The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-07 00:00:00

21L1RINE EIVGINES.

The following are the recommendations of the
committee on marine engines as reported to the
Lords CoMmissioners of the Admiralty :

" 1. That the expenses 'and performances of all
steam vessels should bo, recorded in such a manner
as will enable the Lords of the Admiralty, when
they have to make inspections, to detect at once,
and without difficulty, the exact state and condition
of the ships they have to examine, and also to
decide upon the ship that is best suited fur any
particular service.
" 2. That a regular system of reward and pro-
motion for zealous and diligent engineers, of repri-
mand and warning for the undeserving, should at
once be adopted, and made known to the service.
" 3. That the number of assistant engineers be
reduced, and that a class of chief leading stokers
be introduced.

"..4. That care be taken to secure a full and prac-

tical acquaintance with the great principles of
steam navigation in all officers entrusted )vith the
command of steam vessels.

"5. That the regulations at present in use for
the preservation of the machinery of the vessels in
the first class steam reserve, and the system upon
which steam engines are repaired, should be modi-
fied.
"6. That a much larger amount of repairs of
engines than has hitherto been the case be done
by the steam reserve.
7. That roomy and efficient floating factories,
fitted with every appliance necessary for the re-
pairs of engines, &c., should be attached to all our
outports.
"8. That the chief engineers of the dockyards
where engines are being repaired should be fur-
nished with extracts from the quarterly reports of
those engines.
" 9. That the routine, before the repairs are com-
menced, should be changed.
" 10. That the purchase of complicated steam
engines should be abandoned; and none received
into the service but those which are marked in
their construction by 4he most severe simplicity,
that is consistent with the execution of the work
assigned to them.
"11. That large and powerful engines should
only be placed on board ships of war which, from
their tonnage and construction, are adapted for
their reception.
" 12. That all boilers and screw propellers em-
ployed in the navy, and a considerable number of
marine steam engines, should be constructed in the
Government factories.

" 13. That the list of manfacturers from whom
engines are paid by the Government should be in-
creased—the plan or pattern of the engine to be
laid down by the Steam Department of the Admi-
ralty.
" 14. That the chief engineer of the Admiralty
should have frequent intercourse with the engineers
at the dockyards, who should, on their part, visit
mercantile establishments and steam vessels.

" 15. That two additional specifications should
be inserted in ali contracts for the construction of
engines. _ _

r‘ (1.) The indicated horse power up to which the
engines are to work, with a given supply of coal of
aver age quality.
" (2.) Strictly prohibiting the use of hot-blast
iron.

" 16. That high pressure steam for marine en-
gines should, whenever possible, be abandoned.
" 17. That the arrangement of the furnace flues
at Keyham factory should be altered forthwith,
and a separate chimney constructed for each
furnace.

" 18. That in the direet-actibg screw-engine the
.use of earns for working the steam expansively
should be abandoned; and it is recommended that
a flat ►gridiron valve, worked from the shaft by a
separate eccentric, be substituted.
" 19. That the trial trips to ascertain the capa-
bilities of the engines and boilers of steam-vessels
should last at least six hours.

" 20. That reasons exist for noticing that no step
involving considerable expense, as the sale, breaking
up of engines, or the adoption of any plan by which
steam-engines and boilers may be deteriorated, is to
be entered upon without careful consideration and
inquiry."

