The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-04-21 00:00:00

THE flOarallEßN TIMES.—LIVERPOOL, MON DAY, APRIL 21, 1816.

bales ;„..rtrrlcgt _steasl3„...at former rates, mid 9i to 91..
Molasses 38c ; dour- 7 ti 7 25 ; corn 4dc ; small sales meat
pork at 151- to $l5l ; lard
.9c., Cotton to Liverpool id.
April 7.—Cotton unchanged; sales to-day 9,000 bales.
Sugar sells at Nil; .molasses 35c ; flour dull, with a declin-
ing teideneY;" Ohio $7 ; lard 9 to 101 c ; beef dull ;' poik
active at unchanged prices. Freights drooping.

LAUNCH O THE:ADRIATIC AT. NEW

YORK

The Collins steamer, Adriatic, the largest wooden vessel
aflOat, was launched on the 7th instant from Messrs. Steers'
ship-yard, at the foot of Sevielle-street. The event was
witnessed by an immense concourse of people, the number
being variously estimated at from 30,000 to 50,000 persons.
The launch was perfectly successful, The Adriatic went
into the ri‘rer ivithont a Single itiperftuitf, and it was
Consequently very difficult to check her headway. When
she struck the water, she was probably moving at
the rate of ten or twelve knots an `hour, and her impetus
was so great that it was found necessary to drop both
anchors.

The appearance of the Adriatic is distinguished by the
same symmetrical -lines which belong• ,to •all—Mr..Steer'S
erections. Her marked resemblance to the Niagara was the
theme of general .comment. . She is. however, narrower
and much sharper in the bows than that vessel,

in oth

theugt
The

respebts • tlib

lesilarity is strong.
is designed eidlnsliely for speed
—the Niagara for speed and buoyancy combined.
The Adriatic is considerably larger than the new steam ship
Persia, of the Cunard Line, and is only surpassed in size
by the iron steamer now bedding in this country by
Messrs. Scott, Russell and Co. _She is the third ship
_
I into. the New York waters, of a class
)fore been coniidered Ames( impracticable.
turpasi her noble cotemporaries— the Van-
derbilt and the Niagara—in the beauty of her lines, she
exceeds them in the magnitude of her proportions, as will
be seen in the following table,. which compares her principal
dimensions with the dimensions of these ships and of the
Atlantic, the pioneer of the American Line of Mail Steamers
to Liverpool:
Adriatic. Niagara.. Vanderbilt. Atlantic.
h.. 354 feet. 345 feet. 335 feet. 287 feet.
Bteadth . 50 feet; 55 feet. " 49 feet. 48 feet.
Depth.'....33 ft. I 31 feet; 33 fiet. 31 feet.
Tonnage 5,900 - 5,200 • • • 5,100 3,000
The following are the -principal dimensions, which have
been "carefully corrected :—Length Over all, 251 feet 8
inches ; length onlbad line, 343 feet 10 inches ; breadth of
beam (moulded) 48. -feet 8 inches ; ditto- (extreme), 50
feet ;'depth of hold • from underneath spar deck, 33 feet 2
inches; areaof greatest transverse see.tion,at 20 feetdrauzlit,
880 square feet ; *displacement at 20 feet draught, 5,233
tons •, weight of hull, 2,041 tons ; launching draught, .10
feet 2 inches ; weight of engines, boilers, water, coal, spars,
&c., 2,200 tons; average displacement, per inch, from launch-
ing draught to light• load line (17 feet 12 inches) ; 26 7-16
tons average displacement, per inch, from light load line to 20
feet draught, 28; tons; dratpht.otAvater at a displacement of
4,241 tons,:l:7.feet ;Winches ; average displacement from 20
feet line to 21 feet 6 inches. (per inch,) 312 tons ; displace-
ment at '2l..feet .6. -inches water line, 5,800 tons ; horse
powerof engines (oscillating), 4,000 nominal; 2,000 actual ;
diameter, o.f'. cylinders, 100 incheS ; length of stroke, 12
feet; diameter of wheels, 40 feet; number of cabin passen-
gers, 300 ; cost of copper bolts and fastenings, 70,000 dols ;
galvanising iron bolts, 9,500 dols ; cost of entire ship,
800,000 dollars. ,
It is intended to have her ready for sea in five months.
Skilful engineers predict that she will make her trips in
eight and' a half or nine days average. She will sail under
the command of Captain James West, late of the Atlantic.
After the work of launching had been completed, a select
party, at,tlioinvitatien o f Mr. Steers, proceeded to the
Pacific supper rooms, where a very good dinner was served.
his honour the Mayor presided, and after the cloth had
been removed, congratulated • Mr. Speers and Mr.
and the city of New-York, upon the birth of another steam
vessel—ene whiCh; he. beli64ed;. was unequalled. In con-
clucion, he proposed the health of Mr.. E K. Collins.
Mr. Collins did-not wish to speak, but in' consequence of
a remark from the:Mayor, he would say that the enterprise
with which he was connected had not been conducted with
a view to profit alone. The company had suffered much,'
and suffered willingly,- during their effort to establish a. line
of ocean steamships that would be an honenr to the United
States. (Applause.) In the first'place : when they began,'
they had to contend against a line preyiously in operation.
and also against a strong popular opposition at home. In:
this connection he wished to say the Collins line never would'
have been established, had it not been for the liberality and
enterprise of Mr.,James Brown and a few other gentlemen,
who had money, and , were willing to spend it in the
establishment of such a 'line. As an illustration of the
difficulty of obtaining means sufficient for the construction
and maintenance of ocean steamships, he men-
tioned that the Law line, when the company had two
ships; and the Aspinwall .linc,.when that company had
three ships, found great difficulty and sought government
aid. As an evidence of the confidence of. Air. Brown in
him, he 'stated that when he went on to build four ocean
steamers, he had expended 2,500,000 dols, before he gave.
Mr. Brown a single -voucher for the money he laud ex-
!pended, and when he had. spent 3,000,000, Mr. BrOwn
said, spend the money, but don't fail., (Cheers.) It lia.d
been . said that, the Collins line 'vas owned by foreigrt
lot true. Mr. Brown was a citizen,

