The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-07 00:00:00

well acquainted with it. Many got embayed in
Dunbar through ignorance of the place, or through
not seeing the land. If there had been a harbour of
refuge on the east coast of England he would have
taken it on many occasions wAen he was Master of
smacks. He preferred Peterhead as a site for a
harbour on the north-east coast of Scotland. He
would say it was a much better place than Wick.
Mr. Macgregor wished to state to the commis-
sion that a wreck of a large ship was unusual in
the Firth of Forth.
Captain Alexander Brown, shipmaster, and for
forty years at sea, deponed that he had for many
years commanded vessels plying between
Leith and London. A harbour of refuge was
much needed on the north-east coast" of England--
he thought the best adapted place was Hartlepool,
A harbour there would tend more to save life and
property than at Filey Bay. Heavy westerly gales
often happened near Flamborough Head. Most of
the vessels wrecked off Hartlepool were laden.
Robert Colme, fisherman and pilot, was next ex-
amined. He had been a pilot 22 years, and he was
acquainted with the Pentland Firth and with
Shields. There was very great necessity for a har-
bour of refuge between the Firth of Forth and the
Pentland Firth, as there was no place except Cro-
marty for Baltic or American vessels to rim to if
caught about there. He agreed that Peterhead
was the most available point on the whole range
of the east coast for a harbour of refuge. He knew
most of the fishing stations between Leith and the
Pentland Firth. At one of them, Cfaigroan, he
thought the expenditure of a little money would be
the means of saving life and property. At New-
haven they wanted something done, for they had
300 fishing-boats there, and no harbour at all. It
would be the means of saving life to have a harbour
at Newhaven. St. Margaret s Hope required lights
for the guidance of strangers. It might then be
used as a harbour of refuge.
Mr. William Thomson, merchant and shipowner,
Leith, was then called, He stated that there was
oTeat necessity for a harbour of refuge at An-
strutherr' for fishing-boats employed in that locality.
Anstruther was second to Wick only as a fishing-
station, and the present accommodation of the har-
bour was quite insufficient. In 1856 great damage
was caused to the shipping, and also some loss of
life occurred, through the want of accommodation.
He produced a copy of a memorial signed by 1,243
fishermen belonging to the Firth of Forth, asking
for assistance to construct a harbour for their use.
Messrs. Stephenson, the engineers, had prepared
plans showing that such a harbour could be made
at an expense of £30,000, and Anstruther would
raise £12,000, if they could obtain a loan of £lB,OOO,
and they would assign the revenue of the fishing,
which amounts to X 1,200 a-year, in security for
payment of the interest and redemption of the debt.
Anstruther was not fitted for the construction of a na-
tional harbour of refuge. On the north-east of Scotland
he did not think a harbour of refuge was needed for
foreign vessels and coast-going vessels, but only for
the fishing-boats, but on the north-east of England
one certainly was wanted. He coincided in the
view taken by other witnesses as to the eligibility
of Hartlepool as a site for a harbour. As a ship-
owner he would not be willing to pay a passing
toll for a harbour of refuge at Peterhead, but he
would willingly pay a toll for the formation of a
harbour on the east coast of England. There were
some dangerous rocks near Peterhead, and in a
gale of wind ships making for a harbour there
would meet with mischief. Within the last three
years lives had been lost of fishermen at Anstru-
ther, and a harbour would to a great extent pre-
vent these occurrences. The only harbour at
Anstruther was formed by two piers running out,
and boats could not take it until half-tide. There
was an act of parliament for the improvement of
the harbour, but works were not yet commenced.
Mr. Charles Jackson, of Greatham Hall, West
Hartlepool, was the last witness called. He merely
stated that hearing the commission was to attend
there that day he came, being in Lea on business.
He had been endeavouring to get the opinions of
nautical men as to the different parts of the north-
east coast of England, and the necessities for a
harbour of refuge, and he produced the evidence.
The Chairman suggested that anything Mr.
Jackson had to offer respecting the making of a
harbour on the north-east coast of England could
be more properly taken when the commissioners
visited the district of Hartlepool.
The commissioners then retired for a few minutes,
and, on returning, the chairman stated that they
had resolved to proceed no further with the inquiry.
The proceedings then terminated.

310VEMENTS OF THE GORGON AND
NIAGARA AFTER LAYING TILE
CABLE.

