The Sun.
London, England, 1839-11-02 00:00:00

2-
'
EVENING EDITIO- .
IMPROVEMENT OF NEI
RIVER AND COWES HARBO
ass
(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) ";\';•..,.:*..
Sir John Rennie's Report commences with deiaarsvi- f -12.1'
tion of the Medina, which at Newport at low
spring tides, he says, scarcely exceeds eight inches;'thfdl S K;{ NT
cre as
a htaolft t
belowvelve
inches
Newportdeep a may almost be termed dry ; the same at neap tides. At
it
increasest
Hurslake, more than half a mile below Newport, it in-
esng.
t o Atnt.nnt onfeemtle
and six
inches,and gradually increases to fourteen feet at low
water of spring tides, before it reaches Cowes Ferr
•
Previous to
entering the Bay (Cowes Harbour), it
decreases to thirteen feet, and • sixteen feet six
inches at neaps. This is from a regular " j rnal
kept by Mr. Fulton, one of Sir John's assistants. Or-
dinary springs rise 11 feet 6 inches at Cowes, and 11 feet
6 inches at Newport ; extraordinary 7 feet at Newport,
and 13 feet 6 inches at Cowes. The width above Cowes
is 1,000 feet, when it suddenly contracts itself at the
Ferry to 350 feet. The principal defects in the naviga-
tion are between Newport and the Folly, which is a
distance of about 2 miles. To remedy this evil,
various plans have been suggested ; first, to form a dam
and lock at Cowes Ferry to secure the outer harbour
and convert the river into a basin of still water, and
render it navigable to Newport by the class of vessels
required—cost 58,7001., besides which all the mills
would be destroyed ; the owners and occupiers must,
therefore, receive compensation ; there would be much
delay at the lock ; and when the wind was not favour-
able, men, horses, or steam must be employed to track
the vessels up and down. Cowes Harbour would also
suffer for want of the backwater.
Second Plan.—To cut a canal from Cowes Ferry to
Newport, perfectly independent of the ricer—cost
71,1781., or from the Folly (what Folly!) 51,250/.,
with locks, &c.
Third Plan—Erect a lock at Weir, at the Folly,
50,140/., and compensation to the millers, brewers, &c.
Plan the last.—Straighten and deepen the present
channel between the Folly and Newport, by dredging
or hand excavation, to the depth of six feet at low
water of Sring tides. The first expense would only
amount to 19,1201., and only a dredging machine would I
be required to keep it clear afterwards ; then there i
must be added the expense of quays, wharfs, and
roads, in the vicinity of Captain Shopher's house, near
Newport.
Cowes harbour is a small bay formed by the mouth
of the Medina river, commencing at Cowes Ferry,
at the south, and terminated by the Solent sea on the
north ; at the Ferry it is 350 feet wide ; the channel,
or deep water, formed by the river, is onlyon the West side,
being 100 yards wide at the Ferry at low water, and 300
yards opposite Cowes Castle. Depth at the Ferry at
low water of spring tides, 13 feet, it then increases to
18 feet, and decreases at the bar to 9 feet 6, and again
rapidly increases on entering the Solent (Cowes Road-
stead), to sor 6 fathoms. At spring tides, the offing
current runs at about 24 miles per hour, and at neaps,
at about two-thirds that velocity. Cowes Roads is ex-
tremely safe, and the holding ground good, and well pro-
tected against all winds. The harbour is injured by the ,
sudden contraction and improper (Erection of the chan-
nel at the Ferry, together with the irregular line of
quays on the West Cowes shore. Both flood and ebb
are checked in their velocity, and become too weak to
hold in suspension the alluvial matters with which they
are charged, or to scour away the deposit which accu-
mulates in the channel. To correct this, Sir John
recommends removal of the projecting ship-yard on the
west side of Cowes Ferry and also a portion of the pro-
jecting quay immediately below it, and from thence to
form one regular uniform and continued line of quays,
with proper slips and landing place, to West Cowes
Castle, removing also a portion of the Fountain's lantalng
jetties, and on the east side to form a jetty in a line
nearly parallel to the quays on the west side, from the
ferry to opposite the Fountain quay, this jetty need not
be carried above half tide ; he also mentions other im-
provements, but as he considers the expence of the quay
too great, he has not calculated it, but recommends
only the building of a low wall jetty, at East Cowes,
and removing the banks and bar in the harbour by means
of an efficient dredging machine, the expense of which
he calculates at about 14,0001. The quay on the west
side to be carried on as funds can be procured for that
purpose. A public meeting of the inhabitants of the Isle
of Wight has been called by the Mayor of Newport, for
the Gth of November to take the report into considera-
tion, and The Sun being the principal London paper
taken in in the island, I have taken the liberty of send-
ing you an extract of the report, and you will very much
oblige your numerous readers by inserting it.
Newport, Oct. 31, 1839.

1111;.NICIPAL ELECTIONS.

