-LIGHT DRAUGHT STEAMERS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 430, 30 January 1875, Page 3

LIGHT DRAUGHT STEAMERS.

Tho increased necessity for effecting communication between distant places in foreign countries by means of water transit has, where such means transit exist, led to a demand for vessels of a light draught, in order to navigate very shallow, rivers. Builders have gone on reducing the draught from 2ft to lft, and even ls-s ; but, as civilisation spreads, the navigation of still shallower streams and the supplying of still lighter draught bj>ats become necessary. It thus happens that Me&srs Yarrow and Hedley, of Poplar, London, have been engaged to design and construct some steamers of exceptionally light draught, for the navigation of the upper waters of one of the rivers of Brazil. The boats are intended chiefly for the conveyance of passengers, and the first of them has been launched, and has made a satisfactory trial trip. In all probability she is the shallowest draught steamer ever built, her draught, with steam up and fully equipped, being only 7in. This formed one of the conditions imposed upon her builders. The others were that she should not draw more than 9in of * water with 20 persons on board, and that she should be of such a size as to be capable of being carried whole on a ship's deck to the Brazils. The steamer has therefore been built with a flat bottom, and has a length of 45ft and a beam of Bft, with a depth of.*art. She is propelled by a pair of paddles 54iu in diameter, 2ft 9in in breadth, andi,each having eight floats. Her paddles are driven by a pair of inclined direct-acting engines, with cylinders sjin in diameter and lOin stroke. She is roomy and comfortable both fore and aft of her engines, their being accomodation for about 40 persons in all. Upon her trial trip, with 18 persons on board, she drew B|t inches of water. Her engines ran at the average rate of v BO revolutions per minute, which gave her a speed of 8 miles per hour. On her contractor's trial she made the same speed with the same number of revolutions, and with 1301 b steam, the stated, consumption of fuel being 401 bof coal per hour. The run with the little craft, from the Temple to Greenwich aud back, on Saturday the 3rd October, was thoroughly satisfactory, and demonstrated both her speed had handiness. Now that it has been satisfactorily shown that such light draught is perfectly practicable, it will probably follow that districts hitherto unexplored, and lying up rivers previously deemed unnavigable, will be opened up and new sources of commerce developed. — English paper.

The Ritualists have been sorely exercised of late with the question — of momentous importance in their eyes — of whether the Archbishop of Canterbury was ever legally baptised. It was alleged, in the first instance, that the ceremony had been performed by a nurse only ; and to this in due time was added the statement that Bishop Bagot, who confirmed Dr Tait, had expressed his regret at having done so on learning that he (Dr Tait) had not been properly baptised. This story was laid hold of with avidity by the Ritualists, who hate the Archbishop, for his Public Worship Act ; and they declared that, if it were true, all Dr Tait's archepiscopal acts, such as ordinations, appointments, &c., were null and void. A person of the name of Grant took it upon himself to write to the Bishop of Winchester, as his Diocesan, calling upon him to write to the Archbishop and demand a reply as to whether the story was true or not. Of course the Bishop decliaed to put himself on a level with Grant, by doing anything of the kind ; but Dr Tait, seeing these facts mentioned in thepapem wrote to the Bishops, stating that the story was quite untrue, as evidence of his baptism was deposited with the authorities of Balliol College. Oxford, on his being elected to ■ a scholarship therein, and it probably could be found in the College yet. Subsequently the Edinburgh Courant published an extract from the family Bible of the Archbishop's father, in which Dr Tait's baptism by an Edinburgh Established Church minister was duly enteredv*-' ' Time» "