The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-20 00:00:00

Her Majesty's Paddle Yacht Alberta,

This new yacht, of 391 tons and 161-horse power of en
gines, recently launched from Pembroke dockyard, and now
fitting at Portsmouth for her Majesty's private service, was
tried a second time under steam at Portsmouth yesterday
and on this occasion under the personal supervision of Rear
Admiral R. S. Robinson, Controller of the Navy, who was
accompanied by Rear-Admiral George Elliot, the energetic
superintendent of Portsmouth dockyard. Captain H.
Broadhead, commanding the Steam Reserve of the port
and her Majesty's ship Asia, had the command of the
yacht, the detailed working of the trial being carried out
by Messrs. Murray and. Ward, of the dockyard steam fac-
tory, and Mr. Murdoch, inspector of machinery afloat.
Mr. Cradock, master shipbuilder of the yard, and part of
his staff were also on board. The conditions of yesterday's
trial were very different to those attending her trial on
Thursday last, and as reported in 71te Suss of the following
day. On that occasion she drew 7ft lin of water aft, and
6ft 10in forward, being thus 3in by the stern. Yesterday
she was trimmed at an equal draught forward and aft, or
" on an even keel," to use a technical phrase, and this at a
draught at starting of Eft 161 in. This, as will be seen;
gave the ship a less average draught of water and conse-
quently considerably less displacement yesterday than on
Thursday, and had therefore an important bearing in rela-
tion to the ship's speed and her behaviour under steam, and
especially so at full power. This alteration in the vessel's
draught was attained by taking all her movable weights that
could be possibly spared out of her—such as her anchors
and chains, boots' davits (the latter massive enough for a
frigate), &c., and starting her with only 14 tons of coal in
her bunkers, in lieu of 25 tons as on Thursday, and only
partially replacing those removed weightc by nine tons of
iron ballast on the upper deck, which served as trimming
ballast during the trial.
Shortly after noon, the Controller having arrived on
board, the Alberta turned ahead and left Portsmouth har-
bour for the measured mile in Stokes Bay, gradually in-
creasing the revolutions of her engines until reaching the
maximum number on Thursday-49—when she was placed
on the mile, and a pair of runs taken with full-boiler power
with the following results
Time. Speed. Revolutions
in. S. Knots. of Engines,
First run.... 358 15.126 49
Second run.. 344 16.071 49
Steam, 271 b; vacuum, 26i.

The mean of the two runs gave the ship a speed of 15.598
knots against 15164 knots obtained with full-boiler power
on Thursday's trial. These two runs were deemed sufficient
with full-power, and the ship was then run off the mile
ground and through Spithead, to give time for blowing the
water out of the two after boilers, and trying her next over
the mile with her two forward boilers, or half-boiler power.
In trying the yacht with half-boiler power on Thursday it
was done in the ordinary manner—simply by shutting off
one-half the boilers. By, however, getting rid of the water
altogether from the two boilers cut off yesterday the yacht
got rid of so much weight, and the result of this measure
was that on the required amount of ballast halving been
shifted from forward to att to still keep the vessel on an
even keel the ship's draught of water was reduced from 6ft
10iin to 6ft Sin. Under these very advantageous condi-
tions a pair of runs were taken over the mile with those re-
sults :--

Time. Speed. Revolutions
m. s. Knots. of Engines.
First run.... 422 13740 411
Second run.. 4 0 15000 41
Ship's mean speed of the two runs, 14.307 knots, against
14.211 knots on Thursday. The difference in the gain in
speed between the full and half power runs is a sufficient
proof that the vessel is overweighted, or perhaps,
and speaki
hug
with with a more correct definition, that the engines
are out of proportion to each other. The difference in speed
in the runs obtained yesterday, and those of Thursday is
due solely to the decreased draught of water and consequent
hull displacement. This 15tter circumstance, together with
the fact that yesterday the yacht was sailed on an even
keel, instead of three inches by the stern as on Thursday,
also doubtless had considerable effect in reducing the size of
the rolling waves of broken water which curl in under the
vessel's quarters and rise up
on the bluff of the bows. Yes-
terday, although, as we have said, these unpleasant accom-
paniments to a -vessel's course were reduced in size, they
were not prevented, and the Alberta under full-power car-
ries with her on her course a perfect tempest of a sea when
the water clear of her is, comparatively speaking, smooth
as a mill-pond. Yesterday's trial gave no reason for mate-
rially altering the opinion expressed relative to the form of
the Alberta's hull in the report of the trial which appeared
in the Sion of Friday last. It may be considered possible
to explain existing defects to a certain extent by referring
10 the restrictions laid upon the designers relative to her
length and draught of water, but this would not meet the
entire case, nor, indeed, should explanations at all be
needed to render perfect in the present day a yacht spe-
cially designed and constructed for the service of the
Queen. It is very probable that the visit of the Controller
to the yacht yesterday will cause some alterations in seve-
ral portions of her fittings, which are almost as unartistic in
their character as is the hull.
The machinery of the yacht during the trial was in charge
of Mr, Matthews, one of the partners in the firm of Penn

