The Press.
London, England, 1856-02-16 00:00:00

UNSEAWORTHY VESSELS.

The Earl of

ia, on Thursday, pre-

sented a petition from certain merchant seamen
against being compelled to go to sea in unseaworthy

,aprisoned for periods varying from six weeks
three months. The noble lord read extracts
m the prism reports of the southern and western
districts, bearing out his previous statements, and
concluded by suggesting the appointment in all sea-
port towns of a Government inspector, whose duty it
should be to survey every vessel before she left port;
that in every case of wreck in the merchant service
an inquiry, such as exists in her Majesty's service,
should be instituted. He thought the appointment
of a committee to consider the question wou►d be de
sirable.

LJT,I STANLEY of ALDERLEY real the legal opinions
obtained by the Government upon the question,
showing that seamen cannot legally be treated
as deserters if the ship be unseaworthy, and that' re-
fuse t) go to sea in her; and concluded by stating
that he should offer no objection to the appointment
of a committee, though he hardly thought any ad-
ditional information would be obtained. The pro-
position of the noble earl for the establishment of a
survey he thought worthy of consideration.
After some further conversation the house shortly.
adjourned.

THE ADMISSION OF ORPHAN CADETS TO
SANDHURST COLLEGE.

Mr. FREDERICK PEEL, in reply to Colonel North,
said that no steps had been taken by the Government
for filling up the ten additional cadetships, as recom-
mended by the committee of the house last session.
The matter was under the consideration of the Go-
vernment, who thought that some measure might be
devised for a system of general education for the
orphans of officers and soldiers.
STEAM COMMUNICATION WITH AUSTRALIA.

Mr. LABOUCHERE, on Thursday, in reply to Mr.
Baxter, stated that arrangements were being made
by the Government to establish a monthly commu•
nication by a line of steamers between this country
and Melbourne and Sydney, with branch steamers to
call at Adelaide, Van biemen's Land, and New Zea-
land, the expense to be divided between this
Government and the colonies.

lee shore."

Mr. L. DAVIES thought that if any circumstance
had been wanting to lead him to the conclusion that
there ought to be a naval officer at the head of the
Admiralty, the speech of the right hon gentleman
wluld have supplied that want : his speech betrayed
not only a total ignorance of nautical affairs, but a
remarkable want of geographical knowledge.
After some further dispute, the house divided,—
For the motion,44 ; against, 118. Majority against, 74.

LETTERS from the camp, up to the 2nd February,
have been received. There was no intelligence of
any moment. On the night of the 29th ult., be-
tween nine and ten p.m., a tremendous bombard.
ment opened from the north batteries, and was con-
tinued for an hour. The object of concentrating
such a heavy fire upon the south side of the town
was incomprehensible, except that it is possible the
Russians had become aware of the intention of the
French to blow up Fort St. Nicholas, and were re-
solved to disturo their preliminary operations.

The feeling of the camp with respect to peace
was favorable on the whole. It was believed that
several divisions of the army would remain in the
East for a certain period.

The health of the army was good, though the
weather was changeable and trying.
At Kertch everything was quiet. 2,000 additional
Turkish troops and two field-batteries had reinforced
the Contingent.
In Asia Minor nothing of importance had oc-
curred. Omer Pacha was exerting himself with
great energy to put his army upon an effective footing.

The following intelligence has been received at
Vienna, under date of Constantinople, Feb. 4 :
There are hardly any foreign troops here.
There are 1.000 French iu camp at Maslak, and two
English battalions, with a small cavalry detachment, at
Pura and Scutari.

Advices from Trebizond of the 28th of January state that
the Russians have evacuated part of Turkish Armenia, and
retired to Erivan.
CAMP OCCURRENCES.

The blowing up of the docks, which has hitherto
been conducted with so little loss of life, on the 26th
ult. was very nearly proving fatal to a number of
men, at the time of the blasting of the eastern end
of the western dock, at work down a shaft close at
hand.—

