The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-17 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Griffon, 5, screw gun vessel, 425 tons, 80
horse-power, after having been thoroughly repaired
and refitted since her last commission in Sheerness
dockyard, was on Tuesday taken to the measured
mile off Maplin Sands for the official trial of her
machinery. She was in charge of the commander
of the Sheerness steam reserve, Mr. W. W. Wil-
liamson, inspector of machinery afloat, and Mr. G.
Blaxland, chief engineer in Sheerness dockyard
were present. Six runs were made on the mea-
sured mile at full-boiler power, giving an average
of 9.141 knots per hour, with a maximum of 96 and
a mean of 94,666 revolutions of the engines, and a
vacuum in condensers of 25-5. Two runs were
made at half boiler power, giving an average of
7.504 knots per hour, with a maximum of 84 and a
minimum of 73 revolutions of the engines, and a
vacuum in condensers of 26. The draught of water
forward was 10ft. 10in. ; aft, lift. Bin. The load
on the safety valve 201 b., and the pressure of steam
in the boilers 18-75. The wind was north, with a
force of 3to 4. The vessel is fitted with a Griffith's
propeller, the diameter of which is Oft. ; the pitch,
13ft. ; the length, 2ft. 10in. ; and the immersion of

the upper edge, Ift. Sin. The engines stoppedfrom
the moving of the telegraph in 13 secs., started
ahead in 12 secs., and astern in 15 secs. They were
manufactured by Messrs. Napier and Sons, of Glas-
gow, and worked most satisfactorily. There were
no hot bearings. The boilers produced a good sup-
ply of steam without priming. So far as the engines
and boilers are concerned the ship is certified as
being ready for sea.

The large floating shears at Chatham dockyard,
used in masting the vessels of war at that establish-
ment, have been towed round to the Thames by the
Adder and other steamers for the purpose of being
employed in masting the ironclad frigate Northum-
berland, 26, 1,350-horse power.
The following is an extract from a private letter
received from her Majesty's screw gun vessel Espoir,
dated April 7, from Jellah Coffee, West Coast of
Africa We are daily expecting the Greyhound
here to relieve us,when Capt. Stirling, of that ship,
becomes senior officer here, succeeding our captain,
Peile, and we sail for St. Paul's de Loanda and St.
Helena to recruit the health of officers and ship's
company. From St. Helena we go to the South
Coast. We were detained some time since and sent
on to St. Paul's de Loanda for adjudication the
Portuguese bark Dahomey. She had three slaves—
a supposed beginning of cargo—and no papers when
captured, together with about 100 puncheons of oil
and a quantity of ruin and tobacco. She is a beau-
tifully modelled vessel, and will prove a valuable
prize for us if condemned. The yellow fever has en-
tirely left the Bristol."
The screw frigate Tribune, Capt. Lord Gilford,
which recently returned to Portsmouth from service
in the Pacific, was paid out of commission along-
side Portsmouth dockyard yesterday. The gunroom
officers of the ship, previous to separating, presented
to Lieut. G. Shewell, a very handsome
silver vase.

Capt. R. A. Powell, C. 8., at present command-
ing the cadet training ship Britannia, at Dartmouth,
has accepted the command, offered to him by the
Admiralty, of the sbrew unarmoured frigate Topaze,
31, 2,659 tons, 600 horse power, as second officer in
command of her Majesty's ships on the Pacific sta-
tion, vice Capt. M. de Courcy, returning to England.
We understand that the Admiralty have resolved
in order to test as fully as possible in time of peace
the turret principle, as fitted with the revolving
tables and wheels on Capt. Colas plans, to fire a
steel bolt at one of the turrets at short range, from
the Armstrong 10-inch, or 300-pounder rifled 12-
ton gun, now on board the iron-armoured frigate
Bellerophon. The day is not yet fixed for the expe-
riment.

The chartered troopship Alumbagh, which arrived
The sailedame on theTuesdaysonl9th of February with two
fromtheMauritius,
in thwhenceesh
companies of Royal Engineers, together with de-
tachments of time-expired men and other troops,
on board from the Mauritius and the Cape of Good
Hope, disembarked her detachments at Gravesend
yesterday, under the superintendence of Brigade-
Major W. Lynch and the officers of the Staff from
Chatham garriEon. The 11th company of Royal
Engineers, from the Cape of Good Hope, and the
21st company from the Mauritius, disembarked at
Government quay, Gravesend, on Tuesday evening
and proceeded direct to head-quarters, Brompton-
barracks, Chatham, which they reached late that
night. The troops, to the number of upwards of
400 men of all ranks, included detachments from
the 2d battalion 13th Light Infantry, 2d battalion
22d Regiment, 2d battalion 24th Regiment, 94th
n,toegiiominentth,ew96ertßegiment, and the Army Hospital
Corps, •
The time-expired men and convalescent
troops were
di-
recting reinforcements
forwarded yesterday from Gravesend
depots of
.their various corps.
the 15th
Orders
received at Chatham yesterday di-
the for the Ist battalion of
under the command on
thisßegimentmorning
in Canada to embark at Graves- end
board the hired troopship
Achilles,
of Capt. J. Wilkinson.
T.

_AE CHANCERY VAcAnox.—The Chancery vaca-
tion ends on the 20th inst., and on Monday the offices will
be reopened. Trinity term commenced on Tuesday. The
arrears in the several courto are inconsiderable.