The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-06 00:00:00

' $ 4 .: 1,,
412,. ti
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A. 1 a APRIL 6,
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849.

[PRICE OD.

PEMBROKE DOCKYARD.
CURIOUS PARTICULARS.
We continue our extracts from the tracts put forth by
the Financial Reform Association of Liverpool.
In the navy estimates for the ensuing financial year
1849 50, there is a sum of 14,956/. required for works
and fittings in Pembroke Dockyard. One item is 8,7171.
to make up a total of 30,000/. for "iron roofs over slips
1 and 2," and 2,040/. for " berthing in slips 1 and 2 ;"
374/. for " alterations and reconstructions ;" 3,8251. for
" ordinary repairs and painting." A note appended to
the " berthing in slips 1 and 2," says, " This has been
provided for, in consequence of the strong opinion ex-
pressed by the yard-officers as to its necessity."
From the evidence laid before the Parliamentary
Committee of 1848, it appears that the opinion, however
strongly expressed, of the officers of Pembroke dock-
yard is but a doubtful proof of the necessity or utility
of the works they recommend. " The alterations and re-
constructions" to be provided for in the ensuing year
are moderate; public opinion has reached Pembroke;
the sum of 374 L only is required. In the year ending
31st March, 1849, the sum of 2,2371. was required for
"alterations and reconstructions." But curt that is a
trifle at Pembroke.
In 1848-49 there was required for a " building to
contain fire-engines, and school for apprentices," 5,0091.;
and for a " surgery and police establishment," 5,3111.
Even these are but moderate items at Pembroke, yet
anywhere else, any money but Government taxes
would have provided a place for the fire-engines, a
school for apprentices, a surgery, and a police-house, for
1,0004, saving 9,320/. on Pembroke expenditure.
Those items of 1848 are keys to a system which, as
one of the witnesses said, " would bring any other than
the National Exchequer to bankruptcy."
Here is another of its keys:—
Year 1848.49, " for the hire of teams at Pembroke,
1,4411." Year 1849.50, " per ditto, 1,4361."
The hire of teams, to haul the timber in the yard has
the advantage of proburing saddle-horses for the officers
to ride on. The person who furnishes the teams is a
tenant of the head officer of the yard. The teams were
at one time indispensable, as The yard was so uneven
that tramways could not be laid on it; but though it
was levelled many years ago, at a cost of 54,6001., (its
original cost of construction being only 6,000/.) it has
not yet had tramways laid down. The tramways would
have saved the hire of the teams, but certain gentlemen
would have lost rich privileges, and would have had
fewer favours to bestow.
5385. (Nlr. Robertson.)—" The levelling of the dock-
yard cost 54,6301., though the whole dockyard cost only
6,000/ "

5375. " As regards buildings and erections in the
dockyard, forming docks, and that sort of thing, they
have genet ally been dune by private contract, to the
amount of half a million of money."
Pembroke yard was begun about 1820, the business
having been removed from Milford.
5379. " What are the kind of works to which you
allude, which have been taken by private contract?
" The account before me has been taken from official
documents up to a certain time. Here is' building slip,'
2,4641. 2s. 7d. Here is a dry dock cost 112,2051.
" Was that by contract?—Yes, with Mr. Macintosh,
of London."
Mr. Macintosh, of London, and Mr. Henderson, of
Pembroko, were brothers-in-law—principal and agent;
the agent ultimately became a principal, and is the gen-
tleman who gives dinners and saddle horses.
5334. " Here are two houses which cast 11,3331."
The levelling of the yard took about eight years, aed
was completed in 1830. Since 1830, " the system his
been going on nearly the same way. The docks and
roofs for covering the men-of-war which have been
building, and a variety of other works have generally
been given to the representative of Mr. Mackintosh."
(Henderson.) " Since that he had taken the contracts
in his own name, and they have generally been given
without competition to Mr. Henderson."
5391. " Are there any cases in which you yourself
have been engaged in tendering for work at the dock-
yard?

