The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-11 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDOV., FRIDAY EVENUAG, APRIL 11, 1862

TH_E Ar_E If SHIELD neOS-PLATII'D 'SHIP

The naval duel fought by the Merrimac and the
Monitor in the James River has attracted a degree
of public attention unprecedented by any hostile
achievements during the last few years. The wildest
and most extravagant conclusions have been drawn
from the accounts which reached us from the other
side of the water, and the public were surprised to
hear that the whole question of iron plates versus
cannon balls had been so very easily and apparently
so satisfactorily settled. Two vessels, extemporised
in a few weeks and at a trifling cost, were able, it
were said, to batter each other for several hours
without inflicting any injury on either craft. The
science of warfare had, it was supposed, attained to
its highest state of perfection ; the power of de-
fence exceeded that of offence ; and cannon
balls of 1801 b. were represented as falling and
rattling like hail upon the armour-plated
vessels. Two questions have, however, not yet
been answered, and they are very important ones
—first, were the balls solid ? and, next what
was the quantity of powder used for their dise
charge ? If the Dahgren or other guns employed
could not carry more than a few pounds of powder
without bursting, it need excite no surprise that
the projectiles fell like hail rather than penetrated
like shot. The latest experiments with the Arm.
strong gun afford a pretty elear indication of what
would be the speedy fate of any iron-plated vessel
opposed to such artillery as we have at our com-
mand.
Not the least remarkable feature of the American
duel is the cool assumption of superiority claimed
by the ex-Swedish officer, Captain Ericsson, in
the naming his vessel the "Monitor," namely, that
it was to teach European Powers something of
which they were ignorant, and to warn them of the
fate which hung over them in consequence of this
discovery. The main feature in this vessel is that
its guns were placed in, and its gunners protected
by a shot-proof iron cupola. There is nothing,
however, in this which was not well known
to our Admiralty, and to every person who
had paid any attention to naval and military
matters. Captain Coles, long before the construc-
tion of the Monitor had even been dreamt of, pro-
posed to employ revolving towers on the upper deck
protected with armour plates, and each containing
two guns. The old Trusty, floating-battery, was
fitted with one of these cupolas early last year, and
in the month of May it underwent a most severe
ordeal. The experimental firing from the cupola
was carried on under the direction of Captain
Hewlett, of the Excellent, gunnery-ship, and with
the most satisfactory result. Everything was car-
ried on as in action. The lanterns were hung in
the inside of the tower, and the arrangements for
making the cupola to revolve were precisely
similar to those which would be adopted in
a naval attack. The firing took place at
a target 3,600 yards, or rather over two miles
distant. So accurate was the firing that the second
shot passed through the target. The guns were
100-pounders, and they were fired singly and to-
gether, and as rapidly as six rounds in as many
minutes. The concussion caused by the discharges
was said to be but trifling, and was, in fact,
greater outside than inside the tower. This
system of revolving towers for artillery, we
may state, so far from being a new discovery
of ,Captain Ericsson, or even Captain Coles, was
actually tested many years since in the Maximilian
towers at Verona, but was abandoned as not consi
dered suitable for land fortifications.

The new shield ship is to be ready f Or launching
on the 3d of February next, and equipped for sea
on the Ist of June.

HOW FAI? IS THE FMBANIC 51 EN T OF
THE THAMES TO BE C_AR_S'IED?

A deputation from the vestry of •the parish of
Chelsea yesterday waited, by appointment, on the
Right Hon. Mr. Cowper, the Chief Commissioner
of Works, in the members' tea-room at the House
of Commons, to urge upon him the desirability of
having the embankment of the Thames continued
from Westminster to Battersea-bridge, and the low
level sewer carried under it.

