The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-27 00:00:00

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ENGLISH HARBOURS of REFUGE.I
ROYAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE.

181TT251111 OF MosDAY, N
CH.
17.—M. MATHIEU IN THE
AIR.
Baron CasaLxs DUPIN read the following paper:—
" It is now twenty-eight years since I laid before the
likeadensy an account of great works undertaken by the
British Government, with a view of making Plymouth
the finest port of defence and refuge for the royal navy
and morcheat vessels. These works, carried on with re-
markable activity, although begun thirty years after
those of Cherbourg, have long since been completed.
" At the present moment England is projecting the
making of new ports of aggression, or, if you prefer it,
of defence and refuge, nearer and nearer to the coast of
France. Under more than one point of view these works
interest the arts and science; and such is the reason
which leads me to communicate them to the Academy.
" In 1843 a Select Committee of the House of Com-
mons, appointed to inquire into the accidents to trading
vessels off the coast of England. in its report recom-
mended to the Government the establishing of ports of
xefuge in the British Channel. This Committee, acting
most judiciously, abstained from pointing out any par-
ticular* situations for such ports ; it, on the contrary,
gave it as its opinion that the subject would be much
better treated by scientific persons having practical
knowledge and specially appointed for the purpose.
With a view of carrying eut this recommendation, Sir
Robert Peel, the Prime Minister, first ascertains that
the persons the most capable will undertake the inquiry
juet mentioned.
" Having taken this first step, Sir Robert Peel ob.
tained from the Lords of the Treasury the appointment
of a Commission, consisting of Sir Byam Martin, who
was for many years Chairman of the Navy Board, and
who during the war had been a member of several im-
portant commissions In inquiry as chairman ; Lieutenant-
General Sir Howard Douglas, formerly High Commis-
sioner at the lonian Islands, and previously Governor
of the Military College at Sandhurst, author of several
very valuable military works ; Rear-Admiral Deans
Dundas, an officer of great experience ; Sir William
Symonds, Surveyor-General of the Navy, and successor
to the celebrated Sir Robert Seppings ; two naval Cap-
tains, John Washington and Fisher ; Colquhoun, a co-
lonel of artillery ; Alderson, a colonel of engineers ;
Sir H. Kelly, deputy-master of the Trinity-house ; and
Mr. Walker, President of the Institute of Civil Engi-
neers of Great Britain, and worthy of such an honour
from the important works of which he has had the su-
perintendence.
" Here is the formal instructions given by the Lords
of the Treasury to this grand Commission as to the ob-
jects to be forthwith more immediately considered:—
'" First. To determine whether it be advisable to
have a port of refuge in the British Channel, with a
view to, the public benefits which such a work shall hold
out; and, on the other hand, what would be the cost of
executing the works to be recommended.
" Second. To determine the spot which will be best
suited for a port of this description, so as to combine,
in the highest degree, the three following capacities:—
" I. That, iet may be entered with ease at any state
of the tide by vessels in danger from bad weather.
" 2. That the port be such as to be suited to a naval
station, in case or war, and may at the same time serve
for purposes of defence and attack.
" 3. Ths4Amay offer ready means of defence in case
of attack frotillan enemy.'
" This is not all; should the Commissioners not find
that all these requisites can be obtained by only one
port of refuge in the British Channel, they are autho-
rised to gad their surveys in consequence, and then
to report on the advantages peculiar to the different
situations they shall deem advisable to recommend,
pointing out such as they may consider the most eligible.
"These remarkable instructions are dated the 2d of
April, 1844.
" These Commissioners lost no time in setting about
the duties. imposed on them. The English coast and
ports on the British Channel were surveyed. The Com-
missioners had the assistance of the information pos-
sessed by persons of special knowledge. They examined
the most experienced pilots, the officers of the Coast
Guard, the meet celebrated engineers—such as Mr.
Brunel, Mr. Rennie, Captains Samuel Brown and Vetch;
learned geologists—such as Mr. Beche, President of the
Board of the Geological Map ; Mr. Philipps, President
of the Society of Geological Economy, &c.
" As earty as the 7th of August,lB44, the Commission
had got through its labours, and presented its report to
the Lords of the Treasury. Finally, in consequence of
an address to the Crown on this subject, the First Lord
of the Treasury laid on the table of the House of Com-
mons the Commissioners' final report.
" I shall, in a succinct analysis, lay before you the
chief results of their labours, looking at them with re-
ference to hydrography and nautical arts.
" At the first view it might be thought that the south-
west coast of England, liberally provided by nature, and
during a long period seconded by art, offers a sufficient
number of ports of refuge, possessing all requisites.
"Ws have already mentioned Plymouth, to which
mast be added Falmouth, the situation the farthest to
the westward. Returning eastward we successively find
Dartmouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, and the Thames.
" Not only did the Commission not find these chief
ports of refuge to be sufficient, but it found that the ad-
dition f one great port to the preceding would not suf-
fice ; it recommends works and an outlay for four new
stations, which I shall successively mention.
" The Commisssioners made a survey of the whole
line of the coast between Falmouth and the port of
Harwich to the north of the Thames and beyond the
limits of the British Channel.
