The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-17 00:00:00

DEP A:LITT:HIE CF T TIE E-7..P11.:R1-

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 on Tues-
day in the presence of her Majesty the Queen and Prince Albert,
his Majesty the King of the Belgians and his Queen, her Majesty
Adelaide the Queen Dowager, his Royal Highness Prince George
of Cambridge, the Earl of Haddington and the Lords of the Admi.
ralty, and a larger number of distinguished noblemen and gentle-
men, admirals, generals, and other officers of the army and navy,
than has ever perhaps assembled at Spithead on any previous occa-
sion. The interest which the sailing of this fleet has excited must
have been universal, for railway trains on Monday and Tuesday
brought thousands of ladies and gentlemen to Portsmouth and its
neighbourhood—a very large proportion of them from distant parts
of the kingdom.

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In the list of company at the principal hotel were the following,
most of whom were afloat on Tuesday on the departure of the feet ;
—The Earl of Yarborough, Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence, Captain
William A. Bailie and Lady Harriet Hamilton, Lord and Lady
Colville, Sir James Dennis and officers of the Buffs, the Hon. Capt.
Edward Plunkett, Sir Harry Verney, Adjutant-General Sir J.
Macdonald, Mr. Edmund Yates Peel, C ipt. Martin, Capt. Black-
burne, Capt. Sotheby, Capt. Cuppage, Capt. Dykes, Capt. Sandon,
Capt. Shea, Capt. Randell, Capt. Gasket', lie.
A finer morning could not have succeeded to a more beautiful
evening, in the haze of which, just as the glorious sun had sunk in
the west, the huge hulls and lofty masts of the men.of-war loomed
above the sea like distant mountains rising from the deep. The
morning breeze was just strong enough to allow the yachts to
move to and fro beneath the brilliancy of the sun, whose bright-
ness, however, was occasionally overshadowed by a passing cloud.
The Victory, 104, Captain Mowbray, with the flag of the Port
Admiral, lying off the dockyard, and a few merchantmen and yachts
In harbour, were dressed with their gay ensigns ; and the Hiber.
nia, 104, Captain Peter Richards, C.B , the flag-ship of Sir W.
Parker, ior the Mediterranean, lying to the westward of the expe-
rimental fleet at Spithead, was also dressed out over the topmasts
from stem to stern.
The Admiralty flag was hoisted at the dockyard, and the Black
Eagle, their Lordships' steam.yacht, Master-Commander Cook,
was dispatched at half-past nine to Ryde, for the Duke and Du.
chess of Buccleuch ; the Lightning, steam-tender, Master Coin.
mender Pettey, was also dispatched thither for some noble person-
ages. The Princess Alice, Master Commander Luke Smithett, at
the same time left Portsmouth harbour for Ryde, to embark her
Majesty the Queen Dowager and suite.
His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge arrived at
Gospoit by special train at ten o'clock. The Duke of Cambridge
was prevented by slight indisposition from accompanying him.
At a quarter-past eleven the Lords of the Admiralty, the Earl of
Haddington, Sir. W. H. Gage, Captain W. A. B. Hamilton, the
Second Secretary, and the Hon. Captain Dundas, the Private Se-
cretary, with Lord Wharnclitle, left the dockyard in the Admi-
ralty barge, attended by Lieutenant Triscott, of the St. Vincent,
who was appointed Flag Lieutenant to wait on the Admiralty, and
proceeded across the Royal Clarence Yard, to be in readiness to
receive her Majesty.
At twenty-five minutes to twelve o'clock the royal special train,
conveying her Majesty and Prince Albert, and their Majesties the
King and Queen of the Belgians, arrived at Gosport terminus,
where the royal party was received by Major. General Pakenham
(who went through the now somewhat tedious form of presenting
the keys of the garrison to her Majesty), Mr. Martin, general su-
perintendent, Mr. Stovin, general manager of traffic, and Mr.
Gooch, superintendent of the locomotive department.
The royal standard was immediately hoisted, the guard presented
arms, and then her Majesty and suite, accompanied by the Lieu-
tenant-Governor and staff, drove to the Clarence Victualling-yard,
where the Lords of the Admiralty, Captain Carter (Superintendent),
Mr. Town (Master-Attendant), Mr. T. T. Grant, F.R.S. (Store-
keeper), Captain Moubray, Captain Sir Thomas Hastings, Sic., were
in attendance to receive them.
Her Majesty, leaning on the arm of the King of the Belgians,
and followed by his Royal Highness Prince Albert, who gave his
arm to the Queen of the Belgians, embarked in the new state barge,
accompanied by their suites, and were steered by Lord Adolphus
Fitzclarence to the Victoria and Albert, which lay out a short dis.
tance in the harbour. As soon as the royal standard was trans.
ferred from the bow of the barge to the main of the yacht, a salute
thundered out from the old Victory, which was taken up by the
Excellent and some of the yachts, until the smoke wreaths had
nearly obliterated the whole of the brilliant pageantry from view.
Then came the hurrahs of the multitudes assembled on the beach,
and the more effective and spirit-stirring cheers of the seamen who
manned the yards of the men-of-war.
Soon after the royal standard had displayed its well-known
blazonry at the main of the royal yacht, the Belgian tricolour royal