It appeared, from the statement of Mr. Tite,
M.P., who introduced the deputation, and Mr.
Finch, who acted as spokesman, that some years
since Parliament voted a large sum of money for
the embankment of the Thames at Chelsea, as an aid
to local subscriptions for the same purpose, but that
in. the propor-
tnugre, a. sum of from
back into the Ex-
vve: re now placed
taisonthsetilpauttlaetrewd eforre
bnyottfhoertlehgciosmlai
eXh3eoq,
u 0 Oe Or.
Tt oh
et4t Oh,oouogo
at the disposal of the Metropolitan Bo and of Works
htwiafsthpaatidsumb
it would enable them to continue the embankment
of the river in connexion with the IoN v level sewer
from Westminster-bridge to Batterset Aridge, and
so obviate the proposed discharge of th e sewage of
the neighboUrhood into the Thames,, after going
through the process of deodorisation at Cremorne; it
was objectionable that any foreign matter should be
allowed to find its way into the Thames. The con-
struction of the works in question would, they
urged, be a great improvement to then eighbourhood;
and as Battersea-bridge is a dange:rous nuisance,
they suggested that a new bridge connecting Oakley-
street with a road right through Battersea Park,
would, by bringing Clapham and that district
into direct communication with the public insti-
tutions at KensingtOn, make the Government pro-
perty productive.
The CHIEF COMMISSIONER, in his reply, stated
that in spirit he fully coincided in the views of the
deputation, but he felt sure Parliament would not
re-vote the money except upon the original condi-
tion that the neighbourhood itself should contribute
towards the expense of the work; and with regard
to the proposal for the erection of another bridge,
it was not likely to be entertained, especially as
the traffic over the one lately erected was not suffi-
cient to pay interest upon the cost of it.

The plan which Captain Coles has suggested is a
very simple and ingenious one. The towers are
about 14ft. in diameter, and rise in a conical shape
to about 6ft. above the deck. They are formed of
strong timbers, covered with 41in. iron plates.
There is an aperture for the muzzle of two guns,
and an entrance which closes with a solid iron
plate. Within the tower are the usual traversing
carriages for the guns, which lie side by side.
The tower is erected on a base of solid timbers,
and made to turn upon its centre, like the turn-
table at a railway station. It revolves upon a
central pivot, and moves on iron rollers, run-
ning on iron racers below and near the circum-
ference. The weight of each tower, with the guns
in them, is about 70 tons, and the whole is very
easily moved by means of a ratchet-wheel, As
the tower revolves it of course brings the guns
to bear upon any point desired. A set of tables
have been calculated, in connection with the cupola,
which enable the gunners to ascertain the exact
distance of the object to be struck, and the top of
the tower is sighted like a rifle, quite independent
of the guns which it contains. It was with the
tower so constructed that the experiments were
made.

Mr. FINCH reminded the right hon. gentleman
that Parliament had, by a subsequent act, abandoned
the principle that the vote of the House of Com-
mons should be aided by local contributions. The
parish of Chelsea would, 'if it had parliamentary
powers to do so, willingly aid in the undertaking;
but as the work would be a benefit to the public
and a benefit to the Board of Works, it ought not
to be delayed, but constitute part and parcel of the
main scheme.

The CHIEF COMMISSIONER fully agreed with
them that the present was the time to move in the
matter; but as the case of Chelsea differed from that
of the Strand and Fleet-street, and had no exces-
sive traffic of which to be relieved, he did not see
how any portion of the coal dues could be applied
to the work of embankment there.

It was, however, necessary not only to test the
efficiency of the tower for purposes of offence, but
also its powers of resistance. The Trusty was once
more brought out to be experimented upon. The
cupola itself was subjected to most severe firing.
Ten 40 pounders struck it, and left the indelible
marks upon the rounded surface; then came 20 of
the destructive 68-pounders, which slightly frac-
tured the plates in several parts ; and finally, 40
shots of 100 lb. each were fired, without effecting
the slightest injury, except where one of the plates
was defective. The Trusty is now lying in
Woolwich dockyard; the iron plates have been
stripped off the cupola, and one only of them
shows signs of severe punishment. The tim-
ber frame-work is unshaken, and the turn-
table at the base still in perfect working order. The
result of the experiments was considered perfectly
satisfactory at the time, but as no particular alarm
was then felt in the country, the First Lord of the
Admiralty did not consider it necessary to apply to
the Treasury for any extraordinary grant for the
purpose of constructing vessels of this description.
The plans, however, were prepared and ready to be
acted upon when required.

