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

THE MILITIA AND YEOMANRY.

The Bradford Second West Yorkshire Yeomany have
commenced training at Northgate. They are already
extremely efficient, and work well together. It is in-
tended to continue the training for some weeks.
The Duke of Lancaster's Yeomanry are now on duty
at Lancaster. The Bolton troop of the regiment has
joined head-quarters.
The Fourth West York Regiment of Militia assembled
at the Cavalry Barracks, Leeds, on Wednesday morn-
ing last, under the command of Lord Beaumont, for 28
days' training, and mustered about 700. The early part
of the day was occupied in giving out the clothing, the
fatigue-dress of which consists of grey tweed, with white
facings ; and at .3 o'clock they went on parade. The
men, on the whole, are fine soldier-looking fellows, and
promise, after a short training, to make an efficient re-

giment.
Lord Heytesbury, the Governor of the Isle of Wight,
has assigned for the use of the island corps of artillery a
large space and an ample block of buildings within the
ramparts of Carisbrook Castle, as exercise grounds, gun-
sheds, stores, and quarters, for the staff of the corps.
The South Devon and First Somerset Militia have
commenced garrison duty at Plymouth. As a prepa-
ratory step, the men have been placed on guard with
soldiers of the line, and each post has at present two
sentinels.

The West Essex Yeomanry have assembled for train,
ing, under the command of Major Pelham. The head-
quarters of the regiment are at Chelmsford.

OCEAN STEAMING.-PADDLE v. SCREW.

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 11i knots,
or about 131 miles, an hour. The Atrato accomplished
the passage from Southampton to St. Thomas in 11 days
81 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 horsepower 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 Ilimallya 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 11f, 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, 14 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 " Ocean Steaming," in the Times, I observe an article
on the respective merits of paddlewheel and screw as the
propelling power for large steam ships, and from the
conclusion therein arrived at the former would appear to
be considered the most desirable. The relative voyage
of the two finest steamers afloat of their respective
classes have been taken as the test, and, so far, nothing
could have been better than the selection ; but it must
be borne in mind that in this case the screw ship per-
formed her voyage under most disadvantageous circum-
stances. First, she has not been docked since she first
started last February, and her bottom is, consequently,
very foul, green grass having accumulated on it some
feet in length. Again, I believe she did not work to
her full power during this trip by 41b. of pressure.
From practical knowledge of the respective speed of the
uuldgeubeeraatlityhdeup) abdeddlie;pwohseeedl,tuthbaatekl
two descriptions of vessels, I feel so certain that— say
in a voyage from Southampton to St. Thomas's and
winsshinawdeoerable odds. The Himalaya's aver-
6rieasillsdinoolnitass:ahnaatha
thesb hgaoecilkssl—cpdreete(wandse neverhaEsatensregeol
aver-
age and it is an unquestionable fact that her general
iss
ste ea!'
smnine
near
speed,knots when
an
Ti i nh
oourrd er
as and
may withb be,
. a clean.vv iwith
bottom,loi fink
p,
re-
member, run a
350 miles in over
formed, by observation, . 24 hours. I,
uyuor,tramudayper.the
therefore, am under
of wind she goets
tlh4e
ar-
rived at a conclusion on the respective you have
merits of the
paddle-wheel and
dte
I have just quoted ;and
and screw which you would not have done
had you been aware of the facts.
m 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.