THE LATE INSURRECTIONARY ATTEMPT IN SPAIN.
—.The Journal des Debats, speaking of the last abortive
attempt at insurrection in Spain, strongly and justly repro-
bates " the conduct of a general who ;abandons his post to
attack with armed hand his Sovereign and his country,"
&c. No doubt the Debats is quite right ;it would, however,
be better not to dwell long or often on such a theme, as
there is hardly a general on the present establishment in
Spain, beginning with O'Donnell himself, who has not more
than once " attacked with armed hand," &c., and in this
figurative style put himself at the head of an insurrection
against the constituted Government of the day. To the suc-
cessful insurrection—but to which, I suppose, we must not
apply that "foul dishonouring word" because it succeeded
—of Vicalvaro, O'Donnell owes his marshall's staff; so do
several of his comrales. To the successful one of 1843 hb
owed the post of Captain-General of Cuba, and the vast
wealth which he amassed during his four or five years' oc-
cupancy. To the unsuccessful rebellion of 1841 he owed
his two years' exile. For a long time there was no better
means of advancement in Spain than a well-planned and-
well-finished lvonunciamiento ; and, if Ortega succeeded,
promotion and honours were sure to be his. The Debats,
then, must reflect a little ; while it denounces the luckless
Ortega it scourges, without knowing it, not a few of the
most distinguished generals of the army.
Gold medals have just been awarded by the
French Government to four persons, and silver medals to
six, for having distinguished themselves by their courage
and devotedness in the wreck of the steamer the Louise at
the entrance of the port of Bastia, in Corsica, in the night
of the 22d Feb. Thirty-one persons have, in addition, re-
ceived official testimonials of satisfaction for their conduct
on the same occasion.

HUGUENOT RELICS IN FRANCE.—A Bordeaux
journal announces a singular discovery made at Saint-
Macaire, near that town, a few days since. As some men
were grubbing np a tree on the estate of a gentleman named
Laveau, one of their picks struck against something which
produced a singular sound. It was found to be a layer of
bricks, firmly cemented together, and on removing them, a
hollow stone was found below, containing 12 daggers, five
small vases, one of which contained medals and coins of the '
year 1560 ; and lastly, a bronze casket, enclosing some
parchments, which have not yet been deciphered. M.
Laveau liberally rewarded the men, and added the relics to
his collection of antiquities. It is supposed that these ar-
ticles were buried there by some wealthy lluguenot, after
the siege of Souveterre, by Marshal de Ilontluc, in 1652.
SPECTACLES FOR SHORT-SIGHTED SOLDIERS.—
A novel experiment, recommended by the Commander-in-
Chief, has just been sanctioned by Government. Three
infantry recruits lately arrived from England were at the
I usual medical examination found to be short-sighted, and
'in their present state useless as soldiers. The use of proper
glasses, however, it was added, would make them instantly
effective. The Director-General observed that if the Com-
e wander-in-Chief did not object to the incongruity of a
soldier in the ranks wearing spectacles, there could be no
other objection to their being supplied to such men as might
require them. A large number of officers assist their sight
in this way, and it is a well known fact that many sports-
men wear glasses, some of whom are first-rate shots, and
who could not see to .shoot without them. Government
have accordingly authorised the supply of. suitable glasses
to the men referred to, as an experimental measure, to be
i reported upon hereafter.—Jradm Vanes and Spectator,

LITERATURE.
-0

?lie Universal Review. Nos. 13-14.

This periodical, though only recently established,
has already reached to some distinction, and these
numbers do not fall off from the reputation of their
predecessors. The story of " Sir Everard's Daugh-
ter" is carried on, and the tale is now approaching
its conclusion. It is written in a very impressive
manner, and, sad and painful as are the circum-
stances, the reader is carried on with irresistible
influence to the perusal of the succeeding chapters.
The second title is " Unfairly Played and Falsely
Won," and before the termination there will inevi-
tably be some fearful disclosure, and the day of
reckoning will infallibly succeed the pleasure of
the prize and the glory of the gain. Lucy is well
described, and her evil spirit is sent to dwell in a
goodly tabernacle, as is so often the case in real
life. Nothing is more drea'!ful to contemplate than
the habit which some people contract of forming
their plans on the prospect of their fellow-creatures'
deaths. It has*been said somewhere—.
" In all your plans of future life be wise :
Ile builds too low who builds beneath the skies."
What must be the case with those who would send
another to his account in order to reap some worldly
and pecuniary advantage ?
There is much sound sense in the arguments
relating to the treaty and budget. Notwithstand-
ing all that has been written, it is always welcome
to meet with determined language on the right
side, and if the evil must be perpetrated, let us call
things by their right names, and know what we
are to lose and how little we are to gain. The
following terse sentences correctly epitomise the
chief point's of the vaunted chef d'ceuvre

