The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-03 00:00:00

The Plumper, 12, screw-sloop. Comniander Nolloth,
arrived at Spithead on Sunday, and yesterday morning
she ran into harbour, and went alongside the yard jetty.
She had not seen the St. Vincent since the day after she
left Gibraltar; and it supposed that ship went into Lis-
bon. On the evening of the 18th the Reynard made
signal to the Plumper that she was disabled, and on the
Plumper going down to her she found she had
carried away the shaft of her engine. 'The Plumper took
the Reynard in tow and brought her along at the rate of
5} knots per hour. She afterwards cast the Reynard off,
and the Plumper also became disabled by carrying away
one of the fans of her screws short off close to the axle.
So that both steamers had to depend on their sails,
and in the night they parted company. Some experiment
was made by using the Plumper's screw with one fan,
and with it, by working the engine on the third grade
tit-expansion, she made a rate of upwards of five knots,
but the screw worked irregularly and made a jerking
motion. She had sailed all the way home, having to
contend against strong north-east winds the whole dis-
tance. She will require some alterations and repairs,
with a new screw, the former one was set at too great a
pitch, which may account for its breaking. The wire
lower rigging has not been found to answer well. It
has required setting up no less than seven times since
the cruise commenced, destroying a quantity of the lan-
yards; while the forestay—a hemp rope—has only re-
quired pulling up twice. The Plumper carries a great
deal of weather helm, so that, on a wind, her mizenmast
is of no use, and sometimes she gripes so much that she
cannot set her main trysail; otherwise, she is a good
sea boat, and sails well, beating the Reynard consider-
ably under canvas.
PORTSMOUTH, MONDAY.—The Stromboli steam•sloop,
Commander Lord A. W. Beauclerk, returned from her
Channel cruise this forenoon, and came into the harbour.
She sailed again this evening for the Channel Islands.
The Planet freight-ship, with troops on board for Ber-
muda, got under way this morning; but after working
out as tar as the Knab Light, returned to Spithead, the
wind having become foul and the weather having a
threatening appearance.
Wind, S.W. by W.; moderate breezes and cloudy.
weather.
PLYMOUTH, Marton 31 .—Her Majesty's steam-sloop
Stromboli, Lieut. T. Davis, arrived from Portsmouth on
Wednesday, went up harbour to coal, and on Thursday
sailed for a cruise in the Channel, to supply with provi-
sions any homeward-bound ships detained by contrary
winds.
Her Majesty's steam-vessel Avon, Lieut.-Commander
Cater, arrived yesterday from the o )ast of Ireland; she
will probably be paid off here on the 3d of April.
Her Majesty's brig Ranger was taken into dock on
Thursday; her main and else keel are carried away up
to her garboard streak. She will r, quire to be lifted.
Her crew were laid off in the yard on the 29th.
The Lark schooner, Lieutenant C. 0. B. Hall, arrived
from Sheerness on Sunday, and is on the point of sailing
with a mail for the coast of Africa.

Captain Mends, of her Majesty's ship Agincourt, 74,
hoisted his flag, blue at the mizen, as Heir-Admiral of
the Blue, on Tuesday morning, the 27th inst., and struck
►t again in the evening. During that time the flag of
Admiral Superintendent Sir John Louis, red at the mizen,
was hoisted on board hfl• Majesty's brig Ranger.
Ilt.r Majesty's ship San Josef will be docked on the 7th
of April, and the men will commence breaking her up on
the 9th.

The new mode of paying the artizans in the dockyard
is deferred until May, to give time for the necessary
preparations. All the hired ropemakers and the hired
ropemakers' labourers who were to be paid off on the
Ist of April are to be retained for twelve months longer.
Superannuations this day :-1 assistant, 1 foreman, 4
inspectors, 19 leading men of shipwrights, 10 shipwrights,
1 leading man of caulkers, 2 caulkers, 1 inspector of
joiners, 10 joiners, 3 masons, 9 smiths, 1 wheelwright,
1 leading man of hosemakers, 18 ropemakers, and 1
cokemaker. One joiner and one smith have been dis-
charged for loss of time.
Wind, S.W., light breezy.

WOOLWICU, APRIL 2.—Tho Vivid Dover mail steam-
packet, Captain Smithett, arrived at the harbour of
Ostend, at six o'cbck P.M. on Saturday last, having on
board her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians and suite.
Her Majesty did not appear to have suffered in the
least by the voyage, which had been performed in four
hours, the sea being very calm. Sir John Hamilton
accompanied her Majesty on board the Vivid. The
military and civil authorities and Mr. Curry, the British
Consul at Ostend, were in waiting to receive her Majesty,
and on the vessel entering the harbour, a royal salute
was fired from the batteries. The royal party, after
landing, immediately left by a special train for Brussels.
The Basilisk steam-vessel is to be taken out of the
basin on Wednesday, and in a few days after will be
placed under the charge of Captain Austin, C. 8., for
trial with the Niger, and the latter is to be under the
charge of Captain Halsted, whose great practical know-
ledge of the properties of the screw-propeller will insure
an unquestionably fair trial. The Arrogant, 46-gun
frigate, Captain lt. FAiptzprociziy,TilmseNsTps.ected to join the Ba-
silisk and Niger, to test the steam speed and sailing
qualities of the three vessels.

Captain G. H. Seymour icoThO—steam-factory, Wool

wick.

Assistant-Surgeons—S. Bowden and J. Elliott to the
Impregnable flag-ship at Devonport.
- -

DOCKYARD APPOINTMENTS.
Storekeeper—F. L. Mouchett to Deptford.
Store Receivers—F. V. Gottlieb to Woolwich; T. Pre-
tions to Devonport.
Engineers—G. A. Tuck and J. Anderson (second
class) to the reserve steam squadron at Devonport;
J.
Burton (second class assistant) to the Excellent gunnery
ship at Portsmouth.
The following are the principal dimensions of the
Buzzard steam-sloop, launched last week at Pembroke
do
feet,
ckeanrgdt
h: —ofLke
en
eglt h
for
tonnagebetween
It6h pe
rpendicularsfeet,
aldBths
34 feet, breadth for tonnage 33 foot 8 inches, breadth
moulded 33 feet, depth, in hold 20 feet, burden 9971
tons, horse-power 400; paddle-wheel engines by Miller
and Co.