The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-03 00:00:00

LIBERALS.

Allowed
Disallowed

None.

THE NEEDLES.—An important discovery has re•
cently been made by commander Sherringham and the
officers of the Dasher, surveying vessel, of a great error
in the Admiralty charts, representing the depth of water
and some dangerous sunken rocks in the Needles passage.
For many years there have appeared in the charts issued
from the llydrographic-office marks of soundings near the
Needles' rocks, pointing out sunken chalk rocks in the
narrow passage, with the water over them not exceeding
three or four fathoms ; and in consequence there is an
order in force from the Admiralty that no captain of a
ship of the line is to make that passage, down crr up the
Solent, to or from the Channel, through the Needles. The
Dasher, surveying vessel, has been occupied for the last
year in surveying and sounding the water over the
shoals, and in the channels, bays, &c., leadiagfrom Christ-
church Bay to Cowes, and a week or two since came to
the Needles, and minutely examined the passage be-
tween that part of the Isle of Wight and the shingles,
including Alum Bay, &c. Soundings were taken in
three lines over the supposed dangerous chalk rocks, the
width being quite 500 yards, and the leads were dropped
as quick and as close as possible, first from a boat, and
afterwards from the Dasher, when it was ascertained
that at low water there was never less than five fathoms,
or thirty feet water over every part, and that a line of-
battle ship could with ease work to sea by that channel
much quicker when the wind is from E. than by having
to beat up from Spithead to the Nab light, and round
by Bembridge ledge. A full report of this important
fact, with a descriptive chart, has been made by Com-
mander Sherringham, and transmitted to the Admiralty
who will doubtless represent to the Trinity Board the
advantages which will arise to the mercantile shipping,
when it is known that vessels of great draught of water
can use the Needles' passage i . n any weather, without
risk. The last ships of the line which passed through
the Needles were the Spartiate and Wellesley ; the latter
had the flag of the late Rear-Admiral Sir F. Maitland,
K.C.8., bound to India, but sho was without her lower
deck guns. On one day's survey Commander Sherring-
ham was accompanied by Vice-Admiral Sir G. E.
Hammel, Bart., of South Yarmouth, known to be one of
the best pilots of that part of the Isle of Wight. and he
was agreeably surprised at the soundings which were
obtained.—Shipping Gazette.
Offence was lately taken by the " sovereign
people" at Saratoga, in the United States, that Madame
Jumel (the widow of the famous Aaron Burr) should
presume to drive in a carriage with four horses. The
lady was grossly insulted. Thin is something of the
same character with an expression of public opinion to-
wards an innovator a year or two ago. The offender
was a gentleman of wealth, who had resided some time
abroad : returning with his English servants, he was
stoned in the street of New York for riding with a
mounted servant in livery behind .him.
FLAX.—IRELAND.—If only o ne-half of the lands
in Ireland, suitable for flax culture, were under that
crop, employment, and that in the poorest districts,
would be afforded to upwards of four millions—about
half the population. independently of its claims, on
the ground of profit to the fame .r and employment to
the labourer, flax culture adds tho very important one,
of mainly contributing to uphold and increase a manu-
facture which already employs tho usands of hands in
its prosecution ; it has distributed wealth wherever it
has settled, and is in fact the most flourishing and im-
portant of the industrial resources of Ireland. We are
led into these remarks by observing that flax culture
ufnodrelrroland," that atl le auspices of " The
Flex has p rp er
os sveedm
esnot rsaopci
ideltyy
deputa-
tion, headed by the Marquis of Domnshire, attended on
Wednesday, at Windsor, and that " specimens of linen
and camlirics were presented and gt aeionsly received by
her Majesty." These specimens we re made from purely
Irish grown flax ; the webs of Hill In and cambric both
bore the seal of " The Golden Fllax," to the spirited
proprietors of which too much praise cannot be given
for their indefatigable real in stinxt; biting this industry.