" There were two things, and two things7only, we did de-
sire, as securities for peace, for which we might have been
willing to pay a price—a cessation of the preparations in
French dockyards for naval war (that is, a war with Eng-
land) and a renunciation of all designs upon Savoy. But
neither of these things are offered or have been asked. If
France will take English coal for her war steamers, Mr. Cob-
den cares not how numerous her fleet may be ; if she will
buy English cutlery, she may take Savoy; if we
will admit her wine at Is. a gallon, we may give up our
volunteer force, and dismiss our sailors. In a word, on the
side of France our negotiators have left undone everything
they ought to have done ; on our side, as we shall presently
see, they have done everything they ought not to have done.
The purchase they have made for us is of tinsel and paste ;
the price they have lavishly offered is to be paid in solid
gold and real jewels."
In the number for this month there are some other
remarks well worthy of perusal regarding the fear-
ful confusion worse confounded that reigns para-
mount in the management of our foreign relations,
In reference to the culminating point of the seizure
of Savoy it is thus written :
" Finally, on the 26th, the finishing stroke was given to
this disgraceful history. Lord John Russell admitted that
the Emperor had acted in a manner that must occasi,m
great distrust, and necessitate our drawing nearer to the
other European Powers. lie added that the protest of
Switzerland was still under the consideration of Austria
and Russia; and drew a just distinction between her posi-
tion as guaranteed by the treaty of Vienna, and that of
Tuscany or Savoy. To what all this may lead it is impos-
sible to conjecture. But one thing seems pretty certain,
that the debate of Monday last is the publication to the
world that the far-famed and once popular entente cordials
is now at an end. Our own Ministers cannot fail to feel
the justice of Mr. Horsman's eloquent denunciation of the
Emperor :—' I denounce the recent policy of the Emperor
of the French in Italy as a policy of deceit. I say that he
has deceived the English Ministers, and has made them
his tools for deceiving the English Parliament. I say that
he has treated them with a duplicity which they had not the
candour to avow, and with a contempt which they had not
the spirit to resent. And, speaking of his proceedings in
Savoy and Sardinia, and the manner in which he has an-
nounced his policy to Europe, I say he has added insolence
to aggression, and perfidy to injustice.' In fact, the re-
turn of Lord Palmerston to office had much the same effect
upon his mind as the return of Lord Aberdeen had on the
mind of the Emperor Nicholas. He at once felt himself at
liberty to y rosecute his aggressive schemes, and the result
shows, only too fatally, how well he had read the character
of the English Cabinet. But still, for all this, if they do
not lose the confidence of the House of Commons, in
consequence of what has now occurred, let us hope they
may be cautious how they tie themselves to the Em-
peror's apron-strings for the future. We cannot, indeed,
feel any confidence that they will. The lesson they re-
ceived in 1858 ought to have prevented a repetition of
the error.

Sect periisse semel satis est ? peccare fuisset
Ante satis,' •

we may say of them, as Taurnus did of the Trojans. But
still, they can hardly be blind any longer to the extensive
reaction against France which has taken place in this
country; and will scarcely be infatuated enough to wreck
themselves a second time on rocks from which the broad
beacon light of public opinion so unmistakably warns
them, in order only that they may still be able to say there
is something in which they differ from the Tories."

" Odd Days in Hyde Park " is a very readable
paper, and it can be confidently recommended
to general attention, presenting as it does such
quaint and genial fun and frolic in its numerous
anecdotes. In the article on " The Inexorable Logic
of Facts," some severe strictures are passed on the
French. it is said that since the time of Richelieu
the aggressive spirit of the French people has been
the bane of Europe. Like the war-horse of Job,
" there is no sound so pleasant to their cars as the
blast of the trumpet and the shouting of the cap-
tains." It will occur to some that the various annoy-
ances and the several losses entailed on us by our
Gallic friends may induce the continuance of the
simile, for the patience of Job is required to endure
their vagaries and devices. We meet with various
other subjects of literary and general interest dis-
cussed at some length in these pages, which will
recommend them to the thoughtful and studious,
so that on the whole there is no cause for the sub-
scribers to be dissatisfied with the last efforts of the
compilers.

The Constitutional Press.

