Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-28 00:00:00

Friday, Dec. 30, at
At hall-past ten
MR. MEYNELL INGRAM'S HOUNDS
WILL MEET IN

TltrAday, Dee. 29, at
Saturday, Dee. 31, at
At a qu'irter to eleven
THE ALBRIGHTON FOXHOUNDS
WILL MEET ON

Thursday, Dec. 29, at
Saturday, Dec. 31, at.
Tuesday, Jan. 3, at ...
Thursday, Jan. 5, at..
Saturday, Jan. 7, at
At a quarter to eleven

.1‘ Longford Hall
Hunnington, near Bagley
Sheriff Hales
Baniel Green

COURSING.
COURSING FIXTURES FOR 1859.—DECRMPER
Bishop's Castle, Salop : Mr. Warrick, 28.
Worth of England (Greenridge), Northumberland

Coxoo, 28. -
Great Crosby, Lancashire : 29.
Millington, Staffordshire : Mr. Warwick, 29, 30.
ASHDOWN PARK CHAMPION MEETING.—The following com-
munication from Mr. T. D. Hornby, the honorary secretary of
the Altcar Club, has been received:---" The Earl of Sefton, as
president of the Altcar Club, has engaged on its behalf that the
sixteen nominations offered to the club iu a 32-dog stakes will
be taken up by the members. These nominations are, of
course, to be filled up with dogs belonging to members of the
club, and they will be guarded throughout the running as far
as possible. His lordship can rely upon the ready aryl cordial
support of the club in this spirited engagement, and his
decision
. .

remove'
of the a

ncertaint

ight tiaie iml

I to prove the best ever held

the south of Eogiand

CORRESPONAENC E.

do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of
one• correspondents.]

IMPROVEMENT IN IRON SHIPBUILDING.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.
Sift,.-It must be obvious, from the manner •in which 1
iron vessels break up and tumble to pieces when they 1
get ashore, that iron is not the right material for ship-
building ; for the simple reason—it is-too hard. If this
be not so, the vessels themselves must,be faulty in their
construction. I know that some persOns assert iron
vessels are stronger than wooden ones; but I can prove
to the contrary. I admit they are stiffer vessels, but
their-stiffness, or apparent strength, roves to a source
of weakness when driven ashore; for this reason, from
their` rigid stiffness they cannot alter their shear (or
shape) without break or fracture, as-wooden vessels can
do ; the material of cash being of a totally different
nature. Now. as a remedy in thnoonstruction of iron
vessels, and to prevent them parting in the manner they
so frequently do, I would suggest the following plan •
Let the vessels have their frame (onangle iron) between
the beams somewhat flattened, and plank their sides
with good thick planking, especially amidships, and
taking care to have the angle iron (or frame) notched into
the plank, and to have the whole bolted together edge-
ways; and also, to have bolts driven from the outside
through the frame (or angle iron). As a protection to the
bottom, I would have it planked on the outside from above
the, load water-line down to the -keel with hardwood
planking of a considerable thickness amidships, the plank
being fastened on with screw belts, and well caulked.
Of • course the keel, stem, and stempost to be of

wood, and also the cutwater ; not •so miich on account
of the vessel carrying it, as for the safety of vessels that
may happen to be run into. ft is fearful to contemplate
—indeed experience shows—what must ensue when an
iron vessel, with her thin stem and sharp cutwater, runs
into any other vessel. Indeed, judging from appearances,
iron vessels seem engines of destruction, both to them-
selves and those they mar come in contact with, in the
present state of their construction.—Trusting you will
insert the above in your Conservative paper as sugges-
tions for humanity's sake, yours, &c.,
JOHN CARMICHAEL.
56, Heath-street, Toxteth-park.
P. 8.—1 witnessed the state of the bottoms of two
noble ships, the Bonaveuture and the Ebta Brahe, after
being ashore for a length of time, and, so far as I. could
judge from appearances, no iron Nesse' could have sus-
tained the same amount of damage without breaking
up, J. C.

The amount of property captured at Birwee appears
to have been enormous. It is stated that the prize
money is so immense that Lord Clyde's share as com-
mander-in-chief in India will alone amount to £120,000,
Bir George Whitlook's share being half of that sum.
Captains' shares are estimated at between £3,000 and
£l,OOO, and subalterns at a proportionate figure.
FIRE AT MILBORNE REFORM I.TORY SCHOOL.—The
farm buildings attached to this establishment were wit-

