The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-27 00:00:00

—"-7"---"4L BERKELEY'S STEAMERS.
Admiral Berkeley's decluration the other night in the
House of Commons has diffused a general feeling of
confidence throughout the country, which is almost too
delightful to be consistent with the realities of life. The
Oxford statute De bombardis non gestandis may now be
made of universal application. We want no Minie
no Zundnadelgewehrs, no revolvers, no spring
no horrible contrivances for slaying our poor
rifles, no
fellow-creatures.
" We gentlemen of England,
Who live at home at ease,"
May trust to Admiral Berkeley
To guard our native seas.
That gallant officer has solemnly stated, in his place in
the House of Commons. that at the shortest notice he is
prepared to line the southern coast of England with
efficient war steamers within signal distance of each
other. There is no hallaclnation about the matter.
This is not the rash assertion of some harebrained
navy contractor, who burns to attempt at sea what
Messrs. Fox and Henderson have accomplished on dry
land. Admiral Berkeley's "Great Exhibition" is ready
prepared. As a question of fact, he has got his
steamers ready.
It they be not already coaled and
victualled, all that is necessary could be accom-
plished in so short a space of time as to be uncle-
sweervhinagve otfhroseurgihouosat abeeceonur.tth.e
eialtpeawaofuledarsepwpeaarAdtmhai-t
ratty Board. In order to blind the eyes of our anti-
cipated enemy more effectually they have actually con-
sented to deceive their own countrymen. The Megwra
is a crack, not a cracked
let intelligence
about,
, steamer. Mr. Goldner's
preserved meats may he a trifle inferior in delicacy to
Strasburg pio, but not much.
any little mishap of this nature should
ever
let us be disheartened; it is merely
use de guerre to
inspire the toe with a feeling of our defenceless condi-
tion of
a r don't
and lure him to his own destruction. Admiral
Berkeley is waiting for him round the corner. That
gallant officer has his hundred steamers d
rea y for a
rush. We protest that so far from being actuated by
any inhuman desire for vengeance and slaughter, as
against any poor fellows who may be sent by their Go..
vernmenta to attack our shores, our feeling towards
them now is one of positive compassion. Why will they
come near Admiral Berkeley? They have but little
idea of the craft and foresight of that distinguished
officer. We will venture to assert that they have as
little idea as we have ourselves as to wherrkthose hun-
dred steamers, which are to blow them oat of the water,
may be lying at the present moment. They don't know,
and we don't know—bat Admiral Berkeley knows. He
sees them all "in his mind's eye," with the captains on
the paddleboxes and the guns cleared for action.
Admiral Berkeley is so hard upon the newspapers and
their infamous stories that we are almost afraid to pat a
question to him upon naval matters. But we are really
at a loss to know where the various detachments of this
steam squadron may be lying at the present moment. is
it possible that they are carefully stowed away in cara-
vans and ostensible waxwork shows in some midland
county? We would, with all humility, suggest that it
would be a great satisfaction to the publio if we could
be informed whether or no the Hydra, the Vulcan, and
the Simoom are to form part of the armament. Perhaps
the intelligence that reached London yesterday of the
mishaps that had befallen these steam-ships may be only
a fresh addition to the budget of infamous stories about
the Admiralty steamers which somehow or other will
get about. The Hydra was to convey General Cath-
cart to the Cape. We have received advices from Ma-
deira, which inform us that ere the ship bad reached
that island on her outward voyage she sprung
a strong leak, and the pumps were at work night
and day until she reached Funchal. In addi-
tion to this trifling mishap, the good steamer
Hydra had been three times on fire be-
tween England and Madeira. There would
certainly appear to bo this advantage in an Admiralty
steamer—that a passenger hes his option between va-
rious modes of death. A man is not necessarily drowned
on board a Government steamer; he may be burnt if he
prefer that fashion of departure. But this is not the
only misfortune that has occurred to Government
steamers within the last two or three months between
Plymouth and Cape Town. There was the Megsera—
bat no more of that. Now we have a fresh anecdote
about the Vulcan. This steamer left the Cape of Good
Hope on the 3d of January and reached the English
coast on Thursday last, the 25th of March. The Bos-
phorus, a merchant steamer, sailed from Table Bay just
one month after the Vulcan had taken her departure,
and reached Plymouth thirteen days before her. Thus
the Government ship was forty-three days longer on
the passage than the merchant ship. But this is
only half the tale. The Simoom, a huge Government
screw-steamer, went to the assistance of the die-
abled Vulcan; but if the intelligence that reached
London be true, the machinery of the Simoom also
gave way before she could get into Plymouth harbour.
