The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-05 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

oLwrcit, 11/41Aacn 3.—The Amphion steam-frigate,
undar the charge of Lieutenant Sihbald, got up her
steam yesterday, and returned from Greenhit he to Wool-
wich. accompanied by the Black Eagle, Master Com-
mat:der S. B. Cook, the Black Eagle having been ordered
to Grcenbithe in CaOt her assistance should be required,
but the Amphion accomplished the trip in a satisfactory
manner; and on the Wye convict hospital ship being
taken out of dock to- morrow the A ropliion will be taken
into dock to have some alterations made in a part of the
engine room a tacit renders the space next to the moving
and stopping power too contint.d and dangerous when
passing it in haste.
The Grappler, iron steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Com-
mander Lysaght, who was appointed to her at Wool-
wich immediately after he had concluded a course of study
of steam machinery at the factory, has arrived at Sierra
Leone, and the following interesting detail of her pas-
sage to the coast of Africa slows the importance of a
knowledge of steam machinery to officers commanding
_ _

" We burn more coals now than we did on our first trial
betwixt Woolwich and Portsmouth, consuming 20 tons in-
stead-of 17 when full steaming, which gives usonly seven
days'coal. On oar leaving Plymouth, and in fact from the
first, I found her leaky—more than the bilge-pumps
chose to deliver; and these functionaries (the pumps)
getting exceeding sick about 24 hours out of port (off
Ushant), like their managers, I believe, declineo further
duty, on which the crier ramon us:tree fe-et such half
in the stoke-holc, pitting out the fires and bursting up
the plates of the platform, so at; to Jefakane tons of
coals into the bilges. I put all hands to pump and bale
for some hours before I got her free enough to
enable the engineers to get at .the bilge-pumps and
free them, and I caused the plungers to be eased a
little. The next morning, finding the breeze strong in
our favour and against our return, I gave her steam
again. On examining the engines and means of work-
ing the vessel, one or two things have suggested them-
selves as requiring improvement. Our bilge-pumps work
on the inner arm instead of in the bilge, so that as they
suck at nine inches, and the ship is very crank, a large
body of water is left in the engine-room washing to and
fro, which the suckers cannot touch except when the
vessel rolls to windward. I do not know why they
should not be on the outer arm and the feeds
amidship, but suppose there is some good reason that
the contrary plan has been adopted. When we get to
Ascension I will try and get branch pipes to lead from
them to the bilge on either side, that the difficulty
which now exists may be obviated. The fulcrum of
the hand-pump put in at Woolwich gave way in our
utmost need, but the bearing overhead, on which the
lever worked, was said to be cast iron ; the next shall
be of wrought iron. I found a very bad leak in the
stern of the vessel round the rudder-case, and stopped
it with some difficulty. We hear the water come in in
clear streams inside the lining, but, as she is lined
throughout, I prefer pumping her out to laying bare the
leaks too numerous for insertion,' or patching by our
mechanics. As far as the ship's work goes she is very
indifferently finished. Our engine has a perpetual salt
water bath from leaks inside aud along the iron sponson
beams, which we have tried in vain to stop. Now for the
brighter side. She goes at the rate of 8 knots an hour
when deep, with one boiler on the third step of expansion,
burning 8 tons of coals, and with full power in the same
trim (11 feet) only 9.5 knots, so that I think I shall never
use the two boilers again except in chase. In very
smooth water she does not shake or work so much with
the easy steam as she does with the full power, and I
have a suspicion that we have too much power for her
strength. When she has full power, even in smooth
water, she works and trembles like a sailing vessel
overpressed with canvass, and I should say with
the same want of increase of speed as in a
sailing vessel overpressed. At the time I write
she goes 8.6 knots with the wind abeam, and one
boiler third step of expansion. The wind is not helping
her much, as she only went five knots some time back
under canvass only, and she is running away from her
canvass now and then, as it gets lighter. She does not.
run well deep as she is, and I have not tried her light
yet with a sail; the most she has gone with a fresh trade
wind (wheels disconnected) being eight knots. I did not
take off my lower floats, as I might have done, on the
home-station or Mediterraneln, with a dockyard under
my lee to replace nuts, screws, &c. Ido not
think the wheels checked her much, as being dis-
connected they had nothing to turn but themselves. We
left Madeira on Christmas-eve, having got 117 tons of
coals very smartly delivered. The t.',phynx left an
anchor there, from letting it go in too deep water and
snapping the chain. If ever any more iron pots are