The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-08-11 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-SATURDAY

The coal duties (London) bill, after some ineiectilal oppo-
sition, was read the third time, passed, and forwarded to
the Lords.

On the motion of Lord J. Russell, the lords' amendments
to the ecclesiastical duties and revenues bill were generally
agreed to.

On motion of Lord SEYMOUR, the lords' amendments to
the railways bill were adopted.
On motion of the ATTORNEY-GENERAL, the lords amend-
ments to the court of chancery bill were agreed to.
The Lords' amendments to the ecclesiastical courts (Tho-
rogood's release) bill, were agreed to, Lord J. ItossELL
having stated that he should not object to their adoption,
Mr. HUME brought forward the affair of lighting the house,
but after some conversation, and on the understanding that
it should be left in the hands of the Speaker, he withdrew his
motion on the subject.—The house then adjourned.

GREAT EXPLOSION AT SPITHEAD AGAINST THE

WRECK OF THE ROYAL GEORGE

(From a Correspondent of Me Timer.)

By far the most magnificent exhibition which has yet been
witnessed of the enormous force of gunpowder when ex-
ploded under water, took place on Wednesday last at Spit-
head. It is obvious that no extent of description could con-
vey a just conception of so vast and novel an operation, but
it may interest your readers to know, that under circum-
stances apparently similar such very different effects should
be produced. On the former occasions, when Col. Pasley
exploded his huge cylinders at the bottom of the sea, the
water rose to the height of 30 or 40 feet, and generally in a
solid mass, in form like that of a haycock. But on Wednes-
day it was forced to the amazing height of at least 80 feet, in
a sort of pyramid, or set of pyramids and jets, which not
only dispersed the water far in the air above, but carried it to
the distance of more than 100 yards on every side.
The charge, which consisted of 23 barrels, or 2,2501 b., was
placed at the depth of 11 fathoms and a half, or about 70 feet
under the surface, nearly over the original position of the
fore-hatchway of the old ship. That expert diver Mr. John
Fullager, of Chatham, having first carefully examined the
spot and made his report, redescended in company with the
monstrous cylinder, which he placed in such a way that
when the powder should be ignited the mass of mud which
obstructed the workmen might be driven away, or so loosened
as to allow the tide to carry it off.

I should mention that Colonel Pasley's operations have
been carried on of late with so much activity by Lieutenant
Symonds and his party at Spithead, that almost all the wreck
not ouite buried, has been dislocated by small charges of
powder, and drawn up to the surface. One day last week
huge mass of the kelson, which lies just above the keel, was
recovered. This evidence of the operations having reached
very nearly to the lowest part of the wreck gave great spirits
to all concerned. But such were the quantity and the tena-
city of the mud, that the labour of extracting the fragments
became excessive, and this prodigious explosion was resolved
upon, less with a view of tearing asunder the remaining
beams, timbers, and planking, than of sweeping out the mud
in which they lay imbedded. It may be further remarked,
that, while as a mere engineering operation, it would be very
disgraceful not to remove every particle of the wreck, that
part of the anchorage would be now almost as inconvenient
or useless as it formerly was if the dislocated and dispersed
fragments were allowed to lie in the way of ships' anchors.
All this expense and trouble, therefore, have become abso-
lutely necessary, if we wish to have the finest anchorage in
the Kingdom, we had almost said in the world, rendered in
all its parts fit for her Majesty's ships to ride in in all
weathers.

The day was fine, and the collection of yachts and pleasure
vesiels of every size and rig exceeded all that had been drawn
together before, so that Spithead, for a circuit of half a mile
round the Royal George, was one dense mass of shipping,
row-boats, cutters, yawls, schooners—and last, not least,
immense steamboats, crowded half way up their funnels with
strangers from a distance.

Wii.on Colonel Pasley's preparative trumpet sounded, the
hubbub was instantaneously stilled, and all eyes were turned
to the launch in which Lieutenant Symonds stood with the
ends of the connecting wires of the voltaic battery in his
hands. Scarcely had the word been given to " Fire !" and
the trumpet sounded, when the whole area was shaken as if
by an earthquake, the surface became ruffled like the top of
a glacier, and in the next instant, literally in less than two
seconds, the water bulged up and rose to the height of about
20 feet, after which a sort of second burst or bulge occurred,
which projected the sea in huge masses, as I hive said, high
into the air. _ _ . _ . .

Such was the violence of this effort, that the spray was
thrown completely over all the adjacent vessels in a drench-
ing shower, accompanied by a violent gast of wind radiating
from the centre. Immediately such a shout was raised as I
never heard before; and when this first involuntary expres-
sion of satisfaction was over, three deliberate jolly cheers
from the vast crowd saluted the gallant officer whose suc-
cessful perseverance has afforded them so extraordinary a
treat.

Various estimates were formed as to the height of the
column or columns of water. Some went as far as 100 feet,
and some as low as 50, but I feel sure that the mass of water
could not have been projected less than 80 feet into the air.
The commotion in the water, and the ocean of mud, (lead
fish, and other symptoms of violence which spread far and
near, gave every promise that the operation will answer the
purpose which Colonel Pasley has in view, but as yet I have
not learned what the report of the divers is.

WRECK OF THE LORD,CASTLEREAGH