The Sun.
London, England, 1818-01-22 00:00:00

MARINE PRESERVATIVE.

From the afflicting accounts that have lately
reached us from so many quarters, of the loss of
our fellow-beings through shipwreck, we readily
insert the .following account of a comparative trial
between Air. iklAwsoN's mode of applying the
buoyant principle cork, and the cork jacket.
Last August experiments were made, by com-
mand of the Duke of Yottx and the Board of
Ordnance, of the power of the first to preserve
the individual in case of wreck, and found fully to
answer expectation. It having been intimated that
the same effect might be produced by the common
cork jacket, so long known as preventing people
front sinking, a comparative trial of that and Air.
MALLisoN's improved mode ofapplying the biioyant
principle cork, which he names the Seaman's Friend,
was ordered to be made, the account of which
we have the satisfaction of laying before the

On thr ißtli of December, 1817, the three men who had
made the previous experiments of the .5111 of August last,
went into the water ac full ws :—Gunner Graham, 5 feet 1
inches, walked in with the cork jacket until he was taken off
his feet, when he remained in deep water without the power
of sinking. On being ordered to lift bis arms Above his head,
he sunk down, Ins w bole. body completely covered .with
water, several inches, and remained so& until he iT s obliged

to drop his antis, lest be should be drowned or suffocated, and
which inevitably would have taken place leld he been kept in
that siitiatioo for a few minutes.—Gunner Egerton, 5 feet 61
inches, then went to him, without any apparatus on, when
they were together so nicely supported, as merely to he n-sl-
vable of siukiog with their chins out of water. Graham then
came on shore, and I utting on a Seaman's Friend, common
to all sizes, again returned into deep water, when, on lifting
up his arms, as in the first instance, he remained perfectly
safe, without the possibility of sinking deeper than his throat
into the water. On Egerton placing his hands on his shoul-
ders, both were supported, as described in the Report of the
6th of August, viz.:-.7" After this, one of the men, having
taken off the apparatus, went in, and was easily supported by
placing his hands on the shoulders of the -other man who had
the apparatus on." Gunner Whitesides, -5 feet 91 inches,
then went in with the common cork jacket ; on lifting up his
arms, he sunk down instantly into the water, and although
not so deer as Graham. yet sohliciently to put an end to his
existence had he remained in that situation fur a few minutes.
He was then ordered to dive, which lie did with considerable
facility. He then came out of he water, and put on the
Seaman's Friend, when, on being ordered to lift tip his anus
as beftire, it was found, through the superior buoyancy the
Seaman's Friend possessed, impossible. for him to sink an inch
beyond his shoulders. On his being malt red to dive, he found
Or same ditheolty as stated in the Report of the tth of Au-
gust. One of the swimmers was ordered to dive as
deep as he could, which he attempted, but was prevented do-
ing it by the super-or Imoyaticy of the apparatus." In addi-
tion to the above, when they came to compare the two, it was
fonint the Seaman's Ft iend, though possessing nearly a pound
noire of bnoyant power, occupied in space abort c
less than the cork jacket, and_ presented a guard against rocks
or casual iointies of two incites thickness, where the cork
jae,.ar was found to possess one of less than Italian inch.
On the whole, we congratulate society on the
result, which confers equal bottom- on those who
directed the experiments to be made, and the in-
ventor of such simple means, that leave no doubt
that the space between the vessel and the shore,
when shipwreck occurs, and where the loss of lite in
general takes place, may in future be passed in
comparative security ; this subject becomes of
greater importance from the fact that ages have
passed away, nod still our experience of the evil
is limited solely to the knots-ledge of tlie effect,
although the abill,ies of ingenious men, of all na-
tions, have been so long invoked to contrive some
triode by which life at this momentous period
might be saved.
Lino's List weekly or.esents us with 20, too, am! even with
1600 individuals, in the prime of lifto bring lost io one un-
fortunate storm ; and it is only by investigating the true
causes, as well principal, subordinate, and collateral, a re-
medy call be api.tied. This mode of ihrestigation enabled Sir
H. l)avy to iovent his Safety Lamp for (7olleries—led to the
introduction of iriocaiation by Lady Wortley Montague, and
that of Vaccination by ,Jetwer. At present the destruction
of our fellow-men arises font] the inability of the individuals
to pass the skort ssace of deep water between the land and
the-sh:pwrecked vessel; it follows of course, that rendering ,
our people incapable of sinking., throng!, the means of this '
simple apparatus, is the only true and rational mode by which
the wishes of society may he accomplished. In this plain
matter-of-fact view of the subject, we feel confident the court- !-
try will con.ider the proceedings which have taken place on
this occasion as conferring honour on all parties.

