The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-04 00:00:00

THU BOROUGH COMPTER.

Alderman %boo,/ brought up the report of the
Gaol Committee appointell to take into consideration
the propriety of dispensing with and discontinuing
the Borough Compter altogether as a prison.
The report stated that the average expenditure for
the last seven years was 7911. 18S. 2d. per annum,
and that the number of persons confined previously to
the passing of the Act amounted to 133, and since
the passing of the Act to one only ; and that it ap-
pearing that notwithstanding the operation of the said
Act there were some purposes for which a gaol must
be maintained in the borough of Southwark, the Com-
mittee were of opinion that the Compter could not be
diseentinued without the sanction of Parliament.
Alderman 60PBLAND said that surely the Govern-
ment would not put the City to the expanse of bring-
ing in a Bill to enable the City to get rid of an ex.
pence which every one must see was rendered wholly
unnecessary by the Act of the Legislature itself, but
would introduce a clause giving power to get rid of
so useless an appendage.—(Hear, hear.)
Alderman WiLsoN agreed in the justness of the
observations just made, but said that the gaol was still
liable to receive prisoners, and, until Parliament in-
terposed, it would be dangerous to remove or dis-
Son finite it.

The report was then agreed to.
'PRESENTATION OF ADDRESSES.
Alderman WILBOIi brought up the report of the
Committee on the subject of presenting addresses. It
stated the opinion of the Committee, that whenever
the Court should determine to present an address to
her Majesty, or any other royal personage, the whole
of the members of the Court should be summoned to
attend the presentation thereof in the usual manner,
notwithstanding the Court of Common Council might
have adopted the address of the Court, or agreed to
an address in similar terms.

The report was agreed to without comment.
GLANDERED 110R81138.

Alderman COPELAND called the attention of the
Court to the necessity of interposing its power to pre-
vent, as much as possible, the sale of glandered horses
in Smithfield Market, which had, particularly of late
years, acquired a remarkable notoriety on account of
the numerous instances in which diseased horses were
disposed of there.—(Haar, hear.) He could speak,
von the testimony of a very respectable police-ser-
geant who officiated in the district of the market,
that vaat numbers of glandered horses were daily
brought thither, and he was convinced that the
appointanent of a veterinary surgeon to attend Smith-
field Market on market days was the only means by
which so dangerous an evil could be prevented. lie
concluded by moving that it be referred to the Corn-
mittee of General Purposes to report on the expe-
diency of appointing a veterinary surgeon, for the
examination of horses alleged to be glandered, in ,
Smithfield Market.
Sir Growls CARROLL seconded the reference, and
Said that the necessity for such an appointment was
every day more obvious, and that in ore day three
complaints Were made to, him at' Guildhall relative to
glandered horses in Smithfield
THE CONTESTED ELECTIONecd)v.
Market.
ORTSOKEN WARD.
The TOWN CLERK infbrm‘ Court,i(iiletrhrnaat n hi‘elohoand,
received a letter from the solicitors of eopuorAitntse would read.
which, with the permi)siop of the C
The following are the essential of the corn-
nnunication
:
"As solicitors for Mr. Alderman Moon, we beg
leave to send you a copy of a rule which has been

granted by the Court of Queen's Bench, at the in-
stance of Mr. David Salomons, calling upon Mr. Moon
to show cause why a quo warranty information should
not be filed against him to show by what authority
he claims to be an Alderman of the City of London,
and which we have to request you to lay before the
Court of Aldermen.

"We have to request that they will permit you to
furnish us with copies of the precepts for the two
recent wardtnote elections for Portsoken, with the re-
turns thereto, and also of the minutes of the Court of
Aldermen relating thereto.

"We have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient
humble servants,

"GEORGE and CHARLES CORNER."

Alderman COPELAND said he should teel satisfac-
tion in rendering all the assistance the Court could
legally render to Mr. Moon, but he objected to allow
the production of any document without having the
opinion of the Recorder whether the intelligence con-
tained in it might not be used as a means of entangling
the Court in the question which lay merely between
Alderman Moon and Mr. Salomons.—(Hear, hear.)
He did not wish that the Court should take up the
cudgel in the case of Alderman Moon, as they had
taken it up, most decidedly against his judgment, in
that of Mr. Thomas Johnson. As Mr. Moon chose
to battle it with Mr. Salomons, the two competitors
ought to be allowed to settle it between themselves.
He was willing to render both gentlemen all the aid
the Court could, consistently with its own neutrality,
afford ; but he had no idea of incurring 2,4001., or
2,5001. expense, the charge defrayed by them in the
case he quoted, on any future occasion. Alderman
Moon must take the distinction with all its costs and
other imperfections.—(Hear, hear.) Under all the
serious and delicate circumstances of the case, he could
not consent to grant the inspection of any of the
papers connected with the matter without having the
opinion of the law officers, at the same time that he
felt most desirous to render every facility which such
authority should consider advisable.