LINCOLN, Nov. I.
The Tories have not this year dared to show their
strength, knowing, if they did, their exertions, as here-
tofore, must end in a total defeat. At nine o'clock the
polling booths at the Guildhall and Sessions' House
were opened according to the provisions of the Munici-
pal Reform Act, and clerks were in attendance to per-
form their duty, but not a vote was recorded in favour
of any person in the Tory interest. The following are
the persons elected.

BRIDGE WARD.

Wm. Curtis Bell, maltster William Gresham, tailor
George• Calder, tailor I 'Anselm Odling, draper
s This gentleman was elected in the room of Janica
Hill, who has left the town.

MINSTER WARD.
John Norton, draper I T. Bainbridge, schoolmaster
Robert Dawber, merchant
The whole of the above are Radicals.

POOLE, NOVEMBER 1.
CLOSE OF TILE POLL.
NORTH WARD.
Reformers. 1 Tories.
Williamson, John Adey, William
Trew, Anthony lll Parr, Richard W. ... 70
Conway, George
SOUTH WARD. _ .

Reformers. Tories.
Penney, George
Mullett, Edward
I
Lankes:cr, John
In consequence of the conduct of the late Revising
Court the Reformers were thrown back upon the old
list, notwithstanding which they have most nobly met
and beats n their adversaries in both Wards.

Baron and Baroness Dimsdale and Miss Dims-
dale arrived at t'aris at the close of the past week from
a tour in Normandy•
Major-Genctal Sir William and Lady Gomm
left town yesterday afternoon for Portsmouth, to em-
bark for the West Indies.

" Love rules the Camp, the Court, the Grove."
So sings the Bard ; and according to the theatrical an-
nouncements, lie appears likely to rule at Covent-gar-
de l next week, for we perceive that Mr. Sheridan
Knowles's play, bearing that expressive tit!,, is to be
produced on Monday, The genius of the dramatist is
a guarantee that the tender passion n ill be pourtrayed
with a high perception, and the talents of Miss Ellen
Tree and M idame Vcstris assure us of having the sub-
ject treated with all the sentiment and grace of which
the fair sex are capable.
DELAY ON THE LONDON AND BIRMINGHAM
RAILWAT.—On Friday morning the five o'c:ock train
did not reach its destination at Euston-grove till nine
o'clock, in consequence of an accident to the engine.
NOVEMBER WEATHER.—We have to-day a
pleasant cemb:eatioa of rain and fog. November is
dark and dreary, and the atmosphere is saturated with
moisture. The comparative warmth of the season is
owing to the heat given out by the condensation of va-
pour into rain, &c. Some years ago there was a con-
tinual drizzling rain generally throughout the month,
but of late years we have comparatively much fine
weather in November and many clear days, and the re-
mark is certainly well founded teat, within t‘le last
thirty years, there has been,
itati greatieisA 7T.Rh Theatre,
tl_rtee
,r_ric are
n enter-
tainments alteration in thein
climate, and November is no longer called suicide month.
Tl
i E
the opening
JAMES'S
i
of ,
Sil-
full rehearsal, INladllc. Guischard end Monsieur
vain having arrived from Paris. The interior of the
house has been decorated in a costly manner, and the
private boxes hung in French merino.
ROYAL. AND NOBLE CRICKETERS.—RoyaI
and Noble personages have not seldom handled the bat
right well. Not to go back to the days of Edward the
Second, lately alludedert)u,sii;saate(o:trieliteGcitalepodevno,eturtkig:ibbi
eeoeieorioergtnfher
fiavelapen, even to those of Oliver
but I know not
on
i
Fourth
rdyipi:uc)ertrtev
were
,Idoenrasetnoadbnocdtar
both
cgglkreoecaoat
least
1 may cotiesl
gblasabuerrioevi (saidxteire;
brothers
one of
tt this
activity rendered them well fitted for it. Amongst our
Nobles of somewhat lesser dignity, besides many already
mentioned, there have been, and still are, not a few ex-
pert cricketers ; amongst the best of whom at present
are the Grimstons and Mr. Frederick Ponsonby.. The
Duke of Dorset, Lords Tankerville and Suffield, the
Marquis of Abercorn, the Earl of Aboyne and his
brethren, &c., are, or have been, all able players or va-
luable patrons of the sport. Lord Hillsborough,
though he seldom plays, is one of the best of his coun
trytnen, the Irish, and in person is one of the finest
men amongst our present Aristocracy. But all our
coroneted beads, present or past, must uncover and bow
before that of the (old) Lord Frederick Beauclerk, one
of the very finest cricketers who ever took bat in hand.
Without any disparagement either to his sons or ne-
phews, none of them promise to be worthy to carry his
bat ; and indeed his various merits, if divided, might
well furnish forth a dozen such players as the best of
our younger Nobles.—Old Sporting Magazine for No
vember.
FIRE AT BRONIPTON.—On Friday morning an
alarming fire broke out on the premises of Mrs. Char-
lotte Baxter, an extensive laundress, residing at N 0.22,
Queen's-gardens, Brompton, and did great damage. It
originated in the overheating of a stove in the laundry.
SUlClDE.—Yesterday morning a female, re-
siding in Carlisle-street, Lisson-grove, threw herself
out of the attic window into the yard, and from the
injuries sustained, almost instantly expired.