The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-16 00:00:00

WIGAN ELECTION.

WIGAN, WEDNESDAY.—The nomination of candidates for
the electi on of a Member to represent this borough, in the placo
of the late Peter Greene% Esq., took place to-day at the
Moot Hall. The candidates were the Hon. Captain James
Lindsay, second son of the Earl of Balcarres, on the Tory in-
terest; and R. Thicknesse, Esq., son of the late Ralph.
Thicknesse, Esq., of Beech-hill, near Wigan, formerly I.P.
fur the borough, on the ;ide of the Free-traders.
After the usual preliminary proceedings,
JOSEPH ACTON, Efq., proposed Mr. Thicknesse as a candi-
date for the representation of the borough.
REECE BEVAN, Esq., seconded the nomination.
JOHN Tnommbs, Esq , proposed the Hon. Captain
Lindsay.
JOHN LORD, Esq,., seconded the nomination.
Mr. TIIICKNESSE and Captain LINDSAY severally addressed
the electors.

The MAYOR called for a show of hands, which was clearly
in favo r of the captain. A poll was demanaed on behalf of Mr. Thickuesse, which
will commence at eight in the morning.
Both parties appear confident of success.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
PORTSMOUTH, WEDIS ESDAY.—The Vanguard, 80, Captain
Willes, came into harbour under canvass this morning, to be
re-coppered and otherwise refitted.
The Nautilus, 10, Lieutenant-Commander Macdonald,
arrived here last night from the Sussex-coast to re-provision
and water.

The - ---
1 Ardent, steam-sloop, Commander Russell, left this
morning for Woolwich, to be paid off. She will require a
thorough refit before she can again be commissioned, as her
boilers are damaged, and her machinery out of order, so much
so as to compel her to sail the greater portion of the voyage
from the coast of Africa.
The Comet, steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander Prety-
man, towed two lumps to Spithead this morning, with appa-
ratus on board, for the purpose of trying the respective merits
of Lieutenant Rodger's anchor against the anchor now in
general use in the navy, upon the Admiralty plan.
The Excellent's boats went out to Spithea I yes'erday, for
practice. A target was put up at about three cables' length,
and completely riddled. The firing was admirable, princi-
pally from eighteen-pounder carronadas. Commodore Chads
superintended the practice in his gig. The practice continued
for an hour and a half, and attracted a vast concourse of
spectators to the ramparts of Portsmouth.
The Waqp, 16, Commander Usaher, was at Ascension on
the 18th of August, as also the Styx steam-sloop, Commander
Hornby.
All the pilot flags on board the pilot vessels at this port
are hoisted half-mast high to-day, in token of respect for the
memory of the late Mr. Saunders, pilot, who died on board
the Eclair steam-sloop on Saturday last, having caught the
fever whilst piloting the Eclair from this port to Standgate
Creek.

CAPE FINISTERRE, OCT. 7.—About 190 miles to the S.W.
of Cape Finisterre the Swedish brig Favourite, Kohl maser,
from Torrevecchia fcr Gottenburg, fell in with the brig
Atalanta, Captain Stock, from Saldanha Bay to Cork,
laden with guano. The Atalanta had 6 feet water in her
hold, fore-topmast yard broken, and deck seams all open,
with only five hands capable of? working the ship. As the
weather was very squally and a tremendous sea breaking
ii
over the Atalanta, the iivourne was obliged to heave to
under her stern, and a rope being passed to her, dragged the
men one by one over the taffrail through the sea, and in that
manner succeeded in getting the crew on board. They were
16 in numb: r, but one died shortly after from exhaustion.
They are all dreadfully afflicted with the scurvy, having been
nearly three months from Saldanha Bay. The Favourite ar-
rived at the Motherbank last evening, and having got pra-
tique, the crew were immediately landed at Portsmouth in
the liaravier, the cutter of the Pi:ussian Vice-Consul here, M.
Vanderberg, from whom, and the Messrs. Garret and Gibbon,
the agent for Lloyd's, they received the kindest attention.

