The Sun.
London, England, 1860-09-08 00:00:00

THE NA Tl'.

Her Majesty's ship Osborne, Master Commander
Bower, arrived at Milford Haven from Queenstown
on Thursday morning last, having on board his
Grace the Duke of Somerset, Rear-Admiral the
Hon. F. T. Pelham, C. 8., Capt. Charles Eden,
C. 8., and Mr. Whitbread, M.P., the Lords of the
Admiralty, on their annual tour of inspection of
her Majesty's dockyards.
The Immortalite, 51, screw, at Portsmouth, tested
her speed yesterday at the measured mile in
Stokes Bay at half power. The ship, as on her
former trial at full power, was iu charge of Capt.

G. T. Gordon, commanding the steam reserve. She
steamed out of harbour at 12.15 p.m. Shortly after
clearing the harbour channel one of the men em-
ployed in the engine-room, on the staff of the con-
tractors, met with an accident, which, though
serious itself, might, but for the help promptly
rendered him, have ended fatally. The man in
question, whose name is Robert Philips, was en-
gaged in oiling portions of the machinery, when
his foot slipped from the framework of the engine
and was
jammed by the crank as it came over
between the piston rod and glands. Mr. Warr( ner,
who had charge of the engines, was not aware of
anything having occurred ; but observing the poor
fellows head falling back called out to the engineer
of the vessel and a gentleman belonging to the
steam factory, who were most fortunately standing
close to him at the time, to catch hold of him,_
thinking he had lost nis presence of mind. Both
the gentlemen laid bold of him as he was in the
act of falling amid the mass of moving machinery.
On lifting him over the rail it was then noticed
that his left foot was injured, and that he must
have swooned in consequence. A moment's delay
on the part of the two gentlemen who were so pro-
videntially at hand to rescue him and he must have
been dashed to pieces by the ponderous machinery.
A quarter-boat was instantly lowered, in which
the sufferer was placed and conveyed to the
Royal Naval Hospital at Haslar. On the return
of the frigate to the harbour the boat re-
turned on board, and brought the gratifying news
that the foot was not injured so much as had
been anticipated, and that the surgeons had hopes
of not having to resort to amputation. Four runs
were made, the mean of which gave the ship a speed
in knots of 10.945, or nearly 1/ knots. Revolutions
of engines, 461; pressure of steam, 201 b; vacuum,
25. The ship sat much better on the water yester-
day than during her trial at full speed on Wednes-
day, and showed none of that inclination to depress
her bows in the water which was so strongly indi-
cated on that occasion. The vibration on board was
very trifling; in fact, except standing in close
vicinity to the screw well, the screw could be heard
at work, but not felt. On the Mersey's first trial it
was a difficult matter to speak close to the screw
well, from the excessive vibration.
A temporary roof is now being erected over a
portion of the fourth dock at Chatham, occupied by
the 51 gun frigate Arethusa, which is undergoing
the process of conversion from a sailing ship to a
screw steamer, in order to protect the machinery
with which she is being fitted from the weather.
This fine frigate as well as the line-of-battle ship
Bombay, 91, which is undergoing a similar process
in the adjoining dock, is very nearly completed
and will shortly be out of the hands of the ship-
wrights. A portion of the roof over the first dock
has been removed in order that the contractors may
proceed with making the new entrance to the dock.
The Trusty, 14, 150-horse power, the third of the
iron cased steam floating batteries ordered to be re-
paired at Chatham Dockyard, has been hauled into
the second dock at that establishment, where she is
now undergoing the necessary survey preparatory
to thew ork of reparation being commenced. From
an examination of her plates and timbers which
has been made by the dockyard officials it has
been ascertained that a considerable amount of in-
jury has accrued to the hull from the ravages of
the destructive marine worm which, notwithstand-
ing the great thickness of the iron sheath-
ing by which it was thought the hull would be pro-
tected, has penetrated into the timbers to such an
extent that unless the progress of the decay thus
caused can be promptly checked the most extensive
repairs to the hull will be absolutely necessary. The
whole of the exterior iron sheathing of the hull will
accordingly be removed preparatory to a thick coat-
ing of Peacock's composition being applied, this
substance being the best known antidote to arrest
the ravages of the destructive marine insect. As
soon as the whole of the battery's hull below the
water-line has been thus paid over, additional iron
sheathing will be applied to the bottom, by which
any further decay will, for a time at least, be
arrested. The upper plates and timbers of the bat-
tery are found to be in sound condition, notwith-
standing the severe shaking she experienced during
the experiments madeupon her with the Armstrong
guns. _

The victualling transport Mary has arrived at
Chatham from Deptford with stores for the dock-
yard.
Captain C. F. Schomberg, superintendent of the
steam reserve in the Medway, arrived at Chatham
dockyard on Thursday afternoon in the Thrasher,
at gun vessel, for the purpose of visiting the estab-
lishment. After going over the various depart-
ments of the dockyard Captain Schomberg re-
embarked on board the Thrasher, and returned to
his guardship, the Cumberland, 70.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Henry St. L. B.
Palliser, to the Landrail ; Lieut. Thomas M. Camp-
bell, to the Castor; F. J. P. Shapcote, assist-pay-
master, as secretary's clerk, to the Impregnable;
Alexander Napier Miller, acting third-class assist.-
engineer, to the Fisgard for service in the Vivid ;
James Dobson and John C. Weeks promoted to the
rank of second-class assist.-engineers in the Maven) ;
John B. James promoted to the rank of second-class
assist.-engineer in the Trafalgar ; Robert W. Wat-
son promoted to the rank of second-class assist.-
engineer in the Royal Albert; and William Birks
promoted to the rank of acting second-class assist.;
engineer in the Buzzard.