The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-08 00:00:00

THAMES.

DISGRACEFUL RIOT AND ASSAULT ON THE POLICE.--,
Timothy Sullivan and Andrew Regan, Irish labourers, who
are related to each other, were brought before Mr. Paget
charged with being drunk and disorderly, with fighting in
a public street at three o'clock yesterday (Sunday) morning,
and with assaulting Henry Croaley Smith, 245 K, and
Nehemiah Sheering, 179 K.

It appeared that the prisoners were found by Smith
fighting in the Back-road, Shadwell, and they were sur-
rounded by a disorderly mob. Smith requested the pri..
Boners to depart and go home. Sullivan made a blow at the
constable and fell. This was repeated, when the prisoner got
up a second time and hit the policeman behind the ear and
kicked him. The constable seized the prisoner and they
had a tremendous struggle and a good deal of up and down
fighting. Regan then came up to the assistance of the
man who had been his antagonist in the fight, and he seized
the officer by the hair of his head. Smith and Regan then
closed and- fell. Sullivan then seized Smith by the collar,
of his coat and tore it. A second police-constable, Sheering
then came up, and was attacked by Regan, whom he struck
with his staff. Regan got away and returned with a long
stick, with which he was about to strike Sheering but was
prevented by a third policeman who arrested his hand. 4
fearful scene of riot and confusion took place, and ultimately
the prisoners were secured. It was stated that Sullivan
was a very disorderly fellow, who had been engaged in
similar outrages, but that Regan was generally a well,
conducted and quiet fellow.

The prisoners, in defence, said they had been to a supper
on Saturday night, and got into a little bit of a row. Regan
complained that he had been seriously injured by the pc-
lice constables. His hand was bandaged, and he had bean
attended by a divisional surgeon of police at the station.
house.

Mr. Paget said this was a most disgraceful offence, and
if he was to send the case to the sessions the prisoners
might be transported, or sentenced to a long term of impri.
sonment. He sentenced Sullivan t 3 be imprisoned for two
months, and kept to hard labour, and Regan to one roontb.'4
imprisonment with hard labour.

IRON-CLAD SHIPS.

TO THE EDITOR OP THE SUN.

Sir,—ln a leading article in your paper of the 3d it is said
that it was the French Emperor who, during the Crimean
war, determined to cover a frigate with armour plating, and
so combine the invulnerability of the floating battery then
used at Kinburn with all the requisites of the ocean cruiser.
Permit me to send you a pamphlet I published in 1562.
You will see by my correspondence therein contained with
the Count de Persigny and Sir Charles Wood, the First
Lord of the Admiralty, that I suggested to both in 1855 the
easypracticability of combining in the same vessel the invul-
nerability and gun power of the floating battery, the speed
of the rapid steamer, and the strength and fitting form for
sinking by the blow or concussion as a steam ram.
warned both Sir Charles and the French Minister that the
same idea might readily suggest itself to the Russians, who
then would have ample time during the winter cessation of
hostilities in the Baltic to extemporise three or four of suds
vessels at Cronstadt secretly, and then on'the reappearance
of the combined fleets in the spring they would rush out
and effect incalculable mischief by means of their incendiary
projectiles and the blow of their beaks, All of which was
exactly realised by the history of the Merrimac from her
construction to her fight with the Federal squadron. The
name of the Steam Ram was given by myself, and through,
the powerful aid of the Times it has become now the general
name to distinguish that class of vessels. Ido not mention
those facts from any motives of idle vanity, but because the
truth of them is very valuable to give weight and strength;
to the professional views and opinions I hold and an
urging.

