The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-18 00:00:00

LONDON, THUbSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 18, 1856.

F. METER HALL-TO-MORROW NIGHT.-
KEITH, ?ROWSE, and Co. have made arrangements by
which they will be enabled to supply their friends and the public
with THREE and FIVE SHILLING TICKETS for the Sacred
Harmonic Society's performance of Handel's Messiah to-morrow
evening, up to the latest hour.

MR. W. S. WOODIN'S OLIO of ODDITIES,
with New Costumes and • rious Novelties, Vocal and Chi-
racteristic, will be given during the Christmas Holidays, in the
Polygraphic-halt. King William-street. ('haring-cross. Opening
Nights, FRIDAY, Dec. 26th. First MORNING PERFORMANCE
on SA VRDAY, Dec. 27, at Three. Private Boxes and Stalls may
be secured without extra charge, at the Box-office. the Polygraphic
Hall is being entirely redecorated.

RGYLI, ROOMS.-LAURENT'S CASINO,
Great Windmill-street, St. James's.—The above elegan
:looms are now open every evening for the winter season, with
Laurent's celebrated Orchestra. Principal Cornet-a-piston, M.
"onlcourt. The Proprietor begs to inform the public that Di 's
fashionable place of resort has been entirely redecorated during the•
recess. Doors open at half-past eight, commence at nine. Admis-
,ion One Shilling.

R. KAHN'S ANATOMICAL MUSEUM,
4, Coventry-street, Leicester-square.—Open (for Gentlemen
mly) from 10 till 10, containing upwards of one thousand models
And preparations, illustrating every part of the human frame in
health and disease, the race of men, &c. Lectures delivered at 12,
?, 4, and half-past 7, by Dr. G. SEXTON', ; and a new and
highly-interesting series of Lectures is now in courss of delivery
by Dr. KAAN, at a quarter pAst 8 p.m. precisely. Admission. One
Shilling. Catalogues containing Lectures as delivered by Dr. Khan
(gratis).

PUBLICATIONS.

Now ready, in 1 vol., with 1,500 Engravings of Arms,
SIR BERNARD BURKE'S PEERAGE and
11 ARONET.I“E for 1857,
New Edition, corrected throughout from the personal communications
of the Nobility, &c.
Hurst and Biackett, Pub.iners, succ,ssors to Henry Colburn.

MR. JEAFFRESON'S NEW NOVEL.
Now ready at all the libraries, in 3 vols.,
ISABEL ; the Young Wife and the Old Love;
By J. C. JEAFFRFSON, _

Author •f "Croce Rise," &c.
Hirst and Blackett, Publishers, successors t• Henry Colburn,

INTERESTING CHRISTMAS PRESENT.

Now ready, in 1 vol., with numerous Illustrations by the author,
PEN AND PENCIL PICTURES,
By THOMAS HOOD.
. . .

"Few will have seen this book announced without having a wish
to welcome it. By his poetry and his prose Thomas Hood tho second
distinctly announces himself to be his father's son."—Athenreum.

Masi and Blackett, Publishers, 13, Great Marlborough-street.

INTERESTING CIIRISTAIAS PRESENT.
Twelfth Edition, with 15 illustrations, 65., bound,

PHE CRESCENT AND THE CROSS,
By ELIOT WARBURTON.
11_

" Independently of its value as an original narrative, and its useful
and interestinir information, this work is remarkable for the colouring
power and play of Gilley with which its descriptions aro enlivened.
Among its greatest and most lasting charms is its reverent and
serious spirit."—Quarterly Review.
Hurst and Blacken, Publishers, successors to Henry Colburn.

Naval and Military intelligence.

There is no foundation for the rumour prevalent a few
days since that Lord John Hay would supersede Captain
Prevost in the command of the Satellite.

SHEERNESS—WEDNESDAY. •
Thistle, gun boat, Mr. Sutton, second master, in com-
mand, arrived here yesterday from surveying the coast of
Scotland, under the Porcupino, and this morning shehauled
into the cam her to refit, we believe.
Emerald, 50, screw, is still at the basin moorings. She
would, we believe, have gone on her trial trip this day ; but
owing to the dense fog it is postponed by the Government.
Hawke, 60, screw block ship, Captain James Wilcox,
hauled down this afternooon to fit out as a coast guard
ship. She has gone into the basin.
Wellington, 74, screw, is rigged complete at the fair-way
moorings. She is also for the coast-guard, but not com-
missioned.

