The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

THE SUN) LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, APRIL 26, 1855,

COMPLETInN OF THE ELECTRIC TELE-
GRAPH BETWEEN LONDON AN D
BAUR-LAVA.

(From the Morning Herald's Special Correspondent.)

BALAKLAVA, April 13.—Amidst all our warlike
preparations I must not omit to mention the corn
pletion of a design which is now likely to rank as
high as a valuable auxiliary in war as it formerly
did as a triumph of peaceful and scientific industry
—I mean the submarine electric telegraph, which
was this day completed between the shore at
St. George's Monastery and Cape Kaliacra,
near Varna. To Captain Spratt, of the Spit-
fire, belongs all the honour of the completion
of this most arduous undertaking. The wire, to the
length of 377 miles, was stowed away on board the
Argus ; the Terrible attended to give assistance ;
and Capt. Spratt, in the Spitfire, commanded the
whole affair. The vessels left Cape Kaliacra on the
afternoon of the 10th, and, keeping over the bank
which crosses the Black Sea, dropped the wire in 70
fathoms. They passed Sebastopol yesterday night,
and brought the.electric cable safely to land at St.
Georges Monastery early this morning, having
payed out, out on the passage 301 miles of the te-
lectraph without the slightest accident. This sub-
marine telegraph is longer by upwards of 200 miles
than any other in existence. The wire from Ka-
liacra to Varna, a distance of 20 miles, is not yet
laid. It will also be submarine, and completed in
the course of another week. Even now messages
from the allied head-quarters will reach Paris or
London in four hours, and, when the wire is all
laid, in something less than a second.
The telegraph will to-morrow becarried into head-
quarters, where one to the trenches is already laid
down, so that the field-officer in command during
the night will at the same moment announce a sortie
to Lord Raglan and to the Prime Minister in Down-
in ;g-street. After this I think a correspondent's
occupation's gone. The first message was sant from
Kaliacra, and contained the important intelligence
that " Corporal Somebody was not well, and
had just taken a dose of castor-oil." The reply
from the Monastery was—" Hope it may do him
good. Our bombardment is going on most suc-
cessfully." Before I conclude this subject I may
just mention a singular phenomenon, which will
puzzle electricians to account for. When the
Argus left Kaliacra she had the coil of 370 miles
of wire stowed away in her hold. As she moved
to sea, messages were repeatedly sent down from
the old castle on the heights of Kaliacra,
where the end of the wire was secured ; but
though the wire was in perfect connection and
in good order, as was proved by the messages a'l
reaching the Argus, it was impossible to transmit
an answer back to the shore. As the ship increased
her distance from land, the wire gradually gave
faint intimation of its returning powers ; and at
last, when 100 miles of it had been laid down, the
messages were easily sent backwards and forwards.
The scientific gentlemen sent out in charge of the
telegraph were utterly linable to account for this
phenomenon.

A LIMY PT: !,', P. 7 `7lTi.;.-1 M.: f,:;

MITTLE.-(THIS DAY.)

The Committee re-assembled this morning at the
usual hour.

The first witness called was Mr. Richard Potter, of
the firm of Price and Potter, of Gloucester. He stated
that on the 2d November he made an application to Sir
Charles Trevelyan, with a view to ascertain the proper de-
partment of the Government to apply to in reference to a
proposal he had to make for a supply of wooden huts, for
the use of the troops in the Crimea, similar in construc-
tion to those they had made and shipped for Australia.
He was referred to Mr. Roberts, the secretary to the
Duke of Newcastle, with whom he had some com-
munications on the subject. He had several interviews
with the authorities at the Horse Guards and-the Go-
vernment, relative to the plans he submitted, and after
making some alterations in them, in accordance with
the suggestions thrown out by them, he was on the 17th
of November commissioned to construct 500 of these
huts to be delivered within 10 days. On the next day,
however, an inspector was sent down who disapproved
of the form of the roof and the materials, and
the works were suspended accordingly. The work
was, however, afterwards resumed, but on the following
Monday he received an order to stop altogether. Sir F.
Smith telegraphed on the 21-1, telling him to proceed
with the constriction. of 300 of the huts. On the next
day he left for Paris with letters of introduction, with a
view of submitting the plans for the huts to the Em-
peror. At that time he understood that the orders of
the Government were to make 300 huts on the Glouces-
ter plan, and 200 on the Portsmouth plan of roof ; but
in the latter case no definite determination was arrived
at for some time afterwards. On the 29th of Novem-
ber the first order was given to load a number of
the huts for transmission to Southampton. The con-
tract was completed about the 10th or 11th of Decem-
ber. The whole of the dela), which occurred arose from
the indecision of the Government authorities. The Eel-
peror entered into a contract with him immediately f
500 huts, which were completed and sent in in 5 weeks.
By Mr. Drummond—A box of mils was sent out with
each li,use constructed for the English Government.
The st,,ry about the want of nails so far as his know-
ledge went was untrue.
Mr. Layard—He had an interview with the gentlenisii
sent out in charge of the huts, and g lye him full in-truc-
tions as to how the huts were to be erected. From the
reports he had received relative to the utility of these
houses—he was convinced that the Gloucester torn of
roof • was far more adapted to the purpose than the
P,Ttsmouth