which ha

capitalists—

that w

and had been a resident in this country more than fifty
years ; and, he would add that, had it not been for him,
the Adriatic would never have been seen. The company
had. been opposed by our own government, and in the
face of that, twice as much money would be spent in puti-
ting the Adriatic on the line as was necessary to fulfill
their contract with the governmen`—(great cheering)—
the only government.that had opposed them. Had they
failed,. England would have laughed at our steam marina,
but with such men as Mr. Brown and the others there
was no such word as fail. (Applause.) And he would
further say that a controversy had recently been pub-
lished, which he regretted very much. He believed
Captain Nye was as good an officer as ever sailed a ship,
but he was wrong in his attack upon Mr. Brown. In
conclusion, he proposed the health of Mr. James Brown,
which was drunk amid great applause.
Mr. Stuart Brown, of the firm of Brown, Brothers,
and Co., was called upon to respond.
Captain Hudson, of the Brooklyn navy yard, after a
few preliminary remarks, proposed " the Collins line of
floating palaces, and the American Steers, who has com-
'binediall their branches in the unequalled Adriatic." The
sentiment was received with cheers, and followed by loud
calls for Steers.
Mr. George Steers, whose entrance to the room had
been the signal for a round of applause, arose and said,
he thought it was out of order to call upon him. He was
pretty well fatigued, and making speeches was not at air
'in his way. If he had been blessed with a little of Dr.
Chapin's tongue and eloquence, he might have been able
to' do justice to the subject, but as he had not, he would
simply thank them for their kind feelings towards him,
and call upon the Rev. Dr. Chapin to speak.
The rev. gentleman arose, and said that if he constructed
Such a vessel as the Adriatic, he would believe that he
was eloquent indeed. It was in itself the " eloquence 'of
works, with power. He concluded with an expression of
belief, that the construction of such ships tended to
strengthen the,bonds of the brotherhood of nations, not to
war and bloodshed.
After a fair more toasts, the company separated

