The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-03-18 00:00:00

' WATEF, IN THE METROPOLIS.—The quantity of water
raised by the eight great metropolitan companies in 1833,
appears to have been equal to 357,288,807 imperial bar-
rels ; the number of houses and buildiegs supplied 191,066 ;
and the average daily supply above 35,000,000 of gallons,
or 183 gallons served to each person on the average. It
is conveyed to all parts of the town by main pipes, out of
which diverge smaller pipes called service pipes, for the
supply each of a certain number of houses, into the cis-
terns of which it is c nveyed from the service pipes by
smaller leaden pipes. By alternately opening and closing
the communications between the main pipes and the ser-
vice pipes in their whole series, the water is delivered in
equal quantity to the remotest as to the nearest habita-
tions ; end each main is penetrated at short distances by
fire-plugs of two inches in diameter.
BANK OF ENGLAND.—The half-yearly general meeting
was held on Thursday. Mr. Cotton, the governor, on
taking the chair, said that the Court of Directors having
considered the Bank's accounts, they were of opinion that
a dividend at the rate of 32 per cent. out of interests and
profits might be made, after deducting 7d. in the pound
for the income tax. The Court of Proprietors was aware
that an altetation had been made in making up the ac-
counts. They were now balanced to the 28th February,
and they would leave an increase in the rest of £9,727.
The Governor moved a resolution that a dividend be de-
clared ; and in reply to a question he remarked, that
£lOO,OOO more would have been shown had the dividend
been taken under the old system. In reply to a question,
the Governor stated, that the true rest, after the dividend
was paid, would be £3,079,025 7s. 9d.
CLEVER MANCEUVRE OF A SCOTCH LASSIE.—Last
week, a young couple, who had been enjoying a walk to
the westward of the town of Dundee, called on their re-
turn at a respectable public-house, when the young man
ordered "a glass of spirits and water." While he was in
the act of pouring out the whiskey, the girl in turning
towards a large m'rror in the room, observed him throw
some powder into her tumbler ; and, on resuming her
seat, (being at the same time suspicious of his conduct,)
she effected a clever exchange of the tumblers, and the
gallant youth unsuspectingly drank off the dose which was
meant for the other party. The couple immediately
afterwards left the house and proceeded to the Magdalen
yard, where the young gentleman was seized with sudden
illness, and dropped down asleep on the green. He was
with much difficulty conveyed home in a state of insensi-
bility, and is but slowly recovering.
IMPORTANT POST-OFFICE NOTICE.—The following no-
tice was issued on Tuesday, by command of the Postmas-
ter-General :—" The Postmaster-General having con-
cluded an arrangement with the government of the United
States for the conveyance through its territory of the cor-
respondence of Great Britain and Canada, the mails to
and from Canada will, in future, be landed and embarked
at Boston instead of at Halifax, as at present, and will be
conveyed between Boston and Montreal in charge of a
British officer appo'nted by the Postmaster-General. All
letters and newspapers, therefore, addressed to Canada
will be forwarded from this date by way of Boston, unless
specially directed to be sent by some other route. No
additional postage will be charged upon letters to and
from Canada in consequence of the transit rate which is
to be paid to the United States' post-office ; but a charge
of one-halfpenny will be levied on the delivery of each
newspaper, whether in the United Kingdom or in Canada.
WILLIAM AUSTIN.—This person, whose name must
be familiar in the recollection of all who have had any ac-
quaintance with the history of the parliamentary proceed-
ing in the case of the late Queen Caroline, or the eventful
life of that unhappy Princess, arrived in London last
week from Milan, where he has been residing for several
years, for the most part in a state of fatuity, the inmate
of a lunatic asylum. We understand he has been re-
moved to this country through the intervention of the
British Government, under an authority from the Lord
Chancellor. in whose care his person and some consider-
able property, left to him by the late Queen, have been
placed by certain proceedings on the part of his relations.
He was conveyed hither from Milan under the charge of
a medical and two other attendants ; and immediately on
his arrival was visited by two London physicians, who,
after an interview with him of some duration at the hotel
where he stopped, signed the necessary certificate for his
detention in a private asylum, where he now remains.
Austin is a very good-looking man, apparently about 40
years of age, and though, beyond doubt, mentally en-
feebled, has no betrayal of such imbecility in the expres-
sion of his face. He has been in his present unfortunate
condition since the year 1830, and for a great part of that
time he has maintained an immovable taciturnity. No
ingenuity has beet. able to extract a syllable from him.
He answers no questions nor asks any—enters into no
conversation—and even during the whole journey from
Milan to London be never spoke a word to his attendants,
or any one else. Neither could the medical gentleman
who waited upon him here induce him to reply to any of
their inquiries ; and no doubt this fact of itself formed no
inconsiderable ingredient in the judgment at which they
arrived. The unhappy man is extremely docile, has no
disposition to violence, and readily understands and obeys
any signs made to him.—Morning Post.—[The unfortu-
nate gentleman was adopted when a child by the late
Queen Caroline, and to him she bequeathed a portion of
her property.]
THE CONSTRUCTION OF STEAM-BOATS.—At the In-
stitution of Civil Engineers on Tuesday, the discussion
was renewed upon the relative merits of the screw and
paddle-wheels as methods of propulsion. It was stated
that the Napoleon screw•steamer, in the French Post-
office service, made, on an average, quicker voyages than
any of the paddle-wheel steamers of the same power on
the station ; that in smooth water the latter vessels would
make some way, but in rough weather the former was de-
cidedly superior. The same result had been noticed with
the Archimedes. When steaming down the river she was
frequently passed by merchant steamers, but by the time
she had arrived at Dungeness, if there was any sea up, she
had regained her place, and was a-head of the paddle-
wheel steamers. It was thought, however, that with the
feathering paddles, invented by M. Cave, and equal power,
the Napoleon would have done quite as good work as with
the screw. The peculiarities of the steaming qualities of
the Rattler, in spite of her bad build, were fully described.
It appeared that in heavy weather, when sailing and steam-
ing, that when it was thought that she was dragging her
screw through the water, the dynamometer showed a very
effective exertion of power, and that the slip was extremely
small. That when the Royal yacht was obliged to shorten
sail, because of losing speed by the heeling over of the
paddles, the Rattler was enabled to use all her canvas and
engine power together, and to gain way in the same pro-
portion as the other vessels lost it, '1 he general impres-
sion appeared to be that the experiments were very satis-
factory, and that if the Rattler had been a well•formed
ship. and the power on board had been greater, the re-
sults would have been much better. A good adaptation
of the screw was mentioned in the two schooners, the
Margaret and Senator, built by Messrs. Pim, at Hull,
and trading between that port and London. They were
tine schooners of 242 tons burden, fully rigged, but having
near the stern, two engines, each of 14-horse power, con-
nected by wheel work with a screw-propeller. The result
of a trial between the Shannon and the Senator, the latter
being a regular paddle-wheel steamer of good power, was,
that in the voyage between Dublin and London, the Se-
nator arrived in London only ten hours after the Sian-
non, having consumed only 18 tons of coal, while the
Shannon had used 90 tons ; proving that for mercantile
purposes, where extreme speed was not essential, but that
punctuality was desiralne, the screw propeller adapted to
sailing vessels, was calculated to be of essential service.
A curious letter was read from Lady Bentham, proving,
by extracts from documents, that half a century ago, the
late Sir Samuel Bentham, to whom was entrested the
building of several men-ot• war, was the originator of the
introduction of " water-tight bulkheads," dividing ves-
sels into compartments for preventing accidents from
leaks, and alter for stiffening them. Sir Samuel was aware
of the plan having been used by the ancients, and also that
the Chinese use the plan now. He also invented the
wrought-iron water tanks and the metal casks for storing
the powder, both being fitted to the shape of the ship

