Star.
London, England, 1820-04-14 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

LIIIV INTELLIGENCE.

FALMOUTH, Aram Il.—Wind N.N.W.—Sailed. the Charles
MMs, JACKSON, for Madras and Bengal ; Mangles, COGHILL, for
New South Wales; Princess Elizabeth packet, With a Mail, for
Jamaica; Trent, LonostorrOm, for St. John's, New Brunswick;
Royal Yeoman, SLY; and Amity, Sruaa, for Quebec; and his
Majesty's ship Laz, on a cruize.
PLYMOUTH, Aram IC.Sailed the Nautili., Mrzenzu., for
Prince Edward's Island; Hero; CASE, for ditto • Lady Ann,
Josrs ; and Mount Etna, Maioni,•for Newfoundland; Quebec,
Tows, for Bayonne; Antelope, Loway, for Gibraltar; Water-
loo, COLE, for Kingston"; Nautilus, Axtizzws, for Oporto;
Robert Edwards, SHERISURNE, for Canton; Ann, Parrs, for Rio
Janeiro • Sir James Kempt, DAVISON; and Sir Joseph Banks,
I.Actr, for Jamaica; Tropic, Baksatrosus, for Barbadoes ; and
•
several others.

:COURT OF COMMON PLEAS, APRIL 11, 12, •ND

SITTINGS AT

SEVERN; KING, AND CO. V. THE IMPERIAL IN-
SURANCE COMPANY.

- This trial excited an uncommon share of interest,
not only on account of the large sum sought to be
recovered, but on account of the number of scientific
Gentlemen who were brought forward as witnesses,
trod the quantity of chymical learning which was dis-
played in the course of the investigation. '
It will be recollected, that on the morning of the,
10th of November, a fire broke out in the extensive
-premises of Messrs. Severn, King, and Co. sugar-
bakers, in-Church-lane, Whitechapel, near the Com- ,
mercialrroad. That fire destroyed the whole of their
extensive and valuable property, which was insuied•
in different Offices to- the amount of I:60,000, and
has given rise to the cause now before us.
The action was brought to recover the sum of
1:8000, for which a part of the property had been in-
sured at the Office of the defendants ; and the pay-
ment was resisted on the ground that the plaintiffs
bad a new species of apparatus, in which a quantity
of oil had been used, and that this oil, when heated to
a great degree, had produced inflammable gas, which
was alleged to have been the cause of the conflagra-
tion. It was contended, that this departure from the
old practice of refining sugar, was a forfeiture of the
insurance, by exposing the premises to a danger
which otherwise would not have existed. It remained
then for the plaintiffs to slew, that this defence s; as
:untenable. A large and well-constructed model of
the apparatus used in the refining of sugar, as Well
as the part of the building where it had been fitted
up, was produced in Court.
The case was opened, on the part of the plaintiffs,
by the SOLICITOR-GENERAL, who dwelt on all the
leading points, which were afterwards disclosed in ,
evidence. He said, there was no positive proof as
to the precise way in which the fire originated. The
must probable cause was, that it proceeded from one I
of- thoie common accidents which frequently hap-
pened ; but he should prove, in the clearest manner,
.by the testimony of the best chymists in the king-
dom, some of whom were well acquainted with the
premises, that the fire could not have been occasioned
y the improved machinery introduced into the ma- ,
ntifactory ; but that, on the contrary, the machinery
was calculated to. prevent fires from taking place.— i
He then called several persons sho had been ern-
ployed on the premises, and several neighbours ;
from whose evidence there was reason to suppose I
that the fire had began in a different part of the pre- 1
raises from that where die new mUchine was erected. '
It was stated, that according to the old mode, the
sugar was placed in boilers immediately over the ,
fires, by which the inflammable gas might easily
have been- produced, and. a danger always existed in
case this gas, or the boiling sugar, caught fire ; but
bribe new mode, the sugar was heated through the
medium of boiling oil, and every hazard of the kind
was obviated. •
The following scientific Gentlemen were then called,
to prove this part of the case:
Mr. Daniel Wilson said, he was acquainted with the new
mode of refining sugar by the apparatus of the plaintiffs, which
he had assisted in fitting up. All the oil vessels were heated by
the application of Ere in the ordinary way. The great danger
of other machines was, that the sugar being immediately over
the fire, was always in danger of boiling over and taking fire,
•n account of its great combustibility ; but in the present pro-
cess that danger was avoided. He had visited the apparatus al-
most every day, to see how it went on. There might have been
some leakage of oil from the boiler; but that which leaked into
the fire, could not communicate any flame to the oil in the ves-
sel, for it would burn, and the combustible gas would go up
the chimney. The oil in the boilers could not send out any in-
flammable gas until the heat became so great as to raise the
thermometer up to 600 degrees; but the heat of the oil never
increased to that extent. Several hours of a very hard fire
would be necessary to produce that effect. If inflammable gas
were produced in the ordinary mode, it would have gone out
by lateral vents, and could not have set fire to the house. The
chimney was, on the outside, made of brick-work, but inside
that there were cast irotkpipes, so that the heat could not get to
the brick-work. To render atmospheric air inflammable, there
must have been a mixture of gas in it in the proportion of one
to seven. But here there was net sufficient gas to produce an
explosion. The danger, in fact, would have been greater in
the ordinary apparatus than in Ibis. The vent was more than
sufficient to carry off ten times the quantity of gas that could
be produced in this apparatus. It was repaired a short time be-
fore the fire. Witness superintended the repair; the oil was
taken out at the time; witness saw the apparatus after the fire
with some surveyors and engineers ; there was an immense mass
of rubbish lying on the retort; there was not the slightest rent
In the retort, as if an explosion had taken place; there was no
appearance of violence or explosion in it ; the appearance of the
fire was at the upper room, and not near the oil vessel ; the oil
was conveyed through copper pipes, and it was impossible foe
them to have burst from the pumpisig bC,the oil; at the bottom
of the retort there was a quantity or carbonaceous matter, oc-
casioned by the oil, which would not have been tke case, if as
explosion had taken place.
He was then asked, if he thought, on the whole, that the
fire was occasioned by the apparatus?
Mr. Scwaxerr objected to this question : it was for the Jury
to judge of that point. He then proceeded to cross-examine
the witness, who said he had oaken out a patent for his machine.
There were various modes of boiling sugar besides that of his
patent. Mr. Howard had a patent for the purpose, and Mr.-
Wyatt another. The quantity of oil generally put into the ma-
chine was 100 gallons. Being asked how the copper under the
retort happened to be burnt if the fire took place at the top of
-.me? the coals' under the

