The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-27 00:00:00

BILLINGSGATE DOCK.

Of late some large vessels laden with salt have ob-
truded themselves into Billingsgate dock, to the serious
annoyance and injury of the numerous fishing boats
which feed our great fish market, and on Tuesday the
Lord Mayor, after the important business of the Court
of Aldermen was concluded, laid before the Court a
letter which he had received from Captain Fisher, the
principal harbour-master, complaining that a salt-ship
of upwards of 400 tons burden was in the habit of
getting into the dock. The entrance of so large a
vessel into a very limited space, which it had been the
practice to appropriate to the oyster and other fishing
craft, was, the letter stated, calculated to do much
damage, sometimes crushing the boats, and sometimes
fixing them in such a manner in an inconvenient position
that frequently a whole day would pass away before
they could be got into the river to return to their work.
His Lordship stated, that he had in one case granted a
summons against a captain of a salt-ship for damage,
but before the time of hearing arrived the ship cleared
out, and the captain laughed at Mr. Goldham, the clerk
of the market, who had, in pursuance of his official
duty, made the complaint. Au order was then issued
to Captain Fisher to prevent any large sized vessel
from entering the dock. A salt-vessel of the same di-
mensions had, however, managed to force her way into
the dock after the peremptory directions had been given,
and her ropes were cut away by the officer of the market,
but there happened not to be water enough in the dock
to get her out, and the inconvenience was intolerable.

Alderman LUCAS said he recollected the time when
salt vessels used to unload at the dock, but the autho-
rities of the Custom-house had taken away that part of
the dock where those vessels were stationed on such
occasions.

The LORD MAYOR said that the nuisance had been
aggravated by the circumstance just mentioned, for the
salt was not unshipped at the dock, but the owners
took possession of the Custom-house stairs, to the ob-
struction of all other persons. The salt was not for
sale in the public market, but was thus made a means of
annoyance for the accommodation of some persons who
did not choose to pay wharfage dues. . . .

Alderman Lucis commended the determination of
the Lord Mayor to protect the fishermen from being
injured by such vessels.
The TOWN-CLERK said there was no doubt tbat the
powers of the Lord Mayor, as Conservator of the River
Thames, combined with those of the Harbour-master,
under the Act of Parliament, were quite sufficient to
prevent such a ship as had been described from enter-
ing Billingsgate-dock, and that the Lord 111 a) or had
power also, as Lord of the Market, being Lord of all
the City markets.
The LORD MAYOR stated to the Court that he should
take particular care to prevent a repetition of any such
occurrence.

"THE MISTAKE" IN THE ANT.

ARCTIC VOYAGE.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

SlR—Greater pains have, I believe, been taken to
render the voyage of the Terror and the Erebus pro-
ductive of enlarged scientific results than have been be-
stowed on all British voyages of discovery put together,
since Captain Cook set nut with his old wooden qua-
drant and beech-bowl compass to explore the Pacific
Ocean. The world will, therefore, be proportionally
disappointed if, on the return of the expedition, it,
should be found that the principal subject of in-
quiry for which the voyage was mainly under-
taken, terrestrial magnetism, has "fallen through,"
as the sailors say, for want of proper instruments
of research. The voluminous paper of instructions pre-
pared for Capt. J. C. Ross by the President and Coun-
cil of the Royal Society, contains a very ample state-
ment of the principles on which his magnetic apparatus
has been constructed, the purposes to which it is to be
applied, and the grand results expected to be attained
through their employment, No less than 29 pages of
the Philosophical Magazine for the present month are
taken up with a quotation from the " instructions" on
this single subject, out of 66 pages devoted to the entire
expedition and its innumerable desiderata ; yet, in that
extent of paper, not a word is said of what all practical
men must feel to be of primary importance—the mode
of making the artificial magnets themselves—the man-
ner of imparting to the passive steel that active prin-
ciple on whose proper lodgement (if I may be
allowed the expression) the correctness of all sub-
sequent operations, observations, and calculations
must depend. This grave omission excited my cu-
riosity, and I made particular inquiries respecting
their preparation. I have learned with sorrow that an
artist of this city " magnetized" the steel bars sent him
by Dr. Lloyd of Dublin (to whom, I understand, all
the magnetic arrangements were committed) by the aid
of a voltaic magnet! The result is, that the bars are,
good for nothing for the purposes of the expedition
A " magi et" (if it can correctly be called one) made
in such a manner is but a philosophical toy, possessed of
properties that render it useless for all practical observa-
tions e connected
regretted , with ho terrestrialllth o
patient magnetism.
research
aTol This
ingenuityi s deeply
to b
displayed by Dr. Lloyd in the construction of compli-
cated and delicateapjpacra.tiutso,ssa
andnd allhis thebro tihnedruNs,otryyagaenrds
in observing a
accuracy of Captain J.
will
be n
the mtaltl
matter, and
wa
shall lall I know
not v
there-
fore confine myself to an exposition of the nature of the
sho is to with
blame them,
i
evil
committed ; leaving it to those immediately con-
cerned to take the speediest steps to remedy it. Not
to lose time in discussing the minor faults of a bar or
needle " magnetised by a voltaic magnet," I come at
once to its grand and insurmountable misfortune, viz.,
that instead of having (like a magnet of the old and
approved make) a single steady north pole created at
one end, and a single steady south pole at the other, it is
found to possess from half a dozen to half a hun-
dred north and south poles
"consecutive throughout
poles"itsl (a
length.
The number of these
they are termed) will vary with the strength

VENING FDTTION

(of the voltaic current employed, with the time con-
sumed in the operation, and with the awkwardness
of the operator. If he allow for an instant his steel bar
or needle to " sit fast" or pause under the strong at-
traction of the voltaic magne,, ti.'.:7;.: s a po.en nduced
which no coaxing or manoeuvring can subsequently get
rid of; and so on. The existence of these opposing
poles, scattered here and there, can be easily discovered
by presenting a very small compass needle (magnetized
in the ordinary mode) to a bar prepared by a voltaic
magnet ; and carrying it slowly alongside from end to
end, when its sudden changes and repulsive whirls will
clearly point out the numbers and positions of all the
poles in the bar ; the north pole of the little needle in-
dicating the localities of the south poles in the bar, and
the south poles similarly detecting its north ones, each
pole of the little test needle making a point at its op-
posite in passing. It is obvious that " magnets" ex-
hibiting such discrepancies cannot be depended on as
true indicators of polarity !
Whether Dr. Lloyd or any of the Council of the
Royal Society are yet aware of this fatal error in the
construction of their magnets, I have not heard. Its
importance may be judged of by the fact that Captain
J. C. Ross has been intrusted with additional magnetic
apparatus to furnish observatories about to be esta-
blished be the Colonial Government at St. Helena, at
the Cape of Good Hope, anti Van Diemen's land. If
the magnets with which these instruments have been
fitted up should also turn out to have been prepared
by the action of a voltaic magnet, there may be no
end to the errors of observation and calculations so en-
gendered. However, if a false step has been made,. the
sooner it is corrected the better for all parties. Getting
into the wrong path at setting out is a serious mistake ;
the more we trudge in it the further we go astray.
I remain, always inquiring N
i
CIA 800.