The Press.
London, England, 1857-12-19 00:00:00

• THE PRESS, DECEMBER 19, 1857.

MR. ARTHUR ANDERSON, of the Peninsular and
Oriental Company, has addressed a letter to the
(holy papers, stating the circumstances relating to Mr.
Vernon Smith's application to the company last au-
tumn, and with respect to which Lord Derby appears
to have been to a certain extent misinformed. Mr.
Anderson states that no letter was received, but that
a verbal message was sent. He states the actual
facts to be simply these :

For some time previous to the month of September last
some personal and verbal communications had taken place
between some of the directors and officers of the East
India Company and the managing directors of the Penin-
sular and Oriental Company relative to the transmission
of troops to India, both by the fortnightly mail steamers
and extra steamers, and on the 7th of September an official
letter from the Court of Directors of the East India
Company was received, requiring the Peninsular and
Oriental Company to submit proposals for an arrangement
to that effect. After further personal communications the
arrangement was concluded, and the necessary instructions
settled and forwarded both to the agents of our company
and the proper authorities in India of the East India
Company. I happened to be absent from the office on the
day when the definitive settlement of the details was
concluded. This was done on the part of our company by
my colleague, Mr. Allan, assisted by the secretary, Mr.
Howell. On my return to the office I received from them
a verbal report of what had been done in this affair. They
stated that it had required much active exertion on their
part to get the details finally settled as between the Board
of Control and the India-house in time for the instruc-
tions being forwarded by the outward mail of that day, and,
as a curious incident, mentioned that after all had been
finished and the instructions despatched, a messenger came
down from the President of the Board of Control to inquire
whether suchan arrangement could be made! This incident
struck us with some surprise, and if we drew the inference
from it that the President seemed not to be aware of what
was passing in his own office in an affair of certainly no
minor importance, it will perhaps be allowed not to have
been an unnatural one.

itittrouolitan.

THE LEVIATHAN.

The launching experiments were resumed on Wed-
nesday, to be postponed, we fear, for some days.
The presses were set to work at an early hour, and
at ten o'clock a slip was made of thirty-eight inches
aft and sixteen inches forward. This, although not
much, had the effect of placing the vessel straight in
the ways, and of removing any suspicion that en
obstruction between the rails might exist, and so
effectually bar her progress. As in the case of
former experiments, the works were interrupted by
the bursting or breaking of machinery, a result
which now appears to attend every attempt. The
morning operations were brought to a stand-still by
the bursting of a cylinder, followed by the breaking
of one of the immense river chains, and finally by
the destruction of the great crab-winch, upon which
the pressure was so great as to stave in the iro❑
drum or axle. These mishaps all occurred at the
head of the ship, and arose in spite of the most
careful and skilful precautions. This end of the
ship, which is under the control of Mr. Prowse,
Captain Harrison's chief assistant, has been most
admirably managed throughout, but nothing, it
appears, is strong enough to resist the inert force of
the immense vessel. At one o'clock the pumps
were again applied, but no further movement could
be obtained, the only result being that another
cylinder burst, and another chain gave way, when
further effort became impossible. :The last cylinder
that burst being one of the principal ones, Mr. Hep-
worth, the master shipwright, was compelled to an-
nounce that nothing more could be attempted for at
least two or three days. Mr. Robert Stephenson
came down early, and remained a long time in con-
sultation with Mr. Brunel. Dr. Livingstone, the
African traveller, was also amongst the visitors.
We are happy to be enabled to assure our readers
that the cost of the launching will in all probability
not exceed one•third of the sum, 70,000 f., so reck-
lessly asserted to have been already sunk in the
attempt.
With respect to the future, a writer to the Times
observes :—" Very obvious expedients are often over-
looked. Why should not the ways' for the
launching of the Leviathan be at once altered from
their gradient of one iu twelve to a gradient of one
in eight or less ?"

NEW RULES have been, and a new governor is to
be, appointed for Whitecross-street Prison. The
prisoners have protested against the severity of the
new rules, which they further declare to be illegal.
The matter is under the consideration of the gaol
committee of aldermen.

WESTMINSTER ABBEY is in future to be lighted
with gas during the performance of those Divine
Services resolved on by the Dean and Chapter.
THE WESTMINSTER SC titlT.Ans performed the
Adelphi of Terence on Monday and Thursday even-
ings, according to usual custom. The performances
were extremely spirited and effective, and the play
was put upon the stage with unusual splendour.