The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-05 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

ADMIRAL DUNDAS'S FLEET.

We hear from the Mediterranean that the finest spirit
pervades the small but efficient fleet. Rumours of wars
have been rife among the squadron during the whole
cruise ; and, speaking for the ships with the officers of
which we are best acquainted, we can safely say that
should such a consummation ensue we do not envy the
gentlemen, be they whom they will, who will have the
disagreeable task of endeavouring to thrash them. For
downright work we do not belie there ever was a
squadron in finer trim or bdTtek' spirits. Show and
parade have been less attended to by the commander-in-
chief than the getting up of a good morale among the
men ; and in this he has perfectly succeeded. Hours and
days that in former times used to be spent in routines of
racing, drill, in flinging about huge unmanageable spars
which could never require to be so rapidly shifted as to
make it worth while to risk the expenditure of human
life, which has often taken place in the bravado of a race
at shifting them, are now occupied either less laboriously
at gun drill or in recreation ; so that the men, not hav-
ing their energieti , intensely drams upon, have some
remaining for a pinch, and are as hill of life at the pro-
spect of active service as a well-bred and well-condi-
tioned hunter would be at the cry of a pack of hounds.
Small as the squadron is, every particle of it is in excel-
lent condition, ready and eager for anything.
The voyage of the squadron to Besika was prosecuted
with the greatest energy, the latter part having been
performed by the steamers taking the liners in tow, a
sight which was as striking as it is novel. The whole
fleet looked like a party of gnats returning with a num-
ber of huge black beetles as prisoners of war.
A correspondent says, writing on the 13th :
" A French steamer has just come out from the Darda-
nelles (one o'clock)—looks warlike.

" 13th, Evening.—Consul (or vice) came down in the
Tiger to-day. Since then the following has been given as
the news brought by him :—The French fleet, consisting of
nine or ten liners, &c., are at Mitzleur, and the steamer
before-mentioned was carrying dispatches to their admiral.
The Russians are at Burgos, a town on the other side of
the Bosphorus, having 16 sail of the line, frigates and
transports, large and small, amounting in all to about 60
vessels—the transports full of troops. Further it is said,
that the Turkish troops are assembled from all parts, and
that the Turks are not quietly awaiting their fate by any
means. One thing, it is said, has been already done—viz.,
a regiment of refugees has been raised of Hungarians and
others, not less than 3,000 strong.
"If it be true that the Turks have six liners in readi-
ness, the united force'of the allies will be considerably
beyond those of the Russians in strength. Whether or no,
I wish them well out of it. Whether it be the natural
feeling of affection which arises in the mind of a weak
civilian to the burly military who are about to fight for
him (a feeling which comes particularly home to us just
now when we want a battle to be fought) which induces
me, I cannot say ; but I must repeat, that a fleet in better
fighting condition, with men possessed of more pluck and
bottom than this said one at Besika Bay, is not often to
be met with ; and it is to be hoped that while inducements
for our seamen to return to those ships at present manning
may not be wanting at home, the Parliament will take
care those abroad shall get something more than the amuse-
ment of exchanging hard knocks for their pains.
" I hope Messrs. Cobden, Bright, and Co. will not be
forgotten—that their peaceful prophecies and millennial
proceedings may be called to mind, to induce the people to
reward them as thoso who had done their best to destroy
this naval force of ours so richly deserve.
"14th.—Admiral made signal this morning, Leave to
go on shore ; but all who go are to continue near the
ships.' Caradoc not yet arrived."—Morning Herald.

PORTSMOUTH, JULY 4.
Another trial of Sir Thomas Mitchell's bomerang pro-
peller took place this morning on board the Conflict, un-
der the command of Captain W. H. Henderson, C. 8.,
of the Blenheim, attended by Mr. Murray, chief engineer
and inspector of machinery in the dockyard. The Con-
flict left the harbour at 9 a.m. for the measured mile in
Stoke's Bay, when the average result of six runs was
9.378 knots—an improvement of about two-thirds of a
knot on the speed attainable with the Conflict's own
propeller. The average revolutions were 65k.
This trial with the bomerang was made in order to
test the action of the blades, after the two small con-
tinuations which Sir Thomas Mitchell had been induced
to make had been taken off and the propeller reduced
to its original shape and proportionsA- The result has
been a gain of two-thirds of a knot, whin nautical
men consider a great deal with so heavy a ship as
the Conflict ; and we understand that Sir Thomas
Mitchell means to challenge Griffith's propeller to do
as much with the same ship. That fine steam-frigate,
the Arrogant, went out of harbour this morning
shortly before the Conflict, and we observed her trying
her speed also at the measured mile. The Arrogant
has been recently refitted with new boilers, &c., and
her screw is a common one. We therefore watched
with much interest when she turned into the mea-
sured mile, hoping to see a trial between the two ships,
or rather between the two propellers ; for the Arrogant is
a remarkably fine vessel of her class, and with respect to
the Conflict, we need only point to the official records of
her doings and misdoings. Notwithstanding the Arro-
gant's advantages, It was soon apparent that she was
losing ground, and while the distance between the two
vessels was growing more and more, the Arrogant sud-
denly altered her course. No accident of a serious kind
could have occurred to occasion this deviation, as we per-
ceived her again upon the measured mile after the Con-
flict had finished her runs.

