The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-16 00:00:00

DEPARTURE OF THE EXPERI-
MENTAL SQUADRON,
The imposing spectacle of the fleet, under the command in chief
of Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker, C. 8., weighing anchor at Spithead,
and proceeding to sea on its experimental cruise, took place yes-
terdqr In the presence of her Majesty the Queen and Prince Albert,
haidleilaai.idetedt heythe King of the Belgians and his Queen, her Majesty
of Queen Dowager, his Royal Highness Prince George
.., Cambridge, the Earl of Haddington and the Lords of the Admi.
'S4Y, and a larger number of distinguished noblemen and gentle.
den. admirals, generals, and other officers of the army and navy,
ati
,
nas ever perhaps assembled at Spithead on any previous occa-
. The interest which the sailing of this fleet has excited must
44/e been universal, for railway trains on Monday and Tuesday
brought thousands of ladies and gentlemen to Portsmouth and its
4eighbourhood—a very large proportion of them from distant parts
of the kingdom.
In the list of company at the principal hotel were the following,
`tort of whom were afloat yesterday on the departure of the fleet :
"-The Earl of Yarborough, Lord Adolphus Fitzciarence, Captain
VtPhlham A. Bailie and Lady Harriet Hamilton, Lord and Lady
~...
_71'14, Sir James Dennis and officers of the Buffs, the Hon. Capt.
k
t:4lward Plunkett, Sir Harry Verney, Adjutant. General Sir J.
aell"a'd, Mr. Edmund Yates Peel, Capt. Martin, Capt. Black.
b,.,°rTle, Capt. Sotheby, Capt. Cuppage, Capt. Dykes, Capt. Sandon,
Lapt. Shea, Capt. Randell, Capt. Gaskeil, &c.
A finer morning could not have succeeded to a more beautiful
evemee
the
.7 Wiest, h the haze of which, just as the glorious sun had sunk in
47west, the huge hulls and lofty masts of the men.of-war loomed
0:e the sea like distant mountains rising from the deep. The
niog breeze was just strong enough to allow the yachts to
tape
e, cto and fro beneath the brilliancy of the sun, whose bright-
"lit, however was occasionally overshadowed by a passing cloud. 1
The Victory . • e h with the flag of the Port 1
Adtre_
~ 104, Captain Mow ray,
t, 'rat, lYing off the dockyard, and a few merchantmen and yachts
:144t: arbour, were dressed with their gay ensigns ; and the Hiber.
,ki 04 C
.. ' Captain Peter Richards, C.B, the flag-ship of Sir W.
thee'', for the Mediterranean, lying to the westward of the expe- I
ae;"`"tal fleet at Spithead, was also dressed out over the topmasts !
..a stein to stern.
41:he Admiralty flag was hoisted at the dockyard, and the Black
NV!, their 41", at Lordships' steam-yacht, Master-Commander Cook,
sh.,.ched at half.past nine to Rjde, for the Duke and Du.
ellaLass of Buceleuch ; the Lightning, steam.tender, Master Cons.
e.4et Pettey, was also dispatched thither for some noble person-
the The Princess Alice, Master Commander Luke Smithett, at
et !ante time left Pertsmouth harbour for Ryde, to embark her
rtY the Queen Dowager and suite.
004e!loyal Highness Prince George of Cambridge arrived at
ette e `hY special train at ten o'clock. The Duke of Cambridge
erevented b 1. ht 1 d', osition from accompanying him.
At
.. ys ig n I,p
leaddi'l %latter-past eleven the Lords of the Admiralty, the Earl of
svc„„tinonl Sir W. H. Gage, Captain W. A. B.hHamiltotn,sthee
etet4.. Secretary, and the Hon. Captain Dundas,t
ieoPtrhievaAedod.
telly b' with Lord Wharticlitle, left the. dockyard
Whe,,,,..fie, attended by Lieutenant 1 riscott, of the St. Vincent,
Proceed' appointed Flag Lieutenant to wait on the
.Admiralty, and
reeel.l, TA across the Royal Clarence Yard, to be in readiness
At
Nneer Majesty.
totivem. ntY•five minutes to twelve o'clock the royal special train,
king and her Majesty and Prince Albert, and their Majesties the
;mere te Queen of the Belgians, artived at Gosport terminus,
teem "e royal party was received by Major-General Pakenham
Mertes
went through the Slow somewhat tedious form of presenting
Itte letelesecl the garrison to her Majesty), Mr. Martin, general su.
uatae-"eilt, Mr. Stovin, general manager of traffic, and Mr.
