The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-01 00:00:00

THE SHIP MARLBOROUGH.

PORTSMOUTH, Tuesday.—The long-looked-for event of
releasing this great ship from the stocks, and introduc-
ing her to ber destined element, came off this day
under the most unfavourable auspices. Heavy rain set
in at midnight on Monday, and continued without inter-
mission all this morning, in the early part of which it
was so discouraging that at nine o'clock her Majesty
sent a special messenger to the Port-Admiral to kno ee if
the ship would be launched under such circumstances.
But, notwithstanding the rain, an enormous gathering
of spectators assembled from far and near to witness
the launch. Flags and ensigns were hoisted on all the
Government-office, and on various other establish-
ments within and without the port ; every de-
scription of craft seemed to be engaged for plea-
sure-seekers afloat, and every kind of locomotive
ashore was taken up for the general service.
At an early hour (some as early as seven o'clock)
pedestrians were admitted into the dockyard, and from
that time until the event of the day came off the multi-
tude kept streaming towards the centre of attraction.
The booths for the Commander-in-Chief and friends, the
Admiral Superintendent, members of Parliament, the
principal officers of the dockyard, the Mayor and -Corpo-
ration, the junior staff of the establishment, on the one
side of the slip ; and for the Lords of the Admiralty and
friends, the Lieutenant-Governor of the garri-on and
friends, the Governor of the Royal Naval College and
friends, the Commandant of the Royal Marines and
friends, the Captaid Superintendent of Haslar and fields,
the officers of the navy and army generally, and officers
of the civil departments, on the other, were early occu-
pied by well-dressed company, the varied uniforms of
the services assisting the gay appearance of the ladies to
lend additional life and interest to the scene. The Mayor
and corporation went in their robes of office. There were
not fewer than 50,000 spectators, ashore and afloat, all
bent upon the one object. The harbour presented
a peculiarly interesting and gay picture. The three-
decker St. Vincent and the two-decker Illustrious were
moored off the mouth of the slip, well over to the oppo-
site shore, gaily dressed in flags, as were the new royal
yacht, the Osborne, Fire Queen, Fanny, Europa trans-
port, wid numerous other Government and private Nes-
sels, besides the excursion packets, all crowded with
company, the bands of the line-of-battle-ships playing on
their poops. At length the booming of the salute from
the three-deckers St. George and Neptune, at Spithead,
announced the approach of the Queen, and presently after-
wards, about a quarter to 12, the salutes from the h ar-
bour, flag, and training ships announced the royal pro-
gress to the slip. The Court, conei.ting of the Queen, the
Prince Consort, the Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, and
the Princes Royal, accompanied by the Grand Duke of
Mecklenburg, and attended by the Viscountess Canning,
the Hon, Mary Seymour, the Hon. Miss Hildyard, Major-
Gen. Bouverie, Col. Seymour, Col. Biddulph. Mr. Gibbs,
&c., landed at the elegantly equipped steps of the pavilion
prepared for her Majesty, in the vestibule of which she
• was received by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Thomas
C Jchrane, K.C.8., Rear-Admiral Superintendent Mar-
tin, Major-General Sir Frederick Smith, R.E.,
and Major• General Breton, the Lieutenant-Governor.
The guard of honour was ranged on the jetty adjacent,
and consisted of the flank companies of the 80th Foot,
commanded by Major Christie, Captain Hardinge,
Lieutenants Nunn and Dudgeon, and Ensign :Maxwell
bearing the colours. Her Majesty, on ascending to her
position, was presented with a statement of the dimen-
sions of the ship, beautifully written on large em-
bossed card., furnished by Mr. Wood, Clerk of the
Works. The following are the details of her dimen-
sions, &c. :
" MARLBOROUGH SCREW STEAM-SHIP, 131 GUNS.
Ft. In.
Length between the perpendiculars 245 6
Length of keel for tonnage 206 3i
Breadth, extreme 6l 26
Breadth for tonnage 6O 41
Breadth moulded 52 66
Depth in hold
Burden in tons, 4,000 36-94
Load draught of water forward
Ditto ditto aft
Height of taffrail above load water-line... 39 10
Height of main truck 213 4

DEAD WEIGHT
Weight of mainmast
Wt•ight of mainyard
Length of mainyard
Anchors
Rigging

23 tons.
6 Of
111 feet.
2 t tons.
93 „

San; (square feet 38,9T4)
Guns and carriages
Shot

369 „.
170 „

Powder

Machinery, consisting of two direct acting en-
gines, six boilers, and machinery
Weight of water in boilers
Power of engines and boilers, 800 horses.
She is intended to carry the following formidable arma-
ment :

No. of
Guns. Calibre. Weight. Length.
Gundeck lO 8-inch 65 cwt. 9 feet.

26 3*.! pre. 56 cwt. 9 feet 6 in.
Middledeck

6 8-inch 65 cwt. 9 feet.
Maindeck
Quarterdeck
Forecastle

Total.

Having taken a brief survey of the proportions of the
ship from the balcony of the pavilion, her Majesty sigui-
flee. her readiness to proceed with the ceremony of nam-
ing her, and for this purpose descended to the fl ior of
the ship, leaning on the arm of the Prince, and attended
by Sir T. Cochrane, Rear-Admiral Martin, Rear.A.,lrniral
Eden, and Captain Milne (Lords of the Admiralty), Ma-
jor-General Breton, Captain Hutton, R.N., Captain the
Hon. J. Denman, the R iyal suite, &c , anil proceeded,
by a reserved walk under the bilge on the port side to the
christening booth on the stem, the company along the
line standing and greeting her Majesty most enthusi-
astically. On ascending the platform at the stein Mr.
Abethell, the Master-Shipwright of Portsmouth Dock-
yard, was presented to her Majesty, and gave into
her hands the garlanded bottle of wine which hung
suspended, and which, precisely at twelve o'clock, her
Majesty dashed against the cutwater, pronouncing
simultaneously " Success to thn Marlborough." Shouts
arose on all sides, the bands of the Guard -f Honour
. and of the Dockyard Brigade played the National An-
t been and "Rule, Britannia," and the Court returned to
t he royal pavilion to see the ship emerge from the shed.
A Ir. Abethell then gave the order to the artificers below
tt . knock away the blocks, which occupied an ominously
la, ag time ; at length, at 25 minutes past 12, she moved,
a i, •eneral salvo from the lungs of the countless thousands
pro claimed the fact, and never did ship appear likely to
talc, s the water more satisfactorily until she got two-
thiri Is out of the shed, when, to the astonishment of
even 'body, she slowly brought up, as if checked by some
mighty influence, and remained immovable on the ways,
the bows remaining under the shed and the after body
in the harbonr! So unlooked-for a casualty took every
one by surprise, while the enthusiasm which greeted her
start from the slip subsided into silence ; meanwhile, the
ship hung fast, and there we were obliged to leave her.
Sorrie pains have been taken to ascertain the growth (in
bulk) of our first-class line-of-battle ships, and also the
gro wen of our steam inen-of-war since that element was
first introduced into the naval system, and the result of
the researches is both curious and instructive. Tne fol-
lowing table presents at one view the dimensions of the
oldest three decker of the sailing class and the most
.1 improved " of the same fannly. It at the seine time
ab aws the size and capacity of the first steam man-of.
war that ever carried the pendant, together with the
largs it British frigate and first-rate the English navy