THE GREAT EASTERN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XIII, Issue 768, 17 March 1860, Page 2

THE GREAT EASTERN.

(From the' Times.') The following report has been submitted by the surveyors :■—-

" Great, Eastern Steamship, • . " Holyhead, Oct. 18,

" Gentlemen, — In compliance with yonr request, we have made a complete survey of the Great Eastern, but, not having had time to prepare our detailed reportj we beg to submit the following* remarks upon the points referred to in your letter, and some: others which we think it important you should bring' under the consideration of the board : —

" With reference to the intimation that Mr. Russell alleges that his contract is completed, we mark that the hull of the ship to which our survey has. been specially directed (exclusive of the engines) is not completed either as to the 'general scope' or the 'details of the contract/ as a first-class passenger ship, such as those of Cunavd's line or the Royal West India Mail Company, and that, in her present state/it would ue imprudent to send her to sea on a lengthened voyage. '" We are unable at present to arrive at a definite opinion as to v the cost of the \\ rorks necessary for the completion of the ship ia a" respects in accordance, with the contract. The amount must be very large. We are unable to state the amount of damages consequent on the delay in sending* her to sea. "We. may remark generally, that, with the exception of a few cabins, the accommodations are by no means equal to the requirements of a first class passenger steamer, suC/ 1 as Cunard's line or the Royal West India Mail steamers, but are very inferior —materials? workmanship, and furniture. , "The accommodation for the officers and crew is by no means such as ought to Mve been provided and is required by the contract. "The decks are not tight, and a great deal of inferior material and workmanship has been used in them. "There is no heating apparatus »>r warming the cabins in winter. „ "There is a considerable amount of worK which is absolutely necessary to be performea