"They took new soundings for the purpose of ascertain-
ing whether the depth of water at the principal naval sta-
tions along this whole line of coast had not varied since
the publication of the moat recent maritime charts. All
this was effected under the skilful direction, at the ports
of the eastern part, by Commander Sheringham, and at
the ports in the western division under the superinten-
dence of Captain Brown, one of the members of the
Commission. Besides this, the Commission received
all the assistance which the Lords of the Admi-
ralty could afford it, and was further assisted
by the knowledge possessed by Captain Beaufort, the
chief hydrographer of the Royal Navy, and correspon-
dent of the Academy.. It availed itself of the opinions
of the two great societies of Lloyd's and of the ship-
owners, as to the selection of naval stations, which may
be or become the best as to places of refuge.
" A special Commission, appointed in 1840 (this is a
period worthy of remark), gave the preference for
creating new ports of refuge—first, to Dover ; secondly,
to Beachy Head ; thirdly, to Foreness, near the North
Foreland.
" The following are the particular instructions to the
Commission of 1840 :
" To survey the coast from the mouth of the Thames
to Selsea Bill ; to examine the ports with reference to
the shelter they may be capable of affording in case of
bad weather to vessels sailing in the British Channel,
and as to their being places of refuge for merchant
vessels chased by armed vessels in time of war, and
mere specially as to their becoming stations for armed
steamers, in order to protect British trade in the narrow
parts of the Channel.'
" Foreness, nearer than Margate to the extreme point
of the southern coast of the Thames, is a fine situation,
which was recommended by the Commission of 1840,
but only as a third place, for a port of refuge ; it re-
commended, in preference, two other points—first,
Dover ; second, Beachey Head. Most certainly, Fore-
riess, converted into a port, would often present a very
favourable anchorage, whether for trading vessels sail-
ing from the Thames, and which encounter gales of wind
when off Foreland ; or for vessels returning to England,
and which are detained by contrary winds.
" The new Commission observes, that the same advan-
tsges may be more fully, and conveniently obtained by
improving the port of Harwich, on the other side the
Thames, as the point of the coast where the North Sea
begins. In fact, this port, which will be the natural
station for a fleet of war-steamers, will afford the best
refuge for merchant vessels; whilst the neighbouring
anchorage afforded by the bay of Hollesley will suitably
receive ships of war. In consequence. it does not ap-
pear that the secondary situation of Foreness is to be
selected for making a port of refuge. One is strengthened
in coming to this conclusion on looking to the advance.
meet in a commercial point of view of Ramsgate, which
is but at a very short distance from Foreness. In 1748
Ramsgate was no more than a small creek—an open
bay without importance ; it is now a harbour of suffi-
cieet extent to receive a considerable amountof shipping.
" The following is the increase in numbers of mer-
chant vessels having entered Ramsgate harbour in the
following years:—
Years. No. of vessels.
1780 time of war 29
1785 time of peace
1790 time of peace
1841 time of peace
1842 time of, peace
" F ur years ago the 31 largest vessels which entered,
Ramsgate harbour measured on an average 457 tons—a
greater tonnage than that of two-thirds of the British
merchant vessels in foreign trade.
" In 1832 as many as 434 vessels were at the same time
in Ramsgate harbour ; if the new basin about to be
formed to the westward be added, Ramsgate will then
be capable of containing simultaneously 600 vessels.
" Sir John Pelly, depoty-master of the Trinity-house,
f
had proposed, as a place for constructing refuge
between Ramsgate and the Thames, at athPe°arntcoh
ground called the Brake. In support of this proposition,
he produced plans made by Sir John Rennie, the second
son of the celebrated engineer Rennie, of whose works
at Plymouth, Sheerness, London, &c., I have given a
description. Sir John Rennie, jun., proposed to erect
on the top of the longitudinal sand-bank, within which
is the anchorage called the Brake, a breakwater, or jetty,
similar to that at Cherbourg, but only 60 centimetres
(23 inches) above the highest water. His plan would
lead to an expense of 80.000,000 f. (3,200,0004), includ-
ing the necessary deepening of the projected anchorage_
groniel, which would not have been less than five mites
in length.
" If SO large an expenditure were objected to, Sir
:lobo Rennie would reduce to 1,500 yards the proposed
length, in which case the cost would only be 850,0004
that is about 21,000,000 f. Finally, Sir J. Rennie, as a
middle course between these two extreme plans, pro-
posed a third, which would have led to an expenditure
of 1,200,000/., er 30,000,000 f.
" Among the reasons adduced against the adoption of
any of these plans, and several others proposed by Cap-
tain Vetch and by Sir S. Brown, I must mention the
strongest.
" A naval officer employed on the hydrography of the
coast, has foupd that the sand-bank called the Brake
had shifted nearer to the land by 700 yards, or 640
metres. So soon as the corporation of the Trinity-
Louse beagle 4Ststrinted with this fact, it altered the
situation' Of the south and the middle on
to the 800 ;`at the same time publishing,
for the;inrormigti .14Pogiamen and the public in ge-
neral, ill icopylt i • remarkable change.
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