The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-09-20 00:00:00

POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY.,

Tim fist meeting of the Pot technic Society for the'
season 1863\-4 was held last evoling in the Royali
tution, Coloft-street ; Mr. Milner'in' the chair.
Before the proceedings commenced, the secretary intl,
mated that the- next meeting of the society would be held
that day three' weeks.

1 The lIAIRINIA'uII having called upon Air.' Rowett to ex-
plain, purSuanf ter ihe notice he had given, the principle of
a mw cyliadrical paddle-wheel for steamers,
Mr: ROWETT commenced by referring' to'another kind
of paddle-wheel, which on a previous occasion he had
brought before the' society, differing from the one he
was now about to explain to the meeting.: It had oc-
curred: to him, that the'great object in paddle-wheels was
to bringinto use the tvro elements of water and air. The
fiat float had hitherto been 'considered the most efficient,
and the most in use ; but he maintained that there were
several adiantages in the cylindrical float which had never
been discoieredin 'any other, and he thought lie should
be able to make that dear to the meeting. Arie. Rowett
then proceeded' to explain, fix detail, the principle of the
cylindrical float. He: admitted in the outset that there
was not the same : power, in -the cylindrical float, over the
water, as therevas in the flat float ; but when innaerSed
in the water, there was, a much'. greater power in the 'cy-
lindrical float than in a' flat float of the same' dia-
meter. When iintersed: in' the water, the flat :fiat'
was too heavy to lift the water, and the result
was, that there was a great: toss of power. Now,
in, the cylindrical;- flog; • the Moment it became int--
mersed in the water there was a greater resistance to flak'
engine than in the flat float: There was another advan-,
tage which the cylindrical float possessed over the flat float.
He-tried the principlatthe other day-in a boat. It was not
by engine-power, but hy hand-power on a small scale, and
the result was, that when the pad-wheel was within
three' nches of the centre, there was very little pressure
on the shaft of the wheel; for, going, at the rate of three
knots-an hour, the wheel went round with great ease, and
appeared as light as a feather. One advantage, too, in the
cylindrical float over the float consisted in the fact that
in the flit float it was, frequently found necessary to
take the floats off a vessel 'at sea when engine-power was
not being- used, in consequence of the float itself being a
drag. This would not be accessary in• the cylindrical float,
because- it would slip through the' water 'with greater
ease, ando with less resistaace to the water itself. After
enumerating some other alleged advantages which the in-
vention possessed, Mr. Rowett said, it might be remarked
that it was useless,inasmuchas the paddle-whee/Would soon
be done away with, and wculd have to giia place to the
Screw. He-admitted that to argreat extent, but bethought
that mmrsteam companies would 'availithenaaelwes of im-
provements in the paddle, in ,preference to- adopting the
screw.

An animated 'and somewhat Warm discussion followed,
in which Mr. LORD, Mr. STEELE, .and other gentlemen,
denied the advantagei attributed to the invention by Mr.
Rowett. IVfr. STEELE designated the invention. as "all
moonshine."' (Laughter.")
The CRAIRMAN also expressed doubts as te.the-advan-
tages of Mr. Rowett's invention..
A somewhat irregular ancVdasultory conversation hav-
ing taken place, in the course of .which Mr..ROWETT en-
deavoured:to, answer the various objections whit had been
raised against the invention,

Mr. GIZANTHAM observed, that; as it seemed to him, the
question had not been discussed;on either sidd,un its true
merits. The question was, was the cylindrical'froat; as a
propelling power, as efficient as the flat float'? It had
been urged by• Mr. Rowett, tbst a •circular float did not
offer the same resistance to the water- as a float float did,
and slipped more easily through the water '
i if.so, that
fact seemed to him conclusive, that the cireullr float, as a
propelling power, was not equal to the flat float. Mr.
Grantham, at some length, _raised several other objections
to the it.vention.

After•some further discussion, Mr. RowEsrreeeived the
thanks of the meeting for having submitted theinvention,
and tha• proceedings termitated.

THE IMAGITARY 11A14'5411D.

