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| Name | Serapis (1866) | Explanation | |
| Type | Troopship | ||
| Launched | 2 September 1866 | ||
| Hull | Iron | ||
| Propulsion | Screw | ||
| Builders measure | 4173 tons | ||
| Displacement | 6211 tons | ||
| Guns | 3 | ||
| Fate | 1894 | ||
| Class | |||
| Ships book | |||
| Note | |||
| Snippets concerning this vessels career | |||
| Date | Event | ||
| 17 April 1867 - 18 April 1870 | Commanded by Captain John Clark Soady | ||
| 8 April 1870 - 1 June 1873 | Commanded by Captain Henry Duncan Grant | ||
| 22 July 1875 - 24 March 1876 | Commanded (from commissioning at Portsmouth) by Captain Hon. Henry Carr Glyn, to convey the Prince of Wales to India | ||
| 7 October 1876 - 22 December 1879 | Commanded by Captain Duncan George Davidson | ||
| 30 October 1879 - 20 February 1883 | Commanded by Captain Guy Ochterlony Twiss | ||
| 17 February 1883 - 8 January 1884 | Commanded by Captain Arthur Edward Dupuis (until suspended after the ship grounded off Portland) | ||
| Extracts from the Times newspaper | |||
| Date | Extract | ||
| We 29 September 1869 | THE CRUISE OF THE LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY. H.M.S. AGINCOURT, QUEENSTOWN ROADS, Monday, Sept. 27, 8 a.m. After the Helicon left this ship and her three consorts at the rendezvous 30 miles south of Cape Clear on Friday last, on her return to Queenstown, the fog which had prevailed along the coast cleared off, and was succeeded by a strong wind and a nasty tumble of a sea, in which the four ships occasionally rolled and pitched to perfection. The monotony of the cruise, after the gale of the 20th, up to the time of reaching the rendezvous, had been sufficiently tiresome, and it only required this additional experience of an Irish swell off the stormy Cape, during a 40 hours' standing off and on under small canvas, to make every one on board the several ships begin to wish the cruise at an end. As, however, Monday morning was the time appointed for the ships to enter Queenstown harbour, there was nothing left for grumblers but a proper resignation to their fate, and an opportunity of appreciating the method of passing a couple of days at sea in "using up" time. Being now in the direct track of ships bound for the Channel, a number of vessels of various rigs were in sight on Saturday morning, and the bark Jessie Jamieson made her number with the commercial code of signals. At noon, there being no appearance of the Inconstant, the Monarch was directed to steam in and make the land, to ascertain if the frigate was anywhere inshore of the squadron. The Enchantress, Admiralty yacht, Staff Commander Petley, arrived at the rendezvous about 2 p.m. from Devonport, with Admiralty despatches and mails, which were with some difficulty got aboard, after which she was sent on to Queenstown. At 6 p.m. the Monarch rejoined, after having sighted the Fastnet-rock Light and the Cape, without seeing anything of the Inconstant. The state of affairs now began to look serious, as the papers brought by the Enchantress contained no notice of the frigate’s arrival at Corunna or Ferrol; but anxiety was happily dispelled yesterday morning at daylight, by the frigate being found in company with the squadron. The reason of her absence was soon ascertained, her reply to the Agincourt's signal of inquiry being:—"Both tillers carried away together on Monday, the 20th, at 1 p.m. Have fitted very good temporary tiller, besides steering by rudder pendants. "Saw large ship, looking like Hercules, yesterday, at 6 p.m., Cape Clear, hearing south, and distant 20 miles." In answer to another signal, this time made by the Minotaur, the Inconstant replied:— "Rudder acts well. First tiller broken was defective. Second broken by concussion against chock of the afterbracket frame amidships. All working well now." At the time, therefore, when the Monarch saw the Inconstant running off to leeward at 2 p.m. on the 20th (the day of the gale), she must have been compelled to run before the wind from her inability to steer by the loss of her tillers. The highest credit is due to Captain Aplin and his officers for the manner in which they met the disaster without going into port; at the same time it was a most fortunate circumstance that the gale so soon subsided. Had it lasted four or five days, a not unreasonable supposition at this season of the year, the safety of the frigate would have been seriously imperilled. During the forenoon the Inconstant received orders to proceed direct to Pembroke to repair damages and fill up with coal in readiness for the next cruise of the Channel Squadron, which will probably commence about the 8th or 9th proximo. At noon the Agincourt and her three consorts in company bore away from the rendezvous off Cape Clear for the Old Head of