The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-04 00:00:00

.THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 4, 1863.

GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, That the Meeting
of this Company, to be held in London, on Friday, the 18th
day of September, 1863, will be made Special, for the follow-
ing purposes, that is to say :
To consider and approve an Agreement between the Great
Western Railway Company and the Cxbrld:lv and Rickm,ns-
worth Railway Company. under het revisions of " The Ux-
bridge and ifiekmansworth Railway Act. 11S6 I." for the usr,,
woring, and maintenance of the Railway of the latter Lom-
pany, and for other purposes.
To consider and approve a Lase to the Great Western
Railway Company of the Ely Valley Railway, under the
powers of " The Great Western, Ifereferd Ross and Glouces-
ter, and Ely Valley Railways Act, 1t02," and to authorise
the subscription, by the Great Western Railway Company,
of a sum not exceeding £35,0 0 to the undertaking of the Ely
Valley Railway Company, and the raising the amount so
authorised to be subscribed in the manner prescribed by the
said last mentioned Act.

To authorise the creation, conjointly with the London and
North Western Railway Comp ,ny, of Birkenhead Capita',
not exceeding .C174,1;8 it s., for the purposes of the Birken-
head Railway, under the powers of "The Birkenhead
Hallway (Vesting) Act,

To authorise the raising of £227,562 for the general pur-
poses of the Company, under the powers of " The Great
Western Railway (Capital) Act, 1861,' • by the creation of
Shares or Stock in the Capital, by such Act authorised, with
a Preferential Dividend not exceeding. £4 Its, per cent. per
annum thereto, as well as to enable the Directors to issue
the same, part passu, with the sum of £1,000,060 Capital,
which was created at a special general meet►ng, held ou the
30th May, 186., under the powers of she same Act ; the whole
of the said Stock or Sharps to be subject to such terms and
co ,-.ditions as the Directors may prescribe, and to be offered
to the Proprietors of the Company in the first instance, and
afterwards the residue, if any, to be disposed of as the Board
may determine.

To c nvert, from time to time, as and when it may occur,
all or any of the Prelerential ..hares of the united Company
which may have already been, or which shall hereafter he
paid up, into Stock of the like denomination.

. ,
The special business will be taken immediately after the
hall-yearly business shall be concluded.
RICH D. POTTER. Chairman.
W. FENTON, Deputy-Chairman.
Paddington Station, Sept. 2, 1853.

The Fortifications of Portsmouth.

It has been said that as a people we have in the
matters of harbours and breakwaters cast our money

more liberally upon the waters than has been done
by others, but it is doubtful if the same can be said

of the precautions we have taken in protecting cur
shores nginst the ambition of other nations. We are

now, however, engaged in spending some millions

in strengthening the defence of the kingdom at ail
its most vital points- As a natural sequence to such,

a course a reactionary cry was raised, the work on
foundations tor the marine forts at Spithead was
suspended, and at the same• time it was understood
that the chain of forts on Portsdown would not be

proceeded with beyond a certain point until the

subject was brought formally before the House of
Commons in the usual course by the Premier. The

significant majority with which the vote on the

Fortifications Bill was recently passed by the house

sufficiently indicated the determination of the coun-
try generally to support Lord Palmerston in plac-

ing the defences of the kingdom on an efficient basis,
and the result of this decision is that the S pithead

'orts will be proceeded with, and the chain of forts

on Portsdown completed. Several plans for the forts

at Spithead have been submitted, but none as yet
have been officially selected and determined upon in

all their details, nor is thoiprecise form in which
the Portsdown forts are to be completed yet agreed

upon. Both are subjects of vast importance and
general interest, and, as they form the salient points

of the outer cordon of defence constructing round
our chief naval arsenal, we shall say a few words

respecting them.
The introduction of rifled ordnance utterly
nullified the confined area of all then exis-

Ling lines of defence surrounding fortified posi-
:ions such as Portsmouth dockyard and arsenal, and
the lines had, therefore, to be considerably

extended, so as to increase the distance between

the points of attack and defence. In the instance
of Portsmouth the northern and southern extremi-

ties of its proposed lines of defence (the central fort
on Portsdown-hill and the marine forts on the

