The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-21 00:00:00

/lll~ C E

•
cn
conveyance to Chatham. The Megan* is expected fo
unload at this port the stores she has nrought hew, and
then proceed to Sheerners, to wait further (Triers.'
LAUNCH OF THE CRITIZER WAR• STHAMER, DEPT-
FORD, JUNE 19.—The launch of this veitel tocli'Dkle
at three o'clock, in thy preserne; of c,4tairi R. s.:Dan.
des, C. 8., superinteedent of the dockyard, Colonel
Dundas, C. 8., Captain Crecroft, and a number of ladies
and gentlemen connected wi:h the naval departments.
Mr. Willcox, master-shipwright, directed the launch,
and on the vessel being christened by Miss Porten, in
the =al manner, F‘y breaking a battle of in on her
bows, shi• went off the new iron slip into the basin, and
was brought -^Mr. Pearn, master attendant of the
dock and vietualling yards, who was on board, with
Mr. M'Donald, master-attendant of Wool rich Dock-
yard, who was present as a visitor, three hearty cheers
being given on her leaving the slip. Tho wiather was
remarkably favourably for the launch, at,d the visitors
had, just time to get to their respective places of abode
when a thunder-storm, with vivid flashes of lightning,
oecurred, and the rain fell in torrents; and she had not
been long in the water before she was well saturated in
every part. The following are the dimensions of the
Cruizer screw steam-sloop, to be fitted with engines
of 60-horse power by Messrs. George and Sir John
Rennie:—

Feet. In.
length between perpendiculars 160 ... 0
Do. keel for tonnage
Breadth extreme
Do. fur tonnage ... 31 ... - 8i
Do. moulded

Burthen tons old measurement 75P87-94-
Draught of water 10 feet 14 inches aft, and 6 feet 5
inches in the forepart of the vessel. She was commenced
building on the 28th of April, 1851, .The Hornet,
screw -steam-sloop, a sister-vessel in every respect, and
building in the adjoining slip, for engines of 60-horse
power with screw-propeller, will now be brought forward
for launching.

THE SCREW STEAM
SOUTH. -SHIP QUERN OF
THE
PLYMOUTH, SUNDAY MORNING.—The return of this
splendid vessel to port, as already announced, has af-
forded the shipwright officers and men of the Royal
dockyard an opportunity of witnessing a class of ship-
building to which they are practically strangers, and all
classes, from the chief downwards, are loud in their corn-
the workman.
teendation of the Q, ,en of the South es a complete gem
of their craft l'
del is admitted to be perfect, and
t of the most masterly kind.
The circumstance obliged
to putback,
h'lPerthrmouoghan
all
she. had ..etx
of her being
and the fact that
weather, made
she had withstood. . pounced most severe
hands curl
'ow to witness how
even in the most deli: suffering -Itieee 4fasearesi-eibateresme- . ' -4" •
to fi.cd, 80, . Vbe 7 trial; and- they were sur-
psesed
of the usual marks of 1"1"6114)- ......
be perfectly tight, anr7l*en!Parte. Her hull was found to
be found of the ship having
riathe could be discovered
smallest indication could
pare; and, though in accordancel4 strained or worleed in any
builder Was
mendable on the part of Mr. Mer
, rho taken into d
with the wishes of her
have her thoroughly examined aen'dwsb° was determined to
'elf, this, though come
have been quite unnecessary, a, tested, was found to
might as easily have been completed a- her
defectst to make
the Sonnd. ln fact, the ship had ntoher raeurhiorreansgeenitns
good—the whole cause of the water'in
found to
were
be only
com-
partment, for to this it was confined until theen
fromportron
engine
opened to equalise the depth (which was
2 fret 6 in.)—arose from the fact of the choking
or water°
bilge pumps by the coal dust, in consequence" ang of the
of the protecting grating of the pumps having
cause teeen displaced. To the non-practical reader
en'a
easy explain that acme theuseeds of gallons
ere hourly admitted into ell large steamships, through
pipes runpiied for the purpose, to keep the hearings of
the machinery cool ; and this sewer has no nand, of
egress but through the pumps. Though the quantity
of water named may appear large, its accumulation in
large vessels is not such as to acquire more than
occasional clearance ; and it was not until the ship
began to experience bad weather, that the fact of
the quantity in the machinery compartment was
discovered ; as it li'&3 to the wash the extinguishieg
the fires was to be attributed, rather than to the ab-
solute increase of water. But fr,m the fact that when
recourse was had to the pumps they were found defec-
tive, Captain Hyde, who is acknowledged to be one of
the most efficient and experienced officers shoat, would
not have tbouslat it at all necessary to return to port, as
he had already sufficiently tested the noble ship to prove
her complete mistress of the task for which she was de-
signed. Her conduct in the gale inspired general confi-
dence in her as e sea-boat, anti when placed under canvas
bee execution (running, as she frequently did, 11 knots)
was a theme otedmiration.

It is duo to Captain Hyde, and the officers generally,
to state that, to the respect and esteem which their gen-
tiemenly conduct had before won from all the passengers,
must be added an increased confidence from their cool
and sailor-like conduct, under the circumstances which
induced Captein Hyde to bear up for Plymouth Sound.
Of the vessel herself little can be added to what has
before been said in her praise. She was taken into dock
on Thursday evening, and on the following morning
underwent a thorough overhaul, the result of which has
been to increase the confidence of all concerned in her
welfere, and she will leave the port with the highest pos-
sible professional testimony to the talents of her projec-
tors and the skill of her constructors. As we have be-
fore stated, defects she had none, and the sole cause of
her return, after having commenced her sea voyage, was
the result of a casualty precisely similar to that which,
it wilt be recollected, detained her Majesty's steam-ship
Megasra at this port on her outward voyage to the Cape
with the Rifles. A simple mode of preventing the oc-
currence of such a casualty was then suggested to the
Admiralty department at Somerset House, by Mr. Gor-
mully, the shipwright officer under whose charge and
direction the Alegtera was made ready to renew her
voyage, but nothing we believe has since been heard of
the suggestion. There is no fear, however, now that the
subject has been brought practically under the notice of
the enterprising gentleman from whose yard the Queen
of the South was launched, that steps will be speedily
and effectively taken to prevent the recurrence of similar
casualties. As a precautionary measure the Queen of
the South has now been supplied from the store at this
yard with four of Gossagee portable engine?, similar to
those supplied to the ships of war for use iu the event
of the main pumps from any circumstances getting choked
or otherwise unfit for use.

