The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-03-02 00:00:00

MASTER PORTERS COMMITTEE,

•• •. P
The Ilaqer roqpraze Conplitr
tee had 110.Npg of
importance to report. The pfcleeedilig,§ iyefe 91.1APA1P4
on the motion of Mr. 4r4914. •

T}E pEEENCES OE TUE FORT

The proceedings of the special committee on the
defences of the port, the consideiatiou of which was
deferred from last week, were again read, and their
confirmation moved by Mr. Hubback, and seconded by
Mr. Bold.

Mr. &urn' said he was still of opinion that the proper
points whereat to erect forts for the defence of the port
were Formby and Leasowe, because the use of Whit-
worth and Armstrong guns would render forts near to
the docks absolutely useless.
BOULT, in reference to the suggestion contained•
in the report, that the floating batteries. would be more
serviceable than forts asked where those batteries to lie
when not in use ? There was not room for them in the
river, and in the dock they could not be all Owed
to lie. Ije was extremely pernleTed about -them.
(Tiaiighter.) lie felt that they would be safer as, a
port without any batteries on the hanks of the ,river at
all ; and hp thought it was an extr„aordinary. 4n4 unac-
countable thing, considering the existing state. of the,
art or gunnery, that forts should he propase4 to be,
rhaped in tbp pUsitions proposed the W ar-ofllee. lie
erefore moved, as an amendment, that the proceed=
ins of the committee be referred back for reconsidera-
tion.

Mr. SMITH seconded the amendment.
Mr. EvANs said it appeared to have been overlooked .
that floating batteries could be taken by boarding, and
61.,.. Lcactcult:z viRMIAI ue avanaine 'or 95e
against the shore on either. side.
Ateniia4 said thR propey points for, the defence.
of tlie"Pot were these mentioned by Mr. Smith, as they
oininanded the two entrances to the port.
Mr. LITTLEpALE concurred in Mr. Smith's observa-
tions. Government ought to send down some com-
petent person to confer with the engineer to the Dock
IBoard'and other gentlemen.
Mr. LAIRD said the committee did apply to the
government to send down, and they refused to do so.
IVith regard to floating batteries, he shonld linye no
fear of thelr being t4ke 'preperly naana.t,d.
Mr. FOuwoon asked 'why the floating' light-ships
could'not be used as batteries. • •
'The CHAIRMAN said the observations of gentlemen
would be 'very'much in place if the defences were to
be erected at the expense of the Dock Board ; but it
appeared to have heen forgotten that the hoard applied
to the GoveruMenf to .constiuet 'the 'defences' Of the pert,
014 them' tti bell` • ap4 that f a man Were
fss'ked to pay iho expense of d e. id would naturally
expect him to hairts something to say about the character
of the work upon which that outlay was to be made.
The board would remember that a joint committee of
naval and military officers had been sent down tol,
' examine the port, and the board could not expect the,
Government to ignore the report of professional men,
sent down for the purpose: Government would not pass
them by in deference to the opinions of the Dock' loaid.
Anything like dictation to the governinenf as fo' thie
defences, ,the Qoyertimbut,Wohld cbfishler 41illeit:'11. the
44144 (IfeAr, bear)
Mr. Bovril, asked 'heir long it was slim the ctommis-!:
sion, referred to by the chairman, had been sent down,'
because the art of gunnery had wonderfully changed
lately.
Mr. SMITH said the commission came down in 1857.
He would like to know if the members of it communi-
cated with this board in any way.
The CHAIRMAN.—NO.

Mr. S.IIITH.—You talk about impertinence to 1,10,
Governinent, but, I think, we have ve.,y gir,eak—e,aae Or
3,) com laint of a great want of ceitites OU that occasion.'''
r. ictubact haviil rgplie'd, Velioatd. clyidedi on
o,e` itientfin'ei4t, 'and the votes being equal the Walcipan
gi've. hit ctstjiig yote Egcti-}4 the 4nietAtn.e 4, v(hich he
declared lost. The proceedings were then o9ntirmed.
THE CHAIN CABLE TRADE.

A memorial from chain cable makers and dealers in
Liverpool was read. The memorialists prayed the
Board to reconsider their determination to erect the
chain cable testing machine at Birkenhead, with a view
to the erection of suitable machinery on the Liverpool
side of the water, where, they believed, it would be of
much greater use to the_trade.

The CHAIRMAN said the mem,oltil had better be
referred to the Works Committee,, ancl"lO,erh4s' the'
would giye Ole gentlemen an'auclience.chi Shtnid,ay it
at twelve• • . •-
This 'wag agreed to.
Mrll3ll.6ciant3ti.k said his view of the case was that
they syould first aseettaM how Many alai4s the
memonalists had sent to, the lioants machine at Liver.'
Boni fo'T`Oie ptirpose'd.betng tested. (Hear, hear, and
laughter.)
Mr. LAIRD supposed that the Works CoMmittee
would also be at liberty to hear gentlemen who believed
that Birkenhead would be the better place for the
machine.
The CHAIRMAN—Oh, yes.
Mr. TOBIN said, that before recommending the hoard
to erect a machine at Birkenhecid, the,WKir'lf.s Cdamiittee
had heard both sides on the mater. '
The CHAIRMAN said the memorialists urged that they
had not b,een heard
•and, he thodglit it was undesirable
that the beard-should rest under the imputation that
decided without hearing all the parties iptteinated.
The subject then dropped;
TIMER BOR THE 1?,OCIE RATES.
Mr. Alexander Andies,lot LoAao, wiote.o;tlAe 89a174
directing Weitz atfeation to the. fact O'at the arroA, ofi
Western Anstralian maho,gan,y, was a c,i•aci Wo4that
would resist the corrosive action a sea water—a
difficult; that had ]toldln.en complained of in reference
to t'he timber at present in use for the purpose of making
dock. gates.
The letter was referred to the engineer, to report
•c upon it to the Works Committee.