The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-26 00:00:00

01
0
79
ILS9
164

le
feelo.6ling
c•Ce ° tin ,
ana
Xs,

rh b.°"l.
s
u-
Pp
10,10

!e
511

ou are
bat are

Aki

SPEECH OF THE KING OF THE
FRENCH.

We have received from our Paris correspondent a
letter, dated Tuesday, five o'clock, communicating a
lerY full outline of the King of the French's Speech,
4...,
belepoken at the opening of the Chambers this day,
and Which we hasten to lay before our readers in full
confidence of its correctness :

" The King's Speech will commence with an ex-
Pl'ession of his Majesty's pleasure at again finding
himielf surrounded by the 'representatives of the
People. _

" His Majesty will recal to mind that at the close
of the last session, in consequence of the instigation
2f an enemy, vanquished, but not put down, the
rrench possessions in Africa had been seriously
Corned ; that France had, in this circumstance, given
ritoaf of forbearance before she had recourse to hosti-
ies, but when commenced, victory promptly fol-
l°Wed the declaration • of war ; and yet again his
Government so acted as to afford proof of his desire
t 4) maintain peace.
" The King will felicitate himself and his country
that the grave differences which had nearly arisen
between his own Government and that of Great
Britain had been smoothed away; thanks to the mo-
deration and goodwill felt by both Governments.
" His Majesty will refer to the generous hospi-
tality with which he was surrounded in England,
to the gracious reception given to him by the
Queen of Great Britain. He will express his con-
gratulations, not only on his own account, but that of
}lli country, that he had been the object of the most
rerdial and flattering attentions, as well upon the
tut of the Sovereign of England as of the English
People ; and he will add his hope that these reciprocal
'augments of esteem and friendship will contribute
to the maintenace of good relations between the two
Nintries, as well as to general peace, that great
• blessing of humanity.
" The King will announce that the state of credit
111 Prance is most prosperous, and that the budget
Will present a surplus of receipts over expenses.
"That new projects of law relating to railways
be submitted to the Chambers, while those pre-
iously submitted will be taken up and advanced.:
"The King will express his pleasure at the mar-
llage of his son the Duc d'Aumale with a Princess of
Naples, and declare his devotion and that of his sons
to the interests of France.

"The King will terminate with a general expres-
-111% counting upon the loyal co-operation of the
ueputies and Peers of France."
Our correspondent adds that there will not, as he
°l4 learned, be any particular reference to Spain or
t° Greece.

Re further states that M. Billault, already famous

is the advocate of the Nantes slaveholders, will be
the mouthpiece of the Opposition, so far as relates to
'adea against England, about the right of search
4114 occupation of Otaheitie. M. Thiers, holding his
Peace by virtue of the late French version of the
celebrated Lichfield House compact, in imitation of
,which Lord Palmerston swallows his griefs adminis-
leted by M. Thiers, as he formerly did Mr. O'Connell's
°lltrages.
a The Morning Chronicle received in Paris on Mon-
`l43? rather surprised the public by its peculiar inti-
-1,1,1!Icy with the tactics arranged in the camp of the
"PPosition, and which, no doubt, were described upon
eornPetent authority.—Herald.

IMPORTANT NEWS FROM PERU.

