The Sun.
London, England, 1868-02-15 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 15, 1868,

THE REPORTED DEATH OF MR,
JUSTICE SHEE,

We have very great pleasure in contradicting
the announcement that appeared in the Tines and
other papers this morning, of the death of Mr.
Justice Slice. The learned Judge had been unwell
during the past two days, but on inquiring at Sussex
place at two o'clock this afternoon, our reporter
was informed that the learned judge was very much
better. It is needless to say that the unfounded
report has already caused the greatest pain to
relatives of the learned Judge, and it is to be
regretted that such reckless announcements
should be made before proper inquiry is
made in order to test the correctness of the
information supplied. Some of our contemporaries
have not only given the cause of the learned judge's
death, but have gone the length of selecting another
gentleman as his probable successor !

Great astonishment was expressed in the courts this
morning at the announcement in some of the papers of
the death of Mr. Justice Shee, as only a few days ago he
was actively discharging his judicial duties, and appa-
rently in the enjoyment of good health. About ten o'clock
a rumour got into circulation that the intelligence was
false, and that the learned judge had been seen alive this
morning by his colleague, Mr. Justice Mellor. All doubt
on the subject was happily set at rest soon after the com-
mencement of the business in the Court of Exchequer,
when Mr. Justice Mellor came upon the bench and
entered into conversation with the Lord Chief Baron.
Shortly afterwards Mr. Serjeant Ballantine, who was
examining a witness, addressing the Lord Chief Baron,
said : " May I ask your lordship whether there is any
further report respecting Mr. Justice Shee ?"—The
Lord Chief Baron replied : " The report to which
you refer is an entire mistake. My learned
brother, I am happy to say, states that Mr.
Justice Shee is rather improved in health."—Mr. Serjeant
Ballantine : " I am sure we all most heartily rejoice at
what your lordship has said."—The Attorney-General gave
expression to a similar sentiment; and, as Mr. Justice Shee
is universally respected, there was a general feeling of
satisfaction at this contradiction of the report of his
death.

In the Court of Queen's Bench, the Lord Chief Justice,
on taking his seat this morning on the bench, said : " I am
very glad to be able to state that the announcement in
the morning papers of the death of my brother Shee is
incorrect. He, however, is very ; but lam glad to be
able to state that he is not dead."—Mr. Temple, Q.C., on
behalf of the bar present, said he was very glad to hear it.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

Yesterday her Majesty's unarmonred screw
steamer Blanche, 6 guns, 1,268 tons, with engines
of 350 horse-power, built and fitted out at Chatham
dockyard for a three years' commission, made her
official trial of speed at her deep-load draught at
the measured mile, Maplin Sands ; the customary
speed trial at light draught having been dispensed
with. The Blanche is one of the squadron of im-
proved sloop-corvettes, built after the designs of Mr.
E. J. Reed, the Chief Constructor of the Navy, and,
with regard to dimensions, form of construction, and
engine power, is in all respects similar to the Danae,
Eclipse, and other vessels of her class now building.
On getting under way the Blanche drew 16ft. 7in.
aft, and 13ft. 7in. forward, which was slightly in
excess of that of her sister ship, the Danae, when
tried at the measured mile, and also rather more
than her deep draught as designed, the increased
displacement being due to the two additional guns
composing her armament, with the necessary shot,
shell, and ammunition, together with some 30 hands
more than her originally fixed complement. The
Blanche left her moorings at 12 o'clock, the officials
on board, including Capt. the Hon. A. A.Cochrane,
C. 8., commanding the Steam Reserve, who super-
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was in charge of Mr. Snell, chief engineer; Mr.
Ravenhill, of the firm of Ravenhill and Hodgson,
representing the makers of the engines. The weather
was favourable for the trial, the wind being from
the W.N.W., with a force of from two or three.
After the preliminary run to prepare the furnaces
and boilers, the vessel was placed on the measured
mile, and six runs made at full-boiler power with
the following results :—First mile—time, 5 min.
29 sec., speed in knots per hour 10.942, steam 311 b.,
vacuum 27in., revolutions of screw per minute 88 ;
second mile—time, 4min. Isec., speed 14.938 knots,
steam 30in., vacuum 27in., revolutions 88 ; third
mile—time, smin. 20sec., speed 11.250 knots, steam
301 b., vacuum 26in., revolutions 86 ; fourth mile—
time, 4min. 2sec., speed 14.876 knots, steam 301 b.,
vacuum 26in., revolutions 87 ; fifth mile—time,
sinin. 23sec., speed 11.146 knots, steam 28ib.,
vacuum 26in., revolutions 84 ; sixth mile—time,
3min. 57sec., speed 15.190, steam 331 b., vacuum
25, revolutions 88. The first means obtained from
' these results were 12.940, 13.094, 13.063, 13'011,
and 13.168 knots, and the second means 13.017,
13.028, 13.037, and 13.089 knots, giving the true
mean, or actual speed of the ship, as 13.055 knots
per hour, or nearly two-tenths of a knot per hour
more than the speed of the Danae, which, when
tried at a lesser draught on the 12th ult., at Stokes
Bay, realised a mean speed of 12.872 knots, as
against 13.384 knots per hour at light draught,
showing that the Blanche is, in comparison, a faster
vessel at her deep load draught than the Danae at
her light draught, although both vessels and, ma-
chinery were constructed from the same drawings
and patterns. The Danae, it may also be remarked,
is fitted with a Griffith's propeller, and had the same
description of screw been applied to the Blanche
there is little doubt that the results would have been
still more favourable to the latter vessel. At the
close of the full-boiler trials two runs were made at
half-boiler power, with the following results :
First run—time, 5 min. 36scc., speed 10.714 knots,
steam 301 b., vacuum 27in., number of revolutions
76; second run—time, 4min. 53sec., speed 12.287
knots, steam 301 b., vacuum 27in., revolutions 76 ;
giving the mean speed at half-boiler power exactly
11.5 knots per hour. Throughout the trial the
engines worked very satisfactorily, the actual work
performed, as shown by the indicator cards, being
equivalent to 1,900 horse-power. The vessel was
afterwards tried in making circles, stopping and
starting of engines, and other trials, the results, as
the case of the speed trials, being equally satis-
factory. At the close of the trials the Blanche re-
turned to harbour, and, according to existing orders,
will take her departure for Australia to-day, calling
in at Shithead for final orders. The official inspec-
tion of the vessel was made on Wednesday by Capt.
W. K. Hall, C.B.