The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-18 00:00:00

The launch of her Majesty's screw .
Nimble was successfully effected from Pembroke
ceremony of naming the vessel was performed by
Dockyard on Saturday last at about 5 o'clock. 2'lle
Miss Cradock, daughter of the master shipwright,'
The Nimble has been built with extraordinary ra-
pidity, having only been laid down on the 31st of
October, 1859. She was designed by Rear-Admiral
Sir Baldwin Walker, K.C.8., the Controller of the
Navy, and is sister vessel to the Vpoir, recently
launched from Pembroke Dockyard. Her princi-
pal dimensions are as follows :—Length between
perpendiculars, 145 ft. ; length of keel for tonnage,
127 ft. lodin. ; breadth extreme, 25ft. 4in.; ditto
at paddlej
moulded, 24ft. Gin ; ditto for tonnage, 25ft. ; depth
in hold, 13ft. ; burden in tons. 425 ft. 14.94ths' in. ;
horse power, SO. Her armament is as follows :
pl dosutnadnerarpdiNfl'oytignouna,
at the
t .m, loft.aimain,
hl
ao
vn
ign
g; andon
4-5 24 pounder howitzers.
Thpeety, arrived
Black
Eagle
deryacht,
Portsmouth Myaesstteerr-
dCaoym mw
tnh-
th e One
GB-pounder
board his Royal Highness the Duke of
who received the customary salute from her Ma-
jesty's ship St. George, lying at Spithead on pass-
ing through that anchorage, and also from tha
garrison saluting battery and her Majesty's ship
Victory on entering the harbour. Shortly after the
yacht had made fast his Royal Highness landed at
the dockyard, and proceeded in the private carriage
of Vice-Admiral H. W. Bruce to the Government-
house, where, during his stay in the garrison,he will
become the guest of the Lieut.-Governor,Major- Gen.
Lord W. Paulet, C.B. The Black Eagle sailed from
Portland on Saturday for the Channel Islands, but
the weather proved so boisterous in the Channel that
she was compelled to anchor inside the Isle of
Wight for shelter. The weather yesterday con-
tinued as unsettled as ever, and the Black Eagle
had received orders to return to the Thames.

The Donald M'Kay troopship was, by the rough
state of the weather on Sunday, prevented from be-
ing taken into Portsmouth harbour from Spithead,
as had been intended. Yesterday, by the aid of two
Government tugs, she was towed into harbour, and
the troops will land at daybreak this morning.
The screw steamship Donegal, 101, Captain IL
Broadhead, which arrived in Plymouth Sound on
Saturday evening, as reported in The Sun yester-
day, was detached from the Channel squadron at
daylight on Friday, in lat. 49 59 N., long. 7 45 W.
From Tuesday morning, when the ships left Mil-
ford, to the time of detachment, constant strong
winds were experienced. On Wednesday morning,
at 11 o'clock, Vice-Admiral Sir C. Fremantle sig-
nalled the ships to form line abreast and start after-
wards in chase to windward. The Donegal shortly.
took the lead and at the end of the trial was some
miles ahead of her competitors. The Edgar, 91,
Capt. J. E. Katon, was a good second; the Trafal-
gar, 90, Capt. E. G. Fanshawe, third; and the Con-
queror, 101, Capt. E. S. Sotheby, C. 8., bad fourth ;
the rest were nowhere. At 5 p.m. the signal for
trial was recalled and signal given to form order of
sail in two columns. On Thursday the wind in-
creased to a strong gale ; the squadron was under
closereefed topsails and storm sails. On Friday
morning, at 1 o'clock, the principal steering rope of
the Donegal broke, which induced the Admiral to
order her to Plymouth to have it replaced, although
she could have remained at sea if necessary.
The lighter Devon, Thos. Jennings master, with
Commander Paul, Assistant-Master Attendant of
the Devonport dockyard, and a division of riggers
and some men from the ships in ordinary, was
taken in tow on Sunday by the Zephyr, Bond mas-
ter, and tugged into the offing for Pembroke, where
Commander Paul will jury rig the screw steam
vessel Nimble, 5, and navigate her to Plymouth.
The screw steam gunvessel Espoir, 5, Commander
Sholto Douglas, which left Plymouth on Wednes-
day for the West Coast of Africa, put back to the
Sound on Sunday, having experienced heavy
weather off Ushant, where she sustained some
damage.

The Landrail screw gun vessel, now fitting out
at Woolwich dockyard, has been commissioned by
Commander T. H. M. Martin. She has received a
portion of her crew, but still requires petty officers
and able seamen.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty : G. L. D. P. Keeling, second-

class assist-engineer, to the Indus for service in the

Lark ; T. W. Saunders, acting second-class assist.-

engineer, to the Asia, for service in the Harrier ; D.

Longland, promoted to acting second-class assist.-

engineer in the Roebuck ; W. H. Purves, master's-
assist., to the Spiteful; and A. Hunter, clerk, super-
numerary, to the Fisgard.