The Sun.
London, England, 1829-08-03 00:00:00

NEW LIFE BOATS.

Some experiments were made on Wednesday
in the river, off Somerset-house, under the super-
intendance of the Royal Society, for the preser-
vation of lives from shipwreck, of several life.
boats constructed under the direction of Mr.
Palmer, a gentleman who we understand has de-
voted a very large portion of his time and atten-
tion to the improvement of those most valuable
little vessels. That the boats made by Mr.
Palmer's direction are not capable of farther im-
provement, is what that gentleman himself does
not assert. On the contrary, the public exhibi-
tion and trial of them yesterday, had for one of
its chief objects the submitting them to the in-
spection of scientific men, with a view to receiv-
ing such suggestions as may render them more
perfect, and of course more calculated to obtain
the humane end of their invention,—the salva-
tion of human life in cases of shipwreck. One
great step towards this benevolent object has
been obtained, as far as we could judge from
what we saw on Wednesday—namely, the almost
impossibility of sinking the boat under any cir-
cumstances. The first experiment was on a boat
capable of carrying, without much inconvenience,
twenty persons ; but, as was said by one of the
crew, " in a case of life and death," she could
carry 30 without being pressed so much below
the surface of the water as to be unmanageable.
Plugs were taken out of her bottom fore and
aft, and she soon filled up to the gunwale. Six
men then pulled her out, and in this state rowed
her through Waterloo-bridge and back ; and it
was quite evident that she might have gone
any distance in the same state without any risk
of sinking.
The next experiment was on a smaller boat,
and was made to show the difficulty of upsetting
one constructed according to Mr. Palmer's plan.
Plugs were taken out as in former cases, and she
was filled, four or five of the crew aiding the
operation by standing on her gunwale, so as to
put one side of her quite under water. She had
no sails set, as there was little or no wind, but in
order to show what would be the probable effect
of a heavy gale which would bring her masts
down to the water's edge, several men in a boat
near her bawled away upon a rope made fast to
her mast-head, so as to bring it as low as it
could well have been brought in the heaviest gale
or squall of wind, or in case of being struck by
a sea. In this state the men seated in the boat
had the water up to their waists, but the utmost
pulling at the mast-head could not sink or up-
set her. She was so much on one side, that it
was only by holding on fast to what would be
the weather side in a sea that could place her in
that position, that the men could keep their
seats ; but, notwithstanding this pressure, which
would have swamped or upset any boat of ordi-
nary construction, the very instant the men who
pulled at the mast head let go she righted ; and
though still filled with water, it was clear that

Iwith five times the number of her crew she could
have lived in any sea. The general principle on
which these boats are constructed,—that of in-.
creasing their buoyancy by means of cases filled
with air, and rendered water and air tight, is, it
is well known, not new ; but the application of
it in this instance is very ingenious, and not
wholly without novelty. Its great advantage
consists in the security of the air cases, which
are so placed at each side, and fore and aft, as
not to be liable to damage, except by such a
shock as would destroy the boat itself. The
cases are made of strong pine _frames, over which
canvas is stretched, and covered so well with a.
tarry composition as to be perfectly air and
water tight. But we think that the subjoined
description, by the ingenious inventor hnnself,
will do it more justice than any thing we could
add birdie subject
" The boat is built as a whale-boat, sharp at both
ends, fuller at the bow than at the stern, but flatter
in the floor, and with more beam, in proportion to
her length, to adrr,it of sufficient space for the crew
between the air-cases in the wings, with which she
is fitted fore and aft. These cases, three on each
side, occupy a space of 40 cubic feet, and have a
consequent buoyancy of water of 22 cwt. equally
divided on each side, thereby preventing the boat
from upsetting). She. is likewise fitted with two
other air-cases, ode at each extremity, together con-
taining 16 cubic feet, and constituting a buoyancy of
9 cwt. These cases, from the spring of the boat
being situated so high, not only prevent her being
depressed, in case of a sea rolling over her, but
tend materially to right her again, in the event of
her being thrown upon her side by a sudden press
of canvas, or the stroke of a sea. The total buoy-
ancy of the eight cases being equal to 31 cwt. is
sufficient to bear up 22 persons, sitting entirely
above the water; or, if sitting in the boat, as usual,
when a considerable part of their bodies would be
immersed in the water, any number whatever, which
can be placed in, or around her sides: it being
well known that a buoyancy of 101 b. is sufficient to
keep any person, head and shoulders, out of the
water; and the buoyancy being divided between
eight separate cases, any two or three of them get-
ting damaged would be of no importance to the
safety of those in the boat.
" The wing air-cases are secured to the sides by
means of a strong fore and aft batten on each side
of the keelson, fastened to the timbers, having four
plates screwed on to each, with eyes in them, into
which hooks, affixed to boards, sufficiently long to
reach the length of the main cases, enter; and on
which those boards turn up under the thwarts.
These are secured in their vertical position, by being
attached to flaps between each thwart, hanging upon
hooks, screwed into the rising of the boat, and which
flaps form one continued platform on each side, level
with the thwarts, and protect the cases from being
injured; forming, at the same time, two complete
side-lockers, into which small casks, or indeed any
thing which is specifically lighter than water, may
be placed, instead of air-cases, so as to render the
boat equally safe from sinking, to the extent of the
excess of the buoyancy of the article made use of
beyond that of its weight. Dry fir alone would
render the boat a good catamaran,* and capable of
conveying a considerable number of people in safety
to the shore.