The cuPernitendent of he locomotive department.
%los eyal standard was immediately hoisted, the guard presented
teriati'a" then her Majesty and suite, accompanied by the. Lieu.
Vier isr"ernor and staff, drove to the Clarence Victualling-yard,
kr. ,;,`"e Lords of the Admiralty, Captain Carter (Superintendent),
iteepenwn (Master-Attendaut), Mr. T. T. Grant, F.R.S. (Store-
le attee",,C4Ptain aloubray, Captain Sir Thomas Hastings, &c., were
etee3ance to receive them.
Ilisig ism ialesty, leaning on the arm of the King of the Belgian.s,
'''rte tt, ;),°'ert by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, who gave his
4ecotAle Queen of the Belgians, embarked in the new state barge,
.itt Cegied by their suites, and were steered by Lord Adolphus
llitit''nee to the Victoria Albert, which lay out a short dis.
terred°, the harbour As soon as the royal standard was trans.
th,itiel,‘„t°l4 the bow .of the barge to the main of the yacht, a salute
`taceli,,Ti out from the old Victory, which was taken up by the
tlearly'"t and some of the yachts, until the smoke wreaths had
Thee ei.°l4iterated the whole of the brilliant pageantry from view.
t'ud taVtle the hurrahs of the multitudes assembled en the beach,
th
'aeneed more effective and spirit-stirring cheers of the seamen who
, Re% the Yards of the men-of.war.
'Jason 'tiler the royal standard had displayed its well •known
ha , at
n --e main of the royal yacht, the Belgian tricolour royal
koetio uted.
The yacht in a few minutes afterwards left her
threadi!' end steamed slowly down the harbour towards Spithead,
Nit wil!I her "ray with care and difficulty amid the innumerable
l'eopi, tch crowded it. As she passed along the dense masses of
oh the who darkened every eminence on the beach, and swarmed
loloid ....Platform and ramparts, cheered again and again, until the
like de7.l'cing from point to point' along the narrow -Cherwell, rose
The'atant thunder.
kw Princess Alice, having on board her Majesty the. Queen
ihke'ef.l..r. and suite, left Ryde at half-past ten, and tell into the
Consu t. he Victoria and Albert.
itchiteePr'curul among all the various beautiful specimens of naval
*lnch e,'"ttre Was the graceful little Fairy, her Majesty's tender,
tliee P.,' afed around the royalyacht, and turned about through
bar sense and steam with all h clerity and ease attributed to
trieZeirial narnesake.e"The slenderte tapering masts, raked symmhe-
shrehleaft, and almost unsupported by the cobweb cordage of
int
toe
th'howa, ataYs—her low and perfect mould meltingtahio y
the
4444- anei ritn—her great speed—and, above ev ercyootbiog,ed
to
the
'Net si Of
or the
he 50 swell caused by paddle-wheels—all
attractive to the eye that she won on theaffeoctfiothnes
?iPeseaTeetleof the old school, and overcame the prejudices
represete. trunnions. The amateur seamen mustered strongly,.oand
vtry
t'rtn, rtatiVe3 of nearly every Yacht Club were present 1
:Phittrie:rcutt the clipper schooner of 200 tons down. to the
olg jibs catter of 10 • clothed in their snow-white canvass,.
t'et3, i. aucl gaff.tops'ails set, and flitting over the wester in.
thei elkeetion, they formed the most beautiful coup d'cerl
IQ ahl'uld be conceived, stretching away for miles, tacking
4510. . rr.o, running out of every creek along the isle, and
tarit..tneir tiny armament with wonderful zeal and tolerable regu-
e,4,7_, Among them were " the great reputations "of the racing
;7,..a0---the Crusader, the Camilla, the Alarm, the Gleam, Lord
aruorough's schooner yacht, &c. The dusky forms of numerous
te Mers struggling under the enormous loads of living creatures
RIO swarmed from stem to stern, on paddle-box, deck, riggiug,
Yards, contrasted with the livelier hues of the sailing vessels, and
relieved their monotony.
