The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-03 00:00:00

champion of the project, to wit (of all members of
the administration !), the economising Chancellor of
Her MAJESTY'S Exchequer Not, however, to have
his remarks greeted as Mr. HENLEY'S had
been with cheers again and again re-
peated ! But a novelty for Mr. GLADSTONE,
this !—to be interrupted again and yet again with
cries of " Oh, oh !" and of " Divide ! Divide !"
until the weariness and disgust of the House be-
came such that we absolutely find the reporter
breaking off his record of the right hon. gentleman's
speech with words given thus in significant paren-
thesis—

," (the rest of the sentence was drowned
by impatient cries which rose from all
sides) !" After which—came the Deluge—of
that overwhelming defeat of the pet Palace
project of Her MAJESTY'S Government, by a loyal,
but a thoroughly independent, Opposition. Thus,
happily, has been swept aside—in spite of the Go-
vernment—the dreadful prospect looming up for the
metropolis until late last night, or rather early this
morning, the alarming probability, as it was until
then, that FOWKE'S Folly was to be preserved in
perpetuity at South Kensington.

The importance of having efficient and plentiful
means of dealing with fire has been abundantly

proved to the public of late years. It has been

ascertained by the painful test of practical experi-
ence, that our fire engines are by no means adequate
to the occasion of an extensive fire, and that the

risks run by the property of immense value in the
metropolis were very considerable. The terrible
conflagration of 1861 impressed the lesson forcibly
ou men's minds. It was felt that, great as was the
damage and mournful the loss of valuable life, the
catastrophe was but a faint reflection of what it
might have been had the boisterous winds of winter
fanned the progress of the flames. Insurers and
insured were alike startled, while the owners of
property, which no money could replace, perceived
suddenly that their security was but partial and
limited_ But the evil, like most other evils, even-
tually resulted in good. Attention was called to
the question, and since that time no effort or expense
has been spared to raise our fire engines to the
highest possible degree of Efficiency and excellence.
On that memorable occasion at London-bridge the
superiority of the steam fire engines employed was
so strongly manifested that all recent improvements
have been directed to this branch. A series of in-

teresting and curious experiments is now being
made in the gardens of the Crystal Palace, with a
view of ascertaining which is the most successful of

the various kinds of steam fire engines now con-
structed. The trial of strength and skill is conducted
under the superintendence of a committee of noble-
men and gentlemen, Captain SHAW, the able suc-
cessor of the lamented Mr. BRAIDWOOD, who lost
his I:fe at London-bridge in 1861, being the hon.
secretary. The engines are divided into two classes
—those not exceeding 30 cwt., and those not
exceeding 60 cwt. Arrangements are made
to facilitate the trial, by which perfect
impartiality will be secured to the com-
petitors, and the test will try the efficiency of
the engine, not the ability of the men who work

it on this special occasion. With a view to
ascertaining the quantity of water which each
engine can project to given heights and distances,
the committee have arranged a set of water tar-

gets and tanks in such a manner that the water
can be measured after delivery. As might be
expected many various engines have been brought
to this trial of strength, the most prominent com-
petitors being the engines of Messrs. SHAND and
MASON, Mr.MERRNIVEATHER, and some American
machines. The American fire engine brigade par-
takes more of the character of a political union
thar. of a plain business-like institution, and
laughable stories are told of the rival engine-
drivers beginning at a fire to quarrel over points
of personal precedence, instead of attending to
the work in hand. However, American machines
are not generally to be despised, and we are glad,
therefore, that these competitors should have
entered the lists. The first day's trial gave the
palm to Messrs. SHAND and MASON, whose en-
gines succeeded in getting up steam from cold
water and being at full ,aork in eight minutes, the
others taking neatly ten, while the distance to
which they succeeded in throwing a large body
of water was greater than any reached by their
antagonists. Yesterday the trial was more severe,
each engine having to work by itself for two
hours without stopping, drawing its supply of
water from a depth of 10 feet and sending it
through a hose 400 feet long. Only the. large
engines could be used for such an experiment as
this, and great difficulties were, of course, met with
even by them in accomplishing the feat. Mr.
MERRYWEATHER'S engine came off the best from
the trial, but it is said that two American engines
not yet tried will be still more successful. We
shall not learn the results of the trial and the names
of the foremost competitors until the committee
make their report a few days hence. The benefits
resulting from
such a trial will be very great, for
it affords a stimulus to skill and invention, while
letting the public know what is really the best
and most useful kind of engine.

Has England degenerated into a second-rate
Power without confidence in her own institutions
or a will of her own ? Is nothing English worth
anything ?
According to some such would seem to
Mr.n BRIGHTse
tI
ne
Republicvery
recently
()u g b
to insistedform
the
that
be the
thecase.
ra
Ode transatlantic
our Constitution. Mr. COBDEN is
hasis
eloquent in his recommendation to Englishmen to
substitute sour vin ordinaire for malt liquor, while
our Ministers do not like to speak out on foreign
affairs for fear of displeasing continental rulers or
republican despots.
Commercial tretities, notwith-
standing that the advantages are not too reciprocal,
may stimulate trade and augment the revenue, and
b
are therefore accepted by the public. But the
wholesale revolutions which Mr... EWART proposes
to bring about in this country cannot be sanctioned.
Proposes, we say, for were the House of Commons
to agree to his motion nem con at the third reading,
the public would not, could not pass it. It is
neither more nor less than to assimilate English
weights and measures to the French metric system,
and of course its coinage to boot;
and for what
reason, forsooth ? That foreign commerce may be
carried on more expeditiously, while millions of
English tradespeople will be hopelessly embarrassed.
Even this make-believe is fallacious, and only
brought forward to support the hobby of a few
enthusiasts. The exchange between different coun-
tries must always fluctuate, and those who carry on
extensive foreign trade have clerks, who with little
or no trouble can substitute the value of our coinage
for that of another. it is amusing to observe the
various conflicting arguments advanced by the
several advocates of this wholesale innovation, Mr.
EWART, in the course of his speech, observed that a
certain Belgium merchant settled in this country
states that the adoption of the metrical system in
England would save him the labour of two clerks.
This is all very well for a Belgium mer-
chant, but the laws of England are sup
posed to be framed to serve the interest
of British subjects, rather than that of foreigners
Again Mr. BAINES maintained that the introduc-
tion of this system into our schools would, save a