The Sun.
London, England, 1850-09-25 00:00:00

GEMINI IRON TWIN STEAMER.

Yesterday an experimental trip was made from
Blackwall by the patent safety iron steamer Gemini,
which is the first vessel that has been built and fitted
up on the patent recently granted to Mr. Peter
Borrie, for improvements in the construction of
double-hulled or twin vessels, and is intended to ply
on the Thames.

Her principal dimensions are :—Length between
perpendicular, 140 feet ; ditto on deck, 146 feet ;
breadth of each hull, 6i feet ; space between hulls,
8 feet • breadth on deck, 21 feet ; depth from under
side of deck to cabin floor, 6i- feet; draught of water,
.1- feet ; tonnage of each hull, 27 84-94 tons 0. M.
The hulls are chiefly constructed of iron, and are
securely bound together side by side, with a space or
canal between them. Thus joined, the hulls afford a
great extent of deck-room ; and there is ample ac-
commodation for the conveyance of from eight hun-
dred to one thousand passengers. The cabins are
four in number and 30 feet long by 5 wide each, and
are fitted up in the most convenient and comfort-
able manner. In addition to this it is intended to
increase the accommodation by the construction of a
saloon 40 feet long and 12 wide. A leading peculia-
rity of this vessel is that its keels and stems are not
placed in the centre of the hulls, but aro situated to-
wards the inside of them, thereby diminishing that
tendency of the water to gorge up between the hulls,
which has been a great drawback to the success of
twin steamers hitherto. She is also eminently adapted
for the trade for which she is designed, by having
each hull divided into five compartments by water-
tight bulkheadP, which, in the case of accident, will
preserve her from sinking ; and as the buoyant parts
are at the extremities of her breadth, there will be
comparatively little tendency to heel over when
crowded with passengers. She was constructed and
fitted out with her machinery by Messrs. Robinson
and Russell, of the Millwall Iron Works; and her
two engines, which are on the oscillating principle,
are of 50 horses' power collectively, the boilers being
tubular. The experimental trip yesterday was made
between Blackwell and the Lower Hope (a few miles
below Gravesend). The vessel, with a party of up-
wards of 100 on board, left the Brunswick Pier at
half-past twelve, and returned at half-past five, amidst
bowl cheering from a crowd of spectators. The trial
made of her capacities appeared to give general
satisfaction.

PREPARATION OF FLAX WITHOUT STEEPING.—
This simple and economical mode of preparing the fibre for
the spinner is attracting important attention
at this; moment
The machinery employed is exceedingly facile and inexpen-
sive; the flax may immediately be taken from the field,
dried, and prepared ; and the yield is one-third more, and
the strength one-third greater, than when it has been treated
in the ordinary way. Not being tanned by steeping, it is
bleached as easily as cotton ; and the essential oil remaining
in the fibre imparts a lustre to the flax, and supplies that
nature" which will enable the spinner to rival the finest
hand-spinning, both in quality and brilliancy. So econo-
mical is this process, that the woody part broken away clean
from the fibre, and retaining much of the essential oil of the
plant, is admirably adapted for cattle feeding; and thus not
one single atom of this valuable produce of our soil need be
lost. There is, moreover, a peculiarly idiosyncracy in flax
so prepared to unite " kindly" with fabrics of silk or wool,
imparting great strength and beauty, and considerably les-
sening their cost.
AUBOTSHANI.—The Puseyite Parson of this parish
has endeavoured to prevent the Rev. Benjamin Arthur, a
Dissenting Minister of Bideford, from preaching in his vil-
lage. Mr. Arthur, it appears, was in the habit of occasion-
ally preaching in a room kindly lent by one of the villagers.
On Sunday week, on going as usual, he was told by the poor
woman who rented the house, that the clergyman had been
there, and ordered her not to let him preach any more, but
to send him down to the parsonage if he came again. Mr.
Arthur waited accordingly on his reverence, who issued his
apostolic command to him not to preach again, at his peril.
Mr. Arthur intimated that he should disregard the priestly
injunction, and preached accordingly; but before he had half
finished his discourse, the parson presented himself, and
ordered the congregation to disperse, as it was Sunday, "and
they ought to know how to reverence the day ;" a few left,
but most of the congregation felt much annoyed at this un-
Christian like interruption, and stayed until the service was
over.— Western Times.

BETHLEHEM HOSPITAL.—The governors have or-
dered some additional cells to be lined and floors covered
with kamptulicon, forthe comfort of the unfortunate patients
of their hospital,

THE ARMY.
CHATHAM, SEPT. 24.—The under-named officers,
with detachments of corps from the provisional batta-
lion at this garrison, will embark at Gravesend on
the 27th inst., on board the freight ship Duke of
Bedford, for adra., viz.: Captain E. L. Woolley
and Ensign F. C. Kennedy (51st, King's Own Bor_
derers), and 24 men ; also Lieutenant Kenney and
Ensign Chatt, 84th Regiment, with 86 men, and 4
men of the 25th King's Own Borderers ;making a
total of 114 men with 8 officers. The usual number
of women and children on this occasion will be
allowed to embark with the troops. Colonel William
H. Slade, commanding Engineers, is to be relieved
at Chatham by Lieut.-Colonel H. D. Jones, R.E.
Trooping the guards at Chatham has been discon-
tinued by garrison orders, and the troops of this gar-
rison, consisting of the Line and Royal Marines, are
ordered to commence wearing their black cloth trou-
sers. The sth and 9th company of the Ist battalion of
Rifle Brigade marched into Chatham barracks on Mon-
day, the 23d, from Gravesend. The band of the 12th
went out of the town to meet them, and they played
them to the barracks. The troops disembarked at
Gravesend from the ship Emily, from the Cape of
Good Hope, which ship sailed on the 12th of July.
The strength of both these companies consists of 6
sergeants and 95 rank and file, with 8 officers, viz.,
Captain Edward Roper, Captain H. Hardinge, Lieu-
tenant Honourable L. Curzon, Lieutenant H. S. H.
Cornewall, Lieutenant Hon. H. Clifford, Lieutenant
G. P. Evelyn ; Second-Lieutenant H. G. Lindsey,
and Assistant-Surgeon J. R. Lewis, M.D.; 12 rank
and file of the 95th Regiment, who were left sick at
the Cape when the regiment sailed for England, came
to Chatham, they having disembarked from the same
ship as the Rifles; three women and five children belong-
ing to the Rifles arrived with the baggage. The troops
this day underwent medical inspection at Fort Pitt,
and those not fit for service were turned over to the
Invalid Depot, St. Mary's Barracks; and those of the
Rifles fit for service will march on Thursday for
Canterbury, to join their head-quarters. Privates
Patrick Doyle and J. White, of the Rifles, on the
passage from the Cape, died at see.