The weather was exceedingly favourable for the trial, the
water being smooth, with the wind at a force of about 3
from S.W.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

The shipwrights engaged in plating Mr. Reed's experi-
mental ironcased sloop Enterprise are ordered to work over
a portion of the night in order to hasten the work, so that
the ship may be got off the stocks at Deptford on Feb. 9,
ono day sooner than was anticipated. Commander Rowley,
who has commissioned the Enterprise., has been informed
that in all probability lLir destination will be the Caine
Seas, which is considered an Rijn iged decision, Lis tii..)sa
waters are not suited for an experimental trial.
The Clara, convict ship, has arrived at Spithead from the
eastward to embark a number of convicts from the Ports-
mouth prison on her way down Channel. She is to touch
at Portland and Plymouth.

An additional number of mechanics and labourers have
been removed from the other vessels in progress at Chatham
dockyard in order to be employed in preparing the ironwork
for Mr. Reed's new frigate Bellerophon, which will be com-
menced in the dock in which she is intended to be con-
structed as soon as the new iron caisson has been fluted
in its place at the entrance to the second dock. In
the factory adjoining the dock the foundations are being
prepared by Messrs. Foord and Sons for the erection
of more powerful machinery than any at present in use
in the dockyard for bending, plaining, polishing,
slotting, and otherwise preparing the thick iron plates
with which it is intended to encase the sides of the Bel-
lerophon. In consequence of the numerous vessels now in
hand at Chatham dockyard and the anxiety evinced by the
Admiralty for the completion of the iron and iron-clad
vessels actually commenced, it is probable that a consider-
able number of hands will shortly be required to be entered,
the existing number of workmen being far below that mom-, _
sary taba employed to complete the new iron-clads ordered
by the Admiralty within the period assigned for their con-
struction.

A further trial of the coffer-dam invented by Captain
M‘Killop, R.N., is to take place on board her Majesty's
ship Recruit to-morrow morning-, when that vessel takes a
trip to the Nore to try het speed, &c., under the superin-
tendence of the officers of the reserve at Sheerness.
The new naval uniforms are, we understand, deposited at
the Admiralty, Whitehall; for the inspection of those per-
sons interested.

The following appointments and promotions were made
yesterday at the Admiralty:—Lieut. the Hon. Harry
A' Court to the Prince Consort, for gunnery duties—Lieut.
Augustus Jacob to the Hector, for gunnery duties—Sub.-
Lieut. Cassar H. Hawkins to the Prince Consort—Allen C.
Seeley nominated to a naval cadetship—Herbert Birch,
engineer, to the Euryalus, as supernumerary—William
Collier, engineer, to the Blenheim—William R. Leeson,
engineer, to the Shamrock—Amos Pritchard, James But-
chart, and John Galbraith, first-class assist. engineers, to
the Euryalus, as.supernumeraries—George Whitting, first-
class assist. engineer, to the Colossus—F. N. Thornton,
first-class assist. engineer to the Edinburgh—Robert Spiers,
first-class assist. engineer to the Asia for the Tender—
James Torkington, Henry Coller, Henry Brown, George
Alexander, George Hancock (b), William M'Neill, David
Crichton (a), and J. 0. Wilson, second-class assist, engi-
neers, to the Euryalus as supernumeraries ; Richard GrEen,
second-class assist. engineer to the Russell—William John-
sf6n, second-class assist. engineer, to the Cornwallis—
Robort Winfield, second-class assist. engineer, to the
Dauntless—George Park, second-class assist, engineer, to
the Majestic—and Edward Chambers, second-class assist.
engineer, to the Hogue.