The Express.
London, England, 1853-08-08 00:00:00

LALXCU OF THE JASON.

Oa Saturday afternoon an important addition was
Rade to the ft :et of the General Screw Shipping Company,
by the launch of a new steam-vessel, of the first-elass, be,a-
ini the well-seasoned name cf the Jas.os ; a 4 of the
same size and in evcry respzet descry resembling Of,
Crresus. The event was witnessed by a leer concourse of
spectators assembled in Orchard-yard, Blaekwall, where the
vessel all built by the Messrs. Mare, under the immediate
superintendence of Mr. Thomas Waterman. At throe
o'clock the signs! having been given, Lady Gerntier threw
the bottle against the bows, and the vessel iirmeiliately
glided into the water amidst loud cher re tram those assembled,
producing by her msjestic appearance an impression that, in a
national as in a commercial point of view, a valuable
accession had been made to tho marine establishment of the
I country. The special cleitinationot the Jason is the Ans-
i tralian voyage. it is intended she shall be ready to
proceed t 3 Port l'hillip in December next; and, considering
th A ruly retie or live months have cl.iised since is!te was
laid en the sacks, this, if realised, will be a most marvel-
lons result. The Jan n is built entirely of iron, and 'I, of
course, to be worked with the screw. lier general dims n-
*ions are as follows :—Length between perpendiculars, 2801
feet; lenzth ol keel for tonnap, 254 feet; bread:4, for ten-
nage, 43 feet; depth of hold 31 feet G inches. The registered
burthen is 2,660 tons. The propulsion will be performed'
by engines main:Edema by Messrs. J. Watt and Co..
I The average cost, thus far, is about 28,. per ton;
probably chant per ton will have sufficed to pre-
pare ter the first voyage. With the addition thus made,
the company has on the ocean about 25,000 tons of shilying,
the whole of which is constructed of iron, and in accordauce
with the company's name, propelled by screw. A ti..et f
this gigantic extent Las been formed within the space of
about three years. It is now e.arying on regular continued-
eathms between Plymouth and the Cape, and thence to
Cslcutta, and also between the Cape and Natal ; while, in
the case of the Ilarbing.m., the Australian voyage, whitii at
one time seemed likely to b..ffle the utmost efforts of science
and enterprise, was performed within 70 days. It remains
for the company to see whether this space cannot be made
matey of calculation, and all but certainty. For such a
desirable consummation the character of such vessels as the
Jason will aft, & facilities. The second ship of this com-
pany, the Argo, I,S:i9 tuns, sailed 18th April; the third,
the Crcems, is to sail in October ; en 1 the Jason, the fourth*
in December. The fifth, the Golden Fleece, is to he
launched in six weeks, and to be ready for si.• in February
next.

MEETING OF DOCK LABOURERS.

On Saturday evening, at seven o'clock, the
labourers on strike at the London, Sr. Katherine's, East
India, and West India Docks, assembled by adjournment at
Bishop Donner's &ids, Victoria-park. About 3.000 la-
bourrrs were present, and the crineipal were from the
vicinity of Blackwall.
The proceedtais were opined by a working man, named
Berry, who spoke in very indignant term+ of several of his
mmpanions fatly employed in the London Docks, who had
gone in to wcrk that morning for 21. Ga. per day. lie

cuisidered them traitors to their cause, and they ought to be
marked. Ile did not mean for any of the true men to vio-
late the law, but his meaning was that they ought to he
branded and discarded from their society. (Hear, hear.)
Tile company, to his knowledge, had eight persons at the
present time to do the work three of the regular men could
; coniequently, they were paying dearly for their
tyranny and obstinacy. They had the men from the Eut
and West India Docks with them, and, if they only kept
true to each other, the rights of labour would triumph.
Only :act with unity, for unity wes strength, and, with
orderly conduct, in • few days their demand would be
amicably arranged.
Several labouring men from the East and West India
Docks having addressed the meeting, one of the delegates
and most active members of the committee said that a con-
siderable sum of money had been collected during the day,
which would be fairly and honourably divided amongst the
men on strike. Oa Monday authorised persons on the
committee would be duly appointed to receive money for
the relief 'of the labourers engaged in the struggle,
and boxes would be provided in which the cash would be
put under lock and key.
A resolution was proposed and seconded—" That the men
belonging to the London, St. Katherine's, East India, and
West India Docks continue the agitation for an adnnce of
sixpence per day for their arduous labour, and that this
'netting be adjourned until Monday morning next, at ten
o'clock, wheu all hands muster to carry out the objects of
the strike."

The resolution was then put to a show of hands, and was
carried unanimously, and at nine o'clock the vast crowd se-
parated in peace and quietness.