Ltvrarom., Arm 12.—Arrivid the Ann, Csocare, from
New York, sailed 18th March ; Louisa, CHAIR, from Savannah ;
and Nelson, LAX; from Madeira. Arrived off this port the
Albion, STRWART, from Calcutta, sailed 29th November.
Poitesnotrrit, Alum 13.—Wind N.E.—Arrived the Britan-
ni.t, front Havre, with passengers.—Sailed the Partridge, BE-
TIIAM, for Madras and Bengal; Henry William, WANTS, for
Malta ; Norfolk, RICHARDSON, for Quebec; James, PRIBORN,
fur New Brunswick ; and Harmony, RICHARDSON, for Quebec.
Dt:aL, APRIL 13.—Wind N.E —Arrived the It osella, AR-
Nowsxtrn, from Newcas:le for Honduras; Indus, WRIGIIT,
from Shields for St. Helena; Albion, Moulins, from New-
castle for Quebec ; and Mariner, TnosrrsoN, from London for
St. John's : they have all sailed with the outward-bound. Re-
main in the Downs the Savant frigate, and Diligence East India
pilot yacht.
Dovita, APRIL 13.—The Latona, LOVIE, tan on shore during
a fog, near the South Foreland, but got off again last right by
the assistance of a smack, and proceeded down Channel with-
out damage.
HARWICH, Aran. 13.—Arrived the Earl Leicester packet,
with a Mal from Cuxhaven.