Kinsale, bearing about north, and distant 50 miles, with yards nearly square, to gain an inshore position from which to enter Queenstown roads and harbour directly after high water this morning. Before leaving the rendezvous the Minotaur ranged up close on the starboard quarter of the Agincourt to receive from her the mailbag which had been sent on board for her from the Enchantress. Clewing up her topsails, Sir Thomas Symonds' flag-ship steered close in upon the Admiralty flagship's lee quarter, and, having received her mail on board, ported her helm, and, with topsail-sheets flattened in, stood away again and off to her position at the head of the lee line in gallant style. The manœuvre was exceedingly well done, and quite worthy the reputation of a ship which is acknowledged by all to be one of the smartest and best disciplined in Her Majesty's Navy. At 8 p.m. the lights of Kinsale were broad on the port beam, and sail was shortened to topsails for the night, the ships shortly afterwards tacking off from the land until daylight. This morning the Hercules rejoined the squadron on her return from off Ushant on her detached duty to look after the Inconstant. The squadron was off the entrance to Queenstown harbour at 6 a.m., waiting for high water to enter and enable the Agincourt to cross the bar to the inner anchorage, when the Enchantress came out and communicated with this ship. As she returns into Queenstown immediately, to save the morning out mail I shall close this letter and forward it by her. The weather is beautifully fine, and the sea along the coast as smooth as a mill stream. The Serapis is in sight, steering in for Queenstown. | ||
| Ma 4 October 1869 | THE CRUISE OF THE LORDS OF THE ADMIRALTY. H.M.S. AGINCOURT, QUEENSTOWN, Wednesday, Sept. 29. The arrival of the Fleet here on Monday, with the presence of the turret-ship Scorpion, Captain G.A.C. Brooker, in the inner harbour, gave the Admiralty Lords an opportunity for placing matters in a definite footing relative to the future proceedings of that vessel, of which they availed them selves immediately upon the Agincourt taking up her present moorings. The First Sea Lord, Vice-Admiral Sir Sydney Dacres, with Commodore G.O. Willes, Captain of the Fleet, and Captain Hugh T. Burgoyne, V.C., Admiralty Flag Captain, went on board the Scorpion on Monday afternoon, and after having thoroughly inspected her and made their report an order was issued for the Scorpion to prepare to sail for Bermuda, convoyed by the paddle steam frigate Terrible, on the first favourable opportunity after the return of the latter vessel to Queenstown from Devonport.The same afternoon their lordships landed on Haulbowline Island, and inspected there the Naval Hospital, to which the sick from the several ships had been removed, the various naval stores on the island, and the site for the new dock, the "foundation stone" of which was laid to-day by his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant. In the evening their lordships entertained at dinner on board their flagship Vice-Admiral Sir T.C. Symonds, K.C.B., commanding the Channel Squadron; Rear-Admiral F. Warden, C.B., commanding the Queenstown Naval Station, and officers commanding Her Majesty's ships, &c. His Excellency the Lord Lieutenant and the Countess Spencer, accompanied by their suite, passed through Cork between 2 and 3 p.m., on their way to Foto, the seat of Mr. Smith-Barry, near Queenstown, where his Excellency had accepted the invitation of Mr. Barry to stay during the festivities in Cork and Queenstown consequent upon the inauguration of the Admiralty docks at Haulbowline. At the Cork railway station Lord Fermoy introduced Earl Spencer to the Deputy Lieutenants of the county and the municipal authorities of the city of Cork, the latter presenting an address, to which Earl Spencer returned a very judiciously-phrased reply. The weather on the day of the ships entry into Queenstown Harbour was so extraordinarily fine for the end of September as even to astonish the residents of Queenstown and Cork. When the morning's usual fog had cleared from off the water and the valleys between the adjacent high lands, the sun came out brilliantly, and scarcely a breath of wind or ripple upon the water was perceptible to dispel the pleasant illusion available to all of the existence of a magnificent midsummer morning. The next daybreak was a very different affair. Rain fell heavily the greater part of the night, and in the morning a strong gale, south westerly, of wind and rain was raging, and isolating, in all reasonable sense, the fleet from the shore. In the very height of the storm, however, a deputation from the Queenstown municipal authorities, consisting of Mr. Daniel Cahill, chairman of the Town Commissioners, and other gentlemen, arrived on board