The general result of the trials to which the bomerang
has been subjected seems to us fully to establish its high
claims to public favour. Its form is based upon strictly
mathematical principles. In point of celerity Sir Thomas
Mitchell has proved the efficiency of his bomerang in a
very heavy vessel, and that efficiency will be more pal-
pably manifest if his offer to fit one to her Majesty's yacht
the Fairy is accepted. In other points, not so striking
to superficial observers, perhaps, as celerity, but not
less intrinsically important, namely, the diminished wear
and tear of ships and the economy of fuel, the superiority
of the bomerang is decided. We alluded to the absence
of vibration in the trial we last reported ; and to-day
we purposely took our station for a considerable time
upon the taffrail where, of course, the vibration would be
most perceptible, and were even in that position scarcely
conscious of any ; in the midships of the vessel and
below, while the Conflict was making nearly 10 knots,
we could perceive no vibration at all. The enterprising
merchants of Liverpool have shown themselves sensible
to the vast economical advantages of the bomerang, and
have already fitted it to several of their ships, which
have accomplished quick voyages with a much dimi-
nished expenditure, as we noticed in our former report.
The propeller used on board the Conflict was manufac-
tured by Taylor and Co., of Birkenhead, and Sir Thomas
Mitchell pronounced an emphatic eulogium on the skill
of their workmen, and their ready appreciation of the
principle of his invention, or rather his ingenious appli-
cation of the principle of the rude Australian weapon to
the purposes of propulsion. The leading and the follow-
ing blades of the bomerang propeller may be likened to
the dorsal and caudal fins of fishes when swimming ' • act
on water at similar angles ; and are rooted on the shaft
on the same principle of strength as those fins are at-
tached to the fish's body, imparting the power which is
to give it motion. To give the bomerang propeller full
space to develope its powers, larger apertures are re-
quisite than are now generally found in either ships of
of the Royal Navy or in merchant vessels. The full
bomerang propeller requires, we are informed, a space
in length equal to one-third of the height. This altera-
tion can, however, be easily effected. Meanwhile the
exhibition of the bomerang propeller in its present com-
pulsorily crippled form has so convinced us of its im-
portance that we are confident of its eventual adoption.
The Comus, 14, Commander Fellowes, arrived at Spit-
head last evening from Sheerness, and saluted the flag
of the Commander-in-Chief at this port.

The Arrogant, 46, screw steam-frigate, Captain Fre-
mantle, having been supplied with new boilers, steamed
out of the factory basin this morning, and proceeded out
of harbour to try her engines. She will re-ship stores
and receive her crew from the Camperdown immediately,
and join the squadron at Spithead.
The Sidon steam-frigate, Captain Goldsmith, came
into harbour this afternoon, and hauled under the sheers
to be supplied with a new mainmast.
The Royal yacht Victoria and Albert returned from
her cruise and came into harbour last evening, the trial
of anthracite coal being most satisfactory.
The Fairy Royal yacht will be undocked to-morrow,
after refitting.

WOOLWICH, JULY 4.
APPOINTMENTS.

Acting Assistant-Surgeon H. R. Ley, to the Victory
flag-ship at Portsmouth.
The Black Eagle steam-vessel, Master-Commander
Pettey, left Woolwich at 11 o'clock on Sunday night for
Dover to embark his Majesty the King of Hanover, and
her Majesty the Queen and the three children of the
Royal family, with their suite, for a passage to Ostend,
the Royal party having proceeded this morning by the
South-Eastern Railway to Dover.
The Lucifer steam-vessel left Woolwich this morning
in charge of Master-Commander H. W. Allen, of the
Lightning, and the crew of that vessel went in the Luci•
fer to navigate her to Portsmouth.

PLYMOUTH, JULY 4.

Tier Majesty's brig Rolla arrived yesterday from Pem-
broke. She will be fitted for commission immediately.
The Vulture, 6, Captain Glasse, having received her
new foremast and got the lower rigging over her mast-
head, took in coal today from the Jupiter depot.
The launching of the Algiers is postponed in conse-
quence of extra hands being required on the St. Jean
d'Acre.

A large barque-rigged steamer, supposed to be a man•