The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-19 00:00:00

THE SU N, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 19, 1844

NEW STEAM-BOAT REGULA-
TIONS FOR THE THAMES.

Saturday being the day appointed for examining
into and deciding upon the objections offered by I ;he
several parties interested in the steam-boat navigati on
of the river Thames, a very full Committee of
Aldermen assembled at the Guildhall.

The Lord Mayor took the chair at eleven o'cla
There were present, besides his Lordship, Alderrr len
Farebrother, Sir John Pirie, Wood, Sir G. Cam ill,
Challis, Hooper, Gibbs, Kelly, and Musgrove.
The LORD MAYOR handed in a letter from 111 r.
Lang, a gentleman who had been long connect ed
with steam navigation, objecting to the clause for r e-
stricting the number of passengers, as calculated 'to
confine within very narrow limits the profits of t
steam companies, at the same time that it wobald
subject the vessels to more dangerous accidents than
could befal them when they were well packed v 5 ith
passengers. He also complained of the hardsl iip
which the owners of steam- vessels would besubji pct

to by the harrssing conduct of common informe rs,
and other obnoxious vultures, and particularly to t he
rate of speed mentioned in the regulations, whi ch
rate, he contended, would prove altogether ruinous
to those concerned in the important business of sterr,m
navigation, and transfer all the traffic to the railroads.
He added, that all men of naval experience frequent ly
expressed their admiration of the extraordinary skill
and power exercised in the river by the servants c f
the company.
Some other papers containing objections havin g
been read over,
Captain Popplewell, a gentleman connected wi th
the Greenwich steam-vessels, requested to be admitted,
in order to make some objections which he consider( KI
might be advantageously discussed in the Committl
before they decided upon the regulations. He part k
cularly called the attention of the Committee to tl
great difference which existed between the build of
the iron steamers of the present moment and tl .te
steamers which were in use fifteen years ago. Tl..ae
present steamers which plied in the Thames were, he
declared, made for speed, and performed the passal
from Hungerford-market to Gravesend in half ti he
time the old steamers used to occupy in going t. he
same distance; at the same time they occasioned little
or no swell in the water. In fact the fastest boa is
occasioned the least disturbance in the water, and th•ay
could be stopped instantly. The low price at whi ch
they accommodated the public, being fourpence: a
head instead of eightpence, the original demand, re-
quired that they should be allowed not only to car ry
a large number of passengers, but that they show ld
pass rapidly, and experience showed that they cov,ld
go safely, for they had never been so unfortunate as
to encounter any dangerous accident. It should, he
submitted, be considered, too, that the Greenv rich
steam-boats actually kept a vast number of waters yen
and their families from the workhouse, without be nle-
fitting the Directors one farthing.
The LORD MAYOR said the Directors built the
vessels for their own profit, but the competition inter-
fered with the profit expected from the speculation.
Captain Popplewell assured the Lord Mayor th at
the vessels were kept going for no other object than
that of keeping those poor men and their families
from starving. He begged to suggest that amongst
the regulations the Committee should introduce one
to prevent the steamers from running at the same
time. The races which were run at present were
most dangerous. He also stated that the barges in
the river were, instead of each of them being taken
care of by competent persons, hooked together by
half-dozens, and under the control of a lad.
Sir JOHN PIRIE agreed in the condemnation of such
a practice.
Captain Popplewell having made some objections
to the regulations of miner importance, withdrew.
The LORD MAYOR then directed that each of the
clauses should be read.
Alderman T. WOOD asked whether, assuming that
the regulations were agreed to, they could ascertain
the number on board each vessel.
The LORD MAYOR said the material points were to
fix the speed and the number of passengers, and they
could then look to the best means of carrying the re-
gulations into effect.
Alderman T. WOOD wished to know whether it
had been ascertained that they had the power of en-
forcing the fines under the Watermen's Act.
Mr. FIRTH (of the Town Clerk's office) said the
City Solicitor had taken counsel's opinion, which was
in favour of the power.
Mr. FIRTH then proceeded to read the clauses and the
various objections stated to them at former meetings
of the Committee.
Some conversation took place upon the third clause,
which went to regulate, that the space given for every
person should be four feet. The objectors to the
clause had suggested three feet instead of four. By
the clause, the Ruby, Gravesend boat, which had been
known to carry 1,000 or 1,100 passengers, would be
limited to 674, and that number the Committee con-
sidered to be quite large enough, and adopted the re-
gulation. The other three vessels will, of course, be
regulated in proportion to that criterion. An altera-
tion was adopted at to the power of suspending, or
annulling the licence. By the alteration, the magis-
trate, and not the Court of Aldermen, were vested
with that authority.
Upon the motion of Alderman T. WOOD, the fifth
clause, relating to the obligation upon steam vessels
to keep at a distance from barges, &c., was expunged.
The sixth clause, which prevented passengers, under
a penalty, frnm getting upon the paddle-boxes, or
otherwise obstructing the captain and his men from
performing their duties, was agreed to unanimously.
The seventh and eighth clauses were also agreed to.
Upon the 9th clause, which related to the employ-
ment of tug steamers in going alongside vessels
whilst towing them, and which was objected to by
Sir John Hall and the Shipowners' Company, some
observations were made, but the clause was agreed to,
and it was added that no steam vessel should have
more than two vessels in tow at the same time.
A long discussion took place upon the 10th, and
last, regulation, which was, that no steam-boat or
vessel of more than 200 tons burthen, registered ton-
nage, shall be navigated upon the river westward of
Greenwich Hospital at a greater speed than at the
rate of six miles in an hour with the tide, nor more
than four miles in an hour against the tide ; and that
no steam-boat or vessel of less than 200 tons burthen,
registered tonnage, shall be navigated at a greater
speed than at the rate of eight miles in an hour with
the tide, nor more than six miles in an hour against
the tide, under a penalty of 51.
Alderman T. WOOD said that it was quite impos-
sible that a regulation limiting the speed in so remark-
able a manner could be carried into effect. He thought
that the speed of steam-vessels ought to be regulated
upon the principle on which furious driving was pu-
nished. It was quite evident that there were several
parts of the river in which steamers might go at a
rapid pace without the least hazard to the lives or
properties of others. The captains and owners were
responsible for any injury to property, and their re-
sponsibility in the case of the loss of life was still more

