The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-20 00:00:00

NATAL INTELLIGENCE

SIR CHARLES NAPIER'S SQUADRON.
PORTSMOUTH, FRIDAY.—The St. Vincent, 120, Cap-
tain Dacres, flag of Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Napier,
K.C.8., and the Prince Regent, 92, Captain W. F. Mar-
tin, arrived at Spithead this morning from Cork, Sir
Charles, having shifted his flag from blue to white since
he sailed from this port, saluted Sir Charles Ogle, the
Commander-in-Chief, on arrival, which was duly re-
turned by the Victory flag-ship.
Sir Charles sailed from Cork on Wednesday morning.
On the evening prior Captain Dacres and the officers of
his ship gave an entertainment to the Commander-in-
Chief on the Irish station (Rear-Admiral the Hon.
Donald Hugh Mackay), and the nobility and gentry re-
sident in and around Cork, numbering upwards of three
hundred guests. Sir Charles Napier opened the ball
with Mrs. Dacres (the wife of his flag captain) in a
country dance, amidst the most enthusiastic cheers.
The festivities were kept up till a late hour. This fete
was pronounced the most brilliant ever given at Cork on
board ship, and left a most favourable impression be-
hind.
The Netley tender arrived from Plymouth this morn-
ing with men for the ships fitting here, and sailed again
this afternoon for that port.
Commissioned in Port—The Victory, Illustrious, Vic-
toria and Albert, Excellent, Howe, Bellerophon, Has-
tings, Blenheim, Portsmouth, and Fanny yachts; the
Seaflower, Rolla, and Mercury tenders; the Scourge,
Merlin, Medusa, Fire Queen, Fury, Echo, and Light-
ning steamers.
At Spithead—The St. Vincent, Prince Regent, and
Powerful.
In Dock—The Ajax, Pembroke, Cormorant, Orestes,
Jackal!, and Fire Queen.
In the Basin—The Arrogant, Malabar, and Growler.
CHATHAM, MAY 19.—The Latona, 42 gun-frigate,
has been brought up to the dockyard, and is now along-
side the sheer hulk, to be fitted to serve as an exercising
ship for the practice of the great gun exercise by the
artillery belonging to the dockyard battalion.
The Venus, 42 gun-frigate, is selected by the Admi-
ralty for the Marine Society's ship in the river Thames,
in the room of the Iphigenia, which has been employed
in that service for some years at Deptford.
WooLwics, MAY 19.—The Encounter steam-vessel,
designed by Mr. Fincham, Master Shipwright at Ports-
mouth Dockyard, and built at Pembroke, but when
brought round to the river considerably altered and
lengthened at Deptford, to render her better adapted for
a screw propeller, went down the river to-day on a pre-
liminary experimental trial, under the charge of Lieu-
tenant Robertson, to ascertain the working capabilities
of her engines of 360 horse power, made and patented by
the Messrs. Penn, in the horizontal trunk principle,
which is so simple as to dispense with the whole of the
beams required in other engines, and admits of the
whole being placed several feet under the water line,
and the upper part of the boilers being about five feet
under the lower or berth deck, while the engines are as
easily managed, although of 360 horse power, as the
engines of any of the small beats running above the
bridges on the river Thames.
The trial being only a preliminary one, very few
visitors were expected, but the anxiety to witness the
first working of these new engines caused the attendance
of Captain Ellice, Controller of Steam Machinery, and
Mr. Lloyd, chief engineer at the Admiralty, Captain
Halstead, Captain Glasse, Captain Slade, Capt. Nolloth,
Captain Douglas, Captain Drake, Captain Smythe, and
Lieutenant Derriman, of the Royal Navy, and Mr. Smith,
inventor of the screw propellor, Professor Garrey, and
Mr. Atherton, chief engineer at Woolwich Dockyard, to
be present on the occasion. The Encounter. on leaving
Messrs. Penn's establishment at Deptford, proceeded
down the river at a moderate speed, the tide running up
strong, and the wind blowing a fresh breeze, which ren-
dered the navigation of so large a vessel difficult in the
crowded parts of the river. On approaching the
measured mile in Long-reach the full speed was put
on, and she accomplished the measured mile in 6
minutes and 43 seconds, being at the rate of 8.953
knots per hour, the screw making 78.1 revolutions per
minute. On returning over the mile distance it was
accomplished in 4 minutes and 53 seconds, or at the
rate of 12.287 knots per hour, and on going down
the mile again in seven minutes 55 seconds, or 7,579
knots per hour, giving a mean on the whole of the trials
of 10.271 knots, or 11.832 statute miles, per hour, and
worked throughout to the entire satisfaction of all on
board, and they universally expressed their approbation
of the simplicity of the engines, the ease with which
they were worked, and the small space they occupied in
the vessel. The engines are a great improvement on the
engines hitherto applied to screw propellers, as they are
made on the direct action principle, and do not require
leather straps or cog-wheels to give the screw propeller
a rapid motion. The highest pressure used to-day was
61b. to a square inch, and that was sufficient to produce
80 revolutions of the screw propeller in some instances,
although it is 13 feet in diameter with a pitch of 17 feet.
The engines have a stroke of two feet three inches, and
are fitted with double-acting horizontal air-pumps, and
the whole of the parts were so admirably adjusted that
there did not appear the slightest heating even when
at their greatest velocity. She had 330 tons of ballast
and 14 tons of coals on board at starting, and after
the trial returned to Deptford, and will shortly be tried