There are some taking subjects in this month's
list of contents. As usual we meet with the very
ably written and interesting story of " Hopes and
Fears" at the beginning. As is natural after being
so fully developed, the tale is now becoming very
exciting, and the events are hurriedly approaching
a climax. Lucilla's absurd conduct is slowly but
surely disenchanting Robert, and she will inevitably
learn, when it is too late, how she has mistaken the
shadow for the substance, in flying after the new
friends and neglecting the old ones of long years'
standing. Ithcebe is also becoming more decided
and pronounced in her conduct and opinions. She
is a very charming maiden, full of kind thought
and feeling for others, and yet very decided and
determined when she has a duty to perform or a
necessary arduous task to accomplish. In the paper
called " The Shams of the Day, and the latent
truths they represent," there is much truth to be
fonnd, albeit some may consider it to be of a very
unpalatable kind. It has for subject this time, the
present state of criticism, and the secrets of the pri
son house are disclosed in a manner more striking
than complimentary. Many shining stars of magni-
tude are shown to be but imitation luminaries
borrowing, guessing, and jumping at con-
clusions, instead of following the true adage,
"to read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest,"
whatever subjects are put before them, to
search the merits thereof; to denounce the
shortcomings, and to point the hidden beauties to
an indiscriminating world. How few of the power-
ful band, whose sceptre sways the destinies of the
myriad hosts of authors, will do justice to them-
selves and their subjects. Either they concoct a
slashing review, in which the real motive is to show
off the redundancy of their own wit, not the poor
author's lack of it, or they pour forth fulsome adula-
tion to suit a private end, or perhaps it may be only
to express their own opinions, exaggerated and in-
flated as they are. This is the more absurd, as there
' are few of the best and wisest authors in whose
compositions some flaws may not be found, while
there are not many works so weak and wretched that
something good may not be extracted, some high
idea that illumines the waste of words, or some
stirring thought that rouses the attention, and tells
of better things for future days. It is most injuri-
ous to the author to rush into either extreme, and
all influence is lost if the critic wholly condemns
or entirely approves—
" Nor let ingratitude or scorn, •
Blast promise, in its blushing morn,
Nor approbation too profuse,
Wake vanity to tame the muse;
But give, ye friends, to genuine merit. give,
So much of true desert, as bids ambition live.

Another article is called " The Great Sham!?
and it sets to work to destroy the airy castle
which Lord John Russell has delighted to build
through his life-time, his hope by day and his
dream by night—Parliamentary Reform. It is
hinted that the easy manner in which this bill has
been allowed to pass, is partly because the liberal
members wish to have it in their power to
grumble still; and also that some violent
agitators have compounded for mutual
convenience. " The treaty was carried by a raid
to suit the interests of cotton generally and of
Mr. Bright and Mr. Cobden in particular.' The
great sham which has been palmed off on credulity
as a Reform Bill has been accepted by Mr. Bright
and those whose votes and consciences he manages,
as necessary to the understanding on which Mr.
Gladstone undertook to carry the infamous treaty
with the Imperial empire of Europe through. This
is how the country has been sold that the cotton
interest mightmake better bargains and effect more
sales. The men who are, parties to the crime will at
the proper moment slip from their bureaus in scores,
and go through the general gymnastics peculiar to
the people's friends." Really when one recalls some
recent events, and reflects on the wonderful trans-
formation which metamorphosed the lion of Bir-
mingham into a lamb, it is not necessary to attri-
bute the ironical passages above to the bitterness of
party hate or the violence of party spirit, and those
who say that the new Reform Bill will do very
well, cannot help feeling in their own minds that
it-is not consistent with the fuss made by its
author last year when he persisted in bringing

forward his kactious amendment. Those who
know the truth suspect that it is not the best bill
that he wants for the country, but it is that ha
may be the framer and fashioner of that *which
becomes the law of the land. There are some read-
able papers on various questions of the day ; the
one on the "Prospects of the Lyric Stage" pre-
sents Mr. Gye with some good advice, which it is
to be hoped that he will follow, and so continue
to increase the present prosperity which his taste
and energy entitle him to enjoy.

The Mechanics' Magazine.