fully set on•fire on Thursday evening last by one of the
boys named William Jackson, and entirely destroyed.
The rapid progress of the flames rendered abortive every
attempt to arrest them, and in the short space of one
hour the work of destruction was complete. Through
the -exertions -of the boys, aided by- a few neighbours who
happened to be within reach, the fire was confined
-within the limits of the farm premises. • Great praise
is • due to these boys, who, without one exception,
;corked hard to the utmost of their power and strength,
confining themselves to the posts appointed them
by 0.0 master. To this may be attributed - the
comparatively, slight injury to the establishment If
the fire had extended to the school and dwelling-
house the consequences would have been irreparable.
As.soon as. Mr. Stent became aware of the fire, he mus-
tered the boys, and found Jackson alone missing. This
circumstance, ,in addition to others, caused suspicions
' to fall him, and after his apprehension at Dorchester o
the following morning he voluntarily acknowledged tha'
he had not only absconded from the school, but also set
fire to the premises. Mr. Mansel remanded him to
Dorchester for examination on the following day, when
he was fully committed for trial on the charge of arson.
The premises consumed inelmic the arm ttAIL:' pigge-
ries, and storehouse, eight pigs, and a quantity of straw.
They are insured.--ASVisbuty Journal.

TWICE MARRIED.—In November, 1850, Mr. Erastns
Salisbury, of *Liverpool, Ohio, was married to Miss
Helen Pritchard. About a year afterwards he took his
departure to California, where he toiled in the mines
until a few months ago. The correspondenee between
him and his wife was in some way interrupted; but ru-
mours reached her that he had proved unfaithful, and
she therefore procured a divorce. This step was taken
after her husband had been abient eight years; but
Mrs. Salisbury had been Miss Piitchard again but a few
months when her former husband returned. Over-

whelmed with surprise at finding himself a bachelor, he
took immediate steps to reinstate himself in his former
position. The charge against him he proved-to be un-
true.; and after a courtship in due form, the couple'
were again married on the 24th.in.st.—.Boston aurier.
The Cairn OP WOMEN.—Witil regard to the " good
eause"---the cause of the advancement. of freedom and
knowledge, of the rights of women, &e.—l am not a
person o opinions. I have said elsewhere that human
beings -differ greatly in thiS; -Smile' have a passion
for reforming the world, others do not cling to par-
ticular opinions. That my parents and Shelley- were of
the former class, makes me respect it I respect such
when joined.to -real :disinterestedness toleration, and a
clear understanding: .. My accusers, after such as these,
.: appearto me mere drivellers. For myself, I earnestly
desire the good and enlightenment ef my fellow-creatures,
and see sail, in. the present course( tending to the same,
and rejnicei----but I am not fOrituiilerit. extremes;.whieh
only bring, cuan injurioacreaction. I have never written
a word in disfavour of liberalism. That I have-not openly
inp-po-ftedit in Writing arises from the following causes,
so far as. I know :.2--That J 'have not argumentative
poWers; I see things pretty clearly,' but cannot demon-
strate them. Besides, I..feel :tho,counter arguments too
strongly. Ido not feel that 4 could say aught to sup-
port the cause' efficiently ; belidee that, on some topics
(especially with regard to, my own sex) I' am far from
making up ray mind. I -believe we are sent here to
educate ourselves, and that self-denial, and disappoint-
ment, and self-control, are a part of our education ; that
it is net by taking away all restraining law that our im-
provement is to be achieved; and, though many things
need great amendment, I can by no means go so far as
my friends *Mild have me. Whenickel that I can say
-what will benefit my fellow-creatures, il will speak; not
before.-e-.ire. SlKlley',3 ticurnal. v
SEVERE SNOW STORM—Foi a week -past the whole
northern comities- have been enveloped in snow to a
Considerable depth;Which has rendered travelling by
anrmeans no easy matter, whilst it ;has put 'a Complete
stop on all kinds of out-door labour, and brought
in its train no slight amount of ' suffering and,
want among an indigent portion of the popula-
tion. The frost during most of the time has
been seaere, but Its intensity on Sabbath :hist has
rarely been _ equalled in this latitud,e, the thermoa
iiietar standing about Is degrees balovr freezing point.
Daring nearly a week the mails had been conveyed on
sledges, 'drawn by two horses in tandem fashion, betwixt
Thurso and Berriedale, and on horseback across the Osd.
Notwithstanding the state of the roads, the mails have
been well kept up, never being above half-a-day behind.
The severity of the storm is felt keenly by the smaller
class of farmers, who will this season be very ill-off for
want of fodder. Business in the :town' has been nearly '
suspended; country people not gettintin; andr_the trade
with itself being otherwise of the most mew e descrip-
tion this winter, renders -such a stormp4e more
severely felt among the labeurjug, poi.—, a .
ohn o'"Groat
i
Journal. .
ROBBERY OF PLATE AT WAKEFIELD. —Last Sunday
afternoon; about four o'clock, Mrs. 'Elizabeth Brook
left her residence, Laburnum' Cottage, Rorbury Road,
Wakefield, to visit some friends. On her return, an
hour or two later, she was unable to open the- front.
door, which was fastened on the inside. She sent for a
person to force the door, and effected an entrance, when
it was found that the back door was wide open, and it
is supposed that the thieves were probably making their
eseape by the back door while Mrs. Brook.was attempt-
ing to get heat the front, All the drawers and boxcar
in the house had been broken open, and about £l5
worth of silver plate, some jewellery, and a small sum
of money, stolen. In anticipation. of leaving home for '
some time, on a visit - to:Javerpool,- Mrs. Brook had,
fortunately, the previous day*, sent a chest, containing
£5O worth,of plate, to the house of a friend for safety:
The police, on going to the horse, foun'd that an
catrancelied I:.. 1 cf-t:.:etia.l tiller th -the fMUt .1061.,
.by
means of skeleton keys,