A PORT/ON OF THE A.BIrIcIPA TED SPEE3O„ ON THE IN-
THOWCTION OF THE NEW BEFORDI BILL, lIS'XARCH, 1854.
"The inhabitants of Gravesend are taking active steps to
bring under ministerial notice the claims of that prosperous
andincreasing place 0, return a member to parliament.
They are said to have .received unofficial but satisfactory
intimation that their demand will obtain all attention."—
Lidiered Sanday Paper..
Lorin Jon Russmia, (i,continuatien) t And now, sir,
proceeding with my 35t of the towns which Her Majesty's
government have thought that we should enfranchise, I
come from Fto G. Sir,
.I have, I trust, sufficiently ex-
plained the reasons.„ upon which we base our proposed
system. Those reasons will, I hope, be found to apply
with full force to the. case of the. locality I am about to
name. We consiier, sir, that the - elaims of the town of
Gravesend—(hear,-,hear)—to return a member are too,
strong to be resisted. An important station for our
steam navy. (Laughter.) Herecurable gentlemen map.
laugh, but let me tell them, that if this country be em-
broiled with every part of the, world, as she nearly. is
at present, am; assuredly will, be, if Her Majestes.
Ministers continue to hold office, we shall, at no late date,
have to fall back upon such vessels as the Father Thaws,
the Jupiter, and the Diamond, for our national defences..
Is it wise, therefore, to insult- a port where these vessels
find their natural home, ter refusing it political rights?
(Hear, hear;) But again, sir, I have stated that Her
Majesty's Ministers are desirous to confer the franchise on
scientific men. At Gravesend, sir, is one of the sraost re-
markable buildings which, have ever been devoted to
science,—limean the Obeervatory,—and although I admit
that this:edifice is at present chiefly frequented for the
purpose of discussing tea and shrimps, and, though
its one. telescope 'is now let out at; a penny
per hoed,. I do not despair—l will not--Ihave
no right- to despair', of seeing it restored to its nobler
object/' and, that those whose habit is lase the taking
of ohoorvations thau, of sights may rise to. better things.
(Hear,) Again, sir,,we have considered that the popula
tiou, at' • Gravesend is a fluctuating one.. The resident
inhabitants are chiefly shellfish-sellers ; chemists who deer:
in hair oil, toothbrushes, and cigars ; ginger-beer venders.;
keepers of cheap and unclean eating-houses, usually called;
I believe (my honourable friend the Secretary to the Admi;
ralty will correct me if I am wrong)i slapbangs ; females;
whose frank, hospitality is unfettered, by conventional,
shackles ; river pilots ; marine-storekeepers • Jews; artists
.in black paper; lodging-house owner' ; bankrupt
men ; and crimps. (Hear.) Now, these occupations,may net
sound very euphoniously ; but when I remind the House
that the majority of measures known under the name.of our
free-trade policy, and especially the. remission of taxation
concocted by my honourable friend: the Chancellor. of the
Exchequer have been calculated to benefit these and
similar classes, I am unable to believe that the house
would wish us to be so inconsistent and illogical as to
refhse to complete the boon by giving these individuals a
voice in the Legislature. But I have said that the popu-
lation of Gravesend tuptuates. This, sir, is a strong
reason for giving it the franchise. During some months
of the year the humbler commercial classes of London
make Gravesend their home, and the Government has a
peculiar feeling for those who trade upon the humblest
capital, political or otherwise. (Hear, hear.) It is,
moreover, the favourite resort of attorneys' clerks ; and
I conceive, sir,, that an infusion of legal principles
and habits of attachment to the law is calculated to do
the utmost good to a population, to endear the constitu-.
tion to it, and to imbue it with those great doctrines.
which placed the house of Bedford—l mean of Bruns-
wick—at the head of these realms. (Hear, hear.) Another
reason which occurs to me is, that I do not consider that
the aristocracy (I mean such portion of the aristocracy as
is not Whig) should have too potent a voice in any Eng-
lish town. Where this is the case we have, as in., the old
Reform Bill, sought to counteract it. Now, I am, informed,
for I do not myself know the place, whether any per-
son whomsoever shall even land at Gravesend entirely
depends upon two Peers. Now, I ask the House whe-
ther —Eh ? (Mr. B. Osborne, apparently convulsed
with laughter, whispered an explanation. His lord-
ship smiled and resumed.) Oh, two Piers—l see.
Well, I won't press the point. I find I have been misled
by my honourable friend's Admiralty spelling: which is on
a par with his Admiralty grammar. But, sir, I would
add that in addition.to the reasons I have already stated,
and which to my mind are perfectly valid, I have a
j personal reason for desiring to confer any benefit
in my power upon Gravesend. If any value be attached
to the constituency which elected the Leader of this House
to his seat, let it be remembered that he obtained his majo-
rity from those who are called the 'Long-shore men.
To their disinterested suffrages he owes his place here, and
he would be worse than ungrateful, and the house which
owns his leadership would be worse than inconsistent, if
representation were refused to a similar constituency, and
one which, like Gravesend, is, with the exceptions I have
mentioned, composed of nothing but 'Long-shore men,
and those who entertain the same views and principles.
I therefore propose that Gravesend be included in Schedule
Das returning one member. And now, sir, for another
place to which the same arguments will apply—l mean
the Isle of Dogs.—The Press.