LIVERPOOL FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY

On Saturday night the members of the Architectural
and Archwological Society assembled, with the sanction
of the library committee, in the Free Public Library,
Duke-street, to inspect the magnificent collection of
works illustrative of architecture which the institution
contains. They were received by Mr. Picton, chairman
of the library committee, and after partaking of tea and
coffee eevoted some two hours to the examination of the
valuable illustrated works, drawings, &c., which were so
kindly placed at their disposal for the time being by the
committee. The inspection was of course but of the most
cursory kind, but it was sufficient to show how rare,
valuable and extensive are the art-treasures contained
within the library, and the advantage which the Liverpool
Architectural student must derive in having such works
of reference freely open at all times, to his study. indeed,
few libraries, if any, in the kingdom possess a finer col-
lection of rare and valuable books illustrative of this
branch of the fine arts than does the Liverpool Free
Public Library, and while it affords a noble proof of the
liberality of the support accorded to the institution, which
though in its infancy, has yet began to exert a wide-
spread influence through our community, it, at the same
time, is an eloquent testimony of the judgment, and liter-
ary and artistic taste displayed by the committee, under
whose fostering and judicious care the free library pro-
mises to become an equal credit and benefit to the town.
On the close of the examination, Mr. Hay, president of
the society, begged to tender their warmest thanks to
Mr. Picton, and through him to the library committee,
for the intellectual treat they had that evening afforded
to the members of the society. Mr. J. Newlands endorsed
this expression of thanks to the committee, and expressed
a hope that under their management, the free library
would continue to grow in•extent andusefulness, until, as
a literary institution, it would reflect as great credit on
Liverpool as its commerce.
Mr. F. Howard spoke to the san3e-effect, and observed
that the collection of works which they had that evening
witnessed, IN as the best guarantee of the developement
which might be expectedfrom the institution. Mr. Picton,
in acknowledging the compliment, explained the
difficut ies which the committee had experienced
in bringing the library to its present degree of usefulness,
and congratulated the town on the speedy prospect of
their having a building where the collection of art-trea-
sures the society had inspected that evening could be
worthily enshrined. He paid a• well-deserved compli-
ment to Mr. Dalton, the chief librarian, and the other
officials of the institution, and declared that it would not
be from want of zeal on the part 'of-the committee if the
free library fell short of what was expected from it.
:The company separated much pleased with the evening's
entertainment, and in the hope that they will soon again
have the opportunity of examining the contents of the
library at,greater leisure.

THE PACIFIC'S LOSS FORETOLD

SPIRITS

The SpirituctiTerapit of April sth fias The folloi-

ing

The's'X.& 'nnt iinfrequently disclose important events
before they trp§pire, and we have several times pith-
lished such prophetic statements in these columns. In
severallnStances the.truth or their predictions haS been
realised in the ,most signal tr,anner, as has thecpein
remarkable fulfilment of the •Napoleon prophecies, given
to Mr. Coles of Williamsburg. Through a great number
of mealYthe'spirits'have predicted=or affirnied.the loss of
_the steamship_ Pacific, and the ,fatal • disaster, with' its
terrible details, has been represented with fearful dis-
tinctness in presence of many witnesses. 'the, subjoined
account from Mr, S. W. Britton, a merchant of this city,
embodying the results of several interviews With spirits
on this subjedt, 'Can hardly rail to awaken an interest in
the mind of the serious reader :

MR. BRITTON'S STATE:

-Oh the evening of Dec. 2i, 1855, while the -Writer -vas,
engaged in conversation with several friends who had
Hsembled in the rooms of...S...Wriiritton, at the Tremont
ouse, in this city, Mrs.. Harriet. Porter (one of .the best
mediums I have ever known); being also present, was
employed at the time in making-magnetic passes over one
of the editor's daughters, With a view to remove. a
neuralgic pain in the head. Thnwriter was sitting near
the parties, observing the . movements of firs. P., when
thelatter suddenly tutned around, and said with-peculiar
emphasis: "You have asked- for a test; I Will now give
you one. The steamship Pacific Will bo wfeeked; and all

