The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-05-14 00:00:00

TO JOHN JOHNSON STITT, ESQ.

.ka 8 W-

THE LEAD LINE AGAIN.

Tl{

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN TIMES.

Sir,—Some time ago I ventured to address you
on the above subject, and as your paper is taken
as a decided authority on shipping matters,-I again
bn, leave to say a few words on the same point.
Your publication of Saturday last contained reports
of the loss of no less than three ships, which were
found, on investigation, tt have been lost in conse-
quence of the non-use of the lead-line. A court
of enquiry at Bristol, (at which a naval officer
assisted) into the loss of the steamer Amelia,
found that her wreck was owing to the " disregard
of the lead-line." Two courts of enquiry, held at
Liverpool, (at which a naval officer assisted),
into the losses of the ships Emperor and
Lady Ebrington, found that both vessels were
wrecked in consequence of the non-use of the
lead-line. I now repeat, what. I once said
before, this is a matter of the gravest import,
not only to underwrite' s and shippers, but to the
general public, and if the most stringent remedy
be not applied to this crying evil, there can be no
protection for life or property going seaward. In
the case of the Emperor, the certificate of the
captain has been suspended for six months. What
of that ? It is no punishment, neither is it aoy
satisfaction to parties who may have suffered (some
perhaps ruined) by the wreck of the vessel. Until
the legislature interposes and visits the non-use of
the lead line both with fine and imprisonment,
there can be no confidence placed in those to whom
our lives and property are entrusted. In the many
cases of wreck that have taken place within the last
twelve months 90 per cent. have been found,
as the above, to have taken place in consequence
of the non-use of the lead line. Permit me
to give you, by way of illustration, something in
the shape of the use of the line. Ido this the wore
readily, because I am an utter stranger to the
person, and only a day or two since even learned
his name. Last winter, about the end of January,
I came from the Isle of Man in a boat called the
Mona's Queen, cowman led by Captain Higginson.
It will be quite enough to say that it was during
one of the frightful storms which proved so de-
structive to life and property about that time ; and
it so happened that, on the evening and night of
that day, several vessels were lost on the shores
between Liverpool, Holyhead, and Fleetwood. It
was blowing a fierce gale when we left Douglas,
and before we reached mid-channel it was a wild
and violent hurricane. Amongst the passengers
were two masters of vessels, who • had
navigated all quarters of the globe, alid
they declared that a more severe storm they
had never experienced. The night was " pitch
(lark," and every one on board felt .rather more
than anxious about their safety. I spoke to
Captain Higginson (and a braver man I never
addresse ,) as to our perilous position, and he
replied. with the indomitable courage of a true
sailor (for he has navigated the world over several
times), " We have a good boar, sir, and I don't
fear as long as I can use the lead line." He did
not fear, and he used the lead line, and what was
the result ? But for the use of that line the boat
would have gone right on the Crosby strand,
and probably every thing would have
been lost. I may add, after several anxious
hours Captain Higginson actually groped his
way into Liverpool on that fearful night, and
but for cool intrepidity and knowledge of the value
of the line and its use, the Mona's Queen might
have been in the position of the two fine vessels
that were lost on Crosby shore that night. Captain
Higginson was duly thanked by his passengers, but
beyond that expression of their feelings, he utterly
refused to accept of any other acknowledgement ;
and now, for the first time, the conduct of a brave
and noble son of the ocean meets the public eye
through your columns. I believe the Company
that he serves so faithfully are even up to to this
hour ignorant of the services rendered to them by
that gallant man, but I cannot help paying this
tribute to one so eminently entitled to it- It is
needless to say that he is a gentleman in
the most extensive sense of the word,
as well as a first class sailor. After
this digression—but I am sure you will
pardon it for the cause—as noble conduct ever
finds an. advocate in your pages—l may be allowed
to say that the clamour recently raised about the
oppressive acts of the Board of Trade, in not
trying the conduct of captains, who lose ships by
their " peers," is a splendid phantom. They are
tried by their peers, and they hava been foiand
guilty; and on the part of the public—every mem-
ber of which has a stake more or less in shipping—
I call on you to. maintain the Beard of Trade in
their investigations and exposure of the frightful
and fatal practice of the non-use of the lead line,
and to punish the partieS;.who violate the rule of
the Board, to the utmost extent.—l am, sir, your
obedient servant, R.

THE SCREW STEAMER CITY OF
WASHINGTON.

At a meeting of the passengers on board the
screw steamer City of Washington, held on the
11th May, 1857, near the close of an agreeable
passage from New York to Liverpool, the Hon
C. C. Stratton was called to the chair, and Mr.
Henry Nason was appointed secretary. After an
interchange of views, q committee was appointed
to prepare some appropriate expression of opinion
on behalf of the passengers. The committee
reported the following resolutions, which were
unanimously adopted :-
Ist. Resolved, that, while grateful to God for `favourable
weather and other mercies, we feel that for the comfort
and safety of our voyage we are greatly indebted to the
efficiency, the kindness, and the gentlemanly courtesy of
Captain Jellard, his officers, and crew.
2ad. Resolved, that increased feelings of confidence and
security on b ,ard this noble ship have been inspired by
noticing the perfect discipline, order, and harmony which
have prevailed during the entire passage.
3rd, Resolved, that our grateful thanks be tendered to
Captain Jenard, and through him to those under his
command, for his, and their, humane and courteous
attention alike to the sick and well, and that a copy of
these proceedings, signed by the chairman and secretary
en behalf of the passengers be presented to Captain
Jenard. (Signed)
CLEARLES C. STRATTON, Chairman.
HENRY NABOAT, secretary.
And by all the Cabin Passengers.

