The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-28 00:00:00

ABERDEEN HARBOUR.
(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)
ABERDEEN, SEPT. 26, 1847.-1 arrived here a
few days ago from the West Highlands. I came by
coach from Inverness, which leaves there at six
o'clock in the morning, and arrived here about seven
o'clock in the afternoon. I made inquiries as I came
along in all the towns and villages, on the line of
road from Inverness to Aberdeen, as to the state of
the harvest—besides, I had an opportunity of seeing
the country in all directions from the top of the
coach. The harvest operations are, on the whole, in
a pretty forward condition, particularly in Moray-
shire. In Aberdeenshire the crop is nearly cut, and
it only requires a few days of sunshine to make it all
fit for the sickle; the crops are large and heavy, and
of the best quality. The farmers in this county are
great breeders of fat cattle, which are exported every
week by steamers for the London market. I have
been at some of the farms, and have seen beautiful
specimens of Highland bullocks in prime condition,
and ready to be shipped for London salesman.
You are aware that the people of Aberdeen
are famed for their intelligence and great
commercial enterprise. They seem fully sen-
sible of the great strides which are being made
in developing the natural resources of the
country in other parts of the United Kingdom, and
they seem determined not to be in the rear in the
march of improvement. They have at this moment
a magnificent harbour in course of construction, and a
railway, which, I understand, will be opened through
to Aberdeen by the beginning of June 1848.
Great efforts were made to carry on sanitary im-
provements in the city, which, unfortunately, met
with the same fate as Lord Morpeth's Bill. The
works on the harbour and railway are carried on with
great spirit; and as I shall refer more fully to the
works on the railway in a future letter, 'shall confine
myself now to the harbour.
The harbour has all the appearance of a national
work, which is destined to increase the prosperity of
the city. I have seen in my travels many similar
works in course of construction and in a finished
state. I watched the progress of the Birkenhead
Docks, saw them inspected a few days previous to
their being opened for public traffic, but I confess I
never saw anything to surpass the masonry and
general workmanship of the Aberdeen Harbour ; and
if Mr. Abernethy, the engineer, should have no other
work of such magnitude, this, of itself, should give
him a habitation and a name, and place him on a
footing with some of our most eminent engineers.
I have been favoured with the following particu-
lars on the spot, and if you think that they will be
read with interest, you will be pleased to insert them
at length.
The present tidal harbour of Aberdeen contains an
area of 53 acres, 34 of which are in progress of being
converted into a wet dock, to be called, when com-
pleted, " Victoria Dock." The necessary works will
be finished during the ensuing year.
These consist of a quiet entrance lock, the cham-
ber of which is 250 feet in length and 60 feet in '
breadth, having a depth of water on the sill of 21 feet at
ordinary tides, and an entrance, with a single pair of
gates, 70 feet wide, having 24 feet of water on the,
sill ; also 2800 lineal feet of quay walls, making
with those formerly. built, a total length of 6,235
lineal feet of wharfage. The dock when completed
will be capable of containing 300 vessels of the ordi-
nary size, or 60,000 tons of shipping.
In addition to these works, it has been found
necessary to intercept the sewerage of the city,
which formerly discharged into the harbour by a
culvert eight feet wide, and six feet four inches high,
inside measurement, three hundred in length, by
which a great nuisance will be removed, and all pos-
sibility of any deposit within the dock obviated. Of
these various works there is completed the large lock
with the gates, and part of the other entrance, the
greater portion of the quay walls, and the large
culvert or sewer.
The lock has been a work of considerable diffi-
culty on account of the nature of the bottom, it
was built within a coffer dam 390 feet long,
and having six feet of clay puddle between them—
the interior of the darn being finally braced to resist
the great pressure by parallel braces of great magni-
tude, on which cranes traversed in every required
direction for setting the masonry. This dam is kept
dry by four ponderous pumps, worked by the engines
of a steam-boat of 70 horse power, the vessel being
finally secured in a dock, formed for the purpose ;
the masonry of the dock is almost entirely composed
of fine dressed granite resting on a platform of tim-
ber, supported by 4,000 piles of American red pine
from fifteen to twenty feet long. The gates are
of mahogany, covering a . framework of cast
iron, each leaf weighing upwards of fifty tons.
By the arrangement of the machinery these
are easily worked by five men. There are three
pairs of gates in the lock, the object of the inter-
mediate pair being to accommodate the lock to the
size and number of vessels entering, thus econo-
mising time and water. The quay walls are all of
dressed granite, the near walls constructed for a
depth of 21 feet water at deep tides.
The estimated cost of the harbour works is one
hundred and twenty thousand pounds.
I have much pleasure in concluding this brief
sketch by stating that, through the very great care
exercised by every foreman, no accident has hitherto
happened either to the works, or, what is of more
consequence, to those engaged on them.
In addition to the works of the dock, powers have
been obtained for extensive works at the harbour
entrance, such as a pier or breakwater 3,000 feet
in length, for the purpose of deepening the present
channel, by increasing the scouring power from the
current of the River Dee. A diversion of the river
channel is also proposed by which eighty acres of
valuable ground in connexion with the dock will be
reclaimed, and the entrance basin to the dock greatly
enlarged.
I may
mention here that Lord Provost Blackie has
resigned a few days ago, to the great regret of many
of the citizens. Provost Blackie is much respected.
I had an interview with him the other day and I
found him most kind and affable. He has made
great exertions to improve the sanitary condition of
the city.