The deputation, having thanked the right hon
gentleman for his courtesy, then withdrew.

BLECTION INTELLIGENCE.

LAMBETH.

In consequence of Mr. Roupell's resignation as
member for this borough, though, owing to some in-
formality in his tendering it, it is not at present
accepted, several candidates are already in the field.
On Wednesday evening, at the Windmill Tavern,
Upper Kennington-lane, a numerous meeting of
the members of the " Lambeth Parliamentary and
Parochial Association" took place, Mr. T. D. Tully
in the chair, when the merits of the candidates
named were discussed. As this association exer-
cises great local influence, the resolution that it
came to, after a lengthened and animated discussion,
may be of interest to those gentlemen who may be
desirous of representing the borough; it is as follows

A contract was yesterday entered into by the
Admiralty with Messrs. Samuda for the construc-
tion of a cupola ship of extraordinary powers. This
lateit addition to our iron-plated navy will be 250
feet long; its tonnage about 2,000 tons, and is to
draw but 20 feet of water, and the speed is not to
be less than 121 knots. When clearing for action
the ship's bulwarks will be thrown down all round
her level with the upper deck, along which will be
ranged three towers, like huge inverted saucers.
The shields or towers will revolve, as already ex-
plained, on a turn-table on the deck below. The
height of the shields above the deck will be five
feet, which will be but small objects for
the enemy to fire at, and even, if struck, it will be
at an angle of about 45 degrees. The muzzle of the
guns will be nine feet six inches out of water, but as
the whole of them can be brought to bear at one time
the cupola ship will be equal in its broadside to an
soirsdt
ai nnacreyovre
Dssel of 24
efence—the
twoColmasptairred on.wpliathtetdhse Rhipes-
which we have built—the new one will possess
several most important advantages. The tonnage
will be but 2,000 tons as against .3,668 tons in the
Defence ; the draught of water will be but 20 feet
against 25 feet 4 inches ; and the speed will be 12;
against 111 knots. Add to these advantages, that
whereas the Defence or Resistance can only fight 7
guns protected by her iron plates, the shield ship
can bring her whole 12 to bear at one time upon
any desired point, with no practical limit to the
aiming, while the others are limited to 29 degrees.
In closing with an enemy, the shield ship, by tak-
ing a slightly oblique course, can bring the whole
of her guns to bear, while the enemy can only re-
ply with two or three guns from the bow or
stern, as the case may be. The shield ship is to be
constructed entirely of iron, and covered with
armour plates. The price at which the contract has
been taken by Messrs. Samuda is £44 158' per ton.
The cost, exclusive of armament and equipment,
will be therefore about £lOO,OOO, or less than one-
half of the cost of any armour-plated ship We have

—" That: this association, having taken an active
part in the re-election of Mr. W. Williams as mem-
ber for the borough of Lambeth, have resolved to
oppose any candidate who will not support that gen
tleman's views in the Commons House of Parlia-

mint:"

The above being carried unanimously, on the
motion of Mr. J. D. MILLS, the meeting was ad-
journed till Wednesday nest, the 16th inst.
chTaihrme
aun.sual vote of thanks Was awarded to the

Among the names of the candidates mentioned as
being already in the field are Mr. Fredk. Doulton,
Mr. M. Chambers, Q.C., and Mr. F. Goldsmid.

GREAT GRIMSI3y.

A committee appointed bEygtehrelin (chairman),ouseofComm Sir Commons,
and consisting of Mr.
E.
neto
A. W. Buller, the Hon.
Mr. Liddell,th Mr. e
merits of a Longfield,peti-
laansdt
sMi
xr .d G
ay.
sGi G. Gi : iycina ,i
rhi
Da vge i ben to
engaged during the
tion presented against the return of Mr. John
Chapman as member for that borough. When the
Earl of Yarborough died early in the present year,
his son, Lord Worsley, succeeing to the peerage,
Great Grimsby lost its member. Mr. Ileneage, who
had sat for many years as
member for the city of
Lincoln, at once resigned his seat and declared him-
self a candidate for the borough, in which he has
considerable property, and where it was supposed
he would secure the Yarborough interest. He was
opposed by a Conservative candidate, Mr. John
Chapman, chairman of the Great Grimsby Dock
Company and of a local railway. There was a sharp
contest, and Mr. Chapman was returned by a majo-
rity
of 12. The electors who petitioned against Mr.
Chapman's return complained that his agents had
been guilty of bribery, intimidation, treating, vio-
lence, and the other offences which are ordinarily
comprised in an election petition. Six days were
occupied in the examination of the witnesses, one
side swearing most decidedly to undue practices on
the part of IVlr,Chapman's supporters,while the other