CORK, Arsit B.—Arrived his Majesty's ship Diem*, from
Dublin, with Sir THOMAS 13111SRANZ and suite on board : she has:
sailed again.
Geis-esp.:ll, Amt. 19.—Arrived the Flora, Leighton, f
St. Michael's; Elizabeth, Godfrey, from Antwerp; Albinii,.
Lyrn, from Bombay ; and Lively, Bayes, from Harlingen.---'
Sailt•cl the Caledonia, Harrison, for Jamaica; Prince. Braith-
ss ait ; and Nelly, Robertson, for Quebec ; Hermes, Kennack,
I for Malta ; Attbler, Wotton, for Amsterdam ; Suffolk, Palmer,
for Pillaii, tr. Elizabeth, Noss, for Halifax; Nancy, Thomp-
son, for Madeira, &c. Ceres, Schultz, for Memel; and Duke of
Kent, Pound, for Rotterdam.
CirszoNt-Ilnitsr., Aran. 13.—Ships Entered Inwards . The
Mary Ann, Rogers, from 'Waterloo ; Flora, Leighton, from St.
Michael's; Elizabeth, Oxlfrey, from Antwerp; Lively, Burges,
from Harlingen ; Friends, —, from Newfoundland ; Pon-
sonby, from Sligo; Barbadoes Packet, from Trinidad;
Vigilant, Strong, from Petersburgh ; Perseverance, Haywood,
from Canary; and Hope, Rees, from Malta.—Cleared Out-
wards—The Blucher, Clark, for Hamburgh ; Tates, Arthur,
for Konigsburg ; Anio, Crew, for Naples; Levant, IsPllibber,
for Belfast ; and Gratitude, Duckett, for Trieste

The CommiSsioners appointed under the Special
Commission to try the State Prisoners, will proceed
to-morrow to the Sessions House, in Clerkenwell,
for the purpose of adjourning the Court, (which, it
will be recollected, when it last met, was appointed
to re-assemble on the 15th instant) to a future day.
Their Lordships will then go on to the Sessions
House in the Old Bailey, where the eleven prisoners
against whom Bills of Indictment have been found
for High Treason, will be arraigned. After their
pleas have been received, the next step will be to ask
them whether they will conjoin in their challenges
of the Jury, or challenge separately ? If they agree
to challenge collectively, which is extremely impro-
bable, they will be tried together, but if they persist
in their right to challenge separately, then they will
take their trials in succession, and Artkur Thistle-.
wood will he first put to the Bar. The Commission
will be adjourned from Saturday till Monday morn-
ing, when the trials are expected to commence.
This morning, at six n clock, -the two Sheriffs
of London and Middlesex, attended by the two City
Marshals and several Peace Officers, went to the
Tower, and demanded the bodies of the State Pri-
soners to be tried at the present Old Bailey Sessions.
They were brought out of their different places of
conanement handcuffed, and- placed in eight coaches,
in each of which were two Officers of the City and
Bow.street Police. The coaches were escorted by
two Troops of the Horse Guards. They came across
Tower-Hill, through Savage-gardens, Jewry-street,
Leadenhall-street, and Cheapside, and arrived at
Newgate at half-past seven. The prisoners were re-
ceived by Mr. Brown, and placed in different rooms.
Their genet al demeanour was quiet and composed.
Dtividson, though handcuffed, took his hat off, and
waved it as an huzza. Mr. Sheriff PARKINS and the
head Maruhals were on horseback.
Mr. WtTHERELL has declined to undertake the de-
fence of the-State Prisoners, in consequence of his
engagements ht the Court of Chancery.
DUEL.—Friday'o at an early hour, .a meeting took
place near the Lough, Cork, between the Honour-
able CHRISTOPHER HELY HurcHtssoN, Member
for Cork, and Pariticttc W. CALLAGHAN, Esq. the
former attended by Sir W. A. CHATTERTON, Bart.
as his second, and the-latter by DENts RICHARD
MoyLaN, Esq. On the first fire Mr. HUTCHINSON
was slightly wounded in oat of the fingers of the left
hand, which has since been amputated.
FASHIONABLE ARRIVALS.
The Earl and Countess of Derby, at their house in Gros-
venor-square, from their seat, the Oaks, Kent.
The Earl of Coventry, at his house in Piccadilly, from his
seat in Surrey.
The Earl of Stanhope, in Clarges-street, from his seat in Kent.
Lady Deering, at hoc house in Queen-street, Iday-fair, from
a tour. •
Sir John Shelley, Bart. at his house in Berkeley-square, from
his