BOMBARDMENT OF THE GOVERNOR'S
IOUSE BY A BRITISH MAN-OF-WAR.
LIVERPOOL, TUESDAY NIGHT.
LA 'vessel from South America, bound to Liverpool
Put into the Cove of Cork, where she is detained'
the prevailing easterly winds. Letters have been
:twarded on to the owners here, representing that an
titrage had been committed oa the British Consul
resident at Arica, and that the authorities of the ?own
!ere the parties; the outrage is mentioned as being of
grossest description. The British squadron en-
d in the blockade of Islay had information of the
v,;traop
ge communicated by Mr. Wilson, the insulted
Qui, and her Majesty's ship Talbot was imme-
to dispatched to Arica. It is said that water was
44444, this vessel. Our Peruvian Minister, Mr.
sidA 1 48thappened to be on board the Talbot, and con-
redde- the circumstances of the case so flagrant as to
Aland an immediate apology, which was required in
le name of the British Government by the corn-
' blander of the Talbot. The apology being refused,
the Talbot opened fire on the Governor's residence ;
several shells were thrown in, and this was repre-
lented as being only a beginning, and that the town
could be bombarded. This prompt mode of dealing
brought the authorities to better behaviour—an ample
apology was given, and tranquillity at once restored.
1.
is not mentioned whether any persons were killed
English
the :shells thrown from the Talbot. All the
''''4bglish residents at Arica were well looked after and
t 1
ken on board previous to opening fire ; but when
matters were settled they went on shore again.

11:11E LATE EARL OF LIMERICK.
014111Batca, DEC. 3.—The great bell of the Cathe-
-1 has been tolling at intervals, and every shop has
4 closed here since Saturday last, from respect to
r.e .111emory of the late Earl of Limerick, whose
hgl?IllY have for generations hack been the great pro-
' etletors in this vicinity, and benefactors to the city.
tl'he remains of the Noble Lord were brought from
h -gland to Limerick House, on Saturday evening, in
14;fnly caparisoned hearse, drawn by six black horses,
followed by a train of carriages. On Sunday
torloon the body laid in state in the great dining-
-14,t1111 which was covered with black cloth, and illu-
er4ted by immense wax tapers placed in -silver
delabra round the bier. It is computed that be-
-1 en two and three thousand respectably-dressed
v,,s°ns! of whom many were attired in mourning,
here
admitted to pass through the apartments to view
ceremonials, so great is the attachment felt here
t this Ancient family, by whom some of our first
til 4,,ritable institutions have been originally founded
41
`,l,,,ndowed.
his morning, at ten o'clock, a grand funeral ser-
kee was performed in the Cathedral, the dignitaries
th eting the body at the great western entrance, and
rile NI service being chanted by the choir. After
the Prayers and anthem in the body of the cathedral,
14t preceded by a pursuivant bearing the coro-
tOn a cushion, was moved in procession to the Perry
rand' tiel, in the south aisle, the organ playing Mozartl)s
~ Requiem, and was there solemnly deposited
.tae side of the three preceding Lords Glentworth.
treat number of the nobility and gentry connected
ttl, the deceased noblemen were present, or sent
itrilolr carriages to attend at this solemn ceremony,
nget whom were Viscountess Glenthworth, Lord
%t4lteagle, Sir Henry Calder, Bart., Sir Peter Pole,
tit 11).4t J. de la Feld, George Russell, Esq., Sir A.
(.1: ore, Bart., the Earl of Dunraven, the Earl of
11;:tes William Maunsell, Esq., Sir Richard Bourke,
t
Archdeacon Maunsell, and many others.
1, 4 stated that the late Earl has left a bequest of
to be distributed amongst the different charities
.uls city.

