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

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 rr.an•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-
mouth, 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 Svsnday even-
ing, and anchored at the Swin Light. She Iveighed the
next day, and from the Downs, against a In wad 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 pow er, the en-
gines making nine and often nine-and-a-half revolutions
—against a gale of
_wind which kept a great .cumber of
vessels in the Downs. Thus has the advan Cage been
shown of her four separate boilers, saving half the quan-
tity of coals. She can steam %hit one, two, tb ree, and
when requiring extraordinary speed, with the whole four;
so that even 400 tons of coals would last hew 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 Gallant Commodore has never ackn.wledged
his error. Ott Monday morning the experiment of
firing the guns was made. Every one was tried, the
bow and stern guns o❑ the main deck in a line with the
keel charged with 161135. of powder and ahotted, the bow
and stern at an elevation of 1} 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 ii 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. Beale, of 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 S, ria,
including the capture of St. Jean D'Acre.
The Horatio, 44, progresses favourably with her con-
version to a steani guard-ship. She has been found in
excellent condition, her timbers and plankings being per-
fectly sound ; her topsider, which had been stripped for
the formation of new and fewer ports, are re-planked,
rnd her decks are now being opened for the reception of
her engines and boilers.
The Tribune, tender to tho Blazer steam surveying
vessel, having completed her refit, has returned to her
station at Harwich.
The Tribune, a new 26-gun frigate of the Vestal class,