the house? he answered, that .s lying , copper
seat in Sussex. had continued burning for a week after, in consequence of a
Lord Yardley, at his house in Lower Grosvenor-street, from current of air which proceeded up the chimney.
hit seat, Bzlvedere Kent.
Lord and Lady 'Say and Sole, at their house in Lower Berke- Mr. Manby, an iron-manufacturer, near Horslydovrn, said
ley-street, from a tour. . he constructed the oit vessel of this apparatus, which was en-
tirely free from any defect. There was some leakage in this
Lord Boston, at his house in Lower Grosvenor-street, from
his szat, Ilecisor Lodge. Bucks. vessel, but no more than was common to all vessels, ror wear
Lady Louisa Manners, at her house in Pall-Mall, from her and tear would produce that effect.
scat in Surrey. Mr. James Harris, a sugar-refiner at Liverpool, had carried
Lord James Murray, at his house in Connaught-place. on the business there for fourteen years: he described the pro-
The Right Hon. Charles and Mrs. Long, at their house, cesses by which sugar was boiled; one process was by oil, which
Whitehall, from their seat, Bromley Hill, Kent. was much less dangerous than by the old plan, on account of
Sir William Maly, But. at his house in Hill-street, Berkeley- the quickness with which the sugar could be separated from the
square, from his seat, Shabbun, Surrey. oil-pan the moment any danger was apprehended. The process',
I Dlr. Neville, in New Burlington-street, from Essex. of the apparatus, of which a model was then in Court, was, in
Sir 11. Martin Bart. at his house in Upper Harley-street, his opinion, safer than any other mode which he knew of. Wit.
from his seat in ;kilts. ness did introduce into his manufactory the process of bollix/4
The Earl of Chatham, at Cook's Hotel, Albemarle-street, with oil: after that be went and effected a fresh insurance. Ha
horn a tour. had, hrwever, since laid this aside, and returned to the aid
Sir Abraham Hume, Bart. at his house in Hill-street, Berke- method.,..
ley-square, from his seat in Ilerts. Mr. Robinson, who bad bees a sugar-refiner for twenty If
Cons-Excitaeoe, MARN-LANE, Aram 14.—Our Wheat trade thirty years, said, the old mode of boiling sugar was attended
continues exceedingly heavy, having had • larger arrivals of late . with considerable danger, unless there was a peipetual watth
than the demand could take off, yet prime samples wipport i upon it. In such a vessel as that before the Court, there up-
alontla)'s prices, but scarcely a sale could be made of any other . Feared to be no danger at all. He had himself always boiled ,
description. Fine Barley went off rather more freely, but not according to the old method. When3ticaNsostets were bursil
at higher prices, and the middling qualities met better sale at dOwn, he never could ascertain the cause. 1
.., ,
a decline of is. Nr quarter. The. Oat trade was full as good as I Mr. Dunkin, an engineer, spoke to the apPearanee of die ap.
on Monday. In Beans and Peas there is no alteration. , paratui in question after the fire. It was his Opinion, that such
SMITHFIrLD MARKET, APRIT 14.--Beef, 45. 6d. to .ss. 6d. per an apparatus was the safest mode, because it riquired less fire,
stone of 811 as.; Dlutton, 4s 84. to 6s. od. Veal, es. od. to 7s. od. and because the fire never came in direct contacts/J*lth the vas-
Pork S. Od. to 6s. 6d.; Lamb 7s. to As. 6d.—Cattle at Market--... sea is which the sugar was boiled. The oil never produced va-
Beasts 450 ; Calves, 80; Sheep and Lambs, 5,000 ; Pigs, xOO.-7- pour or•inflaminablo gas, until it acquired a much greater tie-
Hay, 31. 10s. to 4/. los. Clover, Si. to 6/. los. Straw, 11. les. ETSe.lite. ltAtehan themengar required. If there had been ham-
%) 14. 16e. bma le is apparatus it would have gone off by a leaden
. i

