The House of Lords had a curious little discussion yesterday
-week on the utility of ponring oil on troubled waters, a dis- cussion which had no reference to Lord Salisbury's troubling of the waters, or to any Episcopal attempt to pour oil on his breakers, —but which simply referred to the experiments made off Peter- head, in Aberdeenshire, for the oiling of bars and breakers near a harbour's mouth, or round a ship in a heavy gale. Lord Carne.rvon brought the subject up, referring to the remarks of Pliny and Plato on the subject, and asking for information as to the results of the Peterhead experiments of Mr. Shield. Lord .Sudeley replied at length, intimating that at present the experimentation must be done by private persons, but that the Board of Trade would carefully watch the results, and make use of the method, if it appeared to be trustworthy. It rseems that, unquestionably, oil diffused over a bar in time of storm may enable ships to pass it easily which could not otherwise pass it at all ;but the difficulty of the method is that when there is a high wind, the oil is apt to be swept out to instead nstead of discharging its soothing functions. By the way, where. does the phrase about "pouring oil on the troubled waters" oome from P Lord Sudeley spoke of it as if it were Scriptural, which we believe it is not—. nor Shakespearian either.
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