The Sun.
London, England, 1850-01-21 00:00:00

18,50

[PRICE 6D.

I time of adversity, unless the statement that follows
I entitle me to establish a cleim, I have no other to
offer. Just now I have no papers to guide me as
to dates ; I will endeavour, however, from recol-
lection, to state as correctly as possible. About
twenty-four years ago my relations obtained for me
a free mariner's indenture for your Hon. Company's
territory. After having expended a considerable sum
(1 money for the fees of indenture, outfit, passage
money, and other preliminaries, I arrived at Calcutta.
On my arrival there I found the indenture in my
possession was not to me worth the value of the paper
it was written upon. It was no recommendation to a
situation, and as there were a number of officers lying
on their ears at Calcutta, waiting for berths that had
been promised them, although they were not inden •
tured men, plainly showine: to me the utter futility
of the indenture at all. Since the opening of free
trade, of course it hes become altogether useless. It
was some time afterwards I entered the Hon. East
India Company's marine service, with a view of get-
ting on to be a pilot of Bombay Harbour. I ulti-
mately did so. During the year 1834, whilst a pilot
of Bombay Harbour, the idea to.build and rig sailing
vessels upon an entirely novel principle originated
with me. All the money I had made in India was spent
there, practically showing the merits of that novel
invention in the first place. The idea having been
considered better adapted fur yachts than any other
class of vessels, and there being but few yachters at
Bombay then, it was considered that England was a
better field for bringing my inventions forward. I
ultimately gave up my situation at Bombay, with the
express object that I might be enabled to make the
inhabitants of Britain's Isle acquainted with my new
nautical improvements. Since coming home, which
is now about eleven years ago, my mind, my time,
and a property left me by my father, at Kinghorn,
have all been expended endeavouring to promote the
object I had in view when I left my place at Bombay.
Since coming home I have always made it my duty
to send copies of my correspondence to the public on
the subject to the address of your Honourable Board.
" Gentlemen, the foregoing statement being all that
I can offer as a claim, together with the efforts I have
made in Scotland and England to promote improve-
ments in the fishery department, I hope they may
be considered sufficient to enable your Honourable
Board to reconsider your last decision, I at present
being much in need of pecuniary aid.
Gentlemen, I have the honour to be
Nour most obedient and humble servant,
e•ees " H. DEMPSTER.
" 14, Cannon-row, Westminster."

•
To the above letter I am told no answer can be
given, I must try some other channel to bring for-
ward my inventions. With my improved model
yacht now lying at Shields I can make her perform
twelve manoeuvres more than any other built or
rigged sailing-vessel afloat; one of them being that
she will go over a rock whilst sailing at the rate of
seven knots, where there is one and a half feet less
water than her draught in centre, without sustaining
damage—something like a horse going over a five-
barred gate. But the rock that stands in the channel
of prejudice is not so easily to be got over. On one
occasion, during a very heavy gale of wind, the
model yacht was driven over rocks off North Berwick,
where there was three feet less water than she drew
in centre, and sustained little or no damage. Let
then the press get up a gale in favour of making the
experiment at London, as it was made at Bombay,
Canton, Leith, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Newcastle,
and Shields, and I'll be bound (if all goes well) the
little vessel alluded to (which is twenty feet in length
and sii fer-t beam) will be seen floating and
manceuvring about on the Serpentine River, Hyde-
park, in the year 1851.—1 am, Sir, &c.,

11. DEMPSTER.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

MALTA, JAN. 12.—The Peninsular and Oriental
Company's steamer Ripon, with the Indian mail, due
to-day, has not made her appearance. The French
steamer from the Levant has arrived, and will proceed
to Marseilles this afternoon.

Yesterday her Majesty's brig Racer, from Athens,
Suds, and Syracuse, came in. Except the receiving
ship, she is the only vessel of war in port.
The Spitfire steamer, with the crew of the Oberon,
has left this place for Leghorn, to relieve the Porcu-
pine, which vessel is hourly expected, and will be dis-
patched to the eastward to Sir W. Parker's squadron.
A melancholy accident has happened to an officer in
the Odin steam-frigate, Lieutenant H. W. Dawson,
late of the Thetis. It would seem that he had been
out shooting, and, on returning, had incautiously
placed a loaded gun between his legs, when, accident-
ally touching the trigger, the gun was discharged
and the contents were lodged in the heart of the un-
fortunate young man, who almost immediately ex-
pired. The accident has thrown a deep gloom over
the ship, for be was a general favourite.
Mr. Winstanley, of the Medina, has been invalided
to England for change of air. He has been tempo-
rarily relieved in his duties by Mr. Sainthill, a clerk
of the Volage, surveying ship, until a successor to
the Medina shall be appointed.

