The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-24 00:00:00

A NEW LIFE BOAT.

In the last number of the Glasgow Engineers,
Magazine a design for an iron life-boat is given. The
magazine gives diagrams in plan, elevation, and sec-
tion of the boat, which is twenty-four feet long, eight
feet broad, and three to three-and-a-half feet deep.
It weighs about a ton, and has buoyancy of nearly
15,0001b5. It is capable of carrying seventy persons,
without sinking. This is its extreme burden, but it
can seat forty passengers with ease, and a greater
number on emergencies. The estimated cost is GO/.
['he design, we understand, is by Mr. Thomas Cal-
lum, Leith. After explaining the diagrams, the editor
of the magazine says :
" There cannot be much doubt that a boat of this
construction would be decidedly superior to the
wooden boats in cases of accident at sea. Few, in-
deed, of those at present carried by steam-vessels
would be of any positive use were they required to
save the lives of passengers and crew in a rough sea.
Even when circumstances have been favourable, we
have had the melancholy experience of their utter in-
efficiency. No sooner have they been lowered into
the water, than they have been swamped in the un-
avoidable confusion which almost invariably attends
catastrophes at sea, on occasions where the vessel is
to be abandoned. A result of this fatal kind could
not possibly happen with a boat of the construction
proposed ; for, as already stated, although it should
be completely filled with water, it would be still
capable of sustaining seventy persons, and it might
be made to have even greater buoyancy in proportion
to its length and breadth, and weight of material.
Boats of this description will, indeed, be somewhat
more expensive in respect of first cost than those
commonly carried, but their manifest superiority and
usefulness in cases of emergency ought, undoubtedly,
to outweigh all the little pecuniary differences which
can possibly be set up in objection. It is a
demand of humanity, and one which we hope to see
legally enforced among the first conditions in the code
of regulations which Parliament may be expected to
frame next session upon the report of the Shipwreck
Committee."

The principle upon which the boats are proposed to
be constructed is, that as large a quantity of air
should be enclosed in air-tight compartments as will
suffice to buoy up the boat itself, and as many per.
sons as could go into or cling around it. The sides,
ends, and thwarts, are all appropriated to this pur-
pose ; and, for first-class steamers, the compartments
will measure—
On the two sides 9B feet.
On the two ends l2O feet.
And on the thwarts

273
And as each foot of air has a buoyancy in sea water
of 61+lbs., it follows that the enclosed spaces would
have a buoyancy equal to 17,5401 b., from which has
to be deducted the weight of the boat, which is calcu-
lated at a ton, but say 21 cwt. or 2,3521 b., leaving a
free buoyancy of 15,1881 b., or equal to the entire
weight of one hundred persons, averaging 1501 b. each,
and this although the open spaces were full of water ;
but were that the case, with such a burden, the boat
would be quite unmanageable; the number, therefore,
is stated to be seventy, and that is as many as could
possibly be crowded into her.

ST. FAITH'S FAIL—At our great and annual fair,
on Thursday last, the show of Scots was not so large as
last year, but the quality and condition were very supe-
rior; and all the beasts came up free from the epidemic,
doing great credit to the different drovers. The number
of buyers present during the day was smaller than has
been known for several years, and they all acted with
the greatest caution, being determined, if possible, to se-
cure themselves a good profit for winter grazing. Many
of the beasts required not more than two months keep
to make them fit for the butchers, but the top figure did
not exceed ss. per stone; the more general were 4s. to
4s. 6d. Tho business done was limited, and the prices
obtained anything but satisfactory or profitable to the
breeders and dealers. There was a great falling off in
the short-horn and other horned cattle. Many lots were
very inferior, and remained quite unnoticed; those half
fat made from 4s. to 4s. 6d. per stone, with great diffi-
culty to find purchasers. There were about five score
Herefords, which exchanged hands, the price for which,
like that for numbers of the horned beasts, was terrible.
The salesmen and dealers exerted every nerve to obtain
more money, but without effect ; and although the day
closed so badly, we still hope the worst is over, and sin-
cerely wish the buyers well paid, and better spirits for
the next coming fair. In the horse fair scarcely a good
animal could be found, aad middling ones are at
a discount, there being no demand for them. There was
a little racing, but no money stirring worth mentioning.
—Norfolk Chronicle. _