:SELECT VESTRY.

The 'fortnightly meeting of the Select Vestry was
held yesterday forenoon in the board-room, at the Parish-
offices, Browrilow-hill. The Rev. Rector Campbell
presided ; and the other members present were Messrs.
Smith, Owen, Scott, Satchel', Turner, Bairstow, Peck,
Broome, Denton, Whitty, Luff, and Williams.

WORKHOUSE COMMITTEE.
The proceedings of this committee, which have already
been amply reported in our columns, were read; and,
.on the motion of Mr. Owen, they were confirmed.
Mr. II'ACGAR called attention to a communication
from the Poor-law Board, desiring further information
as to the reasons which had induced 'the vestry to sus-
pend Mr. 'Leather the senior medical officer. The
Clerk also read a letter which, under the direction of the
Workhouse Committee, he had writtmn to the Poor-law
Board, detailing various cases of neglect on the part of
Mr. Leather, and urging the reasons which had induced
the vestry to pass a resolution to terminate Mr. Leather's
engagement.
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS COMMITTEE.

The proceedings of this committee were next read ;
and, on .the motion of Mr. Bairstow, they were confirmed
without any comment.

FINANCE COMMITTEE.

The minutes of the Finance Committee were then
read. They contained no matters of public interest;
and, on 'the motion of Mr. Owen, they were confirmed
without discussion.

CONTRACTS.

Theft)flowing contracts were ,accepted by the board :
Messrs. 'tall & Sons for butcherS' meat ; Mr. John
Phillipslor flour, wheat, and oatmeal, and Mr. Pearson
for groceries. There was only one tender made for the
supply of drapery goods, and the board resolved to defer
its acceptance.
The board then adjourned.

STEAM HAMMER FOR WOOLWICH

ARSENAL.