serious.
Sir Jour' PIRIE said that the small steamers did a
vast deal of mischief on the river. They drew but
little water, and they ran in close to the banks of the
river, and were very prejudicial to wharfs. He, how-
ever, thought that the Committee might add a mile
an hour to the speed to which it was proposed to re-
strict the steamers of various tonnage by the 10th re-
gulation, and that the restriction should not extend
below Cuckold's Point, opposite to Limehouse Church.
Sir John moved to that effect.
Alderman T. WOOD did not think the rate proposed
by Sir John Pirie was sufficiently great—so restric-
tive a regulation would entirely annihilate the passing
of the Gravesend steam-boats from Gravesend to Lon-
don- bridge. He then proposed that the addition to
the speed proposed in the 10th regulation should be
two miles an hour, for all the steam vessels of the
river.
For Alderman Wood's proposition four hands, and
against it, five hands, were held up. The amendment
was, of course, negatived.
Sir John Pirie's motion, giving an additional mile
an hour to all steamers in going with or against the
tide was then agreed to.
The regulations will be reported to the Court of
Aldermen on the next Court day. Whatever diffi-
culties may present themselves in the endeavour to
carry them into effect the members of the Court have
certainly gone to work with a great deal of energy to
abate the dangerous nuisance of racing and over-
crowded steam-boats. _ _ _

___ • _
After the consideration of the by-laws, it was
ordered that the harbour-master should deliver in a
return of the situations of all the lighter roads between
London•bridge and Greenwich; the number of barges
at each road ; and in whose occupation the same are
at present.
Ordered, that the harbour-masters do report to
the Committee their opinion upon the mode at presen
adopted in loading sand, coal, and other barges, and
what restrictions and rules they would suggest for
the due regulation of the same.
The Committee adjourned, after having sat four
hours in deliberation upon the clauses.

The following distinguished personages are among
the company who are taking the mineral waters at the
Royal German Spa :—Colonel Pinney, Mrs. and Miss
Pinney, Mrs. and Miss Critchley, Miss Morritt, Mrs.
and Miss Baillie, Mr. C. Boulton, Captain H. Napier,
Captain and Mrs. Clutterbuck, Mr. Dorrington, Mr.
Morier, Lady Heytesbury, Sir T. Baring, Sir M. Bel-
lew, Lady H. Gamier, Miss Cookell, General Sir W. K.
Grant, Major Buckley, Miss O'Rielly, Captain R. Bur-
ton, Lieutenant-General Sir J. Hanbury, Lady Eliza-
beth Hope Vere, Chief-Justice Pennefather, Lady L.
North, Dr. Heywood, Hon. E. Stewatt, Dr. Holbrook,
Count Nesselrode.—Brighton Gazette.
THE DUTY ON STAVES.—By a return printed on
Saturday it appears that the duty on staves, from Oc-
tober, 1842 to July last, was 53,1291., of which 43,5531.
was foreign amid 7,576/. colonial. The return further
shows the staves exported and imported over a number
pf years.