FREE-TRADE CONGRESS AT
BRUSSELS.

The English members oitrie—i'ree-trade Congress
at Brussels are alluded to in friendly terms in the
Journal des Debats of the 24th. Mr. Ewart and Dr.
Bovvring are the subjects of description of the kind
which evinces interest in the individuals described ;
though in the case of the latter an accidental hoarse-
ness would appear to have been taken for constant and
habitual. Colonel Thompson's allusion to the Em-
peror is manifestly taken in good part; and what is
of greater importance, his definition of " the key
that opens all locks" in questions of free trade, is
given at full. The Congress on Penal Law presented
less unity and enthusiasm than the other. Perhaps
the most remarkable individual that appeared at it
was the Abbe Laroque, aumonier, or chaplain, to the
Invalides, at Paris. In the middle of life, and with
no more of the chaplain than was absolutely neces-
sary in his external appearance, he looked like a
general of brigade in the frock of an ecclesiastic, and
his manner of speaking much resembled that given
on the stage to the Abbe de l'Epee. His matter,
too, seemed to be something analogous ; for when the
dispute ran high on the question of who was to have
the religious superintendence of prisons, and the
Catholic and Protestant portions of the Congress
were in danger of separating, if there was no mis-
take, he said something very much like asking of
what consequence it was who men get their religious
impressions from, pourvu qu'on les aie. In fact,
there was a touch of the Old Guard about him which
must be very consolatory to his halt and maimed
flock of the Invalides.

CITY OF LONDON GENERAL PENSION SOCIETY.—
The annual meeting of this society was held yesterday
at the London Tavern, Mr. Rolls in the chair. A letter
was read from Mr. Richardson, the secretary, resigning
his office. The report was then read by Mr. Smith.
Amongst other things, it appears that there are now in
the receipt of pensions from the society six males and
two females above 90 years of age ; nine males and
eleven females above 80 ; seven males and five females
above 70 ; eleven males and nine females above 60 ; and
four males under 60, totally incapacitated. The report
also stated that the contributions during the past year
were greater than they bad been for thirteen years pre-
viously. Several of the pensioners had died during the
past year, leaving 32 men and 27 women now in receipt
of pensions from the society. The report having alluded
to the wish of the directors to increase the amount of the
pensions (which at present are 31s. to the men and 225.
to the women), concluded by stating that the receipts
during the past year had been 2,111/. 125., and the dis-
bursements 1,6401., leaving a balance in hand of 4711.
It appeared, however, that out of the sum of 900 i. con-
tributed at the last festival (which took place about
four months since), 3001. remained unpaid. Various
alterations in the rules of the society having been made,
Mr. L. J. Ilansard was appointed treasurer, and Mr. G.
Hayward secretary, pro tem. ; and some other routine
Lusiness having been transacted, the meeting separated.
SHOCKING ACCIDENT.—A sad accident occurred on
Thursday morning ,on the railway works at Bent-hill,
rather more than a mile from Buckingham. A number
of men were engaged in an excavation of considerable
depth, when several tons weight of earth fell, crushing
a young man of the name of Attwood against one of the
gang-waggons, and killing him on the spot. A youth
named William Payne was nearly buried beneath the
fallen earth. On being extricated he was found to have
sustained a severe contusion of the head; but, fortu-
nately, lie is expected to recover. Two more men were
injured, but not seriously. i The body of the deceased
will undergo a post mortem examination today. It is
not ascertained when the inquest will be held. The
deceased and the injured men are all of Buckingham.
Lord Harley and suite arrived in London on
Sunday morning, by the General Steam Navigation
Company's mail steam-ship Giraffe, from Rotterdam,
after a favourable passage.