General Peel—Yon had no previou,t dealings ith the
Ordnance and the Government authotities to enable you
to know the proper quarter to apply to ?
Witness—No, never before.

The Chairman—And I eare f-ay you h,ve no desire tc
have any communication with them again ? (Laughter.)
By Mr. Drummond—He experienced some difficulty
in obtaining payment after the completion of his con-
trayt. It was paid in three instalments, but he did not
get the last, about which there was some rnisunder-tand-
ing, until the end of February, when it was obtained for
him by Mr. Hayter.
By Lord Seymour—His estimate was 251. per house ;
each house weighing about 48 cwt.
Mr. Layard—Were you ever told by the Ordnance
authorities that your communications were not regular ?
Witness—The Ordnance never replied to any of my
communications at all. My correspondence was princi-
pally with Sir F. Smith.
Mr. Layard—Supposing Mr. Hayter had not suc-
ceeded in obtaining the last instalment of your money
for you what should you have done ?

Witness—l should have sued the Government for
" goods sold and delivered." (Laughter.)
Mr. Layard—Should you have done so ?
Witness—l should have tried at all events. (Laughter.)
Deputy Commissary-General Smith was next called,
and was cross-examined by Lord Seymour.
He stated that on his arrival at Constantinople in
March last year he received instructions for the recep-
tion of a military force. He had never been
there before, and was totally unacquainted with
the language. He was furnistael by Lord Strat-
ford de RedcliFfe with credentials, on whom he waited
the first day of his arrival. He promised him every
assistance and co-operation. After spending some few
days in making particular inquiries amongst persons to
whom the Ambassador recommended him, he made a re-
port to the Commissary-General as to the resources of
the country. (The witness here put in that report at
the request of Mr. Layard.) It was part of his duty to
examine into the means of land transport, hut not to pro-
vide barracks. He received no instructions as to
where the troops would be quartered ; and when, in
April, he heard of their arrival he prevailed on Lord
Stratford to secure the barracks at Scutari. He visited
aern, and found them in a better condition than might
have been expected. He saw nothing.about them which
led him to think that they were unfit for quarters for
English troops, or that they were not a lapted for hospital
purposes. A supplyof tents was sent down by the Turkish
Government, as well as some soldiers to assist the troops in
making the preliminary arrangements. He had an inter-
preter granted to him by the Turkish Government.
He visited Gallipoli, and there entered into a
series of contracts for army supplies with persons
who were recommended to him for that p&p-we
—and ho saw no reason at the time why they should
not work properly. This was the first t,me he
had ever tried the contract system in Tii,key.
He contracted also fur the transport eervica.
He admitted that there were s tme difficulties connected
with this department, but they were unavoidable. He
contracted for a supply of fresh meat---in the proportion
of beef fly.- days a week, and mutt )n 2 days 3 week. It
was of inferior quality, hut it was the very best the
country could afford. The other snail, s were some-
what inferior, but that cull not be helvl. lie also
contracted for a supply-of forage. It waz true at one tine
there was only a very inadequate quantity in the depot,
but that arose from circumstance. which were not fore-
sees, and the difficulty was immed,ately remedied.
Stores were established at Constintioopl,-, and two
granaries were also there ; and he thought these
must have escaped the notice of those Englishmen
who haul visited the locality. One of the granaries was
three miles out of the town. The stores contained
Tzrage, rum, salt meat, and other supplie-,. He never
experienced any inconvenience from the forms which
had to be signed, and which were found in the book of
instructions. He could nut suggest ally forms of a win-
r chatacter. kt-r the arrival of the troops at Scutari
c.)ffee was not a< first supplied to them. It was not
eupwie,l until July, when it was served out as a ration.
In the meanwhile it had been sent out in a raw state
for sale at cost price to the men. He had a
large store of cr,ffee, which was given out as
an additional ration, and not as .a subst.tote for
anything else. When the army was at Varna he
was engaged to supply the means of land tran=port—at
least he purchased the baggage animals under the direc-
tion of Lord Raglan. In August he was informed that
the army was about to move—though he did not know
to what destination—and he acted under the orders of
the Commissary-General in making the necessary provi-
sion of all kinds. The hurricaae of the 15th November
very materially damaged tho resources of the commis-
sariat.

