The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-01 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

This being the day appointed by her most gracious
Majesty for the meeting of Parliament, it was formally
opened by Royal Commission, the Commissioners being
the Lord Chancellor, the Duke of Argyll, Lord Stanley of
Alderley, the Earl of Bessborough, and Viscount Sydney,
who assembled in the House of Lords a few minutes after
two o'clock.

The writ calling Parliament together having been read,
the Usher of the Black Rod was despatched to the House
of Commons to summon the members to their lordships'
bar, to hear the Royal Commission read.
The late Speaker, Mr. Disraeli, Mr. Gladstone, and
several others of the newly-elected members having ap-
peared, the Royal Commission was read. _

The LORD CHANCELLOR addressed the members of
the House of Commons, informing them that the first
business which they had to perform was to elect a Speaker,
who was to be presented to the House of Lords to-morrow
at two o'clock.

The members of the House of Commons then rotired.
The usual form of prayer was then read.
NEW IRISH REPRESENTATIVE PEER.

The Clerk of the Hanaper brought up the writ appoint-
ing Earl Powerscourt as the successor of the late Viscount
Gort, one of the Irish representatives in their lordships'
House.

Several of the noble lords having been sworn, the pro-
ceedings terminated.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-(THIS DAY.)

On the return of the members from the Upper House,

Mr. MONSELL moved and Lord GROSVENOR,
seconded a motion that the late Speaker, the Honourable
Evelyn Denison, do take the chair, which was agreed to
unanimously by a crowded house.
The SPEAK-RR having acknowledged the honour, was
then formally inducted by the proposer and mover to the
chair.

The Right Hon. Gentleman then, in very feeling terms,
alluded to the loss the house and country had sustained by
the death of Lord Palmerston.

Mr. GLADSTONE said he fully concurred in the obser-
vations of the right hon. gentleman as regarded the late
Lord Palmerston, and referred to the loss which the house
had sustained during his term of office by the death of Sir
James Graham, and the elevation, so justly deserved, to
the Upper House of Lord Russell. Ho expressed his ap-
proval of the re-election of the right hon. gentleman, who
presided over their councils with so much ability. (Hear,

hear.)
Mr. DISRAELI also bore his testimony to the valuable
services which Lord Palmerston had rendered to the coun-
try, and expressed a regret that the seconding of the nomi-
nation of the Speaker had not emanated from his side of
the house. All the members of that house were aware of
the impartiality and indefatigable industry he displayed, and
were desirous of testifying their appreciation of the manner
in which he had discharged his important duties. (Hear,
hear.) He was not aware that there was any precedent for
the party in opposition to second the nomination of a
Speaker, but he thought in the present case a precedent
might have been created.
The proceedings then terminated.

The Speaker will proceed to swear the members in to,
morrow.

The Great Eastern Railway Company.

At a general board meeting of the directors held
this day we hear that Charles Henry Turner, Esq.,
the late chairman of the Committee, of Investigation,
was unanimously and enthusiastically elected chair-
man of the board of directors.

Bank of England Returns.•--This Evening.

An Account, pursuant to t'
cap. 32, for the week ending
ISSUE DEP

he Act 7th and Bth Victoria,
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 1866.

RTIMENT.

Notes Issued

Government Debt £11,015,1C0
Other Securities .. 3,634,u60
Gold Coin & Bullion 12,350,125
Silver Bullion ....

£27 0.10,125

£27,000,125

EPAUTMENT.
1 Government Seen-

,•toprictore' Capi-
tal X 14.533,00
&et
Public Deposits (in-
cluding Exche-
quer, Savings'
Banks, Commis-
missioners of Na-
tional Debt, and
Dividend Ao-

rities (including
Dead WeightAn-
nutty)
Other Securities
Notes
Gold and Silver 8 5,355
Coln

counts) 4,145,939
Other Deposits 13,390052
Seven Day and
other Bills 418,449

£36,031,847

1 £36,037,817
MILLER, Chief Cashier.

Feb. 1, 1866.

THE LOSS OF THE LuNDON.

OFFICIAL INQUIRY-(TIIIS DAY).

This investigation was resumed this morning at
the Greenwich police-court, before Mr. Trail and
Captains Harris and Baker.

Mr. Talford Salter, who attended on the part of
some of the survivors, applied to Mr. Traill for
permission to cross-examine some of the witnesses.
Mr. Train refused the application, as the present
was merely an inquiry. Any question the learned
gentleman wished could be put through the asses-
sors.

