The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-08-16 00:00:00

LAUNCHES.

GREENOCR.—On Saturday week there was launched
from the building yard of Messrs. Caird and Co., the screw
steam-ship Valdivia, built for the Pacific Steam Naviga-
tion Company. This fine ship is 750 tons 0.M., and is to
be propelled by oscillating engines working a screw 10 feet
in diameter. The cylinders are 45 inches diameter;
length of stroke four feet.

SUNDERLAND.—A frigate-built East Indiaman, named
the Caldera, classed 13 years, A 1 at Lloyd's, and 850 tons
register, N.M., was launched last week. Her dimensions
are—length of keel 145 feet, depth 20 feet 9 inches, and
breadth 30 feet.

RTE.—From the ship-yard of Messrs. Hoad Brothers, a
new schooner, named the Impulse, 300 tons burthen, to be
commanded by G. Crowhurst.
PLTMOUTII.—Messrs. Shilston and Son launched from
their establishment, Coaside-yard, the schooner Progress,
of about 160 ,tons;register.O.M., intended for the Mediter-
ranean trade.

ARBROATII.—On Saturday the Dawstone was launched
from Messrs. Chisholm, Peter, and Simpson's ship-building
yard. The Dawstone, which belongs to William Newton,
Esq., of Dawstone, near Liverpool, is 641 tons register, is
classed A 1 for nine years at Lloyd's, and is to be com-
manded by Mr. James Newton.

SUNDERLAND.—On Saturday, an East Indiaman—the
Bury St. Edmunds—was launched from the yard of Mr.
W. Wilkinson ; she is classed A 1 thirteen years. Her
register tonnage is 800 tons 031., and 838 tons N.M. and
her burthen is 1,200 tons ; her length of keel is 145 feet ;
rake 40 feet ; extreme length 155 feet ; extreme breadth
31 feet ; depth of hold 21 feet. This vessel has been sold
to Messrs. Blyth and Green, of London, and is intended
for the East India trade. An important experiment has
been made with this vessel, with a view to the prevention
09-ff tdll:ee rot
While
she was on the stocks 500 gallons of
of the oil were thrown around the timbers by means
force pump. In the course of three days the whole
oil was absorbed by the timbers, and then 17 tons
of salt were rubbed over the seams and inside of the
timbers.
GBEENOCK.—Messrs. John Reid and Co, of Port Glas-
gow, launched a new iron screw steamer on Tuesday. One
rather romantic feature attended the proceedings, viz,
that despite the inconvenient hour, Miss
Montgomerie, of
Greenock, was present with others, and performed the
time-honoured ceremony of breaking a bottle on the bow
and naming the ship by the light of a torch, which was
held up to enable her to see the Nelson. She measures
330 tons, an power be propelled by direct action engines
of 50 horses. The owners are Henry Willis and Co.,
of London, who intend despatching the vessel to New
Zealand, to run between the different settlements.

THE REVIEW OF THE FLEET.
SOME faint idea may be formed of the naval review from
the aggregate of guns, horse-power, and tonnage in the
fleet, and from the number of men required for the full
complement of each ship. There were employed 1,076
Bans, the power of 9,680 horses, 40,207 tons of shipping,
and ships' companies that should altogether have amounted
to 10,423 hands. The fleet thus comprised about the same
number of men as are encamped at Cobham; only that,
instead of being distributed in tents stretching over two
miles of heath, they were gathered into twenty-five ships
of war, thirteen of which are screw-steamers, nine paddle-
wheel, and three sailing ships-of-the-line.
During Wednesday afternoon, and throughout the night
a constant succession of trains brought an immense con-
course of visitors to Portsmouth. All the hotels and
lodging-houses were crammed, and enormous prices were
paid for accommodation. The price of the tickets issued
by the various excursion steamers rose to a great sum,
and transactions of this nature were even effected at an
advance of three hundred per cent. on the original cost,
the tickets to a great extent having been bought up by
speculators—one, two, and three guineas being freely paid
for permission to go in the vessels.
At six o'clock in the morning of Thursday, Portsmouth
Harbour presented a very animated scene. Twenty Go-
vernment and about an equal number of private steamers
were preparing to go out of harbour to attend on the
fleet, for the accommodation of the visitors to whom they
were respectively apportioned. At five minutes past eight,
the first excursion train from London arrived, bringing
some 1,500 persons, and this was followed by other trains
on both the South-Western and South Coast Railways in
rapid succession. The Government Steamers in attendance
on the squadron remained at their moorings till about
half-past nine o'clock, by which time the members of the
Houses of Lords and Commons had arrived down. In the
mean time steamers of every class continued to arrive at
Spithead from Southampton, Brighton, Shoreham, and
Weymouth, and even the old Father Thames was found
among them.

At half-past ten the Queen left Osborne House for East
Cowes, where she embarked on board the royal yacht
Victoria and Albert. The royal standard on board the
yacht was seen by the fleet; when a general royal salute
Was :fired. Her Majesty steamed through: the fleet and