on board• will perish. Put that in yoUr pooket, god keep
it for a test." The spirit purported to be my son Edward,
and on my enquiring for further particulars, he added,
V I will tell you nothing more now ; there will be an
excitement on the subject, and you will come to see•me
again. There will also be a report that she is safe, but
it will prove to be false.'
There were present on the occasion, Mrs. S. W."Britton,
Emma Frances Jay, E. Virginia Britton, Mrs. Wells, Mr.
and Miss Vail, the medium and myself, any one of whom
will verify the truth of the foregoing statement. I have
still in my possession the original memorandum, on the
back of which is the following indorsement, made at the
time the communication was received: " Spiritual predic-
tion given through Mrs. Harriet Porter, Dec. 23, 1855."
Soon after the annoucement respecting the loss of the
Pacific was made, I communicated the same to the editor
of the Telegraph, and to Mr. Charles Partridge. Subse-
quently, and before any apprehension of the loss of the
Pacific had beets awakened; mentioned the subject to
many others, and exhibited the memorandum to some
twenty persons, including several who had little or no
confidence in the claims of Spiritualism. The names of
the persons here referred to can be given if necessary.

Some time after the occurrence of the circumstances
already described, and when the arrival of the. Pacific was
beginning to be looked for, I again visited, Mrs. Porter,
at her residence, 109 West Twenty-fourth-street.• In the
the course of the interview, some remark was made
respecting the Pacific, whereupon Mrs. P., speaking with
unusual earnestness, said: " The• Pacific is lost, and all
on board have gone to their long homes."

At a still later date, the writer called ,on Mrs. Porter,
early one Saturday evening; when the Pacific had been
out thirty days and the Atlantic seventeen days from
Liverpool. Our enquiries respecting the fate of the
missing steamers were answered by the 'eniphatic' assu-
rance that the Pacific was lost, but that the Atlantic was
safe. At ten o'clock the same evening the Atlantic
arrived, and thus was verified the statement respecting
her safety. The next morning the report was widely cir-
culated, and generally credited, that, for some cause, the
Pacific had run into the river Shannon, and was still safe.
Before the report was contradicted I saw Mrs. Porter yet
again ; the spirts would neither retract nor modify what
they had said respecting the loss of the steamer ; but they
were particular to remind me that they had, on the occa—
sion of the first interview, predicted that such a report
would obtain currency.

Not many days had elasped, when the writer of this
again found himself at Mrs. Porter's table ; the company
on this occasion consisted of twelve persons. We had
been seated but a short time, when the medium was
entranced by a spirit who said his name was Faulkner,
that be was purser on board the Pacific, had a brother in
New York, who was a silversmith, &c. In reply to
questions propounded, by the writer and others, the, fol-
lowing additional particulars were elicited:—
When six days out, the. Pacific struck an iceberg, at
eleven o'clock on the evening of January 29, and very soon
went down, stern foremost. As the vesselsank three persons
escaped from the wreck, and found a temporary resting
place on the ice, but they were. subsequently frozen to
death. Itwas further alleged that there were 48 persons
on board-40 males and 8 females ; that, at the time of
the catastrophe, the ship was in latitude 46° north ;
that. the captain was at fault in taking the course he did,
his object being to make a quicker trip than the Persia,
which was then on her first voyage. In the course of the
evening, (the medium being entranced) the heart-rending
scene was graphically represented,- - The-general -con-
sternation, the wild tumult, and the frantic prayers to
God for deliverance, excited intense and solemn emotions
in all who were present.
Since the utterance of the original prophecy respecting
the loss of the Pacific, the writer has had at least a dozen
interviews with the spirits through Mrs. Porter. On all
occasions they have maintained a general consistency, and
no important discrepancy thus far appears in their state
men's. Had the undersigned anticipated the publication
of these facts, many additional particulars might have
been preserved ; but they were not noted at the time
they transpired, and I cannot readily recall them at this
late day with sufficient clearness to warrant a more
circumstantial description. S. •Vir. Br? i- T -TON.
Similar representations of the loss of the Pacific have
recently been given through other channels, .but we know
of no other instance of a definite prophecy on. this subject
having been made at so early a date as the 23d'of peeem-
ber. Spirits from the doom-A

