The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-07 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The Duke of Somerset., as First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, will hold official levees at the Admiralty
on the following Thursdays--the 15th, 22d, and
29th inst. ; April sth, 19th, and 26th; and May 3d
and 10th. Officers wishing to attend are requested
to insert their names, stating their rank and seni-
ority, either personally or through their agents, in a
book left in the hall of the Admiralty for that pur-
pose.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel steam-vessel Firefly,
Master Commander Skead in temporary 'charge,
yesterday left Woolwich far Greenhithe to adjust
compasses in preparation for her voyage to Malta,
where she is to supply the place of the Tartarus,
paid off by Capt. Mansell, who will transfer his
pendant to the Firefly, for surveying service in the
Mediterranean. •

anndnmllee'
bGuee n 3s! ge p
were The hired transport Marion yesterday corn
menced shipping Governmen t stores fromliroot il,e
lwiich,
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char-
tered by the War Department.
The Caduceus chartered freightship, Capt. Cass,
sailed from Spithead for
the Thames at 8.30 p.m.
on Monday, with the military invalids on board for
disembarkation at Gravesend.

The Mars, 80, screw, Capt. Strange, sailed from
Spithead at daylight yesterday to join the Channel
fleet. A number of her crew are reported absent.
The Flying Fish screw despatch vessel, Commander
C. W. Hope, also sailed from Spithead yesterday
for the same destination.

The Firebrand, 6, paddle, Commander James M.
Bruce (son of the Commander-in-Chicf at Ports-
mouth), was yesterday removed from the steam
basin and berthed alongside her hulk in the har-
bour, to receive her crew and complete for sea.
The Euryalus, 51, screw, Capt. Tarleton, C. 8.,
was yesterday taken into the steam basin at Ports-
mouth for the purpose of having her boilers taken
out. Her crew will be paid wages and granted
leave ashore.

The Bacchante, 51, screw frigate (new), sister to
the Shannon, yesterday steamed out of Portsmouth
harbour, in charge of Capt. U. T. Gordon, command-
ing the steam reserve at Portsmouth, and proceeded
to the trial ground in Stokes Bay to make her offi•
cial trial of speed at the measured mile. The trial
was under the supervision of Mf.'Dinnen, Admiralty
inspector of machinery afloat, Mr. Murray, chief
engineer of Portsmouth dockyard, and Mr. Mur-
doch, inspector of machillkry afloat at Portsmouth.
Mr. Moody represented the master builder on board.
Capt. Harris, of her Majesty's cadet-training ship
.Britannia, was also on board during the trial. Ad-
miral Martin was among the visitors on board, the
ship being fitted with a steering apparatus on his
plan. The weather was all,that could be wished for
the occasion—smooth water, and the wind not ex-
ceeding a force of 2. The machinery and boilers
worked remarkably well throughout, with a plenti-
ful supply of steam. The Bacchante's engines are a
pair of 300-horse power each nominal, by Maudslay,
Field, and Co., who were represented by Mr. War-
rener, who had charge of the engines during the
trial. The steering apparatus consists of a cross-
head or yoke fixed at a certain angle sufficient to
clear the screw well, and connected by two pa-
rallel rods with another cross-head, from the centre
of which projects a lever or tiller, to which is at-
tached in the ordinary manner the ship's wheel-
ropes. The apparatus appeared to act admirably,
and exhibited great power over the rudder. The
ship's steering qualities also appeared to be good,
and she made a complete circle under full steam in
7 minutes 21 seconds. The engines were stopped
when at full speed, and then moved ahead in 13
seconds; stopped again, and
'moved astern in 14
seconds. The ship's draught of water was—for-
ward, 20 feet 1 inch ; aft, 22 feet 1 inch. Pressure '
of steam in gauge, 21 • vacuum, 24; revolutions of
engines, maximum, 5,5 ; mean, 54. Temperature
in stoke hole, 113; in engine room, 54; on deck,
46. The common screw was used, with a diameter
of 19 feet 4 inches, and a pitch of 25 feet. Six runs
were made at the measured mile, giving the ship a
speed of rather over 12 knots. It must not be for-
gotten, however, that the ship has yet to take on
board the whole of her provisions, and powder and
shell, and this, with the weight of her crew, their
bags, and what other stores she may have to take
on board before she can proceed to sea, must mate-
rially increase her immersion in the water, and un-
doubtedly will affect her speed ; at the same time
her screw has been only tried at one pitch, and in
its old form. The ship proved very steady under
steam, and the trial was considered by the different
officials on board to have been of an extremely sa-

tisfactory nature.
The Megeera screw troopship, at Portsmouth, is
ordered by the Admiralty to be fitted with Can-
ninghpatent topsails for reefing from the deck.
The whole of the screw troopships in her Majesty's
navy, with the exception of the Himalaya, are
now fitted on this principle.
Mr. G. B. Evans has been appointed mate to the
Nile, and Mr. J. H. Sidal, mate, to the Ariadue.