was hoisted. The yacht in a few minutes afterwards lett her
moorings and steamed slowly down the harbour towards Spithead,
threading her way with care and difficulty amid the innumerable
craft which crowded it. As she passed along the dense masses of
people who darkened every eminence on the beach, and swarmed
on the platform and ramparts, cheered again and again, until the
sound echoing from point to point along the narrow Cherwell, rose
like distant thunder.
The Princess Alice, having on board her Majesty the Queen
Dowager and suite, left Ryde at half-past ten, and tell into the
wake of the Victoria and Albert.
Conspicuous among all the various beautiful specimens of naval
architecture was the graceful little Fairy, her Majesty's tender,
which played around the royal yacht, and turned about through
the yachts and steamers with all the celerity and ease attributed to
her aerial namesake. The slender tapering masts, raked symme-
trically aft, and almost unsupported by the cobweb cordage of the
shrouds and stays—her low and perfect mould melting away into
the bows and run—her great speed—and, above everything, the
absence of the swell caused by padule-wheels—all combined to
render her so attractive to the eye that she won on the affections
of the men of the old school, and overcame the prejudices of the
Pipes and Trunnions. The amateur seamen mustered strongly, and
representatives of nearly every Yacht Club were present in every
form, from the clipper schooner of 200 tons down to the
Thames cutler of 10; clothed in their snow.white canvass,
big jibs and gaff-topsails set, and flitting over the water in
every direction, they formed the most beautiful coup d'ceil
that could be conceived, stretching away for miles, tacking
to and fro, running out of every creek along the isle, and
firing their tiny armament with wonderful zeal and tolerable regu-
larity. Among them were " the great reputations "of the racing
world—the Crusader, the Camilla, the Alarm, the Gleam, Lord
Yarborough's schooner yacht, &c. The dusky forms of numerous
steamers struggling under the enormous loads of living creatures
who swarmed from stem to stern, on paddle-box, deck, rigging,
yards, contrasted with the livelier hues of the sailing vessels, and
relieved their monotony. It is to be regretted, however, that in
some cases the captains were more anxious to give their passengers
an opportunity of demonstrating their loyalty than of consulting
the convenience of those whom they intended to compliment—oc-
casionally running their vessels so near as to interfere somewhat
with the motions of the royal yacht, or when to windward favour-
ing those on board with a full taste of their quality in the produc-
tion of smoke. After the vessels of the royal cortege, came the
Black Eagle, the Comet, the Rocket, the Bee, the Turk, the Tagus,
the Rattler, and the Water-lily, an extraordinary, but pretty-
looking steamer, built by Mr. Maudslay.
Thus they proceeded towards Spithead, accompanied by so many
vessels that competition was fairly baffled, until they rounded the
Spit-buoy, when the St. Vincent led off with a royal salute, which
was taken up and continued by the other ships of the squadron.
The smoke hung so heavily upon the enormous hulls of the men-
of-war, that it soon enveloped them in a dense cloud, through
which the flashes ofthe guns spirted fiercely out, and alone marked
their position. At last the firing, which was very regular, pro-
ceeding from the ships in the order of their position, was at an end,
and the smoke slowly drifted to leeward, rising like a veil and un-
covering all the splendour of the scene. The men-of-war were
drawn up in the usual order, grim and silent—ports open, guns run
out--searcely a living soul to be seen on board. The royal yacht
was slowly proceeding between the starboard and larboard divisions.
There little flags are run up to the Admiral's main, and in
an instant the rigging appears instinct with life—the
yards and cordage swarm with men, until at last they
take their stand in tapering rows of duck frocks and trousers,
and out come three thundering cheers for the Queen. For some
reason or another, probably because the signal could not be made out
as the flags were scarcely extended, owing to the light breeze—the
Trafalgar did not follow the example of her fellows, and her men
remained in the tops or in the yards in silence. Another signal
from the Admiral, and as if by magic the gaskets were cast off,
and down came the sweeping folds of the canvass, and the bare
outlines of masts and rope were in an instant concealed by a mass
of sail.
At twenty minutes to one signal was made from the flag-ship,
St. Vincent, to weigh, and at one the whole squadron, comprising
the St. Viment, 120, Captain Rowley, flag of Rear. Admiral Hyde
Parker, Commander-in-Chief of the Squadron ; the Trafalgar, 120,
Captain Martin; the Queen, 110, Captain Sir B. Walker; the
Rodney, 92, Captain Collier; the Albion, 90, Captain Lockyer ;
the Canopus, 84, Captain Moresby; the Vanguard, 80, Captain
Willes; the Superb, 80, Captain Corry; and the Rattler, screw
steam sloop, Commander Smith, were under sail. The Trafalgar
was the first to complete the setting of her sails, which were the
same as those of the other vessels—fore, main, and mizen, topsails,
topgallantsails, and royals, foresails, andjibs ; but the Rodney was first

