The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-10 00:00:00

N &VAL INTELLIGENCE.

THE EXPERIMENTAL SQUADRON FOR 1845.
PORTSMOUTH, APRIL 9.—By a return, moved for in
the House of Commons by Commodore Sir C. Napier,
of the weights, draught of water, &c., of the experi-
mental squadron, on the second and :hird cruise, similar
to the return' of the first cruise ; the greatest inclina-
tion of each ship when carrying sail, and the greatest
number of degrees each ship rolled, and the number of
spars sprung and carried away during the cruises ;
their defects on returning into port, and the expense of
making the defects goods," we are put in possession of
some very important facts relating to the above par-
ticulars.

With regard to the expense of making good the de-
fects of each ship, the return gives the following as the
amount :

The St. Vincent, 120, incurred for defects made good
at Devonport, on the 20th of September, 1845,
1251. 12s. 2d. For defects made good at the same port,
on the 10th of October following, 4s. Other defects, of
a numerous and expensive character, are also reported
in the return as defects at Portsmouth, 13th of No-
vember, 1845, but which are not yet taken in hand,
consequently no amount is furnished. Total amount
reported, 125/. 1655 2d.
The Trafalgar, 120, new ship, her first commission,
cost, for defects, at Devonport, on the 20th of Septem-
ber, 1845, 1041. 7s. 4d.; for defects made good at the
same pToorttaoln,
2t4hBel.l6ost
.h2odf. October following, 143/. 18s.
The Queen, 110, for defects, at Devonport, on the 20th
of September, 1845, 801. 14s. 9d.; ditto, on the 31st of
October following, 67/. 15s. Bd. Total, 1481. 10s. sd.
The Albion, 90, for defects repaired at Devonport on
the 20th of September, 1845, 2511. 19s. 5d.; ditto, Ilth
of October following, 20/. I Is.; ditto, 3d of December
following, 513/. 2s. Bd. Total, 785/. 13s. Id.

The Rodney, 92, for defects repaired at Devonport,
20th December, 1845, 2361. 19s. I Id.; ditto, 10th of Oc-
tober following, 281. ss. Bd. Long list of defects re-
ported on the 3d of December, but which were not made
good at Devonport, consequently no amount is affixed.
Defocts on the 10th of December, 1845, made good at
Portsmouth, 947/. 18s. 2d. Total, 1,213/. 3s. 9d.
The Vanguard, 80, defects at Devonport, 20th Sep-
tember, 1845, 4111. 19s. 10(1.; ditto, at Portsmouth, 13th
of October following, 2,0061. 15s. 7d.; ditto, at Devon-
port, 3d of December following, 4831. is. 3d. Total,
2,9021. 2s. Bd.
The Superb, 80, defects at Devonport, 20th of Sept.,
1845, 54/. 19s. 7d. ; ditto, at Portsmouth, on the Ist
of October following, 1,253/. 19s. 7d. ; ditto, at Devon-
port, on the 10th of the same month, 701.145. I Id.
Long list of defects reported at Devonport on tha 3d of
December, , not made good there. Defects at Ports-
mouth, on the 10th of the same month, 1,1011. 9s. 3d.
Total, 2,4811. 3s. 4d.

. .
The Canopus, 84, defects at Devonport, 20th Sep-
tember, 1845, 1271. ls. 6d. ; ditto, at same port, 10th
October following. 301. 7s. 11d. ; ditto, at the same
port, 3d December following, 936/. 10s. 4d. Total,
1,0931. t9s. 9d. . _

The Daring, 12, for defects at Devonport; on the 20th
of September, 1845, 18s. 6d. ; ditto, at the same port
on the 3d of December following, long list not made
good at that port ; ditto, on the 10th of December, at
Portsmouth, 4021. 16s. I Id. Total, 4031. 15s. sd.