afloat. The shield ship will have no masts or rig-
ging, and when afloat will show to the view above
her dealt merely her funnel and the tops of her
shields. The Duke of SGmerset has very correctly
described the new ship as one carrying guns in a
cupola, and perfectly capable of going round the
world.

The American Monitor, which is to give the Old
World such a signal lesson in naval affairs, has a
speed of not mare than five or six knots an hour;
she has one cupola, and is so defective as a seagoing
vessel that she was nearly lost in a gale of wind
when steaming round to Fort.ress Monroe.

side as dfstinctly swore that the election was con-
ducted on pure principles. The committee yester-
day afternoon came to the conclusion that Mr.
Chapman had been duly elected, and the proceed-
ings were brought to a close.

ASSIZE IIVTELLIGEIV CE.

HOME CIRCUIT._ KINGSTON, April 10.
CIVIL SIDE.
(Before Lord Chief Justice Erle and a Special Jury.)
KING V. TUE VISCOUNTESS FORBES.
Tf is was an action brought by the plaintiff to
recover a tun' of £560 upon a bill of exchange ac-
cepted by the defendant, and also upon a count for
money had and received through the agency of a
person named Martha Augusta Arthur Richards.
Mr. Sergeant Shee and Mr. Talfourd Salter were
for the plaintiff; and Mr. Bovill, Q.C., and Mr.
Prentice were for the defendant.
The case, as opened by the learned counsel for
the plaintiff, and from the evidence that was after-
wards brought forward, appeared to be of a very
singular character. The plaintiff, it appeared,
was a musician, employed at the Argyll-rooms,
and in the month of January 1860, a lady named
Richards, whom he had only known for a short
time previously applied to him for a lean of £5OO
upon the acceptance of the defendant. He declined
to procure the money unless Mrs. Terrett, the de-
fendant's mother, and Miss Richards also put their
names to the bill, and this was agreed to, and it
appeared that eventually a bill was drawn for
£560, which was accepted by Lady Forbes, and
indorsed by her mother and Miss Richards; but it
may be as well to explain that this bill was not re-
lied upon in the present action, because it appeared
to have been drawn upon an insufficient stamp, but
the money was sought to be recovered from the de-
fendant upon the ground that she had authorised
Miss Richards to act as her agent, and to support
this view of the case some letters were produced, in
one of which the defendant requested Miss Richards
to be sure not to give up the signed note, the bill in
question, until she had got the money, and at the
same time thanked her for the trouble she had taken
in the matter. Some other letters bearing upon the
same point were also put in, and the defendant ap-
peared at that time to be on terms of very great
intimacy with Miss Richards, and addressed her as
"My dearest Miss Richards." The answer to the
action-was that the defendant had never authorised
Miss Richards to act as her agent to obtain the
money from Mr. King, the plaintiff, and that in
point of fact she had never received a farthing of
the proceeds of the bill she had accepted.
Mr. James King said—l am the plaintiff in this
action, and reside at No. 18, Frith-street, Soho, and
am a professor of music, and am engaged as one of
the band at the Argyll-rooms. In January, 1860,
I was acquainted with a lady named Richards. I
had been introduced to her two or three months
before. About the 30th of January, 1860, she
showed me this bill and the letters that have been
produced.
Mr. Bovill here interposed, and objected to the
document being treated as a bill of exchange. It
was upon an insufficient stamp, and consequently
could not be received as a legal instrument.
Serjeant Shee admitted that he could not recover
upon the bill, and he merely proposed to introduce
it as part of the transaction.
The plaintiff was then further examined. He said
—Mrs. Terrett, defendant's mother, was present,
and I asked her if her name was on the bill, and
she said that it was. Miss Richards afterwards
told me that Lady Forbes had requested her to
negotiate a loan of £5OO for her for some temporary
purpose, until a mortgage for £2,000, which was in
contemplation, should be completed, and I under-
stood that Miss Richards' mother was going to ad-
vance that money. I said that I should require Miss
