The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-06 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

Another addition was made to the British navy
on Saturday afternoon, by the launch from Dept-
ford Dockyard of the 26-gun screw frigate Ariadne,
in the presence of many thousands of spectators.
The Ariadne was afterwards brought up in the
river, and it is expected she will proceed this day
to Woolwich, to receive her machinery, manufac-
tured by Messrs. Mandslay and. Co. The following
are her principal dimensions :---E xtreme lengt,
318 feet ; ditto between perpendiculars, 280 feeht ;
ditto of keel for tonnage, 245 feet 8 inches ; breadth
(extreme), 50 feet ; ditto for tonnage, 49 feet 6
inches ; ditto, moulded, 48 feet 8 inches; depth in
hold, 19 feet 4 inches ; and burdea in tons, 3,202.
The Charybdis, 21, screw corvette, has been
taken alongside the sheer-hulk at Chatham Dock-
yard, and placed under the sheers for the purpose
of recei ring her boilers and machinery on board,
and to pTepare her for being fitted for the second.
division of the steam ordinary in reserve at
Chatham.
A new first-class 51-gun screw frigate, to be
called the Uadaunted, is ordered to be laid down on
the same slip as that from which the Charybdis,
21, was recently launched.
The screw frigate Amphion, 36, having com-
pleted her alterations and repairs at Chatham, will
be undocked during the approaching spring tides,
when the Victor, ,team gun-boat, will be taken
into the same clock to have her defects made good.
The advices of our Malta correspondent reach to
the 31st May, and report the following as the dis-
tribution under that date of the Mediterranean
steam fleet :—At Malta, the Marlborough, 131,
bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Fanshawe, the
Commander-in-Chief; the Ilibernia, receiving ship,
bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Codrington,
Superintendent of Malta Dockyard ; the Orion, 91;
Euryalus, 51; the Scourge, 5 ; the Lapwing, 4 ;
the Gannet, 6 ; the Caradoc, 2; the Boxer, tender ;
the Hearty, tug ; and the Kertch and. the
Azov, sailing gun-boats. In the offing of
Malta the St. Jean D'Acre, 101 ; the Princess
Royal, 91; the Renown,9l; the Victor Emmanuel,
91; and the Brunswick, 80. an their way to
Malta, the Hannibal, 91, bearing the flag of Rear-
Admiral Mundy, second in command, and the Ban-
shee, 2. At Naples, the Centurion, 80 ; at Leg-
horn, the Conqueror, 101; at Genoa, the Terrible,
21; at Gibraltar, the Vulture, 6, the Growler and
the Quail gunboats, and the Bustler steam tug. At
Corfu, the Racoon, 21 ; at Candia, the Argus, 5, the
Medina and the Tartarus, surveying vessels. On
her way to the Levant to collect ancient marbles,
the Supply storeship. At the Piraeus of Athens, the
Osprey, 4, at Constantinople, the Wanderer, 4, in
the Danube, the Recruit, 6 ; at Marseilles, the
Coquette, 4. The Vigilant left Malta, destination
unknown, on the 24th of May. The whole make a
total of 36 pendants. Two prizes to the Eylau,
French screw steamship of the line—namely, the
Austrian brig Giovanni, Capt. Martinolich, coal
laden, for the British firm of Malcolm Brothers, of
Trieste, from Liverpool, bound to Trieste and
Venice, and the Austrian brig Dobra Costrenjka,
Captain Randich, with a general cargo, for Trieste
from Antwerp, have been carried into Malta by
prize crews, on their way to Marseilles for adjudi-
cation. These vessels leftjthe ports of loading before
the declaration of war, and were taken on the 15th
of May, in lat. 44 42 N., and long. 14 50 E.
Capt. J. E.Katon and CommanderW. J. Pollard
have taken up their commissions to the new screw
steam ship Edgar, at Sheerness. A rendezvous has
been opened at the Swan Inn, Bluetown, Sheerness,
for the entry of seamen for her. She has received
her complement of marines from Woolwich.
Tue gunboat Magnet, Lieut. Edward S. Meara,
after having undergone heavy repairs in her ma-
chinery, boilers, &c., at Sheerness, left on Saturday
at nine a.m. for Harwich, there to resume her
duties as tender to the Pembroke.

The gunboat Ruby, Lieut. W. Vicary, tender to
the Cornwallis, has had her defects made good, and
will proceed on a trial trip from Sheerness this day.
The Flying Fish, 6, screw steamer despatch ves-
sel, was on Saturday mustered and inspected by
Flag Capt. Fariuhar and Commander Mackenzie,
at Spithead. The crew were exercised at general
quarters, &c. At the close the inspecting officers
passed high encomiums on the appearance of the
ship, and the state and discipline of the crew.
The Emerald, 51, screw frigate, Capt. Arthur
Cumming, arrived at Spithead on Saturday from
the eastward.

The Cadmus, 21, screw corvette, Capt. Hillier,
arrived at Spithead from the eastward yesterday
morning.
The Russian three-decked ship Sinope, Captain
Endogorouff, arrived at Spithead yesterday from
the Mediterranean, bound to Cronstadt. She is
pierced for 131 guns, but has only four on board, as
she will receive her armament at Cronstadt.