The explosion by the dock•gate had taken place, and
some uppers were busy at the bottom of a shaft forty or
fifty feet off, when a noxious gas generated by the explo-
sion entered the gallery, filtering through the intervening
earth. The effect was gradual—one after another the men
became giddy, and some of them insensible. With lull-
nite alacrity and courage non commissioned officers and
soluiers descended the shaft, braving a danger which
seemed the greater because its extent and nature were un-
known, to succour their comrades, and as they got down
they in turn were overpowered by the offensive gas. Major
Nicholson and Lieutenant Graham also went down. and
suffered in consequence. The fornier was insensible when,
supported by his men, he reached the top of the shaft, and
it was some time before he recovered. To sum up the
accident : one man perished, and seven or eight were
seriously affected, but have since recovered. A man went
down into the mine, after the accident, holding in his
mouth the extremity of a tube down which air was pumjed
to him, and he walked imout with perfect impunity and
collected the men's caps and things they had left behind.
The man who died ,as a soldier of the 4dth Regiment.
Two surgeons were on the spot, and tried every means to
recover him, but in vain.—Times cor., Jan. 2titli.

The Times correspondent, writing on the 28th,
gives the following description of the methods
adopted by our engineers and the views they held
with regard to the destructi3n of these docks:—
Their mode of operating against the docks varied ac-
cording to circumstances, but seems to have consisted in
great measure of regular mines, with shaft and gallery.
Two of these shafts, down which [ yesterday looked, are
about thirty feet deep. They are situated one on each
side of the western dock, and in one of them, which is at
about fifty feet from its entrance (between it and the
centre dock ), an unfortunate accident occurred on Sato!,
day last. The engineers had blown up the eastern pier, or
extremity of that side of the dock, to which a gate is at-
tached—one of the jaws of the dock, as I may say, which
are closed by the gates ; and this explosion seems to have
been as complete in its effect as any that have taken place.
The huge mass was lifted up and dislocated, and the enor-
mous transverse beams, masses of black timber of incal-
culable strength, were torn from their fastenings, snapped
in twain, and remained with their splintered ends resting
against each other, in the shape of a house-roof. Below
the I oiuted arch thus formed is a black chasm, and heaped
around are piles of displaced stone and dusty rums.
Everything is removed and riven without being scattered
and this is the object at which our engineers have C 011"
stantly aimed. They have sought all along, and generally
with much success, so to proportion the charges of their
mines that, while everything should be overturned, rooted
out, and thrown into the utmost confusion (literally tops).-
turvy ), as little as possible should be thrown out of the
crater. And accordingly most of their explosions have not
had the appearance which would popularly be ant cipated
from the letting off of two, three, or more thousand pounds
of powder. There was no diverging gush of stones,
hut a
scot of rumbling convulsion of the ground ; a few blocks
and fragments were east up to a moderate height, but the
effect upon the spectator was that of some gigantic sub%

III•
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II
1/2 THE PRESS. SATin,DAy
,
FiSgeebnrcuearvo
f,
vesseji. The noble earl at some length stated considered Milford. Haven and Holyhead harbours T H W A
-...2 varicis cases in point, in which seamen—who, to sufficient for the coast of %Vales. " Besides," con •
A.- prey ve their lives, had refused to go to sea in un • eluded the hon. baronet, " any sailor who knew his
2inntdell
LETTERS from the camp, up to the 2nd
wag
sf
the 29th ult. be.
seas rthy vessels—had been treated as deserters, business, would take care to keep Out of a bay on a
thTehnerigehwt
sm' mprisoned for periods varying from six weeks lee shore."
'.., • three months. The noble lord read extracts Mr. L. DAVIES thought that if any circumstance
ahnayvembeoennienretc. received.
4' m the prism reports of the southern and western had been wanting to lead him to the conclusion that
tween nine and ten p.m., a tremendous bombard-
. districts, bearing out his previous statements, and there ought to be a naval officer at the head of the
fr concluded by suggesting the appointment in all sea- Admiralty, the speech of the right lion gentleman
port towns of a Government inspector, whose duty it wluld have supplied that want : his speech betrayed ment opened from the north batteries, and was con.
should be to survey every vessel before she left port; not only a total ignorance of nautical affairs, but a tinued for an hour. The object of concentrating
that in every case of wreck in the merchant service remarkable want of geographical knowledge. such a heavy fire upon the south side of the town
an inquiry, such as exists in her Majesty's service, After some further dispute, the house divided,—
should he instituted. He thought the appointment For the motion,44 ; against, 118. Majority against, 74. was incomprehensible, except that it is possible the
of a committee to consider the question would be de-- Russians had become aware of the intention of the
likable. OBSOLETE STATUTES.
.• _ ~_ —__ ~._, French to blow un Fort St. Ninhnia. .. ... ~