The Rattler, screw steam-sloop, for defects made
good at Portsmouth, on the 24th of September, 1845,
2271. ss. ; ditto, at Devonport, 10th of October follow-
ing, 441. 2s. 2d. ; ditto, at Portsmouth, 3d of November
following, 1,6001. 15s. Total, 1,6721. 2s. 2d.
Each list of defects is signed by the captain and car-
penter of each ship, and the cost of repairing them
signed by the Master-Attendant, Master-Shipwright,
and Storekeeper of the respective duck-yards at which
they were made good ; comment, therefore, is unne-
cessary.
The St. Vincent, 120, Captain Rowley, the flag-ship
of Rear-Admiral Hyde Parker, Commander-in-Chief of
the squadron, was built on the lines furnished by the
late Sir W. Rule ; the Trafalgar, 120, Captain W. F.
Martin, was built by Mr. O. Laing, Master-Shipwright
of Woolwich Dockyard, at that yard, in 1841 ; the
Queen, 110, Captain Sir B. Walker, was built on the
plan furnished by Sir W. Symonds, Surveyor of the
Navy, at Portsmouth Dockyard, in 1839 ; the Rodney,
92, Captain E. Collier, was built on the plans furnished
by the late Sir R. Seppings, Surveyor of the Navy, at
Pembroke Dockyard, in 1833; the Albion, 90, Captain
N. Lockyer, was built on the plans of Sir W. Symonds,
at Devonport Dockyard, in 1842; the Vanguard, 80,
Captain G. W. Willes, and the Superb, 80, Captain A.
L. Corry, were also built by Sir W. Symonds (the for-
mer at Pembroke Dockyard in 1836, and the latter at
the same yard in 1842) ; the Canopus, 84, Captain F.
Moresby, is of French construction, and was captured
at the battle of the Nile ; the Rattler, screw propelled
sloop, was built by the Surveyor of the Navy, at Sheer-
ness, in 1643 ; and the Daring, 12, Commander Schom-
berg, was built by Mr. White, of Cowes, in 1844.
The Rochester and Falmouth dockyard lighters ar-
rived yesterday with stores from the Eastern yards.
The Nautilus, 10, Lieut.-Commander J. J. M`Donell,
arrived from her cruizing ground off the Sussex coast
this morning to obtain supplies.
The Blenheim transport, Lieut. E. Ward, agent, sailed
this morning for Deptford.
The Ferret, 8, Commander George Sprigg, arrived
this morning from Sheerness, and sailed this evening for
Plymouth.
The Emerald tender sailed to-day for Plymouth with
supernumeraries. .

The St. Vincent, 120, Captain R. Grant, Knight, the
flag- ship of Admiral Sir C. Ogle, Bart., was removed to-
day from the basin, and brought alongside the jetty to
make room for the Oriental mail-steamer, which came
from Southampton yesterday, to be docked, and was
taken in on her removal.

The Childers, 12, Commander J. C. Pittman, was re-
moved from the basin this morning, and taken alongside
her hulk the Topaz.
The Experimental steam-squadron at Spithead exer-
cised their crews in gunnery (target practice) this af-
ternoon.

We regret to announce the death of Captain Charles
Burrough Strong, R.N. (1819), which took place yester-
day, under very melancholy and distressing circum-
stances, the gallant deceased having ruptured a blood-
vessel. Captain Strong was Midshipman of the Irresis-
tible, in Bridport's action, and of the Colossus, off Cape
St. Vincent. Served in her boats at two bombardments
of Cadiz, and in several actions with Cadiz flotilla in
1797. Acting Lieutenant of the Genereux, at the sur-
render of Malta, and of Genoa, and capture of the
French frigate Diane, in 1800. Was Lieutenant of the
Pearl at the defence of Porto Ferrajo, and capture of the
French frigate Carriere in 1801, and in command of her
boats at the capture of a convoy in the Piombino Chan-
nel, and on other occasions. Was Lieutenant of the
Immortaliti and Clyde, during the frequent actions with
the French flotillas and batteries, and wounded. In 1807
he commanded the boats cutting out a vessel under the
pier-head at Fecamp ; was senior Lieutenant of the
Clyde at Flushing; constantly in action with the gun-
boats; was commander of the Bustard co-operating with
the Spanish patriots in 1811-12, when he was wounded;
and covered the landing and retreat of General Dunkin
at Denia. His commissions bear date—Lieutenant, Feb.
25, 1801; Commander, March 14, 1811; Captain, Aug.
12, 1819. Captain Strong received pecuniary reward
for his brilliant services from the Patriotic I 4 und, and
has been residing at Southsea for some years. A better
officer, or one more deeply respected, the country never
boasted.
THE TERRIBLE STEAM-FRIGATE.