IPrESIAN WELL OF GRENELLE
is Ibe most remarkable example of an Artesian well
that
k recently formed at Grenelle, a suburb at the
ofllt 'West of Paris, where there was a great want
to Witter. It cost eight years of difficult labour
of Perforate. The surface at Grenelle consists
gravel, pebbles, and fragments of rock, which
arts, been deposited by the waters at some period
4,te:rior to any historical record. Below this layer of
ifir:tllB, it was known to the engineer, by geological
(irZet,i°ll, as well as previous experience, that at
the-ilm i 1 n,
marl and clay would be found, instead of
at,Cestone which generally forms the immediately
abutnt stratum. Ile was aware that he had to bore
she 440 440 yards deep before he should arrive at the
lieo.",of water which flows in the gravel below the
be-,fte, and supplies the wells of St. Ouen, St.
the-11381,nd Stains. Underneath the marl and the clay
tlat, cillog rods had to perforate pure gravel, plastic
kei," and finally chalk, which forms the bottom of the
tiorlefral tertiary basin, as we have seen. No calcula-
-414 r'rn geological data could determine the thick-
(if 1,:5f this stratum of chalk, which, from its powers
ate q:stance, might present an almost insuperable ob-
of ei,!e, The experience acquired in boring the wells
ve7etir, flo'neol and Tours, was in this respect but
to beY Imperfect gi:de. But supposing this obstacle
pater vercome, was he sure of finding a supply of
below this masa of chalk ? In the first place, the
stratall below the chalk nossooed, as we shall see, all the
ts,oe3;arY conditions for pxodfinrg Artesian springs,
perve.LY, successive layers of clay qatd gravel, or of
tellsris and impervious beds. M. Malt corificlentlY
Ar his former experience with Grenelle. M.
‘-‘,4110,,5a had shown that the water Of the spring here
neCessarily rise to the surface, becattse in the
feel`, 4lbeuf, which is nearly, 9 yards above the
of the b`',L% the water rises from 27 to 29 yards
4G°," the level `h-kLearth, and, consequently, from
orifi‘e°2B Yards above as the
sthe °f the bo
the -eu level. Now,
„Iv 34 yards above
,ev re at Grenelle on,
el • springy
) it follows, that if the identi,..

be met with, the water must rise above the earth's
surface at Grenelle.

But one other condition is requisite to ensure the
rising of the water in en Artesian well, namely,
that the feeding level of infiltration should be higher
than the orifice in the bore above which the water is
to ascend. Thi,z, however, turned out to be the case
of the borings of the wells at Rouen, Elbeuf, and
Tours, where abundant supplies of water had been
found below the chalk, between similar strata of clay
and gravel.
The necessary works were commenced with
boring rods about 9 yards long, attached to each
other, and which could be raised or lowered by
mechanical power, while an ingenious method
was adopted for giving them a rotary motion.
che diameter of the bore was about 6 inches.
The instrument affixed to the end of the lowest
boring-rod was changed according to the different
strata which were successively attacked ; the form
suited for passing through the softer materials near
the surface being unsuitable for boring through the
chalk and flint, as a hollow tube was used for the
former, while a chisel-shaped tool was employed to
penetrate the latter. The size of the rods was lessened
as the depth increased ; and, since the subterranean
