The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-03 00:00:00

THE QUEEN AT THE FU.RKA PASS.

A Swiss traveller relates the following :—" Last Friday
evening, about half-past seven, tired and hungry, I ap-
proached the hotel situated on the Furka Pass, to get shelter
for the night. A heavy fog covered the whole neighbour-
hood, and the weather began to grow sensibly colder. I
had travelled that day from Hash im Hof, over the Grimsel
and the ice mountains of the RhOne, and it may
easily be imagined that I hastened with a longing
desire to reach the hotel. A waiter, who stood at the
threshold, cried out to me, whilst at some distance, You
cannot come in here, the Queen of England has engaged
the house for three days.' I could scarcely trust my ears
at first. Was it possible,' lat last asked, that the
Queen could have engaged the only house on the summit
of the pass for herself ?" It is nevertheless true,' replied
the man, and you must look out for other quarters for
the night.' I begged him, as the Queen had engaged all
the bedrooms, to allow me to sleep in the saloon or
even on the floor. ' I am sorry,' he said, ' but nobody
is allowed to come in here.' I asked him then if the
Queen with her suite had already arrived, he replied,
but there is no doubt that she will be here to-morrow.'
About this time almost a dozen travellers, one of whom
was a lady, had arrived and looked all very eagerly for a
night's rest. When I related what I had just learned,
their dissatisfaction was extreme. Some of them even
tried to force an entrance, but as they were met by her
Majesty's cook, ready to resist any intruder, they were
forced to continue their way, exhausted and half-starved,
to the Realp, where they found a rest, though not without
some difficulty for so many. We next day learned that
many travellers had met with a similar fate, and every-
where they expressed their feeling strongly at such utter
disregard of other people's comfort."

D.P. VAUGHAN ON THE CHURCH
ESTABLISHMENT.

The Vicar of Doncaster has preached a sermon having
special and important reference to the position and
prospects of the Established Church. He said :
" Church people must prepare themselves, I feel sure,
for a speedy, a scarcely gradual, demolition of all that
has been distinctive, all that has been exceptionally
advantageous in their position. An eminent man
and excellent bishop, who was laid in his grave last
Friday, was wont to say, 'lf I live ten years I shall
be the last Bishop of Peterborough.' It is more than
probable that some of my younger hearers this evening
may live, not only to see what we call the Church of
England thrown altogether upon voluntary offerings
for its maintenance, but also to find it at least an open,
perhaps a very doubtful question, to whom shall belong
the churches themselves and the glebe houses—whether,
indeed, there shall be left to the old Church of England, as
we still fondly call it, any vestige of that legal standing
which has made her hitherto the calm shelter of her
children, the admiring wonder of foreigners, and the
mark of obloquy or envy, as the case might be, to thou-
sands of her domestic enemies. lam far from regarding
this prospect—be it far off or near—with unmixed alarm
or dismay. I never believed that the Establishment' as
such, was Christ's Church in England, or that the with-
drawal of the favours of the State would be the putting out
in our communion of the Divine Shechinah. It is not
so much for the Church that I fear. I fear something for
the State, when it ceases to have a religion. I fear some-
thing for the average tone of religion in our cottages and
in our palaces, when there is no longer one form of worship
which has upon it the stamp of pedigree and of custom—
when it is an evenly balanced question with every man
and with every family, whither shall I go this day,
for God's worship—whither, or whether any whither? I
fear there will be more and more in many houses of a cold
indifferent scepticism—a Christless education and a God-
less life. I fear that snore and more may reach old age
ignorant of a Saviour, and go to their graves without
any sure and certain hope of a resurrection to eternal
life."

There is a rumour that the Order of St. Patrick,
vacant by the death of Lord Farnham, will be conferred
upon either the Earl of Mayo or the Earl of Longford.

Dr. F. G. Lee is about to resign the. goner .1 secre-
taryship of the Association for the Promotion of the Unity
of Christendom.

