The Sun.
London, England, 1859-09-21 00:00:00

LORD PALNE.RSTON ON RAILWAYS.

Yesterday Lord Palmerston cut the first sod of
the Andover and Redbridge Railway at Romsey,
in the presence of a numerous assemblage of the
landowners of the district and others interested in
the undertaking. The line—which is intended
ultimately to effect a communication between South-
ampton and the coalfields of South Wales and the
manufacturing districts of the North, by means of
the Great Western system—is formed by the con-
version of the old Andover canal into a railway ;
for the canal having been purchased, and the water
drained off, it is along its bed, for the most part,
that the rails will be laid. Commencing near the
head of the Southampton-water at Redbridge,
which is about three miles from Southampton, and
running up the valley of the Test, it proceeds in a
direction nearly due north, through Romsey,King's-
,9. ombourn, Stockbridge, and the Chatfords, to An-
dover, where, for the present, it terminates. It will
be 23 miles in length, and the estimated cost from
first to last is £130,000, Mr. Hattersley, the con-
tractor, having undertaken to execute the whole as
designed for £lOO,OOO, which is little more than at
the rate of £4,300 per mile.
It is proposed hereafter to effect the ultimate
connection of Southampton with the Great Western
line, by short extensions from each of the present
termini ; that from Andover, of about 14 miles in
length, to join the proposed Berks and Hants ex-
tension near Pewsey, and that from Redbridge, of
about three miles, to Southampton. The engineer
to the line is Mr. J. S. Burke ; Mr. Pierce is the
surveyor, and Messrs. Deacon and Manning, of
Southampton, the solicitors. The ceremony took
place in a field about a mile from the town of Rom-
sey, and not very far from Lord Palmerston's house
at Broadlands. The company assembled at two
o'clock in a space staked out for the occasion, and
decorated with flags and devices of every colour and
nation. Among those present were Mr. Etwall,
chairman ; Mr. Aldeiwan Cubitt, M.P., with
other directors of the company, Lord E. Bruce,
M.P., Sir S. Jervoise, M.P., Mr. Willcox, M.P.,
Mr. Dutton, M.P., Mr. W. Cowper, M.P., Sir
J. Oliffe, General Vanderburgh, Mr. J. R.
Croskey, and the Mayors of Southampton, Andover,
and Romsey. Lady Palmerston, Lady Jocelyn, and
a large number of ladies were also spectators. The
proceedings were opened by a short speech from the
chairman of the company, Mr. Etwall, describing
the purposes of the line, and concluding with a re-
quest to Lord Palmerston to turn the first sod. His
lordship accordingly took spade in hand, and, with
a dexterity which gained him great commendation,
cast three or four shovelsfull of earth into a hand-
some barrow of mahogany provided for the occasion,
then amid loud cheers wheeled it along a plank
some dozen yards in length—emptied his load and
trotted back between the shafts with all the air of
a practised "navvy." A salute of 14 guns announced
this practical commencement of the undertaking.
Lord PALMERSTON then said—l congratulate you
all on the commencement of an undertaking which
will not only be beneficial to this district but also
to other parts of the United Kingdom, and I con-
gratulate those who promote this undertaking on
their success, and on their perseverance, which is
the peculiar characteristic of the British people, and
which, when devoted to a laudable object, can never
fail of success. You all know that a scheme for con-
necting Southampton with the port of Liverpool
was set on foot so long ago as 1846. It failed, then,
and remained dormant for some time, but in 1857
it was again revived. It failed again, but the energy
and determination of those who advocated it were not
damped by repeated failures, and they have now
the satisfaction of being actually at the commence-
ment of the practical part of the work, and I sin-
cerely trust that they will meet with no impedi-
ment in its completion. There are undoubtedly
many circumstances to recommend this line. It is
pre-eminently free from all engineering difficulties,
and even in the limited extent to which you
now propose to form it it will confer the greatest
benefits on the district which it traverses. We
who are here have seen with regret that the
canal from Redbridge to Andover has not been
turned to that account which its projectors ori-
ginally intended; but we may readily hope that
the various facilities offered by the railway now
about to be constructed will be of greater advant-
age to the public than the canal has hitherto proved
to be. But I have no doubt that a much more ex-
tensive future lies before us, and that we shall see
this line forming an important link in the commu-
nication between Southampton and other districts
of the country. It is needless to point out the na-
tural advantages of Southampton for the purposes
of commerce between England and other parts of
the globe. It has the advantage of being, I believe,
the safest port that can be found in the world. The
whole of the Southampton river may be said to be
one great dock, free from rocks or any of the dan-
gers which beset other ports, and needing no arti-
ficial means of protection. It is situate midway
between the two extremities of the south coast of
England. It is in a position favourable for mari-
time communication with the Baltic on the one
hand, and with the other parts of the world with
which the Atlantic communicates on the other.
(Hear.) It possesses a rapid communication with
London, and now you propose by this line to con-
nect it with the great manufacturing districts, and
with the coal mines of South Wales. It is impos-
sible to doubt that such a scheme is founded on
sound views of national interests, and that it must
be conducive not only to the development of the re-
sources of the district through which it passes, but
also to the ultimate great advantage of the other
parts of the country which it connects together.
Gentlemen, I return you my sincere thanks for the
honour you have done me in asking me to cut the
first sod of this line, and I wish it every success.
(Loud cheers.)
After a suitable prayer for the success of the un-
dertaking from the vicar of Romsey, the company
adjourned to a dejeuner set out in a large marquee
erected in the park in front of his lordship's house.
Here the usual loyal and patriotic toasts having
been drunk,
The CHAIRMAN proposed the health of Lord Pal-
merston, which was drunk with loud and prolonged
cheers.