THE STONE IN THE NEW HOUSES OF PARLIA-
MENT.—The Bolsover quarries, from which the stone
for the new Houses of Parliament is procured, and se-
veral others that have been recently opened in the
neighbourhood, contain about twelve feet of workable
stone, in numerous bands from eight inches to two feet
thick. This stone is of a light yellowish lemon colour.
Its chemical composition consists of 51 per cent. of car-
bonate of lime, 40 per cent. of carbonate of magnesia,
and more than 3i per cent. of silica. Its specific gravity
is 2.316, or considerably greater than that of limestone.
This admirable stone is not expensive, being cheaper
than Portland stone, and worked as easily ; but it does
not seem to have been much used at a distance from
Bolsover, except in slabs for paving. Its qualities of
durability are well tested in Southwell Church, Notting-
hamshire, a building of the tenth century, and in ad-
mirable condition. In this church the Norman portions,
built of stone similar to that of Bolsover Moor, are
throughout in a perfect state, and the mouldings and
carved enrichments are as sharp as when first executed.
—The Builder.
BATIIS AND WASH-HOUSES FOR THE LABOURING
CLASSES.—Lord Eldon has sent a donation of 2001. to:
the committee, and several of the London bankers have:
announced their intention of giving large donations.

DIABOLICAL ATTEMPT TO BURN
THE BARQUE HERMES, OF LIVERPOOL.
LIVERPOOL, WEDNESDAY.—Considerable sensation
was excited in Liverpool yesterday morning by a ru-
mour, for which, unfortunately, there was but too
much foundation, that an attempt had been made by
one of the crew, named Henry Brown, without any
conceivable reason, to burn the barque Hermes, Capt.
Donough, about nine miles off Holyhead. This fine
first-class vessel, 241 tons, the owners of which are
Messrs. Tayleur and Co., general merchants, of this
town, sailed from Liverpool on Friday last for Buenos
Ayres ; and, when the dreadful attempt to destroy
her had been made, about six o'clock on the morning
of Sunday, she was put about and brought back to
Liverpool, where she arrived on Monday afternoon.
Brown, who is a native of Sweden, and an athletic
fellow, of middle age and ordinary height, was imme-
diately given into custody, and brought before Mr.
Rushton yesterday for examination. He was dressed
in a blue pilot cloth coat, spoke English tolerably well,
and was undefended.

The first witness examined was a sailor on board
the Hermes, of the name of Parry, who said :
About half-past six o'clock on Sunday morning
last, I saw the prisoner rummaging about the
forecastle. He took a box of matches out of one of
the chests, and tore a leaf out of a book. He took the
leaf out of a book belonging to a seaman named Lamas,
and he also took a leaf out of a book belonging to
me. lie then went and took the scuttle out, rolled
the sheet of paper up, struck a match, and lit it. Im-
mediately after, he went down into the forefoot, came
up again, stood on the edge of the scuttle, and said,
"By —, he would either sink her or burn her."
He put the scuttle on carefully, and placed the bar
over it. About half-past nine o'clock, three hours
after, the men went up to reef the topsails, and when
they came down there was a smoke in the forecastle.
After the ship was put about on the other tack, the
smoke came up out of the scuttle. One of the sea-
men, James Cowan, gave the alarm, and the captain,
mate, and second mate went down into the forecastle,
where they discovered a fire. The chief reason I did
not tell the captain before of what was said and done
was because I was unwell in my hammock.
The prisoner, in reply to Mr. Rushton, here said
that he was not an Englishman, that he was a Swede,
but that he understood the purport of the evidence.
Witness, in continuation, observed that he was an
apprentice on board, and that no one saw the prisoner
take the match and strike the light but himself. He
had had no quarrel with the prisoner, nor had the
latter any dispute with anybody on board the ship.
The prisoner—Why should I go to your box for
matches when I had plenty of my own ?
Witness—l don't know. You struck the light
against the side of the forecastle and put the box of
matches into the chest, from which you had taken
them when you got one of them out.
James Cowan examined—l am a seaman on board
this vessel. The prisoner asked me where was Isaac
(another seaman). I belonged to the prisoner's
watch, so also did the last witness, who had pains in
his legs nearly all the time. About five minutes after
I had been in bed in the forecastle I heard the pri-
soner knocking about. What he was doing I know
not. It was about a quarter past six o'clock at the
time. I did not hear him say anything except to ask
for Isaac. The last witness did not tell me anything,
when I awoke. I found the prisoner lying down
when I awoke. He was lying either on a chest or in
his hammock, but it was so dark that I was unable to
see distinctly. The chests are all placed round the
forecastle, on their sides. Lamas's chest was on the
larboard side of the vessel, right aft, next the bulk-
head. The last witness lay in a hammock from the
top of the forecastle. The prisoner's hammock was
slung on the larboard side. The first time I heard of
this was about nine o'clock, after we had put the ship
about. I had been on deck about an hour at that
time. The prisoner was on deck at that time also.
The first witness (Parry) was the only person left in
the forecastle. I smelt the fire when I went below at
nine o'clock. I was the first man down. I smelt it
before anybody told me of it, and I gave the alarm,
and brought the captain, mates, and carpenter, to the
forecastle. All this time we were looking about the
forecastle for the fire. Parry was still in bed. I heard
Parry calling the mate once or twice. Parry knew
nothing of the fire till I gave the alarm. I said some
cotton must be burning, but Parry said it was not
cotton. He did not tell me what was burning, nor
where it was. He said nothing more. The scuttle
was taken off, and a great deal of smoke came out. I
looked down to see the blaze, and myself and one or
two more went on deck, got some water down, and
extinguished it. At breakfast I said it was a strange
thing how fire could have got down, to which the
prisoner replied that sticks or anything would strike
a light by rubbing against each other. While he and
I were talking together, the captain came forward and
accused him. This was about half-past nine o'clock.
The prisoner said he knew nothing about it, spoke
saucily, and asked why the captain should accuse him
more than any other man on board.
Nicholas Donough examined—l am master of the
Hermes. About half-past nine o'clock on Monday
morning the mate gave me the alarm of fire, and I
went down in the forecastle. On going down I saw
the smoke coming up. There was a small scuttle
made for the water there, and, on going down, I saw a
tar barrel with the bung out, and flame coming out
of the bunghole. About six feet further off it there
was a bundle of oakum all on fire, which set fire to the
forecastle deck. The tar barrel was bunged and quite
safe before we left Liverpool. I then called the first
witness, and said, that if any one knew of the fire he
must be the man, as he was in the forecastle all night.
Parry then said, that he saw the prisoner go down
the forepeak, take a box of matches out of Lamas's
chest, and a sheet of paper out of another, and light
the paper and go down into the forepeak. I asked
him why he did not tell me about it at once ? to
which he replied, that he had no idea that the prisoner
was going to set fire to anything, and that that was
the reason he neglected to tell me before. lie said,
he thought the prisoner must have lost something,
and that he wanted the light for the purpose of finding
it. It was about ten o'clock when I questioned Parry.
John Lamas examined—My chest was about mid-
ship in the forecastle. I left it open on Saturday
night, with the key in it. There were some books in
it, five or six. The books are at present on board the
ship. There were six boxes of matches in the bottom
of the chest. and one box at the top. After the fire
the latter box was brought aft to the captain, and I
immediately identified it as mine.
The captain recalled—l never had any quarrel with
the prisoner, and received a good recommendation
with him.

