The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-08-25 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OP THE NORTHERN TIMES.

Sir,—l must request of you the favour to give publicity
to this communication, and, as it bears my name and
address, it will divulge to the community that your columns
are open to eradicate the evils that beset the welfare and
prosperity of enlightened England, and her talented
mechanical geniuses, which are the foundation of her past
riches ; and, as this has been brought out by the greatest
wonder on record, I hope you will bear patiently with me
while I lay a few broad facts of the " Circumlocution
Office," the " Barnacles," " Shakeingstilts," " Mobbleis,"
" Meagies," and all the inmates who infest the " How not
to do it" public situations, which are supported by taxes
received from the poor and the rich, and, to look at it in
its proper light, that many departments of the government
are filled with the greatest rips, and most unprincipled
trash, the country can produce, and such, as these, are
undoubtedly paupers on the public. Ido not mean to say
that ail the persons in the employ of the country are not
clever, honest, sober, and industrious, and above doing
.a
dirty trick; because I know to the contrary, that there 13
many a clever man, who is poorly paid, in the back grounds,
who has to do all the work of some sprigs of nobility, who
get put over the heads of clever working men. These are
the " barnacles" who infest the " Circumlocution Office,"
that do the tonnage and receive the poundage, ace.—rob the
country of its mechanical inventions, &c.—and, from fear of
loosing their situations, by the improvements, baulk the
plans submitted to the government. And hence the
stereotyped reply handed to the inventor—" Not suitable for
Her Majesty's service." But, by-and-by, we have seen the
same plans brought out as the design of some official.
As I have gone far enough as a prelude to this communica-
tion, I beg to introduce the subject. In the London Times
of the 14th inst. Mr. Henry Bessemer, the cleverest and
most scientific end greatest inventor of the day, read a
paper before the members of the British Association on the
manufacture of malleable iron and steel without fuel. In
the same journal of to-day an account appears of a great
and successful trial given in London before some of the first
makers of iron in England. As for any person attempting
to offer an opinion as to what the ultimate advantages of
this gigantic and most wonderful invention will bring about,
it is impossible to estimate ; invaluable it is to England, as
her great riches are composed of minerals ; and as iron and
steel compose the major of her staple manufactures, this
invention must be hailed as the greatest boon in the
manipulation of iron since the puddling and rolling invention
of Henry Cort. England has now in quality, at a reduction
of about twenty per cent. on present prices of common iron,
a quality of iron equal to Sweedish:or charcoal iron,:which
is worth £2O per ton, and this has been brought about after
two years toil and experiment by Henry Bessemer, Esq.,
who must be regarded as the greatest man of this day. As
for computing his wealth, even at 5 per ton only, upon the
iron and steel manufactured in this country, it would be
regarded as fabulous at present to assert it. The Times
says : "It is to the credit of the Emperor of the French that
when the invention, then in an imperfect state, was brought
under his notice within the last year. and when he compre-
hended its full import from personal interviews which he
graciously conceded to Mr. Bessemer, he afforded him great
facilities for conducting his experiments to a successful
result, and has since intimated his intention of bringing the
plan into practical operation in the arsenal at Rowelle."
Far different was the reception which Mr. Bessemer
states he experienced from the heads of an influential
department at Woolwich, when he endeavoured to prove
its value and importance to them. " They sought," he says
"to throw cold water on it," by alleging that Mr. Nasmyth,
had already made substantially the same discovery which
that gentleman has since been the first to disclaim.
Circumlocution office, once again ! Mr. Bessemer must
have been " disappointed," " hurt"".: that's only
natural." "People who , put themselves in the same posi-

s••;^.