the Agincourt, and were introduced by Captain B.F. Seymour to the First Lord and Sir Sydney Dacres, to whom Mr. Cahill, on behalf of the residents of Queenstown, presented the following address:— “To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. "My Lords,— We, the Town Commissioners of Queenstown, hail with sentiments of the liveliest satisfaction your lordships' visit to our port. "The presence of Her Majesty’s fleet would at any time afford us much gratification, but the object of your lordships' presence in our harbour on this occasion — the inauguration of the Government docks — is to us a source of pride and pleasure; and we trust that this Imperial work may be shortly available for the repairs and equipment of Her Majesty's ships, whether disabled by the casualties of war or from any other cause. "To this end we would respectfully urge on your lordships the expediency of employing more free labour, and thus expediting the completion of a work which has been so anxiously looked forward to, not only by the inhabitants of this locality but by the entire Irish people. "Signed on behalf of the Commissioners, "Daniel Cahill, Chairman. "James Ahern, Secretary." The several members of the deputation were invited by Mr. Childers to add any observation they wished to make on the subject referred to in the address. They impressed upon the Lords the expectation which had been held out ever since the time of the Union that a Royal dock would be constructed in Cork Harbour, which, they observed, from its peculiar advantages, ought to be a more important naval station than it now is; and expressed a hope that, considering the time which had elapsed since it was decided to construct a Royal dock here, the views then expressed and put forward as to giving employment to the people and spending money in Ireland, more rapid progress would be made with the works than had hitherto been. Mr. Childers, speaking as First Lord of the Admiralty, replied, and in the course of his observations said it was the interest of the Admiralty as well as that of the people of Queenstown to have the dock completed as soon as possible for the use of the navy. They should, however, consider at the same time the amount which should be expended, not only here, but upon public works generally in the kingdom. He found, on reference to the Estimates, that the present expenditure in a year upon the works in Cork Harbour represented about two-fifteenths of the whole sum originally estimated for the dock. That was about the same proportionate rate of expenditure as was going on at Chatham, and was even greater than the proportion now being expended on the works at Portsmouth. In justifying the Estimates to the House of Commons, he had to have regard to that consideration and many others. Further, that it was necessary in all public works not to use undue haste, and he should have to take the professional advice of Colonel Clarke before holding out any expectations that greater progress could be made consistently with the proper execution of the engineering operations. Mr. Seymour said the inhabitants of Queenstown had laid out a great deal of money in the expectation that the Royal docks would be completed at an early date. Mr. Childers said nothing had struck him more when arriving here the other day than the marked improvement which he noticed in everything connected with Queenstown. He remembered it a comparatively ill-built, badly-lighted, badly-drained, and insignificant town, whereas it was now as well-conditioned and as handsome as any town on the coast of England. His Lordship concluded by assuring the deputation that their representations should receive consideration. The deputation then returned to Queenstown. In consequence of the severity of the weather the Lords of the Admiralty deferred their visit to the Queenstown Royal Sailors' Home. In the evening his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant and the Lords of the Admiralty were entertained at a grand banquet, given by the Corporation Harbour Commissioners and citizens of Cork, at the Imperial Hotel, Cork. Covers were laid for 250 guests, and the entire affair was a splendid success. Thursday Morning. The Agincourt leaves the inner harbour at 10 a.m., and joins the Channel Squadron in the outer roads, from which all sail for Pembroke about 5 p.m. In unmooring this ship this morning the capstan overpowered the men at the bars; and three of the men were severely hurt on their heads and arms. One has been sent to the hospital at Haulbowline with his arm broken and a severe gash in his head. The others remain on board under the charge of Dr. O’Brien.H.M.S. Agincourt, PEMBROKE, Friday, Oct. 1. Yesterday morning about 10 o’clock the Agincourt cast loose from her moorings in the inner anchorage at Queenstown, and