The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-31 00:00:00

THE IMPERIAL HOLIDAY.

A letter from Saint Sauveur of the 26th says:—
" The Emperor and Empress the day after their
arrival began taking the baths. His Majesty
bathes every morning at seven, and her Majesty at
eight. In the course of the day they make excur-
sions in the neighbourhood, and have already been
twice to Bar4;es, where the Government proposes
to re-establish a military hospital. The Emperor
takes great interest in the projected establishment,
and has had the plans submitted to him. It is said
that his Majesty will order various constructions
in the environs of Saint Sauveur ; but thus far only
one operation is certain—the restoration of the
old hermitage of Saint Pierre, the ruins of which
are opposite Luz. The chapel there was for-
merly a place of pilgrimage, and the hermitage ac-
quired a certain degree of celebrity. The Emperor
and Empress seemed much pleased with their new
residence. T visited various parts of the Alps,'
said the Emperor the other day to one of the prin-
cipal functionaries of the district, but I have never
seen anything so pretty as the valley of Luz.' We
had the other evening a little scene, which was
really of charming simplicity, and which excited
the enthusiasm of the inhabitants and the bathers,
from the contrast it presented to the idea generally
entertained of imperial majesty. The mountaineers
of Luz are famous for their kkill in singing. They
are simple peasants, most of whom cannot read,
and not one of whom knows music; but they sing
together with great skill and taste the songs of
the country or pieces of their own composi-
tion. A number of singers then collected the
other evening before the house occupied by their
Majesti:s, and began singing. The drawing-room
in which their Majesties sit is on the ground-floor,
and the moment the singers began, the Emperor
appeared at the door, and was shortly after followed
by the Empress. The Empress seated h?rself on a
chair on the door-steps, with two ladies of honour
behind her; and the Emperor, descending amongst
the crowd, stood leaning against the wall. The
singers, though somewhat moved at such close
proximity to their Majesties, sang exceedingly well,
and their Majesties several times gave the signal of
applause. One of the songs was a sort of cantata,
in honour of the Imperial family, and a prayer to
God to watch over the Emperor and the Imperial
Prince, which it contained, drew tears to the eyes
of the Empress. When the singing had ceased,
the bystanders cried out with great enthusiasm,
Vive l'Empereur !" \rive l'lmperatrice !" Vivo
le Prince Imperial r The Empress then advanced li
to the singers, accompanied by the Emperor, and
addressed to them her thanks and compliments."
" The Emperor and Empress," says a letter fr3m
Biarritz, "are not expected to reach this place
until about the 10th of September. Their Majesties
will not, it is thought, prolong their stay at the
villa beyond the 25th, when the court will return
to Paris, and then proceed to Compiegne, some
days earlier than was at first expected.'

D '''ATH OF A VENERABLE DENIZEN

OF ARUNDEL CASTLE.

A very distinguished occupant of the fortress of
Arundel Castle expired on Thursday last. It was a
very old owl. Many years ago some very fine spe-
cimens of the horned owl were introduced into the
keep by the then Earl of Arundel; and their descend-
ants have continued to occupy a place in this ancient
building up to the present period. There are now
living seven birds in all, the oldest of the eight having
just passed away at the patriarchal age of about 100
years. This was a very noted bird, and its death
should not be passed over in silence. These owls
have become almost as famous as the Saxon keep
which they occupy. They are very peculiar, and
perch up in the niches of the citadel, looking on
visitors with a pride which seems to bespeak the
dignity of their connexion with the ancient House
of Howard. Since their introduction only about
six have been added to the family, so that the race
is not likely to become common. They usually
live to a green old age, but none have before passed
over 100 summers.

