The Sun. — 1837-10-19 (London, England)

LONDON.—There are no less than three considerable wrecks within a short distance of each other in the' navigable channel of one of the most important parts of the port of London, which, to the discredit of the Conservators of the Thames, have been suffered to remain for some months, to the injury of the shipping interest, whose members contribute cheerfully their tonnage duty for the support and improvement of the harbour. One of these wrecks is that of the steam-ship Apollo, which lies in. the direct channel in Northfleet Hope,- undergoing an ingenious process for raising her, by inflated cones of India rubber, under the direction of Captain Bush. Another wreck within a short distance from the Apollo lies secure from all attempts at removal under the protection of a Trinity House wreck buoy, and the third. lies in the deep channel of a very important and by no means a wide part of the river, just off the south-east baslion of Tilbury Fort. This is the collier brig William, which was sunk by the collision with the Royal Adelaide steamer more than four months ago, and no attempt has been made eater by Conservators or Committee to remove her till within these few weeks, the owners having abandoned her as worthless. The Lord Mayor at last ordered Mr. Kemp, the patentee of a most ingenious apparatus and machine for raising sunken ships and other heavy bodies from the bottom to the surface, to remove her. The philosophical rationale of Mr. Kemp's plan is the power of the elasticity of atmospheric air and the non-elasticity of water, and it is believed by those who have witnessed experiments with the machine that had it not been for the numerous obstructions which the adventurous patentee has received from vessels carrying away his apparatus almost at the mo.ment of success, in spite of the City flag flying at his mixed, and the corporation chain-lighter, with the Navigation Committee's flag hoisted at its jury mast, this dangerous obstruction would have been removed. It is at all events quite evident that vigorous measures should be adopted to remedy the dangerous evil in some way or other, and we believe that the shipowners contemplate an application to Government, 'if they find that the authorities persevere in the remiss course they have hitherto been pursuing. An individual of the name of Smith, a clothier, who formerly resided at Armley, suddenly disappeared about fourteen years ago. It was at that time supposed that he was drowned, as on the following morning his clothes were found in Water-lane, near the river side ; but it was known that he had 50/. in his possession, which !vas found in his clothes, and he never having been afterwards heard of, there still remained some doubt, upon the circumstance. On Monday last the investigation was resumed in consequence of some information given by a woman to the police, stating where his mortal remains might be found ; but the information has so far led to no satisfactory result,.for the ground pointed out has been dug up to a considerable depth, but nothing was found to confirm her testimony. The evidence rdduced goes to prove, if anything, that the man was murdered, robbed, and his body consumed in a furnace near the place where the clothes were found. If this should eventually prove to be the case, it will put a stop to all further proceedings, and the guilty parties will evade justice. York Herald.