THE BRITISH NAVY.—There are now in. commission
at the ports, and ready and fitting for sea service. nine
sale of the line and two 50-gun frigates. Of the line-of-
battle ships, four are three-deckers of 120 guns each—
viz., the Trafalgar. 120. Captain G. Martin, at Sheerness,
with the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir J. C. White, com-
mander In chief at the Note; the St. Vincent, 120. Capt.
Rowley, at Portstrn-ut h. with he flag of Admiral Sir C.
Rowley, commander in chief there ; the Hibernia, 120,
Captain Richards, Cdl., fitting at Portsmouth for the
flag of Vice-Admiral Sir W. Parker, appoiiitel COM-
wander in chief of the \led tterranean ; and the Cal,clo-
nia. 120,. Captain Milne, at Devenport, with the flag of
Admtral Sir David Milne, the commander in chief there.

The ottP'r five aretwo-deekedships, the Rodney,

. _
Captain Collier, .8., fitting at Portsmouth ; the Albion,
90, Captain N. Lockyer, C. 8., at Devenport ; the Ca-
nopus, 84, Captain F. More.hy. C. 8., fitting at Devon-
port; the Superb, 80, Captain Corry, fitting at De,ort-
port ; and the Vanguard, 80, Captain. Willes, also fitting
at Devonport The two 50-gun frigates are the Vindic-
tive, Caotain M. Seymour, flail-14 at Portsmouth for the
flag of Vice-Admiral Sir F. Austen, appointed to the
command in chief of the North American and West In-
dian station; and the Eagle, 50, Captain Martin, C. 8.,
likewise at Portsmouth, to carry the flag of Rear-Admiral
Inglefield. C.B , two days since appointed commander in
chief of the Brazils station. Thus we have at this time
what, perhaps, has not been seen for many years. sea-.
going shits of six flag officers—two admirals, three vice-
admirals, and a tear admiral; and when the ships r,re
manned with the full complements assigned to them they
will have collectively above 7,000 men. In addition to
these admirals, who have sea-going ships to carry their
flags, we have three rear-admirals who have their flaps fly-
ing—one at Cork, Rear-Admiral Sir Hugh Pigot ; one at
Pottsmouth, Rear-Admiral Parker; and one at Devon-
port, Rear Admiral Sir S. Pyrn ; making altogether nine
flag officers in active service at the home ports. Besides
those nine sail of the line, we have tour other line-of-
battle shits on foreign service—the Formidable, 84, Capt.
Rich with the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir E. Owen, in the
ditereanean; Coiling wood, 80, Captain Smart, with
the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir F. G. Seymour, in the
Pacific; the Illustrious, 72, Captain Erskine, with the
flag of Vice-Admiral Sir C. Adam, in the West Indies;
and the Agincourt, 72, Captain Bruce' with the flag of
Rear-Admiral Sir T. Cochrane, in the East Indies; and
five 50-gun frigates—the Winchester, Captain Eden, with
the flag of Rear-Admiral the Hon. J. Percy, at the Cape;
the Dublin, 50, Captain Tucker, with the flag of Rear-
Admiral Thomas, and the America, 50, Captain the Hon.
J. Gordon, in the Pacific • the Alfred, 50, Commodore
Purvis, at the Brazils; and the Warspite, 50, Captain
P Wallis, in the Mediterranean—their complements
amounting to above 5,200. Thus we have at present in
commission thirteen sail of the line, four of them three
deckers. And seven 50-gun frigates, whose united com-
plements will amount to 12,000 men. The Melampus,
42, frigate, at Devenport, for a long time ready for cave,
missionto alas will
port, and which ship we believe has never
been
will hoist the pendant in a few days.