"T^^hTSMw" trusted on a lengthened before thejn v AtkntiC) which w? rk would rev °Jrago Stable time to execute man efficient luil' 6 a°Z even with this done the ship would nia'f r'jT the contract retires, her. to., be; and n ot be what w reFpeo ts would bo a constant aefioienwes iv annoyance to the company. source ot cxp«/ „ , your obedient sorvants, " William Patterson. " John Joedan. Mnntao-ue, Leverson, and Hawley, 12, "^Hotn'Tp^ondon^.C.'' « flF V»AlBBtABK8O» THE STEAMSHIP GE!a Gbeat Eastern. «' DBOK BEAMS ANP PILLAEING. of t)l0[ll"'r sufficient tluoknoss foraeWpof her tened nol ° jnagnitude. tfa dflokg are generally with"'^^P r^bngs, and hatches and skylights outs^cientcom? o , The beamg mof t aye wiUioiit gian o wide spa(jed> and eyi . l e"?S not sufficiently supported by pillars and dently not su onnec ted throughout with each other cavlwgs>" ° , c s j l jp_ s tve»gtU is required in the large onmnartmonts forward and aft. . ■ . : cargo co»iP aU" ((DECK FITTI ngs. (I , roorilll r bollards, leading chocks and blocks, i belavin" pins, topsail bitts, ring and eye P"u a 1 cpnerally insufficient in number, size, and bolMtt^fr**,,,, bollards and leading chocks ftstenSd Tthe° sponsons. The stay, to the ; "re nJ equiro additional stays, about the midd c Til • leTth, to keep them stiff and in their 0 Pnrte are required for stowing anchors. ; ftrb for gun., properly fitted >vith ring and eye. 5 for working the guns. Coaling and cargo 1 with proper fastenings; present ones being ?° ffi c and not secure. The side lights all re"^SttStwith indiarubber,and dead lights qTdr nPPes made good to carry water clear of f.,deasd proper scuppers throughout the ship j S e c ± oft the water from all. the decks The Jvatercloset stools outside are insecure and dangeShe iron decks throughout where the crew live linnld be covered with 3-inch deal, and the sides lined with wood next all the bed-places throughout "The'arrangements for taking the water from the several compartments and the spaces between the two skins to be so completed that any.one commrtment can be cleared exclusive of others by the engines or by hand, if necessary, and all the valves, md cocks to be so placed and fitted as to be opened and shut from the decks. The joiners' work, I materials, furniture, and fittings are generally of an inferior description, and very slight; not at all of a first class character. - "CAPSTAN AND ANCHOR &EAE. " The shafting to fore capstan very slight for its extreme length, and the levers and shafts of the connecting and disconnecting gear of the capstan are already bent, and have given way through insufficiency, ' " The riding bolts and deck stoppers are generally fitted upon small and insufficient and inferior timber; there are no hawse bucklers nor hawse plugs to any of the hawse holes forward or aft. . The chain lockers require additional security. . The. steering gear is insufficient, and no spare tiller (of wood). Small.rudder pendants must be fitted. "There is no steam power for steering, as re-, quired-in the contract, nor cargo winches at hatchways. There is no steam power for coaling purposes. The screw shaft is quite exposed, and when the hold is filled with cargo or stores will be quite inaccessible. A substantial protection should be made, so as to prevent danger when in motion. "The five funnels require particular attention to have a sufficient' clearance' at the decks and woodwork, to obviate the danger from fireio which they ( are liable. ' : \ .. , . ! "The waste steam and other pipes are not secured | so as to be safe at sea. ■ ■.:...• i " The funnels are only stayed to the combings, and are insecure and dangerous. • .. , "There are no arrangements for sufficient ventilation and warming throughout the ship. ; . "These remarks are to be taken in connexion with our report of this day's date, addressed te Messrs. Montague, Leyerson, and Hawley. " Geobge Bayley. " War. Patteeson, (>Holyhead,Oct.lß. "John Joedan." M. Amedee de Cesena, formerly editor of the ' Constitutionnel,* has just brought.out an interesting work, entitled ' Campagne de Piemont et de Lombardie." It forms a handsome volume,'in two parts,—one containing 312, the other 325 pages; is illustrated with engravings, maps, and plans, and, as the frontispiece, with a good likeness of the Emperor of the French. The volume is printed on good paper, and in excellent type. It presents a detailed narrative of the military operations during tnewar, and closes with an account of the preliminaries of Villafranca, the triumphal entry of the troops into Paris, and the-Treaty of Zurich. The lew introductory pages contain a sketch: of the policy of Prance in Italy, and are closed with these words:— ... • ... I ''Some time after (the matrimonial alliance between the Imperial family and the. King of Sardinia), faithful to the policy: of Henry' IV, which am remained as the traditional and: national policy of France and Italy, Napoleon III; undertook the rapid and glorious expedition of which the present work retraces the marvellous history." irrespectively o f other considerations, M. de work is a good book of reference, as it wmprisesnotonly an account of the various combats, »om the first shot fired in anger down, to the pl°J ni\ glicJory" of Solferino, with their many episodes, but also the " orders of the day," the proclamations of military and civil authorities, the Piww addresses, and speeches at banquets, &c. TW tnx ends with a brief summary of the lreat.es of Zurich. He says ■- . of T n i i re«ulates the conditions of the cession of Lombardy to France. the in? SeC°v d grants lombardy-to Piedmont on y!.,™l'l re-establishes the relations of peace worR 7 uitween Austria and Piedmont, This ZLf sl tleme^ is completed. But it did not eidebst ontracfcin.? powers at Zurich to deneeteril Tn them on the complex questions conin whirS- ie re-°rgan«ation of Italy—questions "ffn !l Pities are directly interested. Emnp™ pa Em Pei-or of the French and the the Lnl.°- A? tria BfciP^ated the restoration of Tu SC a nvo ne 'V nasty at Florence; but here is "ThL g? ally re Jecting that restoration. ' a<reefl H i°ami tnese two powerful Sovereigns sof it n^ hln S Bhould be from the them elves t an(l f hat they should limifc eSirlf ff°. rati l0?? pe im Prove^ents. States/ cml adrainistrations of these Pospd?n«-M 7 e likew'se have the Romagnas disauthorifvlp l? I'^ theraselves from. the temporal «Tr7 °f^ he S°™-eign Pontiff. Jn* to £ again> "? have all Central Italy tlemandanT ed to Piedmont, a measure which tZfaT^yjS!**' the balance of Eur °Pe' and WatiS COr} iliT s of the existence of, the Conwjitwn projected at Villafranca. reservingX° u.°[ t^se questions belongs-always gre'^ ther'g^of the populations-to a ConP*> composed of powers that have figured in the

treaties of Vienna, as these are the treaties which are to be revised in such of their stipulations as relate to Italy. ■■

"This: Congress is announced, God only, knows what will be the issue; but, whatever bo .decided, the campaign of 1859 lms for over annihilated the preponderance of Austria in thb'Peninsula, and for ever secured the independence of Lombardy, at the same time that it has prepared the liberation of Venetia.

". Necessities of a superior kind may have arrested the victorious inarch of the soldiers of France. But there is one feeling which nothing can tire out, which nothing can destroy; this is the love of country and of liberty. '" The city of the Doges will one day cease to he Austrian, and again become Italian.

"Already has Milan, the city of the 'Lombard Kings, thrown off the yoke of the foreigner. " Venice will one day be free !" ■ . With this pious prediction, to which one may answer " Ainsi soit-il," M. de Ceseha closes his book.— -Times, Dec. 14.

