The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-26 00:00:00

Julius or Mr. Bird were present on and after the
29th of April.
13. The prescription book of medicines sent to
the patient was not at any time produced.
Such facts 1 leave for any inference or comment
you may choose to publish, and remain, sir, your
obedient servant,

JAMES SMETHURST.
6, York-cottages, Thurloe-square, Brompton.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
Sir,—l consider that professional witnesses who
give their opinions where the life or freedom of a
man is at stake are as much upon their trial as the
prisoner, and that it is the duty of those who are
well acquainted with the particular science they
profess to correct any error that might deceive the
jury or influence the fate of the prisoner. With
these views, from my great experience in cases of
poisoning, I think I ought to remark upon the
chymical evidence adduced in the case of Dr. Smet-
hurst. I find in the Times of May 21 that Dr.
Taylor deposed that " in bottle No. 21 he found it
half full of a clear fluid," that he tried Reincke's
process on it, and " found that there were seven
grains of chlorate of potass in an ounce of it, which
was 1 6-10 per cent., and that there was a grain of
arsenic to every ounce ;" he furthei said that it was
of the sort we call white arsenic, and that he had
previously tried the tests (materials) and found
them pure. Here was evidence of the most posi-
tive and distinct kind; not only was arsenic found
but the weight estimated, and its nature (white)
ascertained. Upon the trial this was stated to be
a mistake; that, although the former evidence was
given so boldly and so particularly, it was now
found that there was no arsenic in it, but that the
arsenic found was in the copper. although the
copper had, with the other materials, been pre-
viously proved to be pure. The witness went on
to say that he had at first operated upon an evacua-
tion, and found arsenic in that, but admitted that
he had used the same copper for many years, con-
sequently all proof of the presence of the poison
either in the body, or in the evacuations, or in the
bottle in the possession of the prisoner, was de-
stroyed by the witness himself, and the jury must
rest upon the symptoms and physiological ap-
pearances in the opinions of the medical witnesses
called, which are about equal for and against the
prisoner. But the mischief does not end here, for
if the same impure copper "has been used for 20
years," and evidence given upon it, what shall be
said of the justice of the convictions and executions
which have taken place during those years upon
Dr. Taylor's evidence !
But was the arsenic said to be found in bottle
No. 21 really in the copper used to prove its pre-
sence ? Could the copper wire gauze dissolved by
seven grains of chlorate of potass and its associated
hydrochloric acid deposit one grain of arsenic ?
In the face of all England I say it could not ; the
hundredth part of a grain of arsenic in that quan-
tity of copper would render it so brittle that it
could not be drawn into wire at all, much less into
fine wire fit for gauze ; the fact is, the whole set of
operatjons were a bungle. Reincke's process is not
applicable where nitrates or chlorates are present.
Next, where his admirable process is resorted to
the mere discolouration of the copper does not
prove the presence of arsenic ; it only proves that
one or more of the inferior metals—arsenic, anti-
mony, tin, lead, bismuth, mercury, &c., are pre-
sent.
To individualise arsenic among these four more
experiments are necessary. The first is sublima-
tion in a stream of air, when crystalline arsenious
acid is produced from the black deposit. Next,
that sublimate must be dissolved in water, and
tested by three methods ; first, ammonia, sul-
phate of copper ; next ammonia, nitrate of silver ;
and, thirdly, sulphuretted hydrogen.
Thus, one separation and four proofs produce a
body of evidence which it is impossible to gainsay,
and these five proofs should be brought into court
so as to be examined by those who are competent
to recognise them; and I here warn juries that no
evidence short of tangible production of the poison
and its tests ought to be for one moment attended
to : any deviation frcm this rule will convert a con-
victed criminal into a martyr, and deprive trial by
jury of the infallibility which it ought to possess ;
and, lest it might be imagined that it may not be
possible to secure enough of the poison to make the
five proofs, I should say that the one-thousandth
part of a grain is quite sufficient.
I remain, Sir, yours, &c.
WILLLIAM HERAPATH, San., F.C.S., Professor
of Chymistry.
Dristol, Old-park, Aug. 24.

THE GREAT EASTERN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.
_ _ ..

