The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-04 00:00:00

301,169

328,944

/V
4'~~

/ ,

DISTRICT NO. 58.--DEVONSIIIRE, PART OP (PLYMOITTIL)
Proposed to consist of the following Superintendent
Registrar's Districts :
Name. Population. Name. Population.
East Stonehouse... 9,712 Plympton St. Mary 19,817
St. Germains... ... 16,120 Oakharnpton ... 22,001
Holsworthy... ... 12,333 Stoke Damerel 33,822
Kingsbridge... ... 21,537 Tavistock 23,995
Newton Abott ... 44,358 Totnes
•.. 34,126
Plymouth ... 36,5271

1 274,348
Towns in which it is proposed that Courts should
be held :—Newton Abbott, Totnes, Dartmouth' Kings_
bridge, Plymouth, Taristock, Holsworthy, Oakhompton,
Saltash.

DISTRICT No. 5'
Proposed to consist of th
Registrar's Districts :
Name. Population.
St. Austell ... ... 31.417")-^'Thee ••• •
Bodniin... ... ... 20,800
Came!ford ... ... 8,063
i St. Columb ... ... 16,167
••• ••
Falmouth ... ... 21,654 ... ...
llelston ... ... 32,546
Launceston ... ... 16,746
Liskeard ... .. 26,484 •
Towns in which it is proposed that Courts should be
held:—Launceston, Cameltord, Bodmin, Liskeard, St.
Austell, St. Columb Major, Truro, Penryn, Redruth,
11, lstone, Penzance.
N.B.—The population is here taken from the account
printed 2d October, 1841 (52) ; it differs slightly from
the more correct return afterwards given in the census.
The latter, being arranged in hundreds and parishes,
could not be used for the present purpose.

i 9. -CORN WA LL.

ie following Superintendent

Name. Population.
Penzance 50,100
Redruth ... 48,062
Scilly Islands ... 2,582
Stratton 9,432
Truro ... ... 43,137

327,190

GREAT BRITAIN STEAM-SHIP.
7'o THE EDITOR OF THE SUN:
Sin,—Now, near the middle of the nineteenth een-
.ury, when competing merit has brought the sci-
ence of engineering to such perfection that our
most eloquent and learned councils tell us that
there are no engineering difficulties save that of find-
ing money, it may be considered out of place for
me, when great men are in the field, to contribute my
mite in offering a few suggestions which, if not acted
upon in floating the Great Britain, may in some degree
be useful in stimulating more competent persons to ac-
complish so desirable an object.
The plan which I should adopt would be to place at
each side of the ship, and at equal distance from the line
of gravity, two cast-iron hollow pillars, with circular
solid bases, and constructed of such strength, as would
enable them to bear the whole weight of the ship ; tie
bases to be constructed with ribs, anal of sufficient di-
mensions to support the upright position of the
pillars (the top of which should stand above the high-
water line of spring tides), or should these bases not be
sufficient, the ground might be piled, ar_d the pillars set
in ruitable frame-work; then at the top of these pillars
I should carry tie beams from the one to the other, form-
ing a quadrangle, and using such other tie beams or
chain work as might be required to secure the vertical
position of the pillars, and from the top of the pillars on
the starboard to the opposite ones on the larboard, I
should carry a tudor-head of wrought iron, sufficiently
strong to bear the weight of the ship, and constructed
in such a way as to throw the lines of gravity as much
as possible on the vertical pillars; care being taken at
the same time to brace the pillars together with chains
sufficiently strong to resist the outward pressure which
would necessarily fall upon them. Then from the vertex
of these arches I would suspend iron bars to the fulcrum
of levers, placed in such position that the suspended
iron bars would act as fulcrums to the levers, which
1% ould be so constructed as to enable four or five men to
work them with a screw sufficiently powerful to lift a
weight of 20,000 tons. Having thus securely, and of more
than sufficient strength, arranged the whole apparatus, I
would attach to the ship at low water as many boats or
other floating bodies asl could procure, and with the rising
tides I would gradually apply the combined powers every
following tide, until I had succeeded in lifting the ship
out of the sand ; and if the water should then be found
insufficient to float her, I would anchor a number of
boats at a short distance from her, to break off the sea
and storms till the next spring tides afforded me a suffi-
ciency of water, making in the meantime such repairs
as would enable me to tow her to sea ; and should the
vessel when raised frcm the sand be capable of floating
herself, there would be no difficulty in allowing
her either then, or at any other time, to carry
away without danger the whole of the tackle and
top part of the frame-work leaving behind only the
metal pillars, which could afterwards be taken also. I
am fully aware of the position in which the Great
Britain is now placed, and I beg to recommend to all
who are interested in the matter a careful perusal of
these suggestions, which contain an outline of the system
that I should adopt, had I the honour of assisting to
float her, which I have no doubt would be the successful
result of a proper application of those means.
I am, Sir, your obedint servant,
EDWARD SANDS,
Civil Engineer and Surveyor.

Sheffield, Nov. 2, 1846.