1845. 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



389 



Not only iliJ llie commission not find these chief ports of refuge to be 

 sufficient, but it found that the addition of one great port to the preceding 

 would not suffice ; it recommends works, and an outlay for four new sta- 

 tions, which I shall successively mention. 



The commissioners made a survey of the whole line of coast between 

 Falmouth and the port of Harwich to the nortli of the Thames, and be- 

 yond the limits of the ISnlish Channel. 



They look new soundings for the purpose of ascertaining whether the 

 depth of water at the principal naval stulions alonj; this whole line of coast 

 had not varied since the publication of the most recent maritime charts. 

 All this was effected under the skilful direction, at the ports of the eastern 

 part, by Commander Sherin<;hani, and at the ports in the western division 

 under the superintendence of Captain Hrown, one of the members of the 

 commission. Besides this, the commission received all the assistance 

 which the Lords of the .Vdmiralty could allord it, and was further assisted 

 by the knowledge possessed by Captain Keaufort, the cliief hydrographer 

 of the Royal Na>7, and correspondent of the Academy. It availed itself 

 of the opinions of tlie two great societies of Lloyd's ami of the shipowners, 

 as to the selection of naval stations, w hicli may be or become the best as 

 to places of refuge. 



A special commission, appointed in 1810 (this is a period worthy of 

 remark), gave the preference for creating now ports of refuge — first, to 

 Dover, secondly, to Beachy Head, thirdly, to Foreness. near the North 

 Foreland. 



The following are the particular instructions to the Commission of 

 1840: 



■' To survey the coast from the mouth of the Thames to Selsea Bill ; to 

 examine the ports with reference to the shelter they may be capable of 

 affording in case of bad weather to vessels sailing in the British Channel, 

 and as to their being places of refuge for merchant vessels chased by armed 

 Tessels in time of war, and more especially as to their becoming stations 

 for armed steamers, in order to protect British trade in the narrow parts of 

 the Channel." 



Foreness, nearer than Margate to the extreme point of the southern 

 coast of the Tliaines, is a line situation, which was recommended by the 

 commission of 1840, but only as a third place, for a port of refuge: it 

 recommended in preference two other points — first, Dover; second, Beacliy 

 Head. Most certainly, Foreness, converted into a port, would often pre- 

 sent a very faourable anchorage, whether for trading vessels sailing froms 

 the Thames, and whichencoiiuter gales of w iud when oB" Foreland ; or fore 

 Tessels returning to England, and which are detained by contrary winds. 



The new commission observes, that the same advantages may be more 

 fully and conveniently obtained by improving the port of Harwich, on the 

 other side of the Thames, as the point of the coist where the Nortli Sea. 

 begins. lu fact, this port, which will be the natural station for a fleet of 

 war-steamers, will afford the best refuge for merchant vessis ; whilst the 

 neighbouring anchorage all'orded by the hay of Hollesley will suitably 

 receive ships of war. in consequence, it does not appear that the secon- 

 dary situation of Feoreuess is to be selected for making a port of refuge. 

 One is strengthened in coming to this conclusion on looking to the ad- 

 Tancement in a commercial point of view of Ramsgate, which is hut a 

 very short distance from Foreness. In 1748 Ramsgate was no more that 

 a small creek — au open bay without importance ; it is now a harbour of 

 sufficient extent to receive a considerable amount of shipping. 



The following is the increase in numbers of merchant vessels having 

 «ntere<l Ramsgate harbour in the following year: — 



Years. No. of Vessels. 



17S0 time of war .... 29 



1785 time of peare . . . . 21.5 



17'JO time of peace . . . . 3S7 



^1841 time of peace , . . . 1,513 



1842 time of peace . . . . 1,652 



Four years ago the 31 largest vessels which entered Ramsgate 

 harbour measured on an average 457 Ions — a greater tonnage than that 

 of two-thirds of the British merchant vessels in foreign trade. 



Id 1832 as many as 434 vessels were at the same time in Ramsgate har- 

 bour; if the new basin about to be formed to the westward be added, 

 Ramsgate will then be capable of containing simultaneously GOO vessels. 



Sir John Felly, deputy master of the Trinity-house, had proposed, as a 

 place for constructing a port of refuge between Ramsgate and the Thames, 

 at the anchorage ground called the Brake. In support of this proposi- 

 tion, he produced plans made by Sir John Renuie, the second sou of the 

 celebrated engineer Rennie, of whose works at I'lymouth, Sheerness, 

 laOodon, ^;c., 1 have given a description. Sir John Renuie, jun., proposed 

 to erect on the top of the longitudinal sand-bank, within which is the 

 anchorage called the Brake, a breakwater, or jetty, similar to that at 

 Cherbourg, but only CO centimetres (23 inches) above the highest water. 

