The Sun.
London, England, 1858-05-25 00:00:00

TBE LEVIATHAN.

Though stilt very tar from being completed, this
magnificent triumph of constructive skill offers an
amount of interest to the visitor which we would
recommend every one who his the opportunity to
take immediately, by an actual inspection of its
wonderful details. _ Availing themselves of the re-
cent arranger's& et fur viewing the monster ves-
sel, a largo number of f las yast,-rday went ou
board her, and passed several hours in the
examination of her several parts. The day was
particularly propitious to the objects of such a
visit, inasmuch as the ship, being free from work-
men, no impediment was occasioned either to the
works on the one hand, or the movements of the
visitors on the o her. The Leviatlis,n is still
anchored off Deptford, almost exactly opposite the
yard of Scott Russell and Co., from which she was
launched, and the communication between her and
the shore gave abundance of employment to the
boatmen of Greenwich and Deptford during the
better part of the day.
Approaching her, the vidror immediately realises
all the vastness and beauty of her proportions. Be-
t-veen her and the shore, at the distance of about
150 feet, is a small flotilla of steamers of the largest
size, including the L-ttle Western ; yet these, large
as they certainly are, instantly dwindle into com-
parative insignificance in the presence 1:f this
monster of the deep. A counnolious staircase has
been rigged out over the ship's side, by which
visitors can easily ascend to the deck, when they
are admitted on producing the ticket issued by the
Eastern Stram Navigasion Company for the pur-
pose. Having readied the deck, the visitoris lost
in amazement and admiration at its enormous ex-
tent, the delightful promenade which it presents,
and the commanding view which is had from it.
As our readers will generally be aware, its
dimensions from stem to stern are 760 feet, and be-
tween the paddle-boxes 83 feet. This vast apace
is covered with iron plates, riveted together with
amazing strength and neatness, and constituting a
part of the cellular arrangement which, following
out the mechanical principle which has proved so
triumphantly successful in the Britannia tubular
bridge, has been acted upon in building the Levia-
than. The hatchways are not yet finished, and the
larger ones being quite uncovered, afford the visitor
an excellent opportunity for inspecting the cellular
snructure of the sides of the vessel, and of forming
for himself some idea of her ainazng strength.
Descending by temporary ladders iuto the fore
and after holds, to about five or six feet above the
low-water mark the cells are to be seen. The inner
hull, or "skin," of the ship, as shipwrights term
it, separated from the outside plates by an in.ersial
of 2 feet 10 inches, is plainly percptible in these
places, and the visitor has to imagine that every
six feet within the included space run longitudinal
webs of iron-plate, which are again subdivided by
transverse plates at the same distances. These
plates are increased in tbickne;s towards the bottom
of the ship, and the distances bet wr en them is at
the same time lessened ; thus the bottom of the
ship possesses greater strength than the upper part,
obviously for the purpose of enabling it to support
the superincumbent pressure, if it be necessary to
ground her for rep airs. Among the other objects
in the fore and after holds, which will also impress
the visitor with the vast Magi of the ship, are the
capstans for hauling in the cables. As the monster
takes with her ten anchors, and 800 fathoms of
chain cable, it may be supposed that the mechanical
contrivances for this purpose are
proportionally
large. The visitor wi:l find, accordingly, that she
has four capstans ferward and as many
aft, one
being placed on each deck. These capstans will be
worked by small auxili try eng:nes,
which, in addi-
tion to the stupendous machinery for driving the
paddle-wheels and the screw-propeller, are to be
provided for pumping, hoisting sails, and raising
and lowering the twenty large boats, which will
be kept on deck, and also the two 70-ton screw-
steamers, which will 134 carried on davits aft the
paddle-box, to be used for embarking and landing
passengers. The saloons and bertha on the several
decks will be visited with great interest. The
engines are in course of erecting, and a portion of
the work is to be seen from the deck, but from there
only, as visitors are not admitted into the engine-
rooms. Tuffs portion of the undertaking appears
to be in course of execution in a manner worthy of
1
the great work of which it is to form so important
a part, and when it is remembered that the engines
will stand nearly 40 feet high, that each of the
cylinders weighs 26 tons, and has a length of stroke
of 14 feet, it will be understood that, when com-
pleted, they will form one of the moat stupendous
works of art of which we have to boast.
With respect to the general state of the vessel, it
is only to be remarked that its appearance presents
the usual indications of preparation. Materials,
machinery, and implements of all kinds are accu•

"Two memorials, most respectably and numerously
signed, have been tran-mined from this town—one to
his Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant, the other to the
Post•office—praying that the American mails be trans-
witted for one month by the first-rate steamship abuut
to be started by Mr. Orrell Lever from this port t 3 New
York or Boston in a few weeks. From the way in
which this port has been treated by the English Govern-
ment in the packet station question we doubt much whe-
ther the memorials alluded to will meet with a favour-
able reception. However, it is well that the authorities
have been applied to in the case. A refusal on their
part will show how little Ireland has to expect from the
Sax mG, vernment—whether Whig or Tory. Should
the I r the memoria ;t 3be grAnteci,7all we have to
say is that we shall be most agreeably surprise 1, and at
the same time most 'agreeably delighted.'"
NEW -QUEEN'S COUNSEL.

The following gentlemen are to be called to the
inner bar on Wednesday next. Of the 12 selected
for the honour 10 may be claimed as Conserval ive 4,
and the small balance of two as Liberals :—Charles
Andrews, Esq., of the Connaught bar ; Edward H.
Borroughs, Esq., of the Chancery b•ir ; Hedges
Eyre Chatterton, Ecq., of the Munster bar ; W.
Cary Dobbs, Esq., M P., of the North-E tat bar ;
T. Rice Henn, Esq., of the Munster bar ; W.
CarliMle Heudtrson,
Esq., of the North-West bar ;
Charles Kelly, Esq., of the Connaught bar ; Alex-
ander Norman, Esq., of the North-West bar ;
Henry Ormsby, Esq., of the North-East bar ; E.
Pennefather, Esq., of the Leinster bar ; Edward
Sullivan, Esq., of the Munster bar ; Robert R.
Warren, Esq., of the Munster bar.