Sir P. LAURIII said it would appear to be an im-
I pression of Alderman Copeland that Alderman Moon
I applied for assistance in this case. Now, he should be
happy that the Court would render every possible aid
to that gentleman, and he should most willingly sup-
port any proposition to render him service in the pro-
ceedings in which he was engaged.—(Hear.) Alder-
man Hughes had been in a condition similar to that
in which Mr. Moon was placed, but had been ousted.
Mr. Moon had resolutely engaged in the contest. If
he (Sir Peter Laurie) supposed that the consent of
this Court to grant the inspection of the required do-
cuments would mix them up in the contest, he would
not support the application ; but no such consequence
was involved in it.—(Hear, hear.)
Alderman LUCAS said that he apprehended that the
object of the solicitors of Alderman Moon was to ob-
tain copies of the precepts and the proceedings of the
Court with respect to the election at the ward of
Portsoken. He did not see what reasonable objection
could be made to the application.. As to the statement
that the Court had, nothing to do with the question,
that was certainly an error. The Court had to do with
it, for they refused to swear in Mr. Salomons, and
issued a precept for another election, of which the re-
turn of Mr. Moon was the consequence.—(Hear.)
Alderman WILSON said the application was a most
reasonable one. He admitted that there was a differ-
ence between the case in which Mr. Thomas Johnson
was a candidate and the present case. In the former
case the Court was bound to pay all the expenses in-
curred by the contest, and they paid the expenses ac-
cordingly. The time was not yet arrived for deciding
upon the merits of the present question as to the
claims of Alderman Moon upon the more important
sympathies of the Court; but when that time should
come, he would most readily stand forward to support
the application.—(Hear, hear.)
Alderman T. Woon stated that the application
was merely for documents, the granting of which
would no more commit the Court, than the inspection
of the records of the Corporation by a member of the
Livery would place the privileges of that body in
jeopardy.—(Hear.)
Alderman HUMPHERY said he differed toto emir;
from all who had spoken on the subject. He ob-
jected to the principle of allowing Alderman Moon to
defend the right which the Court had claimed to
itself in refusing to swear in Mr. Salomons. The
Court were committing Alderman Moon as he cer-
tainly ought not to be committed. They had thought
proper to reject Mr. Salomons, and to issue another
precept, calling on the inhabitants of the ward to make
another election. The inhabitants thought proper
to elect Mr. Moon unanimously, and the Court
had approved of their choice. The Court then had a
right, and was bound in justice and in honour to
defend the precept which they had issued, and which
led to the proceedings in which the person whose
election they had recognised was involved.—(Hear.)
Mr. Hughes had been in a different position. Ile
had been sworn in upon the votes of a minority
of the ward. Mr. Moon was sworn in upon
the votes of a majority. The cases were thug
essentially different. After adverting to his
own case in the contest for .Aldgate Ward, Alderman
Ilumphery asked whether, if Alderman Moon de-
fended his seat in that Court, and were ousted, they
could lay their hands upon their consciences, and call
upon him to pay the expenses of Mr. Salomons ? It
was quite impossible that they could. How, then,
could they lay their hands upon their consciences, and
call upon him, if he fought for their rights, and ob-
tained the victory, to defray the expenses incurred by
the efforts made in their cause ?—(Hear, hear.) The
Court were then bound to defend themselves, and by
their own law officers—not by men who felt no inte-
rest in the result. These were his sentiments, and
he thought the Court ought immediately to act upon
them, instead of allowing any individual to act in
their vindication.