This bird must have been hatched in the reign
of George the Second. Four kings have passed
away since it first saw light; and many Dukes of
Norfolk have been numbered with the dead. A.
Wellington,Napoleon Bonaparte,Nelson and Wash-
ington have all fretted out their lives on the
world's stage, within this period. The recently
departed owl was supposed to have been the
famous " Lord Thurlow" of the Keep, in
connexion with which a ludicrous anecdote
is told, which we will repeat :—" It was
formerly the custom of the castellan to give each of
these birds a name, and from their singularly wise
appearance they were invariably named after some
celebrated dignitary of the law. One was called
Lord Eldon, and the subject of this notice was dub-
bad Lord Thurlow, we presume in total ignorance
of the sex of the bird, which was in reality that of
the feminine gender. It happened at one time that
the famous Chancellor, Lord Thurlow, was ill, and
much political anxiety was felt at the circumstance.
The Duke of Norfolk was desirous of learning the
latest intelligence respecting the learned man ; and
as he was riding one day into the gateway of the
Castle, the attendant ran up to him, out of breath,
exclaiming, " Please your grace, Lord Thurlow
" " Well," said the duke sharply, " what
news—is he better or worse ?" "Oh ! please your
grace," replied the man, "just laid an egg."
As may be supposed, it is quite an event for an
egg to be deposited by these aristocratic birds.
They do not average among them one a year, and
it is seldom that they are productive. The last
bird, however, is one of the finest of the collection ;
this was hatched about six or seven years ago. The
oldest denizen of the Keep is now about 63 years
of age. The famous " Lord Thurlow" owl, which
has just expired, has been blind for the past 25
years, and in walking about in the interior of the
Keep invariably ran against the projections of the
building. It was carefully attended to by the
keeper, and died from physical exhaustion, having
passed a monotonous life of a century's duration
within the narrow boundaries of the Keep of
Arundel Castle, unconscious of the turmoils and
changes which have taken place during that period
in the expansive world without, among the more
intelligent bipeds of creation.— Ti rest Sussex
Gazette.

PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Paris
is about l dis. and the short eYchangeon London is 25.10
per sterling. On comparing these rates with the Eng-
lish Mint price of £3 17s. 101 d. per ounce for standard gold,
it appears that gold is about 1-10th per cent. dearer in
Paris than in London. By advices from Hamburg the
price of gold is 4221 per mark, and the short exchange on
London is 13.411 per £1 sterling. Standard gold at the
English Mint price is therefore about 2 10ths 'per cent.
dearer in London than in Hamburg. The course of •ex-
change at New York on London for bills at 60 days' sight
is about 110 per cent., which, when compared with the
Mint par between the two countries, shows that the ex-
change is in favour of England ; and, after making
allowance for charges of transport and difference of inte-
rest, the present rate leaves a small profit on the imparta-
tion of gold from the United States.

LYNCH LAW AT SHIELDS.—A few days ago one
of the crew of an American vessel (which ship is now in the
Tyne) requested to be allowed to go on shore, and not re-
ceiving an immediate leave ho was in the act of getting
over the side, when the wife of the captain seized a pistol,
cocked it, approached the man, and said if he put one leg
over the rail he would be a dead man.—Netreastie Chronicle.

A SAILOR'S ASCENT OF MOUNT
VESUVIUS.

The following letter is from the pen of a young
seaman named Dymond, 20 years of age, serving
on board her Majesty's ship Centurion. He is the
son of a messenger at one of the Plymouth banks.
The writer is a true seaman, as far as spinning a
long yarn is concerned, but his description is pro-
bably more correct than many of those which have
been written on the same subject. We wish the
navy had some thousands of young fellows of his
pluck and perseverance. Should the enterprising
young seaman go to Mont Blanc Albert Smith
must look to his laurels :
"Dear Mother—l have had a bit of a dangerous
walk since I wrote to you. I have been to the top
of Mount Vesuvius and looked into the crater ; it
was a most awful and grand sight. The height of
the mount is 3,000 feet from the level of the sea
and about ten miles sloping upwards. It was rather
a fatiguing walk. Four of us started, but after
they went up to the burning lava they turned back,
but it was no use; I was determined to mount to
the top. They watched me till they said I was as
small as a mouse, and shook their heads and turned
back, whilst I, nothing daunted, pushed on. It
was not walking, it was a jump and a spring,
slipping, falling, sinking to the knees in sand and
cinders. I started with the intention of going as
far as I could, so I took no refreshment whatever,
and can assure you I paid dearly for it. I suffered
the most extreme thirst. I put a silver coin
in my mouth and I sucked it as bright as a
diamond, so you may guess it was rather dry
work. After I passed the vineyard at the bottom
o. f the mount, I met with a dusty and soft soil, sink-
ing ankle deep every step until I came to the burn-
ing lava that forced itself through the mount. By
Jove it was hot. Talk about a blacksmith's foundry
—it's a mere trifle to it. I saw the lava rolling out
burning as bright as the sun and streaming down
the sides ; turning a steel blue as it got cool. Well,
after passing through that I came to the cold lava.
That was the stuff to walk on—like a large pie-
critst, you would think it firm but down you sink.
I think I must have a good pair of legs after I got
by that. Then I came to sand, up to knees every
step, very pleasant—the sun striking down and no
signs of water ! Everything burnt and parched
up, fearfully choking with thirst. I scrambled on,
no sign of anything human ! I rested about 20
times to take off my shoes and stockings to
shake sand out, and got in the ravine ! and now
comes the grand tug to the top ; it was climbing
hand over hand, sinking and falling. Every foot I
would catch hold of a lava, thinking it would hold
me, give a tug and down it would come right on
the top of me, had I not jumped on one side, or
rather fell, out of the way. Imagine about four
cwt. of lava rolling down! no very pleasant thing
to stop, I can assure you. I sat down regularly ex-
hausted. Shall I turn back? No, Bill,' go a-head
or drop,' well, at it again.' Toiling, scrambling,
till I get up to about 100 feet from the top, when I
see a little thin vapour on the top, rolling down
towards me. I took no notice till it reached me.
when. talk about the essence of sulphur itself, 'twas
twenty times worse. I felt a shudder seize me;
my lips grew rigid ; my nose felt as hard as a
bullet ; my tongue clove to my mouth ; I felt a
stifling sensation in my throat, and giddiness, and
down I fell stiff.