LIEUT. J. B. &RIVEN, R.A„ late Admiralty Agent in
the North American steamers, has been transferred to a
similar appointment on the West African line, sailipip
from Plymouth,

DINNER AND PRESENTATION OF
SILVER PLATE.

LAST evening, Mr. John Wrenn was entertained at
dinner, in the Brunswick Hotel, by the members of the
Liverpool Guardian Society for the Protection of Trade.
At the same time he was presented with a massive silver
claret jug and tray, and a dozen claret glasses. The claret

.nd Vin

)ore the followin

" Presented to John Wrenn, Esq., by
members of the Liverpool Guardia/
tection of Trade, in testimony of tl _
and high appreciation of his character as a tradesman, and
his integrity and efficiency as honorary treasurer of that
society for many years. A.D. 1853."
These beautiful articles were manufactured and fur-
nished by Mr. Mayer, Lord-street.
About 40 gentlemen sat down to an excellent dinner,
the chair being occupied by Mr. H. Hope Gibson, vice
president of the society, at whose right hand was placed
Mr. Wrenn, the guest of the evening. Mr. W. M`Millan
acted as, vice-chairman, and among the gentlemen present
were Messrs. Bathgate, H. Gibson, R. Crossley, G. S.
Upton, J. Pemberton, E. Roberts, J. Clare, jun., J. B.
Reay, J. Rev, J. Wrenn, jun., J. Ev,ans, J. H. Ireland,
J. R. Isaac, &c., &c.

On the cloth being removed, the CHAIRMAN explained
that in consequence of the sudden indispositon of Mr,
Baugh, he was unexpectedly called on to occupy the posi-
tion which that gentleman would have so much more
ably filled. He read'a letter of apology from Mr. Baugh,
and expressed a hope that his (Sir. Gibson's) shortcomings
might be overlooked on account of his want of prepara-
tion or experience, He then proposed as the first toast,
" Her Majesty the Queen," passing on her a enloginm as
equally exemplary in) the relations of wife, mother, and
sovereign. (The toast was drunk with cheers, after which

the company joined ire singing the National Anthem.)
The CIIIIRMA.N next called on the c33mpany to devote
al bumper to the health of " His Royal Highness Prince
Albert and the rest of the' Royal Family," remarking

_
at Prince Albert, avoiding all political- parties, had
chosen to devote his attention• to cultivating science and
they arts ; thus endearing himself to all classes. (The
toast was drunk with loud applause—air, "For He's a
Jolly Good Fellow.")
The eXAMMAN then called`-on-the company' &11l their
glasses teethe brim, as it now diwolved upon Mint to pro-
pose the-health of Mr. Wrenn, —a gentleman known to

most of these present, for many years in connexion with
the Liverpool Guardian Society ;,----(cheers)—and for all
these years''he had had duties to psrform; which had- not
been equalled! in value to the society, by any other unpaid
officer it had had. The sense of these obligations was
better felt by the company than he (the chairman) could
express ; hut it afforded him the greatest pleasure tirpre-
sent, in the narne,of the society, the valuable testimonial.
now on the table; by which the members sought to ex-
press the' sense they entertained of hii,serviees. It was,
gratifyingin the extreme to be the means of presenting se.
handsome a testimonial, the inscription oil which he read,
anch in conclusion; said, he could not do better than state
his entire acquiescence in the sentiments expressed so'well
in that inscription. He should conclude by giving utter-
ance to the hope, that the testimonial would -be handed
down as an heir-loom to many generations of 'Mr. Wrenn's
family.- He 'again called on the company to drink the
health of Mr. Wrenn, (The toast was drunk with enthu-
siastic
cheers, and musical honours.)