This magazine contains a very moderate and
unprejudiced article on the Whitworth gun ; and
without making any comparison between it. and
Sir W. Armstiong's cannon, the editor gives a true
account of the practice at Southport, and
.recom-
mends that the Board of Ordnance should give the
gun a complete trial. The report of a paper rid by
Mr. IV. Fairbairn on the strength of iron ships, at
the Liverpool Polytechnic Society, contains matter
x.
worthy of consideration ; and although Mr. air-
bairn treats a ship rather too much on the prin-
ciple of that en.-sineering success of his, in cm:
junction with Mr. R. Stephenson, the Mf.nai
tubular bridge, his calculations of the relative
strength of the deck and beams in proportion to the
keel and lower plate are well worthy of the
oaintetaetnhsel their side
tons
inodofet ioirfnotntehnesd to
th
Aipbllaeuint improvementltd
ec i
shipbuilders. That
dTemnaotnsstthtraae stand
demonstrated A: nbe-
r n tillby
the invention of a new nozzle for the hose-pipe:. of
fire-engines, which enables the fireman to regul de
the stream of water thrown on the fire at pleasu- -.3 ;
and the new contrivances of Cochran's ordna-ace
firearms and projectiles show that Brother Jona-
than wilt not permit the old world to go a-head of
the country which introduced the revolver.
_II, ES _ER I' ED SEATS AT THEATRES.

A question of some interest to playgoers was de-
cided at the Manchester County Court on Wefts-
day.

Mr, Abel Harrison, of Stalybridge, brought an
action against Mr. John Knowles, the proprietor
and manager of the Manchester Theatre Royal, to
recover 155., the value of three reserved seat tick
and the return railway fare of three persons frvm
Stalybridge.
Mr. Hopwood appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr.
Albany Fonblanque for the defendant.
It appeared that on the 10th of January Mr. 'W.
Henry Harrison, a son of the plaintiff, went to Man-
chester, in consequence of an advertisement of the
" Blue Beard" pantomime which he had seen in the
Olanchester Guardian, and purchased three reserved
scat tickets for the lower circle, for Thursday, the
12th January. Three paper tickets, and three ivory
checks, with the number of the seat and the day of
the week impressed on them, were given him,
wrapped in a bill of the play. Sufficient particu-
lars having been found in the advertisement, the
playbill appears not to have been scrutinised. Mr.
Abel Harrison and his two sons went from &alp-
bridge on the evening of the 12th of January, to
attend the theatre, and their train should have
arrived about 7.15 ; but owing to some delay they
did not reach the theatre until about eight o'clock.
They produced their tickets to the boxkeeper, who
told them they were too late for their seats, the first
act of the first piece being over. On the part of the
plaintiff, his two sons stated that the lower circle was
full on their arrival, so that there was not even stand-
ing room, that their seats were taken, and that they
were offered a seat in a private box upstairs, whiet
was already occupied by several persons, and from.
which the performances could not be seen. They
declined to accept this accommodation and de-
manded their money back; and, upon this being
refused, they returned home. The version on the
part of the defendant was different. One wit-
ness said that there was room in the private
box, and the performances could be seen from it;
and another said there were six seats, at least, in
an " ingifferent" part of the lower circle, near the
stage, choice from which was offered to the plaintiff
and his sons, but was refused. Some letters passed.
between the plaintiff and the defendant subse-
quently, and the latter pointed out that in the bill
it was stated that reserved seats could not be kept
after the first act. For the plaintiff it was con-
tended that the advertisement stated " Box-office
open daily from eleven till two, when seats may be
secured in the lower cirle, 3s. each," nothing being
said about any reservation with regard to the first
act. The plaintiff bought tickets on the faith of
the advertisement. It was absurd to suppose that
any person would read through the playbill from
beginning to end, before they reached the theatre ;
bat, supposing that had been done, the notice near
the bottom would not have applied to their case. It
was " lower circle, 2s. 6d. ; reserved seats, 35.," and.
lower down, " box-office open daily from eleven till
two o'clock, during which period places may be ob-
tained for the lower circle, which are secured till
the end of the first act." This, it was contended,
only applied to the 2s. 6cl. seats, and not to the re-
served seats, for which an additional sixpence was
paid to reserve them; for, without paying the ex-
tra sixpence, he should expect a scat to be rcservi d
for him accoeding to that notice, though it might
not be any particular seat.
The Judge (Mr. Brandt) said he did not want to
stop the case ; but he thought there was a general
understanding—at all events from the facts of the
case it was pretty clear—that the three specific
seats only should be secured until the end of the
first act. Then the only question was whether the
defendant was not bound to find them seine other
places.
Mr. Fonblanque argued that if Mr. Harrison
contracted with Mr. Knowles for the use of the
three seats on the night in question, and broke the
rule of the Manchester Theatre Royal, and of all
other theatres, by going after the first act, he im-
mediately broke also his part of the crontract, which
was then at art end as far as Mr. Knowles was con-
cerned. And it being the usage that, after the first
act, reserved seats could not be retained, 31r.
Knowles could not prevent the seats being taken
by the public. The public had then a right to the
seats, and it would be to the inconvenience of the
pu ,
act. If the plamtiffcame
retbaliineedanbedynoontaAtlhr Knowles,
e.
first it those seats were .
after the first act he had to take his chance as to
a-hether he got any seat at all. In such a case as
e
the latter the nubile had an advantage at the Ma a-
chester Theatre Royal, which he (Mr. Fonblancine)
did not know they
ppossessedl innotagnAi
other
ui
would
atown,
because
r;t the
theh
bearer to piecealr 0t
rivory,le if
theatre on any other
night ; so that if a scat were reserved a whole night
and never used, and the holder were to conic on any
otheruspiece of ivory, the manager
w oloss of a seat, and the public be
1d
sustainht theitl
inconvenienced.