EXPERIMENTS IN WOOLWICH

MARSHES.

Woomvlcx, Oar. 15.—Colonel-Cockburn, Lieutenant-
Colonel Dansey, C. 8., Lieutenant-Colonel Dundas, C. 8.,
Lieutenant-Colonel Chalmer, Assistant Director-General of
Artillery; Lieutenant Colonel Hardinge, K.H., Lieutenant-
Colonel Belson, Captain and Adjutant Tireman, Captain and
Adjutant Benn, Captain Henn's, Lieutenant Gardiner, and
Lieutenant Macpherson, with a number of officers of the
Royal Artillery, and naval officers, assembled in the Marshes
at one o'clock, P.M., to witness experiments with rockets,
the invention of Mr. Hale, and concussion fdsees for ex-
ploding shells, invented by Sergeant-Major Freeburn, ...of the.
Royal Artillery. The rockets submitted to the members of
the Select Committee on this occasion were 12-pounders, and
the practice commenced by firing them from Lieutenant
Boxer's tube, at 1,200 yards' range. The first rocket fired
went over the mound at the extreme end of the range, and
at an apparently considerable elevation, nearly in a line with
the target. The tube was then lowered, and the second
rocket fired fell about twenty yards westward of the bulk-
head or target. The third rocket, without any apparent
change in the elevation, went over the mound at nearly an
equal apparent elevation in its flight to the first. The
fourth rocket fell considerably short, the inventor himself
admitting that it struck the ground about 400 yards short of
the 1,200 yards' range; it then rebounded, and went nearly
the entire distance. The fifth rocket fell at an apparent dis-
tance of about 30 yards short, and the sixth rocket on emer-
ging from the tube proceeded at a considerable angle to the
westward, goinr, over the tops of a belt of trees adjoining the
lock-gates of the entrance from the Marshes, and striking the
grOund at 152 paces from the lockgate.
In consequence of the danger to be apprehended from the
flight of the rockets, should any. of the others proceed in a
similar direction, several persons being employed at work on
the arsenal side of the lock-gates, Colonel Cockburn, the
senior officer of the select committee present, would net permit
any more to be fired. Mr. Hale was very anxious that he
should have been allowed to fire more of his rockets, having
come to the Marshes prepared with 24, but Colonel ockburn
was decisive in opposing any further experiments with them,
and the other officers of the select committee present con-
curred, as they would not hold themselves responsible for the
danger. The rocket practice was therefore discontinued, and
preparations made for trying experiments with Sergeant-Major
Freeburn's fusees. A detachment of the Royal Artillery,
under the charge of Lieutenant Vernon, had charge of the
range, and the two 32-pounders and one 68-pounder
guns were under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel
Chalmer. The first shell from No. 1 gun grazed the
ground a short distance before it reached the entire length
of the range, 800 yards, and did not explode. The second a
68-pounder shell, struck the target and expkgd with excel-
lent effect. The third, a 32-pounder shell, struck the target
or bulk• head, and scattered the splinters on exploding be-
twixt the timbers in all directions. The fourth, fifth, and
sixth shells fired were all good, bursting instantaneously on
striking with tremendous effect. The seventh, eighth, and
ninth were excellent, and equally effective as the three pre-
vious, and the ninth striking near the top of the bulk-head,
raised the upper piece of massive timber nearly a foot out of
its original position, tearing the solid timber awl bolts into
fragments. The tenth, eleventh, and twelfth were good,
especially the tenth and eleventh, the tv.elith appearing to
burn out its powder without bursting the shell.
The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth shells burst better
than any we have ever witnessed, the fourteenth, a 68-
pounder, actually setting the timber of the bulk-head on fire'
The sixteenth shell did not strike the bulk-head, having
passed about two feet to the eastward of it, and entered the
mound. The seventeenth and eighteenth burst on striking
th e bulk-head with powerful effect. Out of the eighteen
sheL'a fired, fifteen burst in as perfect a manner as could
have been wished.