The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1849-03-27 00:00:00

March 27,

upon the managemen t and affairs of the conillei
full powers to call for all books, papers, Perwit
&c., and to take such other steps as they 0::3,005
visahle ; and, if necessary, to appoint PubuetsileVrt
to assist them in making a full, clear, and de be beJ,
to the shareholders, at an adjournedimeetivettered*
an early period. A liberal subscription was....„e"see.
for the purpose of defraying the necessary exr"

COURT AND FASHION•

-.-
The Queen and Court have returned to Buck;t4
Palace from the Isle of Wight.
The East India Company has presented 11ee.r.,t,1
with a ram and three ewes of the pure Thib
brought over by the Dalhousie from Calcutta. Gro
Lord and Lady Robert Grosvenor and Mis3,heesi
are expected to return from Madeira early in
month.
_.p

v., •
ri
The present King of Holland only left to ,
week to visit the Duke and Duchess of ClevelanLy
Castle. His Majesty left London for the ."
Tuesday.

THE AUCKLAND ISLANDS.

We have received a work (just published) entitled
Auckland Island's : a short account of the nabvest;f
climate, soil, and productions ; and the ed1873„,e
establishing there a settlement at Fort Ross for t'ae
on the Southern Whale Fisheries : " by Charles Eo
Esq., F.R.S.

about Pr
liwshorak,sewtthleom
eisratdhso,rtoofestthaibs
and assistance of the Government. fully redeen?nsteriP,
mise held forth in the title page by furnishing,: tbeif,
theseTh
particulars of the group, their productions, anurov
culiar adaptation as a colonial station for a 051 f•';'
prosecute the fisheries. The islands lie in
iesn settlement,
lat.t
and long. 166 east, and are about 180 miles 0%6 11!:,
Zealand. They were discovered so lately as 18futher,:
captain of a vessel in which was the author's„ father'*
one of the islands bears the name of the latter of
He (Mr. E,) took possession of them in bi."9,f'4,4'
Crown, in 1807, and left on shore a quantity of P,r'bei.,•
have since surprisingly increased in number. i'fie,
consists of one large and several smaller i523:4
largest about 30 miles long, and 15 wide. It ityeel
excellent and readily accessible harbours, ,1154,,,
" Carnley Harbour " and " Port Ross,''
chosen as the principal rendevous of the whales,"„er,
,
islands rre fertile, and chiefly covered with
off
which if cleared away wbould leave a large breatioijdf
soil for pasturage or tillage. The climate is„,
salubrious. Auckland, the largest island, contaLL'ef tai
100,000 acres of land, and the others togiet'i prs'
20,000 acres. As regards vegetable and anima eflov.;
tions, the islands may be said to be rich, and Phtok,
many attractions to the naturalist, and there is 24,
of fine streams of water. The coast is full of fishily
Quarterly Review for June, 1847, thus alludes.,!i:
islands, of which our author was their grantee •
little group is singularly adapted, by position I",
natural features, to assist the revival of a most iT Jeff
though at present to all appearances moribun
ment of British industry—the southern whale fisbo
believe that few speculations will be found In°reiiiK
more profitable, and more congenial to our nation
than that suggested by the present grantee of tbLo,"l
land Islands." A royal charter of incorpol7,
recently been obtained by our author and the °l'd
of the islands, for the formation of a company to eri
the fishery and colonize the islands. The port
islands will be free and open to the visits of 8i to
and every' accommodation will be given to then?
and refresh. The appendix to the book comprise,,on.,
spectus of the company now in course of formB"9o
offers great advantages to shareholders. The
Hardwicke is governor of the company.
The author states—" The colonizat of file
will will be contingent on the success of the fishery', a" for:
acre of land will be put in requisition for supPliesi4sei
ships of the company and others touching at theiipt
For details of the scheme, which is highly pr°Tiite'
must however refer to the work itself, which ts',sir
by a map, and also by a very beautiful prmoraolc,bi'
Port Ross and its neighbourhood. The native h3`;ao"
are tractable, and our writer remarks of these is' 01
" What speaks much both as to the healthiness
10
climate and the integrity of the inhabitants,
semhle northern Europeans,) is the circutastanityl
amongst the whole community (4147) there is e
medical man nor a lawyer."

IMPROVEMENTS IN DRESSING STAIT.s ESt
FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF CASKS
OTHER WOODEN VESSELS.

con We saw in operation a few days ago, at the tee,
of Mr. James Robertson, the inventor and patlinefl,
Great Howard-street, a series of pieces of mac" of Air
the dressing of staves, the jointing and roundin.g..o.
heads, and other purposes in the trade, involviV
saving in labour and time, and rendering the d 0101,
puncheons more perfect in form and finish, float
quently more strong and durable than those Pr°;
ordinary cooperage. The immense number of ,61
articles required in a sea-port like this,and thatu'iti
within a very short notice, renders this invention pi
importance to the merchant and shipowner ; n
fe‘i
information of parties interested we shall encll dole,o4'
describe the several parts of the rimehinery, .

