The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-26 00:00:00

THE P Y.

It is stated that the iron-plated ship Defence, of
3,700 tons, now in course of construction by Messrs.
Palmer Brothers and Co., of Newcastle, will leave
the Tyne for Sheerness on the 12th of July, when it
will be possible in the course of a month to fit her
for service.

The Anson, 91, screw steamship, was taken out
of Sheerness harbour on Monday for the purpose of
testing her speed and machinery at the measured
mile cff Mapling Sands. The Anson is of 800
nominal horse-power, but on her trial the indicated
horse-power was about 3,500. She first made six
runs with all her boilers, when she attained a
mean speed of 12.982 knots per hour; average
revolutions, 59; draught of water forward,
17ft. Tin. ; aft., 20ft. 10in. She was then tried
at the measurd mile, with only, half her boiler
power, when she made 11 059 knots per hour ; revo-
lutions 71; ; steam being kept at 201 b. pressure, by
means of the expansion valves. She was subse-
quently tried round the circle, which occupied five
minutes and 30 seconds, and afterwards at 16 points;
the time occupying three minutes and 24 seconds.
During the trial, which lasted seven hours, the
water was calm, and a gentle breeze was blowing
from the S.W. The engines worked well and evenly,
and with little vibration. The trial was altogether
highly satisfactory.
The line-of-battle sailing ship Superb, 80, attached
to the ordinary at Chatham, is ordered by the Ad-
miralty to be converted into a hospital ship, and will
be taken into dock to undergo the necessary altera-
tions to adapt her for that service.

The Argu-s, 6, paddle steam sloop, 300-horse-
power, from Gibraltar, Commander Herbert F. W.
Ingram, arrived at the Nore at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
She was inspected on Monday by Vice-Admiral W.
J. Hope Johnstone, commander-in-chief, and staff,
when the crew were exercised at the target. After
the vessel had discharged her powder she steamed
into Sheerness harbour, to the coal•ship, previous
to paying off and being entered in the third-class
steam reserve.

Yesterday the paddlewheel steamer Cuckoo was
brought up the harbour and moored alongside the
Daphne, Is, to be nit.d for Gib),ltar, where she is
to be employed in harbour service instead or the
paddlewheel steamer Redpole.
The Dart, 5, and the Plover, 5, screw steam gun
vessels, attached to the steam reserve at Chatham,
are both to be immediately fitted for sea at that
port, their destination being, it is understood, the
coast of North America. The Plover has been
brought down the harbour, and is stationed off the
dockyard, where she is fitting.
The portable steam cranes recently introduced
into Chatham dockyard having been found to work
satisfactorily, the Admiralty have entered into an
arrangement with Messrs. Taylor, of the Britannia
Ironworks, for the supply of several orders to that
establishment, four Jf which will be employed ex-
clusively in moving the iron-plates and other por-
tions of the ironwork used in the construction of the
Achilles, 50. In order to facilitate the removal of
the steam cranes from one part of the dockyard to
another, a line of rails is ordered to be laid down
the whole length of the Anchor-wharf, on which
the new cranes will be employed in loading and
unloading the various transports as they arrive.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Frederick Howard, confirmed
to the rank of master; Jacob E. Dyas, surgeon, to
the Surprise ; L. H. J. Hayne, surgeon, to the
Wanderer; N. D. Fry, first-class assistant-engineer,
to the Dee; G. L. Thompson, first-class assistant-
engineer, to the Indus, for the Goldfinch ; William
Smith, first-class assistant-engineer, to the Surprise ;
J. Critchley, acting first-class assistant-engineer, to
the Wanderer ; A. Smart, second-class assistant-
engineer, to the Pembroke; R. T. V. Forster, act-
ing second-class assistant-engineer, to the Cumber-
land, for the Phaeton ; J. Craig, acting second-
class assistant-engineer, to the Orlando; J.
M'Gough, second-class assistant-engineer, to the
Surprise ; H. Vatcher, acting second-class assistant-
engineer, to the Surprise ; A. J. Baxter and S. T.
Sugden, second-class assistant-engineers, to the
Wanderer ; R. J. Roberts, engineer, to the Cum-
berland, for the Cuckoo; William Owen, engineer,
to the Surprise; Jonathan Gee, engineer, to the
Wanderer; and Charles B, Willcock, assistant-
clerk, to the Impregnable, as supernumerary.