Alderman LUCAS said Alderman Humphery ought
to remember that the quo warranto was directed to
Mr. Moon, who appeared to have taken the strictly
proper course in giving his answer. That answer
would necessarily state that he was approved by the
Court of Aldermen by whom the precept had been
issued. The Court might be called upon to show
cause why they had issued a precept after Mr. Salo-
mons had been returned to them as elected —(llear.)
The case was travelling on, and in his opinion Mr.
Moon had no occasion to be uneasy at having it all
to himself.—(A laugh.) He was an Alderman of
London. The question was, whether the Court had
done right or wrong in refusing to swear in Mr.
Salomons?—(Hear, hear.)
The RECORDER said the rule was a rule served
upon Mr. Moon to show cause upon what authority
he assumed to serve the office of Alderman for the
ward of Portsoken. The parties were Mr. Salomons
and Mr. Moon. The Court were not parties to the
rule. If a mandamus were issued against them upon
their refusal to swear in Mr. Salomons, it would be
then for them to show that Mr. Salomons was not
competent to serve. It was not necessary that they
should put themselves into such a condition. To
both parties he considered it would be advisable to
give proper access to the accounts of the proceedings
and the precepts, subject to the limitations which
might be suggested by the law authorities of the
Corporation.
The COURT ultimately agreed to allow the soli-
citors of Alderman Moon to have access to the docu-
ments required, subject to the canditions mentioned
by the Recorder. Mr. Salomons will, upon applica-
tion, receive similar facilities.—The Court adjourned.

MR. WILSON'S MUSIC AL ENTERTAINMENTS.—We
are gratified to see this delightful vocalist once more
among us. He has been received with the same enthu-
siasm as ever, the Music Hall being filled on Friday
evening, both in the body and in the gallery ; and those
who know the spacious dimensions of that hall will re-
quire no other test of the popularity of this singer. The
selection on the above night consisted, with one or two
exceptions, of Scottish songs, agreeably varied by the
humorous and pathetic. In this field Air. Wilson stands
alone in excellence ; his rich melodious voice, so flexible
and so sustained, and his fine taste and cultivation, have
enabled him to give that truth and simplicity to the
Scottish airs, which are their charm. Saturday forenoon
Mr. Wilson gave another entertainment in the Hepetoun
Rooms, which were crowded by a highly fashionable au-
dience. We observe he appears again on the evening of
Saturday next, in the Music Ilall.—Cuiedoxian Mercury.
AFFAIRS or OTAZIEITE.—We direct the attention
of our readers to an interesting letter from Otabeite,
from a gentleman resident in one of the Society Islands,
which appears in another column, addressed to one of
the respected ministers of this city, by whose kindness we
have been enabled to give it publicity. It contains many
details of the recent occurrences in those islands which
hare not hitherto reached Europe, and will be read with
attention both in France and in this country.—Glasgow
Argus.—[We have referred to the letter, and find that
it contains no fresh intelligence, and is evidently written
by one who cannot take an impartial view of the ques-
tion. The 'statements of the missionaries in the Ota-
heite Island's ought to be received with great
ED. Sun.] .
CAUTION TO DISSHNTERS.--Dissenters are cau-
tioned how they insure their property in offices with
the articles of which they have not made themselves ac-
quainted. A Dissenter lately insured in a London fire-
office,and had the misfortune to be burnt out. In the policy
of insurance was a clause, that the minister and church-
wardens of the parish shall certify or declare that the
fire has happened by a single accident. Being a Dissen
ter, and opposed to church •rtes, and because the minister
really does not know whether the fire took place by ac-
cident or design, the minister and church-wardens re-
fuse to make their declaration. Counsel have been con-
sulted on this clause, and it is said to be fatal to the
goodness of the claim.—Lancaster GUardian.

COMMERCIAL CURIOSITY. A gentleman near
Aylesbury has in his possession a Bank of England note
for sixpence, issued in the year 1700, of which the fo!.
lowing is an exact copy :
No. 165.

I promise to pay to T. Caddel or bearer, on demand,
the summe of sixpence.—London, Bth day of 3/19., 1700.
For the Governor and Company of the Bank of England,
JOHN WACIE.
eta
rsrusl._so4g:iiensebitutir:ANs
ebwees.n offered for this curiosity

rliE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EV.ENtNG, DECEMBER 4,

persisting in the " save-at-the-spigot-and-letting-
out-at-the43ung" policy, which has been adhered to
with insane and cruel pertinacity, could scarcely be
more forcibly demonstrated than by such returns as
that before us. Towards the close of the last Ses-
sion, the House of Commons, on the motion of Mr.
Hume, ordered " a return of the several establish-
ments maintained for the prevention of smuggling in
the United Kingdom, in each of the years 1842 and
1843; the expenses of prosecutions by the Customs
and Excise; the produce of seizures; the rewards
paid to officers, &c.

