The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-26 00:00:00

NORTHFLEET DOCKS.

A public meeting of the inhabitants of Graves-
end was held yesterday afternoon in the Town-hall,
for the purpose of giving the directors an oppor-
tunity of explaining its nature, and the important
results which are anticipated from carrying the
undertaking into effect.
Mr. GREGORY, the Mayor of Gravesend, occupied
the chair.

The Mayor haying briefly opened the proceed.
ings, _ _

'Mr. I. DANIELL, chairman of the Blackwall Rail.
wav, observed that the material point affecting the
scheme which they had in view was to carry out
properly works which were greatly favoured by the
geological character of the ground. It was not their
purpose to start a new scheme to injure other docks,
but to supply a want occasioned by the shipping
and the magnitude of the craft. The want of private
dock accommodation in London was well known,
and if this scheme were carried out, it would supply
that want, and while it would do so without injury
to the docks, it would relieve the river of a portion
of the present traffic. If these docks were esta-
blished, they would introduce a description of craft
which now went to the Mersey and other ports. It
would be a most useful scheme to the town of Graves-
end. He could recollect when the East India ship-
pinglay off Gravesend; but great as were the advan-
tages to Gravesend from that shipping, they would
be as nothing compared to the advantage which would
be derived from the establishment of the Northfleet
Docks, which would citable cargo to be landed,
and depots to be formed, so that eventually Graves-
end would become a place for the embarkation of
troops, and a general mart for commerce. Ships of war
would be able to come in and out of the reserve or
Government docks at any state of the tide, which
would be a great national advantage. (Hear, hear.)
Every precaution had been taken to secure integrity
to a scheme which would be eminently useful in a
national point of view and very advantageous to
Gravesend.
Rear-Admiral LAMBERT observed that there
could be no doubt, in a seafaring point of view,
that the construction of the Northfleet Doeks would
be of the greatest importance. No one could go up
and down the river and see the enormous number
of vessels lying in the Thames without being con-
vinced that further dock arrangements were abso-
lutely essential. An immense amount of money
was annually expended in steam tugging alone,
and many vessels could ill afford the expense.
This was no new scheme, for he remembered that
the late Lord Melville was most desirous to avail
himself of so admirable a site as Northfleet for a
naval arsenal, but his recommendations were re-
jected, and the consequence was that the Admiralty
went to Sheerness, and, at an enormous expense,
constructed docks that would not admit our large
steamers.

Colonel LIDDELL spoke of the great facility
which the construction of these docks would afford
for the disembarkation of troops, many of whom
returned from foreign service invalided. The
billeting system in this country was an evil which
was greatly felt, and no one felt it more than the
soldiers, but in time of war it must continue. It
would, however, when these docks were con-
structed, not be necessary to billet troops in Graves-
end, for they would be sent at once on board the
ships. _ _

Mr. TAVERNER said that in a commercial point
of view he thought that the advantages offered
could not be over estimated. The foundation of
the docks would be both firm and durable, and
therefore economical. The undertakinghey
had un-
dergone the most rigid scrutiny
the only spot on the Thames whereT they had
had the
hee
work more than half done for them, for the enor-
mous excavations which had been already made
would have cost an enormous sum of money.
They proposed to give fhcilities for the
protection of the shipping interest, on a scale
which was unprecedented. This they would
do at a • cost of £2,000,000. The St. Kathe-
rine's Docks, 111 acres of water, cost £3,500,000,
and the London Docks cost £6,000,000 or
£7,000,000. The, East and West India Docks cost
about £13.000,000 or £14,000,000. 'What had been
the secret of the success of Liverpool P—why the
facilities affbrded to the shipping.. They wanted •
dock accommodation -which would not interfere
with the expedition of commerce. They would have
three docks unequalled in. the world, including a
river quay of nearly a mile long. Their waterway
would be unequalled, for they made the river itself
a dock. An objection had been raised to their
scheme on the ground of its distance from London,
but that objection was quite obviated by the rapid
ie
prove h
means of transit on each side of the river, and by
means of the river itself. examiningOnigh
scheme
it
the sch
it was evident that it musty remunera-
tive to the shareholders, whether as regarded im-
port or export trade ; and considering that with
the present limited facilities of the metropolitan
docks, they piid between 4 and 8 per cent., the
ili-
re
d fac
was a reasonable prospect, withthe increase
ties given by the construction
of
thirese docks, and
the vast and gerfiral impulse the
would give to the coal trade and the constructign
coasting trade,
that their returns upon this oudertaking would. be.