WOOLWICH'--SATURDAY.

VISIT OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE
WILLIAM OF PRUSSIA AND HIS GRACE
THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON TO WOOL-
WICH.

Lord Bloomfield, the Commandant of Woolwich Gar-
rison, having received official intimation of an intended
visit of the above illustrious personages to review the
Artillery Brigade, on Saturday morning, at about half-
past ten o'clock, the field battery of Royal Artillery of
12 guns, composed of three troops, under Major An-
drews, Captain Wilford, and Captain Robe ; and the
Royal Horse Artillery, of six guns, consisting of the
Rocket troop under Major Strangways, the 1? troop
under Major Macbean, and the H troop under Captain
Ward, the whole under the command of Lieutenant-
General Bloomfield, who was attended by Major-Gene-
ral Sir Hugh Dalrymple Ross, Major-General Sir Web-
ber Smith, Sir George Hoste, Commandant of the Engi-
neering Department, and a numerous staff of engineer
and artillery officers, assembled at Woolwich-common
in waiting for their distinguished visitors.
About the same time that the troops arrived on the
common his Royal Highness the Prince of Prussia left the
Legation, and, accompanied by his suite, proceeded in two
of the Royal carriages over Westminster-bridge, via Ken- 1
nington, New-cross, and Blackheath, toWoolwich, and at
a quarter past 11 Prince William of Prussia, the Duke of
Wellington, Sir George Murray, the Master-General of
the Ordnance, Lord Charles "Wellesley, and a splendid
cortege of military officers, rode on to the common from
the direction of the Royal Artillery veterinary establish-
ment. The Duke looked remarkably well, and in com-
pliment to the Prince wore the uniform of a Field Mar-
shal of Prussia.

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firing, which followed, by the Horse Artillery, under
Lieut.-Colonel Dynely, the field battery under Colonel
Cleveland having left the ground, were performed with
the utmost celerity and precision, particularly the
sudden dismounting of the guns and carriages, an affair
of a moment, executed under the supposition that it was
necessary to spike and abandon the guns. Guns,
carriages, wheels, were all flat on the grass when the
command was given to remount them, and in fourteen
seconds—for we saw it timed by the stop-watch of a
gentleman by us—the first remounted "gun was fired,
and in two seconds more every gun was discharged.
This exercise seemed particularly to engage the atten-
tion of the Prince and the Duke of Wellington.
The whole staff rode forward, and the Prince expressed
his admiration of the celerity with whiori it was
performed. On the conclusion of the field operations
the guns again passed in review order, after which the
distinguished party inspected the gentlemen cadets, who
were drawn up under arms in front of the barracks on
the Common. They presented arms, marched past in
review order, while a party at the field-pieces fired a
royal salute as the Prince left them. The Duke of Wel-
lington and Lord Charles Wellesley now got into an open
carriage and departed for London.
From the Cadet Barracks the Prince went to the
Rotunda, thence to see some admirable howitzer and
mortar practice. A target, a small flagstaff with a
union-jack flying from it, was placed in the earth at a
distance of 600 yards from the battery. In the first
round, although several of the shots fell within a few
paces of the mark, none struck the staff, but the fifth
I gun in the second round directed by Corporal Henry
Russell, was more successful, striking it within a few
inches of the earth, and shivering it to atoms.
It was now the dinner hour of the men, and his Royal
Highness inspected, with much interest, several of the
barrack-rooms where they were dining ; after which the
Prince and other distinguished visitors adjourned to
Lord Bloomfield's house to take refeshmen,t,
In the afternoon the Prince, in compilly with the
Master-General, Lord Bloomfield, and staff, went
through the departments of the Arsenal, then in full
operation, and expressed himself gratified at witnessing
the boring of brass field pieces, the snaking of percus-
sion caps, and of bullets, by compression, &C. The Prince
showed by his observations that he wasriotme akinga
visit to the arsenal for form's sake, but that he really
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much time that
little remained for the rocket, heavy gun, and mortar
practice, in the marshes. He, however, repaired thither
about four o'clock, and witnessed two discharges of
rockets, six or eight in each discharge.
The crowded state of the River prevented the breach-
ing batteries from playing, as the butt is between the
battery and the Thames, and after waiting in vain for
the signal that the River was clear, the Prince was
obliged to depart. Heartily shaking hands with Lord
Bloomfield, and thanking him for the attention received
during the day, his Royal Highness stepped into his
carriage, and left Woolwich for London.