The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-16 00:00:00

THIS DAI'S SHIPPING.

SHIELDS, Oct. 15.—Wind S.W.—Sailed—Alexandine,
for Martinique. Put back—Emilie, from New York,
leaky.
WEST HARTLEPOOL, Oct. 15.—Sailed—Gonzalus (s.s.),
for Bahia.

CLYDE, Oct. 15.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—E. G., from
New York.
QUEENSTOWN, Oct. 15.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Lady
Douglas, from Moulmein ; Woodstock, from Callao ; Ann
Best, from Buenos Ayres.

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)
SOUTHAMPTON, Saturday Morning.

Wind calm.

Arrived—Morning Star, fromainsale; Courier, steamer,
from Jersey ; Havre, steamer, from Havre.
Sailed—Pet, for Port Talbot ; Cautious and Juno, for
Seaham ; Alliance, steamer, for Havre ; Charlotte, for
Guernsey; Matthew Thompson, for Sunderland; Dispatch,
steamer, for Jersey ; Mechanics' Own, for Newport.
LivEnrooL, Saturday Morning.

Wind S.
Arrived, Oct. 15—Ophir, from Islay ; Janier, from
Bilboa.
Arrived, Oct. 16—Rajah of Cochin, from Akyab ; Kirk-
connell, from Maranham.

(BY SUBMARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH
GRAVESEND, Saturday Morning.
Wind, S.W. ; tide, three hours' ebb ; weather, light and
fine.
Arrived, Oct. 15-01impio, from Odessa.
Arrived, Oct. 16—Success, from Dunkirk; City of Nor-
wich, steamer, from Tonning.
DEAL, Saturday Morning.

Wind W.S.W., moderate.
Arrived—Nassarima, from London, for Trinidad.
Passed—Spheroid, for St. Vincent; Violet, for St.
Michael's; Busy Bee, for Shoreham ; Arve, for Cardiff;
Sunshine, for Algoa Bay—all from London.
Sailed—Augusta Wattenbach, Midlothian, King Phillip,
Thames, City, Gwalior, Havering, Majestic, Golconda,
and Advice, with most of the outward bound. The ships
that remain are preparing to sail.

VACANCIES, APPOINTMENTS, AND PROMOTIONS
IN THE CIVIL SERVlCE.—Colonial Department—A clerk-
ship in the Colonial-office has become vacant by the ap-
pointment of Mr. Higgins to a registrarship in bankruptcy.
The Board of Trade—Mr. Thomas M. Johnstone, collector
of customs, Woodbridge, has been appointed receiver of
wrecks, vice Mr. Newson Garrett. Audit-office—A
vacancy has been created in the Audit-office, Somerset
lsalitmorn
House, by the death of Mr. E. E. Hoffay, junior examiner.
eTstebDlishniockyeanrtdast D—Tehveorleipoartre clerkshipsDtowcokyard. c
the
uston vac
G. Flewker has been promoted from first-class clerk to be
a principal clerk in the Long-room, Liverpool ; Mr. Joseph
Pyke has been promoted from second to first-class clerk at
Liverpool ; Mr. J. M. Williams has been promoted from
first-class inspector of patrol to fourth-class tide-surveyor
at Hull. Inland Revenue Department—Mr. E. Farneouth
has been promoted from second clerk in the storekeeper's
osfticniceertsoetbHouse;chief clerkivir flathe
vreetg it
hstarsarbeoefnMp-arrormanott'esd
assistant warehouse-keeper to be warehouse-keeper:fifirll
Mr. D. M'lntyre from storekeeper to be a,ssrsoisintaontte rehousie
Hawkins
sf
chlearkbeinentG warehouse ; Mr.
fromoffice
eto iben-
skpeeeepteorr;
ol‘fl
permits Mr. W. A
t.
oHbac
H. Garlang has been promoted from the diary
superintendent ofbas
teen p
old books
finrotinhefirwsat lreeherTs(L; Mr. J. H.
Harvey
the store-
keeper's office to be first de* i the
/Seno O tnettc. wexetiouse,—Cial

A FLOATING DOCK, BASIN, AND HAR•
BOUR OF REFUGE AT GALWAY.

A very practical and easily-accomplished plan for
the formation of a floating dock and basin, the
effect of which will be to convert Galway Bay into
a harbour of refuge for merchant ships of all classes,
and a starting-point and station westward for her
Majesty's navy at all seasons, and under all circum-
stances, has been placed before the directors of the
Royal Atlantic Mail Steam Navigation Company
by their engineer. This plan can be carried out
efficiently at an expense of less than £lOO,OOO,
while a breakwater could not be constructed in less
than treble the time, and at an expense certainly
of net less than half a million.
REPORT.

