The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-28 00:00:00

ThAMES EMBANKMENT.

_Amongst the reports laid before the Court of Com-
mon Council on Thursday last, by Mr. Allan, the
Chairman of the Navigation Committee, and likely to
form the groundwork of important proceedings of the
Corporation on the next Court day, is the Report of
Captain Bullock, R.N., the hydrographer to the
Board of Admiralty, who, with Mr. Walker, the
President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, and
other eminent scientific men, took a survey, last
autumn, of the whole extent of the river Thames, under
the civic jurisdiction. The following is an abstract of

CAPTAIN BULLOCK'S OBSERVATIONS.

" Inquiries having been instituted by the Corpora-
tion of the City of London respecting the practicabi-
lity and expediency of a uniform embankment of the
Thames throughout its course, it has been referred to
me to consider and report on the effects likely_ to be
produced by such a measure on the bed of the river.
" Previous to my answering the questions submitted
to me, it seems desirable that I should state what I
conceive to he the natural laws regulating the move-
ments of a river, and the formation of its bed, so far as
'such laws are involved in the subject under considera-
tion. A current of water obeys the general law of
motion, and continues its course in a straight line,
until it meets with some obstacle which forces it to '
turn aside ; hence at every bend in the channel of a
river, the current runs in on the concave side, and
presses on the bank.
" The velocity of a stream, under like -circum-
stances of declivity and pressure, depends on its free-
doms or, in other 'words, on its breadth and depth.
In any given section of a river the greatest rapidity of
a • stream will, generally speaking, be found in the
deepest part ; where there is a shoal on the side
of an active current, the contact of the rapid
stream with the retarded and sluggish water on the
shoal will have the effect of producing a circular mo-
tion or eddy in the latter, the extent of which will be
regulated by the extent of the shallows."
After some further statements relative to the natural
laws regulating the movements of a river, Captain
Bullock proceeds:—
" These principles.being established, we may now
proceed to consider the question whether it be possi-
ble to devise a channel for a river so constructed as to
secure the two conditions of clearness from all ob-
structions and permanence ; or, in other words, whe-
ther by embankments judiciously constructed with
respect to width and form, a river may not be di-
rected in such a manner that its currents both ways
vvill harmonise with the general windings of the
course, and whether it may not be freed from all
tendency to form shoals and to shift its channels.

" It appears to me that these desirable ends may be
easily obtained by embankment. A river's bed is
spoiled by the too great diffusion of the stream, by
the wear and tear of the banks, and by obstructions
of one kind or another created in the water-way, from
all.which ensue diversions of the current and a ten-
dency in the "river to change its course, throwing up
banks and shoals, which more or less impede the na-
vigation. ,
"vow, these catte4..of deteriOration maybe corn-
,
pletely removed by' embankments, • reducing the bed
of a river to -a sufficient water-way, and nothing
more, and presenting4o = the,pre,ssitre of the stream at
the bends of the river a solid unchangeable point, i,of.
anal a form as wily guide the current both ways in
one channel ; if to these embankments be superadded
some regulations calculated to preserve inviolate the
principles on which the embankments are formed, and
to 'prevent the projections and obstructions" in the
water-way, it cannot bedoubted that the river will
gradually work itself a free, uniform, and unimpeded
channel, and having thus improved its course that it
will have no tendency to change it. The same natural
agencies which, left to themselves, continually change
their direction, and plough up different channels in a
stream, will, if fixed in their direction, and rid of
variable and undue hindrances, be converted into the
improver and preserver of the same stream.
". It is easy to apply to the Thames what' has been
already said of rivers in general, but it inut not be
overlooked that au additional argument for the
pro-
posed embankment, may be found in the circumstance
that the Thames is -rather wider above bridge than in
the, Pool ; for the contraction of the stream above
bridge, will probably have the effect of equalising the
current, and giving it an equable movement. And,
moreover, the single fact that the Pool is in general
narrower that the river above bridge is of itself suffi-
cient to show that the latter is wider than necessary.
" It would be advisable, perhaps, to expedite by
dredging the process of clearing and deepening the
bed of the embanked river, instead of leaving it to
the comparatively slow operation of natural agencies;
but in that case, it would be necessary to adopt a
better system of dredging than that pursued at pre-
sent, and instead of making deep holes in the chan-
nels, the dredging machine ought to be employed
wholly in removing shoals ; and, in general, it may be
remarked that the mischiefs from the neglect of the
river's bed or banks, or. from injurious interference
with them, cost much more for their repair or correc-
tion, than would suffice to maintain a vigilant super-
intendence competent to prevent them.
"The Thames, though for ages the greatest com-
mercial river in-the world, has hitherto been excluded
from its due share hi the improvement going on
around it. In our own times the navigation has re-
ceived incalculable benefits from science, and as might
be expected from the, maritime genius of this country,
the chief glory of their scientlficiabours belongs to
ourselves. The Thames_has been' lately surveyed
with the utmost care and.:minuteness by the direc-
tion of the Lords of the:Admiralty, but without re-
ference to the embankment of its sides.

