The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-04 00:00:00

TILE NA Vl'.

The appointment of Rear-Admiral Sir Baldwin
Walker, K.C.8., to the supreme command of the
Cape Station, the duties of which, although one-
rous, are less harassing than those of Controller of
the Navy, continues to be the subject of much in-
terest in naval circles. Until about three or four
years since, when Rear-Admiral Sir F, W. Grey
was appointed, the ships in the district of Sierra
Leone were under separate control. Now the entire
western coast of the continent of Africa and a
large portion of the eastern coast are under one flag,
which also controls the Island of Madagascar, St-
Helena, Cape Verd, &c. The screw steam frigate
Narcissus, 51, selected for the station in preference
to the Euryalus or Phoebe, 51, will, it is confidently
expected, be what is termed a " happy ship," of
which the alacrity exhibited by first-class able sea-
men in joining her gives conclusive evidence.
Among them are 120 picked.men from the crew of
the Royal Albert. Perfect concord exists between
the Admiral, who is a practical seaman, and the
Captain, who was previously commander of the
guardship of steam ordinary Indus, 78, on board
which his expeiience in steam navigation was of
much value. Although a strict disciplinarian, Capt.
Risk is highly popular. The officers have been
selected after much consideration. Commander
Alexander Philips, late First Lieut. of the Ariadne,
was promoted on his return from America with his
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. A son of
Rear-Admiral Sir T. S. Pasley, is Flag Lieut. of
the Narcissus ; he left the screw steamship Cressy,
80, in the Mediterranean to take his present ap-
pointment. Her gunnery officer, Lieut. William
Codrington, is spoken of as possessing superior
abilities in gunnery practice. Mr. John F. Loney,
the master, was at the head of a Government depart-
ment at Hongkong. Among the cadets is a son of Sir
Baldwin Walker and the Hon. Mr. Cadogan, son of
Lord Chelsea. Her complement of officers and men
is 540; she is only 20 men short now. The Narcissus
in many respects is more capacious than a line-of-
battle ship; her storerooms are larger than those of
the Hero, 90. The Narcissus was several years on the
stocks, and while building was lengthened in the
stern for the reception of the screw. She is 228 feet
long between the perpendiculars ; the length of the
keel for tonnage is 193 ft. ; breadth, extreme, 51ft.
tin. ; for tonnage, 50ft. Bin.; moulded, 49ft. 10in.;
depth in the hold, lBft. 4in. ; burden in tons, 2,336 ;
length over all, 259 ft. 6in. The poop deck, erected
in consequence of her present appointthent, contains
cabins for the captain, commander, and the private
secretary to the Admiral. On the main deck there
are accommodations for the Admiral and his family,
and a cabin for the servants. Like the St. George
and Aboukir, the lower deck of the Narcissus, which
is very roomy, is fitted all round with three tiers of
racks for seamen's clothes. The racks are divided
into , square compartments for bags, which have
square pieces of wood at each end. Over the racks
are convenient shelves and sockets for mess traps
and utensils. The frigate's armament now includes
five Armstrong guns—viz., one pivot 100-pounder
forward, two 40-pounders, and two 25-pounders, the
last of which can be used for service in boats. Two
only of her broadside guns, 32 pounders, ere re-
moved, and the 68-pounder pivot gives way to the
large Armstrong, so that her armament is much
more powerful than at first, as all the 8 inch guns,
10 in number—viz. ; -eight on the main deck and
two on the quarter deck—are retained ; the others
are 32-pounders ; 51 guns in all. The engines are
in aharge of Mr. Wm. Gill, previously of the screw
mortar ship Forth. 12 ; they are what are termed
horizontal direct-acting engines, and are constructed
by Messrs. Ravenbill, Salkeld, and Co., of Black-
wall, upon their improved plan, which is very com-
pact. The machinery cccupies less space, especially
in the upper part of the hold, and it is said is more
easily approached for adjustment, alteration, or
repair. The space thus economised in a hold of 18
feet 4 inches deep secures ample working room for
the engineers—an advantage much required in
