The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-18 00:00:00

COURT CIRCULAR.

BALMORAL, SEPT. 15.
Her Majesty and his Royal Highness Prince
Albert attended Divine service this morning in the
parish church at Crathie. The service was performed
by the Rev. A. Anderson.

The ladies and gentlemen of the household were in
attendance upon her Majesty and his Royal Highness.
The dinner party this evening will include her
Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent, his Serene
Highness the Prince of Leiningen, Lady Augusta
Bruce, Baroness Speth, and Lord James Murray.

A meeting of directors and managers of railways,
with the members of the Royal Commission for the
promotion of the Exhibition of all Nations, to be
held in the year 1851, took place yesterday, in the
new Palace of Westminster, Colonel Reid, R.E.,
chairman of the Executive Committee of the Com-
mission,
,being in the chair. Captain Boscowen Ib-
betson, 1.R.5., Colonel Lloyd (on a special commis-
sion), Mr. Redgrave, A.R.A., and Mr. Dilke, were
also present.
The subject of the conference was to decide on the
trains to convey artisans to the Exhibition.
The following gentlemen attended on the part of
railway
companies :—Captain Huish, London and
North-Western ; Mr. Saunders, Greati Western ;Mr.
Frederick Slight and Mr. George Hawkins, Brigh-
ton ; Mr. Wyndham Harding, South-Western ; Mr.
George Richardson, Eastern Counties ; and Mr.
Cornelius Stovin, London and South-Western.
Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-
office from the Governor of St. Helena.

RETURN OF THE COURT FROM SCOTLAND.—IIer
Majesty and the Court will return to Osborne, Isle of Wight,
on the 7th proximo.

HUNTING PROSPECTS IN SOMERSETSHIRE.—Mr.
Theobald and the gentlemen of Bath, it would appear, have
completed their arrangements for stag hunting in the neigh-
bourhood of that ancient city—the latter having undertaken
to contribute 750/. towards the expenses of Mr. Theobald's
establishment during the hunting season. We congratulate
the inhabitants of Bath, as they could not possibly have se-
lected a better master of hounds than Mr. Theobald, whose
absence from Cheltenham during the ensuing winter will be
sincerely regretted by many of our sporting characters.--
Cheltenham Looker-on.

THE EX-HUNGARIAN GENERAL GUYON.—We are
requested to correct an erroneous statement going the round
of the press, to the effect that the gallant General Guyon, late
of the Hungarian army, " has forgotten his faith, and has
become a Moslem to gain a pachalick." This is not true.
The General, in accepting an appointment in the Ottoman
service at Damascus, was not compelled to change his faith,
and he is living at that place, with his wife and family, after
the manner of an English Christian. Moreover, we may
state, that he is a native of Bath, and has never been in Ire-
land at any period of his life.—Herald.

