The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-31 00:00:00

THE MERRIMAC AND MONITOR.

At a special meeting of the New York Chamber of Com-
merce, held on the 12th of March, Captain Ericsson, inven-
tor of the iron-clad steam battery Monitor, was present,and
was asked to give his opinion of the danger to the shipping
of the port to be apprehended from the Merrimac.
Capt. Ericsson, upon rising, was received with a flatter-
ing welcome. He said he had received a letter from Chief-
Engineer Stimers, containing the first reliable information
they had got of the engagement between the Monitor and
the Merrimac, from any one on board the Monitor. The
letter was written two hours after the battle of last Sun-
day. lie then proceeded to read the letter as follows :

Iron-clad Monitor,
Hampton Roads, March 9, 1862.
My dear Sir,—After a stormy passage, which proved this
to be the finest sea boat I was ever in, we fought the
Merrimac for more than three hours this forenoon, and sent
her back to Norfolk in a sinking condition. Iron clad against
iron clad. We manoeuvred about the bay here, and went
at each other with mutual fierceness. I consider that both
ships were well-fought ; we were struck twenty-two times,
pilot-house twice, turret nine times, side armour eight
times, deck three times. The only vulnerable point was the
pilot-house. One of your great logs (9 by 12 inches thick
is broken in two. The shot struck just outside of where the
captain had his eye, and it has disabled him, by destroying
his left eye and temporarily blinding the other. The log is
not quire in two, but is broken and pressed inwards 1i inch.
She tried to run us down and sink us as she did the Cumber-
land yesterday, but she got the worst of it. Her bow
passed over our deck, and our sharp upper-edged side cut
through the light iron shoe upon her stern, and well into
her oak. She will not try that again. She gave us a tre-
mendous thump, but did not injure us in the least. We are
just able to find the point of contact.
The turret is a splendid structure. I don't think much
of the shield, but the pendulums are fine things, though I
cannot tell you how they would stand the shot, as they
were not hit.
You were very correct in your estimate of the effect of
shot upon the man on the inside of the turret, when it was
struck near him. Three men were knocked down, of whom
I was one, the other two had to be carried below, but I was
not disabled at all, and the others recovered before the
battle was over. Captain Worden stationed himself at the
pilot-house, Greene fired the guns, and I turned the turret
until the captain was disabled, and was relieved by Greene,
when I managed the turret myself, Master Stodden having
been one of the two stunned men.

Captain Ericsson, I congratulate you upon your great
success. Thousands have this day blessed you. I have
heard whole crews cheer you. Every man feels that you
have saved this place to the nation by furnishing us with
the means to whip an iron-clad frigate that was, until our
arrival, having it all her own way with our most powerful
vessels.—l am, with much esteem, very truly yours,

ALLAN C. STIMERS.
Captain J. Ericsson, No. 95, Franklin-street, N. Y.
Note.—The " log" alluded to is made of wrought iron of
the best material.

THE ETHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY.—At the meeting
of this society on Tuesday next the following paper will be
read :—" On the Antiquity of Man from the Evidence of
Language," by Mr. John Crawfurd, president.
A lady who recently died in this town
(says the
Wilts Standard) has left to her spiritual adviser and her
physician legacies of from £4,000 to £5,000 each. The
Rev. Dr. Brown and Dr. Abercrombie are the fortunate

legatees.
PRESENT TO HER MAJESTY.--Eleven head of
cattle arrived last week from India as a present to her Ma-
jesty from the Maharajah of Mysore. They comprise a
buffalo bull and bullock, two buffalo cows, and two calves ;
anon
rf Friday
the several ports
in in Australia during the years
two Brahmin cows, a bull and calf, and a cross-bred cow.
These animals are now at the Shaw Farm. .
e first halfay
shows Air thsTeßciALlnAtNityGOLD.d.---exAporre_tetud
n 9,
issuedlBD
1860, ath
of 1861. The total quantity exported from
New South
Wales during the year 1859, was 21,178 ounces, worth
£81,504. Next year the quantity had risen. to 31,830 ounces,
worth £115,290; and in the first half of 1861 the quantity
exported was no less than 35,441 ounces. The returns re-
lating to Victoria show that the total quantity exported in
1859 was 2,280,525 ounces ; in 1860, 2,128,466 ; and in tho
first half of 1861, 981,396. The estimated net quantity of
gold exported from both colonies in the period between
May, 1801, and June, 1861, is 25,081,468 ounces, and its
value 696,399)814.