The Sun.
London, England, 1835-01-14 00:00:00

BREAKWATER IN PORTLAND ROADS.

'(From the Guernsey Star.)
We have great pleasure in presenting our readers with the
following important letter, and congratulate Mr. Harvey on
the acquisition of a writer, who, whilst he performs a relative
duty as an able advocate in so great a cause, affords the most
conclusive arguments for the necessity of the Portland Break-
water :

To Mr. Harvey, Postmaster, Weymouth.
Sir,—lt has been the hard lot of many of the discoverers
and projectors of works of the first importance to mankind, or
to their own country, to be deprived of the well-earned merit
justly due to their exertions. It is fortunate, however, on the
subject of a Breakwater in Portland Roads, that the able
writings of your father and yourself remain to prove the prac-
tical, and immediately applicable, benefit of such a scheme. In
these writings you suggest and shew the very great importance
of a Breakwater at Portland as a maritime station, impera-
tively called for from there being no safe port along this long
line of our southern coast. As a countervailing safe-guard to
the country against the stupendous works of Cherbourg, you
have clearly marked its necessity as a station in time of war.
I now address you, Sir, in order that I may point out to
you that the Breakwater of Portland, like all other important
subjects, extends in real application much farther than appears
on the first consideration of so great a scheme.

The position of Portland in respect to the country is at
once displayed by a reference to the map of England, and
the bearings of the ocean which almost surrounds it are clearly
marked ; they obviously pourtray it as the point of land around
which ships from all parts of the world would unhesitatingly
sail to secure a safe roadstead in stormy and boisterous
weather. Such would Portland Roads prove themselves to
be, excepting during storms from the eastward; and such
would those roads prove, were it not that gales of wind quickly
change from the westward to the eastward, thus rendering a
watchful look-out absolutely necessary to prevent any sudden
change of wind proving fatal to them. The scheme you pro-
pose of a Breakwater from the east side of Portland, extending
through the entrance to the roads, would completely obviate
these difficulties, and would complete the strong suggestions
which nature herself displays. in the maritime situation of the
island of Portland, as connected with the main land.
But I now proceed, Sir, to show that were your projected
Breakwater established at Portland, far more advantages would
result from it to our country. than at first sight might appear
obvious. There is not a point in the whole British Channel
more easily open to ships from all parts of the world than Port-
land; there are no shallows to dread, for there is no estuary
of any large river. The Race of Portland is well known and the
pilotage would be easily and safely managed : I say, were your
projected scheme realized, how many ports now entered with
so much danger would concede their maritime arrivals, and
how much disaster would be thereby avoided, as there is no
estuary of any great river, such as the Severn, the Thames,
the Medway, or the Mersey ; the new Harbour of Portland
would be entered at once, at all times of the tide, from the deep
and open sea.
Railroads appear to me to be of the utmost importance, that
their establishment requires the watchful eye of the nation
and of the Government to see that local advantages be not ob-
tained by them, at the expense of the general good, and to the
country at large. Ports, of difficult and dangerous access.,
may by the facilities afforded by rail roads become necessarily
established; though such ports, with general competition.
must sink to their level in importance, when fairly opposed to

those of greater natural advantages.
The Manchester rail road established Liverpool as a port,
although the Mersey be so intractable, and the importance of
London by all its internal convenience of carriage, &c., even
draws all the ships of the world through the intricacies and
dangers of the Goodwin Sands and the Thames.
I must again beg you to look at the map, and then picture
to yourself the Breakwater established, and the large deep
water harbour, capable by its area of four square miles of con—
taining the whole Navy of Britain.
Now, suppose a grand trunk rail road proceeding up the
kingdom from this harbour and branching by lateral ones
throughout the country, I simply ask, as a political economist,
would not this combination of the best and most attainable
port, both by sea and land, in which every maritime advantage
would exist with the perfection of land carriage, thus brought
to bear, form a picture of commercial grandeur unparalleled
in the world, and of an importance almost beyond the powers
of human mind to anticipate or contemplate ; yet such might
be the result of your's and your father's projected Breakwater
at Portland. Believe me, Sir, your friend,
December, 22, 1834.

As most of our journals here are publishing, apro•
pos of Talleyrand's letter of resignation, some of that diplo•
matist's most successful bon mots, I give you one which, I be-
lieve, has hitherto escaped notice :—Louis Philippe, some
time after his accession, expressed his abhorrence of such as
were addicted to conjugal infidelity—" It may easily be seen,"
replied Talleyrand, " that your Majesty is not wedded to the
Revolution of July."
- - - -

Baron Sir W. C. Smith has arrived in London on
private business, and is staying at Batt's Hotel. This is the
first time the worthy Baron has visited London for fire.and.
twenty years.