board at various places as they descended the river. At Gravesend a French pilot joined them, and the captain was informed that he must obey his orders: he did so, and the vessel was afterwards steered by his directions.

"On leaving London the directors and captain understood the party were bound to Hamburgh. At Gravesend the captain was informed that the gentlemen had changed their minds and had resolved to visit the coast of France.

"On Tuesday evening they arrived at Margate; they started again at 4 o'clock on Wednesday morning. Late on Wednesday evening they arrived off Vimereux, and the captain received instructions to enter there. This he refused, pleading his ignorance of the place, and stating also his opinion that there was not a sufficient depth of water for his vessel, but he offered to enter Boulogne. This was declined, but he was informed that they would land the next morning at Vimereux. On this the captain turned in, giving directions to the mate to call him when the gentlemen desired to go on shore. At 3 o'clock he was called, and his astonishment may be imagined when he saw the whole party on deck in uniform and armed. They desired the boat to be lowered, and were taken on shore in several trips. On their leaving, the captain asked for instructions. The reply was When you see a white flag on the pier head of Boulogne, enter the harbour and land the baggage, horses, and carriages.'. "About a quarter-past 4, seeing the City of Boulogne starting for England, he signalled her to approach, and desired Captain Tune to inform the company where he was. The steward at the same time threw a letter on board of the City of Boulogne, addressed to the secretary, requesting him to inform his (the (steward's) wife that he was off Boulogne. When they separated he approached the harbour of Boulogne, and let go his anchor. Some time after this a regular pilot, M. Huret, put off to them, and demanded if they wished to enter the harbour. Captain Crowe replied that his orders were to remain where he was till he saw a white flag hoisted at the pier head. The pilot on landing came to me, as the agent of the company, and detailed the conversation that had passed between himself and the captain. Unfortunately I was then busily engaged in the performance of my duty in the corps of the National Guard, to which I belong, or I should instantly have gone off and desired him to enter the harbour. "After some time the captain saw the white flag flying at the end of the pier; he immediately gave orders to get the steam up and raise the anchor, imagining that his gentlemen intended to remain. Fearing, however, that there was not sufficient water to enter the harbour, he sent his boat to the pier head to examine and make inquiry. While his crew were executing these orders the harbour-master went on board, and was received without opposition or suspicion.

"It is said the captain refused at first to enter the harbour, and would not obey Captain Pollet. Now, when Captain Pollet went on board he ordered one of his own men to the helm; this Captain Crowe objected to; and as Captain Pollet does not understand English, nor Captain Crowe French, and as the latter was not aware that he had done anything wrong, and saw no reason, why Captain Pollet should command his vessel, or his man take its helm, it may be easily supposed that in the excited state Captain Pollet was he would misconstrue the reasons of Captain Crowe's opposition. At last, however, Captain Crowe gave way, he obeyed the orders given, and was entering the harbour, when a discharge of musketry at the vessel took place, and several bullets whizzed by Captain Crowe's head. He immediately gave orders to back the vessel; but on the firing ceasing he resumed his course and entered the harbour. On the custom-house officers taking possession of his vessel he learned for the first time, the unlawful use to whch it had been applied; till then he had been at a loss to understand what was going on.

"In conclusion, Sir, I am ready to depose, in the most solemn manner, that neither the crew nor the captain had the least suspicion that Prince Louis Napoleon, nor any other person animated with hostile or criminal intentions against this country, was on board their vessel.

"I am, &c., A. D. Bosson,

"Agent to the Commercial Steam Packet Company."

"To the Editor of the Shipping and Mercantile Gazelle.

"Commercial Steam Packet Company, Chief-office, "Fish-street-hill, Saturday evening, 10 o'clock. "SIB,-I beg to send a copy of a communication forwarded to the mayor of Boulogne, and to request the favour of an insertion of the same in your journal. "I am, Sir, yours obediently, "JOHN BLEADEN."

"A Monsieur le Maire de Boulogne-sur-Mer, &c.

"SIR,-It is with the deepest and most unfeigned regret that the directors of the Commercial Steam-packet Company find that they have been made the unconscious instruments of transporting to the shores of France a body of persons whose object was to excite tumult and dissatisfaction among a people with whom and with whose government the people of Great Britain have so long been, and hope ever hereafter to be, in perfect peace and amity.

"Believing, as they do, that there exists in the minds of the enlightened and well-disposed of both countries an earnest wish that no event may occur to disturb the pacific relations happily subsisting, and themselves heartily participating in this feeling, the directors of the company are anxious to take the earliest opportunity of formally and publicly declaring that not one of their body, nor, as they firmly believe, any one under their orders, or in their employ, had the most distant notion of the wicked and insane purpose for which the vessel was hired.

