Miguelite squadron by Admiral Napier (Count Cabo de San Vicente), and the surrender of the capital, occupied Don Pedro still from July 1833, to May 1834, and when having previously witnessed, at Oporto, a miniature experiment of Mr. Warner's (as Sir R. Peel did in Essex), Don Pedro would have been happy to pay the sum agreed upon at once, in order to save the effusion of blood, and the waste of treasure and time, had Mr. Warner been able, as he pretended, to blow up the strongest fortifications and armies, as he was requested to do the Monte Crasto, near Oporto, and Foz in 1833; but then his objection was 'money down,' which in 1834 would have been placed in the safe hands of the Ambassador of a neutral power, Lord Howard de Walden, for instance, when Mr. Warner might have deposited the keys of the Miguelite fortress of Santarem, so many months in vain blockaded by the Queen's troops; but no, nothing but money in hand would answer the conjurer's purpose. Mr. Warner's contract with Don Pedro, signed by him and the Duke of Braganza, must be still extant in the War-office of Lisbon, and be proveable by many of the surviving authorities, Mr. Warner having shown it to myself and others at Oporto."

Hon. members would recollect that the late Government had refused to purchase the secret of Mr. Warner, and he conceived that they had done wisely in so refusing. The present Government had followed that example, and to them he gave equal praise for the course which they had pursued.

Sir R. PEEL said,-I am sorry that so much of the valuable time of the house should have been occupied with a subject of this description. Although I have arrived at a conclusion different from that which the hon. baronet near me has urged upon the house, yet I am perfectly ready to give him full credit for having brought the motion forward with the most perfect good feeling. I am quite satisfied that my hon. friend was influenced by the best feeling; but, neverthe less, I am bound, in my own defence and that of the Government, to lay the facts before the house, inasmuch as the motion for a select committee implied something like a reflection upon the line of conduct pursued by the responsible advisers of the Crown. The hon. baronet said that if there were a full house he had no doubt that he should be able to carry his motion. Now, if the whole 658 members were at this moment assembled, I do not believe there would be found amongst them 10 men who would support the hon. baronet on a question like the present. The proposition was, that we should have a select committee, to do what? Was it intended that they should try experiments? If 15 members were selected from one side of the house, and 15 from the other, to try if Mr. Warner had fulfilled his undertakings, how could that gentleman's secret be preserved? It appears to me that to take this matter out of the hands of the Board of Admiralty and the Board of Ordnance implies a sort of reflection on me for not having more freely and decisively supported the views of Mr. Warner. I do assure the house that, though I am an unprofessional man, I still have given to this matter a great deal of attention; and with reference to all such real or supposed discoveries I have thought that my duty was to pursue a middle course. I think that on the one hand a public man is culpable if he wholly disregards suggestions of this nature; and, on the other, equally culpable if upon slender grounds he should lend himself too unreservedly to their support. Twenty years' experience has taught me that we are not to take things of this sort for granted, and pay 400,000l. for a secret the efficacy of which has not yet been tested. Every man in office has been in the habit of receiving applications of this nature, not a day passes without something of the sort, some most specious proposal.

But respecting this case, we have had rather a remarkable statement, in which, after a warm panegyric upon the character of King William, in which every one must concur, the writer states that that sovereign had given a distinct assurance to Mr. Warner that all his expectations would be realized. I think, looking at the professional experience of King William, that it was not very likely he would have given any such assurance; however, as he is now not living, we have no means of knowing from his own testimony how the matter

