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Otago Daily Times, Issue 165, 27 May 1862, Page 5

The Liveueool Compass Committer.—On Monday, the 17th February, a meeting of the ComSass Committee was held at Ihe Underwriters' Rooms,' Ir. Thoma; Slrocklebank in the chair, to receive - the third printed report (1857-18ij()), which has been " presented to both Houses of Parliament by coin- r mand of Her Majesty." It will be remembered that.' in 1854, when the British Association met at Liverpool, the difficulties in connexion with the compasses of iron ships were brought before two of the sections by Dr. Scoresby and Messrs. Towson and Grantham.' ■In consequence of this discussion, the association1 recommended that, the underwriters nnd shipowners should unite with the leirned societies of Liverpool, and form themselves into a-Compass Committee, and investigate the matter both practically and scientifically. The Literary and Philosophical Society responded to this recommendation, and invited the Polytechnic Society to join; and these two societies, together with the Underwriters' Association, the Shipowners' Association, and Steamship Association, elected the members of the Compass Committee. It became evident, after six months' experience, that the honorary secretaries, Messrs. Grantham and Towson, could not, in addition to their professional duties, afford sufficient time to do Justice to the subject. It was, therefore, determined to elect a secretary, who should devote the whole of his time to these investigations. In this election the committee were most fortunate in appointing Mr. W. W. Kundell, to whose incessant labours and great talent is principally due the credit which the Compass Company have obtained amongst the scientific and nautical men of all nations. In corroboration of this statement we need only make one quotation from a letter from the Astronomer Koyal to the Board of Trade in March 1857. llcferring to the first and second report, he remarks that, " generally speaking it explains more completely the difficulties, moral and physical, attending this subject than all other papers known to inc." During the year 1855 and 1850 the labours Of the committee were incessant, but in the spring of 1857 it was thought desirable that the labours of the committee should close at midsummer, and Mr. Kundell was admitted, in anticipation of its dissolution, to accept another situation, on condition of his preparing a final report by the close of the year ; but hefoi _ this had been finished, the committee had the opportunity of making avery important set of experiments on the compasses of the City of Baltimore, by heeling her both port aud starboard, and thus swinging her, as well as on an even beam. This experiment" brought to light fa cts so important and new, that it was not thought desirable to prepare the final report until the committee had the.opportunity of making similar experiments on other iron ships built with their heads in other directions, and on account of such opportunities rarely occurring; the last experiment of this class was not made until April last. The iron ships on which the same experiments. have been made arc| the Aphrodita, Simla, Slieve Donard, Beann, Uamhn, and Ghana. It is now thought that this investigation has been carried to a sufficient extent practically to develop all the theory that can materially influence the navigation and compass management of" iron ships. It was, however, - thought advisable that the committee should still maintain a tacit existence, so that, if any circumstances should arise to require it, they might be enabled to bring into action the science and experience of its officers, as well as the valuable instruments by which these experiments had been made; and for this purpese Mr. Kundell was elected, with Mr. Towson, to act as honorary secretary. The reports are folios, containing' 205 pages, besides 40 sheets of maps, diagrams, &"c, most of them in tliree colors. The committee, in consideration of Mr. Eundell's services Bince his salary ceased, presented him with a gratuity of j£loo, and to Mr. 'Towson, in_acknowledgment of his services from the commencement .of their proceedings as honorary secretary, a handsomely bound copy of the ■ three reports; and the same also to Mr. Court, in acknowledgement of his services as treasurer.— Maritime Register, Febru?ry 22. Monument to Alexander Wilson, Scottish Poet and American Ornithologist.—Some sime ago it was proposed to erect a monument in Paisley to Alexander Wilson, and a meeting of the subscribers was held a few days ago, when it was i stated that £100 wer« only required to complete the" work satisfactorily. The monument will consist of a bronze statue, 7 feet 6 inches in height, and erected upon a grey pedestal 9 feet 6 inches. The site proposed for the monument is the open space in front of the County Buildings, Paisley. The monument wa? designed by Mr, John Mossman. — Scots?nan._ . A Greedy Skate.—lt is seldom the luck of the "quid-wives" of Elgin to get a hargain of fish now-a-days, but on Wednesday last one of them bought a skate, at the usual exorbitant figure at which fish rate at present, and no doubt, loudly complained of tho high price paid for it. On taking it .home and - opening it, she found in its stomach three ordinary sized cod and a whiting, which made it not so bad a bargain after all. The unscrupulous voracity of the cod is proverbial, but we seldom hear of such a ".greedy skate."— Elgin Courant. _ y , The French Blue-Beard. —Dumollnrd.ia the recipient of numerous urgent colls to repentance, fort warded from well-meaning people in England, but has hitherto proved obdurate. Premature, produc-. tions of gallows poetry ore already in provincial circulation, a " complainte" being the grotesque accompaniment of these monstrous tragedies here.- That he "kept late hours" is the suggestive warning of one rhyming moralist. ' " Car cc Monsieur Dumollard Rentrait toujours fort tard!"