The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-10-05

ixDEPESDEScE DAY.-The Americans in Paris, to
the number Of about one hundred, and without dis
flnction Of sex, dined together on the 4th Of July, at
the Louvre Hotel. Judge Mason presided, assisted
oy Mrs Mason on his right, and Mr.. and Mrs. Keitt,
OF South Carolina on his left. The Judge made
several patriotic speeches; one for Mr.. Keitt, who
with a new wife by his side, the Judge said, was
Obliged to keep silence upon the subject of indepen-
dence. Speeches were made by Mr.. Train, MIR. Hunt
er, Of Louisiana, Rev. Mr.. Lamson, Mr.. Lansing and
others
FRENCH GALLASTRY. An American lady who
Umpathises warmly with the French cause in Italy,
- crossing the Alps at the time that the French
army was hurrying over the mountains to the de-
Tense of Sardinia. The carriage of this party was
stopped by a French officer, to ascertain who the
parties were They announced themselves Americans,
which, of course, was a sufficient passport. The
lady then added, with an earnest animation, she
hoped that the French would succeed in Italy. He
replied, with the inimitable galla ntry of a French
man, I" Madame, with your good wishes, l have no
doubt that we must succeed"
GREELEY.-A California paper started a story that
Horace Greeley was coming thither to take charge OF
a flibuster foray on Mexico. This reaching the
Mexican commander at Mazatlan, he issued a pro-
clamation informing the people that " one Horace
Greeley, a most diabolical, blood-thirsty and unmer-
ciful man-worse than the Infamous Walker, or even
the minions of Miramon-a man whose very name
struck dread to the hearts of thousands in the United
States, 50 many were his crimes and so terrible was his
conducts now at the head of the most extensive
baud Of flibusters ever collected, and on his way to
Mexico =" He then exhorts the people TO prepare
themselves for instant action, and concludes thus
:. This dangerous man (hom6re P~eiigrose) is not of
the common school of flibusters; they wish for plum
der, he for blood and murderous deeds"
ERtPrIoS OF MOUNT HooD.-The OregoniaR, of
August 10Th, says
On Wednesday last, [17th Aug j the atmosphere
suddenly became exceedingly hot about midday. In
the afternoon the heavens presented a singular
appearance dark, silvery, condensed clouds hung
over the top of Mt. Hood. The next day several
persons watched the appearance of Mt. Hood until
evening. An occasional fash of fire could be dis
tinctly seen rolling up. On Thursday night, the fire
was plainly seen by every one whose attention could
be drawn to the subject. Yesterday. 18th. the
mountain was closely examined by those who have
recently returned from n visit to its summit, when,
by the naked eye or glass, 1t was seen that a large
mass Of the northwest side had disappeared, and that
the immense quantity Of snow which, two weeks since,
covered the south side, had disappeared The dense
cloud Of steam and smoke constantly rising over and
far above above its summit, together with the entire
change in its appearance heretofore, convinces us that
Mt Hood Is now in a state of eruption, which has
broken out within a few days.
New WAR ESGIsEs.-The British Government
In crying out the old motto, In time of war prepare
for peace" is always engaged upon some new instru-
ment Of destruction The latest one is a steam ,essei
called a ram" designed to run down the vess els of
an enemy. She will be afoat and fitting for sea by
June next. Her dimensions will be-extreme length,
$50 feet; breadth, SO feet depth, Al feet 6 inches;
and her tonnage, no less than GIT tons. At sea her
total weight will be about 5000 tons. which will be
driven, when so wanted, through the water against
IN enemy's ship at the rate of Is miles an hour. 1t
is difficult, by mere description, to give an adequate
idea Of the tremendous strength with which this YES
sci Is to be built The keel, or rather the portion to
which the ribs are bol.ed, is made of immense slabs
Of wrought scrap iron, an inch and a quarter thick,
and three feet six inches deep. Over the ribs, and
crossing transversely, are bolted beams of teak a foot
and a half thick, and outside these again come the
srmcr plates Each Ct these plates is to be Is feet
long by A feet broad and ~ inches thick.
But to compensate for this apparent deficiency,
both bows and stern are so crossed and recrossed in
various directions with watertight Compartments,
that it is a matter of perfect indifference whether they
get riddled or not, and each of these ends are shut off
from the engine-room and fighting portion of the ship
by continuous massive wrought-iron transverse bulk
So that, s~upposing it possible that both stem
and stern could be shot away, the centre of the vessel
would remain complete and impenetrable as ever,
still Offering in all twenty-four inches of teak coated
with Eve inches Of wrought iron to every shot. But
both stem and stern are built inside of such immense
strength that coating with armor plates would be al
most superduous- The bows, as the spot where the
whole shock must be recei aed in running down ships,
are inside q perfect web of iron work, strengthened
back to the armor plates with no less than eight
wrought-iron decks an inch thick, crossed and re-
crossed in all ways and methods with diagonal bra
,ings and supports.