The Sun.
London, England, 1854-07-07 00:00:00

MILITARY.

The second division of the 15th (King's) Hussars left
Chatham on July 5 for Canterbury, to join head-quarters
there, leaving
tleacvooinnmg
jpuatlnhyieess forinvalids from the corps behind, in
order that they may obtain their discharge.
of
Canterburythe BOth Regimentßegime,where
theof
rFootregiment
lefteot
is to be stationed, having moved from Chatham to make
room for the great number of invalids recently returned
home from the East Indies. The head-quarters and
two more companies of the 80th Regiment of Foot fol-
lowed yesterday for Canterbury, and billeted at Sitting-
bourne, as the eight companies did on the previous
night. The regiment is to be augmented and remodelled,
and as it is at present only 500 strong, numerous re-
cruiting parties will have to be sent out to raise the ad-
ditional number (900) required to put it on the war
establishment of 1,400 strong. The depot of the regi-
ment has been much reduced, owing to the number of
men who volunteered for service in Turkey. Many
hundreds of men might be obtained from the militia if
they were permited to enlist without having to apply to
their own colonel for a discharge.
The first squadron of the 3d Light Dragoons left
Manchester yesterday morning, under the command of
Major Forbes, for Burnley. Other portions of the regi-
ment will go to Preston and other towns. The object
of the movement is to make room for the Scots Greys,
who were to arrive last evening, on their way to Liver-
pool. They remain at Manchester, however, until the
Simla and other transports are ready to receive them in
the Mersey, when they will receive the route for the
seat of war. It is expected that the 3d Dragoons will
also, ere long, be ordered to Turkey.
On Tuesday morning, at seven o'clock, the 3d division
of the 27th (Enniskillen) Regiment left Penrose's-quay
in one of the river steamers for Queenstown, to embark
on board the Birham, for conveyance to Calcutta. The
division (under the command of Major Durnford (con-
sisted of three companies, numbering 244 privates, 12
sergeants, 15 corporals, and 3 drummers. The officers
who accompanied the men were--Captains Manly and
Rhodes, Lieutenants Downing, Newton, Gressen, and
Pemsell, and Surgeon Mostyn. 31 women and 35
children, who had obtained permission to proceed with
the regiment to India, also accompanied the division.
The East Indiaman ship Balcarras, so long and
anxiously looked for, landed the troops she brought
home on Monday at UTIWONOIId, animating to 340 non!

The recent voyages of the Peninsular and Oriental
Company's steam-ship Himalaya, and of the Royal mail
steam-ship Atrato, have attracted much attention among
nautical men, and go far to illustrate the relative capa-
bilities for speed of the screw and paddlewheel as rival
methods of propulsion. The Himalaya made the voyage
from Cork to Varna, exclusive of stoppages, in 11 days
19 hours, the average speed being a little over 111 knots,
or about 133 miles, an hour. The Atrato accomplished
the passage from Southampton to St. Thomas in 11 days
8i hours, the average speed being 13 knots, or equal to
151 miles, an hour. The Atrato's passage to the West
Indies is the most extraordinary long voyage performance
ever recorded in the annals of steam navigation, and
proves that ship to be by far the fastest ocean steamship
yet produced. Coming home her average speed was 12
1-10 knots, the reduced rate being caused by bad coals.
The achievement of the Atrato is the more worthy of
notice from her comparative small power when contrasted
with tonnage. She has, in fact, only 800 horse-power to a
tonnage of 3,466, while the celebrated steamship La Plata,
built by the Cunard Company, has 1,000 horse-power to
2,500 tons of burden, and the quickest passage ever made
by La Plata has occupied 121 days from Southampton to
St. Thomas. The favourable result produced by the Atrato
has been caused by her superiority of model and great
length. Both the Atrato and Himalaya are constructed
of iron, the former being propelled by paddles and the
latter by a screw of 700 horse-power to 3,500 tons bur-
den. During the runs in question, which afford an op-
portunity of judging of the respective merits of the ships
both vessels were heavily laden with coals, passengers,
and stores, the Himalaya having a regiment of cavalry
on board, besides large quantities of baggage, Govern.
ment stores, &c. ; and the Atrato starting, besides a
heavy cargo, baggage, &c., with 1,300 tons of fuel on
board, of which 350 tons were unexpended when she
reached the termination of the voyage. The screw
steamer, of 3,500 tons and 700 horse power, under these
circumstances giving an average of 111, and the paddle•
wheel steamer, of 3,466 tons and 800 horse-power, show-
ing a mean speed of 13 knots an hour. The difference
in speed, 11 knots per hour, being more than equal to
the nominal difference of power—viz., 100 horses—in
favour of the Atrato, and seems to be conclusive as to
actual speed (other considerations being omitted in the
advantage presented by the paddle-wheel steamer over
her rival of the screw.

With reference to the above, the following has been
addressed to the editor of the Times :---Under the head
of "
on the Ocean Steaming " 'ri is of
a
propelling respective met
pg power for large the Times, I observe an article
paddlewheel and screw as the
steam ships, and from the
conclusion therein arrived
be considered the most d at the former would appear to
of the two finest desirable. The relative voyage
steam
eirrtesiptective
classes have been takenmust
asrta afloat
test, and, so far, nothing
could have been better than the
oasetleocf their
; bu
be borne in mind that in this
formed her voyage under most disadvantageous circum-
car the screw ship per-
stances. First, she has not been
started last February, and her bottom
docked since she first
ottom is, consequently,
very foul, green grass r
having
feet in length. Again, I biove she did not work to
accumulated on it some
her full power during this trip by
From practical knowledge of the 4lb. of pressure.
two descriptions of vessels, I feel respective speed of the
0 certain that— say
in a voyage from Southampton St. Thomas's and
back—the screw would beat the to
should (as Englishmen generally doriF-wheel, that I
the screw at considerable odds. Theerlsposed to back
imalaya's aver-
age speed has never been so low since
she first went to
sea, and it is an unquestionable fact
steaming speed, when in order and with that her general
is as near 13 knots an hour as may be; a clean bottom,
With a slant
has,, aof wind she goes 14 and 14k, and h,
you may re-
member, run at the rate of 16i knots an hour, our, and per-
formed, by observation, 350 miles in over
therefore, am under the impression that
24 hours. I,
you have ar-
rived at a conclusion on the respective merits of the
paddle-wheel and screw which you would not have done
had you been aware of the facts I have just
j
quoted ;and
my firm opinion is, that the writer of the
article alluded
to will yet become a convert to the unquestionably su-
perior merits for ocean steaming of the screw over the
paddle-wheel.
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