tion, are mostly used in the same way, in England," said
Mr. Meagles. Nice Contrast, indeed, with the Emperor
of France's mode of doing business. England blush, t
mean the honest people in it, you are disgraced by your
constitutional agents. Well may England retrograde, and'
the best of her mechanics be driven from the soil that has
been their birthplace, and in foreign countries has the braina.
of Englishmen been turned to England's disadvantage-
Look at the strongholds of Russia—Apton, that designed
and built them, was an Englishman. England wants a'
scientific board, composed of competent mechanics, to
examine all inventions, and those that are beneficial to th
country ought to be carried out at once in the government
dockyards. Then, and not till then, will England's artisanit
get their clue. As for antiquated old fogies being in situ,'
ations that ought to be filled with natural born mechanical
geniuses is only a palpable hurt—the right men are not
the right places.
To think of plunder, waste, and depreciation of property,
loss of interest, &c., in the government dockyards, is a Per
feet disgrace to the nation ; and to think that the admiralti
are still going on building ships', tbat are only to lie oPO
of no use, and get dry-rotten, when the country could ba
far more efficient and more durable vessels' at less cost, that
could not take the dry rot, constructed in iron,. As to tra,
silly talk about shot, &c., going through iron, is only o 1
fogies ignorance that knows no better.
with
I say the climax of mechanical design, couple. l,
greater security to life and property, is practicable in meta
and not possible to be attained in fibrous material. 71
proof of the floating batteries in the Crimea is ample, that
were designed by myself, so that I am speaking on and 11°
off the book ; and Bessemer's patent, for shipbuilding Pr'
poses, will compel the world to send to England for either
materials or ships ; its uses to the mercantile marine will°
unparalleled.
Such infamy ought to be brought before the House
Commons ; and, it is to be hoped, the members of this tevra.
and the members for South Lancashire will do their dutY ;r•
and, as Thomas Berry Horsfall, Esq., M.P., has a similar
case in point to Mr. Bessemer, with the government, in
respect to the large wrought iron gun made at his forges'
perhaps he can fraternise with Mr. Bessemer. The large'
gun made at the Mersey forge, from all accounts, must he
s!
fine piece of work; and, although some little deception W'r
practised with its performance, against the plate, 41 ine,,11,7
thick, as the said plate was tortured in its manupulatl°l:o'
and made equal to cast iron purposely—and was not /0,
quality what the iron was that covered the floating batterie-c
The efficiency of the floating batteries consisted in thel
novel design and construction, and not in the plates mane
,
by Messrs. Horsfall. The simplest way for the Meres;
forge to prove the falsity they state in reference to their Vlis
and the floating batteries, would be for them to getsis
moderate sized egg-shaped battery, built to test the calsauid
lities of ti,-ir yet untried gun against it. The result scou'
make them iely they must first learn their business before
.
they begin to eQ,
her work or talk with men of busines%
and, as I have known the parties since 1835, I can measure
calibre either in nalm oil or. iron. In conclusion, ws,
country is indebted to; hi
nry Cort for the invention of P11:6
dling and rolling iron • au d, as the Messrs. Ilersfalla' are
the proprietors of the 'Mersey forge, they ought to 0h.,,
towns' meeting, and see what .Could 'be done for the faolcit
of the man who has done so much for the manufacture
iron, and lost his fortune in bringing his invention to Pe'
perfection, while so many makers of iron
ye amassed jails
fortunes. Shame ! shame ! upon the make:s °f i"nest
England ! Then comes the gigantic-minded and
cfurmj
inventor, Bessemer, who has improved the quality, re
~led
the cost, done away with fuel and the puddling, Cat'''. 'e
with the great difficulty and expensive process of fore;
large shafts, &c., which, under Bessemer's patents, can
accomplished with rollers.
Then comes the floating batteries that were built bs!
Messrs. R. Napier, upon the Clyde ; Palmer & Brother!
Tyne; and Samuels & Brothers, of the Thames, said to P.
the design of the assistant surveyor of the navy, but taketi
from plans furnished by myself to the admiralty at their
request ; these identical:plans were proposed to the admiraltii
and surveyor of the navy at the commencement °
the war, and built by them at the completion of it;
Of such, proof is ample. The surveyor of the nivia
has got made a baronet, for his great services alit
assiduity in getting the ideas of inventors carried 01
&c. He is welcome to the honour of baronet at the end :
his name; but if might be not right, I think I ought cede,
paid for the design, as well as having my patent infrin,f;
for the government who receive the inventor's money Oa
protection for the prosperity of Great Britain, it is a bast
job that the Sovereign cannot interfere in such matters s
injustice for the good of the public. I may say that lief
d
Majesty the Queea has been made conversant with °,l.Ye
0,182, in regard to my claim upon the government for Ps
floating batteries. Although it might be treason in olds,'
times to state the truth of the bungling of the " cireurnloeu°
tion office," in these days, with a free press, it would be si;
honour to die as a martyr for one's country, if such parbr,
injustice got redress afterwards through the Houses of ;
liament. And as our member for Liverpool is in the 33%
fix as these flagrant cases of injustice bear out, it is to
hoped he will show his strong vindictive feelings, and obtealel!
redress for public benefactors, and as I have known this geo"rg,
man for upwards of twenty years, and out of that,seven 903 t
in the employ of his worthy and respected deceased pare 4
and himself, I know what his feelings are likely to „
when aroused to anger. Liverpool has, in T.. B. IlorsfslaT
M.P., a determined, headstrong member, with no greio
business qualifications, but whose ambition to get a pia° nr
the Commons, would prompt him to go to the bottoin
public grievances, and, if furnished with the tools, he is
talker enough to give utterance to the strength of Po
feelings, and if aided by talent from the back, may shine
a fair representative for the unrivalled port of Liverpoe2,
and tread with vengeance upon the inmates of the " drew')

locution office."
From your knowledge, Mr. Editor, of the scientific 1101
of the day being (if phrenology can be depended upon ad
accuracy) of determined, energetic dispositions, of strong e
deep penetrating minds, coupled with the finest of feellll,l3.
and as nature has cast my talent in the same mould, ' ,
c'ef
you will, for the good of the public advancement to scie'ar;
and benefit to mankind generally, give this letter, WI 01
nished as it is, a place in your paper ; and if the free of
of England mean what they say, and are the developer'oet
public grievances for the good of that body that they roar
their support from, they will do their duty, if untrawrae.dili
without solicitation. Apologing for the space this
occupy, I am, sir, JOHN CLARE, ttill

21, Exchange-buildinga,
Liverpool, 25th August, 1856,