“SIR, OF Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, 22d May, 1811. "In obedience to the honourable board's commands, transmitted in your letters of the 29th ultimo and the 3d instant, I assembled the committee of colonels and field officers of royal artillery, named below, on the 18th and 20th instant, to take into consideration, and to give their opinion on, Capt. Manby's discovery of an instantaneous manner of discharging pieces of ordnance for the relief of ship wrecked persons, without the application of fire; and further, to investigate the several subjects stated in Captain Manby's letter to the honourable board, of the 2d instant, wherein he requests the report to extend to the whole of his various productions, as they are now considered by him complete, and to the fullest of his wishes.' "The committee having communicated with Captain Manby on the subject of their meeting, he submitted to them his arrange ment of the proposed experiments; after which they adjourned to the ground for mortar-practice, in the barrack-field, where be exhibited them in the following order: "1st- A person completely equipped with every neces sary apparatus to effect a communication with a vessel driven on a lee shore.' "A man mounted on horseback was exhibited, accoutred with a deal frame, containing 200 yards of log line, ready coiled for service, which was slung as a knapsack, with a brass howitzer of a threepounder bore on its carriage, and two rounds of ammunition, the whole weighing 62 pounds, strapped on the fore part of the saddle. The person thus equipped, is supposed to be enabled to travel with expedition to the aid of ships in danger of being wrecked, on parts of the coast intermediate to the mortar stations: and with this small apparatus the log line is to be projected over the vessel in distress, from which a rope should be attached to it to haul the crew on shore. Captain Manby caused the howitzer to be dismounted from the horse, and in a very few minutes fired it, when the shot was thrown, with the line attached, to the distance of 143 yards, with 2 ounces of powder. In this expe riment, Captain Manby used kind of pear shot 14 diameter in length, and weighing 4lbs. 1207. 12dr. by which additional weight the shot's momentum and power over the line is considerably aug mented, though the recoil is in Present, Lieut. Gen. Lloyd, Major Gen. Ramsay, Col. Borthwick, Lieut. Col. Riou, Licut. Col. Spicer, Lieut. Col. Colebrooke, Lieut. Col. Beever, Major Gold, Major Buckner, creased a creased in proportion; which does not appear to be a consideration of moment, when compared with the importance of communicating with the distressed vessel. "At a subsequent trial, the horseman, fully equipped, travelled 1 mile, the howitzer was dismounted, and the line projected 153 yards in six minutes. "2d-Insuring the means of firing ordnance, and thereby affording relief, by a rope being projected, when the severities of storm prevent the possibility of a match being kept alight for that purpose; as on the success of this service every thing depends.' Captain Manby exhibited a mode of firing ordnance by the chemical agency of two substances, which ignite when coming in contact with each other. The effect was certain and instantaneous, and particularly well adapted to the services he proposes, which frequently happens during severities of weather, when it is most difficult to keep matches alight, or to make the fire of a lock take effect; and in situations where, from the impossibility of renewing a light, the delay might prove fatal. "3d-Captain Manby showed 'the construction and mode of laying and firing a piece of ordnance from a boat, when the sea is continually breaking over it, to communicate with a vessel that has ground ed on a bar, in running for a harbour in a storm, to approach which, from the broken water, it has been found impossible to get to her with out such aid,' "On this occasion, a 12-pounder howitzer was fired with six ounces of powder, which projected a shot and a deep sea-line 74 yards. The explosion shattered a wooden cover to pieces, which was placed over the howitzer to preserve it from the waves, and struck several bystanders with violence, proving its application at the moment of firing to be dangerous, and particularly in a boat where the men must be very close to the piece. The committee think the cover may be of great service, provided the necessary precaution is adopted of removing it at the time of firing. "4th-The next experiment consisted of the readiest method of giving assistance, by the rope being laid and conveyed to the spot in a basket; and another certain method of firing the piece.' "The committee are of opinion, the application of the basket must be attended with considerable advantage, from its portabili ty, and saving much time tuat would be required for coiling the rope on the ground. 5th-A rope-ladder was exhibited, intended to be projected or conveyed to a crew wrecked under a cluff or inaccessible cliff' "This ladder consists of a single rope, with loops spliced to it at convenient distances, for the support of the feet and hands when climbing. The ladder of this construction was attached to a 21pounder shot, and fired from a 5 inch mortar at 19o elevation with 12 ounces of powder. Though this experiment failed, by the ladder breaking, which Captain Man by method of affording certain "Light balls were thrown into the air from a mortar, at 80° elevation, with three ounces and two ounces of powder; and the 5 inch mortar, charged with eight ounces of powder, projected a deep-sea-line, attached to a shell with four fuzes, to the distance of 159 yards. Though this trial was not attended with the desired effect, there can be no difficulty in rendering light balls efficacious in Captain Manby's service, as has already been stated in my Report of the 3d May, 1809, when they succeeded perfectly; and at which time the committee also expressed their entire approbation of his rethod of illuminating the life-rope, as above described. "7th- The distance a deepsea-line can be projected from the shortest constructed 8inch mortar, as a deep-sealine is of sufficient strength to send a hawser to a vessel stranded on a very flat shore, which is consequently a considerable distance from the land.' "With this view Captain Manby charged an 8-inch mortar with two pounds of powder, and with an elevation of 23 degrees projected a 68-pound shot, with the deep-sea-line, to the distance of 439 yards. The committee consider this application of the 8-inch mortar to promise great utility in the situations Captain Manby has described. 