steamed out to the man-of-war anchorage in the outer roads, where she dropped her anchor outside the rest of the ships preparatory to sailing for Pembroke in the evening.At 7 p.m. yesterday the ships had weighed their anchors and were steaming out from Queenstown roads for the Channel and Pembroke. On getting clear of the land the Monarch was detached from the Squadron and ordered to proceed on direct to Portsmouth at five-knot speed. The Agincourt, with the Enchantress in company, also left the Squadron and started on ahead for Pembroke at eight-knot speed. The Minotaur, Northumberland, and Hercules, under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Symonds, K.C.B., followed at economical rate of steaming to arrive at Pembroke this afternoon. Colonel Clarke, R.E., Admiralty Director of Works, who had joined their Lordships officially on the previous day on the occasion of laying the foundation stone of the new docks at Haulbowline Island, accompanied their Lordships in the Agincourt. The Indian troop relief screw transport Serapis, Captain J. Soady, left Queenstown at the same time as the Squadron, bound to Alexandria with troops on board for India. The Agincourt and the Enchantress passed through the entrance into Milford Haven this morning about half-past 7, and soon afterwards brought up off the dockyard here. The Minotaur, Northumberland, and Hercules arrived during the afternoon, as had been arranged. On the arrival of the Agincourt in the harbour, their Lordships were joined on board by Rear-Admiral Sir R.S. Robinson, K.C.B., Controller of the Navy, and the afternoon was devoted to an official inspection of the dockyard and other naval establishments, the ships building, and the works in hand in Colonel Clarke's department, in the evening their Lordships gave their official dinner on board the Agincourt to flag officers and captains. The Admiralty ensign was hauled down from the main of the Agincourt, where it had done 39 days' duty, at sunset and transferred to the Enchantress, thus bringing the cruise of the Lords of the Admiralty with the Mediterranean and Channel Fleets for 1869 to an end. The First Lord, with Admiral Robinson, Captain F.B. Seymour, C.B., Private Secretary, and Mr. R. Munday, Admiralty Secretary, leave here to- morrow in the Enchantress for Devonport, where the usual annual inspection will be made of the dockyard there. Sir Sidney Dacres and Commander Willes return to London from here to-morrow. Flag-Lieutenant Hon. E. S. Dawson returns from Pembroke to his duties at Queenstown as Flag-Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral Warden, but will most probably very shortly receive his promotion to Commander's rank. Mr. R. Munday, who has been Acting Secretary to the Admiralty during the cruise, will, on the 23d inst., be appointed Secretary to Admiral Codrington on the appointment of that officer to the Naval Command-in-Chief at Devonport. Rear-Admiral Chads visited the Agincourt to-day, and to-morrow morning will hoist his flag on board as second in command of the Channel Fleet. The ships are ordered to fill up with coal and other requisite stores, and will sail about the 10th inst. on a cruise, possibly to Madeira and back, the present intentions of the Admiralty being understood to be that the Fleet shall be in England at Christmas, and the men paid up their wages at the commencement of the New Year in a home port, so that the money paid may have a better chance of reaching the men's wives and families than it would if paid in a foreign port. The coals burnt during the entire cruise, except one day's consumption by the combined fleet, after leaving Lisbon, and one day's return from the Monarch, will be found in the subjoined returns:— Plymouth to Gibraltar.— Agincourt, 177 tons 12 cwt.; Monarch, 138 tons 5 cwt.; Hercules, 99 tons 16 cwt.; Inconstant, 89 tons 15 cwt.; Minotaur, 188 tons 16 cwt.; Northumberland, 180 tons 6 cwt.; Bellerophon, 123 tons 19 cwt.; total, 993 tons 9 cwt. Gibraltar to Lisbon.— Agincourt, 142 tons 11 cwt.; Monarch, 156 tons; Hercules, 84 tons 13 cwt.; Inconstant, 66 tons; Lord Warden, 115 tons 12 cwt.; Royal Oak, 123 tons 11 cwt.; Caledonia, 130 tons 14 cwt.; Prince Consort, 137 tons 14 cwt.; Minotaur, 167 tons 12 cwt.; Northumberland, 158 tons; Bellerophon, 111 tons 18 cwt.; Pallas, 86 tons 15 cwt.; Enterprise, 40 tons; total, 1,521 tons. Lisbon to Queenstown.— Agincourt, 225 tons 16 cwt.; Minotaur, 248 tons 16 cwt.; Northumberland, 241 tons 4 cwt.; Monarch, 204 tons; Hercules, 113 tons; total, 1,032 tons 16 cwt. Total Coals Burnt.— Plymouth to Gibraltar, 998 tons 9 cwt.; Gibraltar to Lisbon, 1,521 tons; Lisbon to Queenstown, 1,032 tons 16 cwt.; total, 3,552 tons 5 cwt. I cannot close this, my last, letter from the Agincourt without expressing my best thanks to Captain Burgoyne and all his officers, and especially my messmates in the ward-room, for the great kindness and courtesy I have received at their hands during the cruise. On any future occasion of the kind in which I may be engaged I can only hope that I may meet with as thorough a set of gentlemen as it has been my good fortune to have met on the present occasion on board the Agincourt. | ||