After hearing the defendant's witnesses, the
Judge said he could not help thinking there was a
little anger in the case.

Mr. Hopwood said he did not think it had been
proved that any reasonable seat had been offered
to the plaintiff.
The Judge—lf there was the shadow of a seat
in the dress circle it was quite enough. If he does
not choose to come in time for his own scat he muit
take what remains.
Mr. Hopwood—No matter whether he sees or
not.
The Judge—No; I think not. I don't take upon
myself to decide the main point, whether they take
a specific seat. But if there be a seat at all I think
who said that only
it is enough.
onelnorfepthl3; tdoeAfeinr.daillt°'Pswwmittin'esses spoke to their
being any vacant seats in the dress circle, the judge
said that the plaintiff's witnesses would not say
positively that those seats were not offered them.
Judgment was accordingly given for the de-
fendant.

rTiwtaHounrEkiina SUNDAY TRADING BlLL.—Alarge meeting
o
Britannia-fields, Heaton,
took place yesterday afternoon, in the
Bf
Heaton, for the purpose of expressing their,
opinion on the Sunday Trading Bill, now before Parlia-
ment. A Mr. Osborne was called to the chair, and said
the meeting had been convened to give the working men
of the metropolis an opportunity of coming forward to op-
pose a fresh attempt to infringe upon their liberties, by
the same individuals who had given rise to a Ibrmer de-
monstration in Hyde-park. The grounds uu.ip:ojhnuissivhotipcoihn h.thone,
considered the bill should be opposed were, that it would
s Thisamwn oeduestlidnofgb
motionepnt eoeoflphgtl ejavilhehi enai
tws 1 iktioi n:
kgehe,epegrsr,eaatnaporwrcervetuot
mthaenyir
thousands
goods in the streets on the Sunday, and thus deirrivadeetleaman
to a certain extent of their means of livelihood. m.r.
M'Sweeney then moved a resolution to the effect that the
edee'arnitedlialblY:terestsgo If
eteshle
ssmboei.
workingcolilos far
or Nsdvise. aidosu:
a,
classes,i
determined taainn inc faar
aliplmergadrenioonndpifdg. for, unnecessary,
pledgedes
oinftt
not
hnnwctngyehls
esomaai
6r
moved
h,vr,
workingelP :lasses, it went towards their preservation ; wtald
men and_ their assistants from
atdoatsihonor-,eb.iring about the
f
,eiriulrilceilevireumpna.n•;n,emyceetsnhstaorn.ifatnoll:areansdd;
labour ; and baTshteenthlgeenstederenagrdl adoption of the Satm day
cartiewd
phualtfilototlhideaamys.eetiQgthe hours o
amendment was seconded, but on being
motion„h ich absydeacliaarlatomba
je.arli)isyt,. anTdhtehemooorigitinngal,
hadW been of a very n.Disy description, then quiotly
dispersed.
SINGULAR PHENOMENON IN A SNOWSTORM....
About two weeks ego a terrible snowstorm raged in Upper
Wasdale, accompanied on Longton Beck and Swinhope k ell
by a singular rolling noise in the air, which resembled the
noise of musketry. On the morning of the 16th ult. many
of the shepherds proceeded on to the Fell to look after Clair
sheep, when they were astonished to find the ground, fez the
space of a mile in length and half a mile in width, covered
with large pieces of ice, which had evidently fallen from
the clouds. It was as though a mountain of ice had b3eu
suddenly shattered and the fragments scattered over the
earth. The blocks were of such a size that at a little dia.
tance they resembled a flock of sheep. Providentially,
neither sheep nor human beins were on that part of the
moor during the storm, for to have been struck by oue of
these pieces of ice would have entailed instant death,