Lord PALinusToN in reply said—l return you my
most sincere thanks for the kind manner in which
my health has been proposed and received. It is
said with regard to English proceedings, that no
business of a public nature can be transacted hero
without a dinner. (Laughter.) The directors of this
intended railway have certainly conformed most
laudably to the good old English rule. (Cheers.)
But it must not be supposed that this rule implies
that the English nation are such gluttons as not to
be able to turn their minds to any important mat-
ter without previously filling their stomachs. The
reason why dinners and feasts of this nature are the
usual concomitants of public business is, in the first
,place, that they bring together neighbours who
know each other and who understand each other's
value, and next, that it gives opportunities to those
who do not happen to be neighbours for an inter-
change of opinions and ideas, and for communica-
tion as to their mutual interests. Therefore, these
material feasts are, in fact, intellectual interchanges
of conversation which not only contribute to im-
prove and advance the civilisation of the country,
but also tend to render more useful those meetings
which are intended to promote the material pros-
perity
.of the country. (Cheers.) Of all the improve-
ments in modern times the introduction of railways
is perhaps the one which has done most for the
prosperity of this country, and I may say of all coun-
tries in which they have been established. (Hear.)
If we look at the wonderful augmentation which
has taken place in this country within the last 20
years it must strike us that it has sprung in a great
measure from the multiplication of the means of
communication. (Hear.) In business we all know
time is worth money, and if it be true with regard
to money that a penny saved is a penny got, the
days and weeks saved by the introduction of rail-
l'aft3'-liecoramodation must be worth to the mann-
laetnr____ leg and commercial interests vast annual
Sums Of money.
(Hear.) It therefore gives me the
greatest
e se
character
esure—Aether in my individual and
orti as a member of the Government—
to assist at
meetings the object of which is to lay
the foundation oftgas ofr.alilw aycommunication such
as this, which I think l be
greatestoftheh.butultinu
bene-
fit, not only to the dim,;
throufhtelw which
the
is at pre-
sent intended to pass, b,
ultimately to manufac-
turing and commercial col:unit,
nity in the north of
England. (Hear.) To the ikmthern district the
completion of this line of comm''n •
eation will be of
vast immediate importance. (Hear, hear.) One of
the most remarkable features of the 'pow_
enter rise
is the manner in
.whi.ch privatety of En
ntries accomplishes works which in other con • - e
re-
quire the aid and assistance of Government. (Hear,
hear,) We admire the remains of the works of the
.Romans, but I venture to assert that no works re-
main as memorials of the greatness ar d capacity of
that nation which can for a moment compare
with the works erected by private enterprise in
different parts of this country for commercial pur-
poses. Long may that spirit of enterprise animate
the people of this country, and long may it not only
manifest the amount of wealth possessed by this
country, but also lay the foundation for the rapid
in-crease of that wealth and the augmentation of
our national prosperity. (Cheers.) I cannot say,
speaking from general impression, what may be the
amount of capital now invested in railway enter-
prise. We all know that the capital represented
1,11 the national debt—though it has been very
lightly-described not long ago by one, who is well
abtle to judge of the proportion between the re-
gom-ees and the wants of the country—would have
b een. deemed two centuries ago as a fabulous sum
to be requalled only by the stories in the Arabian

