The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-28 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES.

Sir,—The various short paragraphs respecting the Janus
and her engines, which have found their way to the public
through your widely-circulated paper, having appeared to
me to proceed from uninformed persons, I have abstained
from troubling you to correct errors; but perceiving that
nearly half a column has this day been devoted to the sub-
ject, and that an insidious misrepresentation has been trans-
mitted to you, which may impose on the public, I claim of
your justice a space sufficient to rectify erroneous assertions,
and to place the forbearance of the Admiralty, wisely shown
towards the development of a machine (peculiarly adapted
to actuate the screw propeller) free from exposure to derange
ment by shot, which is of the highest importance to the
naval service.—l am, Sir, your obedient servant,
8, Chesterfield-street, Nov. 26. DUNDONALD.

Memoranda, being Facts relative to the Progress and Per-
formance of the Revolving Engine on the Principle of those
in her Majesty's Sloop Janus.
The Earl of Minto, when First Lord of the Admiralty,
having learned from his brother, Rear-Admiral Elliott, that
rotatory engines had been successfully used (in two small
steam-boats), and that their compactness, levity, and celerity
of inetion rendered that kind of engine peculiarly suited to
the naval service, ordered a trial to be made of the power of
a condensing engine on that principle by pumping water
from a well in Portsmouth Dockyard.
This engine had been at work for full twelve months when
the present Admiralty made their first official visit to that
yard, and their Lordships had an opportunity of witnessing
the energy and power it then displayed, which, by constant
work, has now increased to such a degree, that not ono of the
thirteen engines in the yard (most of which are :on W'att's
principle) has produced a better vacuum, or required less re-
pair, as is testified by Mr. Taplin, the chief engineer and
mechanist of that yard.
This result was not, however, obtained without great
anxiety and trouble. Thirty times at least, within eighteen
months of its erection, was this engine taken to pieces, and at
times parts of it were sent to London to be altered, under the
impression that some defect or other prevented its efficient
performance. Such, indeed, was the prejudice originally
existing, augmented by repeated failures to work the engine,
that it was on the point of being finally rejected by the
authorities, when it occurred that, perhaps, the cold water-
pipe leading to the condenser might be choked. Admiral
Sir Edward Codrington, Rear-Admiral Bouverie, Captain Sir
Thomas Hastings, Mr. Taplin, and Mr. Blake, the master
shipbuilder, were present to witness the result of, perhaps,
the last trial; and they and others saw the injection-pipe
cut, and a plug of wood withdrawn, which blocked the pas-
sage, so that not one-fourth of the water required could enter
the condenser; indeed, after the pipe was rejoined on the fol-
lowing day, the engine could scarcely work two of the three
pumps it was destined to put into motion ; it was, therefore,
again pulled to pieces, and also the air-pump (which had
never before been suspected as a cause of obstruction) ; never-
theless it was found that the delivery valve was not only
open, but was retained open by its cover being screwed down
upon it, thereby effectually preventing the formation of a
vacuum, even by the most free introduction of injection
water, and the most complete condensation.
It may here be noticed that a ball of rope-yarn and a hank
of strands were subsequently extracted from the injection-
pipe ; and that within the last two months, on examining the
lower valve water-pumps at the bottom of the well, in the
middle suction-pipe a plug of solid elm wood was found,
which completely blocked up that pump, and consequently
during five years and a half defeated the trial of the engine
by the pumping of water. In confirmation of this Mr. Tap-
lin says, in a note dated the 18th of September—" The plug
must have been there from the time the pumps were first put
in motion. As a proof of this we never had such a supply of
water as at present."
It need, therefore, be no matter of surprise if the large
engines of the Janus have been delayed in the performance
of their duty, or that numerous trials failed to produce a
satisfactory result. On Saturday, the 15th, however, the
engines started well, and were accelerating, when the wedges
of the clutches of the paddle-wheels (being slackly driven)
slipped, and the engine flew round and broke the chain of
the air-pump, which being repaired on Monday, the Janus
proceeded down the Medway purposely at a moderate rate,
in order to ascertain if any damage had been done to the
engines themselves by the accident of Saturday. There being
no visible indication of derangement, the vessel proceeded,
and was anchored near the Mouse Light at dusk, on account
of the difficulty of passing through the shoals at night.
On the following morning, on setting the engines to work,
no vacuum could be formed in one engine, which haying
thrown the whole labour on the other, it soon became mani-
fest that some partial derangement had taken place therein ;
and a search having been made, it was discovered that one of
the snift valves had been misplaced since the preceding even-
ing; consequently, the atmospheric air had thereby free ac-
cess to the condenser. This impediment having been de-
tected and removed, it was further discovered that the end
_ _

plate of the air-punip (lately withdrawn for inspection) had
been improperly jointed, so as to suspend its useful action.
Every person conversant with the mechanism of engines will
fully understand haw totally independent these impediments
are of the principle of the engine, yet how fatal to its ope-
ration, which I have no doubt, like the Portsmouth engine,
will be rendered perfectly efficient. Indeed, the brief spe-
cimen exhibited on Saturday confirms this opinion, hating
accelerated from 18 to upwards of 20 revolutions before the
accident.