" Yes; when the packet establishment was removed
from Milford to HoWs-point, and transferred to the
Admiralty, the Government thought it necessary to
build an inn for the accommodation of passengers, and
an agent's house. The agent's house was given, with-
out any competition whatever, by the Board of Ord-
nance."--(Being built on land belonging to the Ordnance
Department )
5392. " Given to whom? To Mr. Henderson. Die
inn was advertised by tender. I sent a tender to do it
for 3,300/. My tender was returned. The agent's
house cost 1,800/.; the inn 5,0001."
There was a curious case of a reservoir, in 1841,
which was advertised to be let by public tender.
The advertisement was dated 14th April, but only
appeared in the local papers on the 17th. The
tenders were to ho delivered in on the 22d, at
twelve o'clock. There was only one tender in by
twelve o'clock, Mr. Henderson's; another came at
one o'clock, and was declared to be too late. This second
party, a Mr. Douglass, persevered, sent his tender direct
to the Admiralty in London, who ordered fresh adver-
tisem, nts to be issued for new tenders. Those were
issued accordingly; but, though a month of time was lost,
the period allowed for the work was reduced from Ist May
in the following year to the Ist February, "which
made a very material difference, b, cause in the winter
time the people cannot work so well. It was supposed
to be done to throw obstacles in the vay of any person
accepting it."
But there was a more serious obstacle. "There was
a clause in the contract stipulating that if, in excavat-
ing for the reservoir, a sufficient quantity of earth
or rock should not be found to form an embank-
ment, such extra quantity must be provided by the
contractor; but not taken from land belonging to
the Crown." There was no land not belonging to
the Crown within convenient reach, except what
belonged to Mr. Henderson and his dining friend the
storekeeper-general; so that, virtually, this condition
in the contract gave the preference to Mr. Henderson,
whose tender was said to be 7,0001. But Mr. Douglass
persevered, and obtained the contract, with all the
obstacles before him, for 3,330/.; " about one-half," says
the witness, "it would have cost the public had Mr.
Douglass not persevered."
" But," continues the witness, " the most flagrant case
attaching to this contract is the following:—At the very
time the Admiralty put this clause in their contract,
stipulating that no earth should be taken from land be-
longing to the Crown, the Ordnance Board had contract
works then carrying on in an adjoining field, and the
only difficulty they bad was what to do with the excava-
tions of earth. The Admiralty had also works in con-
templation close at hand, either of which would have
supplied the earth required."
5401. " What is the paper you aro reading froth?—
It contains extracts from my own correspondence re-
specting the affair."
5402. " You complained of two provisions, one being
that no earth should be taken from the Government
ground, while, at the same time, Government had more
earth than they could dispose of for another work?—
Yes."

5403. " What was the distance between those two
works?—Not a quarter of a mile. If the contractor
could have had the earth I have no doubt it would have
been taken for 1,500/. less."
5404. " Are the Committee to understand that one of
the works was fur the Ordnance and the other was for
the Navy ?—Yes."
5405 " Woe the contracts made by the Ordnance
Board for both?—No; one was made by the Admiralty
and the other by the Ordnance; but the officers must have
known each other's plans—and, if they had not, the de-
fects of the Government economy would have been but
the more apparent."
5406. "Do you mean to say that if the same officers
had had to contract fur the two works, the public would
have been accommodated by the surplus of earth, of the
one being employed to make up the deficiencies of the
other? Yes—Decidedly."
5407. " And that you consider to be the cause of ass
increased expense, and of preventing parties, who other-
wise would hare taken it, from taking the contract ?
—Decidedly."
And again—
"lt has generally been complained of that sufficient
public notice is not given, whereas other persons who
have influence with the officc.rs may have private infor-
mation, so that they may make an arrangement.
5412. " What do you mean by influence with the offi-
cers? To what officers do you allude?—l allude to
those persons who have local influence in the neighbour-
hood; I allude particularly to the storekeeper of the
dockyard, who is trustee to the estate surrounding the
dockyard."
5413. " What is his name?—Lawes; he is acting
trustee to the estate, and also as a Government officer,he
and therefore his interests are opposed to each other;
cannot serve both parties honestly at the same time."
5414. " What has he to do with those contracts?—
Ile_
was waited upon by persons who wished to
contract, and asked what he would let them
said I
land for. To one of the name of Dawkins he
will let you have it for 700Z'"
madep ar t uattok:fiee theeee
But he would not tell
estate he might take it; c
wweans,
taken, he e sa i d
Thehe wouldrresult
ohLizgfurzi3l,:hiatt
• rice till ther id to tender, exceptat
ndaiffmeerennocer. To
contractanother,blr.O
an enor •
WS3, that they were A.1:1
mous price; and at this
f time there was laiid
tilllowngoitnlgd
to another departmenttho Government
have amply supplied all the wants; afterwards, Mr.
Douglass found this out, and he wrote and pointed it out
to the Board, and they gave it to him.
Relative to Mr. Henderson and hit contracts, the wit-
ness was asked—
" Are the Committee to understand you to say that
he had contracts for half a million of money?" " He was
the representative of his brother-in-law; he had a great
portion of them. --(The contracts let by public tender.)
Ilerriveaitseacolizslttraoeft,outlpietrowioBr3kls:t_aken by the same party
by p
"AN ACCOUNT OF WORKS PERFORMED AT PEMBROE3
DOCKYARD, BY PRIVATE CONTRACT, BY MESSRS.
MACINTOSH AND HENDERSON:—
Building slip „„£ 2,464 2 2
Dry dock 112,205 4 6
e:t well 2,842 17 7
West Camber . „.. 8,781 14 6
East Camber 5,151 11 2
Master Shipwright's and clerk of the
cheqtw's LIQUOCI e..