The series of screw trials concluded by the Doris
are the most important that have yet taken place
since the introduction of the screw for the propul-
sion of our steamships of war. These trials were
designed to test the relative qualities of the Admi-
ralty or common screw and Griffiths's patent pro-
peller. Similar trials were carried out in 1853 on
board the Conflict and Fury, resulting in favour of
the Griffiths patent propeller, since which time the
Griffiths has been constantly used by the Fairy
when under way. The immense power of the
engines now in use by our steamships of war has
given an opportunity of testing the merits of the
two screws with the certainty of obtaining more
practical results, more especially as affecting the
vibration and steering of the ship, than could be
arrived at with vessels of the Conflict and Fairy's
class, hence the present trials. The forms of the
screws may be thus described :—The blades of the
Admiralty screw consist of a sixth part of the whole
screw or helix ; the centre of the Griffiths propeller
is a sphere of one-third the diameter of the screw,
with the blades made tapering. The driving
surface of the Admiralty lies at the extreme
ends of the blades ; in the Griffiths it lies
at the centre nearest the sphere. The first
trial with the Admiralty screw was with a
diameter of eighteen feet, her. speed being 11.823
knots. On the second trial, with the diameter
increased to 20 feet, the speed realised was 11.826
knots, with a great increase of vibration. On the
third trial the " leading" corner of each blade was
cut off, and in this form the common screw attained
its greatest speed, giving a result of 12.032. On
the fourth trial both the corners of each blade were
cut off, when, with a greater number of revolutions,
leis speed was made, being 12.012 knots. Its last
trial, with the " following" corner of each blade cut
off, but the screw restored to • its perfect form in
every other respect, gave a result of 11.815 knots.
The first trial with the Griffiths propeller-20 feet
diameter and 32 feet pitch—gave 11.981 knots.
The
second trial, with a 26 feet 5 inch pitch, gave
12.296 knots ; and the third trial, with a medium
pitch, which concluded the series, gave 12.158 knots
with 531 revolutions of the engines, and less vibra-
tion than on any former trial. Several important
features connected with the screw propeller have
been proved by these trials. First, that the leading
edge of the screw is the part that mostly affects the
steerage of the ship, and also causes the greater part
of the vibration. Secondly: that increased diameter
of the screw is better than increased pitch to reduce
the speed of the engines„ but it considerably in-
creases the vibration with the common screw,
whereas with the Griffiths it did not produce that
effect, in consequence of its chief propelling surface
being towards the centre. The common screw, when
its blades are cut to the form of Griffiths's, is not so
effective as when the centre sphere is applied to
them ; the power required to obtain the same speed
is considerably reduced by its application. The
power requiredto obtaiiil2 knots without the sphere
was 2,920.32 indicated horse power, while the same
form of blade and pitch with the sphere took only
2,82.5-6 indicated horse power. At the conclusion of
the last trial on board the Doris the two systems of
boat-lowering invented by Mr. Clifford and Capt.
Kynaston were &splayed, the ship going about six
knots. Capt. Ky-naston's disengaging hooks appear
to require four men for the operation, the success of
which depends on the simultaneous working of the
men. By Clifford's method the whole appeared to be
safely performed by one man, who by slacking off a
rope insures the boat being lowerd on an even keel.
Letters dated April 30 have been received at
Plymouth from the screw steam ship Caesar, 90,
Captain C. Frederick. On leaving Greytown it was
expected that her stay at Vera Cruz would have
been only for a few days, but she has been there
nearly a month.. Between her officers and those of
the various ships of war in port there has been a
constant interchange of hospitalities. The city of
very Cruz is almost ruined and deserted. The man-
try is eonvuisod with civil war, and a battle has
been fought iland since the arrival of the Caesar.
She calls at ni.vannah on the voyage, and may be
expected at p 1
vmouth about the beginning of July.
A seaman on board the Orion, 91, Capt. W. Hous-
ton, writes
ilmonths at Mal ttt c she will probably be detained two
The paddles vlaieelwhere she will be put in dry dock.
steam surveying vessel Bann,
Capt. William s, left Plymouth on Wednesday for
Scilly.
The crew of the screw steamship Royal Albert,
121; flag. of R. ntr-Admiral SireV.Fl Fremantle,' Con!:
mander-m-Chi *e f of the Mans eeat.,dCapt. E. B.
Rice, in Ply) n outh Sound, -were
Wednesday, mu! obtained leavewages on
of absence for four
days.
The steam tend 'er Avon, 3, second master J. H.
Lawrence, from I 'ortsmouth with supernumeraries,
arrived at Plymoi ith on Friday. When passing 'she
observed the Es la youth, 90, Hero, 90, James Watt,
91, Blenheim, 60, s :nd Mersey, 40, in Portland-roads.
The screw ste, i. m "gunboat Hind (tender to the
Russell, GO, at J Falmouth), which has been two

months at Plymouth, made an experimental trip
outside the Sound on Friday. Her engines of 60-
horse power by Mosely and Son, have been
thoroughly repaired, and the boilers retubed and
bottom renewed. At the measured mile she made
knots with 144 revolutions at a pressure of 601 b.
The Hind returned to Hamoaze. She will probably
leave on Saturday next, 11th inst., for Truro, to
obtain volunteers.
The screw steamship Donegal, 101, received her
coal at Plymouth on Friday.
Thirty-seven men arrived by train at Plymouth
on Thursday evening for the Aboukir, 90, and 20 on
Friday morning for the guardship Impregable, 104.
The screw steam gunvessel Intrepid, 6, Com-
mander Marryatt, got up steam at Plymouth on
Friday, and left for the Mediterranean.
The lighter Duck, J. Weal, master, sailed from
Plymouth on Friday with stores for Portsmouth.
The lighter Devon,Rowatt,master, sailed on Satur-
day for Sheerness and Chatham. The Ordnance
lighter Inkerman. from Woolwich, arrived at Ply-
mouth on Saturday.
The screw steamship Falcon, 17, Commander
Fitzroy, from Portsmouth, arrived at Plymouth on
Saturday, and salute d the flag of Port Admiral Sir
B. Reynolds, K.C.B.