| Tu 27 April 1875 | Her Majesty's ship Serapis, one of the fine, large ships specially built for Indian troop service, made a satisfactory trial of her engines and boilers yesterday under the direction of the officers of the Steam Reserve and the engineers of Portsmouth Dockyard. Her engines, which are the simple direct-acting horizontal engines of 700 nominal horse-power, which were manufactured by Messrs. Humphreys, Tennant, and Co. to replace the compound engines with which she was originally provided, have undergone a thorough repair. She has been, however, supplied with entirely new boilers. The old boilers were four in number, with six furnaces to each, and were used to supply steam at 30lb. pressure to the compound engines. The pressure was subsequently reduced to 25lb. for the present engines, and was still further diminished in order to prolong the life of the boilers, which had long been in a sad plight. The new boilers, on the other hand, are eight in number, with three furnaces each, so that it would seem as if there was every probability of the present condensing engines being eventually superseded by vertical compound engines using a high pressure of steam, from which it is expected that great economical results will follow. The Serapis yesterday was driven four hours at full speed, making from 50 to 52 revolutions per minute and reaching a speed of 12 knots by log. The average number of revolutions on the passage to and from Bombay is 38, and the speed attained nine knots per hour. The machinery worked in a highly satisfactory manner. The Serapis will make her regulation runs on the measured mile on Wednesday. | ||
| Th 29 April 1875 | Her Majesty’s troopship Serapis, having had the defects in her machinery disclosed in the preliminary trial of Monday rectified by the factory hands at Portsmouth, proceeded to Stoke's Bay yesterday for the purpose of making the customary runs at the measured mile. Owing, however, to the extensive priming of her boilers, caused, it is supposed, by a mixture of fresh and salt water, no trials of her speed were made, and she returned into harbour. | ||
| Sa 22 May 1875 | Yesterday the Prince of Wales paid a visit to Portsmouth. It had been announced that his Royal Highness would arrive at the Landport terminus at half-past 11, and then proceed to the Government House in the High-street and lunch with the Governor of Portsmouth, General Sir Hastings Doyle. The Royal party, however. which consisted of the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Edward of Saxe-Weimar, and their respective suites, did not arrive from the Victoria Station until an hour later, and instead of proceeding to Government House were conveyed direct to the dockyard by rail, to the great disappointment of the crowds who thronged the line of route originally determined upon. The distinguished party were met at the Dockyard by the two Admirals, the Chief Constructor, and other officials, and conducted through the Discovery and the Alert, Arctic vessels. Having made a cursory inspection of the ships they next walked through the Arctic Exhibition on the Watering Island, after which they were driven to the Government House, where General Doyle had prepared luncheon. ... At the conclusion of the luncheon the Prince and his party were again taken to the Dockyard, where his Royal Highness carefully inspected the iron troopship, the Serapis, which has been selected to convey him to India. The Serapis has just had new boilers and undergone a complete overhaul, but it is expected that considerable alterations will have to be made to adapt her for the voyage. His Royal Highness will occupy the grand saloon, and it is expected that another deckhouse will have to be constructed. The Royal party left at half-past 4 for London. | ||
