The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-28 00:00:00

UNITED STATES.

THE LATE CALAMITY AT WASHINGTON.
(Correspondence of the New York Herald.)
From the multitude of accounts which must have
reached you since I,wrote to you last evening, you will
have obtained the leading particulars in addition to those
I sent, of the awful' catastrophe which has literally
plunged a nation in grief and agony. All the usual
forms of language utterly fail in conveying any ade-
quate conception of this horrible calamity. I think
there was very little, if any, sound sleep in this. city last
night. Multitudes of eyes were never closed in sleep at
all ; others were filled with tears from night till morn,
but it was most painful to add, that not a few eyes could
shed no tears. Among these last was Mrs. Gilmer—
poor, distracted woman—who eyes, as Mr. Wise said,
were "arid as ashes."
Many, many stout hearts have broken and melted
now which never softened before. Think of those
bereft—and so terribly bereft! All, I think, who were
killed had large families to deplore their untimely end.
Had they died a natural death, in the ordinary course of
Providence, their loss would have been painfully dis•
treising. But to be so taken from time to eternity ! Who
can, unmoved, contemplate the fact! " Tell me," said
Commodore Kenyon's wife, " Oh tell me if he is dead!
don't deceive me!' Mr. Holmes, M.C., from S. C., ig-
norant of his death, and in the kindness of his heart,
assured her that he was not dead, but safe. Still she
was not content. Mr. Holmes pledged her his honour
that he was not dead. This was overheard by Mr. Sykes,
M.C., from New Jersey, who beckoned him away from
the frantic woman to assure him that he was mistaken—
that the Commodore was dead.

The reports of the frenzied remarks of Mrs. Gilmer,
are mainly true. Senator Hannegan describes her as
wandering in her mind—" No, no—he is not dead!—
He cannot be dead. Re was with me but a moment ago!
Bring me my husband!—where is he? Dead! Yes,
he is dead!" and then, with a vacant smile of incredulity,
again denying the evidence. " Oh, that she could
weep!" said her surrounding friends, but she wept not.
A few minutes before the fatal explosion, toasts were
drank at the table. Judge Upshur was called on for his
toast. In attempting to comply he took accidentally
an empty bottle, and pleasantly remarked that the dead
bodies (alluding to the empty bottles) - must be cleared
away before he could give his toast. Accidentally an-
other empty bottle was pushed within his reach—and
he again repeated the joke, which was seized upon with
applause, that the dead must be taken away. This
drer from Captain Stockton the reply that there were
pleWty of living (meaning bottles) to supply the place of
the dead.
At the same time the President gave the toast—
.' The Princeton and her three guns—the Peace-maker,
the Oregon, and Captain Stockton—but the greatest of
them is Captain Stookton." These leading gentlemen
then withdrew from the convivial table to make room for
others—and, within ten minutes, Judge Upshur himself
was a lifeless " body."
It is a most remarkable circumstance that song and
wine should have been, as they undoubtedly were, the
means of saving, no one knows how many lives. For,
in the hilarity of the occasion, and when the captain and
others withdrew to attend the firing of the "Peace-
maker" the third time (and at the request of Secretary
Gilmer), Mr. Waller, the President's son-in-law, com-
menced singing a song, by general request. This de-
tained the party, for the most part, below, to the pre-
servation of many lives.
I have been on board the Princeton this morning, and
have learned that it is hoped" the wounded subordinates
will all recover. They are all removed to the Navy
Yard, with the exception of the gunner and officers.
gentlemen,.l en ry A.
ThoethHeornWise,went ent
d Robertown this Tyler, a
morning,
n and
o nume-
rous
meet
the committee appointed by the President, to make a
formal investigation into the matter, and prepare for the
funeral. •

On arriving at the Princeton, we found that coffins for
all the OA were Already ou I;eard, and Omni of the