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Lyttelton Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1000, 11 June 1862, Page 3

The Nashville.—An officer of the Nashville gives an interesting account of her adventures:— " Leaving Southampton at 4 p.m. on the 3rd of February, within full sight of the Tuscarora, which had but just returned from a six days' cruise outside the harbour, and was then engaged in coaling up, the Nashville steered for Bermuda, and, after successfully weathering a terrific gale of six days' duration, which disabled one of her engines, reached her destination at two p.m., on' the 20th, without having caught so much as a glimpse even of the eight vessels of war which had been expressly detached by the Lincoln Government to effect her capture, and whose vigilance had been stimulated by the offer of 200,000 dollars as prize-money for the ' rebel' steamer. Supplying herself with coal, the Nashville departed from Bermuda at 11 a.m. on the 24th ultimo, under the pilotage of the master of a southern schooner which had run the blockade a few days before with a cargo of turpentine and resin, and who expressed the fullest confidence in his ability to conduct the ship safely into port. On the 26fch ultimo she encountered, on the margin of the Gulf stream, the Yankee schooner Robert Gil* fillan, Captain Smith, bound from Philadelphia to St. Domingo, with an assorted cargo of flour, pork, butter, cheese, and other provisions, removing from the schooner such of her cargo as was deemed valuable, and transferring her crew to the steamer as prisoners, the prize was fired, and in a few minutes completely destroyed. About dawn on Friday morning the steamer reached the vicinity of her destined harbour, off which was espied a Yankee war steamer, apparently in watch for the approaching vessel. It was the crisis of the trip; and its perilous nature may be understood when it is known that the entire armament of the Nashville consisted of two rifled six-pounders, while that of her antagonists consisted of several formidable guns of immense calibre and capable of a very long range. Nothing daunted, however, but with every energy wrought up to the highest pitch of determination, the gallant commander of the Nashville displayed the stars and stripes at his masthead, and with it a signal flag, which, in the uncertain light of the morning was well calculated to blind the Yankee commander as to the real character of the stranger, ordering his vessel to be steered boldly towards the blockading steamer. The manoeuvre was promptly performed, and the Nashville was almost within musket range of the Yankee, but between her and the harbour, when Captain Pegram ordered the stars and stripes to be lowered, and in their stead the stars and bars of the Confederacy displayed at the fore, main, and peak. This defiant movement of the Nashville was almost immediately after responded to by the Yankee, who as if recognizing the ' rebel' steamer, fired a volley after her, and started in rapid pursuit, firing as rapidly as the guns could be loaded and discharged; but the eager agitation of the Yankee gunners marred their aim, and their 'shots fell far and wide of our noble steamer, which was then dashing onwards under a full head of steam, and in a comparatively few minutes was safely within range of the protecting guns of Fort Macon, and beyond the range of her chagrined pursuer." Respecting the feeling in England during the presence of the Nashville at Southampton, a correspondent of the ' Richmond Examiner' says My informant speaks in glowing terms of the kindness of the English people, who showered upon the crew and officers of the Naahville all manner of sympathetic attention. As an instance of the good feeling of the English towards us, and of their confidence in our cause, it is related to me by an officer of the Nashville, that £400,000 sterling—2,ooo,ooo dollars —was at one period advanced to the Nashville by a single mercantile house. All classes are loud and earnest in their expressions of sympathy for the Confederacy, and of detestation of the 'Yankee nation.' "

Contemporaries tell usthatas the wheel of fortune moves round, it produces strange changes. Mr. Chapman, late member of Castlemaine, is now shaving the Tuapeka diggers in the Arcade, at Dunedin. Mr. Pyke, one of the present members of Castlemaine, and formerly a member of the Nicholson Administration, is waiting for something to turn up, either at Dunedin, Tuapeka, Waitahuna, or some other of the Otago diggings. Mr. Brodie, late member for Mandurang, and at one time a member of the Heales Administration, ia the Gabriel's Gully correspondent of the ' Otago Daily Times,' and probably of some other papers. And Mr. Donald, former member of the Ovens, and more recently a partner with Mr. Pyke in the Atlas Company and ' Atlas' newspaper,,has by all accounts, turned gentleman at Dunedin; so far as