The prisoner, in reply to the charge, made a long
statement, in the course of which he said that Cowan
took a leaf out to light his pipe with, and that
after the fire a question was asked whether the cook
or anybody else had been down with a light.
Cowan here observed, that the part of this state-
ment relative to the cook was true. The question was
asked as to whether he had been down with a light.
Constable Greases said that, in his opinion, five
pounds of oakum had been consumed ; and
The captain said a couple of gallons of tar had
been burnt.

Greaves added, that a match which had not ignited
was found on the tar barrel, and also a bit of wood
burnt at both ends.

The prisoner, at this stage of the proceedings, was
ordered to be remanded until the next day.;

CORONER'S INQUEST AT THE

ETON UNION.

WEDNESDAY' OCT. 23.—This afternoon an inquest
was held in the board-room of the Eton Union Work-
house, at Slough, before Mr. John Charsley, one of
the coroners for the county of Bucks, on the body of
an illegitimate male child, who died in the workhouse
on Friday last, within 24 hours after its birth. The
mother, a single woman named Martha Bitch, lived
as cook in the service of a gentleman at Slough of the
name of Righy, and was removed from that gentle-
man's house in an extraordinary manner, at the time,
as it is stated, she was enduring the pains of labour,
at a late hour on Wednesday night, the IGth inst.
Shortly after her arrival at the workhouse she mhde
a statement to the matron, which was taken down in
writing at the time, and of which the following is an
exact copy :
" Martha Hitch states, that she was dragged out of
bed by three or four men,forated by her as
a late hourmoftthe, i
the night
(about 9 o'clock), and c
the
wages E
dueto n
to Union n
her,ion
inmate
tim oef
Workhouse,orilkYhoutsoe, sbleieco lmlaSe'inagn at
amounting to between 31. and 41., a quarter's salary,
and bills paid on her mistress's account, still due.
She begged of her master to send her home, or to a
lodging-house, instead of the workhouse, but her wish
was not complied with."
In consequence of this statement having been laid
before
ilethe
,1i
nb otabr of guardians
ed
board-room
rdr o oof
tattl theire
workhouse weekly
yemeet-
ing,st e
r-
day, and of further inquiries which they caused to be
made into the treatment of the mother of the de-
ceased infant at so critical a period, the board re-