The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-06-19 00:00:00

THE ROYAL MERSEY YACHT CLUB.

SAILING MATCH.

The first sailing match of the present season, by vessels
belonging to this club, took place on Saturday, for two
prizes, the highest being plate of the value of £3O. The
course was from the Royal Rock Ferry, down the Victoria
Channel, round the Bell Buoy, and back to the place of
starting. Many of the members of the club, including
Thomas Littledale, Esq., the Commodore, and most of
the officers, together with their friends and a considerable
number of ladies, left the Prince's Pier at half past ten
o'clock, in the Royal Adelaide, steam-ship, Capt. Batty,
and proceeded up the river to witness the starting, and
afterwards to follow the race. Mr. Gribbin's powerful
Sax-horn band was on board, and played enlivening airs,
dances, &c., throughout. The morning was cloudy, and
apparently threatening rain, so that the company was not
so numerous as on the same occasion last year ; but it
soon brightened up, and the day, with a fine topgal!ant
breeze, was most propitious throughcut, so that all on
board were highly gratified. Six yachts had entered, but
only five run, the other not having time for due prepara-
tion. The race was, nevertheless, admirably contested
between the following :
Enigma, 25 tons, owner, R. B. Preston, Esq.,
Seabird, 30 tons, „ Henry 'Meting, Esq.,
Jilt, 19 tons, „ H. Lowe, ERq.,
Hebe, 15 tons, ~ F. Horner, Esq.,
Ranger, 12 tons, „ T. W. Tetley, Esq.,
They were moored abreast, near the Commodore's
yacht, Queen of the Ocean, which was decorated with
numerous colours as the flag-boat. On the usual :signal
being given by the Commodore, away they went, almost
simultaneously, the Ranger, however, obtaining the lead,
followed by the Hebe, Jilt, and Seabird, the Enigma
being last. The Jilt was delayed a little by getting foul
of her moorings. The wind was about N., varying to
N.N.W., so that they had nearly a dead beat down
the river and channel. They maintained nearly their re-
lative positions for a considerable time. The Ranger and
Enigma, in the van, had a contest between themselves,
as had the Jilt and Seabird, in the rear. The breeze was
rather fresh, and the sea comparatively smooth, so that
the sailing was rapid, and frequently masterly. The
Ranger smartly cleared the buoy opposite the Formby
Light-ship, to accomplish which the Enigma had to make
a tack. The latter, however, afterwards got to windward
of her competitor. The Seabird also got ahead of the
Jilt. They rounded the Bell Buoy as follows, in time :
Enigma~
Ranger. 422 ditto, ditto.
Hebe.
The Sea Bird, which appeared to be astern of the Jilt
just before, by a clever manoeuvre, got close upon the
west side of the buoy, and rounding it sharply got first
away homeward, but from an accident in carrying away
some rigging, ;immediately afterwards, had to relinquish
the contest. The Jilt also carried away the jaws of her gaff.
The run home of the little craft, with a free wind was
splendid, all of them carrying huge " balloon jibs," and
enormous lug gaff. topsails. The Enigma held her posi-
tion in advance, the little Ranger, at times, gaining a little
upon her, both admirably worked. The others followed,
as they best could, and not far off.
During the day, the appearance of numerous vessels,
chiefly inward-bound, presented a constant variety on the
water ; and the atmosphere being peculiarly clear, the
coasts of Cheshire, Wales, and Lancashire, basking in the
sunshine, supplied a beautifully distinct background.
Mr. M'Ardle's beautiful little screw steamer, " Lucifer,"
with a small party on board, followed the race, and, with-
out sails, did wonders in locomotion. On the return
home, a capital dinner was served to the guests in the
saloon of the Royal Adelaide, with choice wines, &c.,
the whole provided by Mr. Gough, of the Woodside Ferry
Hotel, in his accustomed sumptuous manner. The
waiters were numerous, both male and female. The dance
was afterwards kept up with spirit on the quarter deck,
under an awning ; the band playing on both stringed and
wind instruments.b The steamer returned to the Rock
Ferry before the little fleet, to time the arrival at the
goal of each yacht. The three first reached the flag-boat
respectively as follow :—__ _

Enigma l9 minutes past 3 o'clock.
Ranger
Hebe 35 „10 sec. 3 „
The others, which were some little distance behind, and
having relinquished the contest, we did not time them. As
this was what is called a " time " race, the allowance made
per tonnage in behalf of the smaller boat, the Ranger (12),
as compared with the Enigma (25), was 91 minutes, so
that though second in, she became entitled to the first
prize, by only 15 seconds ! The two prizes were delivered
on the quarter deck to the respective owners of the vessels
named, by the Commodore, in suitable and complimentary
addresses, and their healths were drunk with much ap-
plause. Both gentlemen made feeling and suitable re-
plies in acknowledgement. The first prize consisted of
an elegant set of solid silver knives and forks, enclosed in
a handsome case of fine cabinet-work, and of the value of
30 guineas. The second prize was an elegant and costly
purse of marine blue colour, containing ten sovereigns.
The steamer remained at anchor until the tide would
serve to enable her to land the company at the Liverpool
side, and during the interval they enjoyed themselves in
the cabins, or in the dance or promenade on deck. The
whole comfortably disembarked at the Prince's pier at
six o'clock, highly gratified by the day's excursion, and
the polite attention throughout of the Commodore and the
officers and stewards of the club.