that title can be earned by a man's walking about with his hands in his breeches pockets. Of this quartette, Mr. Chapman seems to have bit up.on the bent and most creditable course. In sticking to shaving, he is sticking to that to which he was brought up. And we all know, or ought to know, that if a man would have business stick to him, he must stick to business; and the more he knows of his business, the better it is likely to fare with him.—Border Tost. ThelateMr. Paynementions,inhisdelightful book of eighteenth Century gossip," Wine and Walnuts," a conversation between the King and a favourite German general, whose everlasting theme was the bravery of his English subjects. George (loquitur): But, mein general, dere is von ting dat de Briton is afraid of." " Your Majesty is under von mistake : der Englishman is afraid of notin at all." " But I tell you dat he is, and if you keep it ein great secret, I vill tell you." " Most honoured, your Majesty." " Den you vill never tell it to no one at all." " I vill not, your Majesty." " Come closer, den, for fear of any von hearing it—-der Englishman is afraid of him's vife." Cobb3* American Coaches.—We understand that the three spirited proprietors of these conveyances have determined, now that the railway is complete from Geelong to Ballarafc, to transfer the principal portion of their stock-in-trade to the line between Sydney and the Lachlan. Tkey arrived in Sydney from Melbourne in the Wonga Wonga, at her last trip, and one of them, Mr. Warren, has already gone up to the Lachlan, to make the necessary preparations, and at once to inspect the line of road. The firm have about 500 horses, all of wl ich they are ready to put upon the line with the least possible delay. Their coaches are unusually large and commodious, —one of them being calculated to seat at least seventy-five persons. This carriage will probably be used for the conveyance of passengers between this and Penrith—a post from which the travellers will probably be carried on by the smaller carriages. Marvellous Descent down a Coal Shaft.— The other day a lad named Hazard, whilst emptying a barrel of water at the Eskett Iron Ore Company's pit, at JFrizingtou, slipped and fell 170 feet down the shaft head foremost, but, strange to say, alighted without sustaining any injury. He owed his escape to the fact that there was ten feet of water at the bottom of the pit. His head was jammed in the mud at the bottom of the pit, but he had presence of mind enough to press himself free; he then floated on the water, and was happily recovered not much the worse for hisperilous descent. —Banffshire Journal. Crinoline in Rhyme.—A lady with a crinoline was walking down a street—her feathers fluttered in the air her hoops stuck out some feet.—She walked the earth as if she felt of it she was no part, and proudly did she step along for pride was in her heart. She did not see a curly dog which walked close by her side, all save the curly tail of which her crinoline did hide. His tail the dog with pleasure shook—it fluttered in the wind, and from the lady's crinoline stuck out a foot behind. A crowd the tail did soon espy as it waved to and fro, and like a rudder seemed to point the way the maid must go. The curly dog, right pleased was he, the quarters he had got, and walked beside the lady in a; kind of doggish trot. Each step the lady now did take served to increase her train, while those who followed in her wake roared out with might and main. Some held their sides, they laughed so hard, and others fairly cried, while many even still confess that they had liked to died. But still the lady sailed along, in crinoline and pride, unmindful of the crowd behind or dog close by her side. But soon another dog espied the tail which fluttered free, it so provoked his doggish ire he could not let it be. But with a deep ferocious growl, for battle straight he went, and 'neath the lady's crinoline both dogs were quickly pent. They fought 'tis said one hour or more—the lady nothing knew—but with her head erect sailed on, and did her way pursue. Some say she never would have known at all about the fight had not one dog mistook and gave her limb an awful bite. But since that day I've heard it said that lady ne'er was seen, upon the street with so much pride and such a crinoline. An Interesting Family Romance.—There is an interesting legend connected with the Cullen family. Bryan, the second Lord Cullen, was betrothed, at | the age of sixteen years, to Elizabeth Trentham, then in her twelfth year, the sole heiress of the Trenthams of Staffordshire, and afterwards of the estates belonging to the Earls of Oxford. After the betrothal young Cullen went abroad, and while in Italy formed a somewhat romantic attachment to a lady, asserted to be of high rank in that country, [ who requited his passion with all the fervour natural to the sunny South. How he effected his departure from her is unknown, but it is recorded that during the festivities consequent on his marriage with the "beautiful" Miss Trentham, and while he was sitting down with his bride to a splendid banquet in the grand hall at RushtOn, the doors were suddenly burst open, and the assembled guests were startled by the appearance of a lady, who, with excited action, walked up to the central table, where, facing the shrinking bridegroom and. almost fainting bride, she took up a golden challice and drank to the endless misery of the newly-wedded pair. Then sinking on her knees she, in tremulous tones, invoked Heaven for vengeance on the false hearted lover; after which she slowly arose, and gazing on Lord Cullen and his trembling bride, sternly prophesied that the lady would " live in misery and die in want;" then quitting the hall she departed and was never afterwards heard of. Lady Cullen became a lady of the bedchamber to Queen Catherine, was distinguished for her beauty, and had her portrait twice painted by Sir Peter Lely, once as Venus, and once as a lady attired in the prevailing fashion of the time. She several times afforded a refuge to the unfortunate Duke of Monmouth, when that unhappy nobleman was in disgrace with his father in 1622, and a chamber at Rushton Hall was called the Duke's room. But, notwithstanding the enormous wealth of Lord and Lady Cullen, their extravagances occasioned the family estates to be heavily mortgaged, and in 1713 the Italian lady's curse was partly fulfilled, for in that year Lady Cullen, after a life of domestic misery, died in comparative penury at Kettering.— Once a Weeli. British Foresight.—During the great war with France, in which our most brilliant naval victories were won, George the Third visited Portsmouth dockyard, and was 'surprised to find the masterbuilder of that establishment enlarging one of the docks on his own responsibility. " And why," asked the king, " have you presumed to do this without authority ?" " Please your Majesty,', he replied, " I learnt that the French were building a ship too large to come into the dock as it was." The king was thoroughly satisfied with the explanation. It is a mere matter of fact to add that the French ship was captured very soon afterwards, and brought into the dock so thoroughly provided for her,—Cornhill Magazine.