With regard to the boilers of the Janus, it is hereby fear-
lessly asserted, that having been first tested by authority of
the Admiralty, under the immediate inspection of the
officers of Chatham yards, and the greatly superior evapo-
rative power a having been doubted, an application was made
to the Admiralty to direct the engineer department of
Woolwich Dockyard to test the boilers. The result was
that their power amounted to 314 cubic feet of water eva-
porated per hour, at the economical rate of 12.9 pounds, by
each pound of Llangenneck coal—a result testified by the
engineer's official report of the trial, now in the records of
the Admiralty, dated the 19th of last November ; the im-
portance of which result, in a maritime point of view, every
person acquainted with steam navigation is competent to
appreciate. Lastly, in regard to the temperature of the
"stoke-hole," although the furnaces are opposite, it may
truly be asserted, that the temperature is less than at the
same distance from any tubular boilers in her Majesty's ser-
vice. DUNDONAID.

CONFIRMATION OF THE NEW BISHOP OF OXFORD.
—On Thursday morning the Right Rev. Samuel Wilberforce,
D.D. (now Bishop of Oxford), late Dean of Westminster,
and previously Archdeacon of Surrey, attended at the church
of St. Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, for the purpose of being con-
finned on his appointment to the see of Oxford. The chan-
cellor, registrars, proctors, &c., of the dioceses of Canterbury
and Oxford attended, and the imposing ceremony was per-
formed in the usual form, the bishop repeating the oaths
imposed in a firm and impressive style, in the presence of a
more than usually full congregation for such an occasion,
amongst whom were Mr. Alderman Wilson, and several of
the Common Council of the City of London. Previous to
the ceremony divine service was performed by the Rev.
A. Trollope, curate of Bow Church. The bells, both at the
commencement and conclusion, rang merry peals.
As a caution to persons committing the common
offence of stealing a turnip or two, when passing through
fields, we have to state that four or five parties have lately
been taken into custody in this neighbourhood; and two of
them, George Howlett and William Brown, sentenced to four-
teen days' imprisonment in St. Augustine's.—Canterbury
Journal.
FLOATING BREAKWATHR.—On Monday last the
African (Government steamer) arrived off Brighton, for the
purpose of removing the sections of Captain Taylor's break.
water, which for the last twelve months has been moored off
Aldrington, by way of testing its merits as a breakwater. In
the afternoon of Monday the steamer towed the largest sec-
tion of the three to the mouth of Shoreham harbour, but
owing to a vessel having become jammed in, they were
obliged to leave the section for the night tied to one of the
piers. During the night a gale sprang up, and broke the
section away, and on Tuesday afternoon it came on shore,
opposite Bedford-square, where it was left high and dry on
the beach. On Wednesday thousands of spectators visited
the spot. The section is but slightly injured, but it is covered
with a variety of sea-weeds, muscles, and barnacles. We
understand that a company is in the process of formation fur
the purpose of applying the principle to the making of a har-
bour at Brighton.
THE SCOTTISH CORPORATION.—The Governors
and friends of this Institution will celebrate, for the 180th
time, the anniversary festival of St. Andrew, at the London
Tavern, on Monday, the Ist proximo, St. Andrew's-day fall-
ing this year on Sunday. The Chisholm has consented to
preside en the occasion, and gentlemen are invited to support
the chairman in the Highland garb, or in uniform. This is a
novelty introduced on the present occasion, and we venture
to think a very judicious one.
THE JESUITL—There are at this moment in Italy
150 houses of the order of the Jesuits, containing nearly
4,000 persons, of whom 1,800 are priests. In France there
are 56, containing 872 Jesuits, of whom 362 are priests. In
Germany there are 88, of which 14 are situate in Bavaria,
21 in Austria, 3 in Wurtemburg, 7 in Baden, 2 in the twc
Hesses, 2in Nassau, 5 in the province of Rhenish Prussia,
3 in Westphalia, 6 in Silesia, 3 in Saxony, 1 in Anhalt-10-
then, and sin Hanover and the Free Cities. In the Grand
Duchy of Posen there are 7 ; in East and West Prussia, 5 ;
in Pomerania, 2 ; in Brandenburgh, 2 ; in the province ot
Saxony, 1. The total number of the Jesuits living in these
houses is 1,000, of whom 400 are
87 houses, containing 536 Jesuits, of whom 220 are priests;
and in Portugal 8, containing 160 Jesuits, of whom 75 are
priests.—Frankfort Postamts Zeitunq.
a have beer,
FORGERY IN LIVERPOOL —Placards •
f 1001. for such
posted on on the walls, offering a rewards
formation as would lead to the apphension of Mr. Wm.
Lyon, late of Liverpool,
Hope priests. In Spain there are
cotton-broker, who stands
charged with forgery and obtaining money under false pre-
tences. He is supposed to be travelling under the assumed
name of Murray. The description states that he is from
twenty-eight to thirty years of age, and that when last seen
he was dressed in a black surtout, and had with him a six-
barrelled pistol, and four boxes of caps to fit.—Liverpx)i
Courier. • ,

APPREHENDED IRISH FAMINE