A communication has been received from 11Ir.
Jefferson Davis, accepting an invitation to visit Manchester,
and it is proposed to welcome him at a banquet to be given
in his honour.

A woman of about sixty has appeared at the Ches-
terfield Police-court for advice. A man had made love to
her, and extracted .£2 from her for the marriage license. He
decamped. Tho mayor was unable to assist her.

In reply to applications made on behalf of Toomes,
Mr. Parker Snow has, it is stated, received a final reply
from the Secretary of State, to the effect that, after con-
sideration, such cannot be entertained now "at so early a
period."

THE ROYAL LIVER FRIENDLY SOCIETY.—The
annual meeting of the Royal Liver Friendly Society has
been held at Liverpool, and the balance•sheet for the past
year, chewing that the total worth of the society at the
end of last June was £169,392 25., and that-237,000 had
been saved during the last twelve months, was unani-
mously passed.

THE PROTESTANT LECTURER.—Murphy's obsti-
nacy seems to be disappearing. He originally declared
that he would not accept the terms proposed by the magis-
trates, nor enter into the required recognisances ; but he
has since yielded to wise counsel, and it is understood that
he will soon be liberated on bail.

A THREATENED WATER FAMINE.—At a meeting
of the City Council of Manchester the desirableness
of continued economy in the use of water was strongly
urged upon the people. It appears that in the neighbour-
hood of the Corporation reservoirs, where generally the
rainfall is very great, only about liin. of rain has fallen
since early in August, whereas in the Midland counties
the amount of rainfall in the same period has made up the
annual average.

LivEßrooL LICENSES.—The Liverpool licensing
sessions, which has just concluded, leaves Liverpool with
twenty-four licensed houses less than before the session,
the number of licenses in force then being 1,937, while
now they number 1,913. Before the close of the business
of the court, Mr. Jeffery made a long speech as to the
remedy for drunkenness, and proposed the establishment
of lunatic asylums for drunkards, lie also appealed to the
controllers of public-houses to close their houses on Sunday,
and to give that plan a fairer and more complete trial than
had been accorded to it already.
THE NEW WINDSOR CHAPEL RIOT.—The men
concerned in this affair were brought up on Wednesday
at the Salford Borough Police-court, in answer to sum-
monses charging them with riot and assault at New
Windsor Chapel, Salford, on Sunday, the 16th August.
The details of this disgraceful affair were made known
some time ago, and as the proceedings at the police-
court on Wednesday were not very edifying it will be
sufficient now to state that the several defendants were
called upon to find sureties to keep the peace for three
months.

SUICIDE OF AN OLD MAN. The Florence
journals mention the following suicide in that city: - A few
days back M. Charles Saint Paul, goldsmith and jeweller,
killed himself in his own shop on the Ponte-Vecchio. The
deceased, 81 years of age, was looked on as the senior of
all his craft in Florence, and was the Frenchman estab-
lished for the longest time in the Tuscan capital, whither
he had been brought by the Grand Duchess Eliza Bacci-
ochi, sister of the Emperor Napoleon I. Ile was of a gay
and jovial temperament ; his suicide is therefore inexplicable,
except on the supposition of a fit of mental alienation.

A. ronarkable accident has °earned on the South
Devon line. A rope connected with the working of a water
tank at Da wlisli became loose, and as a train pass. d tile rope
flapped against each of the trucks. A porter named Crossing
was standing on the steps of one of the trucks, and the end of
the rope wound itself several times around his neck. He was
at once precipitated from the steps into the air, but fortu-
nately he alighted on the platform. Tho weight of his
body unwound the rope as ho fell, and be escaped
with a foot twisted round at right angles to its
proper position, an ankle put out of joint, and some severe
marks made by the windings of the rope. The medical
attendant states that bad Crossing's feet been detained by a
thread when he was hurled off the step a dislocated neck and
jrl§tant death must have ensucclq *

LA9
Tri n tit
"41"'

HER MAJESTY.

PENSION WALLIS, LUCERNE, Aug. 31.