On Friday Captain Lowe, R.N., inspector of mail
packets at this port, mustered the crew a second time,
when, in reply to a question from this officer, the men,
ono and all, expressed their confidence in their captain
end officers, and satisfaction with their treatment and
rations in every respect. Captain Lowe also assured
those on board the ship that she should not put to sea
again until he was perfectly satisfied, by the testimony
of qualified persons, that she was perfect in every
anbd
also
respect.
Is consequence of the desire to substitute some more
simple cooking apparatus than the one with Which the
ship was before supplied (Grant's), and which did not
appear to be understood by the cooks on board,
to avail themselves of the opportunity afforded
fact that the Post-office authorities here had named ty
his
day (Sunday) for her final departure, to make some
trifling improvements in the internal arrangements,
fvaimtshieteehdtheb
vessel was not taken out of dock until the evening tide of
Queen of the South
yesterday.
During
time
the
dock she has been. again
persona
rtracotffiedcebrysall the principal
dockyard and port,
together with an immense
panerd theof
number of - other
by the ' reports of those b
ut . her anchorage in the Sound.yw whom she was seen while
north, or largest dock in the Thengh in the
Yard, there was but barely
room to close the gates, the vessel being 240 feet in
length between her
ceeding this by four fed)erpendiculars, the dick cal%
South exceeds the CaledoniaOnly; in fact, the.C2uleeenngtbf by
twenty feet,
a fact thatwill first-rate' itno the unpro-
fessional reader thegreat
readily co 3,'
rifvetuis
This morning the ship capacity
°trial cruise, in ut to sal
ac-
cordance with the tut P "'Bled by Captain Lowe,
and the 'wishes of theeeties
expressed
connected with the
steam Screw, shin c gentlemueonw
in Plymouth. A
heavy auxiliary mail °l3lP4nYher return, and it is ex-
pected she will awaits
voyage as soon as this is
will proceed oil her
embarked. by
handassbulaninedin
PLYMowni sin7,v Two pM. —The —TheQueen of the
South, Captain • t returned from a satisfac-
, Hyde shaypsEcJdystone, and will aril at four P.M.
tortrip round the
with the mails for the Cape and Ca/cut, a.

---____:------
... PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS.
In the House of Commons this evening, Lord John
Russell will, on consideration of the Consolidated Fund
(Appropriation) Bill, es amended, call the attention of
i to or and
bcie
orn•eronr t
ttnt
htorett
belleorof
Hours
eudeCar osr nionnngc
theilt
hoenf 0 t i a e -
of
Itahealtgtoiftoguths'ee of Lords
tLhoerdcoßrreensnymonodnet
the
etiolouTshe
paper are likely to occupy
ir:hitaetercilnas:tsiosorainauttihet
el
y,Foemrneraa
en
ci
tthetedAd
imnon b
Ea ErskineMsrsaarnd.coer.nwceillredsrpaewwEdchti:nhge-
her at Flo-
• and Lord Somerhill will ask whether her Ma-
reoce,
Government intend
jesty,,,c. . to communicate to Parliament
con
the
jany.correponden e With her Majes's Ambassador at
wi nhLondon
ich occasionedM atconcerning
withdrawal of the Surrender of Criminals (Convention
with France) Bill, presented to this House.

SALE OF THE METROPOLIS ROADS.—On Friday the
commissioners of the metropolis roads north of the Thames
rnet for the purpose of letting by auction, for the term of
one year, the tolls payable at the gates of the respective
turnpike roads within their district. The tolls arising from
the Kensington, Brentford, and Islev,rorth roads were
sold for 16,5301. ; they produced last year 15,8901. The
tolls from the Uxbridge and Tyburn roads went for 9,5001.,
the sum last year being 9,1101. The Harrow road tolls
realised 1,1601., the price of them the previous year being
1,2001. The Kilburn and Edgware roads were offered for
3,7101.. being the return last year, and were knocked down
for 3,9901. Those from the Ilighgate and Hampstead roads
realised 18,2301., and they were sold last year for 18,130/.
The City road tolls were put up at 3,000/. and were knocked
down at 3,24. q.; the previous year they produced 3,2001.
The tolls arising from the Stamford-hill and Green-lane
roads were disposed of for 8,1971, the sum they fetched in
the former year being 8,1871. The Hackney and Lea-
bridge roads were knocked down at 5,3101., they last year
produced 5,2601. The Marylebone and Finchley tolls went
for 2,100/., last year they fetched 2,100/. And the New
North road tolls, which last year went for 7801, were snl
for 8301. Last year the tolls fetched 67,2771.. while this
year they realised 69,1671,, being an excess of 1,890/. over
the return of the previous year.
SOAP.—S3me returns relating to soap were printed
on Saturday in a
Parliamentary paper. In England and
Scotland, in the year ended the sth of January last, there
were 1,317,1831 b. of silicated soap made, 184,725,2651 b. of
other hard soap, awl 19,025,0511 b. of soft soap. There were
317 licensed soapmakers —152 in England, 21 in Scotland,
i and 141 in Ireland.