We were persuaded that it needed only a view of Mr.
Lang's Terrible side by side with the Surveyor's steam-
frigate Retribution, also of 800-horse power, to convince
the most prejudiced that, beyond all comparison, the
Terrible is the man-of-war steamer. This has been ad-
mitted by those who have thought and written differently;
and we are sure it will also be admitted, whenever the
trial takes place, that the Terrible is the stiffest, has
the best stowage, will meet a head-sea better, and in
the essential qualities of a fighting ship is far superior
to her competitor. We will say nothing about speed,
for the Retribution has the same horse power, although
of 200 tons less burden. In the trip round to Ports-
s'neetb, the performances of the Terrible were most
satisfactory, and the experiments which were tried dis-
proved many statements which have been advanced with
much confidence. She left Greenhithe on Sunday even-
ing, and anchored at the Swin Light. She weighed the
next day, and from the Downs, against a head sea and
wind W.S.W., she steamed to Spithead in little more than
14 hours. In this work she used only two of her boilers—
those next the engines—only one-half her power, the en-
gines making nine and often nine-and-a-half revolutions
—against a gal• of wind which kept a great number of
vessels in the Downs. Thus has the advantage been
shown of her four separate boilers, saving half the quan-
tity of coals. She can steam with one, two, three, and
when requiring extraordinary speed, with the whole four;
so that even 400 tons of coals would last her twenty
days, if she had not an opportunity of using her sails,
which, however, she could spread with very great ad-
vantage on her three masts, before the wind, using no
coals. We believe Sir Charles Napier asserted in the
House of Commons that " the Terrible was the best
steamer we have, but she could not fire a stern gun ;"
and the Galrant Commodore has never acknowledged
his error. On Monday morning the experiment of
firing the guns was made. Every one was tried, the
bow and stern suns on the main deck in a line with the
keel charged with 161bs. of powder and ahotted, the bow
and stern at an elevation of l 4 degrees. On this occa-
sion the concussion produced not a scratch or a shake
anywhere, not even a pane of glass in the cabins, or in
any part of the vessel was cracked. We have no doubt
that the forthcoming trials will prove the Terrible to be,
what we have always asserted, not a perfect ship, in
every respect, but the most perfect and the finest steam-
man-of-war is the British, or any other royal navy, and
that the architect who designed this ship is well qualified
to improve on her lines in another.

SHEERNESS, WEDNESDAY.—In consideration of the
services of his brother, the gallant Lieutenant Walter
Y. Bealeoof her Majesty's 10th Foot, who was killed at
the battle of Sobraon, Mr. Robert B. Beale, the gunnery
mate of the Trafalgar, 120, the flag-ship at this port, has
been promoted by the Admiralty to the rank of Lieu-
tenant. His commission arrived on Sunday, and was
received with the most, gratifying welcome by all on
board the Trafalgar. Mr. Beale passed for a Lieutenant
in 1843. He served as a midshipman on board the
Princess Charlotte, the flag-ship of Admiral Sir Robert
Stopford, during all the operations on the coast of 5) ria,
including the capture of St. Jean D'Acre.
The Horatio, 44, progresses favourably with her con-
version to a steam guard-ship. She has been found in
excellent condition, her timbers and plankings being per-
fectly sound ; her topsides, which had been stripped for
the formation of new and fewer ports, are re•planked,
end her decks are now being opened for the reception of
her engines and boilers.
The Tribune, tender to the Blazer steam surveying
vessel, having completed her refit, has returned to her
station at Harwick.
The Tribune, a new 26-gun frigate of the Vestal class,

•
is ordered to be laid down here. She is to be of precisely
the same dimensions as the Alarm, recently launched at
this dockyard, and as the Diamond, now building here,
whose dimensions have been previously given.
The Brilliant, 22, Captain B. B. Watson. C. 8., is
taking her guns on board, and will haul out of the basin
next week. She still wants from fifty to sixty hands to
complete her complement. Some fifteen or sixteen, whom
Captain Watson had clothed from head to foot, had the
base ingratitude to cut and run the other day while on
shore on a few days' leave. The following is the armament
of the Brilliant, viz.:—On the main deck, six 68-pounders
and ten long 32-pounders ; on the spar deck, four
32-pounder carronades and two 56-pounders, 88 cwt.
each (on pivots), one of which is fitted on the forecastle,
the other abaft the mizen mast.

Orders have been received here for the Warspite, 50,
Captctin Provo P. Wallis, arrived at Plymouth from the
Mediterranean, to be paid off into ordinary at Chatham,
where she will be surveyed, and, if found fit, will be re-
fitted for commission.

The Worcester, Chichester, and Conquestaddr, 50-gun
frigates, continue their fittings for commission.
The Cornwall is ready, but it is thought will not be
commissioned at present.
In harbour— Trafalgar, 120, flag-ship ; Ocean, 80,
Raven, and Wildfire and African steam-vessels.