Melampus, 42, is still in No. 3 dry dock.
Meeanee, 84, screw, hauled into No. 2 dry dock, where
she will be fitted with a screw propeller. She will not be
lengthened more than an additional sternpost, which will
make her about three feet longer, She was luilt iu Bom-
bay, auu is considered as sound as ever she was.

DEVONPORT—WEDNESDAY.
Indus, 70, fitting at this port, as flag ship for the West
Indies, was taken into dock on Monday, and will come out
on Thursday.

Jading Watt, 91, Captain Talavera V. Anson, at this
port, went out of harbour on Wednesday last, and on
Thursday proceeded outside the Breakwater to try her
engines, which proving satisfactory, she ndy only awaits
sailing orders.

Eagle, 50, is to be commissioned at this port for the
coast-guard service by Captain H. A. Storey, with a com-
plement of 90 officers and men.

An order has for some time been in existence, issued by
the Admiralty, against the sale of excisable liquors by par-
ties in employ in the dockyard, but that order has nut
until recently been strictly enforced. A few days since,
however, it was ascertained that a labourer in the Govern-
ment employ kept a beer-house, upon the knowledge of
which he was ordered to give up one or the other of his
avocations. He preferred retaining the beer-house, and
was, accordingly, dismissed her Majesty's service.

WOOLWICH—WEDNESDAY.
The select committee of Royal Artillery officers pro-
ceeded to the long-practice range in the Government
marshes, Plumstead, at 12 o'clock this day, for the purpose
of carrying on some interesting experiments with 68-
pounders, which were fired with the aid of electricity.
The target was made to imitate the bulk-head of a vessel,
and the timber was lined with iron Elates four inches thick,
being the eamedescAption as the iron ihtes which form the
inner portion of the Thunderbolt and other floating batte-
ries. A rapid succession of firing took place, and the re-
sult was deemed favourable to the combination of timber
and iron. The experiments are to be repeated.

THE STEAM-PLOUGH.

"I. A. C." writes to a contemporary as fo]

lows :

Sir,—On Friday last I bad the pleasure of witnessing
Mr. Fowler's new steam-plough at work on the farm of
Mr. Chater, near Slough ; •and I wish the public to kn-,w
that machinery has at last been set in motion which
really can plow;': with economy as well as efficiency.
Since the Chelmsf.rd and Boxted trials last July very
great improvements have been made in the framework
and steering of the ploughs ; the anchorage at the ends
of the work are now ser-acting, being shifted forward,
when required, by the same wirerope that hauls the
plough up and down the field, and this is supported upon
friction rollers, mounted on light frames so as to lighten
friction and reduce the draught. The engine I saw was
one of Raosome and Sims' 10-horse portable engines, and
so stationed along with the windlass that a length of
more than half a mile of rope could be led out to em-
brace about two days' work on one side, and, when that
was completed, plough an equal extent of ground on the
other. Owing to a wrong pressure-gauge being then on
the engine I was unable to compute the power engaged ;
but the attendant considered it to be about eight or nine
horse-power; and this kept three ploughs in work at
once, with about half a mile of rope out., at a pace of
about two miles a-d a quarter per hour. In two hour,
the extent of ground plor•Thed was about 1 acre 25
perches—say at the rate of five acres in a short winter
day. Five men were working in the engine, windlass, and
plough, and a man and horse were fetching water; and
the total expenses—including 55.. per day for interest,
wear, and tear, &c., and allowing one removal of
the engine and tackle every fourth day, I estimated at
385., or about 7s. 7d. per acre. But the machinery was
not working at its full advantage ; the four-plough im
plement ought to have been used instead of the smaller
three-plough frame, which would be best had the land

