The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-05 00:00:00

Albion ran down to tha 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 one
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 suppose 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 80,0001., being 5,0001. 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 greater 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 things 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 an 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-
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.

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 much for building of ships by instinct,
without any regard to the general principles of physical
science.
We have rroliesitation 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 in 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 any one look at the report on the repairs of the
Vernon, after 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 decks of the Albion, 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 have 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.
If the many-repeated 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 experimeetal philosophy, however
empirical, to fill the building slips of our dockyards with
a series of ships—such ships as the Queen, Albion, and
ficp .—and before the qualities of any one of
thei_. 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 450,0001. 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
constructing 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.

THE LATE BANK ROBBERY.

RE-EXAMINATION OF BURGESS AT THE

MANSION-HOUSE.

The LORD MAYOR having fixed yesterday, at tvrelve
o'clock, for the further examination of William Burgess,
charged with uttering two forged transfers for 8,0001,
which stood in the books of the Bank of England in the
name of Mr. William Oxenford, the approaches to the
Mansion-house were thronged with persons eager to ob-
tain admission to the justice-room. Precisely at twelve
o'clock the Lord Mayor entered and took his seat, and
immediately afterwards the room was crowded to excess.
William Burgess was shortly afterwards placed at the
bar, in the custody of John Forester. He was dressed
in a suit of black, over which he wore a dark brown
tagligni. lie was in excellent spirits, and, being wry
lame, he was accommodated with a chair as on the last
occasion. He is a tall young man, about twenty-six
years of age, with light sandy hair and no whiskers.
The LORD MAYOR (to Burgess)—Have you any pro-
fessional adviser ? Burgess—Yes, my Lord.
Mr. J. C. Salomon, solicitor, of 7, Windmill-street,
Finsbury-square, said he appeared for the prisoner.
Mr. Ware, from the office of Messrs. Freshfield and
Co., the Bank solicitors, attended to prosecute.
Mr. Salomon (having consulted with the prisoner) said
he was instructed to ask for a remand.

The LORD MAYon—On what ground ? Mr. Saloznon
said for the purpose of obtaining evidence in his behalf,
and on that ground he thought there would be no objec-
tion_ toil. remand on_ the part of the Bank solicitors.

Mr. Ware said he had asnumber of witnesses present.
Untbrtunataly, one witness, whose evidence was very
important, was attending a trial at Westminster, on sub-
pcena, and it was possible that he might not be able to
give his evidence to-day. As there were so many wit-
nesses present, perhaps it would be the best plan to take
their evidence, as it would save them much inconvenience.

Mr. Saloman was quite in favour of this cour,e.
Mr. Oxenford was then called. lle said he was an
official agent in the Long-room, Custom-house. Prior
to the 3d of September last he was possessed of the
sum of 9,8001. in the Three per Cent. Consolidated An-
nuities.

(The book containing the entry of the fraudulent with-
drawal of 8,2001. was then shown to him.)
Examination continued—The transaction recorded in
the book is not in my handwriting ; n€ither are
the two signatures, " William Oxenford." I never
gave any authority to William Burgess, or to any other
person, to withdraw the sum of 8,2001. out of the 9,8001.
which stood in my name in the Bank books.
Mr. Thomas Ingall, a clerk in the Bank of England,
was next examined—On Tuesday, the 3d of September
last, the prisoner came to the counter and said to me,
" Please to witness this transaction." The person who
was with him purported to be the owner of the stock ;
his real name, I believe, was Joseph Elder. The pri-
soner wrote his name, and the person who was with him
signed the name of " William Oxenford."
Mr. Salomon—ls it usual for Bank clerks to identify
persons transferring stock ? Witness—lt has been the
practice for a considerable time.
Mr. Salomon—lt is a very improper practice.
The witness said the system had been discontinued
since the fraudulent transfer,
Mr. Takely, a stock-broker, examined—l have known
the prisoner about twelve months, from his being a clerk
in the office in the Bank in which I was in the habit of
transacting business. In the latter part of August ho
came to me and stated that a friend of his, who had
8,2001. in the Three per Cent. Consolidated Annuities,
was desirous of raising 8,0001. On the morning of Tues-
day, the 3d of September, he brought me the necessary
papers filled up for the transfer of 8,2001. To the best
of my knowledge he was not accompanied by any person.
I sold the stock to a gentleman named Clement Smith.
It was divided into two portions.
Mr. Ware said the other witness to whom he had
alluded could prove the payment of the cheque.
John Forester was next examined—ln consequence of
a warrant granted by Sir William Magnay (the late
Lord Mirror), on the 2d of November last, for the pri-
soner's apprehension, he proceeded to Amelea, and
arrested him soon after his arrival on Brewster 's Island,
near the lighthouse, and about eleven miles from Boston,
and brougbt him to England.
Mr. Salomon then applied to have the prisoner re-
manded until Wednesday next.
The LORD Malroß—Burgess, have you any objection
to be remanded to that day ? Burgess—l have no ob-
jection, my Lord.—He was remanded accordingly.
The prisoner throughout paid great attention to the
evidence, and frequently conferred with his solicitor. Ha
was then removed in the custody of John Forrester, ai.d
walked with difficulty from the bar.

SNOCKTNG DEATH.—Last Week two women had
occasion to go up Llangattoek mountain (Breconshire)
and one of them took her little girl with her, who, by
some means or other, unfortunately got separated from
her mother, and on account of the density of the fog, the
night passed without any trace of her being discovered.
On the following morning, however, she was found in a
sitting posture, with her hands crossed over her bosom,
quite dead.—Monntouthshim Merlin.