectators, many of
them of the higher classes, and all infinitely superior in
appearance to what might be expected from so vast and
indiscriminate an assemblage. The weather not only fa•
voured the grand national pageant, but gave to it, in the
vividness of a brilliant sun, a degree of enhancement that
placed its countless combinations in a more prominent
light of splendid beauty and varied interest. This tffect
was strikingly brought in view by the scene exhibited on
the water. While the animating strains of martial music
were heard on all sides, the massive bulwarks of British
greatness and British glory reared their stupendous forms,
as if in conscious guardianship of the numberless small
and frail barks with which they were encompassed as
far as the eye could reach. The whole perspective
through the harbour from the dock-yard across to
Gosport, and thence along to the Victualling-office, till
sonic chi quered hills intervened in the distance, displayed
infinite modifications of art and ingenuity, diversified in a
manner to charm the heart and fill the soul with astonish-
ment. Lines of yachts, barges, arid small boats were drawn
like a continual succession of little crescents close up to the
sides of bo'd stately ships, whose flags waving as the em-
blems of might and conquest, brought back a thousand
proud recollections to the minds of the beholders. Without
liazirding any thing like an over-estimate of the spectators
who bad stationed themselves in various directions both on
land and water, I should say that they could not be less
than 120,000. The proportion of ladies was very consi-
derable, and it would seem, from the general attire of
them all, that they regarded this as a day which required
on their part a more than ordinary attention to gai and
graceful costume. The gentlemen, and, indeed, the male
portion of the assemblage genet ally, seemed to have been
equally studious in seeing that their raiment should
accord with the occasion.

About a quarter before 1 o'clock a salute of fifteen guns
discharged from the Victory, the port Admiral's ship, and
the tricolour flag hoisted at the time, announced that a
French vessel was bearing up towards Spithead. One
circumstance struck all who contemplated the present scene
as not a little remarkab'e. While a vessel from a country
which had long been the most formidable enemy of Great
Britain, was now receiving the friendly greeting of that
celebrated British ship the Victory (the ship of the im-
mortal Nelson), a still more mighty machine in shape,
weight, and size was now upon the very point of
mingling upon the waters with the other wooden
walls of Old England. Scarcely had the salute
been given when the new ship, moving smoothly and
softly down the inclined plane that in another second
or two was to waft her to her proper element, received as
she passed from her fair sponsor Lady Graham the appro-
priate name of Neptune, amidst loud and reiterated cheers
Nothing could be finer than the manner in which this su-
perb vessel entered upon the bosom of the ocean. There
was not the slightest deviation from the most perfect equi-
poise, nor in her movement was there even the semblance
of effort. But ship building is a very different thing now
from what it was in those days when to commit a bat k to
the waves was a work of some labour.

ellite in xquora navem."
" Nunc agite, 0 socii prop

The Neptune carries 120 guns of large calibre, and her
number of tons is not less than 2,714, exceeding by up
wards of 300 the lagest line of battle ship in the British
navy. Though thousands were so closely congregated,
yet not the slightest accident occurred; a most gratifying
circumstance, when we recollect the melancholy loss of

life that attended the last fete of a similar kind which took
place in this harbour.

Five o'clock. p.m•

I have just learned that the French vessel which has ar-
rived at Spithead is a.3o7gun corvette. She brings de
spatches stating that the immediate object of her visit is to
wait here until Sir Pulteney Malcolm .hall have completed
his arrangements, when the will take back the intelligence
to that effect to Cherbourg, and then sail for this port with
the rest of the squadron. She describes the ships on the
other side of the water as in perfect readiness to set out,
and waiting only the time and convenience of the British
Admiral. The French naval force to be employed in the
Anglo-Gallic expedition (if any expedition there is likely
to be, a fact, by the way, which, despite of all threatening
appearances many very sensible persons seem disposed to
doubt) will consist of one line of battle ship of 100 guns,
two frigates of 60 guns, two of 44, and some smaller ves-
sels. In the meantime, it is stated that Sir Pulteney Mal.
color waits to be joined by some " light weights" from the
Cork station, as his object is to blockade the mouth of the
Scheldt and not bombard its fortresses.