" She is fitted with two scuppers, one on each
side, just above the air-cases, to let off -any water
which she might ship from a sea breaking over her.
" Her length is 26 feet 6 inches, and width 5 feet
10 inches. -She pulls six oars; has two lug-sails;
steers either with a scull or a rudder, as occasion
May require; has two timber heads, one on each
side the bow, to make fast a warp to; and has high
loose wash-hoards, for the sake of preventing the
sea from breaking into her when launching from the
ground.
" The total weight of the boat, when out of the
builder's hands, exclusive of all her loose fittings,
masts, oars, &c., is only 7 cwt. 3 qrs. ; so that her
own crew will find no difficulty in conveying her
along the shore to any point most convenient for
launching, according to the object in view. The
weight of all her loose fittings, masts, sails, &c., is
5 cwt. 2 qrs. ; but the buoyancy of these articles
being greater than their weight, if lashed down to
the thwarts they will add considerably to the buoy-
ancy of the whole body."_

In the little pamphlet from which we have
extracted the above description, it is added, and
the observation deserves to be publicly known,—
" The same principle, here recommended for life
and ships' boats, is equally applicable to every de-
scription of boat, from the smallest wherry to the
largest pleasure-boat; and when it is recollected how
many lives are lost every year upon our rivers by
the upsetting of boats, it is impossible that any per-
son should be insensible to the value of a plan by
which almost perfect security may be given to any
boat against so alarming a misfortune."
We have no doubt that when Mr. Palmer's
plan, which we think is one of the best that has
yet been brought before the public, becomes
more generally known, it will receive such im-
provements from the suggestions of scientific
men as will secure the only other advantage
which now seems wanting—the impossibility of
upsetting the boat ; but though there is no cer-
tain guarantee against such an event in Mr.
Palmer's plan, it goes so near that desideratum
as to make it well wurthy the patronage of the
shipping and commercial interests, and (we
should hope) of that much larger class of the
community who are interested in diminishing the
terrible effects of shipwreck.
Several naval• and other scientific men, among
whom were Sir Henry Hotham, and several
Commissioners of the Navy, were present at the
experitnems of Wednesday, and expressed them-
selves perfectly satisfied that the plan, if brought
into general use, would be of the utmost import-
ance to the country and to the cause of humanity.

* Logs of light wood, on which the natives of the Co-
romandel coast come off to a ship in almost any weather.

THE ARM Y.

(From the Limerick Chronicle, July 29.)

Yesterday, four companies and the band of the 62d
Regiment, commanded by Lieut. Col. Reed, arrived at the
barracks here from Templemore. The whole of the 62d
are to be quartered in this garrison.
Yesterday Major-Gen. Sir E. Blakeney and staff left
for Ennis, 'during the election.
Yesterday a squadron of the Ist Royal Dragoons arrived
in Ennis from Galway.
Captain Rumley, Ensign Johnston, three Sojeants, and
36 rank and file, of the 66th Regiment, left Boyle, on
Wednesday, for Manorhamilton, county Leitrim.
Monday two pieces of ordnance, and a detachment of
the Royal Artillery, arrived at Clare Castle, from this
garrison.

Lady MORGAN'S New Work, which has just
appeared, seems to be as fertile in " Personal Sketches" as
Sir JONAH BARRINGTON'S celebrated volumes. " The
Book of the Boudoir," fur so Lady MoRGAN's production is
styled, embodies the recollections of her life, assuming in
some respects the character of auto-biography, but chiefly
consisting of narratives connected with public individuals,
and sketches, from the life, of society in London, Dub-
lin, Paris, Rome, and Florence.

PARIS, JULY 31.—The Semaphore of Marseilles
has the following paragraph:—
" We have news from Algiers of the Bth of July.
Unhappily, there is no doubt respecting the flee of
our unfortunate countrymen who felt into the hinds
of the Bedouins doting die last eng.,gemenr, which
took place upon the coast. All of them to the imm-
.ber of 2' have been massacred without pity; their
heads have been brought to Algiers, and carriedthrough the city. After this they were given op to
an English physician, who obtained as a favour 1 er-
mission to bury them. One young officer alone has
been saved by the assistance of a woman of the
country. The Kaduagi took him tinder his protec-
' tion, and the Dey has given a reward of 200 piastres
to the person who brought him
The Augsburgh Gazelle, under the head of 'fron-
tiers of Turkey, gives news from Constantinople,
which state that the situation of affairs was not there
supposed to be so bad as it is., said to be. The fall
of Silistria, was known thereon the 6.11- July, but, as
was expected, it had not produced any extraordinary
sensation. The Sultan had resolved to 'employ all
his resources to oppose the progress of the enemy.
The Capitan Paella had again sailed into the Black
Sea to assist Bourg-as, which is threatened by the

Russian army.
Letters from Italy say that General Mottling goes
to Constantinople by way of Naples, where he will
embark.

CHAMRER OP PEERS, JULY 30.

The Chamber met at one o'clock to discuss the
budget of the ways and means for 1830, which was
adopted by ti majority of 149 to 2.
We understand that Colonel Fabvier has 'been
replaced on the army lict as Colonel on the Staff.

FRENCH FUNDS,--PARIS, JULY Bl.—Five per Cents.
109 E 60c. ; Three per Cents., 81f. 75e. 70c. 75c. 80e. ;
Bank Stock, 1,8551. 1,8601. ; Naples Stock, 8?f. 45c.
50c. 45c. ; Royal Spanish Loan, 7.5 if. 741 E ; Spanish
Rentes Perpetuelles, 51f. 50if. 50f. 49f.
;
Exchange on London, one month, 25f. 55c. ; three
months, 251. 40c.— Cows Authentique.