The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-19 00:00:00

SWITZERLAND.

The Executive Government of Switzerland, in
consideration of the probable complications of the
Eastern question, proposes to station a body of
troops on the German frontier, and is about to de-
mand a grant from the Federal Assembly with this
object.

SCREW STEAM. NAVIGATION.

/ The magnificent screw steamship Himalaya, Captain
A. Kellock, belonging to the Peninsular and Oriental
Steam Navigation Company, since her appearance in
the Southampton Docks has been the object of great
interest and attention to numerous visitors of all classes
of society who have been permitted to go on board to
make an inspection of the wondrous triumphs of enter-
prise and skill displayed in this gigantic ocean steamer.
The Himalaya is the largest ocean steamship in the
world. She is, in fact, " the Duke of Wellington," not
alone of the Peninsular and Oriental Company's fleet, but
takes ducal rank among all the merchant steamships at
present in existence. The Himalaya is 3,550 tons register,
equal to over 4,000 tons burden, and is of the extra-
ordinary length of 372 feet 9 inches. The length of
keel is 311 feet ; breadth for tonnage, 46 feet
inches ; depth of hold, 24 feet 9 inches. These pro-
portions, when 'contrasted with the dimensions of
other ships, give a great advantage, particularly in,
length, to the Himalaya ; for example, the Duke or
Wellington, of 131 guns, although of greater beam and
j depth, is inferior in length by 92 feet to the Himalaya.
The screw steamer Great Britain is 335 feet long, or
40 feet shorter than the Himalaya, while the American
clipper ship Great Republic, recently destroyed by
fire in New York, was only 325 feet long, or of 47 feet
less length than the Himalaya. Although the Himalaya,
exceeds in so large a degree the length of the Duke 01
Wellington, yet she is inferior in tonnage to that ship'
the Duke being 3,759 4-94 tons, or about 209 tope
larger than the Himalaya. The superior burden of the
Duke of Wellington is produced by her enormoss
breadth of beam, which is 60 feet, and her depth, which
is 57 feet forward and 65 feet aft, both these qualities
being indispensable in ships of war to enable them to
carry their heavy armament of artillery with the requisite
supplies of ammunition, stores, &c. The Himalaya. je
built of iron, and was constructed by Messrs. J. C'
Mare and Co., of Blackwall. The engines, of 700-hosSe
power, by Messrs. Penn, of Greenwich, are on the trunkprinciple, similar to those supplied by that firm
to
the Agamemnon and other vessels. Their splendid pa'
formance cannot be exaggerated ; they work like t-re
mechanism of a chronometer, and propel the sh.l)
through the water with incredible smoothness and ease
of motion. The cylinders of the engines are of 84 incise
diameter, with a 31 feet stroke, and the revolutions ?eir
minute are from 50 to 60. The screw is a two-blazed
one, on the old principle, of 18 feet diameter, with a,9!'
feet pitch, and weighs nearly seven tons. The vesse: rt.e
full ship-rigged, and the masts, spars, and sails whie'
have been supplied are those suitable for a clipper-shoe
of 1,600 or 1,800 tons. Captain Kellock says from tbe
experience he has already had of the qualities of t"e
vessel, that in a heavy breeze there would be no diffiolikr„
in getting 18 knots or 20 miles an hour out of the
ship by using both steam and canvass. Passengers this
magnificent steamer will revel in every luxury andeoel.
fort that can be comprehended in a sea voyage. The
saloon, nearly 100 feet in length, will dine 170 pesons ;
the bed cabins are the largest and most roomy eser 94
appropriated to marine travellers. There is in the
various suites of apartments accommodation for 930 fill,V
and second cabin passengers, besides the usual mail'
rooms, baggage-rooms, store-rooms, water-tants, 45e‘
The ship will carry 1,000 tons of measurement goods oat
freight, and in her bunkers can stow 1,200 tons e/'
coals. The spar-deck is flush from stem to strn, arl7
it is when setting foot upon this part of the vessel the'
her immense size produces an extraordinary effect upon
the spectator. An uninterrupted promenade of 375 fe"
or 125 yards is here provided. To walk round the spar
deck precisely one-seventh of a mile has to be traversed'
The possession of such a stupendous steamship as VI
Himalaya must be a matter not merely of local, be
national interest. If, unhappily, the threatened sre:
should break out, there is no telling the uses to whrel
upon emergencies, this vessel and other steamers iset
lesser size, belonging to the great steam companies rnig,'
be applied. 3,000 men could be embarked at SoutP,
ampton, and conveyed by the Himalaya in 11 days ~
Constantinople or the Black Sea ; while steamers such
as the Colombo, Plata, Atrato, Jason, Argo, Creese,s'o
and many others might be dispatched with proportiosin
numbers. By employing temporarily the grefil
congregatedsteamers usually Southampton, a SW"
army might in fact be rapidly thrown upon any partife
lar point of the European or Asiatic coast, where
exigencies or unexpected hazards of war should rend
e
such succour necessary. For rapidly transporting ,
mense supplies of provisions, ammunition, artillery, ,
men to the fleets in the Black Sea in the Mediter
ranean, or in the Baltic, it is difficult to say Nybe„,
enormous services might not, on emergency, be re::„,
dered by a few steamers such as these, should tP4
Admiralty, at any time find it desirable to en3Pl°6l
them. Armed with long Paixhan guns, mansi,
with a sufficient force of seamen trained to gut
nery, such a ship as the Himalaya would laugh to
ordinarysee'yowero
ships-of-war to capture ber,
f7OO horses, she could Wel);
thev effortsitb bor steam o f any
from and outstrip in speed any fleet of ships-of-0;0
while she would in a running fight, inflict great darst'g
upon her assailants. The Duke of Weliing,ton, accord' if
to accounts recently received from Lisbon, is as 03,54.115/
handled at sea as a Cowes yacht ; and, if we riga"4,
interpret the intelligence which has lately reached tia.%,
the Admiralty are determined to try, on a more js,
tended scale, the • principle of screw line-of-battle abird
Instead of ships of 4,000 tons, 800-horse power, tile
carrying 131 guns, there is nothing to prevent
~,..00
construction of ships 500 feet long, of 10,000 rnso
burden,
and capable of mounting 200 or 250 VehiP 0
aL
of ordna, •
e of the largest size. Line-of-battle 5 of
would then be turned into moveable fortificatiorrebie
the most tremendous and destructive character, cape
of being transported with incredible rapidity from Phero
to place. If this principle he once admitted—and t'tifr
seems nothing to prevent its feasibility—no land WiitiO
cations will hereafteebe enabled to resist the gig!ion•
naval forces which may be appointed for their reducl'ely
Warlike operations on the ocean will assume an er'ti for
new character, and the time may come when thelorl
midable fortresses of the sea will be classed•in eliatioa
operations as floating citadels, and when the destrec„,ter
or loss of one of them will be considered as a dis'-ae'
equal to the fall of a land fortress, which may beilse'
lending a line of strategic importance in a military se
.s.

THE LATE EXTENSIVE ROBBERY IN GLOSTEB-r—
-iIvDE-PARK.--Notwithstanding the united exertions if
Inspectors Grant and Field, the mystery of this robbesit.
has not yet been solved. Although suspicion ia air
tached to a certain party, enough has not yet been this
covered to justify his being taken into custody. 1•11,0 sfl
case the thieves got hold of easily c. avertible ArT4oLts ;
the shape of diamond necklaces, brooches and arrtioolo
we consequently fear all hope of recovery is lost. kisi'bery
however, often happened, that months after a
of this kind has been effected, the guilty 1)=.09 '—
been apprehended.