The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-12 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OP THE SUN.

Sin,—ln the army intelligence of this day you
give a description of an incendiary shell, invented
and called by Captain Norton " The liquid-fire rifle
shell," which was successfully tested at Chatham
yesterday before several officers of the Royal En.
gineers.
The inventor states "he can, with the same de-
scription of shell, but of larger size, set fire to any
line-of-battle ship in the navy."
You remark that " the results of the experiments
yesterday proved that the shell in question is
one of the most extraordinaryprojectiles ever intro-
duced into the art of warfare."
Permit me to state that a shell filled with coal-
tar naphtha, mixed with phosphorus and bisulphu-
ret of carbon, having a bursting charge sufficient
to open the shells, which, when exploded, scatters
its contents in all directions, the shower of inflam-
mable material, falling among cavalry and troops,
ignites spontaneously, causing their immediate dis-
organisation and destruction. Fired into shipping,
these shells, bursting on deck or below, causes the
same results. Fired into harbours, dockyards, or
towns, the result is alike destructive and decisive.
(The above is extracted from my Patent, No.
1,774.) In 1853 I offered my invention to the Go-
vernment, but Lord Panmure, when Minister of
War, interdicted the sealing of my patent, on the
grounds of its efficacy and great value, which inter-
dict has since been removed by his lordship—the
patent has been sealed, and consequently made
public.
May I request you will kindly insert this expla-
nation in your valuable paper for the information
of your readers P—l have the honour to be your
obedient servant,

JOHN MACINTOSH•

Feb. 11, 1859.

THE PCBLIC .READINGS SOCIETY.

Last evening the third of these popular enter-
tainments
took place in the school-room of St.
George the Martyr, in Theobald's-road, each of
the four gentlemen who participated in it being
introduced by the rector to the notice of the nume-
rous audience there assembled. Among the read-
ings may be particularised Aytoun's " Charles
Edward at Versailles," read by Mr. C. J. Plumptre ;
Hood's " Bridge of Sighs," read by Mr. E. W. Cox ;
Dickens' " Miss Jemima Evans and the Eagle," read
by Mr. W. Charles Kent ; and Southey's " Doctor
Dove," read by the Rev. Alexander Watson. The
audience, including among them, we were glad to
recognise, many hard-working mechanics, evinced,
by their cordial applause, and still more upon occa-
sion by their hearty bursts of laughter, a thorough
enjoyment and appreciation of the evening's enter-
tainment. From first to last nothing could really
have gone off in every way more satisfactorily.
The increasing attraction of these Readings, in fact,
augurs well for the success of the enterprise. It

will be seen, on reference to our advertising columns,
that the scheme is now in active operation—four
readings being marked down for next week, two
of them at Wylde's Reading-rooms, in Leicester-
square, one near Charing Cross, and another again
in Bloomsbury.

TILE SUBMARINE TELEGRAPH BE-
TWEEN MALTA AND CAGLIARI.

A letter from Malta, of the sth of February,
announces the important fact of the repair of the
damage to this cable, which, after an obstruction of
45 days, recommenced working at 7.15 p.m. on the
preceding day. -With reference to the measures
taken up to the 28th of January to attain this end
Mr. -Webb, the civil engineer of the Mediterranean
.Extension Telegraph Company, reports to the naval
Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Fanshawe, as
follows, from on board the steamer Elba :
" Sir,—l beg to report that the following opera-
tions towards the repair of the Caglitira and Malta
telegraph cable have been carried on, under my
direction, for the Mediterranean Extension Tele-
graph Company.
" On the 16th, 17th, and 18th I made electrical
tests from Malta with the view of ascertaining the
distance of the fault as nearly as possible. My
calculations shOwed the fault to be about 188 nauti-
cal miles of cable from Malta. Referring to my
notes taken during the laying of the eable, this
brought the fault to a spot 15 nautical miles S.W.
(by compass) off Maritimo. I, therefore, deter-
mined to dredge for the cable on Adventure Bank,
and pick up to the fault. On the 19th I proceeded
to sea in the Elba, and on the 20th commenced
dredging off Granitola. I selected this spa, al-
though it would have saved much work if I could
have dredged nearer the faulty but the ground near
the fault does not appear to have been so accurately
surveyed, and I was consequently ignorant as to
the smoothness of the ground,
" On the evening of the 20th the cable was hooked
and hove up in 43 fathoms, Cape Granitola E. by
N. 1 N., distant 16 miles. On cutting and testing
I found, as I expected, that the fault was towards
Cagliari. By very hurried tests the fault appeared
40 miles off, and this I telegraphed to you. .1 then
buoyed the Malta end and commenced picking up
towards Cagliari. On making more accurate tests
I found the fault only about 24 to 26 statute miles
off.