21IE NAVY.

Steam was got up on Thursday on board the screw
steamship Nile, 90, Capt. K. Barnard, and she went
from Hamoaze into Plymouth Sound, where she
saluted the flag.
The sailing frigate Constance, 50, at Devonport,
is to be lengthened 40 feet and fitted with a screw.
The lower yards of the screw steamship Aboukir,
90, were sent down on Thursday.
Steam was got up on Thursday onboard the Espoir,
5, and she went outside Plymouth Sound on trial
for several hours.
The crew of the screw steamship Donegal, 101,1
Capt. Henry Broadhead, were paid wages at Ply-
mouth on Thursday by Admiral Superintendent
Sir Thomas Pasley, K.C.8., and they obtained
leave of absence.
A letter has been received at Plymouth from the
screw steamship Orion, 91, Capt. John B. E. Frere.
It is dated Naples, March 13, and• states that she
left Malta on the ith, and arrived at Naples on the
10th. During the passage she sprang a leak, and
had four feet water in the hold. As the repairs
cannot be accomplished at Malta, she will have to
come home. The leakage is said to be increased,
' if not caused, by the working of the machinery, in
consequence of which she will return under canvas
only, and may be expected shortly at Plymouth.
The Castor, 36, sailing frigate, was towed on Thurs-
day afternoon by two steamers from Chatham har-
bour to Pinope Reach, were she anchored for the
night. She was to have left yesterday for Green-
hithe to take up her position at the moorings pre-
pared for her in the Thames, where she will be
stationed for a time to serve as the receiving-ship for
the Naval Coast Volunteers. She has her main-
deck guns on board, consisting of 18-32 pounders,
each of 56 cwt., and 9ft. 6in. long.
The Galatea, 26, screw frigate, 800 horse-power
(nominal), has been undocked at Chatham, and will
proceed to Sheerness to join the steam reserve at
that port.
The paddle-wheel surveying vessel Bann, James
S. Wells, master, discharged her powder in Ply-
mouth Sound on Thursday, and went into Hamoaze
to have defects made good.
Her Majesty's steam storeship Rhadamanthus,
Master-Commander Frederic Sturdee, having un-
dergone an entire renovation of her engines and
machinery in the river, off Woolwich dockyard, an d
a thorough inspection of her boilers, is ordered to
steam down the river on a trial of her speed, and a
verification of her precise consumption of fuel under
a supply of ordinary steam alone. Their Lord-
ships have signified their desire that special care
shall be taken to notify minutely every circum-
stance relative to the abovenamed particulars,
and that a report may be promptly forwarded
thereof to the Board of Admiralty foi their consi-
deration. The order further adds that the Rhada-
manthus immediately after her trial will be fitted,
at the cost of Government, with the patent improved
apparatus of the Hon. John Wethered, a member
of the United States Congress, for the supply of
combined or ordinary and superheated steam
mixed, and which, it is stated, cannot fail, as proved
by previous experiments, to increase the power of
the engines, and also economise the consumption
of fuel from 30 to 50 per cent. The mode adopted
in carrying out the system is to attach another
steam pipe to the boiler for conveying the steam to
be superheated to pipes, or other contrivances
placed in any convenient form near the fire, or in
the uptake near the chimney of the boiler, or in a
separate furnace ; the superheated steam being
added to the ordinary steam at or before its en-
trance into the cylinder. In its passage through
the superheating apparatus, that portion of the
steam is raised by the waste heat to a temperature
of 500 deg. or 600 deg. Fahrenheit. The heat thus
arrested is conveyed to and utilised in the cylinder
by its action on the other portion of steam from the
boiler, which is more or less saturated, according
to circumstances. The combined steam is issued in
the cylinder at from 300 deg. to 450 deg. Fahren-
heit, instead of at the low temperature at which
steam is generally employed. The effect of using
the two kinds of steam has already proved the fact
that the superheated steam yields a portion of its
excess of temperature to the ordinary steam, con-
verting the vesicular water, which it always con-
tains, into steam, and expanding it several hun-
dred-fold ; while, at the same time, the ordinary
steam yields a portion of its excess of moisture,
converting the steam gas into a highly rarified
elastic vapour—in other words, into pure steam at
a high temperature. Repeated endeavours have
been made to employ steam simply dried or super-
heated, all of which have been partially abandoned,
as, owing to the high degree of temperature neces-
sary, the lubricating materials have dried up, and
the packing and rubbing parts of the machinery
have been destroyed, and the temperature of the
steam in the cylinder has been found to be beyond
the control of the engineer. It is asserted that.
Mr. Wethered's improvement, now about to be
adopted by the Admiralty, arose from the above-
named difficulty.
A further discharge of 75 mechanics and labourers
will take place at Chatham dockyard this afternoon,
including 20 shipwrights, 40 labourers, and 15
smiths, joiners, sawyers, and other mechanics. In
consequence of the great extent to which the esta-
blishment at Chatham was recently increased, there
sre still about 600 mechanics and labourers to be
discharged before the number of workmen in the
dockyard has been reduced to that ordered by the
Admiralty for the present year.