Nights ; but I believe I should not be far wrong i
I were to say that the amount of private capita
invested in the different railways cannot be muth
short of half the amount of the national debt—a.
singular and remarkable proof of the progressively
increasing resources of the country and of the spirit
of enterprise by which individuals have been ani-
mated to undertake works which conduce not
only to their own immediate interests, but lay
the foundation really of great national advan-
tage. (Hear, hear.) You may therefore—speak-
ing now as I do more particularly of the direc-
tors of lines—you may be proud of having
faced the difficulty by which the undertaking was
at first opposed. (Hear, hear.) You may be
proud of having at last begun a work which, I
trust, will not only connect your names with the
future prosperity of the county, but which will
also, I hope, very soon Le connected by other lines
with the important commercial and manufacturing
interests of the country, (Cheers.) There is one
other observation which, I think, must strike every
one—one rather of a deeper nature, but one not less
founded in truth. We are told by those who in-
struct us in moral and religious teaching that the
calamities and misfortunes which sometimes befall
other nations or men are intended for our perma-
nent advantage, and, if duly used and duly re-
flected on, ought to be felt to be only administra-
tions of that moral government by which Provi-
dence regulates the affairs of mankind. But there
is also a like truth in regard to the laws which re-
gulate the material globe. A careful attention to
those laws and a scientific application of them tend
as much to the permanent improvement of mankind
as a submission to the moral ordinances contributes
to welfare of a different nature. And so it has been
with the civilisation of the age in which we live.
That expansive and explosive force which in its un-
regulated operation lays waste districts by the
overflowing of a volcano, or spreads desolation over
cities and towns by an earthquake when governed
and regulated by the scientific appliances of man
has been converted into your obedient slave, trans-
ports you from place to place by land throughout the
whole continent of Europe, and applied to your
navigation, carries you safely and rapidly from one
end of the globe to the other. (Cheers.) So it is
also with the thunderbolt, that natural element
which inspires terror into the ignorant—which,
when acting simply by the casual application of the
laws of nature, is productive of death and destruc-
tion, yet guided and mastered by the science of the
present time becomes your servant, carries your
ideas instantaneously from point to point, estab-
lishes rapid conversational communication between
all the different parts of the globe, and now we
hope in a very short time—before many months
have elapsed—that we shall communicate as rapidly
between London and Calcutta as we have hitherto
communicated between one end of the smallest vil-
lage and the other. (Cheers.) We ought, then, to be
proud of the age in which we live—we ought to be
proud to think that the human intellect has arrived
at that amount of scientific attainment that we are
able to understand those great laws which regulate
the material world, and that, by the "proper appli-
cation of that which in its original operation may
appear to be simply an element of destruction, we
have managed to convert into purposes most useful
in the daily life of mankind powers which Provi-
dence has created, not for purposes of destruction,
but in order that the mind of man, by the progres-
sive development of science, might adapt them to
the uses of civilised life. (Cheers )
After other local and appropriate toasts had been
duly honoured the company separated, many of
them to stroll through the park and grounds, which
were thrown open for the day.

THE LATE EXPLOSION ON BOARD
THE GREAT EASTERN.

WEYMOUTH, SEPT. 20.

The jury, after an adjournment of an hour and
a-half on Monday evening, re-assembled in the
Town-hall. The following evidence was then taken:
Mr. Wm. Crow, chief engineer of the screw en-
gines, was called, and stated that he was appointed
by Mr. Blake, with the sanction of Mr. Brunel.
Had never been in the employment of the company
before, though he had been employed by Messrs.
Maudslay and Field for the last 23 years. During
the tilel trip he did not act under the instructions
of any one, though he considered it his duty, in be-
half of the company, and also for the satisfaction of
the contractors, that he should take upon himself
the position of chief engineer, subject to the direc-
tions of Mr. Blake, Mr. Langdon, and Mr. Beck-
with, who represented the contractors, Messrs. Watt
and Co. As a servant of the company he also con-
sidered himself bound to obey Mr. M'Lennan. He
had his directions given to him by Mr. Blake, the
contractor, saying that according to the indicator,
and whether it said fast or slow, so he was to regu-
late the revolutions of the engines. Th.maximum
speed attained by the screw was 36 revolutions.
When at 34 he was informed that he was overrun-
ning the paddles. Of what went on in the paddle-
wheel department, or as to who was in charge there,
he knew nothing whatever. Had anything gone
wrong he would have taken all the responsibility,
on himself and reported the matter to Mr. M'Len-
nan, or Mr. Blake, or Mr. Langdon, whichever he
met first. He never received any orders whatever
from Mr. M'Lennan.