STATE OF TRADE.
(From the Manchester Guardian.)
The near approach of the Christmas holidays, and
the continued decline in the price of cotton at Liver-
pool, combine to diminish the activity of this market.
The demand both for goods and yarn yesterday was
limited; and, in some few cases, slight reductions of
price were submitted to. Generally, however, spinners
and manufacturers are so bare of stock, that they show
no inclination to relax in their demands.
ROCHDALE FLARREL MARKET, DEC. 2.—There
has been very little change in the piece market to-day.
The demand still continues limited, and prices low.
In the wool market the manufacturers purchase very
sparingly, at last week's prices.

TURN-OUT OF THE COAL-MINERS
of LANCASHIRE and CHESHIRE.

abled to fight these guns, when a three-decker's lower
ports were obliged to be shut. Now, by a miss in the
guess work, either on the part of the surveyor of the
navy, or, most probably, of the professional adviser,
it was found impossible to give the Albion any such an
armament. 1

By another mistake, the lower decks of this ship have
so little height under the beams, that in order to mount
the four or five 68-pounders which the ship carries, it
was found absolutely necessary to cut down the cells of
the ports. So touch for building of ships by instinct,
without any regard to the general principles of physical
science.

---
WIGAN, TUESDAY-MORNING.—Very great excite-
ment prevails at present amongst the colliers of this
part of the country. Meetings are holding every week,
in various parts of the district, at which resolutions
are always adopted unanimously, to the effect
that their labour is not sufficiently rewarded, and that
it is desirable to join the union, and collect funds to
enable them to stand a strike in the event of its being
necessary. Mr. W. P. Roberts, solicitor, from New-
port, commonly called the " Miners' Attorney-Gene-
ral," has taken offices in Manchester, with a view, it
is said, of being on the spot to give such legal advice
as may seem necessary. Delegate meetings have
also been held in various places, but their proceed-
ings, as far as the press is concerned, are kept
private. . _

We have no hesitation in saying, that in the very na-
ture of things the form adopted by the surveyor, viz.,
that of a wedge with a protrusion at the water surface,
which he calls " bearing," is most unfavourable to an
easy motion, and it is ruinous in heavy weather. By
the swelling of the body above water, the rolling tends
to immerse a greater solid on one side than that raised
up on the other ; but since, by the laws of hydrostatics,
the weight of the whole ship is that of the water she
displaces, be the position what it may, therefore this
tendency to inequality iu the opposite solids, alternately
immersed and emersed as the ship rolls, must necessarily,
produce a distressing rising and falling during the roll-
ing, which cannot but work everything in pieces at last.
Let amy one look at the report on the repairs of the
,Vernont4fter being only two years at sea, and he will
be quite surprised at the refit. "Each end of the upper
deck beams was found to have separated from the
timbers in some cases seven-eighths of an inch." In the
present case the oakum had worked out of the seams of
the ducks of the Albi6n, and she applied for 70 cwt. of
junk on board the Caledonia for caulking. This is the
second time since she left Plymouth, and we venture to
predict that ere long the ship will come home to refit,
We should think that the results of these trials must
come home with considerable force to the minds of the
Admiralty, who hold in their hands the destinies of the
ship-building department of the Government ; and we
do hope it will lead to something like an improved board
for the construction of our ships. We hare no personal
ill feeling of any kind toward the surveyor of the navy—
no desire whatever to deprive the country of any advan •
tage to be derived from his talents ; but we do solemnly
protest against our science and our reputation being
muzzled and beat down in the way it has, merely to sus-
tain the fanciful views of an empirical party, who imagine
there is a sort of royal road
,to learning in naval archi-
tecture.

Matters now seem to be fast arriving at a. climax.
On Saturday last the workmen in every pit in Lan-
cashire and Cheshire, except the St. Helen's district,
sent in to their masters a written application demand-
ing an advance of twopence upon each shilling they
now earn. Should their demand be refused the
result will, of course, be a general strike. Yes-
terday several meetings were held, and, as far as it
was possible to ascertain, there was not a coal-mine
at work in the whole district. Two of the most im-
portant of these meetings were those held at a place
called Bardsley, between Oldham and Ashton, and
the other in the village of Lamberton Green, about
two miles from this place. At Lamberton Green a
delegate meeting was also held, at which delegates
were present from every coal-pit in the twa counties,
except th6se in the neighbourhood of St. Helen's,
The public meeting at Lamberton•green was at-
tended by about 3,000 persons. George Ramsey, of
Marsden, near Colne, was called on to preside.
The Chairman, Charles Parkinson, from Durham,
Benjamin Emberton, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and
James Price, one of the secretaries to the delegate
meeting, spoke at some length, and urged the necessity
of a firm and determined union among themselves, in
order to carry out their object effectually.
Mr. W. P. ROBERTS, solicitor, was next called upon
by the Chairman. He said he was there that day to
offer his advice and counsel to the men who were
engaged in that most mighty movement. He
was there- for the purpose of encouraging
them to persevere in their good cause. Their
motto wns " Peace, law, and order." They
sought to accomplish nothing by means of physical
force. They utterly repudiated that doctrine, and
sought only to obtain their object by legal and con-
stitutional means.