[LEFT BITTING.]

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-(T1IIS DAY.)

COURT OF CHANCERY.
The Lord Chancellor did not sit to-day.
• (Before the Lord-Justices of Appeal.)

NICKELLS V. HANCOCK.

The Solicitor-General resumed and concluded his argu-
ments to-day in the case which came before their lord-
ships upon appeal from the Vice• Chancellor Wood, dis-
cussing a bill praying the specific performance of an
award made by a gentleman of the name of Carpmell,
in pursuance of a deed of submission to arbitration.
The ground on which the Vice Chancellor Wood dis-
missed the bill was that the arbitrator had exceeded
his power 3, Thequestion in the cam related to certain
patents relative to gotta percha.
Mr. Wilcox followed the Solicitor• General, and occu-
pied the Court the whole morning.

(Before Vice• Chancellor Stuart.)
WINTOSH V. THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.

Sir Fitzroy Kelly resumed and concluded his argu-
ments to-,lay in this important and extremely heavy case
on behalf of the plaintiff. The bill is filed by the plain-
tiff for the purpose of establishing a claim for no less a
sum than a quarter of a million of money against th,
defendants the Great e-tarn Railway Comphny
The claim of the plaintiff arises under contrasts entered
into between the plaintiff and the defendants for the
exe,mtion 13.,' the former of certain parts of the main line
of the Great Western Railway. Tile plaintiff according
to the statement of Sir F Kel'y, aid the r-cita's in the
hill, completed the several portions of the line he had
c ,nt meted to execute, but the Great Western C impany
by their answer and eviden,;e assert, that as these con-
t,a,:tts were not completed within the time specified the
plaintiff had incurred penalties which they were entitled
to set off against his claim.
In answer to this defence the plaintiff asserted that
the delays arose entirely from the faults of the defen-
dants, who, by throwing impediments in the way of the
plaintiff, had occasioned hire great loss, for which he
was entitled to cAmperisation. Tne pleadings on the
case are enormously bulky, and the tees. to counsel almost
vieAwtittwhotolh7t
green
minortehethwaen probableil-
kiow veil
-i
v.
meats will last six or seven days.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.
THE QUEEN' V. COOKERY.

In this cage, 'which it will be recollezted was of a
somewhat extraordinary nature a charge against a
medical man, Mr. J. A. Cooksey, of Chipping, Ca•np-
den, of having circulated a false and scanclalou4 report
against a lady whom he attended professionally—Sir
Frederick Thesiger this morning said :—ln this case,
which was a rule for a criminal information, affidavits
have been filed on the part of tho defendant, and my
friend and myself have looked anxiously at the affidavits,
and we aro satisfied, recording to the practice of the
court, that under the circumstances this court would
certainly not make the rule
eti
al absolute,lfinncbedes,t
dbtabiostued:tiashwereghoaepudrrlgdaecwtdtii
hictshee-
charge it ; we are therefore compelled to submit to the
rule
iLe
obbreedienncg,
Campbell—The
snpcdbheaerlrlg—seutrirc,ifi and
circumstances,
mwws
rule with costs, we must submit to that order.
costs.

The Lady Louisa Babe, whose death at Bath is an-
nounced, was a daughter of the late Lord Listowel, and
married i❑ 1817 John Bushe, Esq., eldest son of the late
Chief Justice Bushe,