... 11,333 17 3

... 13,012 6 9
••• .•• 3,834 7 3
••• ... 54.630 12 (1
••• ... 329 8 1
4.173 7 9
.. . .. . 2,559 9 7
• ... 4,264 0 0
... 8.985 0 0
• ... 1 832 3 1

The above memorandum does not cora4p2r3rs6;4tohoe works
since the year 1831 or 1832; and the amount done by
tphrairtapteericoodntbryactthe amhassaelso been very considerable since
parties.
Relative to the contracts for the supply of timber, the
witness said—(ss46)—" I have talked with several
first-rate men in London, and theyztiotltl
smtoeopthsa:cfurrormy
some mystery about the contracts, they will rot have
anything to do with them, they l
favour with those r fficial characters, and they decline to
have anything to do with it."
5,450. "Can you explain in what way any such par-
tiality can arise.with a public department?" "By parties
being favourites with certain persons; I know of no
other way."
5451. (\[r. Cobden) "Favourites with whom?" "With
official characters; it he is on visiting terms with them,
often a man would have great favour shown him; on the
contrary, I have myself had very great opposition on the
part of official characters, from various motives, political
and other causes."
5,452. (Mr. Hume) " With what officers have you
had variance which you thought operat'.d against the
interests which the contractors with the Government
have?" "I speak of a party who has great infl,:euce there,
who can almost, I may say, return a member of Par-
liament."
" Where? "In Pembroke."
" How can the power df returning a Member of :Par-
liament have'any influence on contractors?" "I do :tot
know that he has upon contractors; but having the cora'.
biped influence of a dockyard officer, and trustee to an
estate commanding so many votes, any resident con-
tractor may be influenced more or less." (The witness
alluded to the facility which the officers have of rejec:lng
timber or stones to the detriment of the merchant or his
agent, on frivolous pretences.)
5,455.—5ir. Greene—" Does a contractor who sup-
ports the Government get the preference?", "No doubt
he does. lam speaking of favouritism; any parties who
are favourites have a preference shown them which
others have not. I was agent on one occasion to a party
for supplying her Majesty's steam packets with coals;
we had a contract for about 8,000 tons of coals. A con.
tractor was applied to by a Government officer for. an
appointment to act as his went. He (the contractor)
personally applied to me, arid told mo that he thought it
was incompatible with the rules of the service that an
officer should be agent to a co ntractor; and he appointed
me. I immediately had ever.,7 obstacle possilsle thrown
in my way."
The account of those abstacles shows error upon error,
wrong upon wrong, in the dockyard system; but it is
too long ter quotation.
5469. "I have known the agent of the timber con-
tractor to be the son of the timber st ore receiver; the
one who preceded me was so."
5482. "Is it a customary thing for off, eers in the em-
ployment of the Admiralty to be made use of by con-
tractors for the issue of their different anieles?" "It
is contrary to their instructions; it can wily be done
secretly."
"Is it done secretly ?" "It is."
5,494. " Are you aware of any other particu-
lars respecting contracts which you think preju-
dicial to the public?" "I think that, as at Ivesent
carried on, the contracts far teams of lorries
are very improperly given are monopolized by
tenants of the Bush estate " (the storekeepe'r's
estate.) "It is made a matter of bargain wi th
the tenants of those farms that they shall have one 0.!
two teams, according to the size of the farm, in the
dockyard; that contract has now been going on several
years without competition. I have mentioned it to Admi-
ral and the Earl of Auckland; they said it was
very improper, but it still goes on."