8th- To illustrate by experiment the method and distance an 8-inch barbed shot can be projected, for the purpose (when it is impossible without such aid) to haul a boat from a beach over a high raging surf, to go to ships in distress at a distance from the land, with a patent Sunderland 2-inch rope of uncom mon strength, and which has actually saved, this winter, 29 persons.' Captain Manby had previously placed two anchors and buoys, united by a hawser, at two cables length distance from the mortar, the explosion of which, with two pounds of powder, broke the patent rope, and caused the experiment to fail in the first instance. Captain Manby afterwards repeated the trial with success, projecting the shot and rope 336 yards. "The committee therefore consider this last proposition as being practicable, as far as the projection of the rope is concerned; the want of success at the first trial appearing to have arisen from accident in the mismanagement of the rope, to which casualties such experiments must always be subject. "After the most careful attention tention to the experiments exhibited by Captain Manby, and the fullest consideration of all the improvements which he has made, the committee are of opinion they cannot too strongly recommend an invention, the partial application of which has been attended with such beneficial effects. "It is also the wish of the committee to render their full tribute of praise to Captain Manby, for his ingenuity in so much improving and bringing into practical use this invention, to the perfecting of which he has so zealously and skilfully devoted himself. "But the committee at the same time feel that they should not entirely discharge their duty, were they to omit observing, that the committee of the honourable House of Commons do not seem to have been informed of all the means proposed by the late Lieutenant Bell, of the royal artillery, for the attainment of the same laudable object; it being stated in that honourable committee's Report, that Mr. Bell's invention is totally inapplicable in cases of vessels being stranded,' and that Captain Manby's invention is new. "In justice therefore to the memory of Lieutenant Bell, and to his surviving family, and with respectful deference due to the judgment of that honourable committee, the concluding of the seven observations inserted in one of the papers of Lieutenant Bell's account to the Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce, is sub joined in his own words as published in that Society's Transactions, and in the Repertory of Arts for 1808, page 318; by which observations it appears that Lieutenant Bell then proposed what Captain Manby has since so ably and so successfully carried into effect. to "There is every reason conclude that this contrivance would be very useful at all ports of difficult access both at home and abroad, where ships are liable to strike ground before they enter the harbour; as Shields Bar, and other similar situations; when a line might be thrown over the ship, which might probably be the means of saving both lives and property: and moreover, if a ship was driven on shore near such a place, the apparatus might easily be removed to afford assistance; and the whole performance is so exceedingly simple, that any person once seeing it done, would not want any further instruction. I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient humble servant, (Signed) "VAUG. LLOYD, Col. Com. Lt. Gen." "R. H. Crew, Esq. &c. &c. &c. In consequence of the preceding Report, a motion was made by Mr. Wilberforce, on the 14th June, and carried, for an address to the Prince Regent, praying that he would be graciously pleased to order that Captain Manby's invention should be stationed on different parts of the coast, &c. and assuring him that the House would make good the expense. MEMORANDUM ON THE EARL OF ELGIN'S PURSUITS IN GREECE. N the year 1799, when lord jesty's ambassador extraordinary to the Ottoman Porte, he happened to be in habits of frequent intercourse with Mr. Harrison, an architect of great eminence in the west of England, who had there given various very splendid proofs of his professional talents, especially in a public building of Grecian architecture at Chester. Mr. Harrison had besides studied many years, and to great purpose, at Rome. Lord Elgin consulted him, therefore, on the benefits that might possibly be derived to the arts in this country, in case an opportunity could be found for studying minutely the architecture and sculpture of ancient Greece; and his opinion very decidedly was, that although we might possess exact measurements of the buildings at Athens, yet a young artist could never form to himself an adequate conception of their minute details, combinations, and general effect, without having before him some such sensible representation of them as might be conveyed by casts. This advice, which laid the groundwork of lord Elgin's pur consideration, that, since any knowledge which was possessed of these buildings had been obtained under the peculiar disadvantages which the prejudices and jealousies of the Turks had ever thrown in the way of such attempts, any favourable circumstances which lord Elgin's embassy might offer should be im proved fundamentally; and not only modellers, but architects and draftsmen, might be employed, to rescue from oblivion, with the most accurate detail, whatever specimens of architecture and sculpture in Greece had still escaped the ravages of time, and the barbarism of conquerors. On this suggestion, lord Elgia proposed to his majesty's government, that they should send out English artists of known eminence, capable of collecting this information in the most perfect manner; but the prospect appeared of too doubtful an issue for ministers to engage in the expense attending it |