The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-25 00:00:00

TILE ROYAL MAIL STEADIER SEINE.

On Saturday another magnificent addition was
made to the Royal Mail Company's fleet, their new
steamship Seine, commanded by Captain Robert
Revett, then making her official trial trip to the
perfect satisfaction of the Government authorities.
This noble vessel, which is a sister ship to the ill-
fated Paramatta and the more fortunate Shannon,
was built by the Thames Iron Shipbuilding Com-
pany. Her principal dimensions are as follows :
ft. in.
Length between perpendiculars, 330 0
Length over all, 339 0
Length on loadline, 328 0
Breadth of beam, 43 91
Tonnage (builders' measurement) 3,092 54-94
Area of midship section, 777
Displacement, 5,180 tons.
The boilers and feathering paddlewheels have been
constructed at the Royal Mail Company's factory
in the Southampton Docks, under the superinten-
dence of Mr. Robert Ritchie, their superintending
engineer. The boilers are tubular, and hive been
built with great care, in order to produce the
largest quantity of steam combined with economy
of fuel. They have been fitted with superheating
apparatus designed by Mr. Ritchie with a view to
increase the economical results, and its perform-
ance has justified the expectations formed of it, as
the steam was superheated to 388 degrees during
Saturday's trial, and at full speed of the engines
the safety valves were strongly blowing off. The
engines, which were constructed by Messrs. Sum-
mers, Day, and Co., of the Northam Ironworks at
Southampton, are of 800-horse power, on the oscillat-
ing plan. They are the largest oscillating engines
ever made in Europe. The cylinders are of 97
inches in diameter, and 10 feet stroke, while the
paddle-engines in the Great Eastern are only 74
inches diameter, and 14 feet stroke. The castings
necessary for engines of such enormous size were, as
may be imagined, on the largest scale. The Seine
left the Southampton Water about 11 o'clock on
Saturday morning, and proceeded at once to
Stoke's Bay, where she ran the measured
mile four times, and was subsequently taken
down the Solent towards the Needles, then
rounded to, returning to the docks shortly before
sin the afternoon. There was a party of nearly
200 persons on board, including a large number of
ladies and gentlemen from London. On the re-
turn home the company sat down to a sumptu-
ous banquet in the spacious saloon, under the
presidency of Captain Mangles. The trial of
the Seine was made under very unfavourable
conditions, as the wind was blowing half a gale
from the S.S.W., the force, according to the
Admiralty gauge, being between 6 and 7 ; and
the Government authorities at Portsmouth had
the same morning refused to take one of their
ships to the measured mile. Notwithstanding this
disadvantage, the average speed attained by the
Seine was 14.195 knots per hour, equal to 161
statute miles ; and in the opinion of practical men
on board another knot might be added to compen-
sate for the unfavourable weather and the bad trim
of the ship. The four runs on the measured mile
were made as follows :

Runs. 11in. Sec. Average Runs. Min. Sec. Average
15t.... 4 13 .. 13.953 3d.... 4 24 .. 13.636
2d .... 4 19 .. 13 900 4th.... 4 4.. 14.754
Revolutions, 181; pressure of steam, 221 b. to the
square inch ; vacuum, 2511 n. ; indicated horse-
power, 3,572. Draught of water forward, 17ft.
3in. ; aft, 171 t. Tin. The Seine will leave South-
ampton on the 2d proximo, with the West India,
Pacific, and Mexican mails.