EXPERIMENTS IN THE MARSHES.
OOLWICH, APRIL 4.—The experiments at the two-
gun battery in the Royal Arsenal were continued to-day
in the presence of Lieutenant Colonel English, cow--
mending officer of Royal Engineers, and Lieutenant-
Colonel Chaimer, Assistant Director-General of Artil-
lery. 20 rounds were fired from the 8 inch howitzer,
and 20 rounds from the 32-pounder gun, a new axle
having been made for the rear wheels of the iron car-
riage, and the gun and carriage transposed to the left
side of the battery, the howitzer being taken to the right
side. The firing commenced to day by discharging both
guns at one time to give a greater concussion, and after
the second round the gun and howitzer were placed at
such angles that the shot and shell crossed each other,
and a number of rounds were fired with both guns on
the same angle, but no visible effect was produced, the
battery standing as firm as a rock, with one exception,
when a small pebble, of about three-quarters of an inch,
which had not been sufficiently imbedded in the ma-
terial, became detached. The firing was under the
direction of Captain Lawrence, R.A., who had the charge
of a detachment for manning two guns. At 2 o'clock
P.M. Lieutenant-General Sir Thomas Downman, C.B' ,
K.C.11., Commas dant of the garrison; Major-General
Lacy, Director-General of Artillery; Colonel Campbell,
Superintendent of the Royal Military Repository; Colonel
Gordon, Director of the Carriage Department; Colonel
Dundas, C. 8., Inspector of Artillery; Colonel Crutten.
deo, Royal Artillery ; Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmer,
Assistant Director General of Artillery; Lieutenant-
Colonel Bell, Royal Horse Artillery; Lieutenant-Colonel
Anderson, Commanding Field Batteries; Lieutenant-
ghACaaeoami
al
Cannon,
anor
teneca
11,
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Captain
Captain
tpranap; t
Captain
L,ioseAti
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tnr
sepaoonnertgp:
Artillery;
George,
oaanp greates
Captain
BNantraeL vngnaetauwt,
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officerstiut
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ad
of the Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers, assembled in
the marshes to eitness experiments with 32-pounder shot
on the principle submitted by Mr. Minesinger, an Ameri-
can, from Pennsylvania. The shot werecast under the di-
rection of Col. Dundas, at the foundry in the Royal Arsenal
at Woolwich, and being mere elongated" than the
common round shot, Mr. Minesinger's being exactly
shaped like an egg, with a slightly-curved projection, not
unlike the four-leaved screw propellers, at the biggest
end, they required such a quantity of metal to fill the
bore of the gun that each of the six shot fired to-day
weighed several onces above 461 b. Mr. Minesinger
having stated that his principle would carry a much
heavier shot with the usual service charge of powder,
101. for 32 pounder guns, it was to test the 461 b weight
shot with the common 32-pounder shot, that the experi.
ments were carried on to-day. The first round fired was
a round 32-pounder shot at 1,250 yards range, the ele-
vation of the gun taken by a quadrant being 2f degrees.
Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmer directed the firing, and
the gun was so excellently laid that the first shot
knocked down the target at that long range. The second
round was fired with one of Mr. Minesinger's 4t,lb. shot,
the gun elevated 2} degrees, and the shot fell
about 150 yards short of the target, a very little to the
left. The third round, with the common shot, went
about a yard above the target; the fourth round, with
46-pounder, went near the base of the target on the left;
the fifth round, with common shot, about five feet ogre
the target; the sixth round, with 46-pounder, a few.
yards short; the seventh round, with 32-pounder shot, a
few feet to the left; the eighth round, with 46-poundor,
near the base of the target; the ninth round, witiP;32-.
pounder, about two feet on the left; the tenth round, 'IL f
with 46-pounder, a few yards short, but in a very direct 1%, ;
line with the target; the eleventh round, with 32 pounder, , t
close to the target; and the twelfth round, with 46-
pounder, having been put into the gun without wadditeX,
Mr. Minesinger being of opinion that the wadding was
too thick and elastic, and his judgment was found to be
correct, as the shot was carried several hundred yards
over the mound, and, after grazing, entered the river.
The two last rounds of Mr. Minesinger's shot were fired
at an elevation of three degrees.
WOOLWICH. APRIL s.—Colonel Gordon, Director of •
the Carriage Department; Lieutenant-Colonel English,
Commanding Officer of Royal Engineers; Lieutenant-
Colonel Chalmer Assistant-Director-General of Artil-
lery; Lieutenant-Colonel Hardinge, Director of
the Laboratory Department; and CaptaSs MaL'erly, of
the Carriage Department, assembled at the butt in the
Royal Arsenal to-day, to witness the continuation Of the
experiments at the two-gun battery. The men of the
two-gun detachment, under the command of Captain
Lawrence, commenced firing at ten o'clock sat., athi
thirty rounds were fired with shells from the 8-inch
howitzer, and thirty rounds of solid shot from the 32-
pounder gun. There have now been fired 100 rounds from
each gun-30 each on Monday, 20 each on Tuesday. 20
each on Wednesday, and 30 each to-day (Thurseist,').
which has concluded the experiments of tiring fron:reb:
sev I
theastitsertyn,atanodooltdhenopmataednet
frmoamtearniayl has stood the
in the least degree injured or shaken, the
t of 270 tons,
mass of which it is composed,
finished,consistingalthough the
several pieces were broken a
being as firm an
pieces at once was repeated for
battern wi tihhhoeol without to being'he
at the * •
e iron gun-carff
cross-firing of bodth
nearly three days. The-sday
.airteet,:ev,
on which the 32. pounder gun was mounted. The
riage tsoelid as_ when
0.
Jo lungs, but that
be obviated in future if the entire platform was
piece, or in pieces running lone
mthieghntave of one of
gel) ial utt di ihnr be
lks Iye braaida. heinledo.edndierection of the recoil, instead of
across, as it is at present. There will be no more ex-
periments at the battery during the present week, and
the next will be by firing at instead of from it to test
its strength of resistance to shot compared with shot
directed against brick or granite work. One of the em-
brasures of the battery is constructed on the common
principle—narrow inside, and sloping gradually outwards
in the straight line of a certain angle. The other em-
brasure is constructed on a principle submitted by Lieu-
tenant-Colonel Emmett, Royal Engineers, being of the
same dimensions as the common embrasure inside, but
at one fourth of the thickness from the inside, having it
small curve on each side similar to the moulding of a
picture frame, the remaining part of the distance to
outside being formed in the usual manner.

