The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1857-10-05
,;saassille lailp Scurnal.
Aaron Burr.

zette. recalls some OF the extraordinary
predictions of Aaron Burr. man whe,
il his moral convictions had been as clear
as mental vision, would have been among
the mobiles. men Of his age:
About year since, was passing IN a
small steamer, on the Thames. iron,
London to Greenwich, and saw the Great
Eastern on the stocks; hut few persons
were then engaged at work on it. owlhg
To the financial difficulties OF Mr.. Scott
Russell, the builder. My opinion was.
and stil is, that the Great Eastern, or
one of her class, Will yet cross the AT
lantic in six DAYS While passing IT,
thought OF the strange coincidence of the
entry Ly Aaron Burr, while an exile, in
poverty and disgrace, IN Europe, IN his
p ivate journal, on 18th Decemoer. 1911
and a aso, the reference. IN several places,
In his Journal and letters, about that pc
ROD, To Mr.. Brunell, The iather ol j. IL.
Brunell, the protector and designer ol
the Great Eastern and the Thames Iun
mel. The following extract will be iound
In vol 2 page 2S4, Of the Private Jour
nal and Letters OF Burr, edited by Mat
thew L. DAVIS: s.
Nv hen last in New York, the steam.
boat had just got into vogue Berg in
company with man knowing in such
things, suggested, (hut very slightly,
as became an ignOramus,) how the,
might be simpliiied and improved He
thought the hint OF 10 value, and said
no more. My friend ID, NJ r, and
another. whom | met at Graves, both
great projectors, have each taken patents
for new inventions on that subject. |
examined their several models, but was
not smilten with their value My old
idea run now and then in my head, but |
said nothing. Illuminating. after gong
To ted last n gh,, on the state OF the
treasury, the ,hIng came up again, and
engros>ed NE for at least three hours. |
found IT per ect-applied 1t TO sea vessels
to ship>'oi war, in short, to everything
that floats. Sails. and ma>ls. and rg.
sing, and the whole science of seaman
ship, are become useless. NJ, vessels GO
at the rate o. twenty miles an hour, and
am in hopes To bring thin to thirty.
From Charleston TO New York will I've
a certain passage OF thmty hours. From
London 10 New York ei SIX days; but TO
tell you how did it would ill qulre OF
paper.
'.Rose at 8 this morning, the same
project in my head, and have thought oi
nothing else the whole day. The mo
ment oi my arrival in London shall sell
all my book; your books poor little
GanIpillo, and all my clothes, save two
shirt, to put the thing in execution, e,c,
ETC."
In other parts Of the journal references
will be found to tins matter: but no plan,
no detail 10y which tins speed was to he
obtained, further than that steam was
the agent. There can be no doubt that
Burr had conveIsed with Mr. Brunell on
this subject from the iretuent occur
renee of his name connected v 18th various
scientific subjects; and It may be that
the son will carry out The idea bIoached
by Mr. Burr 10 his father Burr com
plains that through the influence OF the
American authorities resident in Eng.
land, he was tabooed, his scheme
met with no favor with the English
Government, or the mercantile or
monied men. 1t was like the Influence
of the Barnicle family in the Circumlo-
cutIon office, on poor Dorce, in Dickens
Little Dorrit. Indeed there is more
truth than fiction IN the portrait drawn
by Dickens, Prideaux, the patentee of
the Smoke Prevention and Fuel saving
Appara tuS, has just issued a pamphlet
detailing the course of the Admiralty in
some transactions connected in husi
snc,s all; ir wi h him, which will. tn nix
check them for the future William
Greener, Of Aston, New Town, Birming-
ham. some yars place d before TIE Ord
nance Department since his Improvement
Of the Rife Ball; delay after delay met
bim. A Frenchman named Minnie
placed the invention before the war
department of France. Ii was adopted
and his name given to Greener's prior
The English adopted the
Minnie Rifle in the Russian war. Green
er urged his claim to the h. nor of the
invention; after delay, the Ordnance
awarded it, accompanied by
el 90 Had Mr. BIunell propo>.r
III Thames Tunnel. the Memni. Br dg >
Or the Great Eastern, to Government. |
neither would have ever been construct
sd. His countrrnen appreciated hiS
abilities, and all three of his projections
ire monuments oil genius and his nation'-
progress.
The even motion ofthe Great Eastern.
has already drawn atten
ion to it as a means OF laying the AT
antc telegraph cable.