Narrative of the proceedings of Commander Thomas Dickinson, of His Majesty's sloop lightning, while employed in the enterprise for the recovery of the public stores and other property sunk in His Majesty's late frigate thetis, on the south-west side of the Island of Cape Frio

It was preceded by the reading of a letter from the author to the Secretary, explaining the reasons which induced him to lay this narrative before the Royal Society, and place on the records of its proceedings the information it contains relative to the commencement of an enterprise, wholly planned and undertaken by himself, and which, under his superintendence, was, by the great, persevering and meritorious exertions of his officers and crew, most successfully accomplished. The narrative commences with the statement of the consternation produced at Rio de Janeiro on the receipt of the intelligence of the loss, of the Thetis, with a freight of about 810,000 dollars, on the south-west side of the island of Cape Frio, and of the determination of the author, on finding that no one seemed disposed to take any step towards the recovery of the property thus lost, to make the at­tempt himself, if he could obtain from the Commander-in-chief at that station, Rear-Admiral Thomas Raker, C. B., orders to that effect. He accordingly exerted himself to obtain every possible information rela­tive to the nature of the coast, depth of water, and other circumstances, which might enable him to judge of the practicability of the under­ taking, and of the means necessary for its successful accomplishment; and became convinced that the difficulties and obstacles to be en­countered, although numerous and formidable, might be overcome by the employment of the means which suggested themselves to him as practicable on this occasion, if sufficient assistance were afforded him in putting them into execution. He accordingly had models of the proposed machinery made, and submitted them, together with his plans, to the Commander-in-chief, by whom they were approved. He experienced great difficulties in procuring a suitable diving-bell, for it was impossible to obtain any instrument of the kind at Rio de Janeiro, or even any facilities for the construction of one by casting. It at length occurred to him that a ship’s iron water-tank might be con­verted to this use; and being supplied with one from the Warspite, he was enabled to render it available for that purpose. The next diffi­culty was to procure an air-pump, which, after much delay, owing to the tardiness of the native workmen in that country, was at length constructed. The want of air-hoses, however, was a still more for­midable obstacle to the success of the plan; but the ingenious con­trivances of the author for rendering the common pump hoses air­tight, supplied this deficiency; and on a trial which he made with the whole apparatus on the 22nd of January, 1831, it was found to an­swer completely. The next day he received his orders from the Com­mander-in-chief, and, sailing on the following day, arrived at the har­bour of Cape Frio on the 30th, and immediately proceeded to inspect the coast, and ascertain the situation of the wreck, not a vestige of which was visible. An account is then given of the local circumstances of the Thetis Cove, or inlet, surrounded by almost perpendicular cliffs from 108 to 194 feet in height, with a depth of water varying from 3 1/2 to 24 fathoms, and the bottom being strewed with huge perpen­dicular rocks, occasioning these inequalities. These surveys showed that the execution of the plan originally conceived by the author was opposed by so many unforeseen difficulties, that he was obliged to re­linquish some parts of it, and resort to fresh expedients for surmount­ing them. The idea of constructing a derrick then occurred to him; but the materials were wanting, for no trees existed in the island ex­cept those in the forests in the interior, which were inaccessible from their distance and the heights on which they grew, and of which the wood was, from its quality, unsuitable to the purpose. His only re­source, therefore, was to make it of the fragments of spars saved from the wreck. With great exertions, a circumstantial account of which is given in the paper, the work was at length accomplished; and the result fully equalled the anticipations which had been formed of its utility in affording a stable point of support for the operations with the diving-bell. Previously to the erection of a derrick, however, much had been done by working the diving-bell from a boat, and a consider­able quantity of stores and treasure raised. At one time the anxiety of the author to forward the undertaking, and avail himself of favour­able weather, induced him to try the experiment of working by torch­light, which succeeded to a certain extent; but after a few trials the danger was found to be excessive, and the fatigue to the divers so great as to oblige him to desist. After the derrick had been for some time in operation, a tremendous sea arose, the shock of which, for want of sufficient materials to support it, effected its destruction; and a substitute was then resorted to by the setting up of a suspension cable diagonally from the cliffs, which, after great difficulties, was at length effected.