Noman and Horse Shoals) form parts of nearly a

circular defensive line, of about nine miles in

diameter, between the points named. Portsdown
may be considered as commanding all approaches to
the port from landward (supposing that an enemy
may have Effected a landing on any part of the ad-
jacent coast), and the Noonan and Horse Forts,
through the narrow channel by the Warner Light,
from in the latter instance,
that s
thea ;NeedlessuppoCsihnag also, in
rendered impassable to
any iron fleet.
The position of Portsdown is nearly seven miles
in extent, and runs nearly parallel with the line of
coast, or the anchorage of Spithead, and its centre
rises to a height of 460 feet above Ordnance level,
anp is here at a distance of about 5,000 yards from
Portsmouth dockyard, while the large powder
magazines at Tipper, and the shipping moored in
the upper part of the harbour, lie at its very base.
the vast importance of such a peaition and the im-
perative necessity for including it in the general

plan for the port's defence are thus evident, and,
although the extent of the plan including Ports-
down somewhat staggered even Sir John Burgoyne
yet that able officer, in his evidence before the De-
fence Commission, admitted freely that the defence
of the port of Portsmouth would be imperfect with-
out it, and the fortification of Porisdown was there-
fore decided upon, and has been completed in its
first stage.
It is being crowned with seven forts—
Purbrook, Farlington, and Cookhorn, at its
eastern extremity, Wallingford at its western,
and Widley, Southwick, and Nelson inter-

mediately along its crest. These forts are being
constructed on an exceedingly simple plan, being
somewhat of horseshoe form, with the toe of the
shoe pointing inland, and the becl of the shoe to-
wards the sea of Portsmouth, but of strong trace
and prodigious strength, the base line along the
hill's crest. This finishing of the forms of the forts
at the base line is the most important paint for con-
sideration in connection with the completion of the
works. A common-sense view of the question would
argue for a simple military road connecting the forts
along the hill's crest, and thus leaving the gorges
open, the latter standing towards Portsmouth, and
if they are only intended as a defensive adjunct to

Portsmouth and its dockyard, this is doubtless the
only sensible idea that can be entertained. It is,
however, said that the Royal Engineers strongly
advocate the construction of " iron-eased" keeps to
close the gorge of each work. It can scarcely be
believed, however, that such a proposition can be
seriously entertained. If an enemy once got suffi-
ciently close to find that a fort on Portsdown was
too hard a nut to crack by bombardment, he would
imply, as the hill is of a chalk formation, cut a gal-
lery or tunnel in the chalk, and blow the whole
affair, " hen keep" and all, into the air. So far as
the works have proceeded at present, their general
design, if left, as suggested, as open forts to the
rear, connected by a military road, has been magni-
ficently conceived and executed. At the east end
of the hill the works are the least forward of any,
but here may be seen the unusually formidable na-
ture of the " trace." It is commanded by three
works—Farlington, Crookhorn, and Purbrook. All
three have yet proceeded in their construction but
little beyond their formation of parapet and ditch
and general outline. Their height reaches 300 ft.
above Ordnance level. Farlington commands
the eastern point of Portsdown, and will
mount 18 of the heaviest guns on, its terre-plein,
with mortar batteries on the angles of its surround.
ing ditches, each battery mounting three mortars.
A sunken gallery communicates with Crookhorn,
which will mount 16 guns on its terre-pleiu, with
six guns in the angles of its ditch. A continuation
of the same sunken gallery leads from Crookhorn
to the main work at this eastern end of Portadown,
Purbrook—which will mount 21 guns on its terra-
plein, nine guns in caponnieres in the ditch, and
three mortars in the ditch's west angle. It has a
nearly straight face of 240 ft., looking inland, the
open gorge being opposite the west side of Lang-
ston harbour and the eastern side of Portsmouth
harbour. The ditches surrounding the three works
vary in depth, according to their position, from :35ft
to 50ft: Sunken galleries from the interior of the
works communicate with the mortar batteries and
caponnieres in the ditches. The walls of the ditches
themselves are supported in their vertical formation
by chalk and brick masonry, and these formidable
outer obstructions are carried out generally in the
entire line of works along the hill's crest. At Wal-
lingford, the fort which commands all approaches
to Portsdown at its western end, the arrangements
are somewhat different, owing to its position, but
continue of the same comprehensive and formidable
nature. It will mount 56 guns on its terre-plein,
four of them being in casemates it la H&xo at the
angles. Caponnieres project into the ditch, mount-
ing three guns each at each angle, and have molter
hatteiies in the rear. Sunken galleries communi-
cate between the enciente of the work, the capon-
nieres, the mortar batteries, and an advanced
covered way on the right shoulder, which mounts
three guns, sweeping the line of ditch. It stands
at an elevation of 140 ft. above Ordnance level,
has a right front of 520 ft., a left front of
326 ft., a right flank of 43711., and a left flank of
383 ft. Its gorge is as yet open like the rest of the
Portsdown torts, and looks towards the seacoast.
Although not sttictly speaking Leioneing to the
line of Portsdown forts, still it must be considered
a " Portsdown" fort, as erected on3the low land at
about a mile distant from Fort Wallington, and
nearer the line of seacoast stands Fort Fareham,
the village of Fareham, which stands at the upper-
most head of Portsmouth harbour, being situated
between the two forts. Any attack upon the posi-
tion of Portsdown from the westward must include
Fort Fareham, which must therefore be considered
conjointly With the seven bill forts already noticed,

