The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-07 00:00:00

THE IRON STLAM-PACKETS.

Lieutenant H. Manby Tylden (1836), late first lieutenant
of the Lily, 18, sloop, has been appointed to recommission
the Lizard, iron steam-vessel, at Woolwich. This is the
first of the six iron vessels built for dispatch-boats, and was
commissioned at Woolwich about six months since ; but
before she had taken on board the whole of her stores she
was found to be so deeply immersed that she was put out of
commivion, and her officers and crew were turned over to
the Spitfire. She is now to have the same complement, et-
mament, and stores as the Locust, built in 1840, as it is con-
tended by the Navy Office that the Lizard was designed to
carry no heavier weights, and that it is the fault of the :Ad--
miralty that the Lizard swam so deeply, for they incr eased
the armament and the complement of men. This, however,
is not the fact. The Lizard is not of the same dimensions
as the Locust. She and the other five are at least 20 feet
longer, and the increased tonnage which the larger dimen-
sions gave may have naturally and judiciously determined
the Admiralty to increase the complement, and make the
steamers more effective. But even with this greater capacity,
and with the same number of men, less stores, and three
days' coals only, the new iron steam-vessels, the Jackall sind
Bloodhound, finished in 1845, are inferior in point of speed
even to the old wooden vessels, and are no more fit to be em-
ployed as packets in the Mediterranean than a coach and four
horses at the present day are eligible to carry the mails to
Brighton. Why will the Admiralty allow the country
to be served worse than private companies? The
directors of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Company,
or the directors of the General Steam Navigation
Company, would not consider that they were doing their
duty to the shareholders, if they accepted a half dozen
vessels from the builders in 1845, the speed of which was
not equel to vessels built in 1840, notwithstanding such,great
improvements have been annually made to increase the
power and reduce the weight of marine engines. Private
companies have vessels built for them every year that exceed
each other in stowage and speed In succession as they are
brought out; but the Admiralty, at the greatest cost, have
vessels built in 1845 that are not half a mile an hour faster
than those built in 1840, and even if stored and stowed as
they ought to be. they would be inferior to the old 10-gun
brigs, converted into steamers 20 years ago, and now em-
ployed as tugs. How long will the Admiralty suffer a
subordinate department thus to waste the public money, and
thus invite reflection on themselves, who have done so much
for the navy and the country since their accession to office
in August, 1841.

A letter from Hamburgh, of the 28th ult., says :
" A steamer arrived here yesterday from London with a large
quantity of specie. One well-known banking-house received two
millions of mares ham°. We daily expect to see the rate of dis-
count reduced."

PAWNBROKERS' SOCIETT.—The Committee of the
above society, formed for the purpose of endeavouring to in-
duce the interference of the Legislature in reducing the pre-
sent hours of labour, and which, unlike other trades, are fixed
by Act of Parliament, and consequently can only be remedied
by the same source, are unremitting in their exertions to ob-
tain their object.
THINGS LOST FOR EVER.—Lost wealth may be
restored by industry the wreck of health regained by temperance
—forgotten know:edge rostored by study—alienated friendship
soothed into forget( ilnees—even forfeited reputation won by peni •
tence and virtue. But who ever again looked upon his vanished
hours—recalled his slighted years, stamped them with wisdom—or
effaced from Heaven's record the fearful blot of wasted time
Siginnseg.