LATEST OF THE SEA SERPENT.
A writer in the Cork Examiner furnishes a long
account of a roving excursion in Ballycot-on-bay, un-
dertaken with the pleasurable view of falling in with
the sea serpent. The daring of the adventurer was
not, it seems, without its reward, for on a certain fine
day last week, while sailing about in a "fine broad-
bottomed yawl," with a couple of hands on board, he
came across the object of his search. A shot was of
course levelled at the monster, and, says the narrator,
" no sooner was the peculiar whiz of the bullet heard,
as it skipped over the wave, than the black object
stirred, gave a convulsive shudder, and raised some-
what that portion which was turned to the eastern
shore ; it lying at the time almost across the harbour
from east to west." Resolved not to lose sight of
the stranger, the boat " luffed up in the wind,'' and
"at the moment up darted in the air the head and
neck of what seemed an eel of monstrous magni-
tude, while at regular distances along the water
there appeared some half-dozen polished black sub-
stances, very much like harbour buoys, though some-
what smaller towards the end. The monster was nut
now more than a quarter of a mite from our boat, a
little on the larboard, and was as plainly visible
as if it were within an oar's length, owing to the ex-
treme clearness of the day. It kept its head erect for
at least two minutes out of the water, waving it to
and fro with an oscillating movement ; it then gave a
violent snort, at the same time sending out two tre-
mendous jets of water from each side of its head ;
opened an enormous mouth, as if to yawn, and rushed
along the surface of the ocean with a beautiful undu-
lating motion, leaving a track after the last black
hump as clearly defined as that after a screw steamer.
Before I proceed to tell the rest allow me to describe
the appearance of the head and neck of this gigantic
visitant. Imagine a creature at once like an eel and
a serpent—the head like a serpent in its formation—
the neck more like that of a conger eel, thick and
covered with a mane. The eye was immense, and
partook more of the reptile than the fishy brightness.
It consisted of a jet black pupil, encircled by a dull
white rim, and an outer circle •f flaming red, as red
as the gills of an ordinary fish. Its mouth was not
only furnished with a formidable row of teeth, white
as the whitest ivory, but two tusks protruded, one on
each side, that glittered like silver in the sun, and
measured somewhat from two to three feet in length.
In the latter particular it reminded me of the wal-
rus, which is similarly furnished. Its mane resem-
bled that of the leonine seal, or common sea lion, each
hair of which, as some credible authorities assure us,
is so stong and thick as to answer as toothpicks. In
spite of the flaming outer circle of the eye, and its
formidable tusks, the appearance of this marine mons-
ter was not by any means ferocious ; on the contrary,
its aspect was rather benevolent and indolent than
otherwise. But scarcely had we put the boat round
on the other tack, in order to follow the movement of
the serpent, which shot across our bows at a pro-
digious rate, than it turned round, and directed its
course right towards our boat, which I confess I
thought was doomed from that moment. Darby was
now on his knees, thumping his breast with terrific
energy ; but Sullivan, though he looked a shad paler,
sat like a rock, the helm firm in his grasp. The
gun, sir,' he whispered—' a good shot in the nose will
make him sheer off.' I coked both hammers, and
brought the barrels to bear as steadily as I could full
upon the soft blunt nose of the monster, when with
the rapidity of light he darted past our little bow-
sprit, but not before he flung out of his enormous
mouth a literal shower of small fish, more than a
dozen of which fell into the bow of the boat.
Before I could pull a trigger he was gone. I was
slowly putting the hammers of the gun down,
when I heard a sudden cry from the fore part, Mur-
ther, I'm kilt.' The voice was that of Pat Fennessy.
I at once scrambled over the tauts, and came to where
poor Pat set, the image of perplexity and fear.
What is the matter, man ?' said I. Oh, masther, the
fish, the fish What fish, you fool ?" Thim little
fellows, yer honour,' said Pat, pointing with one hand
to the fish that lay in the bottom of the boat, while his
other hand seemed as rigid as one of the masts. I
stooped towards one that lay near me, and I took it
in my hand ; but no sooner did I lay my finger on it
than I received a tremendous shock along the arm,
just as if I had touched the wire of a galvanic bat-
tery of immense power. The fact was, they were
possessed of the power of imparting electric shocks.
I induced each of the men to touch others of the fish,
and the same phenomenon always followed. What
was I to think of all this ? Why, that the sea
serpent was nothing more nor less than a gi-
gantic creature of the species known to science
as the Gymnotus electricus of Linnaeus. It is true,
the species is only common to warmer countries
and fresh rivers; but there is no reason .that I
know of why an animal possessing the same wonderful
property may not be found in our colder clime and
in salt waters. I was further strengthened in any
opinion that the animal not only possessed the electric
power itself, but was capable of imparting it to others,
for, floating on the sea, we saw several fish, large and
small, that it had either stunned or killed by the
electric shock, and that when touched produced a
violent result to the person touching. It is well known
that the common electric eel first stuns or kills its
prey, and then leisurely devours it. May not this
enormous monster, which I have had the good fortune
to see, be a salt-water species of this most extraordi-
nary eel ? I shall now conclude by stating my belief
that the whole length of the animal did not exceed
150 feet, of which some fifteen or twenty feet were
raised high out of the water, People may affect to dis-
believe this, but it is well known that the sperm
whale commonly measures ninety feet ; and it is a
well ascertained fact in history that the march of
Regulus's army was disputed in Africa by a serpent
120 feet long, the skin of which was afterwards die•
played for some days in the Capitol of Rome."

LICENSED VICTUALLERS" SCHOOL.
The annual election of children into this admirable
institution took place yesterday. At half-past three
o'clock exactly Mr. Findley, attended by his col-
leagues on the committee, entered the boys school-
room, where the parents and friends of the youthful
candidates were assembled to hear the result of
the poll.

gr. SMALLEY then, by the direction of Mr. Find-
[ey, read the following list :

BOYS.
Votes Votes
at former at present Total.
Elections. Election.

_George Osmond 17,711
Thomas John Mobbs
Richard Robert Davies
William Cantrill Gollings 3,934
Robert Draper
... 13,593
Frederick Martin
James William Codrington
Charles Richard Hutchings
Thomas George Thorpe
Geo. Thos. Byron Cousins
Thomas Walker Penny
John Edward Burrows 6,549

.
Adam Southcombe
Frederick Fancy
Benjamin Richard Peacock
Edwin Mark Carrier
Edward Fancy