Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1823-08-23
SINGULAR DIsCLosURE-ynue

ifOAO o P1pGt poo''SbSo rs L'o
doa called John Bull This paper wal
set up ~ CAsTLsREAGH's time for the
purpose of abusing every Que actively
engaged In opposing the measures oi
that Minister, no matter how respect
able they might bet continues to Ia.
Dor 10 lts vocation Of calnmny and a.
buse. Those who by word or action
support the Spanish cause are now the
objects of its attack, an1 as it lie known
to DO regardless o: truth, we cannot
say how far the following singular dis
closure 10 to be relied on:
"Our attention has been called to a
vessel which, for some considerable
length of time, has been building on
the Surry side of Westminster Bridge
she is adapted for the operation of
steam, with engines, we believe of fifty
horse power. One great popularity
about her is, the absence Of frame work
in her construction. Instead Of being
built upon any received principle she
has seven or eight Innings, I'VE forget
which) between each Of which the ex.
ternal water may be admitted at plea
sure, for the purpose of bringing her
down to the surface of the sea, while at
the same moment Der masts tor she
may be rugged either as a lugger or a
schooner)may be lowered after the man.
ner of the barges on the London river,
SO that to a cruiser, or signal station
on shore. she will become almost i'm.
perceptible in the day, and wholly in
visible in the evening or night.
NATURALLY curious to know for what
purpose such a vessel could be build
ing we made certain inquiries. and were
informed that Lord CoCnkANE was
the patron o. the undertaking and
moreover that she was to be n~avigated
under water altogether. Neither Of
these stories, from what we had pre-
v%iously been told, satisfied US, and we
continued our inquiries, even at the
enclosed house, under which she is
b~uilding-all efforts at admission were
vain, unless we left our card and called
the next day, when, after a due investi-
cation by some secret committee, if we
were not disapproved of we might per-
haps be allowed to look at the boat
We knew we had no chance Of being let
in if any NJ really existed, as we
shrewdly began TO suspect there did,
and therefore we declined the liberal
offer Of the very civil person who show.
ed US the outside of the shed.
1--WE were not to be bafled here, and
therefore we set to work to discover
something more of this mysterious
steamer. and accordingly we discover.
ed that she was projected BY Mr. JoHN-
SON, formerly known as a smuggler,
and now. an empioye of the Govern
mens in the Revenue department. vino
upon the principle laid down in an old
proverb, which we certainly shall not
venture to repeat, seem to consider it
goud policy to ''ses a smugsler to catch
a smuggler."
"This appeared natural enough-that
Mr.. Johnson before he had retired from
business should have e~ndeavored 10
bring his craft to perfection did not
seem particularly strange, & the whole
arrangement Of bringing her down to
the water-of being able by three or
four strokes of the engine to relieve her
of all the water she had admitted and
to Bring her up again; the shifting
m~asts--the commod,ous stowage, all
bespoke a very natural and expected
shrewoness and mastery Of his art, but
when we found that although Mr.. John.
sou has relinquished his calling, hat
he has abandoned the boat, wsich vpas
buiH under his surveillance, and that
nevertheless The builders have no idea
Of applying to M. JOHNSON, but to O.
TIER PERSONS for payment, we began
to suspect something more than met
the ear.
1--WE conclude the Govern nent are
in possession of the curious facts we arc
about to disclose; if they are not we
beg pardon for anticipating them, al
though we are free to confess, it is not
the first time we have doue SO. But
having found that, this boat was bur"
ried on until the day succeeding that
on uhich the news of Buonaparte'S
death arrived in England, we began to
suspect that all the accommodations.
these s'ratagems borrowed from the
smuggler's dictionary, might have been
intended for the purpose of bringing a.
way that Hero from ST. HELENA
when we found that ON the day after
the arrival Of his demise all bands were
knocked of, as the phrase goes, we
thought it quite necessary to push the
Investigation a little further; and hav-
ing found out JoHNsoN himelf on ths
coast we led him into a conversation
which he abruptly broke off BY saving