QUARTERLY NAVAL OBITUARY.
The following officers' deaths have been officially
reported to the Admiralty during the past
quarter :

Admiral.—John Wight.
Vice-Admirals.—Philip Browne, Geo. E. Watts,
Joseph Digby, James A. Murray, and Robert It,
Car re.

Rear-Admiral.—Richard Devonshire.
Captains.—William Moorsom, C. 8., S. C. Umfre-
ville, J. R. Dalton, J. Banks, J. Watson, F. Lo
Hunte, W. Kirby, and D. J. Woodruff.
Commanders.—G. F. Burgess, C. G. Grylls, L.
Lambert, T. C. Sherwin, J. G. Wigley, R. Lloyd,
J. Pasley, H. G. Massie, W. B. Chamberlain, John
Bulford, D. Bond, T. Levell, H. Conn, C. Gran-
than', W. Stron,r, 13. R. Owen, M. Black, H. W.
Dodd, and A. larlev.
Lieutenants.—J. F. Guyon, W. I), Harris, E. C.
Chaplin, G. B. Cooper, G. L. Bridges A. C. Adams,
C. Kirkwood, N. Webb, W. C. Burbidge, D. Hen-
derson, Hussey, T
kins, and G. T. Day ies (1824), E. J. Hop-
Masters.—WWilkinson.
F. B. -Youel, T. D. Nicholson, J.
Caddy, J. Font, J. Crear, and 11. Babb.
Deputy Inspector of Hospitals.—James Scott,

Surgeons.—T. Ayling, J. 'Wilson, M.D. (1798),
J. Coulthrecl, M. Price, and F. Sharp.
Assistant-Surgeon.—Johni‘Peormielc.
Paymasters.—G. 0. Nelson, C. E. Colman, T,
Ifflock, T. Bastin, T. Watson, L. Kennedy, u B
}L Long, and W. Cotsell.
Naval Instructor.—Allred Turmine.

Second Master.—J. H. Perry.
ROYAL MARlNEs.—Lieutenaut-General—John
Wright, K.H.

3fajoi:s.-11-7". Macdonald and Robert Webb.
(19tain.-1-1. Spratt.
First Lieutenant.—T. Sawyers.