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

" The Commission of 1840 had already rejected
the plan of erecting a harbour at the Brake. The
Commission of 1844 comes to the same conclusion,
founded on the ground, that a port in such a situa-
tion could only be of service to vessels having aheady
escaped all the dangers of the narrow part of the Bri-
tish Channel, or to vessels leaving the Thames to
begin their voyage by a course to the southward.
Grounding themselves on these motives, the Commis-
sioners reject the very expensive proposition of a bar-
hour at the Brake, and they are strengthened in this re-
solution that the Downs in their present state possess
an excellent bay. This bay may be said to be contiguous
to Ramsgate harbour, which can already contain 400
vessels at the same time ; a Fort about being rendered
capable of holding 600, if not more. Continuing to ad-
vance from the north towards the south, the Commis-
sioners arrive at the most important situation—at that
which they prefer. It is the situation of Dover, a point
at once the nearest and the most threatening for France.
"In my works on the naval and military forces of
Great Britain,* I have pointed out the great importance
of Dover for one and the other of these forces, and the
vast works, whether of the port for trade or for the for-
tifications of this town. Since the publication of my
first descriptions, Dover has become of greater import-
ance, as being the terminus of the railroad which comes
from London to this port, embranching on sundry other
lines. In two hours' time corps of troops, ships' crews,
ships' stores and munition, and an entire train of artillery,
may be brought down to Dover from London, Deptford,
Woolwich, and Portsmouth. Dover has a dry dock
suited to the repairing of merchant vessels, a great extent
of large quays, and extensive warehouses. Besides its
outer basin, the floating basin has an area of more
than six acres superficial measure, and works are going
on for doubling this extent. There is also a third basin
(called the Pent) which might be put into a state for
containing a great number of sloops of war and gun-
brigs—a basin which is now undergoing considerable
improvements.
"At the time the celebrated Mr. Pitt was carrying
on a mortal stuggle between England and France, he
strongly wished to form an enclosed roadstead in front
of Dover, and he had plans made with that view ; the
Ordnance Department found them in its archives, and
communicated them to the Commission whose labours I
am now noticing.
"Two kinds of objection have been started against
resuming the consideration of these plans. It was con-
tended that the bed of the roadstead has a constant ten-
dency to rise, owing to the deposit of alluvions. 2. That
the anchorage greund was bad. In order to test this latter
objection Captain Washington superintended experi-
ments, which have been deemed conclusive, by anchor-
ing in the roadstead a steamer of 500 tons and 120 horse
power. After having cast anchor in the most important
parts of the roadstead, the whole force of the engines
was made to act on a sufficient length of cable run out,
without this powerful action havingin any way loosened
the anchor from its hold. No action of the wind on a
vessel without sails could equal a similar impulsion.
This experiment must appear conclusive as to the ex-
cellence of the anchorage in Dover•roads.
" In order to ascertain what is to be apprehended
from the deposits by the waters in front of the present
port of Dover, samples of the water have been taken at
the times of the highest tides, selecting calm weather:—
First Samples of Water, taken July 2, 1844.