water was not reached as soon as was expected, it be-
came requisite to enlarge five several times the dia-
meter of the bore, in order to permit the work to be
successfully prosecuted. Accidents occurred which
tried the patience of the projectors. In May, 1837,
when the boring had extended down to a depth of 418
yards, the hollow tube, with nearly 90 yards of the
long rods attached to it, broke, and fell to the bottom
of the hole, whence it became necessary to extract the
broken parts before any further progress could be
made. The difficulty of accomplishing this task may
be conceived; for the different fragments were not all
extracted until after the constant labour of 15 months.
Again, in April, 1840, in passing through the chalk, the
chisel attached to the boring-rod got detached, and,
before it could be recovered, several months were
spent in digging round about it. A similar occur-
rence created an obstacle which impeded the work
for three months; but, instead of withdrawing the
detached part, it was forcibly driven down among the
stratum of gravel. At length, in February, 1841,
after eight years' labour, the rods suddenly descended
several yards, having pierced into the vault of the
subterranean waters so long sought after by the in-
defatigable engineer. A few hours afterwards he
was rewarded for all his anxious toils • for lo ! the
water rose to the surface, and discharged itself at the
rate of 600,000 gallons per hour !
The depth reached down was 602 yards, or about
three times the height of St. Paul's. The pipe by
which the water reaches the surface has been recently
carried to a height nearly level with the source of
supply. The portion of the pipe above the ground is
surrounded with a monumental pagoda of ornamental
carpentry, and it discharges a circular cascade of
clear water continually into a circular iron reservoir,
to be thence conveyed by a lateral pipe to the ground.
The water is well adapted for all domestic uses, and
it will be unfailing, being supplied from the infiltra-
tion of a surface of country nearly 200 miles in dia-
meter. The Artesian wells of Elbeuf, Rouen, and
Tours, which were formed many years ago, overflow
in never-varying streams ; and the ancient Artesian
well at Lillers, in the Pas de Calais, has for about
seven centuries furnished a constant and equable
supply.
The opportunity of ascertaining the temperature of
the earth at different depths was not neglected during
the progress of the works at Grenelle. Thermometers
placed at a depth of 30 yards in the wells of the Paris
Observatory invariably stand at 53 deg. Fahrenheit.
In the well at Grenelle the thermometer indicated 74
deg. F. at a depth of 442 yards, and at 550 yards it
stood at 79 deg. At the depth finally arrived at of
602 yards, the temperature of the water which rose
to the surface was 81 leg., corroborating previous
calculations on the subject. For a descent of 572
yards there is an increase of temperature equal to 28
deg. F., which is 20.4 yards, or 61.2 feet for each de-
gree of that scale. Now that the skilful labour of so
many years is terminated, the Parisians regret that
the subterranean sheet of water had not lain 1,000
yards beneath the surface, that they might have had
an overflowing stream of water at 104 deg., to fur-
nish a cheap supply to their numerous hot-bath esta-
blishments.—Dr. Ure's Supplement to his Dictionary
of Arts, Man: factures, and Mines.