By Mr. Lawson—Before sailing there was a muster
of the engineers, which witness attended. Mr.
M'Lennan called that muster,and informed the junior
officers that witness was the senior engineer of the
screw engines, and that they were to obey all the
orders he thought proper to give. He repeated those
orders to the firemen, as to obeying the orders of hie
subordinates who might be on the watch. At the
wish of Mr. Blake, he subseluently got up steam
in the third set of screw boilers, which were
fitted with a superheating apparatus, in order
that witness might see them all at work. One of
the contractors told him when to get up steam and
start from the Nore. Mr. Russell never was in the
screw engine-room, and never gave any orders there.
Mr. Mark Lay said he was the chief purser of the
Great Eastern, and was answerable for all the ar-
rangements between decks, and the money matters
of the ship. He had not quitted the vessel during
the voyage from London to Portland. He bad oc-
casion during the voyage to speak as to the supplies
of water, and he applied to Mr. M'Lennan, who
said he had not charge of the paddle engines which
afforded the supply, and that he must ask Mr. Dick-
son, who was in charge of them. In consequence of
that he did ask Mr. Dickson, who refused to supply
the water, and referred him again to Mr. 11,Lennan.
From his own general observation he should cer-
tainly say that Mr. Russell was in charge of the
paddle engines. Eventually Mr. Dickson did give
him the supply of water, at least so Mr. M'Lennan
afterwards informed him. Up to the present time
the store-rooms for witness's stores had not been
fitted, and, with the exception of one or two wine-
coolers, any one on board could still get at them.
Thos. Leatham, a fitter, formerly in Mr. Russell's
employ, was called to prove the lengthening of the
tube to which the cock was attached. He saw the
cock, but never touched it, and could not say whe-
ther it was shut or open.
Mr. Norman Scott Russell, the son of Mr. S. S.
Russell, was next examined—He said he was asked
to count the revolutions of the paddlewheels for his
father's information. He did so frequently from
time to time during the voyage. He had also to
communicate other things to him—for instance, he
told him when the screw engines stopped entirely.
He had also to ask questions of Mr. Dickson and to
take back his replies to Mr. Russell. (At this point
Capt. Robertson, R.N., the Surveyor-General of the
Board of Trade, thought it would be unnecessary,
and perhaps not fair, considering the relationship
between Messrs. Russell, jun. and sen., to put any
further questions, in which the coroner at once con-
curred, and Mr. Russell accordingly sat down.)
Samuel Brittain, one of the assistant engineers of
the paddle department, said, that as far as he could
judge, Mr. Dickson appeared to be in full charge of
the engines. Witness heard him give orders to Mr.
Arnott to give more or less injection, according as
the engines required it. That was when leaving the
Nore. Heard him also say the steam was getting
low. Never heard Mr. M'Lennan give any orders at
all. From 9toll on that day the donkey engines
were very troublesome, and they had great difficulty
in forcing the feed through the water-casing into
the boilers. At last the slide came off the spindle of
the donkey and the engine broke down. The don-
keys, in fact, were not strong enough to feed the
boilers against the pressure of the steam, They
did it well enough when the pressure was at 181 b.,
but not above that. Witness reported that to Mr.
Dickson, and that he could not keep the water at a
sufficient height in the boilers. Mr. Dickson himself
came down at 12, and adjusted the escape valve of
the donkey engine. After that they still found they
could not feed the boiler, and Mr. Patrick came
clown and turned the feed off from the casing direct
into the boiler. That was not done because the
boiler Was
priming. One of the after boilers was
Prinling slightly, but not any of the other three.
was
Ihe feed hew positive was not turned off because
the hollers were
donkeys were notilsr timing' but simply because the
fed. Witness always enough to keep the boilers
thought and considered Mr.
Dickson was in charge f om Deptford to Portland.
e made no report to
Mr. Arnott, because he
thought Mr. Dickson alone was responsible.
He
never saw any steam or water escanine from the
syphon during the-whole voyage. • -
This baing the whole of the evidence,
The Coroner proceeded to sum U. The ques-
tions, he said, which were now to be submitted for
the consideration of the jury were, first, as to the
cause of death; secondly, to what that cause was
who was to blame ?
attributable ; and, thirdly,