From 1855 to the present moment I have been pressing
for the appointment of a commission to be composed of the
merit distinguished men of our country as engineers, civil
and military, artillery officers, ship contractors in wood and
iron, sailors well versed in' naval warfare, and one or two
yachtsmen, these to go minutely into the question of
" The Navy for the Future," The commission to be required
to examine witnesses and procure evidence from every
quarter whence useful information can be obtained, and
then report the result. The subject of armament to be in-
cluded with that of form, material, and construction of the
ships.
If it is true that two and a half millions have been ex,
pended on the trial of one kind of gun, and more tharz
double that sum upon the models of ships for actual war-
fare without decidedly satisfactory results in either case, the
path hitherto followed by the Legislature cannot be the
right one, and demands a change.—l am, Sir, your obedi,
ent servant,

G. H. SARTORIUS, Admiral.
United Service Club, Feb. 4, 1853.

ADELAIDE ANNE PROCTER.—AIas ! for the
Poet's daughter ! the " golden-tressed Adelaide" of
his own beautiful English song. Though she was
"cradled into Poetry," not " through wrong," but amid
every benign and fanciful influence calculated to quicken,
genius, Adelaide Anne Procter was not one of those
singers who begin to be heard precociously,—to end in pre..
woafs
mindealy
whichrem turnedkable f for
seellefgiannce
the of
directiontatt 0i
tone°. Though (as all who were intimate with her can bear
within the
nnotwianosit imitated ; and
hwawl
otandtedisssi originality
sri
tch he
beginan d t
o be humorous,
known, n
beyondt until sheth e
circlen eare
of
f eermoz.,
family,Poet's
dtahuagt.hat spiritdaughter,—inherited,
inohfe r
toendg,
indeed,
on fd e
ehde,r
butow
owned
little u r e
o t
r o
nothing thin k,
in
wondrously clear of the conceits of the time. As was said,
when her lyrics were first collected (and first publicly
these columns),
Adelaide welcomed,
Procter it is now
a
to the style of
foregoing or contemporary poet or poetess,—nothing to a
Baillie, a Hemans, a Browning,—nothing to Tennyson and
his scholars. Subsequent to a
j translation or two, executed
(unless we forget) for Mrs, Jameson
's
out anonymouslyiu "Household 's works, her verses
Words," and were
there lingered over by many
who little
as theylittle
guessed frwere om
simple
mwmhlaet
source they proceeded.
themes of pure and deep affection,t
ortosuch fancies as movep
in the brightest, if not the highest ether, or to the expres..
io
n of an enthusiastic, yet, withal, never arrogant, devo-
tional spirit (tinctured deeply with the convictions of a con-
vert to Roman Catholicism), it was excellent to see how un-
afected yet choice was their language,—how, for the most
part, finished was their versification,—how, to repeat, they
displayed a completeness in expressing their author's con-
ceptions, very rare among beginners, and—let the theme be
ever so gentle, let the field of observation be ever so minute,
—betokening power, and that dignity of self-respect which
is respect for the art attempted. They are calm in their
total absence of exaggeration and trick of language, but in
no line:of them cold. Owing to these rare and excellent
qualities, the effect of the collection of these gentle and
womanly poems, when they were laid together before the
public, was instantaneous—one to surprise all who fail to
remembei that it is not scale of plan, not " sound and
fury" which ensure the Poet his audience; but truth to
nature, truth to feeling, truth to fancy, set forth with the
utmost earnestness of heart and conscience, by one who
who sings neither to fill an idle hour, neither to cater for
false praise, but because he cannot be silent. So.e
loig.asr
the verse of English poetesses shall live and be loookFvu lo
eetert
must the •' Legends and Lyrics" of Adelaide Annroved
be remembered and repeated. That they havev
asp those of
forgotten.
immediate mine of wealth to musicians
(een
her father did before them) must not be On the
private life of one so reserve
reserved as she was in every point of
0 flatterthe illness which it would be
ing)
display (let the success be ever s
wrong to dwell. Suffice it to say, that
had been long end wasting, sub-
conducted her to the grave
Its approach (her health
cheerfully borne.
missively and
delicate from childhood) way, perhaps, acceleratea
had been delica
by her earnest participation
'n what she conceived to IN
works of mercy/ beneficence, end dut y4—..difhetisswo,