The Queen, accompanied by Princess Louise,
Princess Beatrice, and Prince Leopold, and attended
by the Marchioness of Ely, Colonel PonsonLY, &c.,
drove out in the neighbourhoJd.

.1TIE,:11P71 TO LAUNCH 7HE BERMUDA

FLOATLNG DOCK.

Yesterday an abortive attempt was made, to
launch this gigantic erection, the largest structure
intended to float that has ever ben built since the
lays of the Great Eastern. It gave another illus-
tration of the difficulty of broadside launches, or, if
not this, it, beyond a doubt, gave indications that
the engineering was in fault somewhere. No effort
was sufficient to move the enormous mass. All
sorts of temporary devices were adopted, but ill
vain. Fresh efforts are intended to be made to-
day. Of these, however, there is little hope of
success, and it is much more probable that the
engineering and mechanical world will be at once
delighted and improved by such a process of shov-
ing the great hull into the water as that which the
Great Eastern underwent for near three months be-
fore she floated.

It is almost paradoxical to speak of the launch of
a dry dock. That, however, was the attempt made
yesterday. Our ironclad fleet require almost con-
itant docking, more especially when in warm
latitudes, where the sea grass grows unon their sides
and bottoms to a length of six or eight feet, and of
course tells fatally upon their speed when under
way. None of our colonial docks will take in great
trouclads like the Warrior or Minotaur, and, in-
deed, we have few docks at home which will suffice
for their extensive requirements. Floating docks
have therefore been constructed for their especial
accommodation, and the first of these, which is
called the Bermuda, and is meant for the Bermudas,
was attempted to be launched yesterday. There
are some vague ideas as to what floating dry docks
are. A few words will suffice to explain their use
and structure. They are simply iron floats, made
in a horseshoe, or rather U, form. They are built
of iron, the inner and outer sides being at great dis-
tances apart, and the space between them being di-
vided into cellular compartments. These compart-
ments, when filled with water, allow the dock to
sink so low that any vessel, whether an ironclad
or a line-of-battle ship, can be placed upon it, and
then as the water is pumped out and air let in
both dock and vessel rise above the level of the
ocean—the former supporting the latter high and
dry, and ready for any repairs, even to her
keel. The dock attempted to be floated, or rather
launched, yesterday was of its kini peculiar.
was built on Mr. Campbell's patent, and at its
works near Silvertown, under the inspection of
Colonel Clarke, K.E. The size of it seems even
greater than the bulk of the Great Eastern, so vast
tre its height and width. It is like a gigantic
vessel with its bows and stern cut off. Its length
is 384 feet, its breadth 124 feet, its heighth
75 feet. A thousand men have been at work on
it for two years, and more than three million
rivets have been driven. The whole weight of the
mass, with its ballast and water in it, is nearly 9,000
tons, and it is equal to floating nearly 12,000 tons.
Every vessel that floats, except the Great Eastern,
could be taken into this dock easily. The sides of
this great mass are built exactly parallel, except at
the extreme ends, where they taper a little to assist
the whole structure being easily towed. The whole
hull is formed of two complete wrought-iron skins,
each 20 feet apart. The space between these two
shells of iron is divided by a water-tight bulkhead,
and this again is sub-divided into three chambers
running fore and aft. The uppermost of these
subdivisions is called the " load " chamber, the
second the " balance" chamber, and the third the
" air" chamber. "Wieen it is required to dock a ship,
the first operation is to pump the load chambers full.
For this purpose the dock is fitted with eight 10-
horse power engines, which can easily in the aggre-
gate be worked up to more than 200-horse power.
It takes eight hours, however, to fill the load chain"
bers, and this is enough to sink the mass below the
level of the balance and the air chambers. Valves
in the outer skin can then be opened and enough
water admitted into the balance chambers to silk
the dock low enough to let a vessel over it. The
ends are then closed with the usual caissons, and the
water pumped out of the great shell, and, of course'
as this is done it rises with the vessel, and sluice
doors in the caisson at the ends let the water rOO
out of the dock itself till the vessel in it is high and
dry. In short, it is in plain termsauerely like letting
water into a double box till it almost sinks, 110'1
then pumping it out till it floats again. By filling,
the chambers on either side the whole dock can he
heeled over so as to bring every part of its bottom
in reach of easy and speedy repair. It was roc'st
stoutly maintained by those connected with the
works that had the dock once moved yesterday It
would have slid without check into the Thaule!:
This, however, was not the opinion of some of the
most experienced shipbuilders on the river, who long
before the attempted launch began maintained the.
",
the launching ways were laid at too slight an incline;
that there was too much pressure on them, and that
if the great hull did move at all it would probably
stop halfway. The opinion of most, however, seemed
to be that the dock would not move at all. The event
confirmed these conjectures. At the appointed tine'
half-past 1 o'clock, Mrs. Colonel Clarke came el 3,
named the dock ; the dogshores were knocked swap'
and the hydraulic presses set in action, but the hugs
mass gave no sign of moving. At first the di
teo
was asserted to be only temporary, but nil° a
rolled on as the tide rolled out. The crew on hoar
1,1 tbe
the dock were set to dance and stamp, we-e .
11
shipwrights below wedged and hammered, but s
te
vain. The hydraulic rams were totally uneg,nal a,
their work. Improvised battering-rams were usiebe
e themonstrous almost every device resorted to to shake
monstrous fabric on the launching ways, but
t.en
structure gave no sign of yielding. At last, when
the tide had fallen too low, the attempts were gilut
up till this day, when they will be resumed at she
2 o'clock, though there is not the slightest prosPeeer
of their being successful till a greater motive P°ll
is obtained than that of the two hydraulic Veld
which have to start the cradle. The attempts re 3.
ne
this day will show what is really in fault--the
of the launching ways or the power ernploletlortli
force the vessel down them. It is curious and W_Aer
ways used ii
notice that some of the launching
this "dock." are stated to be the same, and lard
to
nod
the same incline as those over which it was attellZog
to launch the Northumberland, when she, too, /0
in a position of no little peril for some dale'
this case, however, the Bermuda Dock is better' {e,
it has not moved at all, and, so far, it is cluiteach
and safe it is certain to remain, unless eeel
jo
greater power than has yet been employed 11'
to start it.

