The Sun.
London, England, 1805-10-18 00:00:00

CURIOUS EXPERIMENT.

DEAL, OCT. 16.-r—On, Monday morning Mr.
1111.kNcts, who last year contrived the Expedition
and constructed the IVlaehineA which Sir Horn
POPHAM ran among the Enetny's Flotilla 'at .136u-
lope, arrived here from Dover; and a rumour was
soon spread that he was going to make an' experi-
ment, to blow up a brig IA 300 tons, with oue of
his pew invented Catarnaans. Curiosity was soon
alive, and about four P. M. great crop ds of people
assembled on the beach, from .oeld to Wilmer Cas-
tle, opposite which the brig lay. d saw sal-end peo-
, plc working about her, and much 'movement of
boats, but. dark the brig remained unhurt, and
the people much disappointed, thinking the experi-
ment had failed, very liberally cursed Mr. FRANCIS
and his Catamarans. On .11.0esclay, however, about
three P. M. he again appeared on the beach, where
1 and only a few, whose curia,ity had not abated,
were assembled; we l'ollowett bit to th I,%,twr's
,4,.tdygel; W%lVleuts46Ll4Tlylll:lit

I-21,1'4110TE, anti 1.11C4; t: Mr.
I'tTT. Alter wrliktni:
some time he tied a white pocket handkerchiefto
the end of his cane, and nude a signal to tit rig
which lay about half a mile from the shore, al' -In-
stantly a long ten-oared ;I prted by the ,of
the brig, and threw somethingin to the water.
I presume was. the Catamaran. Mr. FRANCIS thek
drew his =telt, and turning to the Lady, I heard
hint say, "fitteenaninutes is her tune." 1 w,,s now-
all anxiety forthe result, and held my Watch, counl.,
tug the minutes. ln sixteen minutes the explo,ioa
took place, liot Much hinder than a four-po,
an immense colunm of water and smoke was thro,,. II
up, which almost obscured the vessel : she ..ppe..l-
- to be lifted out. of the water, and heelin
board, she .separated in the middle, and thetAvo
ends immediately went-to the bottom ; one mi-
nute nothing' .was, to t)e seen of her but ,mor.s,els
of floating. wreck ; the' sight was the rnoq
awful, and grand I eVer tvitnessed. She waS
riding,. at .anchor, sails bent, new "painted, and
seeMingly .prepared , for
,a VoyZige ; and, as if by a
era of Nattire, in one minute.she di alpp.
went to the bOttoM. The wreckr,Wlpi quickly sur-
rou4ded by the Boats of the curious, and I among
others, went to View her reti,ntins. fore-catic..
and main-deck 'were floating, she was broke coin-
pletelyin two, the planks ,of her deck and sidcs,
were split inthousandi of pieces, the fore-in:WI
broke in two, the manknast.and pump Were
out of her, and the main4oHail yard was blowu
up to the cross-trees; her knees were turn from et
sides', and the beams of the deck broke sevtl.al
places; in faa, it is impossible to describe a more
completed ecomposition of a vessel, or a ntinv dread
ltd crash of materials. Itwas perhaps °wattle in6,!.t
curious ex'perinments which hab been made in'moderri
times, fin' who would not have cOncluded that the
powder would spend its force on the Water, which
ispoveable,iand not pass throUgh the strong-fraMed
bottom of ? Why was the report P
frinn the explosion so inconsiderable, when the et-
lea was st great ?
It is said Mr. FRANCIS fig a‘celebrated Foreigner,
who is in cog-in this Country : lie is a tall genteelman, about thirty„Speaks good English, With rt.;
titer a German accent, and is perhaps a Ifanoverian:

I

k