They had had it in evidence from Mr. Patrick that
both the funnel casings were alike closed against the
escape of steam, and it seemed marvellous how it was
that the second did not also explode, when it was
more than probable that the immense vessel, with
all its passengers, would have been buried in the
sea. The evidence which had been set before them
and on which they had to decide was, unfortunately,
of the most contradictory character as to the person
or porsons really responsible for the charge of the
paddle engines. It had been positively sworn to by
Arnott acid MTarlanethatthey had both examined
the cocks o,n the Tuesday before sailing, and had
found and ?eft them open. If this was so he could
hardly believe it possible that any human being
could be such a monster as to close them wilfully,
and knowing the dreadful consequences which
would be certain to ensue from such an act. He
must leave it entirely to the consideration of the
jury to settle the disputed point whether Mr. Dick-
son, Mr. Arnott, or Mr. M'Lennan was responsible
for the proper management of the machinery. It
certainly appeazed most astonishing to him that
the company should have started their vessel on
her trip without coming to more definite terms as
to who was realty in charge of the engines. Mr
Scott Russell had declared most emphatically that
his contract was completed on August 6th, before
the vessel sailed, that he had nothing whatever to
do with the trial trip, and this evidence was borne
out by the testimony of those who had formerly
been in his employ. On the other hand, they had
the strongest evidence that Dickson did interfere
with the working of the engines, and also that Mr.
Scott Russell gave directions for their management
from the bridge. The jury, he was sure, would agree
with him that the first witness who was called,
Mr. William Briscoe, had given his evidence in the
most satisfactory and straightforward manner, and
he certainly thought that every confidence might
be placed upon his testimony, which unquestionably
was to the effect that Mr. Dickson was in charge
of the paddle engines. This evidence was as posi-
tively denied by Arnott, but Arnott had not given
his evidence in a creditable manner, or with the
Manner of one who was desirous of stating the
whole truth. The evidence of Briscoe was corro-
borated by several important witnesses, and more
especially by those whose evidence they had last
heard. The whole cause of the accident was evidently
due to neglect on the part of some one, and he
thought that undoubtedly there was sufficient evi-
dence before them on this subject to justify their
sending the matter before another tribunal for
further investigation. The law of the case was
clear, that if any person in the discharge of his
proper and lawful duties did them in such a manner
as would endanger the lives of others, that, in the
eye of the law, would justify a charge of man-
slaughter. Mr. Scott Russell had given it in evi-
dence that he did not know that the cock was there
at all, and so far, certainly, there was not enough
to justify a charge of manslaughter against that
gentleman. But Mr. Dickson did know it, and not
only said so, but went still further, and admitted
that he left it there without a thought. There was
not sufficient, he repeated, in the evidence to ground
any charge against Mr. Scott Russell himself, but
there was, he thought, quite sufficient to justify the
jury in cominc, to the conclusion that Mr. Dickson
had acted carelessly and thoughtlessly in not at-
tending to the condition of the cocks when
knew they were there. Mr. Galloway and all fhe
other witnesses had proved that there was no
use whatever in having the stand cocks in such a
place, and that they were, on the contrary, a con-
stant source of danger. Mr. Arnott, it appeared,
also knew of the cocks, and he was bound to exa-
mine them from day to day, and he therefore, the
coroner thought, was almost fully as culpable as
Mr. Dickson. It was really a great source of regret
that they could not have that distinguished man's
evidence—the evidence of Mr. Brunel—who could,
if he were living, at once have thrown a light upon
the question of who was in charge of the engines.
The jury had now to solve the difficulty for them-
selves, and upon the most contradictory evidence.
The company, he thought, were undoubtedly not
free from blame in this matter, in not using the fore-
sight they should have done in ascertaining beyond
all doubt who was to be held responsible for the
proper management of their machinery. The ques-
tion for the jury, however, was, who put the cock in
the pipe, and who, being in charge of the engines,
was answerable for seeing that it was open. The
coroner then proceeded to read over the evidence,
commenting upon the statements of each witness
as he proceeded.. He concluded by again placing
before them these separate questions—Who was in
charge of those engines when the accident hap-
pened? Ought the cock in the syphon to have been
left there ? Was there any negligence on the part
of the individual who knew it was there? And
who left it there ? And was it such a case as, in
their opinion, would render the person whom they
might find to have been guilty of this negligence
liable to a charge of manslaughter ? In conclusion,
he thought it right, before the inquiry ended, to
express the high sense he entertained of the value
of the services conferred upon them, and the assist-
ance which had been given in the course of the
proceedings, by Captain Robertson, R.N., the Sur-
veyor-General of the Board of Trade. On their
part, and on his own, he was sure he might be per-
mitted to tender to Captain Robertson their best
thanks.