It is a work of more than ordinary pretensions.
Like the forts on Portsdown it may he generally
described as of horseshoe shape, with five faces of
221 ft., 173 ft., 313 ft., 364 ft., and 400 ft. respectively.
It will mount 50 guns on its terreplein, double
Halo casemates being at each angle. The terre-
plein is supported on massive brickwork arches,
which give the necessary accommodation for the
garrison. and the whole work will have an eleva-
tion of 36ft. over the surrounding country, its front
being well covered with earthwork. The ditch en-
compassing the fort is 15ft. in depth, 119 ft. in
width at the top, revetted in brickwork, and with
Oft. of water. Portsdown is thus the base of the
great polygon of works designed and now being
carried into execution for the defence of Ports-
mouth. South of Portsdown is the anchorage of
Spithead, and the proposed sites of the marine forts
which are to defend Spithead and Portsmouth from
the sea.

While Portsmouth is being thus engirdled with
a vast net of fortification?, it is impossible not to
acknowledge, on examining the general plan, that
in the channel of approach from the sea stands the
Achilles' heel of the whole plan. Only five hours'
steaming from the greatest military port of another
country, there is not at present existing one single
obstacle to a hostile squadron steaming into Spit-
head whenever it may choose, and bombarding and
destroying Portsmouth dockyard, its shipping, and
its arsenals at pleasure. It is imbecility at its ex-
tremest point to speak of any effectual resistance
which could be offered by the existing fortifications
now supposed to defend Portsmouth and Spithead
from such a disastrous result. They are old works
which would fall :o the ground from the concussion
of any guns fired from their parapets of sufficient
calibre to inflict damage on an ironclad fleet. To
show the truth and importance of this statement, it
is here necessary to observe that the mouth of
Portsmouth Harbour, Southsea Castle, and Fort
Moncton form a triangle of which Spithead is the
base, with Portsmouth Harbour at the apex, and
that the guns at these three points are the only pre-
sent obstacles to the entrance of an enemy's fleet
from the sea. Southsea Castle is a very old stone-
built work, partially covered with earth on its flank,
and is in such a dilapidated state that not a gun has
been allowed to be fired from its walls for months
past, not even for blank practice. The front face
of Fort Moncton, which faces Spithead, and is sup-
posed to cross fire with Southsea Castle, is the
weakest part of the work, and would certainly not
bear the concussion from the fire of heavy ordnance.

