Star.
London, England, 1824-03-04 00:00:00

LONDON MECHANICS' INSTITUTION.

The first Quarterly General Meeting of this Institu7.
aion, which was very numerously attended, took place
last night—Dr. Birkbeck, President of the Serciety,ln
theiChair. The Report of the Committee was read,
aad contained some gratifying statements. From it we
learn that the Society now consists of 1,300 Members,
above 1,000 of whom have paid their subscription ;
that Lectures are' ow regularly delivered once a week
by Professor Millington, on Mechanical Philosophy ;
and that, shortly,_ Lectures on fklineralogy, to be deli.
veied by Mr. Taylor, and Lectures on Chemistry, will
'be oommericed. The Society we also in a fair way of.
collecting a Library; and a proposition which was
made in the course of the Meeting, by Professor Mil-
lington, bids fair to establish for this Society as fine a
Collection of Apparatus and Machines for the illus-
tration of mechanical science as is to be found
in the world. The Professor proposed, that such
of the Members as were mechanics should occa-
sionally devote a little of their spare time to making
s;icii machines for. the benefit of the Society, it
paying, when necessary, for the raw material. The
acclamations with which this proposal was teceived,
,leave no reason to doubt that it will be completely and
splendidly carried into effect. Owing to the grew diffi-
culties necessarily encountered by the Committee, in
!organizing so laige a Society, they felt what it appeared
nobody else felt, that their progress in eitabli•bing the
Society bad not been equal to Cleir zesl for its welfare,•
and fearing therefore that some of the members might
be discontented at the first quarter having expired. while
so little shew had been made, they proposed 'that the
next quarter's payments she ald be suspended. This
proposal, greatly to the honour of the large body of
mechanics assembled, was the only suggestion of the
Committee which did not meet their approbation.—
They declined to adopt this suggestion, expressed
themselves fully satisfied with the exertions of • the
Committee, and thought themselves repaid the' little
expense of one quarter's subscription by the honour of
being the founders of the Mechanics' Institution. After
the Report had been adopted, and some business of
little interest Transacted, a vote of thanks was moved to
the Chairman, which was unanimously carried. In re-
turning thanks, Dr. Birkbeck took occasion very pro-
perly to commend the good order and harmony which
prevailed, and observed, if the Members continued to
display the same enthusiasm for the Institution which
had characterised all their proceedings from the time
of the first Public Meeting, and the same forbearance
and kindness towards one another which had always
been visible in their conduct, they might expect the So-
ciety would be permanent and flourishing, and that
they would receive a large share of that .liondur they
conferred by such conduct on the name and character
of the mechanics of the metropolis.—The Meeting then
dissolved.

NAVAL /A TELLIGENcE.
The Alexander, BOLTON, from Hull to London, was totally lost
on Hasbro' Sand on Tuesday morning—crew saved.
The Jason, WAKNACE., of Grimsby, was abandoned at sea on
Tuesday—crew landed at Yarmouth. .
The Marquis of Drogheda, Room's, from St.Michaers, was driven
oft sbore near Kinsale, on Friday.
FALMOUTH, MARCH 2.—Wind N.—Arrived the Sector, Haar,
from St. Michael's in eighteen days ; and Diamond, Mows!, from
Cork. Sailed the following vessels for London; viz.—Success,
Active, Speedy, Blues, Wavering, Alliance, Mary, and Ezer. No
vessels have yet arrived to profit by the convoy of his Majesty's ship
PANDORA, for the Mediterranean. •
Posersatount, MARCH 3.—lt has blown a gale the whole day, ac-
companied with tremendous squalls, veering from W. to N.W. and
N.—Arrived the Prince of Orange (Iratisport), WHITE, from the
Mediterranean.
Dem., MARCH 3.—Wind N.W. blowing strong.—Arrived and
sailed for the River, the Essex, BARCLAY ; Ranger, MAY ; and Mer-
cury, M'NAI.LY, from the South Seas: also, and remain, the Sea-
gull —, from Gottenburgh ; Falcon, Row ; and Dyson, Commis, •
from St. Michael's ; and Harriet, Hors, frOna Demerara. Came
down from the River and remain, the Lang, Luso, for Van Die-
man's Land ; and the Alice;—:•--, for Jamaica.
LIVIDWOOL, MARCH e.—Sailed the Orbit, TfICKHAM, for New
York ; Thomas Furrows, Dawson, for St. Thomas's; Hardware,
ERORAL, for Lisbon.; Blandford, &woe., for Newfoundland; and
Glide,--, for Boston.
YARMOUTH, MARCH 3.—The sloop Margaret. of Londen,Watzu
Master, put into these Roads yesterday, in distress, having lost her
Master, Mate, and a boy overboard. .
SHERRNESS, MARCH 3.—The following vessels have put tn here
001 loss of anchors and cables; viz. Lady Stewart, CASSOSS ; Hec-
tor, BURNETT ; John, Rexu; Durham packet, MARSHALL; and the
Ann, BARNETT.