| Sa 19 June 1875 | The trial of Her Majesty’s ship Serapis on the 8th ult. not having been deemed quite satisfactory as regards indicated horse-power, a fresh full-power six hours’ trial was made at Portsmouth on Wednesday. In the former trial the boilers primed a great deal, and it was subsequently discovered that the piston in one of the cylinders had been injured, On Wednesday, however, all went well, and the results of the trial, as will be seen from the appended data, were highly satisfactory. Her draught was identically the same as before — that is to say, 16ft. 4in. forward, and 20ft 7in. aft. The load on the safety valve was also the same - viz., 33lb. The pressure in the boilers was 32·33, and the mean pressure in cylinders 18·125. The vacuum in condensers was 26 forward and 26 aft. In addition to the usual six hours' run, the Serapis was also put on the measured mile, with and against the tide, and attained a mean speed of 10·850, being about two knots less than in the former trial; but while her indicated horse-power in May was found to be 3,002·91, the power on Wednesday was, 3,894·05, The number of revolutions were — highest mean per minute, 66·70; mean per minute, 65·30; and mean per mile, 362·33. At the previous trial the numbers reached were — highest mean per minute, 56·16; mean per minute, 53·35; and mean per mile, 249·66. The difference is important. The wind blew half a gale from the south-west, which on so huge a mass had a marked effect upon the speed. The deck temperature at the beginning was 40deg.,and in the middle stokehole the highest temperature indicated was 120 deg. | ||
| Ma 21 June 1875 | The Serapis, troopship, was taken into the steam basin at Portsmouth on Saturday to complete her equipment for the voyage of the Prince of Wales to India. It may be remembered that at her trial on the measured mile on Wednesday last it was discovered that, though a material increase in indicated horse-power was developed as compared with her unsatisfactory trial on the 8th uit., there was an actual decrease of speed amounting to about two knots an hour. The phenomenon was at first a puzzle, and it was thought that the falling-off was due to the high wind which prevailed at the time. On sending down a diver to examine her propeller it was found that part of her hawser had got wrapped around the screw, whereby the slip was increased. | ||
| Fr 9 July 1875 | THE VISIT OF THE PRINCE OF WALES TO INDIA. On the Order of the Day for going into Committee of Supply,Mr. DISRAELI rose and said. — Mr. Speaker, in rising to move that you do leave the chair, I will take this opportunity of making the statement which I promised respecting the contemplated visit to India of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. ... I will now tell the House what are the arrangements which we propose to make, and in which the House, of course, will be deeply interested. The duration of the visit of his Royal Highness will be probably six months, and, as far as I can form an opinion, he will leave Europe about the middle of October. About the 17th of October, I think, the Serapis and the Osborne will be at Brindisi. The Serapis will be for the accommodation of his Royal Highness and suite; the Osborne attends the Serapis, first of all in case an accident should occur, which I hope will not be the case; and, secondly, because when they enter the great rivers of India, there would be a difficulty with regard to the draught of water. Besides this, the detached squadron has been ordered, under Admiral Lambert, to rendezvous at Bombay, both in order to strengthen the Indian station and to give that pomp and circumstance which becomes the heir of one who, I hope, is still the Sovereign of the Seas. (Cheers.) Whether the detached squadron will meet the Prince at Bombay or Aden is not yet settled, and I think it is a point which must be left to the decision of his Royal Highness. My right hon. friend the First Lord of the Admiralty will place upon the table an estimate of the expenses of this visit, as far as the Navy is concerned. That estimate for carrying the Prince and his Suite to India and bringing them home in due time will be about £52,000, about four-fifths of which must fall upon the present financial year, and the other fifth upon the one that follows. When his Royal Highness touches the Indian soil he becomes the guest of the Viceroy....… | ||
| Fr 9 July 1875 | The Serapis, iron troopship, is being vigorously prepared at Portsmouth for the accommodation of the Prince of Wales during his forthcoming voyage to India. The temporary alterations are very extensive, and necessitate more or less important readjustments being made on the whole of the three decks. A large deck-house will be erected on the poop, where the present chart-house is placed, or immdiateiy over the staircase leading from the saloon. It will be fitted and furnished in a luxurious manner, and will answer in every respect, though somewhat smaller in dimensions, the purposes of the deck-houses on board the Royal yachts. In the saloon on the upper deck seven cabins have been removed on the starboard side, and the whole of the ladies' cabins and those used by the commanding officers of troops hare been removed on the port side. The remaining portion of the cabin accommodation is being fitted for the reception of his Royal Highness, whereby he will be supplied with sleeping, bath, and dressing rooms on each