The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-02-15

| veusion OF 'short range far more destructive
than Captain Warmers ''lons range for at one
bio" iis TO destroy the largest ship of invading
enemy. 1t tconssts OF a shell of great size, and il
SO. constructed IS to explode, psr se the instant
it Is brought In contact with the side of the enc
ry's ship. The means by which this invention is
to be operated, are thus stated by the inventor:
| .This great shell is brought in contact with the
enemy 3 ship By placing 1T in the chamber of great
| Brays mortar, which, as it were forms the nrow
| of destructive vessel-the chamber of the y,.nr
tar being six feet below wtter line and the mortar
| being made so far part and parcel ct the yesseI
which would weis about 800 tons; the entire ma q
OF the destructive vessel comes into pay as .nost
effective for absorbing all the reaction con.
| sequent the Discharge OF the monster touch
andga,o off shell, that the three or four men who
would be all tnat reGured attend 70 the ns,v
lgaton OF urtloating mortar, would not expert
ence any sensible ehec.froEn the discharge of the
| shell.
By reason of the peculiar barrel like construction
OF The vessel, on the PROV OF which the great NOR
tar 10 fixed, and the thickness of the amber on all
sides, being from nine to feet aud that of pop
| lar wood not only woutd the interior, where the
steam engine and crew placed, be perfectly in.
accessible to the effect OF either red hot or cold shot
but by OF barrel-li form of The vessel
ii would present, in most posiions NO. surface ia
vora5e sD shot taking etteat; aad the means of
propulsion would consist. OF suitable compact.
steam engine, OF the most simple construction, and
| a screw propeller submerged some ten or twelve
| feet below water, both tie screw and machinery
| would be quite out OF harms way.
As respects the construction OF the shell, II would
| be oi tae most simple character, being somewhat
in .he form of huge IhiUble, somewhat similar
10 the MIME rifle bail, containing suitable charge
| OF powder, ana having self exploding cap at
| she breech end, and the shell arranged In the
chamber of the m ortar that the crushing action
resulting on the protruding end of tse shell being
brought in contact with the hull OF the enemy the
otyf
the breeeh ot the mortar, and the shell instantly
explodes in contact with the side Of the enemy,
| iato which it tears lis way, leaving hole wide
| as church door. The result 10 the enemy leave
| 70 izaag glnatioD TO picture
| The instant before contact it would be well to re.
verse the engine, so as TO back OFT and leave .he
euelny TO MS well-mefiied fate.
The shell would be encased in a copper water.
tigh. case, so that It might be placs in the cham.
her OF the mortar and remain there SIX tset under
water line tor years without in lry of any kind,
| ready tor action Whenever II was wanted.
| A few thousand pounds would test in the most
complete end satisfactory manner the correctness
| and success of this proposed simple means Of de-
! tending our coasts from all invading enemies"
| The Legislature OF lowB has passed @ law
designating six Per cent as the legal rate OF
interest in that State, wheae no rate is spee-
fed between the parties, Ii allows parties TO
contract in writing for the payment of any rate
dot exceeding ten per cent. per annum. The
penalty for contracting for larger rate of
interest than is allowed by the bill is TO work
forfeiture often per cent per annnm upon the
amount OF such contract, while the lender shall
be allowed 10 recover only the principal sum
lent without interest or costs
Lone TUNNEL.-One Of the tunnels on the
Pennsylvania Railroad nov constructing is TO
r be 1910 feet IN length. Its area at the widest
space within the lines of masonry will be about
"a feet, and the spring of the arch will begin
Is feet from the crown of the arch. The arch.
,ect of the tannei, will De rather If an oval
J form, one Of the most beautiful curyatures
which Comic Sections can afford. The greater
part of the vast arched excavation will oe
inad wrh..strong and substantial masonry.
More than half of this masonry will be com
posed of sandstone, we'll laid in hydraulic ce.
men,; and the remainder will be hard huyn,
! ..r,cH, This whole masonry vii! be - inches
thick.
The tunnel passes the Allegheny Mountain
{ in Sugar Rum Gap, and lies partly in BaI
and partly in Cambria County. Taking into
account the length of the Tunnel and its inte,
rior breadth, and the quantity and so lidity of
it's mas, ,,u-y, it may be regarded as the largest
workof the kind in the United States.
II. STATES Aab FRENCH PosrAGE.-The
Postmaster General mas suspended for three
months the order of 9Th January, by which
the rates of postage 0G letters to and from
France by the different lines, via England, were
eaualified; the French Minister having as
favor personal TO mself, reQassted such sus.
pension. This request has been complied
with the more readily, nasnucG as negotia-
tions are Eow in progress at Paris Ser Postal
Convention fetween France and the United
States and our Minister at London aas re-.
Gently been instructed TO renew the new nego-
tiations on postal communication with Eng
land commenced by Mr.. Lawrence but not ye.
terminated.
CONFESSION OF DOUBLE MURDER.-Jos
Simmons, a young man who lately resided in
OHIO county, Va, nine miles from Wheeling,
Va, has been arrested at Louisville, charged
with the murder of two men, named Park and
Cofftnam. on fiat boat on the eusas river,
in Louisiana. Ii is said that be has made
confession, stating that he committed the mur-
der with a sledge hammer, while the two men
were asleep. The sum OF $1,000 in money, a
| revolver and bowie knife covered with blood,
we've found on his person.
Napoleon has determined not to remove the
tonlbs of Vol,aire and Rousseau from the
| Pantheon, now known as the Church of St.
Genevieve. He knows that the whole literary
| world of Paris would be indignant at such an
act A bon mot worth repeating is attributed
| TO ID. Rolnieu, the Directors of The Beaux Arts,
on the occasion Of his conveying the Empe-
ror's final resolution on this subject TO the
Archbishop of Paris. The Archbishop OBJ
served that he could not reconcile himself to
the idea of saying mass over the ashes OF such
| heretcs as Rousseau and Voltare. Mon
| seigneur," said M. Rouieu, "yGu must admit
that you could not do anything to annoy them
more."
Poisoned BY EATING HoNEY.--ln New
| York on Tuesday week, John K. Smith and
family. who reside in CARL str ct, partook. OF
some honey at supper time, and shortly after
every member OF the family was taken sick
with nausea and vomiting, SO that it was ne
cessary TO call in a medical attendant, who
gave i, az his opinion there was poison IN the
honey. Similar cases have occurred before IN
hat city, and the only solution to the matter
i. that bees sometimes gather their sweets from
nn;sonous flowers. TIE family alluded to now
| have nearly or quite recovered from sas poi-
| sonous effects.
The number Of steamboats, in the United
states. according to the just completed re-
| E.thrsa g,aaUrhoat InsDecfoF. ia