Washington sentinel., 1855-03-13

|
at Philadelphia on Saturday last from her first
cruise which has been the longest and mostinter-
esting eyerperformed byone Of our national ves-
sells. The Susquehanna was built at the Phi
ladelphia Navy Yard, and was completed in
1850. The machinery was CONSTRUCTED by
Messrs. Murray a. Haslehurst, of the Vulcan
Works, Baltimore, and to their excellence may
be attributed much of the efficiency the vessel
possesses. She sailed from Philadelphia on
the 26th Of December 1850, for Norfolk. In
June, 1851, she sailed from Norfolk TO take her
place in the East India squadron. Some diff
Guilty occurred in the working of the engines,
but this was overcome by the skill and intelli
gence of the Chief Engineer
The Susquehanna has been absent from the
United States three years and ten months,
during which she has crcumnavigated the
/ globe, made long cruise in the China Seas
and headed the expedition to japan. She has
/ touched at the following ports, viz: Madeira,
Rio Janeiro, Cape of Good Hope, Mauritus,
Isle Of France, Zanzibar, Ceylon, Penang, Sin
gapore, Hong Kong, Macao, Annoy, Manila,
Whampoa, Shanghai, Loochoo Islands, three
ports Of Japan, Honolulu San Francisco, Aca-
pulco, Valparaiso, stopping again at Rio on
her return, and making the run at that port in
twenty-four days. The Susquehanna left in the
port at Rio, on the llth ult., the United States
frigate Savannah and the United States store
ship Relief The following is o. list Of her
| officers
Franklin Buchanan, Commander; Garrett R.
ex. off,; Napoleon Collins, do; J. Hogan
Brown, do; John X. Duer do, George H.
Cooper, do; j. Messersmith, Surgeon; Chas.
F. Fahas, Assistant Surgeon; Edward G. Bit.
niger, Chaplain; Reuben Harris, Master; VIM.
B. Slack, Breyet Captain Marines; Saml. Arch,
bald, Chief Engineer; Charles E. Hawley, Mid.
shpman; Robert L. May, do; Geo. f. Hebard,
lst Assistant Engineer; Henry II. Stewart, 1st
do; Edwin Fithian I'd do; j. G. E. Lawrence,
I'd. do; Thomas A. Shock, Sd. do; Alex.
Henderson, Sd. do; Stephen D. Hibbard, Sd.
do; Chas. B. Oliver, Gunner; John Green, Car.
penter; John H. Hartzell, Purser's Clerk.
An officer of the Susquehana has furnished
the Philadelphia Bulletin with the following
details Of her trip:
i "After the first visit to Japan the Susque-
hanna returned to Hong Kong I'd April, 1854,
and was placed at the disposal Of the Hon.
Robert M McLane, Commissioner to China,
and carried him and suit to Shanghai 26th
| April. She was then detained from the CON-
mand Of Commodore Perry; about month
afterwards she sailed up the Yang-tzi- -Kiang to
/ Chusan and Silver Island, where the Imperial
Admiral visited her with the usual Chinese
/ salutes.
She then anchored off Chin keang-foo,
where shot was fred by the Rebel batteries
on shore, and Immediately apologized for say
ing it was fred by a young man, convert,
| whose hair had not yet grown. The imperi-
alists shave their heads, leaving a tail, and the
rebels allow all the hair to grow without the
| tail.
| The next morning proceeded to Nankin,
where two parties Of the officers visited the
| Porcelain tower and met, to their great Joy
and surprise, in the heart of the city of Nam
kin, the only officers, perhaps, who have ever
been far inside the walls of the city. One of
| the midshipmen climbed up the perpendicular
wall so feet high, by scooping out the decayed
bricks and mortar, at the imminent peril of
life, and had just strength enough left to get
over the top.
! Here some interesting correspondence took
place between Captain Buchanan and the Tae-
ping-wang, or rebel chieftains. She then pro-
ceeded about Is miles higher up the river to
Woohu, where the officers were very kindly re-
ceiyed and allowed to 60 wherever they pleased.
] The natives told our interpreter that they had
never seen Christian before, and that they
did not know that a Christian had ever been in
| Woohu except ourselves. We commenced our,
return to Shanghai the next morning, and
| came down the current Of the Yang-tzi-Kian
with great velocity, and passing the mouths Of
the grand canal, and the many pagodas both
sides Of the river, we arrived at Shanghai on
| Sunday, the 4th of June, without accident
most daring feat Of navigation, when it is con-
sidered that this ship is the largest war steamer
in the world, yet ahoat, that the river had never
| been surveyed accurately even to the mouths of
| the grand canal and that we depended upon
| the little steamer Confucius, in charge of one
of our officers, Lieut.. Brown, to go ahead and
warn us Of danger, and the judgment Of Capt.
Buchanan in selecting the channel.
| She then sailed to Foochow-foo, Annoy and
| Hong Kong, and on the 4th Of September sail-
ed at last for home, towing the Southampton,
loaded with coal, to Simoda, in Japan, whence
she arrived, in twenty-three days, at Honolulu.
On Sunday, 8th October last, passed the meri-
dian of 1902, into the Saturday of the Western
World, and thus had six Sundays and thirty
| two days in the month of October last Ar
rived at San Francisco llth of November, and
sailed 25th leaving the Mississippi getting in
coal, to sail soon after us, but as she is a slow
boat, she may be expected about the end OF
next month.
Touched at Acapulco where we arrived in
ten days from San Francisco and Valparaiso,
where we arrived in nineteen days from Aca'
pulco on the lst Of January, said to be very
short passage. We then doubled Cape Horn,
and arrived at Rio Janeiro 4th February, in
twenty-one days, which everybody told us was
an Unprecedented passage. Left there llth
February, and returned to-day to Philadelphia
in twenty.six days. The new beam sent out to
us was found to be very serviceable in ballast
ing the ship, it was lashed across the forecastle,
where it now is, and helped to keep the ship in
trim. We burned out the coal.
On Wednesday morning last the first and
only man fell overheard, while blowing a heavy
gale in the gulf stream, but he was very soon
picked up and brought on board in safety, by
the intrepidty and skill of Lieutenant Cooper,
who was himself knocked overheard by the
tackle as the boat touched the water. II after
wards required great decacy and skill to hoist
up the boat in the heavy sea, which was every
moment increasing, and in fifteen minutes
more it would have been impossible to have
| tbo