MAJOR-GENERAL PASLEY'S OPE-
RATIONS AT SPITHEAD.
In our former notices of the operations against the
wreck of the Edgar we described all that had been
done from the commencement in May last till the 23d
of August, on which day two guns were sent up. We
shall now continue our narrative to the end of Octo-
ber, when the diving, that had been carried on with
the utmost vigour, five military divers generally and
one naval diver often being employed, was discon-
tinued as a matter of necessity, though the sanguilie
expectation of recovering the whole of the guns that
had been entertained at the beginning of the season
was not realised.
After the day before mentioned, the divers were
occupied for a fortnight in getting up timber from
the hull of the wreck, and the half-anchor creeper and
rake were frequently drawn across the shoal in which
it had been imbedded, whilst a couple of boats were
employed in sweeping all round whenever the
weather permitted, in order to discover the re-
maining guns, if possible. This method not
being so satisfactory as at first, when the re-
mains of the wreck and guns were more abundant,
divers were afterwards sent down, one from each
of the launches, to walk about the bottom in va-
rious directions to endeavour to discover guns, whilst
the others were employed in getting up the timber of
the hull. By this method several guns were ob-
tained ; but this also failing, a new system of sweeping
by divers walking along the bottom occurred to Lieu-
tenant Barlow, which was tried for the first time on
the 19th of September, and continued till the end of
the season, whenever the weather permitted, the ar-
rangements being as follows :—Two guiding lines,
each sixty fathoms in length, and twenty fathoms
apart, were sunk parallel to each other, in the direc-
tion of the run of the tide, by means of pigs of ballast
at their ends, to each of which a buoy and buoy-line
were attached to mark its position. Two divers,
Corporal Jones, of the Royal, and Private Sticklen, of
the East India Company's Sappers and Miners, de-
scended each to his respective guilding-line, from a
launch in which his air pump and attendants were
placed, and moved along the bottom from west to east
and back, or vice versa, according to the tide, parallel
to one another, each holding in his near hand the end
of a sweep rope and chain, which dragged along the
bottom between them, whilst in his far hand he
held the line that guided him in his course. At
the same time the two launches above were
warped along in the same direction as their respec-
spective divers, by whom their motions were regu-
lated according to preconcerted signals. This mode
of sweeping was much more sensitive than the
former, as any very small object, such as a stone or
piece of wood, that would have escaped observation
entirely in sweeping from boats, was immediately felt
by the divers, who made the signal for the launches
to stop, and then walked towards it until they met at
the spot. This progress was very fatiguing, as it took
them an hour to sweep from one end of their guiding-
lines to the other, though a distance only of sixty
fathoms, as before mentioned. The second day that
they carried on thin process those two excellent
divers fell in with a leaden scupper of the Edgar, and
a sinker or large mooring-stone, of one of the old
wreck-buoys, though at a distance of ninety fathoms
to the northward of the position of the shoal in which
the hull was imbedded. On the 23d of September,
whilst sweeping to the northward of the Success
frigate hulk, Corporal Jones slung another buoy-
stone ; and in the evening he was employed about
an hour after dark in slinging and sending up what
proved to be one of the anchors of the Edgar, hav-
ing the two palms and the stock broken off, so
that it nearly resembled the form of the broad
arrow marked on Government stores. The ex-
treme distance between the ends of the broken arms
was a little more than five feet, whilst the dia-
meter of the shank varied from about 8 to 10i inches;
its length, as measured from the broken end to the
crown, being 6 feet 2 inches. This curious relic,
found about 120 fathoms to the north and eastward of
the same shoal, shows the violence with which it
must have been propelled by 'the explosion of the
ship's magazines ; but this was proved in a still more
striking manner on the 28th of the same month,
when, after having swept before day, by a beautiful
moonlight, without success, Corporal Jones and his
assistant, on resuming the same process in the fore-
noon tide, sent up what proved to be a large frag-
ment of an 18-pounder gun, 7 feet in length, which
they found about 160 fathoms to the north and east-
ward of the position of the hull, whilst the first
group or nest of guns of the Edgar, as the seamen
termed them, nearly :twenty in number, had been
found 80 fathoms to the southward of the same spot;
so that, making allowance for the difference of bear-
ing, this isolated gun, launched into the air from the
larboard side of the wreck of the Edgar, must have
fallen at the distance of 200 fathoms from the group
of guns that were thrown from her starboard side.
From that time nothing of importance occurred
till the sth of October, when privates Sticklen
and Herbert, of the East India Company's service,
who were employed sweeping about thirty fathoms
south-east of the position of the hull, discovered and
sent up two guns, a 12-pounder and a 32-pounder.
Next day Corporal Jones and private Sticklen sent
up one iron 12-pounder and a fragment of another
seven feet in length, and the tide ran so strong during
part of the time they were employed about this frag-
ment, that private Sticklen was obliged to hold Cor-
poral Jones to prevent him from being carried away,
whilst the latter was digging round it with a spade,
and afterwards slinging it, which they did not ac-
complish until half-past eight o'clock in the
.erening,

