The Liverpool Standard, and General Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1854-11-14 00:00:00

iSSAUI

ON' Friday evening 1
Albert was returning t

a Du I

through the
a stick in his hand,

wood, w

language towards his R
Prince some distance up
Plat promptly rode his horse 1
Prince, and the scoundrel retu
in a menacing manner, and co

-een the

servations towards his _
The assault was witnessed by a youn
passing at the time, the daughter of 14-
resides near the place, and Mr.
communicating the particulars to
intendent of the Eton police force, who taus(
to be apprehended and locked up in the stati
the night.

Sanders lost rits time ii
Mr. Perkins, the super

On -Saturday he was taken bet
Gifford Cookesley, the senior-assist
and a county magistrate.

As no parties were present from the 1.
preferred against the prisoner by Hen.
policeman, for violence in attempting to g
custody, and also for obtaining money from
on the previous Thursday, was gone into.
The prisoner at once acknowledged the trt
charge, and, in reference to his disgriw'
the Prince, said that, as he had no
family for many years, and hearin
passing, he merely ran into the road to sal
Highness. He denied '
disgraceful language at the time, ..
that he had been drinking a little, anu
flourished his stick, but he meant no harm
sentenced to one month' hard labour in Ayles
as a rogue and vagabond.
It is not yet ascertained what steps will
against the prisoner in the meantime, with ri
his assault on the Prince.

)t seen any of the r(
z that Prince Albert

se of abnsii

AUSTRALIAN DOCK ACCOMMODATION

THE great commercial want of Aust

Melbourne and Sydney ; therefore we are glad to see
a dry dock is being constructed at Waterview Bay, Sy4
At present there are no cranes available for dischai
heavy machinery, or weighty goods of any kind. The

dock will obviafi this defect. A Sydney- pap,
The now so extensive use of iron in shipl
points to the necessity of dock formation here
tion has yet been published for perserving irc

ing ; and, after a passage of 16,000 miles, a re,,
for the purpose of cleansing, is a positive necessity
masters of iron vessels recently in this port ha,
their willingness to pay hundreds of pounds for ate.
admission to a dry dock ; and such amounts would bt
compensated by the increased rate of speed effected on

passage home.
Another circumstance, which forcibly illustrates tl
necessity we have adverta to, is, that around the Austr
Tian coast there is not a dock in existence ; nor yet, so
as we can ascertain, in any port of the whole Southe

Hemisphere
The only apparatus of the character of a dry d
harbour is a patent slip, used principally for th _
small ccasting craft, and only capable of receiving vessels
of 400 tons burthen. Even with respect to the accommo-

k in our

dation thus afforded, the demand is far in advance of the
supply, and vessels have to wait a considerable time before
their turn arrives.

A patent slip has been commenced for the Australasi
Steam Navigation Company, at Pyrmont, the machine
_ _

for which has recently al-Hyea froni England. The under-
taking is being proceeded with, with great spirit, and its
completion is anticipated early in the ensuing year. The
slip will receive a vessel of 1,500 tons.
It is to the dry dock in course offormation at Water-
view Bay, Balynain, that we now purpose to direct parti-
cular attention; it is but due to the enterprising pro-
moters of this undertaking to state that, from the rapid

progress already made towards its completion, their dock
promises to be the first to offer accommodation for the
repair of vessels. It may be necessary to state, for the
information .of those unacquainted with the geography of
Sydney, that Balmain forms one of the promontories of
our very sinuous and picturesque harbour, and is situated
about a mile to the north of Sydney, from which it is
separated by the arm of the river, known as " Darling
Harbour." With the late rapid increase in our population,
houses have been built in Balmain in every direction, and
the suburb now contains about 3,000 residents. The pro-
montory position of the capital will necessitate, with the
increase of its population, a proportionate increase in the
importance of Balmain, and in the value of its building
property ; and it is believed that Balmain will, before long,
sustain the same relation to Sydney that Brooklyn does
to New York. It is also anticipated that, as the com-
merce of the port gradually extends, the loading and dis-
charging of vessels will be carried on alongside the
wharves of Balmain—an event which appears likely from
the circumstance that no portion of Balmain is at a greater
distance from the site of the Sydney railway terminus
than is Circular Wharf—the great import and export depot.
Waterview Bay, where the dry dock is being formed, is
situated on the further side of Balmain, nearly opposite
Goat Island, and is entirely land-locked. Several natural
features of the bay point it out as wonderfully fitted by
nature for this purpose. A solid bed of sandstone—a
fleur d'eau at high tides—forms a natural quay at the spot,
over the brink of which from 25 to 37 feet of soft silt and

water are deposited. The dimensions of the bay, reck
ing from the opposite points, are about 60 squall
and excepting the silt deposits, there is an ave

,ge depth

of 24 feet below low water.

The present dock is intended to be 416 feet in length,
but this length can at any time be increased, as the rock
extends for a great distance inland, and indeed underlies
nearly the whole of the suburb. The outer half of the
dock will be 100 feet in width, so that two ordinary-sized
vessels can be taken in abreast. This portion will be
divided from the inner dock by a caisson, except when
vessels of an extraordinary size are docked, when the
whole length will be thrown open.

The entrance to the dock will be 66 feet wide, and
closed in by a wooden caisson; but, instead of a groove
being made to receive the caisson, a shoulder only will be
left for this purpose, as the weight of water outside will
always be sufficient to press the caisson into its place, and
keep it there. A lined sluice will be carried through the
lower deck of the caisson, for the purpose of filling the
dock ; tidal decks will also be constructed for reducing the
amount of pumping, as it is calculated that the removal
of a few tons of water will be sufficient to lift her from
the ground for removal from the shoulders into the piers.
In connexion with the various departments of the dock
construction, about 150 men are employed ; and strenuous
efforts are made by nightwork, and by systematitally
directed labour, to hasten the completion of the under-
taking. It is estimated that the entire cost of the dock
will be about £75,000.
The undertaking is the speculation of a limited company
of influential citizens of Sydney, of whom Mr. T. S. Mort,
the originator of the enterprise, is the principal partner.
The greater portion of the engineering details, together
with the practical superintendence of the works, is under-
taken by Captain Rowntree, the managing partner. The

project is being conducted with great —energ-y, and every
week shows a rapid progress towards completion. The
work was only commenced in February last, and the pro-
prietors confidently anticipate that, should no unforeseen
emergency occur, a ship will be taken into the Waterview
Bay Dry Dock in January next.