The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-11 00:00:00

AND CAPTAIN CARPENTER.

Lord LYNDHUR,ST said he had to request the at-
tention of his noble friend at the head of the Govern-
ment to a motion of which he had giveri notice, relitting
to the application, or, perhaps, ho should rather say,
the misapplication, of a large sum of money. As his
noble friend stood at the head of the Treasury, and was,
therefore, the guardian of the public treasure, he was
sure he would attend to the question with interest. In
addition to giving the notice of motion, he had pre-
sented a petition from Captain Carpenter, of the Royal
Navy, a gentleman of considerable scientific attain-
ments. Persons who had attended to this subject were
aware that the original plan of steam navigation was
that of conducting it by means of a screw of con-
siderable length. It turned out, however, upon the
application •of that principle, that it did not succeed
to any great extent, as there was no facility for
the escape of the water, which, by acting on the ma,
chinery retarded the progress of the vessel. The next
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experiment, which was to divide the screw into
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volutions. That was liable to the same objection, but
two con-
volutions. 'bviaits
to a smaller extent. At last it was considered best to
take only a part of the screw. The problem then arose
how this was to be done. That problem Captain Car,
peuter undertook to solve ; and it was one which
care in the conduct of the experiments. After several
re-
quired some scientific knowledge and a great deal of
months' application Captain Carpenter attained his end,
and having, as the result of a great variety of minute
experiments, arrived at this result in 1840, he obtained
a patent. While he was carrying on his experiments,
he was exposed to-considerable ridicule on account of
the smallness of the blade of the screw ; but ridicule
was changed into astonishment when it was found that
he had succeeded. After ho had obtained his patent,
he applied his machine to a vessel of considerable size
in the Thames. He exhibited it in the presence of a
great number of scientific persons, including Sir Edward
Parry, then comptroller of the steam department of the
Admiralty. The report was favourable. After the re-
port bad been made, having conducted the experiments
principally with a view to the public service, Capt. Car-
penter wrote to Lord Minto, giving him complete de-
tails of everything connected with them ; and Lord
Minto returned an answer thanking him most sincerely
for the important service which he had rendered to the
navy. Thus the matter rested. Lord Minto having left
office in August, 1841, shortly afterwards Capt. Carpen-
ter was appointed to the command of a steam-vessel of
war, called the Jason, which was not propelled by the
screw. He was afterwards directed by the Admiralty
to apply to that vessel the machinery Which he had in-
vented. Accordingly he did so ; and the vessel was visited
in the Thames by the First Lord of the Admiralty and
other official persons in that department, including Sir
Edward Parry, and the result was reported to be fa-
vourable. The Admiralty then sent Captain Carpenter
to the Mediterranean, in order that experiments might
be tried under the command ofCommodore Owen, en
officer of great scientific skill ; and the result was that
Commodore Owen also made a favourable report to the
Admiralty. Captain Carpenter remained absent on
this duty for two years and a half. During his absence,
the Admiralty made further experiments, and these,
combined with the reports, resulted in their adopting
the precise form of screw which he recommended. From
that time to the present moment that form of screw was
the only one which had been used in her Majesty's ser-
vice ; no other patent had been used in any ship or ves-
sel in the navy. He begged their lordships to bear these
facts in mind, for they were most essential to the consi-c
deration of the question. Some few years back (the
precise date he did not know) under the authority of the
House of Commons, a sum of 20,0001. was appropriated
by the Admiralty as compensation to the patentees of
the screw propeller used in her Majesty's ships and
vessels. The precise words, which he tools from a paper
laid on the table of the other house, were " on account
of the patent rights for the propellers used in her Ma-
jesty's ships and vessels." Again he begged their lord-
ship's to recollect that no propeller but that of Captain
Carpenter had, down to the present time, been used in
her Majesty's navy. At the time to which lie referred
a company was formed called the " Amalgamated Screw-
propelling Company." It consisted of five or six mem--
hers, and at the head of it was a gentleman fumed
Currie, who was a partner in a banking-house in the
City of London. These gentlemen applied to the
Board of Admiralty for tithe payment of the 20,0001. ;
and the Board of Admiralty adopted, in his opi.
nion, a most extraordinary and unwarrantable course—
that, namely, of paying over to Mr. Currie the 20,0001.,
on his giving a guarantee—the precise words of which
he was not aware of—that he would properly appropri-
ate the money amongst the parties who were entitled to
it. (Hear, hear.) Their lordships would not be sur-
Pri§El to Jra that Mr, Curia 41'6.40 this won._