several of our ships of war, those "converted"
especially. The stokehole, 42 feet 8 inches long,
is also open, and the hood above, for carrying off
dust and securing good ventilation, is extended
through its whole length, and diminishes only
where it approaches the main deck. the ven-
tilation is carried up immediately outside the
smoke funnel, which by its heat promotes the
circulation from bulkhead to bulkhead. The entire
space occupied by the engines and stokehole is 62
feet 4 inches. The engines are of 400 horse power
nominal ; diameter of cylinder 64 inches, length of
stroke 3 feet, pressure on safety valve 201 b. The
engines are supplied with rotatory expansion gear,
by which the steam can be cut off at any portion
from 1-10th to 5-10ths of the stroke. The engine
room is furnished with Suffield's telegraph for
prompt communication with the quarterdeck. The
Narcissus is to be propelled by Griffith's screw
(right handed), and takes a spare fan on the same
principle, which can be keyed into the socket in
case of the loss of or injury to an original fan ; by
this arrangement the necessity of encumbering the
ship with a second screw, as with other kinds, is
avoided. The diameter of the screw is 17 feet, and
pitch 18 feet 6 inches. The screw shaft is 92 feet
long, and 13 inches diameter. The funnel (telesco-
pic) is 51 feet forward of the mainmast ; it is 50
feet high from the furnace bars, and 6 feet 4 inches
in diameter. The furnaces are to be supplied with
some kind of smoke-consuming apparatus, the plans
for which are now under the consideration of the
Lords of the Admiralty; it will be accomplished,
we believe, by jets of steam. The quantity of coal
which can be stowed in the bunkers is 300 tons,
and the estimated consnmption 42 or 43 cwt. per
hour, so that her store will last about six days.
The bunkers are below the waterline, but between
them and the ship's sides there are wing passages
all round for easy access to plug shot holes when
in action. The frigate draws 20 feet forward and
21 feet 10 inches aft; an immersion which no doubt
gave increased power to her screw. The Narcissus
is fully rigged, and on the trial evinced an inclina-
tion to pitch a little when encountering the ground
swell caused by the late gales.
The screw steam gunvessel Penguin, 5, tender to
the Narcissus, is commanded byLieut.C.G.M'Hardy,
late second on board the screw steamship St. Jean
d'Acre, 101, Capt. T. P. Thompson. She will scarcely
leave England before March, and is appointed to
twitch first at the Island of Ascension, to meet Rear-
Admiral the Hon. Sir Henry Keppel, K.C.8., in
the screw steam frigate Forte, 51, Capt. Edward
IV. Turnout. After passing the control of the
Cape Station into the hands of the new Commander-
in-Chief, Admiral Koppel will proceed to South
America, where he will hoist his flag, in succession
to Rear-Admiral Sir Stephen Lushington, K.C.8.,
who will then return to England in the paddlewheel
steam frigate Leopard, 18, Capt. James F. B. Wain-
wright. Mr. E. H. Greenway, cadet, takes passage
in the Narcissus to Ascension, where he will join
the Forte, for transference to the screw steam frigate
Curagoa, Capt. Augustus Phillimore, on the South
American station. In the distribution of prize
Narcissus and Penguin share between them what
C moneye for
obtaisnlasvoe
nceapstiuxrteese,n
t&hc the.o,f all Admiral
Cape obtains one sixteenth of all captures .at
Itlhiees
;tohbetafirinegdatbeygbeotstha.n
eoigfhtthhi.s
The screw steam frigate am
Ariadne, 26, Captain
Vansittart, from Ireland, where she has been 'with
,ount the captain of
The paddlewheel steam sloop Spiteful, 6, Com-
: tsroououpds arrived ou Saturday evening in Plymouth

- _

mander William C. F. Wilson, at Plymouth, is
ordered to prepare for foreign service.
Commander H. F. M'Killop, commanding her
Majesty's paddle steamer Bulldog, is, are glad
to be enabled to state, fast recovering in Haslar
Royal Naval Hospital from the severe injuries he
lately received on board his vessel by one of the
gaffs falling on him from aloft.
The following appointments were made on
Saturday at the Admiralty :—Bellette Shattock,
mate, to the Conqueror ; John R. T. Fullerton,
mate, to the Princess Royal; and Frederick C. H.
Petch, master's assistant, to the Spiteful.