Hereupon two more Government steamers, the Avon
and Confianco, were sent out to help the Simoom. No
tidings have as yet reached us of the fate of these two
hapless vessels; bat to judge from the fate of their pre-
decessors the very worst may be apprehended. We
look for tidings of more ships disabled and more assist-
ance sent. However, if there are steamers enough
forthcoming, no doubt one may at last succeed in towing
the whole file into port.
Now, w e should be very glad if we might be in-
formed whether or no the Hydra, Vulcan, and Simoom
ere three of the steam squadron on which we are to rely
for the protection of our homes. There are not wanting
persons who proclaim the Phantom squadron to have no
existence but in Admiral Berkeley's imagination; but
this is, of course, an " infamous story," like the dis-
closure about the Megzera and the preserved meats. The
real truth may be, that after all Admiral Berkeley is
the Flying Dutchman, and will help us in our hour of
D:ed in some manner peculiar to such abnormal beings.
Times.

THE ADMIRALTY INQUIRY..—..LIGHTING ALL VMS..
SEM AFLOAT. —We understand that the committee have
finally agreed on their report as to the most efficient mode of
carrying out a uniform system of lighting all vessels afloat.
We stated on the 12th instant that the evidence did not
favour the fixity of coloured lights on board small vessels,
but that they should have them in readiness to exhibit at
any moment of emergency. After a full consideration of
the whole of the circumstances, we are informed that the
commission have agreed to recommend that system of light-
ing and signalling, subject however, we suppose? to certain
suggestions in perfecting the details.—Shipping Gazette.

ROYAL ARSENAL, WOOLWICH, MARCH 26.—The
practice by the officers and non-commissioned officers of the
various regiments that have detachments atWoolwich, for the
purpose of being instructed in the use of the new pattern
rifle musket, under Major Brownrigg, of the Grenadier
Guards, was carried on to-day, first at 500 yards range from
a rest, and subsequently by the whole of the non-com-
missioned officers file firing at 200 yards range, and the rifle
sustained the high character it had attained on previous oc-
casions. Lord Ranelagh was present to-day with two of his
rifle carabines, and Major Brownrigg fired fifty rounds from
them, and hit the target, six feet square, fifty times in suc-
cession, at 500 yards range. The practice with the Millie
rifle will be carried on in the Marshes to-morrow. Mr. Lan.
of
two rounds vessels
being
caster, Mr. Wilkinson, of London, and Mr. Greener, of Bir-
mingham, gun-makers, were present yesterday, and the two
former made very good practice with their rifles. Mr.
Greener was only present to witness the practice. Experi-
ments were endeavoured to be carried on with rifled cannon
b ut the
more
in t
passinghen Marshesthe
rto-day,
i ver
prevented
fired.

EY DocKs.—To give an idea of the
l consumed in this large undertaking in
were used from
Anston quarry, as used at thiet,
,newa,ll:hic
amGourtnEtAoTt
material
4tloore , DOOOO ck
tos alone, we
cubicm ay mentionf
eet
cf that Ash lar there
mostly from the
Ashlar,
Parliament Houses;
3h-alurdeslioefsrufbrote ,1,381,101,e000
cubic yards of exc. 1 t• egi'9'
beioWbcfut what was out yards of chalk;
say; the only thing kept any registry 25bw10;r00:
were
Ti,
sight,o tonsoco
The total end that there
All this was said to
andplaced
n endder
ttoh e
end,qu awould
walls,
measure
Was utterly impossible to
egistry of was the timberj.
bottoms, &c., the piles, It
laid on the pile heads 40 timber
12 inches square. miles • inall, 115 miles of
75 miles, and the timber
750,000/. '1 he works cost of the Tames M.
were designed by, Mr.