THE IMPORTANT TRIAL AT WARWICK.—BIRMING-
HAM, THURSDIY.—This morning the trial of Mr. Grif-
fin, the attorney at Leamington, for a seri, s of the most
extraordinary libels on Lord Leigh and his family, was
brought to a close by the conviction of the defendant.
The jury almost instantly returned a verdict of
and the counsel for the prosecution pray
traced immediatste
judgment, on the ground that a conspiracy exis in
Lancashire to enable the defendant to proceed to Ame-
ric v, in case of his being fund guilty. Chief Justice
Wilde then sentenced the prisoner to two years' impri-
So,lllThnt, and ordered him to enttr into sureties of 5001.
RATE IN AID Tuffnell paired with
Captain W. 11. Magan, the member for Westmeath, its
favour of the Rate in Aid Rill, and no
ds with Captsi
Morgan, as flag erroneously stated yestery.

C 7177 .
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TO CORRESPONDENTS.
No communication can be attended to unless authenti
cited by the nave awl address of the writer.
Rrjectetl communications cannot be returned.

0,1 WEATUEIL—SUN OFFICE, APRIL 6.
TII ..RMODIETRI4 Lowest, 34; Highest, 57; Noon, 54.

BAROMETER, 29.62.
WIND S.S.E.—fine sunshiny weather.

ti 10 11 WATER AT LONDON B ID( IE.

Tars DAY —Morning, fi min. after 1 Evening, 29 min. after
To-Konsow ,riun, 49 ,nla. alter 1 t Evening, 6 min. atter 2

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