Mr. WBnNN on rising, was received with roud cheers.
On their subsidence, he proceeded to thank thethairman
and the members of the society for the distinguished
honour they had' conferred on him. Why they had
singled him, out for such a mark of distinctionj he was
unable to say, as he had done nothing more tian was
reasonably to, be expected of any member of the society.
It was true his services as treasurer had been unpile,• but
he had done no more ,than all of them were called en and
were willing to do for their mutual benefit, and for the
god of the nate society of Which they were all members.
He had felt honoured in behrg, at a very early period of
his connexion by residence with Liverpool, entrusted with
sa important a position as thatto which he had been: ap.
pointed by that geciety: But so valuable a testimony as
that before him hn was unconscious of deserving. That
beautiful gift would be to hint an everlasting memorial
of the kindness heiiad experienced in his connexion with
soma benefit to the institution,, which he felt to be
one of great usefulness, and one which lent its assistance,
extensively, indeed. he might say to all parts of the
world. It was extending its connexion into other
countries, and he hoped the same good feeling which
he had , always witnessed and Lezperienced among its,

members and its offieers would be continued through a
long ram-se of successors. -It would, he could assure
them, at all times afford -him. much happiness to render
any small services which it might be in his power to con 4
tribute- towards the objects of the society, and to promote
its prosperity- He concluded by again thanking the
thairman-and the company for-the 11071011 Y they had con.
ferred on him. (He sat down anAist loud and continue&
`cheerkg.)
• The Vicn-Cnsinmsxgavecas a toast, " The Town and
Trade of Liverpool;" wffichltaast he prefaced by some.
tfacetionsremarks connected with the objects of the society,
observing. that, although. the general character of tie
business. population of Liverpool was of the highest order,
still they remember that all the community did not
consist of honest men. If,-indeed, there had been none
but honest men, there cOuld-thave been no occasion for
such a E oeiety ; nor could, they have had occasion to ae.-
knowledge in so gratifying:a manner as they had boon
enabled to. do the. valuable-seavices of Mr. Wrenn. He
concluded .by proposing " The. Town and Trade of Liver
pool," coupled.with the naateof Mr. Crossley. (The toast
was drunk' .with enthusiasm.)
Mr. CROSSLEY acknowledged; the toast
so saidi it was one entitled. te. the highest considera-
tion from, all of them.. Who,..he might ask, in that com-
pany was not proud of Liverpool and his connexion Iswith
its tradey; Its trade was increasing at such a retells to
give reaeon for anticipating that largess that already- was,,
it would ,at no distant day be infinitely greater then it
ever was. The grounds flinexpecting this were not diffi-
cult ta point out ; ,they consisted in the enterprite and
energy of, her merchants —in the intelligence, of, her
artizans—and in the industry of her tradesmen. Through
the combination of these;_markets were rising upland ex-
tend*- on all sides, and one country, peopled it might. be
said by ourselves, was rising on the other side of the globe,
producing us wool, hities,and tallow, besides otheo raw pro-
duce,,-in. such abundance, as to make us doubt ttmt we are
neglecting the means for-husbanding the full fraits of our
enterprize. If we look „to the state of the tovati, we ,will
fins} that on both sides,of the water we are making pre"
parations for the accommodation of that great trade which
is-accumulating around us. Ile confessed himself agreat
fete-trader,and, as suck wasof opinion that Eugland should
not live for England/ alone, but should endesrour to bene.
lit; others while endeavouring to benefit ovselNies• „
concluded by passing. a high eulogium ontthe integrity
and business talents,of Mr. Wrenn.
Mn. WRENN gave as the next toast, "the -health, of
the Chairman," whose courtesy and goodr, feeling all pre-
sent must cordially join in acknowledging,-.(The teast.wo,s.
drank with loud cheers)
. The CHAIR/4,11i, in a few brief but %Ong and Appel),
priate remarks.responded to the toast.
Mr. SrEuxp gave as a toast, " The -Testim(Mial ,Cora,-
mittee." In, proposing the toast he passed a high,en-
comium on the, good taste and energy displayed by those
gentlemen in, discharge of their valaable and. difficult
duties

and in dying

Mr. 'at Acs. returned thanks in tie .name of thee com-
mittee.

Several! other toasts were given,. and the enjoyments of
the exeningwere much enhanced; by the vocal:efforts of
the Chairman, Messrs. Roberts, Reay, Bathgate,, Clarke,
and others.. After spending a few,hiaPPY houra,,tho Party
separete4i mach gratified by the evening's_ententaiument.