The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-24 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The steamsloop Stromboli, 6, Capt. Phillips, ar-
rived in Plymouth Sound yesterday afternoon. She
left Montevideo on Feb. 22, and Rio Janeiro on
March 13, and on April 20 put into Sierra Leone
for coal and provisions. She found the port infected
with yellow fever, of which the French Consul died
on April 19 ; then proceeded to St. Vincent, and
sailed thence on the 30th. All the ships of war had
left Sierra Leone. The flagship Bristol was cruis-
ing in the Bights of Benin. On March 20, in long,
30 25 W., lat. 10 40 S., in consequence of a signal
for assistance, the Stromboli sent a lieutenant on
board the ship Monarch, from London, with passen-
gers for New Zealand ; she was leaky, and the crew
refused to continue at the pumps unless the master
would promise to put into port. The lieutenant
recommended him to go to Rio, which was within a
few days' sail. The Stromboli was to leave last
night for Portsmouth. Her master's-assistant, Mr.
Wheeler, died April 10 o£ typhoid fever.
The Mullet, '5, screw gun-vessel, 430 tons, 80-
horse power, Commander C. A. P. Y. Robinson,
started from Sheerness harbour on Monday morning
for the official trial of her engines. 0 wing to the
strong south. easterly wind, which was blowing with
a force of seven to eight, it was found that the ship
could not be tried successfully at the Maplin Sands.
She was therefore taken back into the Medway, and
the trial was made at the measured mile at Saltpan
Reach. Six runs were made at full boiler power,
giving an average speed of 7.812 knots per hour,
with a maximum of 95 and and a mean of 89 revo-
lutions of the engines per minute. The draught of
water forward was 11ft., aft 12ft. 3in. The load
in the safety valve was 201 b., and the pressure of
steam boilers 181 b. The engines stopped from the
time of moving the telegraph in four seconds. She
started ahead in six seconds, and astern in ten
seconds. Owing to the force of the wind and the
strong tide, no half-boiler power was taken. The
vessel was driven by a Griffith's propeller, the
diameter of which is 9ft., the pitch 13ft. Gin. ;
length, 2ft, 2iin., and the immersion of the upper
edge, lft. 9in. She was fully rigged and in every
respect ready for sea. The engines, manufactured
by Messrs. Napier and Son, of Glasgow, worked
satisfactorily without hot bearings, and. maintained
a steady vacuum of 28in. throughout the trial. The
boilers generated a fair supply of steam without
priming. As far as the engines and boilers were
concerned, the vessel was reported as being fit for
sea. During the trial the ship was in charge of
Commander W. M. L. Partridge, of the Sheerness
Steam Reserve, Mr. W. W. Williamson, Inspector
of Machinery Afloat, and Mr. G. Blaxland, Chief
Engiher of Sheerness Dockyard, being also
Ipresent.

The Challenger, 18, screw, steam-corvette, 1,462
tons, 400-horse power, commissioned by
Commo-
dore Rochford Maguire, for the Australian and New
Zealand station, was on Tuesday taken to the mea-
sured mile.off Maplin Sands for the final trial of her
machinery previous to her departure. Six runs
were made over the measured mile at full-boiler
power, giving an average speed of 9.667 knots per
hour, with a maximum of 58 and mean of 55 revo-
lutions per minute. The load on the safety valve