• The proceeding lasted upwards of two hours and a
half. At the close of the business the chairman
again urged them to stand firm, after which they
separated.

THE EXPERIMENTAL SQUADRON
(From the Plymouth Times.)
There are considerations to be entered upon in the
construction of such ships as the Queen besides mere
sailing qualities, which we think have been too much
insisted on at the expense of others, perhaps equally
important—for example, stowage, ease of motion, capa-
bility of keeping the sea in heavy weather, cost, &c.
Now the Caledonia and St. Vincent are admitted to be
very superior ships in all these points of view ; they
steer easily, are readily handled, they mount 120 guns
on a measurement of only 2,600 tons, and their launeh-
ing cost at the present time would not far exceed 75,0001.
The Queen, on the contrary, does not steer well; she
rolls much, and the motion is sharp and uneasy in bad
weather. She mounts only 110 guns, on a measure-
ment of 3,000 tons, and her launching cost is 90,0001.,
making a difference of 15,000/. We have been informed,
on very good authority, that this ship, the Queen, had
no less than six men in the sick list, from the fitigue
experienced at the wheel. Neither did there appear so
much difference in the inclination of the two class of
vessels as we might, from the great breadth of the
Queen, have expected. In a strong wind the inclina-
tions of the ships were not very different ; the Caledonia
inclined eight degrees, the Queen six degrees.
In the course of these trials the Queen carried away
two topgallant-masts, showing that every effort was
made to bring out her sailing powers, but without effect;
and it is quite clear that, as a line-of-battle ship intended
fur the efficient and solid services of the country, she is
far inferior to the others, that is. so far as experience
has hitherto gone. When we consider that the working
sails of the Queen expose an area of 29,380 square feet,
whilst those of the St. Vincent or Caledonia have only
25,619 square feet, the superiority of the latter as
adapted for sailing is quite apparent.
We come now to examine the capabilities of the Al-
bion. It should be observed, Unit the Albion is, by
measurement, one of the largest ships in the navy—she
is no less than 3,100 tons. Her spread of canvass is
enormous—the, area of her working sails—viz., courses,
topsails, topgallant sails, jib, and spanker, is upwards of
30,774 square feet, being more than that of the Caledo-
by at leaq 5,000 square feet. The
ould make a mainmast for the
two decks, and is very fine
isfolitra.ev.moriansSette.onVft.tihncesehAnetibhiaosno:,ly
under water, Now to expect anything like an equality
in sailing between such a ship as this and the St. Vin-
cent and Caledonia in moderate weather, encumbered, as
these ships are, with an additional tier of guns, and 500
tons more load displacement, would be very unreasonable;
accordingly, the Albion, in the general weatherin which
the ships were tried, evinced a superiority in point of
sailing. When, however, the weather being stormy, the
ships were brought under reduced canvass, then the com-
parative sailing of the Caledonia and St. Vincent
became greatly improved; indeed so much so that
one morning off Cape St. Vincent, with a close-
reefed main-topsail, reefed foresail, and main-stay-
sail,the Calecla gained not only upon the Albion, but
the whole fleet. It i 3 hence doubtful if in severe wea-
ther the Caledonia would not prove the faster ship. Bet
whatever may be the merits of the Albion in respect of
appearance, or sailing, certain it is she has been found
to possess many very inconvenient and unsatisfactory
qualities—like the Queen, she steers laboriously, espe-
cially before the, wind ; and in a sea way rolls awfully.
It is all very fine for persons ill disposed to enter into
the solid merits of the case to say that the Albion and
ships of her class are splendid ships—and noble ships—
must sail fast—and such like indefinite forms of expres-
sion. But the real question is, are such ships calculated
for the hard services of the British navy? We know, as
a fact, from undoubted authority, that the celebrated
Dupin, during his visit to England, said at Portsmouth,
in the dockyard, " This form of vessel is certainly very
handsome, but such ships will never answer the purposes
of your country." That the Albion, in the compara-
tively smooth waters of an inland sea, with her fine bot-
tom and her enormous spread of sail, Would in light
winds win the cup, as a great yacht, is very possible,
especially under the command of Captain Lockyer,
whose thorough knowledge of every particular relating
to the navigating and sailing of a ship is certainly equal
to that of any one existing. Had Sir W. Symonds sifted
the whole Nary List he could not have found a better
officer for his purpose. With respect to the beauty aid
grandeur of her appearance under sail, there is no deny-
ing that; but we put these questions to Admiral Bowles,-
or. any of the gentlemen who were present :—When the
Albion ran down to the Caledonia before the wind, on
the 6th of November last, rolling so sharply and terribly
as she did, with a difficult steerage, and with her lower
deck ports barred in—was she at that time in any ono
sense, a match for either of the three-deckers ? Could
she have fought her lower deck guns conveniently ?
Could she have fought them at all ? Did she not roll
full 12 degrees when the three-deck ships scarcely moved?
Now, it is easy to see here that the peculiar situation
of' the ships was such as to realise a palpable naval posi-
tion: We may siippose the Albion, in fact, to have been
the headmost ship of a fleet in chase, running down upon
an enemy, quite prepared, with all her ports open, to
receive her. Now, in spite of all these facts, a writer in
the Morning Post talks of the great superiority of the
Queen and Albion over the other ships. This may do
as a sort of fashionable announcement within the sound
of Bow bells, but it will not do in the seaports, or amongst
naval men generally ; we know better. Here is a ship
of more than 3,000 tons—that is, 400 tons more than the
St. Vincent, with an armament no greater than that of
the Rodney or Nile, measuring only-2,600 tons. She is
built at a launching cost of 80,000/., being 5,000 L more
than the St. Vincent, and she is inferior to her in arma-
ment by nearly a whole tier of guns. Now, what can
possibly be the use of such a ship as this ? Is she, for
the purposes of the country, in any one sense superior to
the Nile, the launching cost of which is nearly 20,000/.
less ; the armament equal ; the capacity for stores for
sailing trim greeter ; and the ports above the water
nearly two feet higher? Has the naval; department lost
sight of its judgment altogether, in permitting for one
instant the existence of such a state of thing; as this ?
Indeed, so evident is the conclusion frOm the premises,
that we feel confident, with all the defects in the sur-
veyor's department, such a ship as the Albion would
never have been proposed had it not been intended to
make her superior, or at least equivalent to a three-deck
ship, by placing in her nn armament of larger calibre ;
in short, she was originally intended to carry sixty-eight
pounders—that was really the secret of this imposing.
structure, and it was guessed that she would have carried
her ports so high out of the water as to have been en-

