The Sun.
London, England, 1851-08-29 00:00:00

conducted under the direction of the Kennet and
Avon Canal Company. Hitherto, the canal barges had
been towed by horses, an operation which, considering
that the barges are 70 by 134 feet, and when laden
with fifty or sixty tons, draw nearly four feet of
water, is both tedious and expensive. Captain
MORRICE, R.N., on his being appointed traffic ma-
nager to the company last year, was struck with the
great advantages which would arise by the applica-
tion of steam instead of horses to their propulsion.
He made several experiments on the river Avon, be-
tween Bath and Bristol, and also upon a portion of
the canal, with a small screw steamer of eight-
horse power, and became satisfied that a
speed at least double that attainable with
horses might be arrived at, if a steamer
could be constructed of sufficient power, which at the
same time would not require too great a draught
of water, and which would not, by the commotion
produced in the water, destroy the banks of the canal
—difficulties which had been hitherto deemed insur-
mountable. The Kennet and Avon committee ac-
cordingly ordered a boat to be procured, the building,
construction, design, and fitting of which was en-
trusted to Mr. JONES, an engineer, well known as the
inventor and patentee of the" Cambrian" steam-engine.
Mr. JONES at once set about building an iron steamer
for the purpose, 47 feet long, 9 feet beam, and 5 feet
depth of hold, fitted with the Cambrian engine and
GRIFFITHS'S patent propeller, and only drawing 3 feet
44 inches even keel; but with the protector of the
screw 3 feet 9 inches, with four tons of coal, the crew,
and all stores aboard. By their combined action all
the difficulties hitherto experienced were expected to
be overcome ; and, as tested by the vessel's working,
have been successfully so. By the " Cambrian" any
required speed is communicated to the propeller by
direct action, without gearing, or other secondary
movement; while GRIFFITHS'S screw propeller, which
is entirely in opposition to the principles of the screw
propellers hitherto in use, instead of causing the water
to be drawn, as in the ordinary screw, through the
central portion, and to be driven outwards with great
velocity at right angles, by the centrifugal action of
the blades, consuming about 25 per cent. of the
total power 'in destroying the effective action
of the screw blades upon the water, causes (by having
its centre formed into a sphere, one-third or more of
the entire diameter of the propeller, with the blades
narrower at their extremities, growing gradually
wider to their junction with the sphere,) the water to
come in the right direction on the widest and most
effective portion of the blades, where they lay hold
of it, and drive it away in a direct line with the
vessel's course, by which means all commotion of the
water is prevented—an invaluable result for canal
navigation. Captain MORRICE reports that, upon
trial, the performance of the boat in power and
speed fully answered every expectation, having fre-
quently towed from Bristol to Bath, eighteen miles,
in three hours forty- five minutes ; from Bath to
Bristol in two hours forty-five minutes, not including
the passing through the locks ; the usual time for
horses to perform the journey up being from nine to
twelve hours, and down about seven hours. The
boat was then tried from below Reading to Lon-
don, and where free from weeds (which were found to
retard the vanes of the propeller until its edges were
sharpened) towed upwards of four miles an hour ;
and after passing Richmond, where the water was six
or seven feet deep, a speed of six miles per hour was
obtained, and, en getting past Kew-bridge, she went
over the ground at a rate of eight miles an hour, with
a little ebb tide in her favour. A barge was after-
wards towed by her, from London up the Themes to
Staines-bridge, with the tide as far as Richmond, and
a speed of eight miles an hour was obtained, and trom
Richmond to Staines, a distance of 22 milts, at a
speed of three and three-quarters to four miles
an hour and here the superiority of towing
by steam, over horses, was apparent, as
a barge, with four horses, hardly made more
than one mile and a half per hour. A
trial of her speed, without towing, was made, and, al-
though She is only a barge, her speed was equal to the
Westminster-bridge river steamer, the Blue Bell,
running alongside of her from Westminster to Lon-
don-bridge, at the rate of ten miles an hour. Cap-
tain MORRICE states that the expense of working
these tugs will be much less than that of the horses
required to perform the same work, while much more
than double the speed will be obtained, and that, too,
without the very heavy expenses attendant upon the
wear and tear of lines and ropes; they will also be
worked with perfect ease to the bargemen. A great
desideratum has thus been arrived at, and there cau-
not be a doubt but that the use of steam on
canals, &c., will entirely supersede the employment
of horses, and that an immense saving, both in the
time and expense of towing, will be effected.