The Foreman—We quite concur in these remarks,
Mr. Coroner.

The jury then retired to consider their verdict at
eight o'clock, and, after deliberating upwards of
two hours, returned into court with the following
special verdict:—
" We find the deceased came to their deaths by
injuries received from steam, hot air, and water,
in consequence of the bursting of the jacket
attached to the foremost funnel of the Great Eastern
steamer, and that the said bursting was caused by
the closing of a tap connected with the syphon
attached to the said jacket in conjunction with
the shutting off the feed from the watercasing to the
boilers, but there is no evidence before the jury to
show by what person or persons the said tap was
shut off, and the jury further express their opinion
that taps are highly dangerous when placed in
such positions, and that sqflicient caution was not
used by the engineers."
The jury, however, returned a verdict of " Acci-
dental death."
The jury then signed the inquisition, and the in-
quiry terminated.

(From the Daily News.)
The Coroner's inquest which has been sitting at
Weymouth for some days past on the unfortunate
victims of the explosion on board the Great Eastern
has concluded its labours. But neither the reported
behaviour of the jury during the trial nor the ver-
dict they have arrived at tend much to sustain the
dignity of this ancient institution. A portion of
the jury at least seem to have paid little attention
to the evidence, and the verdict is but a diffuse re-
petition of facts that have been notorious from the
first day of the trial. As an instrument for the col-
lection of evidence the trial has no doubt been
useful. But the jury evaded the real difficulty of
the case; they made no attempt to inquire into the
moral responsibility of the accident, but were satis-
fied with ascertaining its material cause. This was
simple enough. The evidence adduced before the
inquest satisfactorily determined the immediate
cause of this disastrous accident. From the first
indeed there seemed to be little difficulty or differ-
ence of opinion on this head. The rival engineers,
however much they may quarrel and contradict
each other on the question of their relative respon-
sibility, all agree as to the main point on which it
should have been brought to bear in order to pre-
vent the accident. The explosion took place be-
cause the stop-cock of the stand-pipe near the top
of the casing or "water jacket" of the funnel was
closed, instead of being left open as it ought to
have been. Had this been the case no harm would
hove resulted from shutting off the communication
between the casing and boilers, and feeding the
latter directly from the donkey engines instead of
through the jackets. The casing would soon have
emptied itself, as the water remaining in it when
the feed was stopped would pass off through the
stand-pipe as fast as it became converted into steam.
The whole mischief, therefore, resulted immediately
from the closing of the stop-cock in the stand-pipe.
The engineers are divided in opinion as to whether
there ought to have been any such cock in the pipe
at all. Mr. M'Lennan, the Company's engineer,
says decisively, "I think the cock ought never to
have been placed there." Others justify it as a
useful precaution against the possible breaking of
the stand-pipe, which without a stop-cock would, it
is said, have inundated the cabins with hot water
But whether it was right to have the cock or not,
all agree that it was utterly wrong for it to be
shut, and that the explosion was only the natural
and necessary result of this criminal carelessness or

neglect.
Where does the responsibility of this neglect
fall ? This is the important question, which ought
surely to admit of an easy and direct reply. It
would seem incredible that a vessel like the Great
Eastern should put to sea on a trial trip without
any responsible officers formally commissioned to
watch over and regulate the working of her engines.
Yet the evidence goes to show that this, or some-
thing very like it, was actually the fact. It seems
impossible to decide to whom, if to any one,
the responsibility of working the engines was com-
mitted. There were two sets of engineers on board,
the company's engineers, and the contractors' en-
gineers, but neither of them. according to their own
account and that of their principals, had anything
whatever to do with the responsible working of the
vessel. It is true they mutually rendered a certain
amount of amateur assistance. Mr. M'Lennan, the