" Oh! the sea breeze sprung up ; a fresh air re-
vived me. I plucked up courage—it was run,
Bill, run ;' I did, or rather I sprung, I leaped, I
flew. Oh ! for dear life. I gained the top, and
ran to windward. I gained the top, my hope was
reached. I rested then. Now lam going to tell
you about the ' crater,' or what they call the mouth
of the hill. It is about a quarter of a mile around,
arid about half a mile deep; you can't see the bot-
tom, owing to the smoke that keeps rolling up.
There it isn't smoke, it is a regular white vapour,
rank poison, and no mistake. By the small sniff I
got I think if it had lasted on me a minute longer
it would have been a slew-up; so I kept to wind-
ward. I can assure you it is just like looking down
a deep pit. You can hear the molten lava just like
frying fish on a fierce fire, fizzing, cracking, and
snapping. I started about one hundred weight of
lava and stuff down ; I saw it rolling down about
half way, and then it swept into the vapour and
vanished from my sight ; I could sqe it no more,
but I fancied I heard it drop into the boiling lava.
I suppose that it is about as far down as where the
lava forces through the sides of the Mount and finds
vent, and that it is about half a mile down from the
top ; so that by that I guess it must be about a half
mile deep. Well, I stopped about an hour on top
surveying the country. It was well worth the
trouble I took just to see the scenery. It is beyond my
power to describe it to you. There was Naples, in
all its glory, underneath, to the right ; the sea in
front ; Castellamare to the left ; Pompeii and Her-
culaneum right underneath. You may imagine
what thoughts were in my head. I was standing
on the edge of the very crater, or mouth of the
mount, which emitted that pillar of fire which de-
stroyed those houses and cities 1,800 years ago.
There were the ruins still standing. What a sight !
Turn round. There the seething vapour is still
issuing up like a kettle singing. Should a shift of
wind come suddenly, down I should drop—pleasant
reflections, but wonderful feelings. I have taken
three specimens of the edge of the crater, which I
will show you when I can, and a stick which I took
up with me. I carved a few names, of which I will
tell you by and bye. I left the stick up ; come
down fine and tired and fatigued. I got a drink ;
I thOught I should have drunk the sea dry. When
I came on board to them they would not believe me,
but I told them if they went on top they would see
my stick, and offered any young fellow a " wet" if
they fetched it down. A young fellow brought it
down, and now they believe me. He gave me the
stick, which I shall bring home with me. So I
boast of being the first to ascend the Mount in this
ship's company. Since then Jack Gimblett went
up, but he had a guide, I had none ; he had refresh-
ments, I foolishly brought none ; he had my direc-
tions how to go, but I had no one's ; so I had the
honour of being the first of six that went up. It
took me from 6 a.m. till 9 p.m., nine hours, without
taking anything. Judge of hiy legs after that.—
Yours truly. " W. D."
—Plymouth Journal.