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

COWES, THURSDAY MORNING, 9 A.M.—The Ti-
tinio and the America are just leaving Cowes Roads
fit the Nab, accompanied by a whole fleet of yachts.
There is a fine strong breeze from the N. They are
to run twenty miles S.E., and to beat back to the
Nab. The Queen steamer, with the R. Y. S. com-
mittee on board, is to accompany them. The com-
mittee has kindly given permission to the reporters
of The Sun and Bell's Life to take a passage.
GRAND MATCH BETWEEN THE AMERICA
AND TITANIA YACHTS FOR 2001.

The Xarifa started the yachts at a quarter past
eleven, from the Nab Light vessel, there being a
strong wind from the N.N.W., the run twenty miles
due S.E. for the Queen steamer, which has taken a
position that distance from the Nab. The America
rounded the steamer first by 4m. 12s. They had
to beat back against a strong gale, as the wind had
freshened, and the America had it all her own way,
and arrived at the Nab 52 minutes before the Titania.
h. m. s.
America .
Titania

We are sorry to say that the Lord Bishop of Bath
and Wells has been obliged to have three of his fingers
amputed ; mortification ensuing in these parts, the painful
operation became necessary to save his Lordship's life.—
Sherborns Journal.

ROYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION. -- Not the
least important or attractive part of the Polytechnic Institu-
tion is the section devoted to the illustration of the applica-
tions of gas to cooking, heating, and lighting purposes, and
we would strongly recommend all who feel any interest in
the production or consumption of gas to pay a visit to this
apartment, where they will have the opportunity of becoming
more thoroughly acquainted with the very numerous applica-
tions of this very important adjunct to oar domestic comforts.
The lectures which are delivered daily, both morning and
evening, contain many practical and useful hints, more es-
pecially those in the evening, which refer more particularly
to the use of gas as a source of light. Cooking by gas forms
the subject of the morning lecture, and if we are to judge of
the interest by the frequent application for a taste of the
viaads prepared, we confess there is a probability of a revo-
lution at no very distant day in many of our culinary opera-
tions ; at all events we are quite sure the subject of gas cook-
ing deserves being inquired into.

A heavy storm was experienced at Southampton
on Wednesday night, commencing about half-past ten
o'clock. The ram came down in torrents, and it was pitch
dark. The storm lasted for several hours. The Channel
Island mail steamer got away at midnight, but it is sus-
pected that she brought up in some part of the river. The
Havre mail steamer, which should have left at the same
time, did not venture to leave the pier ; both of these
steamers were crowded with passengers. The America❑
mail steamer Franklin, bound for .N ew York from Havre
and Southampton, lay to in Cowe3 roads for a few hours
until the storm abated ; she left Havre with 105 passen-
gers and 300 tons of cargo. The American mail steamers,
both from Havre and Bremen, load remarkably well not-
withstanding the fierce opposition they receive from Li-
verpool.

AMALGAMATION or THE NORTHERN OF FRANCE
AND THE BOULeGNE RAILWAYS.—An extraordinary general
meeting of the Great Northern of Fiance Railway Company
was held yesterday to take into consideration the propriety
of ratifying the treaty lately agreed to between the board of
directors of that company and the board of the Boulogne
Company, for an amalgamati.n of the two lines; the priu•
cipal condition being that every two Boulogne shares,
liberated at 500 f., may be exchanged for one Northern share
liberated at 400 f.; or, at the option of the Boulogne share-
holders, each share of that company may be exchanged for
an obligation of 500 f. issued by the Northern Company, and
bearing 3 per cent. interest. Very little discussion took
place, and the treaty was ratified almost unanimously, only
eight hands amongst all the persons present being held up in
the negative.— Gaiigncuzi.
FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE CREEK MILLS, BAT-
TintsEA.—On Wednesday evening the following awful acci-
dent occurred at Mr. Penny's flour-mills, Creek- bridge, York-
road, Battersea. James Miles, a lad about fifteen years of
age, who is millwright at Mr. Diver's horizontal mill, was
employed in his duty as assistant to the engineer at Mr.
Denny's mill to put a pin in the rod to set the pump going
as the engine wanted water. He had done this, when, by
some extraordinary means, and which are totally unac-
counted for at present, the large fly-wheel, which makes
thirty revolutions a minute, struck the deceased on the
head ; and the engineer, who had missed the boy on going
into the engine-house, found him lying- with his head be-
tween the opening that permits of the fly-wheel making its
revolutions; and, as this wheel had six shafts or spokes, each
iat r
deceased's head, and had removed the whole of
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