Sir,—As thisre is among the public a very preva
lent idea that th.?re will be " Demotion in the Great
Eastern, even du."ing the heaviest gale of wind,"
permit me to poin't out at least two positions in
which there will be vt.'l7 considerable "liveliness,"
to use a nautical passwo?d, if the experiment which
she is destined to exemp3ify be rigorously carried
out.
The leading characteristic of the Great Eastern
—that in which she differs from every other ship
hitherto constructed—is, that she shall under no
circumstances be compelled to I.e to, nor in any
way to diverge from her dire ^t great circle
course, by any action of wind or wave. She is
to sail exclusively a great circle course, and is not
to be hove to or allowed to run free, or run out
of a gale (unless she has the heels of it), nor gene-
rally to have recourse to any of those dodges
which are resorted to to ease a ship under stress of
weather. That she will do all this no one who has
admired her noble symmetry and exquisite lines
will for a moment doubt; but will she achieve this
desideratum and be free from all motion at the
same time ?
Her dimensions are based upon certain calcula-
tions of the late Dr. Scoresby, which assigned 680
feet as the extreme length between the crests of
two waves, with an average depth in the interven-
ing trough' of 60 feet, or a mean elevation and
depression of 30 feet each way above and below
the level of the ocean at rest.
I do not wish to impugn the Rev. Doctor's
hard-earned experience but, adopting his method
of calculation, as detailed in an early number of
" Household Words," I once measured 800 feet be-
tween the crests, when lying-to in the steamer
Baltic, in which measurement I was confirmed by
Captain Comstock ; and I rather think that Cap-
tain Harrison himself was in command of the Africa
when she, starting from Liverpool three days after
us, experienced the same gale, on the 11th of
October, 1854.
Upon these data the Great Eastern was con-
structed, and care was taken to make her so enor-
mously strong amidships that there should be no
deflection or '"hogging" when she was suspended
by bow and stern over a trough 680 feet wide with
barely any water under her centre, or riding the
crest of a wave with her bow and stern almost out
of water. As has been well remarked, she is built
on the same tubular principle as the Menai Railway
viaduct, only vastly stronger, as each compartment
is only 0.10 the length of that suspension tube.
Her bottom is also constructed of two segments of
a very oblate ellipse,—about six feet on either side
of the mesial plane being almost flat, and, as all the
world knows, unprovided with keel.
Now suppose, on her voyage out to Portland
(which implies on an average a W.S.W. course),
she happens to be struck by a gale from due north.
It is obvious that, if the Great Eastern is rigor-
ously kept to her course, the trough of 680 feet wide
over which she is suspended, will not be spanned
by even her great length, inasmuch as she crosses
it diagonally.
Now, I contend, as the wave catches her beneath
the quarter, where, from her great sharpness for-
ward, she is rather inclined to be lean, she must
roll, and, having no keel, it will be a very severe
roll—not in the remotest degree dangerous, but
still quite enough to discompose a landsman.
In the second place, suppose she is running be-
fore a heavy gale of wind, it is equally manifest
that a modification of the foregoing will take place,
the difference being that, instead of a rolling, there
must be what is technically called a " sending"
motion, with the certainty, in case of a short sea,
of a very severe shock to the sternpost, though, I
repeat, her great strength renders this compara-
tively unimportant. lam only speaking of her as
a comfortable ship in a very heavy sea.
Suppose, thirdly, that, still sailing from Holy-
head for Portland, immediately after rounding
Malin Head or Cape Clear, she should happen to
encounter a westerly gale, which is likely for the
time it lasts to knock up quite as high a sea as any
other ; the sea will catch her on the starboard bow.
while her stern is still descending into the trough.
As, however, she will be advancing at a rate of
about 10 knots, she will burst through the wave,
' quite motionless, it is true, riding majestically
enough from wave to wave. As, however, the waves
ownvelocity
will pass her with their of about 30
o
miles an hour, plus her speedf 12 miles an hour, ill.
all 42 miles an hour, there will be a tolerable lash of
spray. When a ship is n ly.l gtoin a heavy sea, a
little dexterous manipulation of the wheel will keep
her Let her fall off but a
single
though she has steerage
comparativelypoint, and,
edNr,yen.
way on her, stand by for a green sea. Such was
the case with the America when she had to put
back some three years ago. The height out of water
of the Great Eastern and the concavity of her upper
lines forward will prevent her taking a sea on
board, but she will be covered with spray forward
as far nearly as the paddlebox.
The peculiarity of build already noted in her bot-