The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-03 00:00:00

THE GREAT BRITAIN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TI3IES.
Sir,—Your admirable and most just remarks on the
cause which led to the wreck of the Great Britain are
so convincing, so unanswerable, that not another word
is required to explain the case; but there is one part of
Captain Hosken's letter which I cannot understand.
He has stated that he took the light on St. John's
Point for one of the lights on the Calf of Man, and that
he stood on the N.W. by N. course from eight o'clock to
about half-past nine, when the ship was discovered to
be in shallow water, with the view of getting on " the
right bearing for rounding the Hen and Chicken Rocks,
lying off the Calf of Man." He then continues—" I
then hauled the ship up to north gradually, and to N.
E. ultimately, when I was surprised to find, on in-
quiring the time, that it was a quarter past nine. I ran
down for a moment to look at my chart and back to the
helm, when,' heard a loud hail from the forecastle, and
at the same moment I saw what appeared and proved to
be shoal water alongside; I instantly sung out, Hard
a port; stop her.' This was done."
Now, Sir, it appears to me, that as the danger which
had been apprehended by Captain Hosken was the Hen
and Chicken Rock, and that when he altered the course
to north and N. E. to round them he considered these
dangers were on his starboard bow, he would, I should
have supposed, order the helm to be put hard a-star-
board, instead of hard a-port, when the shoal water was
first diseovered, in order to put the ship's head from
those supposed rocks; and, had he done this, although
'he shoal water proved to be on the coast of Ireland,
'et, had_lbe_ helm_bef
•k .n
puthe,ardrAhg
iitv.if d
notth theine stant
i__cer-

shore.
Here it might be asked, what marks he took for al-
tering the course from N.W. by N. to N.? Did he see
a second light, or how did the St. John's light (as it
proved to be) bear when he hauled up to N,? It
could not, I imagine, have borne E.N.E. by compass,
which the Calf light should have borne before he altered
his course to have rounded the Hen and Chicken Rocks,
which lie off the Calf of Man. •
Captain Hosken observes, that at a quarter past 9 he
ran down to look at his chart.
The question has naturally beeti asked, bow often did
he consult his chart during the passage over? and did he
calculate the distance run upon it at any period before
9 o'clock?
If he had done 'this, he must have known that the
light seen at eight o'clock bearing N.N.W. could not by
any possibility have been the light on the Calf of Man ;
and why he did not refer to his chart and the log-board
half a dozen times at least during the preceding eight
hours, he alone can explain, more especially as the wea-
ther became so thick and hazy after five o'clock.
Although this magnificent ship lies imbedded in the
sand, it surely cannot be intended to abandon her with-
out some further trials to get her off.
My sincere belief is that she can be got off without
much difficulty.
Why have not the largest sized empty casks been al-
ready a
ttried p
attempts
beerassist
floating
place her ? Why have not
some
" w
bdttom in different parts ? Six-inchoaka3s plank"'undm might,
e
gr
ht
think, be got under her bottom in different parts by
dikging away the sand at low water. whereby she would
be the more easily moved by purchases. Certain it is,
' that so splendid a ship ought not to be suffered to be
abandoned without every effort being first used to get
her again afloat ; and I yet hope to see her once more
crossing the Atlantic, proudly showing what England's
skill has produced.—l am, Sir, yours, 840.•
Oct. 28. - TRIDENT.

The plan proposed by Mr. Mackintosh for floating the
Great Britain steam ship, is, it is said, to be tried. It
has been thus explained :--There is to be a ridge of
stones in a half circle, placed at a short distance from
the stern of the vessel, and some hollow iron shells in
a like circle, charged with gunpowder, besides a few
smaller charges placed along the course to which the
ship is expected to be driven. Upon the semi-circular
train being firod by means of the usual galvanic appli-
ances, the water at the stern of the ship will be lifted
with such force as to loosen the sandy bed, and imme-
diately set her afloat, the continuance of the wave being
accomplished by the firing of the smaller charges, while
the tug steamers are towing in advance. It is calculated
that the water will be agitated to a given extent, not
more than equal to the force already withstood by the
casks deposited
buoyancy.ed in
Thethe gad point Great Britain when at sea, and that a certain number of
ks
ensure
a suchsto
prevent precise
any
untoward
nt
engine-roomra
m willu s t y
give her
rri
Ista
to
et -
e etarrangementoard i nojyfu rth eto
and at the same time to accomplish a simultaneous action
explosive
materials
of the tug steamers, should the auspicious event come
off, and the noble ship be once more afloat. We have
seldom known any nautical occurrence excite more in-
terest here than this does, and certainly none since the
trial of Warner's Long Range. It is hoped that the
Great Britain will not become strained or damaged in
any way not easily reparable.

uLDagoiesrtitrnoige;he sergeant and cor-
t
On Saturday morning the secondbatta
battalion of
Coldstream Guards were assembled inocfosuqrut No. i company,armeaarttiaPtofrot-
man-street barracks, to hear the finding of a Court
wAmihaa
kor
hni aagl d readusbee eo
nof na
abusive
private
ya
nJag.
floral on duty, when he was confined in the guard•room
for being absent a short period, and brought to barracks
by patrols. lie was found guilty, and sentenced to un-
dergo six months' imprisonment and hard labour.
The papers have told so many contradictory stories
as to the period of the Queen's visit to the Duke of Nor-
folk, at Arundel Castle, that we deem it right to state
that no such visit will take place until after the cele-
bration of the birthday of the Prince of Wales, which
will be kept at Windsor on the 9th inst.—Observer.
Accounts have been received from Malta of the
death of R. J. Eaton, Esq., M.P., of Stetchworth Park,
Cambridgeshire. A vacancy has thus been occasioned in
the representation for the county. We hear that Mr.
Adeane, Mr. Townley, Mr. Childers, Lord George
Manners, Lord Cantalupe, and Lord Cosmo Russell
have been named as likely to solicit the suffrages of the
electors. The names of Sir Culling Smith and Captain
Peyton, son of Sir A. Peyton, have also been mentioned.
—From a Correspondent.
GRAND ENTERTAINMENT AT THE MANSION-HOUSE.
—The Lord Mayor gave a most splendid entertainment
' in the Egyptian hall of the Mansion-house, to
80 and 200 guests. The Lord Mayor and Lady
my Dress e
give a grand ball at the Mansion. house on
the sth instant. The grandest preparations are being
made for the occasion, and some of the first people in
obne
at Friday
wenl
will
town are invited.
t hen Fox Esq., late Minister
from our Court to the United States, whose demise is
The late Henry Sep,
announced to have taken place at Washington, the
was collaterally related to the pre.
son of the late Honourable
we believe, in his fifty.
I smfiGefientdhntdeyLl
reeaoalorrdf,rl asHosnxtod.lmlu
naonmncadtr;ha. ,rbr
Foxien w a