The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-01-04 00:00:00

MANCHESTER STOCK EXCHANGE

Closing quotations :—Birkenhead £22, 2 7-16 ; Cork
and Bandon, 181; Eastern Counties, 131- 9-16 ; East Lan-
cashire pref. quarters, 9 9-16; Manchester, Sheffield, and
Lincolnshire, 31; ditto old pref., 111; ditto new pref.,
i pm. ; South-Eastern and Dover, 25 9-16.

LEEDS STOCK EXCHANGE
Closing quotations :—Colonial Gold, 5.

POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY.

The monthly meeting of the Polytechnic Society WS,
held last night, at the Royal Institution. Mr. W. P
Horner in the chair.

Previous to the business of the monthly meeting com-
mencing, the annual meeting was held for the election of
officers for the current year. Mr. W. P. Horner was
elected president ; Mr. W. Milner and Mr. J. Grantham,
vice-presidents ; Mr. F. Homer, treasurer ; Mr, C. F.
Salt, secretary ; and Messrs. Alderman Bennett, Jos.
Boult, Holme, R. Mather, H. Dawson, Newlands, Richd.
Jones, Whinneray, and Jordan, the council.

The adjourned discussion on Steven's patented fan
paddle wheel was resumed by Mr. W. ROWETT, who
spoke warmly in favour of the principle, as compared with
the old 'paddle wheel. Mr. LORD and Mr. GRANTHAM
gave it as their opinion, that, for practical purposes, it was
not an improvement on the old principle.

At the close of the discussion a vote of thanks to Mr.
Rowett, for bringing the subject before the meeting, was
carried.

IMPROVED RECOIL BREAKWATER,

Mr. W. H. SMITH, of London, was then introduced to
the meeting by the chairman, and proceeded to give an
explanation of his improved system of recoil harbours of
refuge and defence. His explanations were illustrated by
diagrams and models. Mr. Smith commenced his
remarks by observing that harbours were matters of the
greatest importance to the world, all nations being equally
interested in their improvement. He then proceeded
to refer to the present defective system of breakwaters, and
showed that no breakwater yet formed had withstood the
tempest. In proof of this, he pointed to Plymouth,
Cherbourgh, Kingstown, and other places. The enormous
sums of money that had been expended unprofitably,
showed the necessity for some improved system to be
adopted. He contended that at the present time
there was no effective, not to say cheap, system for har-
bours of refuge, and the serious consequences were dis-
played in the fact, that from a calculation which had
been made, I,Boo'hurnan beings and £3,000,000 worth of
property were lost around our coasts, which might, to a
great extent, be saved if we had in operation effective
breakwaters or harbours of refuge. It had been urged
some time ago by government, that nothing but the state
of the public revenue prevented them from forming har-
bours ; but the mistaken economy of that objection was
evidenced by the fact that the country had since that time•
lost £40,000,000 in property, and 25,000 human lives.
Now one-fourth of that amount would pay for 100 har-
bours, on the plan offered to be guaranteed. After dwel-
ling at some length upon the harbours of refuge in differ-
ent parts of the world, Mr. Smith said that to obviate the
defect of other harbours, in some cases, in very deep
water, at one-twentieth the cost, and at one-fiftieth if of
wood, was the object of his yielding breakwater,
which at the same time possessed advantages incidental
and peculiar to itself, and hitherto considered
unattainable. A small harbour on this improved
principle would be formettof a series of independent open•
frames or gratings of wood or iron, and be of sufficient
depth and capacity to shelter a dozen large ships,•
at a cost of £B,ooo,—the same as would, in stone,
require an outlay of £200,000. The principle of the
invention was peculiarly that of nature, where yield-
ing was a universal law. It was the only mode whereby
the weaker body could withstand the stronger, as described
in the fable of the Reed and the Oak. The trumpet-
mouthed weed of the Cape of Good Hope, laminaria
binuinalis, grew to a height of from thirty to forty feet
and formed a natural yielding breakwater, behind which
the largest vessels had ridden in secure shelter. Even a
slight frame, or hurdle of timbers, was sufficient to with-
stand the most severe tempest, whilst the rcountainous
cliffs were swept away solely from that attitude of in-
flexibility. These cliffs in time formed shingle, which
again• was a yielding barrier, being driven upon the
beach; when, after absorbing the momentum of the coming
wave, it was carriedback to its original position by the back
wash, of the broken sea. It was unnecessary to dwell upon
the great advantages which must arise from the operation
of this system, in the numerous extensive works to which
it might be applied: A.contract might be entered into for
Dover Harbour, at its present estimate, to establish a
sinking fund, keep the work in repair in perpetuity, and,
in addition, insure a saving of £1,000,000 sterling.
At the close of his remarks, a vote of thanks was passed
to Mr. Smith, for his interesting lecture.