.•
Devoerozz, FILMY/AY 28. The Dwaar cutter, Lieutenant
Goutu, and the. Essex frigate, fitted as a conv:ct s:iip, to lay off
Dublin, under the orders of Mr. Raves', Assistant Master Attend-
ant of the Dock-yard of this port, sailed hence for Ireland a short
time since. On the morning of the Ist instant, about seven leagues
front St lye's, and blowing a strong gale, the Essex observed a
large smuggling lugger some distance to leeward, and communicated
it by signal to the DWARF, which returned orders to chase. The
ESSEX made all sail immediately, and being light, ran the cutter
completely out of sight. After a chace of eleven hours, the Essex
gut up with the smuggler, and Mc. Raves managed bis ship in such
a manner as to cross the bows of the lugger, and carry away her
bowsprit, which prevented her escape. The Essex, being fitted for
civil service, had not on hoard a single rituAret or sword, to enforce
the surrender of the lugger ; but rockily was well manned by seventy
riggers from the Dock-yards, with the boatswain of the SHAMROCK,
and Serjeant WHIM of the Royal Marine Division at this port,
who were on board as passengers. Mr. Raven immediately or-
dered Serjeant WHITE, who was armed .only with the cook's hat-
chet, the boatswain, and some .others to board, which they did, and
drove the crew (thirty-eight in number) below. The Dwaar came
up in about an hour and a half afterwards. She proved to be a
Dutchman, front Flushing, with a cargo of nearly 1,800 bales of
tobacco, 75 cases of gin, and a large quantity of gunpowder tea.—
The prize has been carried to Kingstown.
CUSTOM-DOUSE, NIARCII 3.
SIMS ENTERID INWARDS—The Earl Ilathur,t, from Rotterdam;
London, front ilainburgh ; Christble, front ditto; and Science,
from ditto.
ENTERED OUTWARDS—The Marquis Wellesley, for Grenada; St.
Domingo, for Hayti; Louisa, for Rotterdam ; Cape packet, for the
Cape of Good Hope ; Friends, for Elsineur ; Olive, for I lamburgh ;
Velocity., for Lima ; Prince of Saxe-Coburg, fur Rotterdam ; Fly-
ing Fish, for Ostend ; Commerce, for Calais ; and the S..rah, fur
New Oricotis.
CLEARING OrTWARDS—The Exeter, for Lisbon; Sea Nymph,
Inc Naples ; Pursuit, for Rio Janeiro ; Mangrove Bay, fur Trieste;
at Virginia packet, fur Philadelphia.

E4RTHQUAKE FELT AT SEA.—The following is from
the log-book of the ship Orpheus, bound ft cm Engin I
to Ceylon s
" Monday, 10th February, 1823. At 1 h. 5 tit. e.st. steering
N.N. W. at the rate of bye miles per hour, a little swell from the
S.S.E. felt a motion as if the:ihip were running over the growll or
some other solid substance; and at the same time fur from 60 to 63
seconds heard a confused grinding tremulous noise, affecting the ship
in every part: we sounded with' 20 fathoms of line up and down,
but no ground. The sea not the least confused, ror could we per-
ceive the smallest appearance of anything which cotAl occasion this
noise and motion. The ship wail tivt felt to strike once : she kei,t
perfectly upright in her way ththugh the water, and answered the
helm ; nor slid she make any water in consequence of the shock re-
ceived. At f.). h. sm. e. tu. itibther shock was experienced, hat
much lighter 'than the Sett ;,and about three p.n. a third, w!f.ch
was only just perceptible. •The first.waa so violent as to unship ono
of the 'coropa.s cards front its point in the binnscte; "-Ad a pair of
hoots, which were hanging 'on .a nail &teen intef the mainmast be-
tween decks, ware shake?' off.. The ships place At the first
was 1.10. N. 61.6. at the second, 1. 15. 'N. li.--1-iescat
14,isitury.
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