The Sun.
London, England, 1837-03-30 00:00:00

DEPTFORD DOCK-YARD.

(From the Morning Advertiser.)
In our last communication, we endeavoured to stow the
importance of this establishment, by the best possib'e crite-
rion—viz., what had been actually done there. We will
now inquire what possible motive can be assigned for this
extraordinary step. Many intelligent and scientific perscns
who have had the experience of a Jong life in the Ro-al
dock-yards, after expressing their surprise and astonish-
ment, invariably make the same inquiry. We, ourselves,
should like to put a question to certain individuals who,.
when in power, were principally instrumental in effecting.
this measure. We would ask them what landed property
they possess in the vicinity of Milford Haven and Sheer-
ness ? But as we anticipate this qustion will long re_
main unanswered from that quarter, we do most fe:aa.ntly
hope that some intelligent and p,atriotic individual who re-
sides in the locality of above-na,ried places, will, th:ough
the medium of the public press, fun -ii,ll us with an answer,
which we doubt not will throw alditional light ca the
subject. If it is alleged that being in a time of peaaa this
Yard was,not wanted for the use of the Royal Navy, why,
we ask, was the country saddled with the enormous ex-
pense of constructing docks, buildings, slips, basins, store-
houses, and every convenient necessary for extend ng tl:e
capabilities of other yards, in proportie .n to those aban-
doned at Deptford? Why were all tl se artificers (save
a few who were superannuated) remove d, at the expense
of Government, to Milford, - Sheerness', Chatham, and
Woolwich ? Do they not receive the E wile wages they
did at Deptford ? If we are told they are saving the
expense •of an establishment, we tell the. al it is an empty
fallacy, of which they are perfectly elm scions ; the offi-
cers, whose salaries are of airy consideza ble amount, arc
either removed to other situ.ttions whet-e their ealaries
:Iry increased, or they are su perannuatea at from one-
half to two-thirds of their sala.ries. It is only - with the
junior clerks who perform the -work and U'o not receive
the remuneration of a mechanic, that any redqction is
effected ; such has ever been a e miserable cNeesaparing
system of economy invariably p u rsued by those in office.
We have stated, and we again rtq wat it, that evidence to a
most fearful and appalling amount of sums exile:1(100 would
appear, should a Parliamentary itaiquiry demand the returns
to be laid before the House ; but as that evidence is Ly us
unattainable, except in the event a bove-named, and as our
readers may justly observe that z a sertions arc not proofs,
We will now refer to another instrt ace of the mischievous
effects of the system we deprecate— -.first premising, that in
investigating public abuses, where the evidence is in the
hands of the accused, it is only by ,;,i, imparativc statements
we can elicit the truth. .
On the 12th day of January last, due following ve.rscls of
the Royal Navy were sold for the purp Ise of breaking up :
Guns. l't ms. .-t:
Narcissus
Surly (lighter) 0
Prince
Venerable
Salisbury
Immortalit6
Tamar
Arachne
Ferret
Onyx
Procris

£22,450
These vessels were lying at different anti distant outports,
and were sold by the Commissioners at Somerset House.
One condition of the sale was, that the pmrchaser should de-
liver into the nearest Government store il;11 the copper con-
tained in such vessel, for which he should. receive 11d. per
pound, or 1021. 13s. 4d. per ton. We now propose toshow
the immense advantage the revenue svouGl have derived if
these vessels had been towed up to Deptford and. broke up
there, the stores taken in, and the timber 'sold in this yard,
it being unoccupied, and has wet and dry covered docks;
powerful engines and tackle • for raising heavy weights,
tools and implements of all kinds for the purpose, seated in
the very heart and centre of the ship timber trade, invariably.
will bring from 20 to 30 per cent. more than when sold at
other places. It has store-houses for the reception of the
stores, and a naval and military guard to protect them in
security. Its extensive space for the puroose of stacking and
exposing the different lots for sale, arid its immediate vicinity
to an immense population, which always produce com-
petition with purchasers, all mark its eligibility for the pur-
pose. For the following statements we have I:ad recourse to
the talents and long experience of persons in thd trade,
and their estimates have been revised and corrected by
others with such care, that we feet the greatest confi-
dence in laying them before the public. They are made
upon a ship of seventy-four guns, and the prices at-
tached to the materials arc on an average of what they
have generally produced at the public sales in this yard.
The old copper from a 74 is estimated at 30 tons, some
will run considerably more. There is one ship now break-
ing up on the river from which 30 tons of copper have been
delivered, and there•is more remaining for deposit in the
Government stores. We will, for the purpule of making
the statement distinct, take one single -ship from the list,
sold on the 12th Janu try at Somerset House, the Vencrabk,
of 74 guns, which fetched at auction 4,7001.
Estimate of the Value of _ Materials in a Seventy-`four-gun

