The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-18 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

Her Majesty's troopship Simoom, Capt. T. B.
Lethbridge, arrived at Spithead on Saturday from
Jamaica, having called in at Plymouth Sound on her
way up Channel to coal. She sailed from Jamaica
on the 10th of February with the following military
passengers for England :-19 officers of various
corps, 12 officers' wives, and 15 children, 29 non-
commissioned officers and men, 10 women, and 7
children. Several of the officers disembarked from
the ship in Plymouth Sound. The remainder, with
the troops, women, and children, will disembark
to-day at Portsmouth dockyard, after the ship has
steamed into Portsmouth harbour from Spithead,
which she is ordered to do this morning. The Si-
moom, after extensive alterations and repairs, was
commissioned by Capt. Lethbridge on the Ist of
February, 1866, and on the 2d of March she sailed
from Portsmouth for Kingstown, Ireland, and from
that port conveyed to Malta the Ist battalion of the
60th Rifles. From Malta she proceeded to St. John's,
New Brunswick, with the 22d Regiment. The ex-
citement about the Fenian raid was then at its
greatest pitch in the colony, and after the Simoom
had lain there three weeks she embarked the St.
John's Volunteers, and conveyed them to St. An-
drew's, to relieve the 17th Regiment, which, together
with Gen. Doyle and Staff, she conveyed to Halifax.
From Halifax the Simoom proceeded to Gibraltar,
to wait Admiralty orders from England. Since then
she has been engaged in carrying the West India
and West Coast of Africa troops reliefs. She has
been absent from England 381 days, 215 of which
have been at sea and 166 in harbour. Since leaving
Jamaica for England the Simoom fell in with heavy
westerly gales of wind off Bermuda, which continued
with unabated force until she arrived off the Azores.
The Simoom goes into Portsmouth harbour from
Spithead this morning.
The Zebra, 7, screw gun-vessel, 950 tons, 200-
horse power, Commander E. J. Pollard, arrived at
Spithead during Saturday night from the Thames,
en route for China.

Mr. James Steil, R.N., inspector of machinery
to the steam branch of the Admiralty, has been
engaged during the latter part of the last week in
examining the engines and boilers stored in Hasler
yard, Portsmouth, which formerly belonged to the
gunboats that have been broken up during the past
four years at the yard. Mr. Carrington, from So-
merset-house, is also at present engaged with other
gentleman in going over this stock of machinery, and
adding it to the storekeeper's books. Mr. Steil's in-
vestigation was but a very cursory one, being mainly
confined to the working parts of each engine. Mr.
Carrington's investigation and reports, however,
should be made more complete, including, as it must,
all the detailed fittings of the engines and boilers,
with the copper-pipe communications, and all the
boiler mountings and clothing.
A third trial of the engines of her Majesty's steam
sloop Dryad, 4, was made outside Plymouth break-
water on Saturday. Mr. J. Reed, Chief Constructor
of the Navy, Capt. Wiles, chief of the Steam Reserve,
and Mr. Brock, of Glasgow, were on board. The
engines, of 300 horse power, were supplied by
Messrs. Napier and Son ; the load on the safety
ualve was 321 b ; pressure of steam in the
boilers—full boiler, 24'75 ; half, 261 b ; vacuum,
in condense forward and after, 25in. ; number of
revolutions of engines, maximum, 93 full power, 76
half-power ; mean, 90 1.31 full-power, 73.75 half-
power. The Dryad drew lift. 2in. forward and
16ft. 9in. aft. ; her lower masts are in, and two top-
masts are pointed ; no stores or armament on board,
omfectoa,sli2lf. ;p
212 tons. The propeller is by Griffiths ; dia-
er eh,
14ft. 6in ; length, 31t. 24in.; im-
mersion of upper edge, 91n. Weather barometer,
29.90 ; wind east, force 4 ; seat smooth ; tempera-
ture on deck 46, in the engine room 98. The
true mean speed attained in six runs was 12-658 full
power, and in four runs on half power, 10.809.
These results are less than those previously obtained,
in other respect the trial was considered satisfactory.
The Rodney, 78, screw ship, 2,770 tons, 500 horse
power, was taken on Saturday for the official trial of
her engines, previous to her departure for the China
station. She was not taken to the measured mile off
the Maplin Sands, as is generally the custom, but
made a run from the Nore to the Mouse Light and
back, attaining a speed of 10 knots per hour. The
draught of water was 23ft. 4in. forward and 25ft.
llin. aft ; the pressure of steam was 201 b ; the
vacuum in condensers 25in., the force of wind 2,
and the direction east. The engines are by Messrs.
Maudslay and Co., and the ship is fitted with a
Maudslay propeller 18ft. in diameter, 16ft. 6in.
pitch, length 3ft., and immersion of the upper edge
51t. 31in. Capt. the lion. Arthur Cochrane, C. 8.,
had charge of the vessel during the trial. Mr. W.
W. Williamson, chief inspector of machinery afloat,
and Mr. S. Townsend, foreman of the factory in
Sheerness dockyard, were likewise present. The
trial was considered satisfactory, and the ship left
the Nore yesterday morning for her destination,
calling at Portsmouth en route.
The detachment of Royal Marine Light Infantry
held in readiness for some days past at Woolwich
for duty in Ireland left head-quarters on Thursday,
and proceeded to Birkenhead for embarkation on
board her Majesty's Coastguard service ship Done-
gal, Capt. James Paynter. The detachment was
first ordered to consist of two captains,
four subal-
terns, eight sergeants, eight corporals, two drum-
mers, and 160 privates, but during the night pre-
ceding their departure they were ordered to be
augmented considerably. The marching out " state-
ment" was therefore as follows :--Captains Dunn,
Delacombe, and Blake ; Lieutenants Price, Risk,
Frampton, Parker, Wardell, and Le Breton ; 12 ser-
geants, 12 corporals, 3 drummers, and 264 privates.
On the following day the full strength of the de-
tachment was made up at Woolwich by an equal
number from Chatham. The officers from Chatham
are —Captains Croker, Taylor, and Rodney, First
Lieutenants Bamber, Harvey, and Webb, Second
Lieutenants Kirchoffer, Price, and Rumley.
On Saturday, Capt. Cairncross, First Lieutenant
Allnatt, Second Lieut. Jervois, four sergeants, two
corporals, and 78 privates Royal Marine Light In-
fantry, were despatched from head-quarters, Wool-
wich, to Deptford, to strengthen the detachment on
duty there, in the event of their services being called
for.

Forty-five recruits, two old soldiers, and one cor-
poral Royal Marines, left Woolwich on Saturday
morning for the depot of the force at Deal. They
were in charge of Lieut. Lyson, who is under orders
to return to Woolwich.

MR. CHARLES DICKENS gave the first of a series
of three readings from his own works last night at the
Rotund.), Dublin. The round room was filled by a most
respectable audience, and the reception given to Mr.
Dicbeus waS most onthukiastic.