The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-06 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, THURSDAY.—The following ships and
vessels are in commission at this port:—The Howe, 120,
Captain Sir James Stirling, refitting alongside the jetty
for foreign service ; the Victory, flag-ship of Sir Charles
Ogle, the Commander-in-Chief ; the Illustrious, 72,
Captain Yates, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Prescott, C. 8.,
Superintendent of the Dockyard, doing the duties of the
Ordinary; the Powerful, 84, Captain the Hon. R. S.
I)undas, C. 8., fitting for troop service; the Bellerophon,
78, Captain Baynes, refitting for " sea going" service;
the Excellent, gunnery ship, Captain Chads, C. 8.; the
Hastings, 72, Captain Morgan, fitting for the flag of
Rear-Admiral Sir Francis C4,111.r.
ou the East India station; the Blenheim, 56, Captain
Austin, steam guard ship, fitting for sea; the Rolla brig,
for naval apprentices ; the Gorgon steam-sloop,
Commander Paynter, at Spithead, awaiting sailing
orders, expected for the Pacific:; the Scourge, steam
bomb-vessel, Commander Wingrove, refitting for
sea ; the Victoria and Albert and the Fairy,
Royal yachts ; the Lightning steam-vessel, Master-
Commander Petley; the Sharpshooter screw-steamer,
Lieutenant Commander Bayley; and the Dwarf screw
tender for the port service, The Howe is fitting fast, so
is the Hastings; but the Bellerophon is " going to lee-
ward ;" the Powerful only wants a few men to make up
her small complement; the Blenheim is to join and be
" senior" of a squadron of steamers this summer—she,
too, wants hands; and the Gorgon wants half-a-dozen
or so to complete for sea. Seven line-of-battle ships in
one harbour, with a double-banked frigate, are seldom
seen together.
Wind S.S.E.; moderate and fine.
WooLwicn, MAY 4.—The two launches built by Mr.
Thomson, Roiherhithe, and each fitted with engines of
r
five•horse power by Mr. Beale, Greenwich, leftthe
latter
place at ten minutes before one o'clock to-day,les and.
made
the passage to London-bridge, exactly five miof
35inib. 32tt
minutes, the engines working at a
pressure
inch,thesquare
two
and
feetsix
making
inches23s
revolutionsda nle te or
,f
perthe
screw propeller,
minute. A higher pressure sometimes given,
setorewaboinu;
twelve miles per hour ;
dhe
whichst a adapted
for the engines and formof
earnedasetdhe
to
onum27bser
peorf rmevinoluuttei.on"se.agsunifyaltehnet
the engineer approves
of a pressure of 351 b as thoefbthuet
maximum,au launches.
dimensionslofeet7ln length 31 feet, with a
and drawing„ when loaded,
bthreeafdotlhloowt'i following o
of
only feet of water. The engines of each launch occupy
aspace of 6 feet 6 inches long, 4 feet 2 inches wide, and
4 feet 2 inches high, and consume in working about 50Ib.
of coke per hour. They are very simple in construction
and easily worked, and during the whole of the trials to.
day gave the greatest satisfaction. On arriving opposite
Somerset-house, Major Stevens, Royal Marine Artillery,
R.N., Captain Ellice, Comptroller ofSteamM, ae.hNin.,e Mr.ry
Halstead, R N., Captain Washington,
Chief' Inspector of Steam Machinery, Mr. Hughes, As-
sistant-Inspector atSornerset-house, and Mr. F. P. Smith,
inventor of the screw propeller, came on board, and the
launches•then proceeded to Whitehall and returned again to &menet house, where a large hat, raitable-for a