MR. RICHARD THOMSON,
Preacher of the Gospel.

This Gentleman died oo the 6th inst. at Glas-
gow. - He had the misfortune in infancy to lose
his sight by the small-pox. Having shewn an
early and very strong desire- of knowledge, his
parents were induced, notwithstanding the nn-
happy deprivation lie bad sustained, to place !OM
in the school of the late Mr. John Hall,' and ow-
ing to the progress he made wider the tuition of
that excellent teacher, o ?rarity him still farther by
sending him to the High School, and, on the com-
pletion of the tour years' course there, to the Col-
lege. His brother and other friends who assoriated
with bins, employed much of their tune in reading
to him, and through their means, and by the exer-
tions of his wonderful tnemory,• he was able not
only to perform thensital tasks prescribed in the
course of a classical and philosophical education,
hut to make such proficiency in learning, as ex-
cited the astonishment of every one, and gained
for hint several prinitsms expressive of the high
opinion entertained of his extraordinary talents.
Having at length completed his theological studies,
he applied to the Presbytery of Glasgow for
license to preach. It is a law of the church,
passed at the time of Dr. tilacklock, whose case was
similar to Mr. Thomson's, that Presbyteries shall
obtain the permission of the ialeneral Assembly
before receiving a blind person upon trials for the
ministry. Considering the matter apart from any
particular instance, it ty,is onnossible not to hesi-
tate upon the ground of general expediency about
acceding to the application made to them. Bat
there was only one sentiment among rite mem-
bers of the Glasgow Presbytery as to the abilities
and merits of the present applicant—all being
agreed, that if ever the church were to grant the
license requested, Mr. Thomson's was the case
worthy of the privilege. The Presbytery receiv-
ed his application, and having transmitted a pe-
tition on his behalf to the Assembly, and being al-
lowed to proceed, they proposed to Mr. Thom-
son the usual preliminary trials, through the whole
of which he acquitted himself to the surprise and
satisfaction. of his examinators. He was licensed to
preach accordingly,. and was heard by the crowded
audiences whom the peculiarity of his situation
attracted, with great interest and delight. He
was spared by Providence however, only for a
short time to dischinge the duty on which he had
so early set his heart, .and to.parpate himself for
which he had patiently overcome so. many diffi-
culties. A cold,
.caught by him in the course of
his professional exertions, settled itself down up-
on his lungs. 1-:le Jell into consumption, and,
after having lingered fur some months, the break-
ing of a blood vessel at length hastened his disso-
lution. The talents and dispositions of this un-
cornrow) young man were worthy of high admira-
tion and esteem. Notwithstanding the. obst'acles
that opposed his acquisition of knowledge—ob-
stacles which to others who are more happily
situated, appear almost .insuperable, his progress
in his Studies was rapid, and his acquirements were
great. His acquaintance with the principles of
his 'own language, and of the learned tongues,
%vas accurate. His-knowledge of philosophy was
intimate.- His information in history, theology,
and general literature was extensive, varied, and
Well arranged. His.memory, as will be supposed,
in .making such acquisitions, was quick and re-
tentive-a-and.the soundness of his judgment at
the.. same time equal to the excellency of his me-
mory. His powers of conversation rendered hint
an instructive, and his amiable and cheerful dis-
position a pleasing, companion.—Above all, there
was added to his other endowments, a pure and
humble piety—a love of religion that was at once
ardent and rational. He uniformly lived under
the influence of that Gospel whie, it had been his
early ambition to preach, and be did peacefully
in the faith of is blessed and glvlious prospects.

LAW INTELLIGENCE,

COURT OF CHANCERY, JAN. el.

Nothing Occurred to-day in this Court of ant
material interest, except to the Parties
diately concerned in them.

COURT OF KING'S BENCH', JAN. 21.
The Court were occupied the *whole of the
in the discussion of questions of no interest
ever, except to the parties concerned.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, JAN.2I.
The Court was occupied for nearly the Whole
of the day in considering the remainder of the
Special Cases ; but nothing occurred'of any
terest, except to.the patties.

SURREY SESSIONS.

INTERESTING TRIAL--.A FELONY UNDER PRETENCE

OF FAIR PLAY.