after having remained nearly four hours under water
without intermission. On the day following they were
egaally successful, sending up a 12-pounder and a
6-pounder, and on the 11th Corporal Jones sent up
. . . .

another 12-pounder. At this time the divers gene-
rally worked three slack tides, as in the middle of
summer, so that they were often out before daylight
and when anything interesting occurred, they conti-
nued their work long after dark. The weather had
frequently bsen so tempestuous as to oblige them to
suspend their labours, but particularly on Monday, the
14th of October, when a violent gale set into the har-
bour, accompanied by such a swell, that Major-Gene-
ral Pasley, who came from London on that day to
inspect the work, was obliged to return in the even-
ing, without having been able to get out to Spithead
in his boat. Next morning the weather was still too
boisterous for sweeping, but the diving over the hull
was resumed, and three slack tides were worked with
great zeal. This day her Majesty passed alongside of
the Success frigate hulk in her steam yacht on her
way to visit the French war steamer Gomer, which
had anchored near the same spot ; and as this took
place during the interval between the first two slack
tides, when the men employed in these operations
were not at work, they saluted her Majesty and Prince
Albert with hearty and loyal cheers, but not with
manned yards, as the Success frigate, though cele-
brated in our naval history in former times, had
neither mast nor yard at this period. On the 18th of
October Corporal Jones was sent for with his diving
apparatus to recover the mooring bridles by which the
Gomer had been anchored in Portsmouth harbour,
which by some accident had gone to the bottom on
being cast off when that ship got under weigh. These
he slung and sent up in half an hour, without even
losing one of the regular slack tides at Spithead,
though the usual mode of sweeping for them with
boats, under the direction of the Master Attendant of
the Dockyard, had been repeatedly tried and failed.
"This is one amongst many proofs of the superior uti-
lity of helmet diving.
On the 28th of -October, Major-General Pasley
paid his last visit of inspection to Spithead, and find-
ing that the divers could not go on much longer, as
the water was becoming too cold for them to work
with comfort, he directed Lieutenant Barlow to con-
tinue the sweeping for guns only one day more,
after which he was to go into harbour and break up
the whole establishment ; which was done accord-
ingly. By this time the great mass of woodwork of
the hull had been entirely removed, together with the
greater part of the sheel in which it was embedded,
the general height of which hal been reduced more
than ten feet. Amongst the large timbers brought
up were several pieces of the keel, measuring in all
72 feet 3 inches, out of 124 feet, its original length.
The quantity of powder exploded during the whole
season in small charges, placed by the divers and
fired by the voltaic battery, was 6,222 lbs. A few
of the largest charges consisted of about 130 lbs.
each. None of the others exceeded_ 50 lbs.; many
were smaller.

After the Success frigate and the two mooring
lighters had been towed into harbour, the stores were
delivered into the dockyard, and on Saturday, the 2d
of November, Lieutenant Barlow conducted his de-
tachment of Sappers and Miners to London by the
South-Western Railway, whence he took the Royal
Sappers and Miners to Woolwich by steam-boats, and
sent the East India Company's men by the Eastern-
Counties Railway to their depot, -at Warley, in Essex,
the same evening ; both parties thus performing in one
day a journey which, in former times, would have re -
quired at least five or six days' march.
On the Ist of September, Quartermaster Germain
and a second party of volunteer seamen from her Ma-
jesty's ship Excellent had been sent out to Spithead
to practise diving, which- they did till the end of the
season, under the direction of Lieutenant Barlow, and
gave no less satisfaction by their zeal, good conduct,
and improvement, than the first party of men from
the same ship had done, Besides Lieutenant Fair-
holme, of the Excellent, Lieutenant Peel, R.N., also
practised diving this season, before he sailed for
South America in the Collingwood, as had previously
been done by Lieutenant Barlow himself. Major-
General Pasley, who was prevented by his duties as
Government Inspector-General of Railways from
giving so much personal. attention to the operations
at Spithead as in former years, was so ably seconded
by Lieutenant Barlow, the executive engineer, and
all the men employed, whether Sappers and Miners,
riggers, or naval pensioners, of whom that officer
reported most favourably, and the service was so
efficiently promoted by the aid afforded from the
dockyard, by order of the Admiral Superintendent,
that the General had no cause to regret his own ab-
sence from the scene of action.
The Master-General and Board of Ordnance have
approved of a portion of the guns recovered from the
Edgar being preserved as memorials, at the principal
ordnance stations, and also at the East India Com-
pany's depot, at Warley, and at their military semi-
nary at Addiscombe, the guns having been recovered
by military divers of the Sappers and Miners of both
services ; and the Admiralty have approved of pieces
of the keel, &c., both of the Royal George and the
Edgar, being preserved in her Majesty's dockyards,
or in public museums.
The original armament of the Edgar was 70 pieces
of ordnance, of which 54 whole guns and five frag-
ments have been recovered in the course of Major-
General Pasley's operations, each of the latter being
usually the breech part of the gun, broken off in front
of the trunnions, and therefore larger and heavier
than the corresponding part of the same gun at the
bottom.

