The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-15 00:00:00

THE PRIZE CATTLE-SHOW.

Hi, Royal Highness Prince Albert honoured the Prize
Cattle-Show with a visit on Saturday afternoon.
The Prince left Osborne House, in company with her
Majesty, at nine o'clock on Saturday morning, and
crossing in the Fairy steam yacht to Gosport, travelled
thence by a special trainlon the South-Western Railway.
At the Farnborough station her Majesty alighted, and
proceeded to Windsor Castle direct. Prince Albert,
attended by Major- General Bowater and Mr. G. E.
Anson, came on to Nine Elms, and arrived at the Horse
Bazaar, in King-street, in one of the royal carriages,
shortly after one o'clock.
The Duke of Richmond, the president, Lord Port-
man, one of the trustees, and several of the stewards of
the club had previously arrived, in order to attend the
Prince through the exhibition. Major-General Wemyss
also reached the Bazaar about one o'clock, by appoint-
ment, to meet his Royal Highness.
Upon the arrival of the Prince he was received by the
Duke of Richmond and the other officers of the club.
His Royal Highness greeted both the Noble Duke and
Lord Portman very cordially, and having exchanged sa-
lutations with the vice-presidents, at once proceeded
into the cattle-yard.
A rumour of the Prince's intention to visit the "show"
having gone abroad, the exhibition was very much
crowded during the morning, and with that which we
fear we must term the "customary" politeness of
English spectators, the very entrance to the yard was
densely packed with a gaping multitude fur some time
previous to the arrival of his Royal Highness. To such
an extent did this vulgar—we will not call it "loyal "
curiosity prevail, that when the Duke of Richmond led
his Royal Highness to the gate through which the
visitors were admitted, it required the united aid of about
half-a• dozen policemen to obtain a passage scarcely
more than a yard square. The Prince once fairly in the
exhibition, the crowd, no longer stationary, dogged his
footsteps so closely, and hemmed him in at every point in
so complete a manner, that it was a matter of the utmost
difficulty for his Royal Highness to observe with anything
like comfort the points and peculiarities of a single animal.
And here let us remark that the crowd of whom we speak
was composed of that class for whom the exhibition may
be supposed to have least interest. The farmers and
butchers were most respectful in their demeanour
to his Royal Highness, while among the foremost to
place themselves in direct contiguity with the Prince,
evidently greatly to his annoyance, were certain civic
officials, whose desire to place themselves in juxta-posi
tion with royalty, had, we doubt not, more to do with
their presence at the cattle show than any other feeling.
The bulk of the crowd consisted of that class of visitors
usually abounding at popular exhibitions in London,
and observations such as—" Oh, there he is ! See how
he smiles ! He knows his own beast ; I told you he
would !"—greeted the ear in all directions.
The Prince first examined, as well as the difficulties
with which he was beset allowed him, the oxen in the
first and second classes, proceeding thence to the sheep
and pig yards ; in the latter the Prince was so sur-
rounded and pressed on, that several of his attendants
were separated from him, and Major-General Wemyss
and Mr. G. E. Anson here gave up all hope of accom-
panying his Royal Highness further.
After walking through the gallery and inspecting the
collection of implements there deposited, his Royal High-
ness returned to the cattle-yard, and made another
effort, rather more successful in the result, to view the re-
mainder of the animals. The Prince inspected minutely Mr.
Fouracre's oxen, both of which have gained high prizes this
year, and also Mr. Trinder's heifer, to which the gold medal
was awarded. This beast has been modelled on a small
scale by a young man named Walter, of Abingdon. The
animal is taken in a recumbent position, and when the
Prince arrived at that part of the exhibition, the beast
was lying down. The artist was in attendance with a
cast of his model in white wax, and his Royal Highness,
observing it, took the same into his hand, and comparing
it with the original, complimented the young man on the
cleverness of its execution. We confess to an impres-
sion at this moment that the Prince felt more " at home "
while criticising the work of art than in examining the
respective merits of the oxen in the yard.
His Royal Highness completed his inspection about
half-past two o'clock, and having thanked the Duke of
Richmond, Lord Portman, and the Vice-Presidents of
the club, for their obliging attention, took his departure
immediately afterwards for the Paddington terminus
of the Great Western Railway, en route for Windsor
Castle.

His Excellency Count Reventlow, the Hon. H. Pierre-
pont, and Mr. Richard Lambert Jones, were among those
hom we observed in the yard during his Royal High-
ness's visit.

The exhibition clo-ed on Saturday night, and the ani-
mals will be removed in the course of this day.

THE LATE HIGH TIDE.

SHEERNESS, DEC. 12.—An event, which had well nigh
proved destructive to an immense quantity of Govern-
ment property, occurred here last night about half-past
11 o'clock, by the rising of the tide to an unusual height,
aggravated by a stiff north wester which was blowing at
the time. Providentially the breeze gradually lulled ere
the tide had reached its greatest height, otherwise the
damage must have been immense. The sea walk of the
dockyard were completely overflowed, the water over
the south wall rushing into the fitting basin and raising
its waters to within a foot of the top of the walls. Over
the north wall the sea beat furiously, encircling the
superintendent's offices and boat-house, and meeting
with the water rushing in at the North Camber, it
floated everything in the way, dashing all the boats on
the landing of the Camber, which were previously high
and dry, to pieces. On this wall the greatest injury has
been inflicted ; for along its whole extent, from the South
to the North Camber, s9me 200 yards, it has in some
manner or other given way, and been separated from the
embankment to the breadth of a foot in some places,
and to the depth of ten or twelve feet. This is the
extent of the fissure on the surface, below it is more
extensive, presenting here and there deep chasms. The
African steamer, which was lashed alongside the east
side of the Camber, sustained considerable damage to her
larboard paddle-box, but was ultimately hauled into the
middle of the Camber, where she rode in safety. One
of the docks, in which is the Dido refitting, was flooded
by the water rushing over the top of the gates ; the
other dock in this situation was not flooded, its entrance
being secured by a caison. Farther to the north the
sea wall on the Ordnance ground is safe, though the sea
is stated to have beat most furiously on this point,
which is much exposed, and rushing through the sally-
port adjoining, extended its waters to the Admiralty
House. In the fitting basin, as may be imagined, the
greatest danger was to be apprehended, but from the
zealous and able management of the master-attendant,
and the providential abatement of the waters, all was
kept in safety there. That fine steamer, the Samson,
was first hauled off from the edge of the basin and
secured ; afterwards the Brilliant, Havannah, Bit-
tern, and Viper were secured, but a few more
inches of water, and a continuance of the gale, would
have landed them all on the walls. The docks opening
into the basin were not flooded. The ships in the har-
bour and " in ordinary" stood to their moorings, and the
sight by the moonlight to the spectator on the shore was
grand and imposing in the extreme. Further up the
Medway the water broke over the walls, and flooded the
marshes and ditches in that direction, preventing all in-
tercourse with Queensborough by the river side. Along
the Thames, again, the waters heeded no embankments,
but dashed furiously over the highest parts of the sea-
walls, deluging the low grounds as far as the Hill of
Minster. The sea also broke in, and flooded the exten-
sive excavations going on for the new fortifications,
deluging the deep fosse which is now forming alorg the
sea-wall of the new works, long before the proper period,
and doubtless much to the loss of the contractor.