stood. As we can say nothing further on this subject, I wish next to recall the attention of hon. members to the frequency of applications of this nature, and to the fact that Mr. Warner is not the only person who lays claim to discoveries. I hold in my hand a letter dated the 11th of July, 1842, and which is in these words:"Fourteen years ago I made experiments in Italy, before several officers, on implements of war, of power unsurpassed, and I was urged by them to come home to lay them before His Majesty's Government. By His Majesty, on the certificates produced, I was assured of every reward if I would disclose the secret. The prosecution of my professional studies suggested the composition to me. One species is superior to Mr. Warner's, as a single shot, striking a line-of-battle ship, would consign her to destruction. I cannot go the length required by the Ordnance, of 5001. deposit, to make undisclosed experiments." Now, with numerous applications of this kind, what course was open to me? I am sure hon. members do not think that I should have done everything that Mr. Warner required. (Hear, hear.) I am, however, enabled to tell the house that much more was done for Mr. Warner than has been done for any one else similarly circumstanced. His application was treated with a great deal more of consideration than is usual in such cases. The practice is to allow people in general to try their experiments, but at their own expense. If every man in society possessed the power of insisting that his theories and speculations should be tested by experiments at the public expense, the whole time of the public departments would be wasted and the cost would be enormous. (Hear, hear.) Therefore the rule is that experiments shall not be tried unless those who allege that they have made discoveries or perfected inventions give primâ facie evidence of their sincerity and good faith by trying the experiments at their own expense, the public departments affording them every reasonable facility. To show then the consideration with which this supposed discovery was treated, I will state one fact to the house, which is, that I said Mr. Warner's experiments might be tried at the public expense. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Warner stated, that he could cast his projectiles to a distance of six miles, with a force sufficient to produce the gigantic effects which he promised. This appeared most marvellous, but I was not deterred. Wonderful as it semed I did not scout the proposition.

The hulk was ready at six miles distance; two experienced and distinguished officers, Sir B. Martin and Sir H. Douglas, were ready to witness the experiments, and the secret was not to be divulged. With these facts before the house, I confess I am at a loss to understand how hon. members can agree to a motion thus reflecting upon us. Mr. Warner, before he would proceed to try any experiments, required that a sum of 400,000l. should be guaranteed to him by Her Majesty's Government in the event of his being successful. But then what is success? Could he accomplish these tremendous results in the face of an enemy? Could he effect them under all circumstances and with destructive results? This did not appear from the experiments which were tried, and, therefore, I would not guarantee him a single shilling. (Hear, hear.) I could not think of giving a guarantee for the payment of public money under hypothetical circumstances, though I agreed that the cost of the experiments should be defrayed at the public expense. It is not immaterial to observe that this matter has been under the consideration of the Executive Government ever since the year 1834. At one time, when there was a proposition for the trial of experiments before officers of both branches of the service, Mr. Warner required that Lord Hardwicke and Lord Ingestrie should be present, but I decidedly objected to Mr. Warner's appointing any nominees, though, of course, no one can entertain a higher opinion than I do of the two noble lords whose names I have just mentioned. At different periods since the year 1834 the subject has been under the consideration of successive Boards of Admiralty. The correspondence which has passed upon these subjects will best show what really has occurred, and with the

permission of the house I propose to read a letter addressed to Colonel Couper, and dated the 8th of July, 1834. It is in these words:-"I am directed by Lord Auckland to request you will acquaint Sir James Kempt, that an application has been made to his lordship by Major Fancourt, M.P. for Barnstaple, and Commander Warner, of the navy, for permission to have some experiments in gunnery, proposed by Commander Warner, tried before a mixed committee of Ordnance and naval officers; and that it is stated to his lordship by Commander Warner, that a promise was made to him some months ago, by Sir James Graham and Sir James Kempt, that an opportunity of trying his experiments should be afforded to him. Commander Warner further states that he will be ready in about a week to appear before a committee."