The first guns of the Edgar lay in groups or masses
near the same spot, and there was no trouble in find-
ing them by the common process of sweeping from
boats, but the last guns were at such great distances
apart, and discovered with so much difficulty, that if
we were not possessed of an authentic account of the
number, it would be natural to conclude that all were
got up; instead of which it is known, from the records
of the Ordnance Department, that 11 whole guns
and five fragments are still at the bottom ; and, judg-
ing by those already found, none of which were en-
tirely buried under the mud, it is to be presumed that
the guns and fragments which still remain must also
lie nearly on the level of the surface of the bottom ;
and, consequently, though the chances are perhaps
1,000 to 1 against the contingency, yet, however im-
probable, it is net impossible that a man-of-war's an-
chor being cast at this part of Spithead might strike one
of them. A doubt, therefore, naturally suggested itself,
whether the safety of a ship would thereby be endan-
gered, which having been submitted to the Lords of the
Admiralty by Major-General Pasley, in his report of the
concluding operation of the season, as a naval ques-
tion upon which he would not presume to give an
opinion himself, but upon which it would depend
whether his operations should finally close, or be re-
sumed next summer on a small scale, their Lordships
decided that the anchorage at Spithead might now be
considered safe, in spite of those guns. In fact every
man-of-war is provided with more-ianchors than one,
so that if the first, in being cast at this part of Spit-
head, should strike on ono of the Edgar's guns, and
thereby be broken or rendered unserviceable, which is
very doubtful, the spot would be marked by a buoy,
and in the meantime a second anchor would be
dropped, which in such good anchoring ground would
be sure to hold ; and a naval diver from her Majesty's
ship Excellent, where the practice of helmet diving
will be kept up, might be sent for, who would remove
the gun, as well as the injured anchor, if necessary,
with ease.

The goodness of the anchorage of the port of Spit-
head, hitherto obstructed by the wreck of the Edgar,
was sufficiently proved by the circumstance of the
Success frigate hulk and the two mooring lighters
having been securely anchored there for Six months
last summer, though such very violent gales prevailed

from time to time that it was often impossible for
the men to work, and the communication with the
shore was suspended ; but, though the anchoring
ground of the Edgar may therefore be considered as
good as that of the Royal George, yet the latter
would be preferred for a man-of-war coming to Spit-
head, as it is nearer to the harbour and town of
Portsmouth as well as to the dockyard, and con-
sequently more convenient than the former; but in
the event of Spithead again becoming the rendezvous
of a large British fleet, which must necessarily be the
case sooner or later, the one would not be more im-
portant than the other.
Upon the whole, the removal of these two wrecks
from Spithead, which has cleared the whole of that
excellent anchorage, and rendered it available for the
use of the Royal Navy, may be allowed to be an im •
portant national object, though it has been attended
with greater difficulty, and a much greater expen-
diture of money, labour, and time, than was originally
contemplated by the officer with whom the plan
originated, and by whom it has been successfully
carried into effect, after the incessant labour of five
successive summers and part of another, under the
auspices of the Lords of the Admiralty, and at the
expense of that department, aided by the valuable
services of officers and men supplied from the Royal
Engineer Department by permission of the Master-
General and Board of Ordnance, and of volunteers of
the East India Company's Sappers and Miners.

A BRAVE FELLOW.—A grenadier of the 47th re-
giment, named Viriville, was remarked for his, daring
and coolness at the late fire in the Rue Cadet. When
on the roof of the burning building, finding it impos-
sible to retain his position on account of the intense
heat, he passed a pump-hose round his neck, and then,
by means of a ladder with hooks at the ends, he got on
the roof of a neighbouring house, and by his presence of
mind prevented the flames from communicating with it.
This brave fellow has before on several occasions distin-
guished himself by acts of courage and devotedness. In
1839 he saved a woman and child from drowning in the
Canal St. Martin : and in 1843, on the occasion of a fire
breaking out in the Rue Ventadour, hearing that a man
had' remained in a room of the burning house, he rushed
into the flames, and, after some minutes' absence, re-ap-
peared, bringing the person for whom he exposed his life
safely out.—Gali9nani.