..
Rendel, President Civil Engineers, and
a large block of " Bra 1 Y
have been carried o
of the I t* f .
ns itute o
as engineer-ba-
ut uncle -
r his direction,
chief, by the resident, Mr. smith, they were com-
menced in the spring of Adam
in
the month of April,
1849, his Royal Highnessg 1846, and laid the first stone,
Prince Albert
'
great ceremony. Thismune-dertaking, it is expected, will he
partially opened middle of May for traffic. The
by the
5 Brown, and Wright.—
contractors are Messrs. klutching ,
Builder. fall," weighing eleven tons, with
DUBLIN PACKET SERVICE.—
en employed in the conveyance
SERVICE.—
Ten steam- packets bar
fieolle•head and Dublin since the con-
of the mails between to 3
in
is
.witlhesethvee_sCei
stye
oof
prDisuebslionmeStoef
T LIE HOLVIEAD AND
tract was entered in,
OTI a 1 • anithe-
packet ComPaenio afloat. Below is an average of their re-
fastest strit:ths of passage ; —The Banshee, 4 hours 7
BPFetive ehe Prince Arthur, 4 hours 25 minutes; the Eb-
minutes t
4 hours 39 minutes; the Llewellyn, 4 hours 40 mi-
-4
ntes the Caradoc, hours 40 minutes; the St. Columba,
minutes; the Iron Duke, 5 hours 12 minutes;
the4l a 'hours Windsor,so
5 hours 15 minutes. The Banshee made the shortest passage
between port and port, which was accomplished in the
rnanth of September, 1848, in 3 hours and 44 minutes.
This vessel and the aradoc are now employed in the Medi-
terranean mail service. The Eblana and Llewellyn are on
a par, the former having made 661 trips, with an average of
4 hours 89 minutes, and the latter 694 trips in 4 hours 40
minutes. The fastest vessel on tLe line now is the Prince
Arthur.
By the accounts from Paris, it appears that the
terms upon which the Bank of France are to make advances
on railway shares have been announced, and that in the
case of the leading lines the amount of each loan is to be in
the proportion of 60 per cent. upon the market value of the
security. In this way a person with 1,0001. might continue
to hold nearly 3,000/. worth of shares, by borrowing the
balance; and as the companies in question pay dividends at
the rate of from 5 to 7 per cent., while the charge for th
loan would be only 3 per cent., the stimulus likely to bee
.—This little theatre pr 0
pionoitti
rho
proportion
imparted to speculation may easily be estimated.
case of railway bands the advance is to be in the
of 80 per cent.
QUEEN'S THEATRE
Wednesday evening, crowded to excess, to was, last
Parry, whose benefit it was, and who, we do honour ttoM
glad per-
ceive, had a bumper. The new dramae Norferethe Corsican
.Brothers, which was well sustained throughout, was the
opening piece—each and all the several parts being per-
formed with apparent satiflac ion to the numerous audience.
The laughable farce of The Omnibus followed, in which
Mr. O'Hara was the chief feature. We do not recollect
having seen that gentleman's part ever better performed,
for, from his first scene to the last, he kept the house in a
continued roar of laughter,
deservedly, applauded. The performances concluded with
the Dead Shot. The house was crowded to excess.
13y LIGHTHOUSES.- and wasseveral times greatly, and
an annual return presented to
the House of Commons (printed on Wednesday), it appears
that in the year ending the 31st of December last, with the
balance in hand, the Corporation of Dublin received
164,918/. 17s. ltd. on account of lighthouses in Ireland.
Large sums were disbursed for various lighthouses, &c. The
balance due to the public, as slated ,t the end 91 the year,
was 91,5594 UAW,