" After picking up about 20 nautical miles of
cable, the cable parted at the bottom on the even-
ing of the 21st, being under a wreck or rock, and
it is exceedingly probable that it is the original
fault:

" I then dredged for the cable seawards of the
spot where the cable parted, and obtained it on the
25th. I found the cable perfect to Cagliari, so that
the fault is in the short piece (about 13 miles) be-
tween the spot where I hooked the cable and where
it parted, and is probably actually at the spot where
it parted. This is at a spot 15 miles S.W. IW. off
Maritimo, in 160 fathoms water, and 175 nautical
miles of cable from Malta, or 13 miles nearer to
Malta than calculated by me.
"Having obtained the Cagliari end I spliced on
three miles of stout cable and paid it out very
slackly from forward towards Malta. I was wait-
ing for daylight to get the cable from forward to
aft (which is rather a difficult operation) when at
4.30 a.m. on the 26th the cable parted at the bot-
tom. There was very little lift on, and I conclude
that the cable during the fall of the ship got
tightly wedged in some crevice, and on the rise of
the ship of course parted.
" I have not yet succeeded in obtaining the cable
again as the weather has not been favourable for
dredging, and as I was in want of provisions and
stores I came on here, but I fully expect, if the
weather holds fine, to succeed in completing the
work in a day or two."

ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON INTELLI-

GENCE.

FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.

COWES, FEB. 11.

The members are already preparing for the com-
ing season, and there have been several arrivals at
the Squadron House this week. Our builders are
pretty busily employed. In Messrs. Ratsey and
Son's yard alone there are the, following yachts
building or altering, and there would be more if
there was room for them ; but as they are in a for-
ward state for lauching, there will be soon room
for others :—The first, a cutter yacht of 70 tons,
building for Colonel Simmons Smith, R.Y.S. ; next,
a schooner yacht of 80 tons, for C. Keyer, Esq.,
R.V.Y.C. ; and a cutter of 45 tons, for Colonel
Westenra, R.Y.S. The Gitana, 75 tons, is being
lengthened for Joseph Hone, Esq., R.St.G.Y.C. ;
a cutter of 8 tons, for the Paris Imperial Yacht
Club. The Caprice, 56 tons; Colonel Baring, is
about to be hauled up to be lengthened by the
stern.

TIIE LATE GOVERNOR OF MALTA. The late
Sir W. Reid has bequeathed a legacy of £lOO to the
Agrarian Society of Malta, for the support of their exhi-
bitions, established by him when governor in this island.
At the last meeting of the society it was proposed to erect
a monument to the memory of our late good governor, as a
token of gratitude for his unremitting exertions in the en-
couragement of agriculture
—Malta 'Observer.

APOTHECARIES'-HALL.— The following gentle-
men passed their examination in the science and practice
of medicine, and received certificates to practise, on Thurs-
day, February 10:—Owen Owen, Leamington; Charles
`Northam Pearse, Peterborough ; John Hilditch, Sand-
bach ; Thomas Dandy, Rufford ; Walter Copestake, Kirk
Langley, Derby ; Edward Stephens Collins, Stalbridge,
Dorset. The following gentleman also on the same day
passed his fast examination ;—Reginald Harrison, Stafford.