ELECTION• PETITIONS.—On Saturday was printed, by
order of the House of Commons, an alphabetical list of
election petitions, corrected to 31st December. It
appears that there are 132 members petitioned against, of
which eight petitions are invalid, or have been withdrawn,
leaving 124,members whose seats are contested. It is a•
curious circumstance that seven of the members petitioned
against hold office under the new administration.

JOHN POWELL, EsQ., aged 84, a Military Knight,.
died on Monday, at Windsor Castle. This gallant vete-
ran, formerly Quartermaster of the 77th Regiment, waft
nearly twenty years in Tndia, and was present in the
campaigns against Tippoo and Doondia Waugh, and in
that of Wynaad. He served also at Cochin, Colombo,
Sadasser, Seringapatam, Jamelabad, Pungalamcourchy,
and Arrakenny. He was also twelve years in the West
Indies, and four in the Peninsula.
WRECK OF TH.E DENISON.—In consequence of some
unintentional errors which occurred last week in our re-
port of the wreck of the ship Denison,, we subjoin the
following particulars, with which we have been furnished
by Mr. James Wood, the mate of that unfortunate ves-
sel :—" The Denison left this port for Antigua 24th Dec...
at 3.15 p.m. ; discharged pilot and steamboat, and stood
to N.W.; wind at W.S.W. At 4, p.m. the Ormshead
bore W.S.W. At midnight veered ship to S., having
previously missed stays. On the 25th, at 2 a.m., the
wind suddenly increased from W.S.W. to a. terrific gale,
with torrents of rain ; and while endeavouring to take
canvas off the ship, the fore and main yards broke in the
slings, and the sails were rent in pieces. About 6 a.m.
the gale began to abate, when, we got the remnants of the
sails made fast, and reached to the southward under what,
sail we could set. At 11, being close down upon the
banks off Lytham, took the sail in and let go the an."l2
bower anchor, veering away the chain to the end, which
parted ; let go the best bower immediately, again veering
away the chain to the end, which brought her up in si%
fathoms water ; Lytham lighthouse bearing S.E. by E.
At 2 p.m. the Lytham lifeboat came off, and put a pilot
on board. Attempted to get under weigh, but declined
it, finding she would not cast the right way. About 7
p.m. the other chain parted ; slipped it, and made all sail
we could possibly set towards Fleetwood. At 10.30 came
to with the stream anchor and cable, at the entrance of
the Weir eastward of the Pile lighthouse. Sent the boat
and four hands on shore with the pilot, to bring a steam-
boat out. At 2 a.m., on the 26th, the ship took the
ground. At 2.30 the pilot returned with the steam-tug
Nile and a Fleetwood pilot. The ship being aground,.
sent the Nile away, with orders to bring another steamer.
with twelve more men, to assist the ship off the following
tide ; but previous to her floating, another gale came oil
from the W.S.W., with a heavy sea, which, as the tide
flowed, caused the ship to beat heavily on the sands, and
soon bilged her, when she filled. The main and wizen
masts were then cut away, and the whole crew, nineteen
in number, with the two pilots, and three men left on
board by the steamboat, took to the foremast, haying
previously made the end of a warp fast to the longboat.
The longboat was now washed off the deck, when the
master, mate, two pilots, eleven of the crew, and the
three men from the shore, with great difficulty succeeded
in getting into her, and proceeded before the wind and
sea, steering her with a piece of deck plank, until she
came to the ground, and all were safely landed. Three
men and one boy were afterwards taken out of the rig'
ging ; and two boys were unfortunately lost. On our
landing we were most kindly treated by a poor woman/
whose house was near ; and on our arrival at Fleetwood,
Elliotson, Esq. entertained us most hospitably at biS
own house, for which we beg to return him and his ge3,l
lady our sincere and grateful thanks. The crew lost
their clothes. The ship will be a total wreck, and ye"
little of the cargo is expected to be saved."

LIVERPOOL :
TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 1853.

PRINTED AND PUBLISHED
EVERY TUESDAY MORNING)
By THE PROPRIETOR, ROBERT PEARSON THA.CKER,

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