GOLD FROM CALIFORNIA.—ONE EFFECT.
Our worship of gold (the love of Mammon in Scripture)
will bring us to this :
Any adventurer who is lucky enough to find some
ounces of this yellow droSs, may come over, call at the
Mint, get it coined—that is, made into legal tender—and,
immediately going into our shops, may secure a large
quantity of the productions of our skilful and industrious
workmen, at low prices; or he can buy up securities; or
he can pay his debts at the rate of 5 pennyweights 3 grains
of his precious ore, for every twenty shillings of debt.
When shall we come to paper issued on deposit of se-
curity ?

THE WEATHER AND THE CROPS,.—We have recently
enjoyed in this neighbourhood fine weather, generally
dry and sunny, but with occasionally, particularly towards
night, coldish northerly winds for midsummer. Showers,
and in some parts continuous rains of some hours, have
fallen, but they have been partial even within small dis-
tricts of the country ; and the general prayer amongst
agriculturists and gardeners is for a good gentle feeding
rain of a day or even two days' duration, which would as-
suredly be a blessing in forwarding vegetation. Both
wheat, oats, and other field crops are so far most pro-
mising ; and the country generally presents a fine appear-
ance, to which a downfall would impart a luxuriance
verdure almost equal to that of a tropical latitude. The
haygrass, of which little is yet cut, would be especially
increased by moisture, more especially in clayey soils.
THE POTTERS' EMIGRATION SOCIETY. A lecture
was delivered last night at the Music-hall, Bold-street,
by Mr. William Coates, on emigration generally, and
more especially on its operation by means of a society
formed by the operative potters of Staffordshire. From
the printed prospectus it appears that the society offers a
20-acre farm to each of its members, subject to certain
conditions, viz. a small weekly contribution, which shall
be resolved into a " share," when it reaches £1 ls. 6d.,
which share gives the privilege of ballot. Before entering
on the 20-acre farm, the difference between the amount
paid up as shares, and the cost price of the land, viz.,
£5 103., must be advanced when the title-deeds will be
secured to him. This may be effected without reference
to the chance of the ballot. This class of members can
obtain credit for two years' supply of provisions. But
the balloted members will be entitled to the whole of
their migrating expenses, log-house, with divers other
encouragements to industry. The room was only thinly
attended.

MR. CHARLES WHITNEY'S LECTURES AND IMPER-
SONATIONS OF POPULAR ORATORY AND POETRY IN THE
NEW WORLD.—Yesterday evening, Mr. Whitney, the
American lecturer, who has won fame. in London by his
lectures on the characteristics of the oratory of the New
World, gave the first of his series at the Concert hall,
Lord Nelson-street. His audience, though a highly in-
telligent one, was, we regret to say, no doubt owing to
the fineness of the evening inviting out-door recreations,
not a numerous one. Mr. Whitney is an accomplished
lecturer, and his descriptions of the various character-
istics of the orators in different portions of the
Union were highly interesting, and occasionally elo-
quent. His impersonations of numerous American speak-
ers were very striking. His John Randolph pourtrayed
to us one of the most original and bizarre of
speakers. His finest efforts were the delivery of a speech
of Geo. MiDuffle, member for South Carolina, during the
nullification contest, an orator of great passion and power;
and the Seneca chief, commonly called Red Jacket. A.
more striking specimen of the peculiarly impressive elo-
quence and manner of the Indian chief can scarcely be
conceived than one of the addresses of this real personage
delivered by Mr. Whitney. We shall not attempt to de-
scribe his impersonation of Wolf Jim, "a strange being,
indigenous to the United States ;" it is indescribable, and
all that we can imagine of a " Kentucky screamer." The
lecturer interspersed his entertainment by the delivery of
some beautiful specimens of American poetry. The next
lecture will be given on Thursday evening, and we strongly
advise our readers to attend.

ANNUAL SHORT-FART CONTRACTS BY RAILWAY.—
We have more than once remarked upon the tendency of
the railway system to extend the suburbs of our large
towns, and to enable the merchant and the tradesman, by
means of moderate fares contracted for by the year, to
escape after the fatigues of business to the healthy en-
joyments of the country. Upon many of our leading
railways this system is extensively practised, to the great
convenience of the public, and no doubt to the advantage
of the companies themselves. We may instance in our
own neighbourhood the London and North-Western, and
the Chester and Birkenhead. We happen to know from
having taken frequent walks along the line, whilst in
course of formation, that it was confidently expected that
similar facilities would be afforded by the East Lancashire
line; and we are much surprised to learn that the company
in question seem disposed, by the high fares charged by
them for short distances by contract, to drive from their
line this description of traffic, which would ultimately
result in creating, upon every eligible site in its route, of
little communities, the seeds of future villages and even
towns, the feeders of a large future traffic. We have
been informed, on what we believe to be respectable
authority, that after some negociation with the managers
or directors, this company has offered to contract annually
with a gentleman, our informant, for his conveyance be-
tween Ormskirk and Liverpool for no less a sum than
£35 per annum ! Now when such a company as the
London and North Western Railway charges only £lO
for an annual contract between Liverpool and Rainhill,
and other lines a similar, and even lower rate, we do
think that the directors of the East Lancashire ought to
concede a little more to the just wishes of the public.
We trust it only wants a little wore consideration on their
part.