—.,......_ __
Ship, when broken up. -
45,000 feet of timber, at 23. per foot .£4,500
42,857 feet of Bin., 71n., Gin., and 4in. plank, en an
- __

2,150

Lve,rage of is. per foo'
25,567 feat of 3in., 24in., 21a., and I.;;in plank, on an
average of 6d. per foot
Deck deals, 3in. and 21-in. ditto, at 4d. per foot
500 fathoms of loose wood, oak and fir, on en average at
30s. per fathom
Fittings of cabin, joiner's work, bulk-heads, glass, &c l5O
31 tons of copper, at 1021. I3s. 4d. per ton 3,080
60 tons of iron knees, pillars, bolts, &c., at 101. per ton 600
6 tons of scuppers and sheet lead, at 151. per ton 9O

637
200

Deduct fur tile expense of breaking up at the Govern-
ment contrast price for a seventy-four-gun ship

12,157

360

Net produce of the vessel £11,797

By the above statements it will be seen that in one ship
alone a clear sacrifice of 7,0971. is made to the preposterous
and absurd plan of keeping this yard closed. We Lave no
hesitation in saying that, if the whole of the eleven vessels
had been broken up and sold in the Tway described, instead
of 22.,4501. they would hav,_ realised more than 50,0001.
We beg most earnestly to call the attention of Members of
Parliament to the subject ; they perhaps may have access
to docuMents which we have not ; but we are so conscious of
our conclusions being substantially correct, that we are con-
vinced the more they are inquired into the stronger will be
the conviction of the necessity of investigation. There is
one class of persons to whom our exposure will be mcst un-
palatable, and from them it is probable some attempts at a
reply may be made. We mean those who have profited by
this shameful dereliction of public duty, and into whose
pock-ts the surplus above stated found its way. But we
happen to possess some information upon this subject
also ; and we can a: sure the -public that it is a well-
known fact, that in a sale of ships similar to the above,
in a certain circle the purchaser of each vessel is as well
known the day before the sale as the clay after.
We purpose at a future day, if circumstances permit,
to point the attention of the public to a certain snug
job—and we repeat the term job—at Woolwich yard,
ism which the sum of 150,030/. has, we will not say been
cast into the Thames, but buried in a useless excavation,
the particulars of which we shall endeavour to develope.

EXTRAORDINARY .FACT.—It was Dr. Currie,
the accomplished biographer of Burns, who first recommended
cold immersion in cases of fever, more particularly where ti e
type takes the name of scarlet. The suggestion, we beliea e,
proved not a little startling, and the public naturally enough
revolted at the idea of tearing a patient from his warm bed, and.
plungiug, him suddenly into a cold bath, whether under cover
or in the open air. But the pract;ce gained ground notwith-
standing, and many striking recoveries were accomplished by
a remedy, which to many seemed worse than the disease, or,
at all events, more likely to kill than cure. Still so peculiar
a mode of treatment required the greatest delicacy on the part
of the practitioner, and, though not of the Faculty, we have
always understood that it was only in a certain critical stage
of the disease that Dr. Currie himself considered it safe or
advisable to hazard the experiment. Accordingly, the practice
Las been discontinued, from the aversion which patients and
relatives so generally cherish to so rough a trial, and far-
ther, from the opinion that , copious spongieg serves all the
purposes of the cold bath. In this opinion, we confess we do
not entirely agree ; but, be that as it .may, we proceed to re-
cord the following very curious fact :—A young man, residing
in Castle:Douglas (whose name will be given privately if
required), had, while labouring under influenza, accompanied,
or followed by typhus fever, became so delirious that his friends
found it necessary to watch him closely. Fiom some accident,
however, his attendants, for a brief space, were cut of the way
on Tuesdy week, the 221 curt., arid on that day the patient
rose from bed, and with no other clothing save his night-
cap and shirt, actu.illy walked to the Carlinwark loch, bathed,
and returned home in the same state he went. Going and
returning, the distance is, at near as may be, hall a mile, and
it will be recollected that Tuesday was a bitter day, with
severe frost in the'valleys and snow upon the hill'. On reach-
ing his father's house he was immediately put to bed, and,
strange as it may appear, soon after became perfectly calm and
collected. The fever too, abated, and on Saturday last, when
a friend wrote to us, he was still improving to such a degree as
to induce the hoPe of speedy convalescence. —Dumfries courier.
An unfortunate case of collision took place on Sa-
turday evening, off Piedda Island. between the steamer Mar-
. cur.'', of Dublin, and this brig James, of. Irvine, in conse-
quence of which the latter vessel was so injured, that sho
iut-
mediately went down, and, melancholy to, relate, two boys
be-
lunging to the James were drowned-the .remainder of the
crew, five in number, were taken on board the Merearg, where
; they experienced from the Captain of that, vessel every eaten-
' tion which, their situation-reetuired. The Mercury has suffered
I very trilling injury. —Thibiin Mail. •