The Sun.
London, England, 1864-02-25 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This Day,

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

FIFTY CHARGES OF DESTROYING CLOTHES IN WORE.-
HOUSES IN A MONTH.--Not a day has passed for the last
few weeks without charges of destroying clothes being
brought before the magistrates at this court from St.
George's, St. James's, and St. Martin's workhouses, and
notwithstanding the magistrates have in all cases sent the
offenders to prison for terms of either 21 days or a month,
the offence does not appear to be on the decrease. This
morning three men were brought before Mr. Knox charged
with destroying the clothing, two from St. Martin's and
one from St. George's. The prisoners made the usual
defence in such cases—that their clothing was dirty, and
they destroyed them so as to get others. They were com-
mitted for 21 days each.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

Her Majesty's iron frigate Hector, of 4,123 tons,
and 800-horse power of engines, commanded by
Captain W. Preedy, C. 8., met with unequivocal
success on her final, or " commission," trial of speed
on Tuesday, at the measured mile in Stokes Bay,
near Portsmouth. The ship weighed her anchor
at Spithead by 9 a.m., and soon afterwards Rear-
Admiral A• Broadhead, the officer under whose
supervision the trial was to take place, accompanied
by his staff, Mr. S. Ward, assistant to the Chief
Engineer of Portsmouth dockyard, and Mr. G.
Murdoch, Inspector of Machinery Afloat, arrived
on board. The engines were then turned ahead,
and the ship steamed out by the eastern channel to
the water way between the Noman and Horse Forts,
where she was first tested in making circles with
full and half-boiler power, with these results :
Full power—helm to starbaard,l2 men at the wheel,
revolutions of engines, 571 ; time occupied in get-
ting up the helm, 27 sec.; angle of rudder, 20 deg. ;
turns of wheel, 2,1 ; time in making half-circle, 2
min. 48 sec.; ditto full circle, 5 min. 49 sec.;
revolutions of engines, 55. Full-power—helm
to port, revolutions of engines, 571 ; time
in getting helm up,' 25 sec.; angle of rud-
der, 26 deg. ; turns of wheel, 2 ; time in making
half circle, 2 min. 41 sec. ; ditto full circle, 5 min,
24 sec.; revolutions of engines, 56. With half
boiler power the full circle was made to starboard
in 6 min. 43 sec., and to port in 5 min. 49 sec. The
diameter of the circles was from two and a-half to
three times the ship's length, and the ship was
steered as a boat. On the conclusion of the circle
experiments the ship's head was laid for the trial
ground of the measured mile in Stokes Bay to test
her at the more important portion of her clay's work,
and obtain her average rate of speed under full and
half boiler power over the course of the measured
mile. The ship was drawing 24ft. 2in. of water
forward, now that she was under steam and her
anchor stowed, and 25ft. Bin. aft. The wind was
light from N.E., the water smooth as a lake, the
ship's machinery was working admirably and every-
thing was in the ship's favour. At full boiler
power the results were :—First run—time, 4 min.
44 sec.; speed, 12-676 knoti; steam, 2011 b. ; vacuum
261 ; revolutions of engines, 581. Second run--
time, 5 min. 12 sec. ; speed, 11.538 knots; steam,
221 b ; vacuum, 251 ; revolutions of engines, 59,
Third run—time, 4 min. 36 sec. ; speed, 13.043
knots ; steam, 201 b. ; vacuum, 251 ; revolutions of
engines, 59. Fourth run—time, 5 min. 13 sec, ;
speed, 11.501 knots; steam, 2141 b.; vacuum, 254;
revolutions of engines, 59. Fifth run—time, 4 min.
20 sec. ; speed, 13 846 knots; steam, 211 b. ; vacuum,
251 ; revolutions of engines, 591. Sixth run—time,
5 min. 35 see. ; speed, 10.746 knots ; steam, 221 b. ;
vacuum, 251 ; revolutions of engines, 591. The
mean speed of the six runs was 12158 knots. At
half-boiler power the results were :—First run—
time, 4 min. 59 sec. ; speed, 12.040 knots ; steam,
211 b.; vacuum, 27; revolutions of engines, 45.
Second run—time, 7 min. 6 sec.; speed, 8450 knots;
steam, 211 b.; vacuum, 27; revolutions of engines,