With reference to the improvement of the
harbour of Galway for the accommodation of the
large steamships of your company, I beg to submit
herewith for your consideration certain improve-
ments, which I have marked on the accompanying

chart and ordnance map of the bay and harbour,
and which I would propose to be adopted instead of
the pier and breakwater proposed to be constructed
at Mutton Island, for the following reasons :—ln
the first place, I consider the works I propose can
be executed at a much less cost ; and in the second
place, when completed, the improvement that would
be thereby effected, and the accommodation afforded
would be far superior to what would be effected
and afforded by the pier and breakwater at Mutton
Island.

The improvement which I propose is to render
the great basin (formed by nature) of Lough or
Lake Athalia accessible or available for steamships
and other vessels of the largest class and greatest
draft of water.

In order to effect this it would only be necessary
to excavate by means of coffer dams a channel from
the lake at where it is crossed by the railway to
the entrance of the present dock ' • and from thence
to the roadstead the channel should be deepened
where requisite by steam dredges. According to
the soundings marked on the Admiralty charts by
Capt. Bedford, it appears that but little dredging
will be necessary either in Lough Athalia or from
the entrance of the present small dock to the road-
stead, so as to give a depth at high water of neap
tides of 24 feet, which is the greatest draught of the
largest ocean going steamer, or even the great
Leviathan.

The entrance to the lake at where the railway
crosses should be similar to the present dock, and
having like it a pair of tide gates, whereby the
water in the lough could be always kept up at a
height of not less than high water of neaps. The
average present depth of the lake (according to the
soundings marked on the Admiralty charts) at such
times of tide is 21 feet, and at high water of ordinary
springs 25 feet, and in some places there is a depth
of 30 feet, so that very little dredging or excava-
tion would be required m the lake.
The present swivel-bridge should be taken away,
and another of a different construction erected in
its stead.

A wharf should be constructed alongside the
railway, at which the steamers could discharge and
load all goods, going or coming by the railway, as
all such goods could be readily raised from this
wharf and loaded on the trucks or other carriages
on'the railway, or lowered from these trucks to this
wharf by means of cranes or gantries, with winches
or by inclined planes constructed for the purpose.
Other wharves, with sheds and storehouses, might
be erected from time to time as occasion would re-
quire. Also graving docks and slips could be
readily constructed along the west side of this
splendid basin.
The principal cost of these works would be the
construction of the coffer-dams and the excavation
of the channel from the entrance of the lake to
about the entrance of the present dock, or to a line
from it towards Rinmorepoint.
All these works could be executed with much less
difficulty and cost than the pier, in the most ex-
posed situation at Mutton Island.
When these works would be complete Lough
Athalia would be the largest floating basin in the
world, comprising an area of 100 statute acres, ca-
pable of affording accommodation to the entireßri-
tish fleet and to vessels of the largest class, as they
could lie securely sheltered in the greatest storms
in still water, in the greatest safety, and also where
they could discharge and take in their cargoes and
passengers close to the town and railway.
I consider that the cost of the works I propose
would be much less than those necessary to com-
plete the breakwater and pier at Mutton Island,
but what the exact amount would be I cannot say
until I should make the requisite surveys, sections,
borings, &c., to enable me to send in an accurate
estimate of the cost, which I can have done in three
weeks from this date, if it is desirable by your lord-
ship and gentlemen that I should do so. I may,
however, safely state, from a rough calculation,
that it would not exceed one-half the amount ne-
cessary
to complete the pier and breakwater,
and would not occupy beyond a third of the time
to complete, which is very important, not only to
your company but to the shipping interest of the
kingdom. Although it. is stated that £150,000
will suffice for the pier and breakwater, I beg to
state that this sum will not be sufficient by one-half
to complete the work. It willtake at least £300,000
to construct the pier and breakwater, and even then
it will be incomplete in giving perfect shelter to
shipping for either discharging or loading cargo
without building an inside smaller harbour or dock,
to have smooth water, otherwise ships cannot lie
alongside without being torn and chafed to pieces,
as well as injuring the pier. The pier would be of
no use without the breakwater, and the two toge-
ther will not give the shelter that is expected.
They cannot do so. They would break off the
heavy sea rolling in from the open bay, but in bad
weather there would ever exist a heavy swell inside
the pier.
The great floating basin I propose will give a
hundred times more accommodation—by far greater
security to shipping, as they will lie in perfectly,
smooth water, and have a constant and never ceas-
ing depth of thirty feet of water, accessible at high
water to vessels up to the tonnage of the Leviathan,
and to the medium sized vessels (from 100 to 1,000
tons) at half tide, at which they can leave the basin
and proceed to sea, or enter it and moor safely
alongside of the railway quay proposed to be built
for their accommodation. Not only would this work
of constructing this enormous floating basin be less
difficult to execute, and in less than half the time
of the pier and breakwater, but would not cost half
the amount. The pier and breakwater would
occupy from three to five years to complete, and at
least three years before they could be of the least
service.