The Sun.
London, England, 1852-11-05 00:00:00

PROMOTION.

Lieutenant Sherard Osborn (1846), at present serving
in command of the screw-steamer Pioneer, one of the
vessels of Captain Sir Eisvard Belcher's squadron in the
Arctic regions, and formerly commanding the same
vessel during Captain Austin's visit to these regions, is
promoted to the rank of Commander.

NE WSYSTEM OF-MANUFACTURING

SUGAR.

A few days rgo, we had an opportunity of witnessing
an improved process for making sugar, recently invented
and put in operation by Mr. H. Bessemer, civil engineer,
at his premises, Baxter-house, Old St. Pancras-road,
and, in common with several gentlemen practically con-
versant with the subject who were present, have to ex-
press the high gratification we experienced at the re-
sults brought under our notice. In the present condi-
tion ef our West India colonies every improvement in
the manufacture of sugar, and everything that tends to
cheapen its production, cannot fail to excite interest, and
a brief description of this now process may not there-
fore be unacceptable to the reader. This we shall at-
tempt to do in language as free from technicalities as
the nature of the subject will admit of. In the manu-
facture of sugar from the cane the saccharine juice is by
the usual system expressed by a roller-mill, which, on an
average, obtains from 50 to 55 per cent. of juice; where-
as the cane, according to the most eminent writers, con-
tains 90 per cent., the remaining 35 per cent. being left
in the " cane trash." Mr. Bessemer, by a great im-
provement on his original invention of the cane-press, is
now enabled to obtain, by a principle of continuous
pressure, from 75 to 80 per cent. without any additional
cost. Iu order to produce granulated sugar from the
juice of the cane it is necessary to separate a large pro-
portion of the water in which the saccahrine matter is
held in solution. This has hitherto been effected by
boiling the water passing off in the form of steam. It
has, however, been discovered that the heat necessary to
produce ebullition effects a rapid chemical decomposi-
tion of a large portion of the sugar under operation,
which assumes a dark brown or blackish colour, and is
perfectly uncrystallizable, in which condition sugar is
commonly known under the name of molasses or treacle,
and amounts to 40 per cent. of the entire quantity of
saccharine matter present in the juice. In the new pro-
cess just patented by Mr. Bessemer, this separation of
the equeous portion of the fluid is no longer cff,cted by
boiling, but is dependent on that beautiful law of nature
by which evaporation is carried on spontaneously, and
every shower of rain agaia vaporizi-d, and caused to
ascend in the atmosphere. To curry this into practice a
small pan only is required, in which is placed a screw of
a peculiar construction, presenting about 6 000 superfi-
cial feet of surface, which is kept wetted by slowly revolv-
ing in the fluid to be evaporated; and in contact with
this wet clurface some 10,000 cubic feet of warm atmos-
pheric air is forced per minute by a common blowing-
fan. The aqueous portions of the solution are thus
rapidly absorbed by the air, and pass oil as a perfectly
invisieele vapour, while the temperature of the fluid is
only 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The most remarkable
fact is that the evaporation at this low temperature is
equal to that of firepans of the same dimensions, with a
powerful fire beneath them. A vast amount of fuel is
thus saved, and a still more important result obtained
from evaporating at this low temperature is, that none of
the saccharine matter is converted into molasses, nor is
there the least perceptible increase of colour. Hence,
not only is the quantity increased in this single process
40 per cent., but the superior siluality of it would com-
mand, as we are informed, 7s or as per cwt. in the mar-
ket over the ordinary colonial produce. In the usual
mode of manufacturing sugar, after the crystallization
has taken place, the " mother liquor," in which the
crystals are formed, is separated by a very slow process
of drainage through holes made in the bottom of the
hogsheads ; but, as the whole of the dark viscid syrup
will not drain out by the mere action of gravity, a coat-
ing is loft upon the crystals, which renders them brown
and of less value. By another most important invention
of Mr. Bessemer this drainage is effected with extraordi-
nary rapidity and perfection, by continuously passing a
very thin stratum of sugar over a fine wire gauze sur-
face, beneath which a partial vacuum is formed, and on
which a number of fine jets of water (like a syringe) are
allowed to flow ; the passage of the water through the
interstices between the crystals of sugar entirely removes
the syrup from their surface, and renders them at once
sufficiently dry for shipment. The time during which
the sugar is exposed to the action of the water is one-
seventh of a second only, during which minute interval
the water is drawn into the vacuum chamber, without
being allowed sufficient time to dissolve any portion of
the crystals. This instantaneous conversion of brown
sugar into white must however be witnessed to be appre-
ciated. These are the most striking, as they are the
most useful inventions, applyed by Mr. Bessemer to the
manufacture of sugar, though there are a variety of other
important details, a description of which seems less
called for. We understand the improvements have re-
ceived the approbation of numerous scientific and prac-
tical men, several of whom have expressed the opinion
that this adoption will be one of the first steps towards
the restorrtion of that prosperity which has so long been
withheld from our sugar-growing colonies.

tellow
Mr.ill
g
iMR, MACAULAY AND THE RELIEIOUS EQUALITY
Mt: Y 51 E
letter to the seerotary of the Ant-State Church Asso-
ciation,
the wr
ors iotltue tni o tnhae
anent "
Albany, London, Oct. 25, 1852. Sir,—Your letter to
me was sent, by some mistake, to Mr. Cowan, and was
Ni'
enclosing— M r
. a M
ca
oc
pa
y n I a
oyf
consequently sevtral days on the road to inc. I am
Moore's scheme of religious equality in Ireland:—
much obliged to you for the paper which you trans-
mitted to me. Itis very ably drawn up, and contains
much in which I cordially agree. As you have done
me the honour to ask my opinion of what is called the
movement for religious equality in Ireland, I must
frankly say that, not as a friend of the Irish Ch irch
establishment, but as a friend of civil and religious
freedom, I look on that movement with extreme sus-
picion, and should be sorry to see the Protestant Dis-
centers of Englund and Scotland united in en unnatural
coalition %vitt., men who (lactic' thoso proceeding ,s which
have brought so much disgrace on tho tribunals and on
the Government of Tuscany.—l have the honour to be,
Sir, your faithful servant, T. B, MACAULAY."—GIasgow
Constitutional.