toisottoo
aboexiroeogsrett(t)ed:v htohwe. ver, that in
Mme eases the captains secret
en opportunity of demonstrating their loyaltyg
the convenience of those whom thean their
consulting passengers
essio they intended to compliment—oc-
belly running their vessels so near as to interfere somewhat
MTh the .
i,... motions of the royal yacht, or It hen to windward favour-
ti'og. thoseor on beard with a full taste of their quality in the produc-
ing smoke. After the vessels of the royal cortege, came the
theack_ Eagle, the Comet, the Rocket, the Bee, the Turk, the Tagus,
kiel•nattier, and the Water.lily, an extraordinary, but pretty-
; thoug steamer, built by Mr. Maudslay.
Velum ' they proceeded towards Spithead, accompanied by so many
Net that competition was fairly baffled, until they rounded the
Wora.swi_a_kY;ewhh.uenngthsoe
hSet..Viilyneent led off with a royal salute, which
The ,riloc,n oP and continued by the other ships of the squadron.
upon the enormous hulls of the men-
sshiethat it soon enveloped them in a dense cloud, through
their 'ne flashes ofthe guns spirted fiercely out, and alone marked
eeediriiktlnn. At last the firing, which was very regular, pro-
gl the fro At
the ships in the order of their position, was at an end,
eeeeri:sraoke slowly drifted to leeward, rising like a veil and un-
re,r4"tifi
.all the splendour of the scene. The men-of-war were
e,reii.e..7e,,eawt;mptrhoeceuesduiraigl order, grim and silent—ports open, guns run
tole ri little flags
Weesie reel), 4 living soul to be seen on board. The royal yacht
between the starboard and larboard divisions.
are run u to the Admiral's main, and in
YatdalUtaot the rigging appears instinct with life—the
irk
tha!'d cordage swarm with men, until at last they
IN eir ,
t B'and in ta e • rows of duck frocks and trousers,
reason 4" c°roe three thP ecini! e cheers for the Queen. For some
,I,rne f7rag,vot....h_er, probaubnlycbreinc'ausethe.signal could not be made out
t aita,,, ere scarcely extended, owing to the light breeze—the
!tealsiom n not follow the example of her fellows, and her men
eel the
,'," the tops or i th rls in silence. Another signal
`nd en,: `adritirel, and as if eb" ' ic the gaskets were cast off,
olite"u came the sweping fyoldmsaogf the canvass, and the bare
Of "es of
sail. Masts and rcpe were in an instant concealed by a mass
At t
tt went
th;Vieeeeli):t minutes to one signal was made from the flagship,
parks
Vine.° weigh, and at one the whole squadron, comprising
ts-ster re ``nt.Ciptain Rowley, flag of Rear-Admiral Hyde
ii2alt: lom.lnua.nder.in-Chief of the Squadron ;. the Trafalgar, 120,
test neY, g 2
,irti the Queen, 110, Captain Sir B. Walker ; the
Carl,' ‘-aPtain Collier ; the Albion, 90, Captain Lockyer. ; etellea;
the' SB4, Captain Moresby; the Vanguard, 80, Captain
era. 'al alto,.
,SuPerb, 80, Captain Corry; and the Rattler,asaclreaver,
4Z:he ore..`:oornrnander Smith, were under sail. The T
Jrietfter72.ll,,,e_a:lis:ancdorrnoypalelst: the setting of her sails, which were gt.he
Ilan, 7e of the other vessels fore, main, and mizen, topsails,
wart vi ":"gh, the s foresails,— and jibs ; but' the Rodney was first
the "ale le „ oPerb being second. The usual effect of the firingd
er...4lnaero the lull of the little breeze that existed before, an
th'uway u_nni'ad lionn to run out their studdingsails to get any
refiatips atr them.
Presently, however, the breeze came creep.
w d after a f
freme_eak pubs,, few flourishes and " cat's-paws,'' settled down
t
Whirhued and blewt of breeze in S.W. until two o'clock when
thet theW°uig be steadily. Great speculation existed as to
ttod e Que, i e first round the Nab, but it was soon evident
thenntelLb.being se oche light breeze was drawing fast ahead, the
eras the arafaiga;Th the Albion dead to leeward of the three;.