Richards' signature, as well as those of Lady Forbes
and her mother, to the bill, and they agreed to my
proposition. When the bill came into my possession
I took it to Mr. Bignell, the proprietor of the Ar-
gyll-rooms, and asked him to discount it, but he
would not do so without my putting my name to it,
and he then gave me a cheque upon his bankers,
Messrs. Seale, Low, and Co., in Leicester-2Aquare,
for £5OO. I received four XlOO notes, five £lO notes,
two £2O notes, and £lO in gold, and I took the
money to Miss Richards and gave it to her in the
presence of Mrs. Terrett. At this time Miss Rich-
ards owed me £llO upon other money transactions,
and she paid me out of the proceeds of the cheque.
She at the same time said that she had already ad-
vanced Lady Forbes £250 out of her own resources
on account of the bill, and she was going to pay
the remainder to her creit at Messrs. Coutts's.
Cross-examined—I first became acquainted with
Miss Richards at the latter end of 1859. She was
introduced to me by a lady named Thorne. She
resided at that time at Chester-terrace, Pimlico.
The Argyll-rooms are dancing rooms in the Hay-
market. lam one of the band, and receive a salary
of two guineas per week. I never saw Miss
Richards at the Argyll-rooms. She owes me at the
present time £219, and also a small bill for coals,
about £l2, I think. lam a dealer in coals as well
as a musician. I swear that I have not seen Miss
Riehards since February, 1860. I:have heard that
she resides in Gloucester-place, Portman-square,
but I swear that I have not visited her there, and
that I did not go to her house last Thursday night.
I was very anxious that she should be here as a
witness, and I believe that she has been subpccnaed.
Since this transaction I have heard that Miss
Richards' mother resides in Wales, and that she is
a pauper receiving parish relief; and I have heard
that Miss Richards herself was originally a maid of
all work. I have not taken any steps to get the
money that she owes me, because she has been a
bankrupt, and I was told that there was no estate.
I heard that she was refused a certificate on the
ground that she was a swindler. I have bought
and sold pictures, but I never sold one to Miss
Richards. I did once lend her one to place
in one of her rooms in Chester-terrace. It
was worth £BO. I believe the subject was the
Holy Family. (A laugh.) Her house was ele-
gantly furnished. Ido not remember her giving a
grand dinner to a number of officers and gentlemen,
and I did not lend her glasses and other, materials
for the entertainment. Ido not know that none of
the furniture in the house was ever paid for. I sold
Miss Richards on one occasion three handsome
looking-glasses for her drawing-room. I only occupy
the two top attics in the house in Frith-street, and
one of them is used as a counting-house and the
other as a bed-room. I only occupy these rooms
for my business, and my family live out of town.
There were nothing but business transactions be-
tween me and Miss Richards. I saw Lady Forbes's
solicitor upon the subject of this bill, but I swear I
did not tell him that I had myself advanced £3OO
upon it.

The following .description of the Monitor may
serve as a means of comparison with the British
Monitor :

" She is oval shaped, 172 feet long, and 41 feet
in width at the centres' :der hull rises perpendi-
cularly out of the water, as straight all round as the
sides of a stone wall, and as flat on the top as a
table, without any rail or guards around her. She
has two square smoke stacks, about seven feet in
height; but in time of action these are removed,
and the smoke and steam come through grates in
the deck, the iron of which is about eight inches
thick. Nothing remains on her deck but the pilot
house, which is a square iron statue , about 3 feet
high, about the size of an ordinary dry goods box.
The tower rises about nine feet high from the deck,
and looks, when close to it, like a large iron gaso-
meter or gasholder. On closely exam fining it, how-
ever, you find that its sides and top a re about one
foot thick, whilst the lower tower is t'!2 feet in dia-
meter, and that it has . two oval-shav ed portholes,
close together on one wile, not more than two feet
apart, and not more than three feet ab ove the deck.
The interior of the tower exhibits still` stronger the
superior strength of the vessel."