 His plan would lead to an expense of 80,000,000f. (3,200,000(.), including 

 the necessary deepening of the projected anchorage-ground, which would 

 not have been less than five miles in length. 



If so large an expenditure were objected to. Sir John Rennie would 

 reduce to 1,500 yards the proposed length, in which case the cost would 

 only be 85U,yuO/., that is about 21,000,OUOf. Finally, Sir J. Rennie, as a 

 mid<lle course between these two extreme plans, proposed a third, which 

 would have led to au expenditure of l,200.00l)i. or 30,000,000f. 



Among the reasons adduced against the adoption of auy of these plans, 

 and, and several others proposed by Captain Vetch and Sir S. Brown, 

 1 ninst mention the strongest. 



A naval odicer, employed on the hydrography of the coast, has 

 found that the sand-bank called the Brake, had shifted nearer to the land by 

 700 yards, or 040 metres. So soon as the corporation of Trinity house 

 became acquionted with this fact, it altered the situation of its buoys frum 

 the sooth and the miildle on to the Brake sand-bank ; at the same lima 

 publishing, fur th'- information of all seamen and the public in general, aa 

 accuut of this very remarkable change. 



The commission o? 1840 had already rejected the plan of erecting a 

 harbour at the Brake. The commission of 1S44 comes to the same con- 

 clusion founded on the ground, that a port in such u situation could only 

 be of service to vessels having already escaped all the dangers of the 

 narrow part of the British Channel, or to vessels leaving the Thames to 

 begin their voyage by a course to the Southward, (irounding themselves 

 on these motives, the commissioners reject the very exjiensive proposition 

 of a harbour at the Brake, and they are strengthened in this resolution 

 that the Downs in their present state possess an excellent bay. This bay 

 may be said to be contiguous to Ramsgate harbour, which can already 

 contain 400 vessels at tlie same time ; a port about being rendered capable 

 of holding 000, if not more. Continuing to advance from the north towards 

 the south, the commissioners arrive at the most important situation — at 

 that which they prefer. It is the situation of Dover, a point at once the 

 nearest and the most threatening for France. 



In ray works on the naval and military forces of Great Britain. I have 

 pointed out the great importance of Dover for one and the other of these 

 forces, and the vast werks, whether of the port for trade or the fortifica- 

 tions of this town. Since the publication of my first descriptions, Dover 

 has become of greater importance, as being the terminus of the railroad 

 which comes from London to this port, and embranching on sundry other 

 lines. In two hours' time corps of troop ships' stores and muuiiion, and an 

 entire train of artillery, may be brought down to Dover from London, 

 Deptford, Woolwich, and I'ortsraoulh. Dover has a dry dock suited to 

 the repairing of merchant vessels, a great extent of large quays, and exten- 

 sive warehouses. Besides its outer basin, the lloating basin has an area 

 of more than six acres superficial measure, and works are going on for 

 doubling this extent. There is also a third basin (called the Pent) which 

 might be put iuto a state for containing a great number of sloops of war 

 and gun-brigs — a basin which is now undergoing considerable improve- 

 ments. 



At the time the celebrated Mr. Pitt was carrying on a mortal struggle 

 between England and France, he strongly wished to form au enclosed 

 roadstead in front of Dover, and he had plans made with that view ; the 

 Ordnance department found them in its acliivcs, and communicated ihem 

 to tne commission whose labours I am now noticing. 



Two kinds of objections have been started against resuming the 

 consideration of these plans. It was contended that the bed of the road- 

 stead has a constant tendency to rise, owing to tlie deposit of alluvions. 

 2. That the anchorage grouud was bad. lu order to test this latter 

 objection Captain Washington superintended experiments, which have 

 been deemed conclusive, by anchoring in the roadstead a steamer of sOi) 

 tuns and 120horse power. After having cast anchor in the most iniportaiit 

 parts af the roadstead, the whole force of the engines was made to act on 

 a sufficient length of cable run out, without this powerful action having iu 

 any way loosened the anchor from its hold. No action of the wind on a 

 vessel without sails could equal a similar impulsion. This experiment 

 must appear conclusive as to the excellence of the anchorage in Dover- 

 roads. 



In order to ascertain what is to be apprehended from the deposits by 

 the gaters iu front of tne present port of Dover, samples of the waer have 

 been taken at the times of the highest tides, selecting calm weather ;— 



Samples of Water, taken July 2, 1844. 