The first battery of Armstrong guns, six-12' pound breech-loading rifles, was yesterday proved at the Koyal Arsenal butt, Woolwich, in preparation for transit to China by the overland route. The proof charges employed on the occasion, as ordered by the War Department, consisted,of the largest amount of powder with which it was possible to cram the chambers of each gun, and a couple, or double shot. Col. Tulloh, Mr. Anderson, and Capttain Gordon, who were the authorities present, thoroughly tested and searched each, gun immediately after the discharge, to ascertain the effect. The guns were mounted for the occasion and fired on temporary carriages, in order to avoid the risk of chipping or other injury to ; which they are subject under the ordinary method of firing on the ground. The terrible shock which, , the excessive charges produced brought the guns i off their position with a perfect leap) and gave a ! recoil of about 25 feet; nevertheless, the thorough : temper of the materials and the remarkablex;haracter. of the guns nobly resisted the shock. They j were accordingly pronounced impossible to burst ! under fair usage, and were immediately packed in ; cases for transport.— Times, Dee. 5. i The Four Liverpool Brokers.: —Yesterday, ; at a meeting of the Liverpool Law Society, the folIlowing resolution was carried:— i " That the President be requested to inform Her ■ Majesty's Attorney-General that in case it be the of Her Majesty's Government to take any ; proceedings against the four Liverpool merchants who lately made a communication to the Emperor 'of the French, this committee will be happy to render jthe Attorney-General any assistance in its power." The Chairman stated that the proposed prosecution was not within the province of the society, as set forth in its rules, and therefore it was not in the power of the committee to entertain it. The four gentlemen concerned in the correspondence—Messrs. G. Shaw, S. Mellor, F. W. Irving, and H. B. Gaskell (not Blackwelly as has been previously stated)—have already experienced, in various ways, the indignation and contempt their proceedings have created in Liverpool.— Times, Dec. 5. . The Tea Trade in India.—Mr. Henry Mann, an enterprising gentleman who left China about five years ago, has introduced the tea tree to Southern India, having formed a plantation on the Neilgherries, which is now flourishing. The Madras Government has lately published an interesting' report on the subject. The plantation is situated 2| nriles above Coonooiy at; an elevation of 6000 feet, with an exposure to the north-east, and contains about 6000 plants. The ground occupied is about four acres. The plantation is on a slope. The forest land is found most suitable for the plants. It now only remains to test the leaf and to procure skilled manufacturers. This the Government were asked to do by the Conservator of Forests, but the application ha 3 been refused on the grounds of the inexpediency of government interference with pri,vate enterprise. The importation of skilled manufacturers on speculation will not probably be ventured upon by any private individual for many years. The cultivation of tea in the hill districts of India seems to be spreading fast, and as these are the localities recommended for European colonization, we may yet see India rivalling China in this trade, and sturdy Anglo-Saxon pickers depicted on the tea chests instead of almond eyed, longtailed men of China:— -Bengal Hurkarw. Fracas in Mexico.—general Coronado imprisoned Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Mazatlan, on account of his refusing to pay a second duty on the treasure shipped in her Britannic Majesty's steamship Calypso, Captain Sidney Greenfall, of her Britannic Majesty's steamship Amethyst, released him and blockaded the •port, seizing two of their ships loaded with cotton. The Liberal party at Mazatlan had refused to recognize the American Consul until the arrival of the St, Mary's, when all difficulties will be amicably settled. Captain Stone returns to Sonora with an escort of 200 United States troops and 400 civilians. That part of the. despatch in regard to the Calypso will be perfectly intelligible to you. I wrote you a month since that this vessel had landed $1,500,000 in silver at Panama, smuggled on board from the coast without paying: the export duty, which is 6jper cent., and I made some comments at the time on this disgraceful and undignified conduct of her Britannic Majesty's Government in thus swindling the Government of Mexico out of its legal dues. It has since been shown, as I have noticed in, some editorial articles in ' The Times/ that the whole amount of specie thus brought away by the Calypso amounted to the enormous sum of 15,000,000! So that the British Consul has not been imprisoned for refusing to pay a "second duty," but for refusing to pay any duty at all. You are aware that out of the .$306,006 thus dishonourably acquired by the British Government one per cent, goes to the admiral and officers on the station, and another portion to one of the national hospitals—the Greenwich, I believe. The British Government will have hard work to justify its conduct in the business of seizing the Mexican vessels for such a cause. — Times, Dec. 14.

Messrs. Pearse and Co., of Stockton, have on the stocks for the Government an Indian river steamer of immense proportions. Her water-line is 350 feet, over all 375, and breadth 46 feet. She is by far the largest river steamer in the world. Her engines are 200-horse power. She will be impelled with paddles, and will, it is expected, attain a speed of thirteen miles an hour. She will be fitted with sleeping berths and every suitable sanitary arrangement for about 800 soldiers. Iron beds with galvanized bottoms are to be used, and the ventilation will be the same as that, employed in the General Post Office. The decks are to be covered with teak, and an awning will be provided for the whole length of deck. The vessel will also have two houses, American steam fashion, on the deck, each about 100 feet' long, and there will in- addition, be two hospitals on board., She will be guided by two large patent steering blades, and is made to draw only two feet of water, even with all her stores, fuel, and 800 passengers on board. She is flatbottomed; of course, and weighs about 370 tons. She will be completed in about a m^onth, and will then be fitted up on the Thames in order to make an experimental trip.