pipe, which the heat would sot be sufficient to melt. Ile saw
no danger whatever from the heating of the oil.
Mr. S. Parkes, a chymist, said, he had inspected the process at-
tending the apparatus in question; and he was sure it *as less
dangerous than any•other. lie agreed with Mr. Ill!eon in every
thing he stated, except as to. the tine that the gas was.siren
out. The witness then described some experiments which went
to illustrate his position. No inflammable gas could be pro-
duced until the heat nisi to 600 degrees; and nu sneh effect
could arise, even from negligence, in the machine in question,
which he considered much safer than any other. Oil itself was
not very inflammable ; sugar was twice more so. if the oil in
the retort had been heated to evettgeritegrees, it would ins-
mediately carbonize the sugar.
Mr. dirande, Priltessor of Chymistry at the Royal iectite-
tion, said he had made experiments in order to prtlaare himself
for the evidence ha shimild give this ii iy. lie had put a 11,.1 r.
of sugar into boiling oil, which he heated to the temperature of
nearly 600 degtecs, and the oil produced very little gas, with
very slight degree of inflammability. For that reason, he was
convinced there could have been no explosion by means of gas
in the apparatus in question, which he considered the safest of
all others. From examining the model, and tht• premises where
the fire took pbce, he was convinced that tile fire must have
broken out somewhere else than over the boiler.. There ee•ald
have been no gas collected in the tapper part of the machine, so
lung as there were apertures at the top.
Me. Frederick Accum, the celebrated discoverer of yoisen
in food, said he had occasion to make experiments on
mable gas with new oil to a temperature of 600 degrees, and no
gas was ever produced below that temperature. if •a vessel
contained 100 gallons, it would .take a man eight or ten leJers
to produce a beat to that temperature. Ile had tried experi-
ments with old oil, which gave gas at 460, similar to what was
now used for illumination. If gas had been generated in the
apparatus iu question, it would have gone out by the aperture
at the top, as all inflammable gas was lighter than atmospheric
air. lie was clearly convinced that this apparatus was much
less hazardous than any other, because the operator here had a
complete command over the heat, which was not the. case in
other machines, where the sugar was likely to boil over, for
sugar contained more inflammable gas than any other substance ;
it would be physically impossible for the oil its the retort to take
fire; nor could a quantity of gas be collected in the building
without, its getting away; but if, by being air-tight, the place
was filled with gas, and then the atmospheric air let in, and the
smallest fire applied to it, an explosion would take place which
must be heard all over London, and would tear the building
to pieces.
Cross-examined by Mr. SCAII:LETT.—Bang asked it oil was
ever adulterated ? he said he had no doubt of it—(Laughter
Being asked how he knew whether oil was more of less old/ he
said it depended on how often it was heated, and whether heated
in an open or a close vessel: the old oil would become heated
sooner than new oil, because there was a quantity of aqueous
matter in the new oil. •

Mr. William Allen, Professor of Chymistry at Guy's Hos-
pital, had examined the model in question, and he was convinced
it was a safer plan than . any other, because it prevented the
danger whfch would arise from sugar boiling over, for sugar
was a most inflammable substance; but the whale oil used in
this apparatus would never produce icflaminable gas until it was
heated above the temperature of 600 degrees. He did out think
that the least :accident or danger could arise in this machine,
even if the p.-rson attending was grossly negligent ; and if he
was actually mischievous, it would take ham several hours be-
fore he could heat the oil up to a dangeraus temperature, and
that would cause the sugar itself to be decomposed ; there could
have been no accumulation of gas in this machine sufficient to
cause an explosion.
Mr. Batty, a chymist, said he had tried experiments for the
purpose of ascertaining the degrees of heat which would cause
sugar and oil to boil over • the one boiled over at 259, and took
fire at 370. The oil boiled over at 650, and did not take fire
until it reached 700. Very little gas was z,..metated in the oil,
until the heat was 600. In this machine there was no fire im-
mediately under the sugar : and, therefore, it was much safer
than any other, If gas had been generated ti this machine, it
would have evaporated, because it was Much lighter than com-
mon air. Ile had ascertained, by experiment, that oil, heated
to the temperature of 600, could not melt lead.
Mr. Ralph Walker, an engineer, gave a description of the
premises after the fire ; he saw a great quantity of rubbish over
the boiler, consisting of bricks, old broken chairs, &c.
Mr. Sylvester spoke to the superior safety of boiling sugar by
this apparatus; and was sure that any gas produced there must
be given out so slowly as to have time enough to evaporate.:
Mr. John Thomas Cooper, said he was perfectly acquainted
with the new apparatus. The lowest temperature at which he
could get gas from oil was from 570 to 580 ; antl if gas had been
produced, it would all .go ,away through the various vents that
lay open at the top of the buildirg.

'Mr-. Cockweil, Chairman of the Committee of Chemistry in
the Society of Arts, fully agreed with the other witnesses, and
considered the sprat atus in question less hazardous than any
other.

Several other witnesses were called to give evidence to the,
same effect, all tending to prove the safety of the apparatus, and
the impossibility of any tire taking place by the creation of in-
flammable gas, or of ignited gas continuing to burn at the top
of a building like a lambent same ; for gits could not be col-
lected except in a close place; and if then set on fire, it would
make an explosion destructive of everything around it.
31r. Bramah was now called._ He had made many experi-
ments respecting gas, and fully agreed with what had beetrstAted
by all the Gentlemen who had given evidence before him.
Here the case fur the plaintiffs closed.-.-The Court adjourned.