The Sun.
London, England, 1857-04-10 00:00:00

THE TRANSIT AG4IN!

Without setting up for the reputation of prophehs,
we cannot help reminding our readers that a ft iw
Weeks since a warning appeared in these columns
against the employment of a certain unlucky croft
called the Transit in the come- yance of troops artd
stor,s to the Chinese Seas. This vessel has, pre
believe, a character of its own among those ac-
quainted with the Transport Service, and is oei 6-
brated beyond even the average of Governme at
vessels for its inability to perform any task allot( ad
to it in decent time, or, indeed, in any time
at all. Some of our readers may remember its
name in connection with the great naval solemnity.
of last' year. The Transit was the steamerlia
which the hereditary branch of the Legislature
embarked on the 23d of April last, full of eae er
curiosity and patriotic pride—destined, alas ! to
disappointment and mortification.. We need nof
recall the fate of the Peerage on that day, how t' 30
engines of the Transit broke down, it, indeed, th
were ever in order ; how screw and helm refused
their office ; how she never got out of Southamptx)n. -
Water ; how the Lords were entirely deprived of
all that accurate aad instructive representation or a
Baltic campaign which the great naval review so
properly supplied. What the Transit has-been
doing since is known only to the authorities ; but
now, after the lapse of a year, she turns up again.
It was natural that a vessel with so suggestive , a
name—though, as experience proves, sadly in is-
applied—should be selected for the conveyance of
men and material on an emergency. The Transit
was accordingly ordered to be got ready for Chin A.
The old acquaintances of the vessel were semewhiat
staggered ; but, of course, in these things inter-
ference is impertinence, and criticism cavilling.
On Tuesday afternoon she took her departure
from Portsmouth for Hong Kong with 800 offict TS
and men of the 59th and 60th Regiments, a ma il,
and a large quantity of shot and shell. On We
besday morning she returned to Spithead almost
in a sinking state. We may well congratulate
the country and the friends of the troops on
board that the accident which brought her baule
took place before she had been 24 hours at Fen.
Had she knocked a hole in her bottom at soiree
anchorage on a coast less hospitable than that
of the Channel, we might. have had to no-
count a disaster as terrible as any in maritime
annals. .The history of the affair appears to have
been as follows :—The vessel encountered a • fog
on approaching the Needles. The lead was kept
going, and at last she anchored in five fathoms.
The position was said to be a good one, and not a
soul on board was suspicious of the least mishap ;
but at dawn the next morning the Transit was dis-
covered to have 5 feet of water in her hold. The
anchor was weighed and found to have half the
stock carried away. The explanation was obvious.
The ship had been driven on her own anchor, and
a hole had been knocked in her bottom. When 9
feet water had been reported the captain put back
to Spithead. The troops were transferred to an•
other vessel, the mail sent back to the Post-office,
and the powder and shell taken out to prevent her
from sinking. Engines were set to work to keep her
afloat, and by this time she is in dock for inspec-
tion and repair.
This little episode in our new war warns us he w
to expect 'that the lessons of two years ago have
taught us the right way of doing everything. The
whole proceeding as it is described is, -in fact,
thoroughly Crimean, and recalls us to 1851. The
choice of a ship which had failed more than once in
short trips to carry 800 men a distance of 16,00)
miles, the management which knocked a hole in the
bottom at night and did not find it out till morning,
the delay which must now take place at a time wheat
every day is precious, are matters which may well
renew the irritability and impatience of the coun-
try. We have no desireto impute blame, where
it cannot be shown to be due, but certainly, con-
sidering the immense resources of our dockyards,
the great number of ships of all kinds which
the late war has left us, and the knowledge -
which our officers ought to have acqnirel
during the last three years, such an occur-
rence as the bare escape of 800 men front
destruction a few hours after quitting the English
shores does seem inconsistent with the presump-
tion of proper supervision and management.
We trust that this Chinese expedition, for which
the authorities have time, materials, and money in
plenty, and therefore can urge no excuse for defi-
ciency, may not again be illustrated by such a mis-
hap as the narrowly-escaped foundering of the
Transit.—Times.

