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

ENGLISH HARBOURS of REFUGE. 1

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE.

►SITTLNG OS MONDAY, NOV. 17. -M. MATHIEU LN THE
CHM&

Baron CHARLES DUPIN read the following paper:—
" It is now twenty-eight years since I laid before the
Academy 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 merchant 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
refuge 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
Robeit Feel, the Prime Minister, first ascertains that
the persons the most capable will undertake the inquiry
just 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 Byara 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:—
" ' 1. That it may be entered with case 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 of war, and may at the same time serve
for purposes of defence and attack.
" '3. That it may offer ready means of defence in case
of attack from an 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 extend their surveys in consequence, and then
to report on the advantages peculiar to tho different
situations they shall deem advisable to recommend, i
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 most 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 Geolt gical Economy, &c.
" As early 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, iberally 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
must 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-
diti, n f one great port to the preceding would not suf-
fice ; it recommends works and an outlay for four new
sta•ious, 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
liruite of the British Channel.
'• They took new soundings for the purpose of ascertain-
ing whether the depth of water at the principal naval sta-
finis along this whole line of coast had not varied since
the publication of the most 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,
t,, lloachy 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 Seises 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,
sind as to their being places of refuge for merchant
vessels chased by armed vessels in time of war, and
an re specially as to their becoming stations for armed
steamer', in order to protect British trade in the narrow
parts of the Channel.
" Form* as, nearer than Margate to the extreme point
of the southern coast of the Thaws, is a fine situation,
which was recommended by the Commission of 1840,
hut 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-
mess, 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-
teges may be more fully and conveniently obtained by
improving the port of Harwich, on the other aide the
Thames, as the point of the coast where the North Sea
begins. 'ln 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
rtnehorage 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
twice ted for making a port of refuge. One is strengthened
in coming to this conclusion on looking to the advance-
ment 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-
cient 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
. 1795 time of peace
1790 time of peace
1841 time of peace
1842 time of peace
" Four years ago the 31 largest vessels which entered,
Reresge,. ,
t. harbour measured on an average 457 tons—a
greater tonnage than that of two-thirds of the British
merchant vessels in foreign trade.
in
Ramsgate
1832 as many aa434 vessels were at the same time
agate 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, deputy-master of the Trinity-house,
had proposed, 94 a place for constructing a port of refuge
bs tween Ramsgate and the Thames, at the anchorage-
grouud called the Brake. y
In
Sir support of this proposition,
be produced plans made biteuninennie, the second
son of the celebrated engineer whose works
at Plymouth, Sheerness, London, Rennie of
have given a
description. Sir John Rennie, jun., .
dh.to erect
on the top o 1 the longitudinal sand-bank, w? in which
is the anchorage called the Brake, a breakivatetr,
centimetre
(23 similar to that at Cherbourg, but only 60 cen'
(23 inches) above the highest water. His plan wouills
lead, to an expense of 80.000,000 f. (3,200,0000, inciud.
ing, th,e necessary deepening of the projected anchorage
rounrl, which would not have been less than five miles
in lcingth.
"If so large an expenditure were objected to, Sir
-John Rennie would reduce to 1,500 yards the proposed
length, in which case the cost would only be 850,0001.,
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 1,200,0001., er 30,000,0001.
" Among the reasons adduced against the adoption of
any of those plans, and several others proposed by Cap•
tain Vetch and by Sir S. Brown, I must mention the
strongest.
"4 navel officer employed on the hydrography of the
ectufelslis s(ou.nd that the sand-bank called the Brake
)A4(l - arer to the land by 700 yards, or 640
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i' • • i f:sra,- on of all stamen and the public- in ge--:
DOM a • ,•'• ''..t of this very remarkable change.

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