I shall next read to the house another letter to Col. Couper, altering, at Mr. Warner's request, the arrangements made by the preceding communication. It is dated the 14th of July, 1834, and is as follows:-"There has been, I am sorry to say, some little mistake in the matter of Capt. Warner's experiment, about which I wrote to you a few days ago. Capt. Warner has been at the Admiralty this morning, and produced a letter from Sir J. Graham, dated the 27th of February last, in which Sir James acquiesces in the proposition made by Capt. Warner, that the exhibition shall be a private one, and consequently Capt. Warner now objects to its being made at Woolwich. He also wishes that three officers only of each service should be present instead of six, and says that it would be more convenient to him if the day of exhibition were to be fixed for Monday the 21st, instead of Friday, the 18th. Lord Auckland, therefore, now proposes to make an alteration in the Admiralty minute to meet Capt. Warner's wishes; and I am to request you will move the Master-General to do the same with respect to the Ordnance, and to fix Wanstead-park, in Essex (10 miles from London), as the place for the experiment to be tried at, before three officers of each service, on Monday, the 21st inst., at 2 P.M." I shall now read the official report of what occurred after the time and place had been fixed for trying those extraordinary experiments :

"Woolwich, July 21, 1834.

"Sir, I have the honour to report, for the information of the MasterGeneral, that in obedience to his commands, signified in your letter of the 15th inst., Colonel Williamson, Sir A. Dickson, and myself proceeded to-day to Wanstead-park to witness the intended experiment of Commander Warner; but after making every inquiry in the neighbourhood we could only at last learn that Commander Warner had left his house at Claybury this morning for London,

and that his return was uncertain.

"Under these circumstances we returned to Woolwich to attend to any further directions which we may receive on the subject. "I have the honour to be, Sir, "Your obedient servant,

"To Lieut.-Col. Couper, &c."

"A. F. FRAZER, "Col. Royal Horse Artillery."

Thus ended the proceedings of that period. Then came the experiments which were to be tried in the presence of Sir Howard Douglas and Sir Byam Martin, and he met those distinguished officers by declining to try any experiments unless he received a guarantee for 400,0001. No doubt there may be, and we know that there are, compositions capable of producing tremendous results-nitrate of silver, for example. It is well known that a person recently engaged in experiments on that substance was himself blown to atoms, and the building in which he had been trying his experiments very materially injured. It is no new discovery, then, to announce that a combination may be produced more destructive than any which we now have in ordinary use. But the mode in which this invention is to be applied is a matter of much more difficulty than the question as to the material. Considering the demands which are made upon my time and attention I must say that I think I have given sufficient con

sideration to this subject, and I hope, that as far as the claim of the hon. baronet to a select committee is concerned, I have succeeded in blowing Captain Warner out of the water. ("Hear," and a laugh.)

Captain PLUMRIDGE explained, that in seconding the motion he did not intend to throw any reflection upon Her Majesty's Government. He knew nothing of Mr. Warner, nor had he had any communication with him upon the subject.

Captain PECHELL expressed his satisfaction at hearing the speech of the right hon. baronet; it convinced him that the censures which were passed upon Lord Melbourne and the late Government for neglecting this invention were unfounded. He thought Mr. Warner had nothing to complain of, for when he was requested to attend the Board of Admiralty to explan his invention, he sent his aide-de-camp or friend (a laugh); so that when the Admiralty were called upon to make a report upon the subject, they had none to make. In an interview which he subsequently had with Sir T. Hastings, he was found to be an impracticable person; it was quite impossible to deal with him. He (Captain Pechell) had always supposed that Mr. Warner had offered his invention to Don Pedro, and now he had no doubt of it. At all events, he believed that the inventor would take it to the best market he could find, without caring for this country. He remembered that once, when engaged in a blockade, he was told to look out for catamarans; but they never arrived, and he always found that when the guard boats were sent out and a good watch was kept, they were of no use. He supposed much the same danger was to be apprehended from this invention of Mr. Warner, although he had boasted that he could destroy a ship of the line at six miles distance, and knock down Portsmouth battery from the Isle of Wight; but he did not say whether he was to go to the farther side of the island and fire his projectile through it. (A laugh.) He thought it might be put on a par with the inventions of Mr. St. John Long, of which the hon. baronet had some knowledge and experience. (A laugh.) He was happy to see that the present Government, as well as their predecessors, treated this matter as it ought to be treated; and he trusted that the committee would not be granted, for it was not probable that the hon. baronet could obtain any more information on the subject from Mr. Warner than had been obtained already.