IIORRINGER FAlR.—This important Suff°ll4„-fsoiet
for sheep and lambs was held on Tuesday.
sheep was large, and their quality was .alelo'hhieet:°h:?t:
might have boon expected, taking account a the st3iit.
Twhich the pastures were reduced by the prolonged drottb:o
The Marquis of Bristol showed a good lot of South
seiNives. A lot of 30 long-woolled shearling rot° n„
these were sold by auction, own by Mr. Hugh A I Soo,'
oar:
and
l,Vr
realised
sDeedr
ferli:ram,xs 15.4„. to
£ll each. Some fine black-faced Suffolk ram 101b5 ^‘,-110
lised £2 10s. to £3 10s. each. The show of neat steel'
about an average, but business was in a somewhat
gish state, the prospects of feed being still fa- from 0
Sheepn
fa • ctory. The same remark applies to the genera
l
trade.
SUNDAY IN LEEDS.—On a recent Assize P';siod
iu Leeds Mr. Baron Bramwell and Mr. JusticJ Lust' v',,c••
the Exhibition, and for several hours enjoyed an 'ttio
lion of tho splendid art works their collected. °cillper
same Sunday Mr. Councillor Clapham gave a 1)3%01
formance of sacred music in the Leeds Royal Pad', 400 i
was attended by many hundreds of the WOriiing the
for which " offence" he was fined £5 and costs 91iielt
local magistrates. Mr. Clapham has issued a bill 4'1'1,00
he says that ho has, during the present suintne6rts'), fejt
compelled to pay £9l in fines (exclusive of 0....5teal
giving performances of sacred music on Sundays.
Daily Express.