John Manning, a person In the habit. of attend'
ing fairs, and superintending the several ga:neg
played on such occasions, was placed at the 43r
upon a charge of robbeiy, declared to be cotta'
witted under the pretext of fair play.
The indictment charged Manning With having
stolen a 101. Bank of F,:q.;land note from one Bal;
lin all, bailiff to a Mr. Cox, of gyegate;at
F ,ir.
The prosecutor stated, that he Went to Ewell'
fair in October last, taking with him 911. of 111 s•
master'sl money, arid none of hisOv%ii. pals'
ing through the fair lie observed several persolis
playing at cups and balls, a game of whict
kN'w nothing, and taking a t ancy to !be metil"t
of \\inning which presenter) itself to him,
his master's money out of his pocket, and offered
to bet that the ball was not under 1
middle one of three cups. He held a ten
Bank Note in his hand, but did not hold it
long, for the piisoner, who seemed to be a we're
looker on, and not at all concerned in the ganlel
snatched it and' ran off with the greatest velocil
amongst the horses. At that moment,. as if the
whole business vas a plan for robbery, the players
decamped, kicking about the cups and halls, and
the prosecutor was left alone gaping about ill
astonishment. After a, short time he met a coil'
stable, to whom he mentioned the circuit's:awe%
and frhin whom be received the most prq,L"Pt
assistance. He never saw the note again, u"
after some search he found the prisoner, who ma"
several ineffectual attempts to escape, at the,
George public-houSe, where lie seemed him, fi"L'
delivering him to the constable had the gratifica-
tion of seeing,rbim caged.
The next witness was Furness, a 1)41
about 14 years of age.' He" was, he Said, acci-
dentally attracted at Ewell-fair to the spot where,
the cups and balls were exhibited ; was possessea
of no money, and merely observed what was go'
ing forward. The prosecutor, in his preseoceo
took a Bank-note out of his pOctet, acid
the prisoner .instantly snatched it and took I°
his heels. All thoSe who seemed to •be con-
.cerned in the game ran off, 'eating the instill'
men aof the game in confusion. There w4s,
a c ahqut the place, and planning. puliql
the. • rafter, and offered
p hil42
6d. rd
t- say a word liboo-
the
matter. %S one used to take. the 6d., anil oil
finding the prosecutor, went with hint and tbo
constable to the George public-house, where the'
laid hands upon the prisoner, who took out a 21.
note, and offered it to the constable if he wo"la
let plan off. The constable refused to take '64
bribe.

The evidence for the prisoner, and his tOunsely
laboured bard toronvince the Jury that the.moury
bad been lost at the game, and therefore,
the manner might appear fraudulent, it was evi-
dent the construction of felony could not be put
lipms it.

The CHAIRMAN' treated the subject in a veil
diiierent instinct. He considered the whole 04
the evidence for the prisoner relative to the parti-
cular transaction excessively liable to suspicion,
even it the intelligent and consistent statement of
Furness were not opposed to it ; for it wastvideot
that the parties by whom the silly, and by Bo
means honest, prosecutor suffered, .vere at the
fair for the (purpose of taking in the unwary,-
Ferglison's character he considered as bad as could
be. The Jury, in order to acquit the prisoner,
would be obliged to deny all credit to the evi-
dence of Furness, who was a disinterested spec-.
and seemed to have acted with the utmost
propriety.

_ .
The Jury pronounced a verdict of Guilty.
`lr. HARRISON immediately pronounced sen-
tence. He hoped it would operate as a warning
to the multitude who visited fairs for the parpose,
of lobbing under the cover of gaming, and that
the rubbery itself would have some effect upon
those who were fools enough to sport with their,
own money, or knaves enough to sport with that
of their masters.—" The sentence of the Court.
upon you, John Manning, is, that you be trans•...
ported beyond the seas for the term of 7 years," ~

SUDDEN DEATH.—On Saturday last, 118
JONES, Esq. was coining to town in a posteuaisc„,
from his country residence at Esher, he fell back
and-expired. Mr. JONES was many years Major
of the St. Margaret Westminster Vol
GLUTTONY,—A few days ago, a fellow named
Jenkins, whilst drinking at the White Hart public-
house, in Sun-street, Finsbury-square, undertook,
for a trifling wager, to eat 71bs. of bhllock's
liver, 3lbs. of potatoes, 2lbs. of bread, and also-
to drink a gallon of porter, in three,qoarters of
an hour. He commenced the repast exactly at
one o'clock, and ten minutes -before two he had
demolished it ; but, to the great satisfaction of
the company, he lost his wager, and it was found
necessary to put him to bed.

BIRTHS
A short time ago, at his house, Frith-street, Sohn-square,
the wife of N. D. De Chewant, Esq. of a son and heir,
On the 15th lost, the lady of Captain F. B. Spilsbury,R.N.
of a son,

LONDON: hiAter? by J. B. -CARSTAIRS, of No. ';), Great
Ormond-street, Queen-square ;. and pnblished Ly W. A.
SCRIPPS, of No. 7, South Alotton-street, at THA Sine
Office, No. 119, Strand; Micre Advotiseguents, Ot4lei9Lrttt .
&e. (post-paid) lutist be addressed.

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