.71 Po
worked by one steam-engine, as accurately as
the absence of drawings. 116°
The rough split stave is first placed flat v/11/9cr
table or bench, at one end of which revolves,it pt
saw. By adjusting a slide at the other end to tii`a i 5
length of the stave required, the redundant vo,,°eivf.,
stantaneously cut off right across, a boy only
quired to place the stave in a position for the rrlests
and to remove it after it haq been performed.
are next taken to a planeing or dressing machine'
resembles a shallow trough, with iron sides ores,
within which the stave is placed on its flat; t.131l
also serve as slides or rails, upon which a De
plane, or, if necessary, a succession of planes, ,P,
by a roller in front of the iron or planer, rapidlY
The sides can be adjusted to any thickness of sits.,
the plane (or planers) passing forward cuts fr°lll ,„"
face one shaving, across its whole breadth, 5.
smooth and true. When the whole of the lot tior
in hand are thus planed on one side, the frames,bet,
are reset by means of an axle beneath, and the °Loll'
of each is subjected to the same operation, the r:4
which is that the whole are produced of equal OP
One great advantage in this process is that tiled,
always follows the grain nearly through the twife,4ll
wood (if any), and that it humours casual imPer
in want of thickness.

The staves are next taken to a jointing machine' e.
ling on its side in a slot on one side of a bench,
of the cutting iron being in perpendicular posiri eg.
plane is of the full length of the longest stave r
for a pibe or butt. The face of the plane for
ment or gentle concave, so as to narrow the stare,' 1/.'
end, and it is so adjusted as to give the requir.,i
edge for a good (and in all cases perfect) joiljd
stave is placed at one end against a stopper, anteP
pressed against the moving plane, is instantly jOlO 4
the utmost accuracy. Pl4l
There another plane worked at the same hell,cbo'iti'v
with the last, with a straight face for the perfertl'p,
of the headings, or ends of the casks. When
iirb.r'i
are dowelled together (an operation performed
chinery also) they are taken to an ingenious rlbo`'di
rounding and finishing their outward edges. di
sists of a circular and horizontal metal table, ir-,crti,'
meter than the heading. The heading is fir010:410'
to this table, which is rapidly revolved by ' ;It
an upright shaft. A cutting iron is the 0 4
against the outer edge of the heading, by me3„iiil,;
adjusting screw. The piece of heading is then riltile'd
round, or rather turned, to as true a circle as ir ciov.
were accomplished in a lathe, and of any Pre,
Another cutting iron in the form of a is thbiol:,
tuted, and gives the heading the chamferred or I;.
required to fix it in the head grove, or " scroset
technically called.
•
The casks when finished are quite perfect in forela
~r
senting from end to end at every point a true
segment of a circle (or bridge), without any Irrpre'"
whatever, or what is called " shrinking," or "e
from the due curve, which is scarcely avoidsb'efoly;
cooperage. They also look much handsomer tb
t/1,
thents
huaor ynegrsecitawoaarsvhikneii casks, froma,htaavhhnreeaedbisrsedypi
errsetospb,
eeteurhdeb
tanei
,eavpsunrertordolydnrjueoaacsicenir
ucas
tut: riindiaitt
aehatvrihsyeznehipyaionrnuesens
esreose
tilfAbeit)
050
srow
ft V
The staves and jointing are, moreover, so Pet
they resist leakage of subtle liquids, or molasses 4 1?1%
The inventor has added an improvement in t'„,,e'l
ing. His hoop iron forms a slight curve or se' pre,;,
the flat, bein-r so made at the iron works, by beiqio 7
between two rollers placed not precisely paralle!pi?
respective axes; and by this means when roue 604
rivetted, the hoop forms a section of a cone, an
-
cask to a nicety, without that beating and hall-feel
sorted to in ordinary coopering, which often „41

cuts the hoop, or at leas:, greatly weakens it. ofelr
We regret to say, that as in most cases of, vregaf,
mechanics, however useful, the tradegeneralb bo
to Mr. Robertson's invention,—the masters do. 'l/0
efficacy, or practicability, though they may reoltivel,,
whole machinery at work ; and the men den°ol.lo
from apprehension that it will narrow their space ,'
The last objection has ever been urged against all atb
ments in machinery ; yet it is certain that 1r- th'o
hands are employed in our mills and factor'es 0
years ago. Our sailors are not fewer since stei'"foliPoll
tion was pursued. Coach-owners and hostlera e°,
of the• introduction of railways, yet more hanlitif'd
believe more horses are now employed in forsoLerr,l
yelling, and the transit of goods, titan at any forin,
in our history. Nothing new, useful, and es'e, ofj
be introduced without at least temporary iviur'o9
victuals, but the general advantages to the ei°,4,e)
more than counterbalance such an evil: al?,‘`, fetol
not but that Mr. Robertson's apparatus vv." 'el',
expedite, facilitate, and economise the art of .6.1°, be„,
that more vessels, casks, and other articles
than now for various purposes, and that the 50, 0!
quired to work the machinery, and put the ca
nether, will, in the end, be as numerous as those the/
ployed exclusively at handwork. At all events .309
mercial world is much indebted to for 10510 'I;
invention, which has only to be known in order seeti4
preciated. A West India merchant, who Ife
machinery in operation, expresses a strong 001,:e5, t
would be highly valuable in our sugar cote"' b°
negro labour in coopering is not only coar'eM
quently uncertain or unattainable ; and whcret4
workmen cannot, owing to the climate, Or
heavier portions of the trade beyond a few 11011