Current:

Leader (1850-1860), 17th September 1859, Edition 3 of 3, Page 4, . ¦ • ¦ *. pnTTTTrAT T?/^T>T?c!TTAT»/"» ...

Page 4
Page 4
4 of 24

On this page

  • Text (4)
  • Transcript

    • Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.

      Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

      1048 The Leadek. [No. 495. Sept. 17, 185...

      1048 THE _LEADEK . [ No . 495 . Sept . 17 , 1859 .

      <Vjv Oj^Y «(Ij)Ht0 R^T ^Xd^* ' «? ~ , G£...

      < _vjv _Oj _^ y _«( IJ ) Ht 0 r _^ t _^ XD _^* ' _~ _, G £ _y . >¦

      . ¦ • ¦ *. Pnttttrat T?/^T>T?C!Ttat»/"» ...

      . ¦ ¦ _* . _pnTTTTrAT _T _?/^ T > _T ? c ! TTAT _»/"» _- « ff _\ rr iQ _rV ± j ±± _U , A _. L , ± UKJibliAJJL » _Wli _\ _t »» . On Thursday nearly a thousand of the West Kent Conservatives dined together at Mote Park , Maid stone . Among the guests were Lord Holmesdale and Sir E .. Filmer , the members of the division of the county , the Earl . of Romney , the Earl of Darnley Lord _IOngsdown , Sir N . Knatchbull , Sir T . M . Wil son , Sir Brook Bridges , M . P ., Sir J . H . Maxwell Mr . G . Hardy , M . P ., Colonel Fletcher , and Admiral Marshani . The Earl Stanhope presided , and in the course of the evening made a very long speech in which he alluded to the fall of Lord Derby ' s Go vernment , and snid Lord _Palmerston ' s Government followed it , and it would ill become those who hold the name of Conservative to offer a predetermined and undiscriminating opposition cither to his Go- vernment or to any other which might be formed in this country . The policy of Conservatives should be to support good measures from whomsoever they might come , and to reserve their opposition for such measures as they might deem injurious to the public interest . Nay , it could scarcely be denied that if LordPalmerston should turn out to be able to carry safe and moderate measures , it would be owing solely to the generous forbearance of that very party which he had done his utmost to expel from power . I he Conservative party had done more to deserve credit for liberality than the so-called Liberals . He denied that there was any jealousy of new peers in the House of Lords—additions were received cor- dially when accompanied by merit . A . predetermined and _indiscriminating opposition was not the atti- tude which ought to be assumed by Conservatives . If dangerous measures were introduced they ought to put forth their strength to pppose them but if . the measure , were satisfactory Conservative feeling would best be shown m welcoming Conservative measures fromwhatever quarter theymight come . The Conservative principle did not pledge its sup- porters to all the details of measures , but merely to the general policy of maintaining the ancient insti- tutions of the country . In every measure brought before them , true Conservative policy would prompt them to consider only whether _^ were calculated to maintain those institutions . It did not exclu _P e measures of repair , —the very reverse . In material matters repairs , and large repairs too , were often found to be necessary for preservation . Changes might be made in political matters—nay , considerable _changes-pro _^ ded they were made on the principle of supporting and strengthening the institutions which our forefathers _transmitted to us , There was a great difference between those improve- _menta which tended to give new vigour to the fabric , and those changes which the revolutionists of the day recommended , seeking to subvert the fabric altogether . The chief maxim in public affairs should be the safety of our public institutions : and in adhering to that maxim the danger of yield- ing to revolutionary schemes , and the danger of leaving unreformed 8 ld and proved abuses would be - equally avoided . Of most of the attacks made on the institutions of the country it might be said that they were equally fallacious and disingenuous . For instance , no argument was more frequently used against the House of Lords than tnc apparent absurdity of legislative _functions being _hereditary , and , capa _7 blc of " transmission from _fathers son b _^ t those who used this argument cither suppressed or forgot the fact that it applied with equal force to an hereditary monarchy . fc > uch an argument was not . justifiable , except in the mouths of those who were ircpnred ' to _dispense , _nltogether with the form of government under which this country had bo greatly iiourished . ( Cheers . ) In foreign countries this same constitution of ours , which uninformed or designing men decried , was , the object of admiration and of envy . , ¦ At the dinner of the Stoko Agricultural Associa- tion , the Earl of SimiiAVSuuiiY observed that woought to havo an efficient standing navy . He was almost afraid , such was the proasuro on Parliament , that they might bo drivon to an extrenio , and build a number of vessels , which in tho course of a fow yoars would be out of date But there could be no doubt that this country muat keep her navy at tho head of all tho navies in tho world . AVo must hold our own by every possible means . We must well weigh what wo are about to do , and mako such improvements as would rendor us secure , whatever difficulties might arise . To have a _sufflciont fleet to protect the whole of our shores was impossible , What we required was tho protection of our arsenals by a ' good Channel fleet . In tho course of _somo fur- they remarks his lordship said that the aristocracy were not separated froni , but formed a part of tho people j ana Qod forbid that ho should over live to _« eo the day when they would bo separated from the general interests of tho country . Tho Houso of

      . ¦ • ¦ *. Pnttttrat T?/^T>T?C!Ttat»/"» ...