FRARFUL RIOTING IN QUEEN'S ,COUNTY.-
POSTPONEMENT OF THE ELECTION.

DUBLIN, April 9.—Maryborough and Abbeyleix
have for the last two days been the scenes of fear-
ful rioting, which readied such a pitch on Tuesday
that the polls had to be closed in several baronies
and the election adjourned. The rioters would ap-
pear to have been mainly the supporters of Mr.
Michael Dunne, who is opposed by the Right Hon.
Mr. Fitzpatrick. When the booths were shut, the
gross state of the poll was—For Sir Cherie.; Coote,
1,254 ; for Dunne, 1,005 ; and for Fitzpatrick, 611.
But the entire election, it is supposed, must be do-.
dared vitiated in consequence of the intimidation
which prevailed. Shortly after eight o'itlock on
Tuesday morning, and pursuant to arrangements
concerted between the High Sheriff and Major
Hoed, a body of police, 'protected by a detachment
of infantry, proceeded to the market-place of Mary-
borough, and formed a cordon across the principal
roads lending from Abbeyleis, Mountmelhek, and
Mountrath, while a similer body of infantry and
police occupied, at the other extremity of the town
near the poet-office, the roads leading •from Strad.
belly and the collieries. and patrols of the 3d Light
Dragoons, under Captain Sir G. Hampson, occu-
pied all the principal streets, and immediately
dispersed riotous mobs as soon as they at-
tempted to congregate. These precautions kept
the road leading to the terminus clear. The
same system was not pursued in the other
polling-places, the result of which has been the
most frightftil scenes of . riot and disturbance
At Abbeyleix, a mob of fifty or sixty of Mr. Michael
Dunne's supporters began to assemble -at an
early hour in the market-place, armed with sticks
and bludgeons. There was at the time in the
place about thirty cavalry and fifty infantry, under
Major Youuge, besides a police force, all under the
orders of a resident magistrate, placed there by
Government for the purpose of protecting t7ae
peace. Notwithstanding these forces (from cam es
which must hereafter be more fully explaine:l),
the mob was permitted to accumulate, and the
town became in a short time a scene of lawless
tureult. Scores of men were soon engaged in
strife.—several persons had their skulls fractured. A
mob broke ,into several houses and assaulted wad
Cruelly beat the iumaites ; one man had his face tc rn
open from ,the eye! to the mouth, and the chi ek
completely cut through, in addition to etl
wounds. Feeble attempts were made to quell the
riot at times. The Riot Act was also read ; but all
to no purpose. It was vox et preterea nil. In
consequence of the serious rioting the poll had to
be closed, and. the election postpoue 1. The seine
disgraceful scene of rioting took place at Olen-
donough, Stradbally, Upper wood, and Borris-
Osory, and all efforts to support the law having b; ell
abandoned, the booths had to be closed and the el 30.
tion adjourned. It is said that the High Sheriff stint
a special message by telegraph to the Uuder-Secretray
informing him of the frightful ,state in which the
county is—amounting almost to open insurrection.
Pursuant to these applications a' body of the 56th
Regiment, under their ,Lieut.-Colonel and adju-
tant, arrived at Maryborongh on Wed.uesday morn-
in
Aedbiabteliyoi
afterwards:
itniage,
Highan d weresh e r
a It. Ferrer, J. P. ; and another company
arrived
x, accompanied
nsieendtby by
, on
i.r.
e
same regiment, who subsequent
1Y from
Mr. Lyons, J. P., was yester y
da assaulted. in the
Dublin, were at once despat 104 to umtletown.
streets of radbally, and received a severe wound
in the head.

EMIGRATION FROM NORWAY TO CANADA AND Tan
UNITED STATES.--Information has reached this counti7
that upwards of 10,000 Norwegians will proceed from
the present summer. Several
teal in Canada, but the larger portion
the North-Western States of stmeiica.
Nowsfiioritirhcwpe.assaeyswtooi
1121Cirtiloe
Roney has 14t England for Christiania to mike
arrangements for the transit of these persons front
Qorumebaetclon with
to their
referoiedestination,let, and also n
toodbisesheamifinaotfe
titne-
fG
overnulent.