Present on numerous occasior

p have purported to be
ad in presence of many
resting, and satistactory

witnesses,

given curious, int

proofs of their identity.
When the Pacific had been out some thirty days, Mrs.
Porter was one day visited by two strange ladies, who on
entering her rooms, gave no intimation respecting the
specific object for which they sought an interview. They
had not been long seated at the table before the special
purpose of their visit was made known by invisible intelli-
gence, A spirit said, in substance, through Mrs. Porter;
t‘ I was an engineer on board the Pacific : am your brother ;
I was the mainstay of the family; don't tell mother of this
yet; the Pacific is lost, :,but I am here. Samuel Havens."
On the receipt of this communication cne of the ladies gave
way to sudden and painful z,motions. She acknowledged
that she had a brother by that name on board the Pacific,
and that he was employed in the capacity of engineer.

The writer, some time since, while at the residence of
Ward Cheney, Esq., in South Manchester, Conn., Mr. and
Mrs. Mettler, of Hartford, Miss Emma F. Jay and others
being in the company, witnessed a manifestation of the pre-
sence of spirits, which may be briefly described in this con-
nection. While all the persons j?resent, including the
family of Mr. Cheney, were seated around the dinner table,
some one referred to the loss of the Pacific, when the writer
suggested the propriety of changing the theme of conversa-
tion during the dinner hour, as the agitation of the subject
would not only be likely to induce the presence of those
who were lost with the steamer, but might lead to manifes-
tations of an unpleasant nature.
In less than two minutes the writer distinctly perceived
their entrance into the dining-room, by a disturbed feeling
which their presence immediately occasioned. Coming into
the sphere of their former earthly relations seemed to revive
the emotions which accompanied the last moments of mortal
life, and similar emotions were instantly awakened in those
of our party who were most subject to spiritual influence.
A. shadow fell on the company ; more than one smiling
countenance was eclipsed, and there was a strange feeling
of sadness in the heart, like the indefinite images of broken
clouds which float about us at mid-day in t he great ether-sea.
We experienced a mysterious sense of the presence of some-
thing impalpable. We could neither gra: m the image, nor
define its limits, but it was there, and we felt the chill and
the shadow in the very atmosphere.
Our apprehensions were speedily realised. In a moment
after we were made conscious of the presence of spirits, one
of the mediums was powerfully influenced, tad attempted
to speak, but the utterance was broken an d incoherent.
The manner of the spirits' departure was then graphically
portrayed. The whole body was convulsed, and the ob-
structed and difficult respiration was accompanied with a
gurgling sound, as if a current of air was beintg forced by
an irregular process through a narrow channel filled with
water. At length the struggle was over, and y ital motion
seemed to be suspended. There was a momentary pause
in the heart's action, when the influence was wit hdrawn.

THE CHARGE AGAINST W. PARSONAGE

On Saturday Mr. Bretherton applied to Mr. Ma nsfield on
behalf of the prisoner, that his worship would a dmit the
prisoner to bail. He had spoken to Mr. Blenkin sop, who
conducted the prosecution, and that gentleman had no
objection to the prisoner being admitted to bail.".
Mr. Mansfield remarked that he would take two I rureties
in £250 each, in the three cases which were pr.t:ferred
against the prisoner, and himself £5OO in each case.
Mr. Bretberton : The prisoner is a very poor man. He
had only £lBO a year, and it would be hard for him tc► find
£1,500 sureties. _

, Mr. Blenkinsop : I have been informed the contrary.
Mr. Bretherton • The only property he possessed was the
furniture of his house, and that has been sold ; it did not
realise much, as I can show by a bill of sale.
Mr. Blenkinsop said, the prisoner, as he understood
commenced with a salary of £l5O a year, and that \ s
increased to £lBO, and that recently his salary was £2t)o
a year. He was informed that the prisoner had horses a n.d
hay, and a variety of other property.
Mr. Bretherton replied that the furniture of the prisone
sold for £3OO only; and as to the hay spoken of, it wa s
there vet; there were fifteen or twenty tons, and he under -
stood that only L2O had been offered for it, although he.
believed it was worth a ton.
Mr. Blenkensop said he did not object to bail, but he
trusted it would be bail of a substantial deserintion. He
would not object to two sureties in £5OO, and himself in
£lOOO. This was agreed to on both sides, and the prisoner
will be liberated on the usual conditions.