For some time past a steam hammer, intended to be
employed in the forging of Armstrong guns in Wool-
wich Arsenal, has been in course of construction on the
works of Messrs. R. Morrison and Co., Ouseburn. The ,
apparatus, which is on the principle of the well-known
patent possessed by the Messrs. Morrison, will be one of
immense power. The hammer bar and face weigh four
tons, and the cylinder in which this bar works, with its
glands, within a few hundredweight of six tons. The
cylinder is supported on' two frames, each of nine tons,
and each of these again rests on a bed-plate of the same
weight. Through these bed-plates projects thp anvil—
a mass of wrought iron faced with steel, and embedded in
an immense block of cast iron, weighing over 21 tons.
The casting of this block, which was of course one of
the heaviest operations in connection with the apparatus,
was very successfully accomplished on Saturday after-
noon. About nine o'clock in the morning, 25 tons of
metal were pliced in the cupola furnace—one of Wright
and Brown's—used in these works for castings. By two
o'clock the metal was thoroughly fused, and the necessary
arrangements having been completed, about a quarter-
past two the liquid mass was run into the mould. The
casting was pronounced by those who were present to be
one of the most successful ever witnessed. The
immense block thus formed measures at the base 6 feet
7 inches by 9 feet 2 inches, and is 4 feet 10" inches in
height. The anvil proper, as already mentioned, is
ietinto the top, and, when placed, the base will rest
on two layers of heavy logs, about 14 feet square.
The ponderous machine we have just described, and
which will soon be sent to its' destination, is by no
means the largest that has been fabricated at the Messrs.
Morrisops' works, similar ones ;having been formerly
sent out with hammers weighing no less than 7 tons.
The principle on which the Messrs. Morrison's steam-
hammer is constructed, seems' to afford great and pe-
culiar advantages. One of these consists in the
placing of the cylinder, which is so bolted between the
support Of the frames, that instead of forcing them
asunder, it tends, by its pressure, to keep them the
more firmly in their places. In .the management
of the hammer, again, great perfection has been
attained. The most remarkable thing about it is
the perfect command in which it is held, so that it can
be made to pound with prodigions force a mass of
glowing iron, or to crack a nut in the gentlest manner.
Mr, Morrison's hammer can be worked with a great
diversity of power. The stroke can be given with a
force exactly corresponding with thew eight of the
hammer; while, on the. one hand, this force can be
diminished at pleasure ; or, on the other, greatly
increased by the application of the propelling steam
above or below the piston. In regard to speed of
working also, it possesses capabilities, which seem to
adapt it to almost every variety of work, for it can
either be made to descend like the heavy sledge " with
measured beat and slow," or to deliver from 200 to 300
strokes a minute—a speed, one would think, which can
very seldom be required. We are glad to see that tile
merits of Messrs,, Morrison's patent. are. acknowledged
in high' quarters, and trust that enterprising firm will
bring many more Government orders to the banks of
the Tyno.-7-Northern .Daily Express.
(The above-described implement is no doubt one of
the most important of its kind to be met with, and
considering the purpose of its fabrication, in the present
4ta.to of public feeling, it is probably the most important
in the kingdom. When denuded of the adventitious-
associations which confer on it an unusual interest,
its value as a mechanical agent is "diminished :in
comparison with others 'of a similar character.
In-
course of the still unexpired year a. steam hammer,:
of much -larger dimensions, and correspondingly
greater power' was erected in the extensive works
of the Mersey. Steel . and Iron Company,t in ,Toxteth-
park. The exact dimensions of that vast machine we
are not at present prepared•to state; but its superiority
in more gigantic proportions, may, to some extent, be
guessed at, from the fact. that the cast-iron block
for the base of the anvil in the Woolwich hammer
is 21 tons ;, that of the Mersey Company weiglo
30 tons 14 cwt., while the rest of the machinery mayb
estimated proportionately as to bulk and: relative
power. The huge block, last mentioned, was success-
fully run at one casting,
in Messrs. Fawcett, Preston,
and Co.'s Phcenix Foundry, in this town. Important
portions of the steam apparatus were made at the
North-end Engineering Works ; and the gigantic
steam crane, which acts as an assistant limb of
this Titanic working tool, was made
.by the
Mersey Steel and Iron Company, on their own
premises, the whole being constructed according
to designs from, and under the_ immediate, superin-
tendance of Mr. Clay, the managing partner of the
firm. It was designed for the manufacture of Puddle
Steel—the invention, of Mr. Clay—for which purpose
it has proved most happily adapted, while it is, found
to be not less efficient in the fabricatory processes of
the vast foigings manufactured at these extensive
works.J—ED. N. B. T.

AN ICY BA PTISM.—On Sunct

last the

_ lay morning the
ordinance of • baptism by immersion was administered to
a. young lady .of Brampton. The spot chosen for the
celebration of this rite.was the mill stream, at the village
of Alvescott, about three miles hence ; the officiating
=isle* was ,a. Mr. Doe, of South Moreton, near
Wallingford. A large number of persons were attracted
to the stream 10 witness the performance of the cere-
mony, so very unusual at this inclement period of
the year. . A report that such an event was to
take place at the loeality in qiiestion was very
generally circulated in the neighbourhood, but it
was credited but by a few persons, as the weather had
become so suddenly severe, and nothing less than ocular
demonstration of the fact could remove their incredulity:
kthe,previous night the thermometer had fallen so low
al.-8 degrees. On the morning of Sunday the ice had
to be:brokea and removed so as to permit the immersion
to ake placo,
and the candidate underwent the ordeal
with an ainovutt of determination, resolution, and zeal
but rarely found centred in one individual. We hope
the fair lady may be spiritually benefited, and escape
physical injury.—Oxford Chronicle.
CONJUGAL AFFmertox.—An incident came to our
knowledge the other day which 'Teaks strongly in favour
of the depth and undying charaeter of coniugal affec-•
tion. A 'married woman in out city laid the mis-
fortune. to lose her husband a few days since, and
while thinking over her• desolate condition; and the
prospect :of a dreary, lonely winter, and .estimating
how much of her funds Would be. absorbed in the funeral
expenses; of the dear .deceased, she •was interrupted by
the call of a young son of Esculapius, who, after some
little chaffering proposed to give the lady a good round
sum :for the useless body. of .the dead husband: The
widow thought upon the proposal, and finally accepted
the.offer. A day or two afterwards,. being whited upon •
by sonie pf her friends who came to sympathise with her
in her affliction, the widow said it was not: so• bad as it
might,have been, as she had sold her husband';;,hody,
and filled her cellar with wool and coal-bonght
the procce,lB,--,2aleiinore .Republican. ' -

. .