In these two points, therefore, at the base of the
triangle, there are at present no existing means
for the defence of Portsmouth from a sea at-
tack. The batteries at the mouth of the
harbour are armed with 3'L and GS poun-
ders, and a few 110 pounder Armstrongs,
but they are useless as opposed to iron-clad
ships, nor will they carry guns of sufficient
weight and calibre to prevent iron-clads forcing
the entrance of the harbour. The knowledge of these
facts justly gave the Government the strongest
argument possible for the completion of their scheme
for the marine forts which arc intended to remedy
this very weak point in the armour of Portsmouth.
The Government plans for the defence of Spit-
head from a sea attack consist of the three marine
forts of the Horse, Noman,and Sturbridge, all three
to be constructed on shoals abutting upon the nar-
row deep water ways of Spithead. The two first-
named will lie south of Spithead, and be the first
obstacles to the entrance of a hostile fleet from the
Channel. The Sturbridge (built on the Sturbridge
shoal, off Ryde, Isle of \\night) can only be of ser-
vice after a fleet has forced its way into Spithead,
and therefore its use under any circumstances would
be very problematical. From its position, even if it
missed an enemy's ship, it must strike a friend, es
its shots in either case would plump either into the
town of Ryde or Fort Moncton. It is situate at
'14,500 yards distance from the Noman and Horse
forts, and is about 6,800 yards from the dockyard.
It stands, in fact, or rather is intended to stand, in
the centre of the ground into which an enemy's
fleet must never be allowed to enter, and by its fire
would injure its friends more than its enemies. So
well is the inutility of this proposed fort under-
stcod, that Capt. Tyler, of the Royal Engineers, has
not hesitated to condemn it in letters to the public

press, and proposed in lieu to erect a fort on the
Warner Rock, outside the Noman and Horse forte.
The three forts would then form a perfect triangle,
with the " garner" as the apex and it advance,
and if constructed and armed as contemplated no
iron ship should ever swim past them. All
parties appear now to agree in the expediency
of constructing these marine forts, provided
they are bailt to carry guns of sufficient power to
smash in the sides of any iron ship that may come
between them. The Government plans have, how-
ever, been severely criticised from the (let() of the
first report of the Royal Defence Commission, and
various plans have been submitted, some on evidenc-
b,,fore the Commission, and others from non-official
sources, either to prevent an enemy from ever en-
tering Spithead at all, or for rendering it so hot
after he had got there that ho would be glad to
quit it again.
Sir John Dalrymple Hay, R.N., when examined
before the Defence Commsssioners, proposed that a
boom should be placed across the channel between
the proposed Horse and Noman forts, and that 12
iron-cased vessels should be connected together by
chains and moored inside in support, and that 12
vessels, under steam, iron-cased, should be ems
ployed, in addition, to offer the first line of defence
against the enemy. Capt. Tyler, R.E., in lately
reviewing this proposition of Sir John Hay, advo-
cates the additional defensive force of six steam
rams, worked by double or " twin" screws, inside
the forts, and considers that under such circum-
stances of defence, with a fort on the Warner Rock,
it would be impossible for any hostile ironclad
fleet to enter Spithead by its southern channel.
A plan has been proposed by Mr. W. Austin, C.E.,
for closing the passage between the Horse and
Noman forts by means of floating batteries of pecu-
liar construction and light draught of water, con-
nected by chain cables with the forts, that appears to
possess a great originality of idea, with simplicity
and economy. So far these plans relate only to the
closing of the waterway between the Noman and
Warner shoals, through which an enemy's fleet can
only reach Spithead from the Channel by the
southern passage.
Another plan has been submitted to the authori-
ties by Mr. Pineo, C.E., of Portsmouth, a gentle-
man, by his position and knowledge of the waters
of Spithead, well qualified to give an opinion,
which, from its economical estimated cost, its com-
prehensiveness, and the manner in which it enters
into the extension and defences of the port, deserves
special attention. Portsmouth harbour is separated
from the outer deep waters by a series of shoals,
generally known as the Spithead shoals,
which ex-
tend in a triangular form from the narrow mouth
of the harbour to opposite Southsea Castle, and
thence to Moncton Fort opposite ltyde. From the
harbour's entrance to Southsea Geode is the " har-
bour channel," about three quarters of a mile in
length, a narrow, tortuous entrance, and parallel
with it extends the Spithead shosl3, which run, or
rather trend back, to Fort Moncton, standing on
the opposite peninsula of land and nearly
opposite
to Ryde. The triangular piece of land which thus
forms the shoals which separate the harbour
channel of Portsmouth from the deeper ssater of
to enclose
Spit head anchorage, Mr. Pineo proposes t
with two tiers of whole baulk cofLrdam piles, with
ties and braces, &c., filled with excavations from the
shoals, which (the shoals) would then be of suffi-
cient depth in the area enclosed within this piling
for two basins—one at the base of the triangular
formation, to be an inner floating basin of about
200 acres ; and the outer one, at the apex of the
triangle, to be a tidal basin of about 120 acres, with
openings to elinNV of the flow of the tide into the