"Amidst all . this activity, originating in the spirit
of the age, and called. for by its want's," it is not sur-
prising that the Corporation of the City of London,
actuated by the same spirit, should" have directed
their attention to the improvement of its banks. The
extension of some care to this object is also impera-
tively called for by the recent change in the mode of
plying in the river, arising from the great increase of
small steamers. In conclusion, I strongly recom-
mend the projected embankment as a certain means of
effecting a great and permanent improvement
in the Thames. 'lt would, if fully carried out
and maintained with suitable regulations, have
the. effect of equalising the current and bed
of the river, removing shoals, and increasing
the navigable water-way. Owing to the numerous
obstructions in the river with the interrupted and
oblique currents attendant on them, as well as the
constant wave from the steam-boats which washes
the banks, there is a larger quantity of mud kept in
a state of perpetual oscillation .than formerly. But
this Neill be avoided bitAity of channel ; and with an
unembarrassed water-way the stream, thus loaded by
sedimentary matter,- will pass onwards towards the
sea into deep water. The great extent of the mud
banks, which now exhale offensive effluvia at low
water, .would also thereby be much diminished. The
stream being -made stronger and . deeper by its em-
bankment,would more effectually perform its cleans-
ing. office ; and these benefits, independent of that of
that of considerably increased facilities of navigation,
now 'grown so important, seem to me sufficient of
theniselves to incite to far more arduous and expen-
sive undertakings than that of merely embanking the
river near the metropolis."
• • •

MASSACRE-IN MANILLA.
.. (From the Spanish Corresponscd.)
IVe.received by Suez, letters from Manila, of the
Bth 'of December, 1841, Two things occupied
people's minds there, although tranquillity was re-
established. Ist, the 'effervesceney of the population ;
and, secondly, the viOlence adopted by the superior
authorities in the repression of the popular move-
ment. There are some particulars taken frian'the
documents we received, which are interesting enough.
An advice given to public by General Oraa, and
dht.id the 9th of November, says the rebel Apolinario
de la Cruz, .chief of the revolt, was shot.
At the village de Tabayas, two days after, the other
cabecillas underwent the same fate, Dionisio de los
Reyes, Gregoriv Miguel de Jesus, and Francisco
Espinosa de la Cruz. An order given at the Palace
of Manilla, and signed Oraa, promises an amnesty to
all those who took part in this revolt, having been
. fanatised by Apolinario de la Cruz, and one called
. Purgatorio. • Twenty days have been allowed them
to come before the authorities, and all their fire-arms
. are to be given up in the space of fifteen days. .
The desperate collision which had taken place be-
tween the troops of the Governor of. Tabayas, who
wra killed on the spot, and the band of Apolinario
de la Cruz, had been occasioned by the curate of
the town burning the image of St: Joseph, which
belonged to the fraternity—an image which they
thought miraculous ; and some friars of St. Joseph
had been badly treated : these had been flogged, and
flogging is the greatest affront possible among the
natives.
Apolinario had ehOsen to hide himself from the
pursuit of the curate and the governor of the pro-
vince in an hermitage, two hours' walk from the ca-
pital.
...
There were two streams at the foot of the hermit-
age. Apolinario and his ' companions had elevated a
rampart of earth, half a yard_ high, the side of which
looks upon the capital of 'Tabayas. Behind that they
. had dug a-ditch, not very deep, in which they waited
for the troop. They resisted, for half an hour after
the firing began. The -women of the fraternity,
grouped together at a certain distance, weral coil-
templating the engagement ,ketween the 464 and
Apolinario's band as calmly as if it was a tour-
nament. - As soon as the fire .of the troop had
dispersed the groups, tie men and women of
the ',fraternity ran sway confusedly, taking refu e
NEVS ' near the altar . and in 'the chapel of St. JesePh•
—, , ' A great many of them were seen at that moment
42.... q embracing a wooden cross or . their brevet of the
'"''',l'3•- fraternity. Fanatised by their chief, they, thought
• `i..t...r!......: thy held ,in their . hands a talisman .against
.tft* clea-
• . th:. ,that was the tenor of their brevet. The num-
,........„
..,A- ber ofdead. is said to amount to 400, without count-
-11. S ' - ---- ---- - • •
,„

ing the woundect It is said that a great many of
[ them who surrendered were shot. But what we
• scarcely believe is, that the executions continued for
five days after the engagement, by the order of Ge-
neral Oraa. The curate of Tabayas, it is said, wrote
immediately to the Archbishop of Manilla, begging
of him to mediate with the Captain-General, in order
to obtain the cessation of this butchery.
It is not known what were the projects of Apoli-
nario. It is certain- that if he had wished, after
the death of the Governor, Ortega, to march
upon Tabayas he could have taken possession of
it. Instead of taking possession of the province,
these unfortunate fanatics remained in the cha-
pel, expecting the prodigies which Apolinario
had promised them in the name of St: Joseph. The
apostle did not show himself to his children • four
young virgins served him—they were his aides-de-
camps. They communicated his orders to the faith-
ful. No one was admitted into the fraternity, ex-
cept on condition of. ,not asking to see the apostle
(Apolinario.) Amongst the victims there are several
who do not even know the face of their chief. In the
hermitage they sung a canticle, which au old woman
shouted out, and went . in procession to kiss his
hand. This is the way these unfortunate people,
whose plans we do not know, passed their time.
It is a curious thing, that on account of this
event, there were three lawyers put into prison,
Fiorentino, Pontajo, and Marefosqui. General Oraa
wanted to have them judged by a council of war, and
the tribunal would not, which makes it be supposed
(hat no conspiracy is yet proved. There is a mystery
in this affair which the next letter from Manilla will,
perhaps, unfold. At all events, it is important that
the Government should-find means to restore con-
fidence between the natives of Philipino and the
Spanish authorities.