Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-04-09
THE BRITISH STEAM NAVY.

The English Navy Department (says the Boston Daily
Adyertiser has been for long time engaged in increas
ing and improving the steam navy, by experimental al
eraons of vessels which in their original form proved
inefficient In the occasional reports of the press from
the dockyards the public kept informed of progress
of these alterations and of experimental cruises made
for testing their success
In late London paper, under date of Portsmouth,
March IT, it is announced that yiceAdmira Cochran on
that day proceeded in yacht Fanny to spithead and
after inspecting the paddle rgate Slon, of %
guns hosted upon it his flag and proceeded with it and
two other paddle steamrigates, 1.-THE 0dn, of 16 guns
and Leopard, of H. under steam and full sail to the
westward on cruise.
1t is announced that the screw three decker Duke of
Wellington, Of 13 guns, the largest ship in the British
navy, has received figure head, which is adm
rable likeness Of the late Duke.
The steam-tender Fregun had been that morning dock
ed for the purpose of examining her bottom with view
of ascerainng the effect of Hays composition, which
had been applied twelvemonth BEFORE for preventing
the action of upon the iron work The report says
''We found on inspection that nothing save little
Shiny dirt visible and which in hour scrub
bed off by birch broos leaving her bottom perfectly fair
and as clean as though it had been black-leaded"
From the we collect the following addi-
onal information announcing large additions the feet
| Of screw line battle ships.
/ The st. Jean d'Acre, 101 guns be launched at
Deyonport on the 23d of March. The James Watt 81
TO be launched Pembroke in the Of the month
of April. The Royal George 40, to be completed at
Chatham by the 30th Of April The Royal Albert l3l,
Mt Woolwich, and the Hannibal 81, Deptford be
launched about next June
The armament Of these steamships may be judged Of
from the following description Of the guns destined for
the Hannibal to be launched above mentioned june
to be put on board at Sheerness:
Lower deck: % guns, S-inch, 65 cwt, feet long !;
main deck 90 32-pounders, 90 cwt, inches:
quarter deck and forecastle p 82pounders ~ cwt
eet and one pivot, 6spounder, % cwt, 10 feet Total
81 guns
In addition to the above find the following notice
the conversion of other ships of war; the course of
which the reader win observe the two officers
which figure in naval history Captains Dacres and
Chads:)
is to be reduced to 20 1t originally intended
after she had been advanced stock as an gun
ship that she should be converted into gun friQate
and yet she subsequently 81 gun screw ship We
must not regard her as regularly designed ship
but experiment in conversion. She would have
done better perhaps if Capt Dacress health had been
good but this Is the fault of the Admiralty in giving
experimental ship commander equal every respect
TO the working out Of the qualities Of the experiment
The lnstrious, old 12gun ship, in of adapta-
ton like the Edinburgh, TO receive machinery is
TO have armament Of SO broadside guns and one pivot
that she will be enabled fight 30 guns each side
Capt Chads of the Excellent, has the arrangement Of
urbed and by the plan proposed for her conversion it
will be economical job than the adaptation of the
Edinburgh converted at less than the Ajax the bill
for which ship considerably less than the Hopue
converted by Messrs Green much less expense than
the Benhen was made ship by Messrs gram"