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Scientific Intelligence. [no. 3, new series, 



for Superintendence and profit and the chance of loss, and consi- 

 dering the peculiar nature of the work, this does not appear to 

 the Committee to be unreasonable, though at the same time it is so 

 liberal an allowance that it is hoped the additions proposed by the 

 Committee may be included in the present Estimate, in which case 

 they do not doubt that it will be better economy to accept the 

 Contractor's terms rather than to attempt the erection of the Pier 

 by the Government Engineers • who have no experience in works 

 of the kind. 



The Committee find a difficulty in conveying in a figured state- 

 ment the value that might be assigned to the proposed Pier. But 

 a few words will show the existing impediment to the traffic of the 

 port which it is confidently hoped that this work will remove. 



The trade of the port, both in respect of Passengers and Mer- 

 chandize, is carried on in Masoolah boats, calculated to carry two 

 tons of goods in very fine weather. These boats are drawn up on 

 the beach ; nearly but not quite beyond the reach of the surf, 

 where the spray breaks over them to the injury of their contents 

 when they are such as to suffer from the effects of salt water. 

 Laden boats are launched with difficulty from the beach ; and both 

 in landing and shipping goods, all must be done by manual labour 

 as cranes cannot in such a position be brought into use. 



It is needless to remark that the passage through the surf en- 

 tails further risk of damage and that the inconvenience sustained 

 by passengers is in a sense greater even than that inflicted upon 

 goods traffic. But these difficulties are at the present day greatly 

 enhanced from various causes which are, first the insufficiency of 

 the boat accommodation for the increasing traffic of the port ; 

 second, the difficulty of getting the boatmen to work with regula- 

 rity and order ; and third, the constant pilfering that takes place 

 and which is facilitated by the length and often unavoidable devi- 

 ousness of the transit between the shore and the shipping. All 

 these obstructions to a regular and orderly traffic would be at once 

 removed on the establishment of a Pier. The injury done at the 

 time of arriving at and departing from the shore would be alto- 

 gether removed, all extra expense avoided, and a facility of transit 