Sir G. COCKBURN said, that since he had been in office he had named two persons to inquire into this subject, Col. Baillie and Sir T. Hastings, but as soon as Mr. Warner heard their names he objected to them. (Hear, and a laugh.) For the honor of the profession, he ought to mention that although Mr. Warner was styled "commander" in some of the papers which had been read by the right hon. baronet, he never was in the navy, and had admitted to him (Sir G. Cockburn) that he had not served his time in the navy.

Sir F. BURDETT replied.

The house then divided, and the numbers were,

After this let us hear no more of Captain Warner's invention!

DOVER HARBOUR.-Return to an Order of the Honourable the House of Commons, dated July 7th, 1842, for a Copy of the Report of the Officers appointed by the Admiralty to consider the Plans of Mr. Cubitt, for constructing a Harbour of Refuge at Dover.

Admiralty, Dec. 10, 1841. SIR.-In obedience to the orders of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, conveyed to me by your letter of the 22nd of November, to put myself in communication with Lieutenant-Colonel Thompson of the Royal Engineers, and

with Mr. Cubitt, on the subject of forming a harbour of refuge at Dover, I lost no time in communicating with those gentlemen, and I have now the honour of enclosing our joint report.

I hope you will pardon the liberty I take in adding, that the more I have considered this subject, the more I am convinced that Government has never undertaken a work, the necessity of which was so urgent, nor the effects of which, whether in peace or war, would be so important. I have &c., (Signed)

To Sir John Barrow, Bart.

F. BEAUFORT, Hydrographer.

PROPOSED HARBOUR AT DOVER.-In obedience to the directions of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and of the Master-General of the Ordnance, we have this day met here, and having maturely examined the plan and esti mates for the construction of an artificial harbour at Dover, which were submitted to the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury by Mr. Cubitt, civil engineer, and having discussed the whole subject personally with Mr. Cubitt, we feel ourselves warranted in making the following report:

That if, according to the plan above proposed, the breakwaters are to be detached from the land, there will be some considerable danger that the sand and shingle, which will be impelled from the westward by the swell and wind, and which will therefore enter at the western opening laid down in that plan, will be arrested in their progress to the eastward as soon as they become sheltered by the breakwater, and consequently must, by accumulating there, rapidly tend to fill up the proposed harbour.

That a similar effect would take place, though in a less degree, through the eastern opening.

That therefore instead of such a breakwater, detached from the shore, we would strongly recommend that both a western and an eastern pier be carried out simultaneously from the shore, each of them curving round so as to enclose a basin of equal dimensions to that in Mr. Cubitt's plan, but leaving an opening between the pier-heads of 800 or 900 feet, through which any ship can beat in and out with undoubted facility.

That these piers should be constructed on the principle explained in Mr. Cubitt's report, of framework caissons, ballasted with shingle, and floated into their places.

That the above opening or entrance should be fitted with an under-water threshold or semi-pier, according to Mr. Cubitt's original plan and highly ingenious suggestion, and that it should carry four-and-a-half or five fathoms at low water.

That the advantages of thus enclosing the harbour by two piers abutting on the shore, instead of an insulated breakwater, will be

1. The perfect protection of the harbour from the incursion of all moving shingle.

2. The immediate use of the piers as they grow out from the shore, for the purpose either of refuge, or of communication with mail packets, or for a station for revenue cruisers.

3. The advantage of ready communication along the piers to the batteries at their heads, to the lighthouses which would stand there, and to the stairs and cranes from which vessels in distress would have to be relieved.

4. The important saving of time in the formation of an available harbour, from the much greater rapidity with which these piers would be executed, when compared with the work of an insulated breakwater, as all the materials would be directly run out upon railways, and deposited with precision, instead of their being tediously embarked in well-boats, then towed out under the varying interruptions of wind, weather, and tides, and deposited with uncertain irregularity.

5. The equally obvious saving in the expense, which, from the moment the caissons are first placed, would pervade the whole series of work so constructed,