The following letter has been addressed. to

cotemporary-t
Sir,---Everybody knows by this time how, on the
29th July, 1858, in lat. 52 ~., lon. 33 W., the tele-
graphic squadron assembled for a final effort to
submerge the Atlantic cable, and how on the sth
of August, against the expectation and prediction
of nearly all the world, one end was taken into
Valentia by the Agamemnon and Valorous, and the
end conveyed by the Niagara and Gorgon to New-
foundland, was safely deposited in the station house
of the Atlantic Telegraph Company at the Bay of
Bulls Arm. But although nothing of interest con-
nected therewith, beyond what has been already
brought before the public, remain to be told, yet
there may be those who will gladly hear somewhat
of the movements of the last' named vessels
since the accomplishment of the event in which
they perforined so prominent a part, more particu-
larly as the connexion of the Gorgon with the
submarine cable is not at an end. On the 9th of
August the Niagara and Gorgon left the Bay of
Bull's Arm for St. John's, where they arrived on
the same evening. _During the passage, the
Niagara, with H. pilot on board, touched the ground
1 twice, dice 14. the southeva point of the entvattee to
Trinity Bay, and again just inside St. John's;
little or no damage was sustained ; and I am happy
to say the general feeling on board her is, that.
had she remained by her old and tried friend,
the Gorgon, she would have passed through all
the dangers of Newfoundland navigation un-
scathed. Much rejoicing awaited the arrival of
these vessels. The bell-ringings, illuminations,
addresses, and other festivities with which the con-
querors of submarine difficulties were received need
not be told here. Are they not set forth in the
(St. John's) Telegraph and Newfoundland Express?
On the 11th the Niagara sailed for New York. On
passing the Gorgon, three hearty cheers, in token
of the good feeling and cordiality which had existed
between them were given and returned. As the
Niagara neared the harbour's mouth she was seen
to strike on a rock, but, as her speed was at its
lowest rate, a reverse turn of the engines took her
clear, and she steamed away Without any further
casualty. On the 14th the Gorgon steamed out of
St. John's Harbour for the Bay of Placentia, and
anchored in the great south harbour at the head of
that bay on the evening of the 18th. 'lt may not
be out of place here to say why the Bay of Bull's
Arm was selected by the Atlantic Telegraph Com-
pany as the best spot for landing the Newfound-
land end of their cable. For the safety of a sub-
marine cable it is advisable where practicable to
take such a line as will ensure a depth of water not
less than 90 fathoms, and to land it in a spot un-
frequented by shipping. The reasons for this are
obvious. From the entrance of Trinity Bay to the
• mouth- of the Bay of Bull's Arm is uninhabited save
and except by the few servants the Atlantic Tele-
graph Company have placed there. It is not,
therefore, ever likely to be troubled with shipping.
Again, northerly ,and north-westerly winds bring
the icebergs from Labrador and Greenland to New-
foundland: many of these would ground in even
40 fathono. Now, a glance at the chart will show
that the B all's Arm is protected from them by these
very Winds.
The line of the Neiv York Telegraph Company,
through which all the Atlantic communications
have to pass, runs at present from St. John's across
the head of Conception Bay, along the neck divid-
ing Trinity Bay on the eastern, and Placentia Bay
on the southern, side of Newfoundland, skirts the
heads of the various bays along the south side,
down to Cape Rae
(nearly
is uninhabited and very di the whole of this track
fficult of access), thence
by submarine cable to Cape North Breton Island,
and so on to Nova Scotia and the United States.
This line passes within one mile of the station of
the Atlantic Company at Bull's Arm. It is gene-
rally believed that the New York Company have it
in contemplation to lay down submarine lines from
the head of Placentia Bay to this port, Halifax,
Portland, and New York. The neck of land sepa--
rating the Bull's Arm front the water on the other
side is about three miles across. So the station of
the Atlantic and New York Telegraph Companies
will stand side by side.
On the 20th the Gorgon started from Great South
Harbour, and arrived here at 6 p.m. to-day. She
has taken a line of soundings for a submarine cable
to this port, as per plan enclosed,
I enclose you a copy of a telegraph from the
Common Council of New York to Commander Day-
man, together with his reply. It is not known
yet whether the Gorgon will o to New York or
not ; permission from the Admiralty has been soli-
cited, but no answer has yet been received.-7---I
am. &c., • A. T. M. ROBERTS.
11.M.5, Gorgon, Sydney, Breton Island,
Nova Scotia, August, 1858.

BY TELEGRAPH FROM NEW YORK.
TO CAPTAIN DAYMAN, H.M.S. GORGON.
Sir,—.The common council of this city, being
desircus of celebrating in au appropriate manner