"The application to the company was not made, as has been erroneously represented, by Prince Louis himself, or by any one known to be connected with him, or professing to act for him or on his behalf. It proceeded from a gentleman of the name of Rapello, a member, as is understood, of the Stock Exchange, whose house of business is in Angel-court, Throgmorton-street, and the vessel was engaged for the professed object of taking a party of his friends on an excursion in the Channel and along the English coast.

"The directors hope and believe that any such disclaimer on their part is unnecessary. They feel assured that the French people will be too just to impute to them any connivance or participation, however remote, in this treacherous and base attempt to disturb the peace of a friendly nation. It is less to convince the people of France than to satisfy their own feeling that they make this public declaration. To the authorities and inhabitants of Boulogne in particular, from whom the company has received so much encouragement and kindness, they are more especially anxious to express their abhorrence of an enterprise, the effect of which might have been to involve their peaceful and flourishing town in bloodshed and pillage, and to tender to them their heartfelt congratulations that the loyalty and bravery of the inhabitants so promptly and effectually crushed the hopes of the infatuated invaders.

"The directors are willing that the captain of the vessel should undergo the strictest scrutiny. They feel certain that the result will be his entire and honorable acquittal; but they desire not only that he should be pronounced blameless, but that every inhabitant of France should be satisfied that he is so.

"Finally, Sir, the directors desire to convey to yourselves the assurance of their distinguished consideration.

“London, Aug. 8th, 1840.

Signed by order of the Board,

"JOHN BLEADEN, Secretary."

"To Mr. John Bleaden, Secretary, &c., &c.

"SIR,-I received the letter which you did me the honor of writing on the 8th instant, concerning the unhappy event which has put your steam packet, the Edinburgh Castle, under the sequestration of the French authority.

"Before your communication was made known to me, I felt convinced, sir,

that the honourable directors of the Commercial Steam Packet Company were completely strangers to anything concerning the mad attempt of Louis Napoleon. The assurance you give me on that subject is quite unnecessary; and I hope your captain will succeed in justifying himself in the most satisfactory

manner.

"I have sent your letter to the Procureur-General of the Royal Court of Douay, who is charged with the instruction of that affair, and it will remain amongst the pieces of the criminal proceedings.

"Receive, sir, the assurances of my perfect consideration. AL. ADAM, Mayor of Boulogne."

"(Signed)

Fourteen seamen and a cabin boy belonging to the steam-boat City of Edinburgh have arrived in Paris from Boulogne, and after remaining two hours at the Conciergerie were transferred to the prison of St. Pelagie, where they remain. The other prisoners are expected at the Conciergerie this day, where forty cells are prepared for them.

STEAM BOAT TACTICS.

SIR,-In answer to your correspondent " S," I beg to point out to him that part of my letter which says, "I will venture to assert that it may be laid down as a certainty, in Steam Boat evolutions, that the stern will invariably come up into the wind with a back turn." And again, "in a calm, a steamer will sometimes obey her helm when going astern, but it is not at all to be depended on."

I refer him also to the article on "Steam Boat Tactics," which appeared in your April number.

In the case I have supposed, the helm was put to port, to point out the apparent anomaly of a vessel not steering stern foremost. The result, as "S." concludes, would unquestionably be the same, without a rudder she would have described the same course.

Sailors, Sir, will, I am sure, be very unwilling to give up the idea that the rudder assists to pay a ship's head off with stern-way. It is my opinion, and I submit it with deference, that it is entirely useless. At any rate it is so in a steam vessel, and it shall be found that such is the case in sailing vessels, it will be advisable not to cause any unnecessary strain to the rudder pintles by putting the helm over. Fancy a 74-gun ship in a sea-way, with her helm hard over, and going perhaps three or four knots astern. What a very great pressure there must be on the aft side of the rudder, and what a strain on the pintles. I am desirous of calling the attention of your readers to this subject, and am, Sir, Yours, &c.

H.M. Steam Vessel Volcano, Malta 9th June, 1840.

ROBERT C. ALLAN.

AUXILIARY STEAM POWER.—“Earl of Hardwicke," East Indiaman. THIS vessel of 1000 tons* burthen, belonging to Messrs. Green, of Blackwall, and bound to Bengal, arrived on Thursday noon at Portsmouth from the Thames. She is fitted with a steam engine of 30-horse power, intended to propel her in light airs and calms, with paddle

* Wrongly stated 1,600 tons in the Hants Telegraph.