48. Third run—time, 4 min. 59 sec ; speed
12.040 knots ; steam, 221 b. ; vacuum, 27 ; revolu-
tions of engines, 49. Fourth run—time 7 min. 7
sec. ; speed, 8-430 knots ; steam 221 b ; vacuum, 27 ;
revolutions of engine© 49. The mean speed of the
four runs was 10.242 knots. The temperatures
were as follow : —ln the first run, on deck, at full
power, 38 deg. ; at half-power, 44 deg. In the
engine-room—forepart, 74 deg. at full-power, and
74 deg. at ..half-power ; middle, 64 deg. at full-
power, and 64 deg. at half.power ; aft, 68 deg. at
full-power, and 69 deg. at half-power, In the
stokehole—forepart, 94 deg. at full-power, and 80
deg. at half-power; middle, 109 deg. at full power,
and 108 deg. half; aft, 103 deg. full, 105 deg. half-
power. In the last runs the maximum temperature
in the engine room was 78 deg., and in the stoke-
hole 124. The Hector by her full power rate of
speed takes a position just below the Royal
Oak, the actual difference being between 12.358
knots of the Hector and 12.528 knots of the Royal
Oak; but she beats both the Defence and the Re-
sistance. Oa the whole her trials of Tuesday must
be considered a great success as compared with her
trial previous to being placed in commission, when
she only averaged 11.843 knots. The unpleasant
yet positive fact, however, remains that this success
has only been attained at the cost of the ship's effi-
ciency. Her armaments has been reduced from 34
to 24 guns, while her cupola furnace for supplying
molten iron for shells, her spare fans for the screw,
and every other available spare weight have been
landed, her coals have been reduced from 440 tons
(her complement) to 350 tons, her warrant officers'
and other stores in proportion, and her stores of pro-
visions to only one month's salt and two months'
dry. As the Hector will not very probably be sent to
a more distant station than the Mediterranean, this
short supply of stores and provisions may be of
little real moment, as she can fill up at every port
she may call in. The loss of the third of her ar-
mament, however, is, in appearance, a far more
serious matter, yet even in this instance, when it is
considered ttat the guns on board the Hector only
fire cast .'lron projectiles, and are therefore harmless
against iron armoured ships, it can be but of little
consequence whether she carries one or 50 of such
weapons, and the Admiralty have therefore done
wisely in sacrificing the ship's guns to her speed.
The ship now carries on her main deck 20 95cwt.
68-pounder guns and on her upper deck four 110-
pounder rifled Armstrongs, besides her complement
of bcat guns, thus carrying no breech-loading guns
"..a main-deck. Inboard the ship is in the most per-
fect order, which reflects the highest possible credit
upon Capt. Preedy and his officers, when the short
time the ship has been in commission is consi-
dered. The ship would be officially inspected
at Spithead by Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Sey-
mour, G.b.8., and to-day at daylight she is expected
to sail for Portland, where she will meet the Chan-
nel Fleet on their return from Lisbon. As regards
the ship's machinery, none could have worked better
tha❑ did the Hector's on Tuesday during the trials.
The makers, Messrs. J. Napier and Sons, of Glas •
gow, were represented by Mr. J. Brown. The en•
gines were in charge of Mr. Dickson, the able
engineer of the ship. The ship was very steady
under steam, very little vibration of any kind being
experienced.

The following appointments and promotionshave
been made at the Admiralty :—William Donnison,
chief•engineer, to the Indus, for the Megmra, when
the latter is paid off; N. F. Hockerston, assist.-
engineer, to the Asia; Alex. G. Smith, assist...engi-
neer, to the Dromedary ; William Lawson, in the
Styx, and George Duncan, in the Princess Char-
lotte, promoted to acting first-class assist-engineers;
Robert 13. Turner, in the Prince Consort, James A,
Shawyer, in the Pylades, Aaron H. Symes, in the
Princess Royal, and Edward Chambers, in the
Hogue, promoted to first-class assist.-engineers.