In, re-examination the plaintiff said that he had
been engaged for several years in the orchestra of
the Opera, and he was a member of the Royal So-
ciety of Musicians. He also said that Miss
Richards appeared to be on very intimate terms
with Mrs. Terrett, Lady Forbes's mother ; and he
had no idea that she was such a person as she turned
out to be.
Mr. Robert Bignell deposed that he was the pro-
prietor of the Argyll-rooms, and Mr. King was one
of the band he employed. He said that he applied
to him upon the subject of the bill in question, and
he agreed to discount it if he would put his name
to it; and when he had done so, he gave him a
cheque for £5OO. The bill became due on the 2d
of May, 1860, and was dishonoured, and he handed
it to his solicitor. The plaintiff since then had been
paying him £l2 per month, as instalments off the
amount of the bill, and he had paid altogether about
£l3O.

Mr. Seale, a clerk in the bank of Seale, Low, and
Co., proved that he paid the cheque in notes, as
stated by the plaintiff.
Sergeant ghee then asked that Martha Augusta
Richards, the lady who had been referred to in the
evidence, should be called upon her subpoena ; and ______
this was accordingly done, but she did not appear. A GRATEFUL ACTRESS.--A Paris letter says
Mr. W. R. Pheip, the son of the plaintiff's at- ~ Madame Ristori has been on a visit to M. Mires in his
torney, was then examined, and he proved that he prison at Douai, remembering that in the days of his pre,'
had made every endeavour to discover the residence perity the famous banker sent her
a, very:iiberal subbcrip,
of Miss Richards, but did not succeed in doing so tion for one of the representations gitrEtt. for hex benefit.
until Monday last, and he immediately took the Mires
was greatly affected at this mark of gratitude, and, it
necessary steps to procure her attendance by is
said, was unable to refrain from shedding tears. In the
causinc, her to be served with a subpcene,
course of conversation he said to the great tragedian that
A lad in the service of Mr. Phelp proved that on
but that he would speak
he was certain of being condemned,
Tuesday he went to Miss Richards s residence with before the case was over. The scandalous reports made at
a subpoena in an envelope, and a sovereign was also
the commencement of the action have, it would appear,
enclosed in the envelope. He saw the lady, but she
some
foundation. Mires will doubtless make up his mind
said she was too ill to attend, and she could not
to speak at the last moment if he has anything to
say."
give evidence against Lady Forbes. She also said
to say that these
,_iruiloway's Pills.—Strength from that she was going to pay a visit to her " mamma" [ADVERTISEMENT. j
stones from 1 debility to health. They
Weakness.—lt is not too much PUrifyinr:
in Wales. (A laugh.) Pills are the stepping from deb'r
_o.o.s.hetotvseaionf
tihneasue
This was the case for the plaintiff. increase the appetite, digestionprocinortouseth' regulate the liver,
Mr. Bovill having addressed the jury for the stimulate the bowels,, he . . e kidneys—advantages
other combination of
defendant, which will bei
other
Pills balances
Lady Forbes waS then examined. She said—l ittilineoentladtritofis,
braces the unstrung nerves •es firmness
am the defendant in this action. I was first intro- to ticteiruaccid muscle, and develops natural energygv of cha-
duced to Miss Richards in August, 1859. My ratter; conditions necessary for comfortable existence, but
mother introduced her to me at my house in Eaton- indispen-te 1
7 i by thebtaPPY life. Holloway's Pills will be
square. I was never in her house. She represented found
minmusweature, and a,„
,luedetabers of every household. The
, will discover that these falltless,
herself to me as a lady of fortune, and said that she Pas -exhibit them 1
e yes according to each individual 0
had just purchased a house in Chester-terrace, and need.