Work „-eliibion), at„tehe Canopus, the Vanguard (some contended it
royal ;',` it hi the "" lastly the St. Vincent, which made very poor
era
.Candard ti . cairn weather. Her Majesty's yacht, with the
titer, ',teed :04, surrounded by thousands in the hired steam.
tietrarrboard
pa.,,t.dlY out to sea in the van, the Queen standing by
eee. ace with".."e-box and appearing to watch the result of the
e-rreve7ateci. ly, and `wn.e, greatest interest. Her Majesty acknowledged
feelir:'de around 'hh impressiveness, the greetings which rose on
'4 lie" Whic tithe ,r, increased in warmth and intensity by the
4%
aOther
piremght Queen of England leading such a eet
fi.out
v. order of
pasteotwuld show was naturally calculated to inspire.itd
haeled quarter
%II they to the south 0 the squadron had rounded the Nab,drie
to
sailingand in
two columns, and the ships, which
t% the t"ir properSpitad.l'.nling were in advance, had to shorten sail hieisildstarb..._.t stations. At thrce o'clock they all made sail
Al e fron7 in a quarter of an hour afterwards were
ter 4 quartet li to s . r Past four the royal yacht hove in sight,
.on
, saluted, and her re-
which tuthead, followed
4rds "Me UP toby the Princess Alice and Fairy tender,
Spithead
er
crewsbout live, when the Hibernia manned
e AleoT„„1 cheered.
thnr, nlor, „,,___._,ll- ACCOUNT OF THE SAILING.
s. that
as:e.aog ificent sight cannot be pictured to the imagination
I,` keteh, g' h Presented itself when the squadron had reached
Nil %v.!. As far as the eye could behold the waters were c.o.
the e ''" countless vessels, all under sail, and each vieing with
the ,Nner to keep I,e`."Zuelwarke _
..
this ace with those mighty fabrics which constitute
c‘"..ad., yacht?'
o_
evsea-girt isle, and are the pride and glory of its
rr..+
on, and"allfthe yth escription, belonging to the Royal Yacht
sei". were followin Other clubs from the Thames to the Land s-
tee; roeaceed
the
Ng4crowded with sail. Shortly before the ves-
4'°st I°W between
doe
nihteondriteoPr:eistie: nreigoth etSThu the
Rodney,
light the breeze freshened, and the con-
Superb, Queen, and Albion was
he Rodney was the first ship under weigh,
perb and Albion, and had obtaieed the lead
,c first ship, Superb next, and the Albion fol-
a; ~I °I, the Pegrr
th„Pa_nt that .. 5
Qqotarter of the Rodney. It very soon became
4'. 40,14.. the
Alb.een would take the lead of them all, for while
et",,e. eileft,
eVen_cl o
oe ion were under all sail with studdingsails aloes
theglidtrigsaii., 4d n was rearing them lower and maintopmast
Sule 't
t° round
I,,'passing them hand over hand. The Queen was
, gar, b, and the Nab light, followed by the Rodney, Albion
'Vanguard, which had passed the Canopusand : I'm
Ilel). urine ti.._
s.alesty war
__tniat e the vessels were making the Nab light, her
il'ltOtarpieear,..,°.uo
take
platform which connected the paddle-boxes,
4..lnig
of;
..ng egreat interest. in the scene before her, and in
rjeer p
au% t between
_ eve...trice!). e Nab light, her Majesty took the lead of the
Heni tw":"‘,neffsDunmose, the signal was made for the fleet to
re.tr M.;..._'.'
at:dthe.Admiral leading.
1:..' eed ,Zrfiieo Prince Albert, with their royal guests, then
grPose ren,.."1„,. , and proceedei to Osborne House, as h, re they
-.en mg for a day or two.

4°111,„ 43RUSSELS COMPANY.—This excelent operatic
Elvin after a series of operas, few indeed in number, but all
rcitt),,e,. the greatest satisfaction tO the public from the complete
itat42:ll which they were performed, are about to leave London
tely.