      Lords must in the long run represent the calm and ¦ well-considered opinion of the public , but would not be forced by a temporary pressure into the adoption of measures contrary to their own . judgment . That House was a safeguard against hasty legislation , and was esteemed and loved by the country . —Lord Sandon , who was also present , remarked that it - _was said by some , " The country is now in such a sickly condition that we must look well to its con- stitution and alter many of those national forms un- , der which we have grown and nourished . " On - looking at the towns he saw unmistakable signs of , prosperity . ! On looking at the strikes , which were so deeply injuring some parts of the kingdom—the great struggle between labour and capital—he saw , the men behaving with great moderation and in a - manner worthy of imitation by those who occupied a much higher position . On looking at our com- merce he saw hundreds and thousands of our vessels floating on every water and bearing the British en- sign , and he found the number annually increasing , When such was the state of England , he would ask , could it be true that the whole constitution of the country was rotten ? Were these the signs of a falling State ? At a meetino . at Banbury on Tuesday , Colonel No ; KTn _MP-, ¦ took the trouble to refute some of Mr _Bri"ht ? s _exaggerations , at Huddersfield , and to take up the cudgels for the sergeants of the army _, With regard to the term " unmitigated scoundrels , " _j ie ( Colonel North ) could only tell Mr . Bright that jf _£ e referred to the non-commissionedofficers of the army they were no more unmitigated scoundrels tnan he _^^ _B _^ h _^ _was an unmitigated scoundrel himself > v < _xau"hter and cheers . ) Their respecta- b j 1 Jt y as a ciass their devotion to their _sovereign , and their gallantry upon all occasions , had secured for them the respect and esteem of the whole country / Cheers ) No regiment could exist with- Out its non-commissioned officers , and instead of beino . » unmitigated scoundrels " they formed one of the riiost efficient branches of the service With regard to the punishment of flogging , he ' had no _hesitation in saying that it was a degrading punishment but it _* vas intended to be a de- _£ radin ~ one No doubt it was a severe punish- ment , andhe himself had seen both officers and men faint \ vhileit _was being inflicted ; and if Mr . Bright ' or aQ other man wou = ld provide an effectual sub- stitute he had no doubt the whole army would gladly receive it J b J ' Ci _, _nMi 5 m _q w .+ _;™ a ; - _t _, _,, _^^ A * _" _^ _^ _v _fS _? ES h _£ ™ 2 _Tp ? _wKt _LeightoxM . P ., said tor his part he thought that _^^ S _^ n _^ _Xln _^^ _ri _^^!& A _^ members , and that manufacturing toAvns should re- turn those who more especially _^ represented _^ _those interests He thought , for instance , that he would _Jut imperfectly repres _^ i _^ thOT _e ! l _'^^ _Sr ? " _" _61 _^ 1 _^ Z _^ _lt _^ _£ _? _T » l _? represent Shropshire . An advertisement had ap- P _^ _ftl _^?^^ port the the ba lot . It struck him that theadvo- oates of the ballot ought to go further , and Bee if members of Parliament ougl _) t not to vote m the House _,

      The Trial Trip Of The Great Eastern. The...

      THE TRIAL TRIP OF THE GREAT EASTERN . The first adventure _ot the Leviathan upon the great waters , begun under auch favourable auspices , and with every prospect of a successful result , has falaifled the predictions of its well-wishers , and resulted in a fearful tragedy . At six o ' clock on the afternoon of Friday , when the monster ship was off Hastings , at about seven milea distance _trom the shore , an explosion took place on board , causing the ultimate death of five men , and seriously wounding more than twenty others ; besides doing upwards of £ 5 , 000 damage to tho noble ship herself . The cause of tho accident is thu 9 explained : — "In order fully to understand as far ns it is yot known tho cause of tho accident , it will b . o necessary to say a few words on the peculiar construction of the two forward funnels for the paddle boilers . In tho first plans for tho vessel it was determined , in order to economize tho heat given off by the funnels , and to keep tho saloons through which thoy passed cool , to fit them nil with what is termed "» feed-pipe casing , " rising from tho boilers to about eight feet above tho upper dock . This feed-pipe easing is

      The Trial Trip Of The Great Eastern. The...