wheels so arranged that they can be shipped or unshipped in a very short space of time. She has also a very simple and elegant contrivance on board by which the wheels can be disengaged from the engine in one minute, whenever the vessel is to use her canvas only indeed so quickly can this operation be effected that the wheels were connected and disconnected several times while the vessel was tacking. The space occupied by her boilers and engine is very small, being 24 feet in length and 10 feet in width of the main-deck, between the fore and main hatchway, the whole enclosed between decks, no part going into the hold, nor above deck. This engine of 30-horse power propels her in calm and smooth water five knots, and her consumption of fuel is three tons in twenty-four hours; she draws 17 feet water, and is full of passengers, troops, and cargo. On Saturday, the 8th inst., this ship left the East India Docks with a large party of naval and scientific gentlemen on board, including Capt. Jones, R.N., Capt. Bushby, R.N., Capt. Henning, R.N., Capt. Denny, &c., to witness the action of the engine. She worked her engine down to Gravesend, but owing to the wind coming in brisk from the east, she had the assistance of a small tug; the wind lay dead on end, but she ran down to Gravesend in two hours and a half, going at the rate of six knots through the water, with all her yards square; upon heaving round at the end of Gravesend reach, the tug was cast off, and she steamed up to the town again by her own engine, at the rate of four knots, on a strong ebb tide. On Monday at noon weighed anchor, light airs W.S.W, steamed down to the Nore Light in three hours by her engine, and arrived at Spithead at 3h. 50m. P.M., on Thursday, the 13th, beating the "Wellington," which she had passed on Monday night, by eighteen hours. (The Wellington is generally reputed to be one of the fastest sailing vessels out of the Port of London). The steam engine was of most essential service, working upwards of 40 hours. She was to take her departure for Calcutta on Sunday, and it is fully expected that she will make the voyage to Calcutta in 75 days.

On the Friday previous to her departure, she was visited by Admiral Bonverie, Sir Edward Codrington, Mr. Blake, master shipwright of Portsmouth dock-yard, and many other naval officers and persons connected with the Navy, who expressed themselves highly pleased with the plan.

The "Vernon," a sister ship, upon which the experiment of auxiliary steam was first tried, made the voyage from Calcutta to Spithead, in a very bad season, in 86 days, notwithstanding she had calms and light airs all the way down the Bay of Bengal, when she used her steam consecutively for eight days and nights, and she came from the Cape to Spithead, in 42 days, being we believe, the shortest voyage upon record, during which time she used her steam nine days. Mr. Green, the spirited proprietor of 14 of these splendid East Indiamen, intends to apply generally auxiliary steam; and there can be little doubt but it must soon be adopted in our men-of-war; the space occupied by the machinery being the same amount as that formerly occupied for a cable tier.

It is a rather curious coincidence that the day on which the "VernonTM sails for India, the 10th September next, is also the day fixed for the sailing of the "India" steam vessel, of 320-horse power,-thus an ex

cellent opportunity will be afforded for ascertaining the comparative advantages of the two plans. Many bets have already been made at Lloyd's, that both the "Vernon" and the "Hardwicke," of 30-horse power each, will make the passage out in less time than the "India" of 320-horse power.

Should this prove to be the case it will satisfactorily establish the superiority of steam applied merely as an auxiliary over large steam power applied in the usual way.

HARBOURS.-SOUTH EASTERN COAST.
Concluded from page 596.

HASTINGS.

No harbour at present exists between Rye and Newhaven; but the construction of one at Hastings having been frequently contemplated, we visited that town. The mayor and other gentlemen of the place attended, and laid before us several plans which had been prepared for the purpose; and Colonel Williams, late of the Royal Engineers, afforded us much information, together with his suggestions on the subject.

We do not, however consider it necessary to enter into the particulars of these plans, as a few remarks will show the unfavourable nature of the situation for the objects.

The coast runs, with little deviation, in a straight line, nearly east and by south, and west and by north, and is entirely exposed to the prevailing southerly and westerly winds.

There is no natural back water, nor the facility of making an artifi cial one to any useful extent; the shore composed of shingle and not above four fathoms water at a distance of three quarters of a mile from the beach, which would give but a limited area of twelve feet water (at low water) in proportion to the size of the harbour, were piers to be carried out to such an extent.

A small tidal harbour for the use of trading vessels, &c., would, no doubt, be a valuable adjunct to the town and neighbourhood, but we do not consider the situation adapted for any national work.

CUXMERE HAVEN.

At Cuxmere Haven, which is situated on the western side of Beachy Head, there is no artificial harbour. The shingle beach crosses the entrance and rises several feet above low water, and the interior of the haven is left dry at three-quarters ebb. We did not consider it necessary to land at this place, but proceeded round the coast to Newhaven.

NEWHAVEN.

The harbour of Newhaven is formed in the channel of the river Ouse, at its entrance into the sea, by wooden piers carried out in a southerly direction across the beach. The river is navigable as far as the town of Lewes, and open to the flow and ebb of the tide for four miles further up the stream, or twelve miles altogether, and affords a powerful backwater for scouring the entrance.