Mr. Talford Salter said that being the case, he
would withdraw from the examination.
The first witness called this morning was
Captain Richard Stoller, who said—l am an
officer in her Majesty's Navy, and am engaged at
Plymouth, acting under the Emigration Commis-
sioners. I have held the appointment for eight
years. I went on board the London in the dis-
charge of my duty at noon on the 6th of
January. I was accompanied by Captain Martin
and the surgeon of the ship. I made the usual in-
pection:of the ship, according to the Passengers' Act.
I did not observe that she had sustained any damage
on her voyage from London to Plymouth—not the
slightest. The examination I made was, going
round the deck, looking at the boats, seeing that
the life buoys were in their place, and that sort of
thing. I took a general view of her rigging and
spars, and then I looked down into the engine room,
and sent for the chief engineer to speak to him. He
reported to me that his department was in first-rate
order. I had a general conversation with him as to
how the engines worked coming down to Plymouth,
as I knew they had had some very rough weather.
He told me the rate she had steamed, which was
very good, but I forget the exact terms. I knew it
was very good, and it surprised me, as I knew that
her maximum rate of speed was not more than nine
knots, and that convinced me that the vessel must
be in good trim. I saw the surgeon and got his re-
port. In fact I made as general a survey of the
ship as I could. As she had merely touched at
Plymouth to take in passengers and coal in place of
that she had expended on her way down.
Captain Baker—How many tons ?
Witness—Fifty tons was paid for, but I did not
think it was as much.

Captain Baker—Where was it placed ?
Witness—it was stowed round the engine-room
hatch and steam chest on the upper deck.
Captain Baker—Was there any placed in the
after combing of the engine-room hatch ?
Witness—No.
Captain Baker—Then, we arc to understand
that there was a space between the coals ?
Witness—Oh yes. There was a gangway through
the stovage.
Mr. O'Dowd—Did she ship a considerable quan-
tity of passengers, baggage, or cargo ?
Witness—No. Only articles for the present use
of the passengers shipped there.
Mr. O'Dowd•—Although she only called at Ply-
mouth for passengers, it was your duty to examine
the ship as to her state of seaworthiness.
Witness—Yes. . .

• •
Mr. O'Dowd—You have in fact to see that she
is well fitted to go to sea.
Witness—Yes.

Captain Baker—Did you notice her draught of
water ?
Witness—Not critically.
Captain Baker—What do you mean by that?
Witness—There's a great deal of water, and you
cannot tell accurately under such circumstances.
Captain Baker—You did not partially notice her
draught of water ?
Witness—No ; I thought the vessel was in good
trim.

Captain Baker—By that you mean not deep?
Witness—Certainly. Every steamship must of
necessity be a little deep on leaving port, otherwise
her form would soon be out of water and become
useless. I have a memorandum of the reading of
the barometer on board the harbour-master's vessel
in the Sound of the sth, 6th, and 7th of January
last. At 8 a.m. on the sth it was 29.90 ; at noon
it was 30.04 ; at 3 p.m., 30.07. On the 6th, at 8

a.m., 30.17, rising all this time, it will be observed ;
at noon 30.25 ;at sunset, 30.18. On the 7th, at 8
a.m., 29.76, at noon, 29.78 ; at sunset, 29.78., The
London left Plymouth at midnight, on the sth, and
next day it was fine and calm, and continued so for
four and twenty hours after. The barometer for
some days had been jumping about.
Captain Baker—Then, from your impression,
from the rising of the barometer and the state of the
weather on the sth, was it safe for a ship to go to
sea ?

Witness—Yes, eertainly. The weather continued
fine all the next day.

Mr. Traill—Was the coals properly stowed so as
not to interfere with the navigation of the ship or
the comfort of the passengers ?
Witness—Yes, certainly. They were stowed
four bags deep and four bags high. The bags were
laid lengthways. On former voyages she carried
her coal in a similar manner. I cannot say it was
the same quantity. It was the regular place for it.
Mr. O'Dowd—lf all had gone on well it would
have been consumed in a few days ?
Witness—Yes. Had there been any necessity
the idlers on board could have thrown the whole
quantity overboard in half-an-hour.
Capt. Baker—Did you muster the crew before
the ship left?
Witness—No, I asked the captain whether the
crew was the same that he had on board when he
left Gravesend, and he told me it was. That satis-
fied me. lam sure none of the crew left the ship
at Plymouth. It is not compulsory to muster the
crew unless I suspect fraud. The captain told me
he was going to ship three extra hands, but he
took four A. B's. Five were entered but one got
drunk and didn't go.

