The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-18 00:00:00

THAMES.

ROBBERY AND DRUNKENNESS.--A boy named James
buck,gavo the name of William Matthews, last night
was whobrought before Mr. Paget, charged with breaking
open a case on board the ship Duke of Argyll, lying in the
West India Dock, and stealing two bottles of gin there-
from, and alio with being drunk and incapable of taking
care of himself.

The prisoner was in the employ of Mr. West, a master
stevedore and rigger, and he was employed on board the
Duke of Argyll yesterday in stowing cargo. Yesterday
afternoon the prisoner was discovered below helplessly
intoxicated, with a bottle nearly full of gin in his arms,
and another empty bottle, labelled exactly similar to the
other, lying by his side. A dock constable was sent for,
who removed the prisoner on a stretcher to the station-
house. The constable overhauled the ship and ascer-
tained that a case` of gin aracrng the cargo had been
clumsily broken open, and two bottles of gin taken out.
Another boy who had assisted in the plunder, and par-
taken of some of the gin, fell into the hold, and was found
there insensible. He was very seriously injured, and was
sent to the hospital.
The dock constable, who had charge of the case, said
that Mr. West, the prisoner's employer, gave the lad a
good character, and said he was very industrious and well
behaved.

The prisoner, on being called on for defence, said that he
hoped the magistrate would forgive him. He was very
sorry for what he had done. He was guilty of taking the
two bottles of gin from the case.
Mr. Paget—After it was broken open ? When does the
ship leave the port of London ?
Captain Maclean, the master of the Duke of Argyll, said
he expected to go away on Wednesday next.
Mr. Paget—Before I dispose of this case I must see the
prisoner's master.
Mr. West's foreman presented himself.
Mr. Paget—No, 1 must see the prisoner's master. The
prisoner is remanded until Monday next.

THE COMING SESSION.—Mr. Gladstone has, in
his capacity of Opposition leader, addressed the following
circular to his friends and presumed surprters : —"
once, Jan. 10, 1867.—Sir,—The meeting of Parliament has
been fixed for the sth February, and, as it is highly pro-
bable that business of great public importance will come
under its consideration at the opening of the session, l take
the liberty of expressing my hope that it may be consistent
with your convenience to be in your place on that day.—
I have the honour to be your very faithful servant, W. E.
GLADSTONE."
THE FATAL GAS Exmostox NEAR LEATHER-
LANE.—Yesterday morning Dr. Lankester, the coroner for
Central Middlesex, further investigated the causes of the
deaths of William Cole, Giuseppe Villa, and Pietro Basini
who lost their lives during the late gas explosion and fal'
of houses in Summer-street, Eyre-street-hill. The jury
returned a verdict " That the deceased died in con-
sequence of the explosion of gas arising from the defective
state of the Chartered Gas Company's pipes." The coroner
said this verdict was tantamount to ono of accidental
death.

- e
CflUlet "TtliT:s r
: •

HER MAJESTY, &c.

OSBORNE, Jan. 17.

The Queen, drove out yesterday afternoon, ac-
companied by Princess Louise and Prince Arthur,
and her Majesty walked in the grounds this morn-
ing, attended by the Dowager Duchess of Athole.

Princess Louise and Prince Arthur skated in the
grounds this morning, her Royal Highness being
attended by the Hon. Emily Cathcart.

The Institution of Civil Engineers.

-

At the ordinary general meeting on the 15th inst.,
Mr. C. H. Gregory, vice-president, in the chair,
the paper read and discussed was on " Ships of
War," by Mr. John Bourne. The author stated

