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

POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY.

•
Tirz first meeting of the Polytechnic Society for the
season 1853-4 was held last evening in the Royal Insti-
-1 tution, Colquit-street ; Mr. Milner in the chair.
I Before the proceedings commenced, the secretary inti-
mated that the next meeting of the society would be held
that day three weeks.

The CHAIRMAN having called upon Mr. Rowett to ex-
plain, pursuant to the notice he had given, the principle of
a new cylindrical 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 bring into use the two elements of water and air. The
flat float had hitherto been considered the most efficient,
and the most in use; but he maintained that there were
several advantages in the cylindrical float which had never
been discovered in any other, and he thought he should
be able to make that clear to the meeting. Mr. Rowett
then proceeded to explain, in 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 there was in the flat float ; but when immersed
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 immersed in the water, the flat float
was too heavy to lift the water, and the result
was, that there was a great loss of power. Now,
in the cylindrical float, the moment it became im-
mersed in the water there was a greater resistance to the
engine than in the flat float. There was another advan-
tage which the cylindrical float possessed over the flat float.
He tried the principle the other day in a boat. It was not
by engine-power; but by hand-power on a small scale, and
the result was, that when the paddle-wheel was within
three inches 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 flat float consisted in the fact that
in the flat float it was frequently found necessary to
take the floats off a vessel at sea when engine-power was
mot being used, in consequence of the float itself being a
drag. This would not be necessary in the cylindrical float,
because it would slip through the water with greater
ease, and with less resistance 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,inasmnch as the paddle-wheelwould soon
be done away with, and would have to. give place to the
screw. He admitted that to a great extent, but he thought
that many steam companies would avail themselves 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 advantages attributed to the invention by Mr.
Rowett. Mr. STEELE designated the invention as "all
moonshine." (Laughter.")
The CHAIRMAN also expressed doubts as to the advan-
tages of Mr. Rowett's invention.
A somewhat irregular and desultory conversation hav-
ing taken place, in the course of which Mr. ROWETT en-
deavoured to answer the various objections which had been
raised against the invention,
Mr. GRANTHAM obsetved, that, as it seemed to him, the
question had not been discussed, on either side, on its true
merits. The question was, was the cylindrical float, as a
propelling power, as efficient as the flat float ? It had
been urged by Mr. llowett, that a circular float did not
offer the same resistance to the water as a float float did,
and slipped more easily through the water - if so, that
fact seemed to him conclusive, that the circular float, as a
propelling power, was not equal to the flat float. Mr.
Grantham, at some length, raised several other objections
to the invention.

After some further discusSion, Mr. ROWETT received the
thanks of the meeting for having submitted the invention,
and the proceedings terminated.

THE IMAGINARY HANSARD,

A PORTION OF THE AETICIPATED SPEECH ON THE IN-
TRODUCTION OF THE NEW REFORM BILL, IN MARCH, 1854.

" The inhabitants of Gravesend are taking active steps to
bring. under ministerial notice the claims of that prosperous
and increasing place to return a member to parliament.
They are said to have received unofficial but satisfactory
intimation that their demand will obtain all attention."—
Liberal Sunday Paper.
LORD JouN Russuin (in continuation) : And now, sir,
proceeding with my list 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 consider, sir, that the claims 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.) Honourable gentlemen, may
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, and assuredly will be, if Her Majesty's
Ministers continue to hold office, we shall, at no late date,
have to fall back upon such vessels as the Father Thames,
the Jupiter, and the Diamond for our national defences.
Is it wise, therefore, to insult a port where these vessels
find their natural home, by 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 most re-
markable buildings which have ever been devoted to
science,—l mean the Observatory,—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 head, Ido not despair—l will not—l have
no right to despair, of seeing it restored to its nobler
object, and that those whose habit is less the taking
of observations than of sights may rise to better things.
(Hear.) Again, sir, we have considered that the popula-
tion of Gravesend is a fluctuating one. The resident
inhabitants are chiefly shellfish-sellers ; chemists who deal
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), slapbangs ; females
whose frank hospitality is unfettered by conventional
shackles ; river pilots ; marine-store keepers ; Jews ; artists
in black paper ; lodging-house owners ; bankrupt small-coal
men ; and crimps. (Hear.) Now, these occupations may not
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
refuse to complete the boon by giving these individuals a
voice in the Legislature. But I have said that the popu-
lation of Gravesend fluctuates. 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 —I 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
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, Mkt 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 inoSchedule
Das returning one member. And now, _f another
place to which the same arguments will apply—l mean
the Isle of Dogs.—The Press.

LIEUT. J. B. SCRIVEN, 8.A., late Admiralty Agent in
tho North American steamers, has been transferred to a
similar appointment on thq West Afrion line, Boni!
from Plymouth.