If the many-reptiated failures in the department of the
surveyor of the navy should not make that impression on
the Admiralty which we anticipate, certain it is that
sooner or later it will reach the understanding of the
Prime Minister through the pulse of the Treasury. Was
it wise, was it politic, was it consistent with any one
principle in practical experitnoital philosophy, however
empirical, to fill the building slips of'cur dockyards with
a series of ships—such ships as the Queen, Albion, and
Pique—and before the qualities of any one of
them had been fairly ascertained ? Of the Queen's
class we have the Algiers, Victoria, Royal Sove-
reign, Royal Frederick ;—building cost, including
the Queen, full 450,000/. Of the Albion's class we
have Aboukir,. Exmouth, Hannibal, and four others ;
—building cost, including Albion, 500,0001. Of the
fifth rates after the Pique, proved to have been at best an
unsatisfactory ship, we have Active, Cambrian, Flora,
Sybille, Constance ;—Building cost, including the Pique,
nearly 200.0001., and so on of many others. Here is at
once more than a million of money laid out on the mere
building—to say nothing of the outfit of the ships for
sea, without any regard whatever to ascertained facts,
and on no better. ground than that of individual opinion,
and a fancied new but indefinable light in the method of
con-tructiug ships for our navy.
This new light at last turns out to be no light at all,
but a mere ignis fatuus, which, having led its followers
into all sorts of blunders, has vanished and left the Ad-
miralty in total darkness.
Verily, experience is a dear school.