that, in his opinion, the only vessels capable of
carrying sufficient thickness of armour to resist
modern ordnance were those built on the Moni-
tor or turret system, the invention of Captain
John Ericsson, of New York. He maintained
that although broadside vessels might be useful
and even necessary, and he could imagine cases
where they might almost be indispensable, yet
that no broadside fleet would be safe unless accom-
panied by a flotilla of •Monitors. It was simply
a question of preponderance of forces ; and in any
future maritime war the strongest armour and the
heaviest guns must necessarily prevail. He proposed
that any Monitors now to be built should have side
armour l 8 inches thick, backed by 4 feet of oak,
and a turret 24 inches thick, carrying two 20-inch
wrought-iron guns; Such a vessel, he contended,
could be constructed on a displacement but little
different from that of the Bellerophon, and it would
not only be impenetrable now, but would probably
remain so for some years. He considered it had been
shown by ample experience that such vessels were
seaworthy, afforded comfortable accommodation for
the crew, were healthful and popular with sailors.
In the common ironclad, as the armour had to bo
spread over a high side, it was necessarily thin and
weak ; whereas, in the Monitor system, the sides
being very low, the area to be protected was re-
duced to a minimum, so that with the same
displacement the armour might be made of great
thickness, such as would be impenetrable by the
heaviest existing ordnance. The Kalamazoo class
of Monitors had side armour 14in. thick, backed by
several feet of oak, and those vessels possessed great
facility of evolution, as they were fitted with balanced
rudders and twin screws. In both the armour and
the guns the broadside system was one of diffusion,
the turret or Monitor system one of concentration.
The former had been adopted in France and England,
the latter in America (where about 60 vessels of this
class had already been built), and recently by Russia
and some other Continental Powers. In the broad-
side system the only material innovation on the
model of the old men-of-war was in the appli-
cation of iron armour to the sides. In some cases
the armour was not extended to the bow and
stern, but only the central parts of the sides,
and armour bulkheads were carried across the
ship, before and behind the protected portions of
the sides, so as to form the central part of the
vessel into a rectangular fort. This was the prin-
ciple on which the Bellerophon and other recent
vessels had been built, and its advantage was that it
enabled thicker armour to be applied. In the Moni-
tor system the guns, which were of large calibre,
were carried in one or two cylindrical towers of
iron, and the weight of the broadside was concen •
trated in one or two enormous shot, which had mo-
mentum enough to go through the armour of any of
the broadside vessels of the Royal Navy of England.
There were certain points of dissimilarity between the
turret-shit s of Captain Coles and those of Captain
Ericsson, the most material being that the sides
were not nearly so low in the former as in the
Monitors, and the armour of the sides, -and the
turrets could not, consequently, with any
given displacement, be made so thick. As an illus-
tration of the main features of the structure of the
Monitor vessels, a description was given of the Ame-
rican war steamer Dictator, built by contract under
Ericsson. Comparing the destructive and resisting
powers of such a vessel as the Dictator with an iron-
clad like the Bellerophon, the latter carrying on
each broadside five guns of 10iin. bore, besides two
guns at the bow and three at the stern of 7in. bore,
it was contended that none of these guns could
pierce the iron turret or low sides of the former, or the
deck, composed of oak planks, 9in. thick, covered
with 2in. cf iron ; and that all parts of the vessel
were equally strong to resist the forces that might be
brought to bear against them. The main point con-
nected with the structure of the Monitors, which
had provoked controversy among naval men, was
whether it was possible to make heavy vessels, so
low in the water as the Monitors were, safe at sea.
Even if this should be doubted the necessity for the
employment of Monitors for the protection of ports,
harbours, and estuaries was not the less exigent.
But during the two years the Monitors were ex-
posed on a stormy coast to all kinds of weather,
they proved to be shotworthy and seaworthy, and
the healthiest vessels in the American fleet. Various
other objections were noticed,—as, for instance,
the want of liveliness imputed to the Monitors ;
but this, it was argued, was a material advantage
in any vessel requiring to take an aim with

heavy guns, since it must make the aim more sure.
In conclusion, the author said, what it concerned the
Government and the country to know was, that in

the Royal Navy there were vessels of at least equal
powers, in guns and in armour, to those possessed
by any other nation, so that in the event of a naval
war, the broadside fleet might not be disabled or
captured from the want of a flotilla of protecting
Monitors, whose function it would be to encounter
any similar vessels belonging to the enemy. The
discussion was commenced, and it was announced
that it would be resumed at the next meeting,Tues-
day, the 22d inst.

LIVERPOOL COTTON MARKET.

(This Day.)
Market opens quiet. Sales probably about 8,000
bales.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

(Br 'II.IIIILLPH.)
GRATES/IND, Friday Morning.
Arrived, Jan. 17.—Croxdale, from Cronstadt ; Holland,
steamer, from Ostend.

DEAL, Friday Morning.
Passed- - Lady M'Donald, from London, for Calcutta.

Mn. BRlGHT.—Writing to decline an invitation
to address a reform meeting at Worcester, Mr. Bright
says :—" I have had to decline very many invitations irons
most of the large towns of the kingdom, and cannot no
make any other engagement before the opening of Parlia-
ment. Idu not expect to be in Birmingham before the
beginning of the session."

The South-Eastern Railway Company have an-
nounced special facilities they propose to afford to visitor%
to the French Exhibition. These include an additions'
night service between London and Paris, at reduced fares,
and a plan for the direct transmission of largo and small
consignments of goods to the Exhibition by passenger
trains at specific through rates, including all charges for
shipping, landing, entries, customs' formalities, and deliver/
at the building.
rIIIV2-TE BILLS IN PARLIAMENT.—To-day the
examiners of private bills will proceed with the petitions,
and report thereon whether tho standing orders of the
House of Commons have been complied with.

The biddings for bills on India took place yester-
day at the Bank of England. The proportions
allotted were—To Calcutta, £190,134; to Madras,
9,865 ; and to Bombay, £150,000. The milli'
mum price was fixed, as before, at is. 10/d. on au
the presidencies. Tenders on Calcutta and Madras,
at ls. 104 d., will receive about 39 per cent. ; auc!
on Bombay, at ls. 100., about 69 per cent. AIL
above these prices will receive in full.
An ordinary general meeting of the London
Tavern Company will be held on the 4th of
February, 1867, to receive a report and statement
of accounts made up to the 31st December, and t°
declare a dividend.