      simply a doable or outer funnel for the length we have stated , the inner one , as usual carrying off the smoke and flanie , and the space between it and the outer casing being filled with water . The water is pumped in at the top of the casing while cold ' and gradually passing down into the space round the furnaces , becomes greatly heated ; when it is discharged into the boilers by means of an ordinary stop-cock . A plan by which so much coolness is supposed to be gained in the berths and saloons , and so much fuel saved by the ample supply of hot water to the boilers , promises such obvious advan - tages that fbr the last ten years attempts of every kind have been made to carry out the principle successfully on board most of the seagoing steamers In no one instance has the plan ever yet succeeded " In but too mahy cases the funnels have done what the funnel of the great ship did on such a colossal scale last Friday . When such an accident has not occurred the pressure of the column of water upon the base of the funnel near the furnaces has been so great as to cause them , when strained in bad weather or worn by long use , to leak into the fires and extinguish them more or less rapidly . " On board the Great Eastern were assembled some of the most graphic contributors to the periodical literature of the day , and from the letters of the various special correspondents of our daily contemporaries we have extracted the following particulars - With regard to the " water jackets , " which are the undoubted cause of the disaster , Mr . Russell states positively that this arrangement was forced upon him by Mr . Brunei ; that he protested against _**» and that it ; was ° nly m obedience to the stringent I conditions of his contract that he adopted it . The I safety valve of this steam generator was a tap which I was to be turned by hand , and the opinion of every one who looked at the broken funnel was that it had never been turned since it was first placed in its _Present position . It seems that—in this case , at all events—the turning had been neglected , and that m consequence the water within had rapidlv become steam , and , finding no _ventjhad burst Upwards in the terrible explosion which sent a long funnel weighing eight tons some fifty feet into the air . Another statement was , that the person whose duty _** was to keep this "jacket " filled had forgotten it " until _" was almost empty , and then in his _fraght suddenly filling the red-hot _iron-vessel with cold water caused it to burst and fly in . pieces . Captain Harrison had been standing on the bridge overhead , looking into the binnacle , and the moment he heard the report , and whilst the destructive shower was stiu foiling fast , he lumped upon the deck and ordered an _^ mediate descent to the ladies' saloon . A f H h passenffer had raised a cry of" the boats , " and J _&^ _g' _^ sorae r of the _pallors , was mad _^ r att ' ti t j _/ t th down . In , one moment all would _^ hafe been lost , but the voice of the captain wa _* heard like a trumpet , calling out , "Men to your duty , officers to your posts , give me a rope , and let six men follow n _^? " Till effect o _? this _shm- address eiectric . In an instant ho had slid down the s . _^ J , _; _sioon 7 followed by his braVc boatswain gj _^ gj _° x _™ d s b _£ volunteers were not long wanted _« J the forlorn hope . One after-another _lfe dashed _J or _^ ne J ° ™™ panels but the splendid apartments _gg _^ J _^ f _^ _« _J a _»* o _^ yt _>^ _iiLbitants , h sown little gJ _^ ghtS _^ _EdUhTnd 1 er pe _^ b do- It was the reward _£ au _?» _JJjJJgl' Xt _^ Ms own child should be thus _£ m o s n a " oh 7 so _providcntSlly saved . But even J _° nTo diS not for a moment lose his _Self-^ mand . Snatching up ttS child , and with I elance _seeinsr she was unharmed , he ¦ exclauned _° « _Paff hfr along _tTthe deck , there are I rooms to be searched " In this way del ho 1 _™ 9 _~ _r ° on _« to be searched in t » " J _^ in | _J _™^ fQ _^ _^^ _, _? e fflatisued hi _. _nsclf fhat 1 not ft _singi 0 WOman was in the _burning _etoaming , m suffocating chamber . His intimate friend , Mr . Trot- | ] man , who had followed him down almost . immo- I diately , found the poor lap-dog moaning under a \ heap of ruins and was the means of restoring it to |; Its little mistress . Toroturn to the deck uud rosumo ! , the command was with the captain the worlc of ft moment , but that moment had been sufficient to ¦ test the mettle and _self-poasossiqn of two men who || were ns brave and reliable as himsolf . Mr . Atkin- m son , the pilot ( says an _eyovwitnesaV stood ftt his M _poat on the bridge and continued to direct tho movo- m | ments of tho Bhip as calmly aa if he were only turn- m ing her into a harbour . Some frightonod fool m shouted , ' Atkinson , come down and _aavo yourself , m but tho veteran replied , "I ' m no engineer , Im ft | m pilot , I ' ve charge of the ship , and I'll stick to _hor . ( t | Mr . Sowoll _, who hold tho wheel under Mr . Atkinson a | | directions , was equally _solf-ppssosaod . To _tlicao two m men , noxt to Captain Harrison , I believe we _nro m mainly indebted for tho ship . The effects oftlio m catastrophe soon became lamentably apparont . uno m by one , borne on the shoulders or in the annai oi m their comrades , or , in one or two oases , staggering m past , onmo by the unfortunate men who hud been M scalded iu tho stokehole . During the night , two i |

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 17, 1859, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/sldr_17091859/page/4/