Lieutenant-Colonel Ward has arrived in Malta, to
relieve Colonel Whitty, in command of the Artillery.
He will assume command on the 20th. The corps
was yesterday reviewed by General Ellice, who ex-
pressed his extreme satisfaction at the state of effici-
ency in which he found them. The General in the
evening gave a magnificent ball.
The members of the new Council of Government
were sworn in on Tuesday last, at the palace. The
Council was afterwards prorogued till the 15th inst.
The arrival of the Locust steamer from Naples, on
the 9th instant, brought the agreeable information
that the quarantine imposed on arrivals from Malta
had been taken taken oft _

P. P.S. r.m.—The India mail is tele-
grated. Tne Medina will leave this evening at
eight, P.M.
News has been to-day received from Constantinople
of the death of Mr. Rizo, Greek Minister at the
Porte. The fleet is about to leave Macronissi for
Malta. This may be considered positive, on the
strength of letters to-day received.
PORTSMOUTH, SUNDAY.—The following ships are
reported as ordered fur commission :
The Trafalgar, 120 guns, to be commissioned at

Sheerness.
.A.mphion, 30 guns, 300-horse power, Sheerness.
Albion, 92 guns, Devonport.
Arethusa*, 50 guns, Devonport.

Vulture, first class steam-frigate, 470-horse power,
Devonport.
Ajax, screw, 60 guns, 450-horse power, Portsmouth.
Fox, under repair, 42 guns, Portsmouth.
The Terrible steam-frigate, 21, Captain Hope, C.B ,
left Spithead this afternoon for Devonport, whence,
after being paid wages there, she will start, in com-
pany with the Indefatigable, 50, Captain Smart, for
Lisbon, to try the experiment of steamer v. sailer;
the farmer not to use her coals if she has fair wind,
and always to keep a forward course.
Captain W. F. Austen (1846), nephew of Rear-
Admiral C. J. Austen, appointed Commander-in-
Chief of the India and China station, is reported to be
the Flag• Captain to that officer; Lieutenant G. T.
M. Purvis (1841) to be Flag-Lieutenant; and Mr.
Price, at present in the Hastings, in China, late
secretary to Sir Francis Collier, will be continued as
secretary.

The Phaeton, 50, Captain G. Elliot, when ready
fur sea, is ordered to Devonport, to receive advance for
her crew.

The Madeira packet Eclipse passed this port for
London last night, and sent in passengers by a pilot-
boat,
who landed at the Quebec Hotel. Her dates
were the 2d inst. The only news of consequence is
the re-imposition of the odious quarantine for five
days, which was operating most prejudicially to the
interests of Madeira.
TIM SQUADRON OF EXERCISE IN THE TAGUS.
—The Hogue, 56, Captain Macdougal ; the
Leander, 50, Captain Dacres; the Arrogant, 46,
Captain Fitzroy; the Thetis, 40, Captain Codring-
ton ; the Encounter, 14, Captain Gordon ; the Con-
flict, 8, Commander Drake ; and the Scourge steam-
sloop, 6, Commander Lord Frederick H. Kerr, were
off Lisbon on the 19th instant, sii%Titing. the arrival
of the Commodore (Captain Martin, of the Prince
Regent, 92), to proceed on another.
pgenal trial of
had recently
sailing and steaming. The ab?ves
returned from a partial cruise, in
qualities in sailing
in which s
the Arrogant
(auxiliary steam-frigate) t_
finffrejtfar(iagel)as9tse b:Le weer-sloop or corvette)a n
ewder. '1 he Encoun-
tere qu
beatal to
the
ee sailing
on awin,d andeHogue thegbe Conflict(ereew block-ship) steamed beatEncountteeroed 8
off the
wind. The
knots, and the Scourge steamed faster than all, mak.
ing llf knots. 'When the squadron is augmenttd
(as it is reported it will speedily be) by the new
trigates Indefatigable, Phaeton, and Arethusa, all
50's, and the Terrible steam-ship, the squadron will
be one of the most powerful and efficient ever at sea,
and will doubtless develop some valuable data for
ship-building, both sailing and steam. The Phaeton
is by White, of Cowes ; the Indefatigable by Edye,
of Devonport dock-yard ; the Arrogant by Fincham,
of Portsmouth-yard ; the Arethusa by Captain Sir
William Symonds ; the Leander, by Blake ; the
Thetis, by the Scholars of the ex• School of Naval

G~ ~~~L ~~

Architecture; the Terrible, by Lang, of Woolwich
yard ; the Encounter, by Fincham ; and the Conflict
by the Navy-office designers. Such competition
,cerfiiot fail of proving of benefit to the country and
-the naval service. It is possible that the Nankin, 50,
by Mr. Lang, Jun., building at Woolwich, and the
Ajax, GO, fitting at Portsmouth, may be got ready to
join the above squadron, and try their merits with
the rest.

A NEW DESCRIPTION Or STEAM-VESSEL.--FOT
some days past great excitement has prevailed at
Marseilles by the arrival in that port of au entirely
new description of steamer, and which, if successful,
will cause a complete revolution in the present plans
of building steam- vessels. The vessel is named the
Port de Marseilles, and was built by a M. Lieutieur.
It has not the sligtest appearance of masts or funnel ;
in fact, there is nothing to show whether she be pro-
pelled by wind, or steam, or oar. She glides through
the water as if propelled by some invisible agency.
The propelling power is by a sitrpe lever of sufficient
power.—La Marine.
The French Admiralty have issued an order to the
eff.ct that the officers End seamen of the French navy,
as well as the employes connected with the civil de-
partment of the navy, are not to wear these 6' orna-
oioustaee nhceoarid
rimperial..
'Theyea meats"
may,t otlhleohwueiNr:earn, face,wear the
beard