Capt. Harris—Do you consider it prudent
for ships to go to sea in the winter with a great
quantity of top hamper aloft
Witness—All merchant ships go to sea in the
winter with their reyal masts on end and topgallant
yards across. You cannot get captains to strike
them. Men-of-war do not do so. lam astonished
at the practice.
Mr. Traill—You mean you are astonished at it
because you do not think it a prudent course.
Witness—Yes. Another emigration ship since
the London sailed went to sea under such circum-
stances. I have no power to order the yards down.
It would be much better if merchant vessels went
to sea in the winter months with stump topgallant
masts instead of the long ones.
Mr. Isaac Cole, recalled—l superintended the
loading of the London in the East India Docks,
under the superintendence of Mr. Charles Wigram,
previous to her last voyage. We took the cargo in
in six days. I can't say how many coals were taken
in, but I know the quantity of dead weight, con-
sisting of bar and sheet iron, amounting to 345
tons. The bar iron was stowed crossways ; the
sheet and bundle iron was placed on the top of
the other. It occupied a space of about 56 feet in
length, 24 feet in breadth, and 5 feet deep. I did
not stow anything else away as dead weight unless
you call agricultural implements so. They go by
measurement.

Mr. O'Dowd—You are speaking now of her
cargo, excluding her dead weight ?
Witness—Yes. Her cargo consisted of cases and
bales amounting to 963 tons.
Mr. O'Dowd—Does that include the agricultural
implements ?
Witness—l cannot say. The London's was what
was called a Melbourne cargo. On- an average 35
tons weight would be equal to every 100 tons
measurement. It was a very light cargo. I put
the kentledge on board the London on her first
voyage, it amounted to 200 tons. The measure-
ment goods were stored over the iron, and some in
the main and after hold.

Mr. O'Dowd—Was any of the cargo stowed on
deck ?

Witness—No, not any.
Captain Baker—What was the weight of the
stores, provisions, and water ?

Witness—about 120 tons of provisions. I can't
say the weight of the water; the tanks I know were
all filled.

Mr. O'Dowd—A great part of the passengers'
baggage was stowed away in the East India dock.
Was it not ?

Witness—Yes. That which was not required on
the voyage was stowed in the forehold. It occu-
pied about 50 tons space of room. I superintended
the stowage of the cargo on all three voyages of
the London. She carried quite as much cargo on
the first as on her last voyage. On her first voyage
she carried dead weight 180 f tons iron, and 773
tons measurement goods. On the second voyage
the total weight and measure was 1,347 tons.

Captain Baker—That is exclusive of the kent-
ledge in all cases.
Witness—Yes. Her last voyage was 1,308 tons.
She had about the same quantity of iron the second
voyage as the last.
Captain Baker—You had a larger cargo on the
second voyage than the last.
Witness—Yes. The kentledge was 150 tons
down the main hold from the after part of the main
hatchway, within about 20 feet of the after part of
the fore hatchway, and the rest was put in the
after hold from the fore part of the
after hatchway to the tank room. The
tanks were on either side of the screw alley
close up to the
_deck. The dead
weight in the
main hold was stored on billet wood over the
kentledge. The thickness of the billet-wood was
from 9to 10 inches. We filled chock up to the
beams with measurement goods both in the fore and
after-hold. None of the dead weight iron was
carried there. Fifteen tons of coal were taken on
board for the ship's use, and stowed in the fore-peak.
There were no other weights there. The coal filled
it up. The magazine of the ship was away aft; it
was built over the tunnel. It was my duty to take in
her spars. She had a spare topmast, topsailyard,
jibbom, flying jibboom, and two or three spare
topgallantmasts and stunt-sail booms. The top-
mast and topsail yards were stowed on deck, and
the other spars on the top of the house. Those on
deck were secured with ring-bolts, and those on the
house were lashed to ring-bolts. Her topgallant
and royal masts were in one spar, fore and aft.
The fly-jibboom was distinct from the jibboom.
The second officer of the ship was down in the hold
every day during the stowage of the cargo, and Mr.
Charles Wigram was also there every day, and, as
far as the dead weight was concerned he would have
directed me had any alteration been required.
Mr. 11. Caulier—l am principal of the searchers
department of the Long-room, Custom-house. I
receive all the shipping bills for goods exported
from the port of London. The bill means the entry
outward of goods exported, showing the value,
quality, and description of goods. It is not pos-
sible to obtain a better description of a ship's cargo
than the shipping bill. I find that the dead • weig ht
on board the London, such as iron, plate, bars,
sheet-iron, lead and shot, stone blocks, iron nails,
and screws are declared to weigh 347 tons 4 cwt.
3 qrs. 18 lb. ; other weight, such as hardware,
agricultural implements, &c., 13 tons 19 cwt. 3 qrs.
4 lb. I don't think it could all be called dead
weight, because it is in eases. In looking over the
bills of the London, I find the cargo of the London
to consist of millinery, woollen goods, ribbons,
haberdashery, flannels, cotton, glass, &c., and just
such as usually go to Melbourne. They were all
light goods. The total declared value of the cargo
of the London was £124,785 17s. 4d, The value ,