been heavier, and thus a smaller percentage of power
would have been consumed by the tackle and a larger
proportion been available for ploughing. Were it allow-
able so to trespass on your space I could give you figures
for all I assert ; and I believe it to be a fair statement
of the capabilities of the apparatus, as I saw it in
work, to. Fay that it could just as well have been
ploughing six as five acres per day, thus making the
cost 6s. 4d. per acre. By adopting another form of
windlass, with self-winding mechanism, it appears to
me that the labour cf one man might be dispensed with,
bringing the expense down to only 6s. per acre. The
field was a very level wheat-stubble, and the ploughs,
going 5i inches deep, an operation considered by farmers
and labourers on the spot to be good stiff work fur a
pair of horses in a common plough, and worth, I sup-
pose, about 7s, per acre 'at the lowest computation of
the expense of horse-teams. The furrows were beauti-
fully straight, the bottom smooth and even, the slices
well turned and laid ; and the only improvement needed
seemed to be the addition of skim-coulters, to bury the
surface vegetation perfectly. Mr. Fowler is able to
plough very light land, I was informed, for 35., and
heavy land for 6s. per acre ; and he is now trenching
for his Royal Highness Prince Albert, on Shore Farm,
10 inches deep, at 15s. per acre. For turn-wrest, or
one-way work, it is now proved that the steam-plough
can operate more cheaply tkan horse-ploughs ; while
there are other general practical advantages which com-
pletely establish its superiority.
And now, Sir, suffer me to ask whether Mr. Fowler
has received the encouragement that he deserves, not
so much from the general public as from the Royal
Agricultural Society—the professed patron and rewarder
of all great improvements in tillage machinery ? The
society offered a priz.o of 5001. for " the steam-cultivator
which shall in the most efficient manner turn over the
soil, and be an economical substitute for the plough or
the spade." Only one of the competitors who appeared
at Chelmsford attempted to show how much land could
be " turned over" in a given time. Mr. Boydell's trac-
tion-engine did not actually perform enough ploughing
to determine the cost of its labour ; Mr. Smith's steam
implements did not plough at all, but effected a novel
kind of tillage not answering to the society's "condi-
tions ;" but Mr. Fowler's plough and trenching plough
were evidently so nearly equal to the duty demanded
that an adjourned trial was resolved upon. The judge's
report of the trials at Boxted-lodge has not been publish.
ed, and the consulting engineer's determination of the
power, expenses, and other items remain, therefore, un-
known; but the newspaper accounts at the time stated
that in a level field of great length (and so requiring an
excessive length of wire rope to_ be travelling at once),
about 21 horse power was employed ; the work proceeded
at the rate el about 82 acres per day of 10 hours (turning
at the ends included), and the total expenses, with inte-
rest, wear and tear, removal ;o the field, &c., amounted
to a trifle over 7s. per acre, while the cost by horse labour
would have been ab,,ut the same sum. The quality of the
work was universally considc:ed to be ♦ery regular and
well done; and the germs of improvement were easily dis-
cernible in various parts of the apparatus. Last week
the u•oeiety held a special council to decide respecting the
adjudication of the prize. Although so closely approach-
ing to the cost of horse labour, the steam plough had not
fulfilled thestriot letter of the "conditions," and so the
" undivided sum"of 500/, could not be awarded. Perhaps
a handsome pecuniary remuneration was thereupon
spontaneously voted by the council for Mr. Fowler's
wonderful exertions and success in thelsolution of a great
agricultural problem ? No. A gold medal, as some mark
of distinction and encouragement ? No. Not a farthing
—not a tangible acknowledgment in any shape has been
offered him. After six years of astonishing public success
in the application of portable steam-power and wire-rope
and pulley-apparatus to drainage and tillage—after ex-
pending many thousands of pounds, overcoming extraor-
dinary mechanical difficulties, and the still stouter pre-
judices of the farming world—after training many thou-
sand of acres by his novel and marvellous method, and
achieving at last a greater measure of success in steam
ploughing than any other inventor has yet shown us,
John Fowler has received from the Royal Agricultural
Society (the great promoter of all improvements that can
benefit husbandry), the munificent encouragement and
assistance of—nothing. I beg pardon. At the Lincoln
meeting in 1854 the judges manifeoted their apprecia-
tion of his genius by conferring upon him a silver medal;
and, if I remember rightly, an exceedingly useful cottage
cooking stove, a one-horse cart, and some corrugated
piping obtained for their exhibitors the like high honour
on the same occasion.
I do not know that any great blame attaohes to the
society : the good souls keep to their rules, and carefully
watch against the creeping in of " precedent ;" but the
point is, if they go on year after year giving handsome
presents to the identical old plough,, hoes, drills, tie.,
that have duly pocketed and puffed the honour for many
successive meetings, and have nothing to bestow, either
in accordance with the " terms of their offer," or beyond
rad in spite of them, upon an inventor who stanis
almost i❑ a class by himself, and who, by amazing exer-
tion of thought, physical. energy, and outlay of capital,
has Producci a novel order of machinery sufficient to
evolutionise our method of draining and cultivation,
will not the public begin to inquire where are the
national spirit and enterprise of such a society I
However, if the society dare not remunerate John
Fowler, I have no hesitation in affirming that his inven-
tion is now so far advanced and so thoroughly recognized
and appreciated by the agricultural community that his
personal success is independent of all prize-lists what-
ever.