under weigh, the Superb being second. The usual effect of the tiring
was viodble in the lull of the little breeze that existed before, and
the squadron lad soon to run out their studdingsails to get any
headway upon them. Presently, however, the breeze came creep-
ing up, and after a few flourishes and "cat's-paws," settled down

to a weak puffy sort of breeze in S.W. until two o'clock, when it
freshened and blew steadily. Great speculation existed as to
which would be the first round the Nab, but it was soon evident
that the Queen in the light breeze was drawing fast ahead, the
Rodney being second, the Albion dead to leeward of the three;
then the Trafalgar, the Canopus, the Vanguard (some contended it
was the Albion), and lastly the St. Vincent, which made very poor
work of it in the calm weather. Her Majesty's yacht, with the
royal standard lying, surrounded by thousands in the hired steam.

era, &c., stood boldly out to sea in the van, the Queen standing by
the larboard paddle-box and appearing to watch the result of the
giant race with the greatest interest. Her Majesty acknowledged
. . . .

repeatedly, and with impressiveness, the greetings which rose on

every side around her, increased in warmth and intensity by the
feeling which the sight of a Queen of England leading such a feet
as no other empire could show was naturally calculated to inspire.
At a quarter past two the squadron had rounded the Nab, and
hauled up to the southward. At half past two signal was male to

. _
form the order of sailing in two columns, and the ships, which
from their more rapid sailing were in advance, had to shorten sail
to take their proper stations. At three o'clock they all made sail
on the starboard tack, and in a quarter of an hour afterwards were
invisible from Spithead.

At a quarter past four the royal yacht hove in sight, on her re-
turn to Spithead, followed by the Princess Ahce and Fairy tender,
which came up to Spithead about five, when the Hibernia manned
yards, saluted, and her crew cheered.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT OF THE SAILING.
A more magnificent sight cannot be pictured to the imagination
than that which presented itself when the squadron had reached
St. Helen's. As far as the eye could behold the waters were co-
vered with countless vessels, all under sail, and each vieinz with
the other to keep pace with those mighty fabrics which constitute
the bulwarks of this sea-girt isle, and are the pride and glory of its
people. Yachts of every description, belonging to the Royal Yacht
Squadron, and all the other clubs from the Thames to the Land's-
end, were following, crowded with sail. Shortly before the ves-
sels reached the Nab light the breeze freshened, and the con-
test now between the Rodney, Superb, Queen, and Albion was

most interesting. The Rodney was the first ship under weigh,
and had passed the Superb and Albion, and had obtained the lead
the Rodney being the first ship, Superb next, and the Albion fol-

lowing on the port quarter of the Rodney.

It very soon became

apparent that the Queen would take the lead of them all, for while
the Rodney and Albion were under allsail with etuddingsails alow

and aloft, the Queen was sparing them lower and maintopmatt

studdingsails, and passing them hand over hand. The Queen was
the first to round the Nab light, followed by the Rodney, Albion,
Superb, and Vanguard, which had passed the Canopus and Tra-

During the time the vessels were making the Nab light, her
Majesty was on the platform which connected the paddle.boxes,
and appeared to take great interest in the scene before her, and in
the trial of sailing between the line-of.battle ships.

After passing the Nab light, her Majesty took the lead of the
fleet. When off Dunmose, the signal was made for the fleet to
form in two lines, the Admiral leading.

Her Majesty and Prince Albert, with their royal guests, then
returned from sea, and proceeded to Osborne House, where they
purpose remaining for a day or two.

THE BRUSSELS COMPANY.—This excellent operatic
company, after a series of operas, few indeed in number, but all
giving the greatest satisfaction to the public from the complete
wanner in which they were performed, are about to leave London
immediately.