Sir,:--In the last paragraph of your letter, in to-
ilVs A ORTHERN TIMES, you say that all you ask
for is that the Pike water shall have fair play, and
fair trial. I think that most of the inhabitants
of this town will agree with mo that it has had a
fair trial, and is proved to be unmistakably nasty.
and uiifit for human use, even in the diluted
form in which we get it. All we ask _in
return is that we shall not be compelled to
drink it against our will ; hut if you and others are
determined to rob us of our excellent welt water,
then it becomes a contest of might against right,
end it will have to be settled, like other disputes,
where the mighty and strong are appealed against
mat the tribunal of justice Depend upon it, sir,
We shall not tamely submit, even to your dictum;
for there are
gentlemen who profess a vast amount
of morality, and a great deal of religion, yet com-
mit grievous wrong and injustice, as has been
exemplified of late in the nefarious business of the
Necropolis. There is a time for all things,-,even
for right and truth—and that time is not so very
distant on this nasty water question.—l am, Sir,
Ynurs,,,eze., JAMES HOBBS
Old Haymarket, May 13th, 1857.
P S.—The Water Committee dire not give us a
fair trial of the Pike water in its entirety, J.H.

WI-VS' CLOTHING MADE WITH GREAT TASTE
At LEWIS & COMPANY'S, Ranelagh street.

Icelusively for CLOTHING BOYS from 6 to 20 Years
LEWIS & COM PANY. Ranela2h street.

A man in Kentucky wes to enormously big that when
he (lied it took two clergymen and a boy to preach his
fan', al sermon.
"b PANMURE.—One of those efforts of imagination
which periodically appear in the form of rumours, has
recently been current, to the effect that the country was
about to be deprived of the services of one of the most
able and valued of her Majest3's Ministers. Lord Pan.
Mitre Was said to be about to resign. Nor was there any
ho:sitation in assigning causes for this act. We can state
aatboritatively that the rrupour, in all its particulars, is
entirely devoid of any foundation.
, STEAM PLUGHING.—We learn from the IrelsQ Mail
*oat a steam plough was lately put in operation on the
farm of Wark. The engine was stationed in the middle
of s large failew field ; it drives a double windlass, around
Which a strong wire rope-is wrought, and this rope being
connected with each end of the plough by a series of
who-ds and cranks, drags the plough forward and backward
ca the land without turning. The implement weighs
about a ton and a quarter, and has four ploughs attached to
each end of it. It works four furrows at once, taking in
a ben breadth of Ana three feet, the furrows being about
inches deep. The
work performed at Wark was
executed in a most perfect manner. The person in charge
of the machine ploughs the hard at Wark for seven shrl,
lings an acre. The plough when in operation moves at
the rate of about two miles an hotsr. and ploughs nearly
eight acres ire 10 hours, and the engine consumes about
seven hundred weight of coals per day. The whole ape
paratusis managed by four or live men.

A PORTRAIT BY AN OLD FRIEND.—The Belfast Mercury
makes the following remarks on one of our late senators :
"Charles (pavan Duffy was one of the weeds thrown up
by the agitation of the Irish political waters. He floated
buoyantly for awhile, then became rank, offensive, intoler-
able, and emigrated. The least honourable of all the
Irish rebels 'cif 1848—a man of pretence and show, without
solidity a clover designer and a dexterous intriguer—he
nad the emanin-
, g to urn other men's brains, and on
their intellect and industry to establish a literary and
political reputation for h'mself. Dillon, MtNevia, Meag-
her, and Mitchell were the men who made the Nation
newspaper eloquent and audacious in its seditious politics,
while Daffy, as the ostensible editor and proprietor,
gathered all the laurels together for himself. With
the aspirations of a rebel he~ had the soul of a
chicken. He was very anxious to get the chest.
nuts cut of the fire, but his monkey nature always made
Wm use some other paw than his own. He did a
vast deal of mischief to the Irish mind generally ; and
'his friends—those who were unfortunately associated with
him political'y—he managed dexterously enough to trans-
port. Smith O'Brien and M`Manos were particularly
indebted to him for their voyage to the Antipodes. Found
out, at last, in this country—
appreciated in his real nature,
and, therefore, thoroughly distrusted—D.l4 disc( vered
that knavery and pretension would stand his friends no
longer, By rppans we need not now stop to describe, he
obtained, to the utter disgrace of the Trish representation,
a seat in parliament for the borough of New Ross The
scum of rebelism, that looked upop h in as a demi-god,
imagieed, in their creduloni folly, that be would set the
Thames on fire. He went into St, Stephen's, and proved a
humiliating failure. As Bacon said of the monkey's
imilation of man—it only rendered humanity abominable ;
thus, 10-v as the character of an Irish representative had
fallen under O'Connellisw, the representative of Young
Irelandism rendered It infinitely more degrading in the
arson of Mr. Charles Gann Duffy."

17'1

NORTH E TIME S.--LIVERPOOT.,, TH URS DAY.

steamer Brenda, which arrived at Gravesend on
Saturday from. Constantinople, had 17,6001 in
sovereigns on freight. This remittance goes into
the Bank.

Commerrtal intelli4ttne.

LTV Rpnor, COTTON MARKET, MAY 13.

The te..tel;et continues without change to-day, the
transactions are on a moderate scale, and prices are
steady. The sales—including 200 Pernambucos ad to 811.
220 Bahias 70 to 80, 260 Maranhams Std to 80, 9JO
Egyptians 9d to 12d, 1,500 Surats ad to 60—are reported
7,000 bales, of which 1,000 are on speculation and for
export.