The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-29 00:00:00

STEAM SQUADRON FOR DEVONPORT.

The Salamander, Rattler, Jackal, and Growler steam-
sloops were navigated from Portsmouth to Devonport on
Saturday, to form members of the reserve squadron of
steamers to be established at the latter port.
By the promotion of Captain Carroll to the rank of
Rear-Admiral, Captain Thomas E. Vidal (1825) suc-
ceeds to the half-pay of 14s. 6d. per diem, and Captain
John M. Law (1833) to the half-pay of 12s. 6d. per diem.
THE ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET.—Wo are happy to
learn that Admiral Sir James Hawkins Whitshed, Bart.,
Admiral of the Fleet, has nearly recovered from his
recent severe illness. Dr. Copeland has attended the
venerable Baronet throughout his indisposition, which
for some weeks created much anxiety to the members of
his family,
The Growler, Rattler, Salamander, and Jackal sailed
on Saturday morning from Portsmouth, for Plymouth,
under convoy of the Driver steam-sloop, Commander
Johnson, who will wait at Plymouth to bring back the
officers and seamen that navigated them to their own
vessels at Portsmouth.

The Espiegle, 16, Commander Campbell, sailed from
Portsmouth for Sheerness, to payoff, on Friday evening.
The Centaur steam-frigate; Captain Buckle, was taken
out of the basin at Portsmouth on Friday. The yard
men are busy fitting and altering her bullrings and
pivots tot her.new gun carriages.
The Arrogant has received her proper masts, and has
hauled off alongside the Victorious hulk at Portsmouth.
She will be commissioned so soon as the President is
paid off. She has now about •14 men entered—cook,
painter, steward, ke.,(that are employed on board, get-
ting Teady for the reception of her crew, marking and
numbering her hammocks, and doing other necessary
work.' ' These men are, for the present, borne on the
books of fhe Fisgard.
A party of marines for Ascension, consisting of a ser-
geant and ten men, have embarked at Portsmouth on
board the :Centaur, to relieve a similar number whose
'term of service afloat has expired.
The Seafiower cutter; tender to the Cuckoo, is in Ports-
mouth Harbour, refitting.
The' Margaretta, _Evans; liner packet, embarked a
large number of passengers at Portsmouth, yesterday at
noon, for New York. • •

The Malabar coal-depot; having had her fittings at
last completed, has been removed • from-the basin, and
warped to her moorings off Cold Harbour, Gosport., She
bas only taken is her head moorings as yet, the stem
not being yet repaired. When- this vessel wag
first ordered to be got reedy, we had hopes that the cleii-
deratum we. had so long looked for was to be" aocom-
plished—a coal depot at Spithead.
iheSup
inerrhe,fiBl,l3Cga.ptaiHnerPartopceralla,sits mrigagikiniwgsii;srhaortleodf
progress
down, lower rigging sparred dovrn for rattling, atul
her yards in their plapes, 'with the exception of the man,
which is lying across the bulwarks.
TESTING ANCHOES 11. ,POETSMOUT/L—The. purport
of the trial which took- place on ,Saturday, under the
superintendence of Mr. Owen, the Admiralty inspector
of metals, was to ascertain whether the annealing of an-
chors after their manufacture would render thern less
brittle and hard, and whether it would not increase their
• tenacity :lel:flakethem More thigh and fibroui.
Shears of about 70 feet in height have been.erected in
the doCkyard, the • anchor' s hoisted tO 'the top and se.;
cured vitli a slip stopper, the purchase is then cast 04
and the anchor hangingiiti the teauticephrase; " a Dock-
bill," i 3, dropped; it on a secure platform at' the
bottom-of the shears, the'platforbi heittg solid, the' top
formed, of a layer of large pigs of iron ballast, each of
3 cwt. " The anchor is supposed to 'drop on its.crown„
the distance from the crown of the anchor to the plat-
form beings thll of tibout 30 -feet. = Tiro large:sited an-
chors were tried to-day, both .were what are termed Sir
William Parker's, or-Admiralty anchors, each weighing
48 :cwt., and both siniilai.in every respect except the au-
nealing% •
The
-first tried was the anchor in its natural state,- .as.
it came from the forge; .:this was tried twice, and in
both cases there was not the slightest damage done to
the anchor.from the two falls, but each time the pigs Of
ballast were smashed pieces.

The next trial was with the annealed anchor. This
anchor had undergone the process of being heated to a
bright-red heat, and in that state covered over with hot
bricks and ashes, and thus allowed to cool gradually
without exposure to the influence of the atmosphere.
Contrary to expectation, this anchor broke upon being
dropped on the ballast, one of the arms breaking off
short close to the broad part of the palm. The fracture-
exhibited sound and closely-welded iron, but it alsok ap-
peared too hard, and had a brittle and steel-like ap-
pearance;te the anchor fell on its crown, therefore
the fluke to continue the downward moattio . This trial,
fracture was occasioned by the stock and the te_nbdieantcryiaolf,
Ilia annealing
therefore, as far as it goes, is against been properly
system—but this anchor may not have
will follow, and should
prepared, this part may perhaps
heating) too quickly. Other Ola
the anchors more
the annealing be found
break,t rendero
annealing furnaces will
tough, and less likely to
1 doekyards.
iahave been cooled (after
be erected in the principal
but the slip stopper at the
was to have been tried,t old obsolete shape of 46 cwt ,
be re-
paired Another anchor, of
shears-head did not sat p
An accident was nearly occurring that
an old
and it could not
in
beentime.
attendedh with very serious conse-
c or was at the shears head,
,the
que and a man about •
been passed, going up to
miVes.havoThean
stopper had
cast offthe stopper slipped,
the purchase lashing, when
and the anchor came down by the
Yrun, by its weight
overhauling the fall; fortunately, everything was clear,
and the only mischief done was, that several of the con-
victs employed to hoist the anchor up got their shins and
legs a little bruised by the purchase fall.
PORTSMOUTH, SUNDAY
FIVE P.M.—Wind north-
westerly, fresh breezes, squally, unsettled weather.
LAUNCH OF THE VULCAN STEAM-NRIGATE. ;
WOOLWICH, JAN. 27.—A considerable number of
persons assembled this afternoon on both sides of
Bow-creek to witness the launch of this fine vessel.
Amongst the gentlemen
present on the platform at the
bows, when the ceremony of naming her took place,
were Mr. Maudslay, Mr. Field, Mr. George Rennie,
M. Zorab (the Turkish Consul), Mr. F. P. Smith (of the
screw-propeller department at the Admiralty), Mr.
Relit, and numerous other gentlemen connected with