side of the ship, one suite being set apart for the outward and the other for the homeward voyage, so that only the shady or cool side of the ship need be used each passage. The body of the grand saloon itself will be divided into three portions, each being separated by massive curtains. The aftermost part will be used as a reception-room, the old hatch-way and its coamings having been removed and boarded over, and a new staircase formed 15ft. forward, in order that the requisite space may be secured; the intermediate compartment will be used as a drawing-room, and the fore compartment will be converted into a State dining-room, and will be fitted to accommodate 62 guests. Tha whole of the rooms will be splendidly decorated, and will be furnished with couches, chairs, &c., en suite. On the main deck, the midship cabins in the saloon have been removed so as to form a broad and clear passage to the new temporary staircase, already mentioned, leading to the upper saloon. The after entry port on this deck will be arranged to receive visitors, who, on entering, will proceed through the main saloon and so on to the reception-room on the upper deck. The remaining cabins on each side will be appropriated to the guests of the Prince, and additional cabins will be constructed on the starboard side to accommodate the number expected. It was at first intended that the captain should use the suite of rooms on the upper deck not required by his Royal Highness, but this arrangement has been altered, and the captain will go forward with his officers, for whose accommodation a ward-room and cabins are being built in the fore part of the main deck. There will be little alteration in the lower deck. The cabins will be appropriated to the use of the servants of the Prince and his guests, and the fore part of the ship formerly devoted to the messing of troops will be occupied by the additional crew which will be required. The ship has already undergone a complete overhaul, has been supplied with new boilers, and made a very successful trial trip on the mile a short time ago. Outside, the Serapis will be encompassed by a broad moulding composed of two rounds and a hollow, the former being painted red and the latter yellow. With this exception her outward appearance will be unchanged. She will be provided with a State barge and a new steam pinnace for the purposes of the Royal excursion. The whole of the alterations mentioned above are temporary only, and on the return of the ship she will, for troop service, be refitted exactly as she was before. The Serapis will be accompanied by the Royal yacht Osborne, which, on her return from St. Petersburg with the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, will be painted white, after the manner of the Indian troopships. It is now generally understood that the Serapis will be commissioned by the Hon. Carr Glyn, late Flag Captain at Portsmouth to Admiral Sir Rodney Mundy. | ||
| Tu 20 July 1875 | On Thursday next the Serapis, 3, Indian troopship, which is being rapidly transformed for the reception of the Prince of Wales, will be commissioned by Capt. the Hon. Carr Glyn, C.B., with, it is understood, a complement of 406 officers and men, all told. Thia is greatly in excess of the ordinary ship's company, and extra accommodation will have to be provided for the additional hands, the more especially as the new cabins for the officers and guests have disarranged the customary arrangements forwards. His Royal Highness will embark at Brindisi about the middle of October and procced through the Suez Canal. It is thought probable that in order to avoid the extreme heat of the Red Sea the Prince will return by way of the Cape. | ||
| Tu 27 July 1875 | The Serapis, troopship, which was commissioned on Thursday by Captain the Hon. Henry Carr Glyn, will receive her crew to-day. | ||
| Fr 30 July 1875 | Captain Charles J. Cruttenden, Deputy Inspector of Transports, Dr. Freer, and Colonel Ellis, one of the Equerries of the Prince of Wales, paid a visit to the Serapis, troopship, at Portsmouth, on Tuesday. The grand saloon of the vessel will be fitted with six punkahs, worked by punkah-wallahs supplied by the Peninsular and Oriental Company, as it has been found from experience that ventilating fans, worked by the uniform action of steam power, are less effective than when put in action by manual labour. The punkah arrangements were inspected by the visitors, and formed the principal object of their visit, although it is understood that they were of opinion that the accommodation in the dining saloon is insufficient for the purpose of the voyage. At present the main tables will accommodate 12 or 24 persons, while on extraordinary occasions as many as 60 guests can be seated by means of an auxiliary table of semi-circular form. Messrs. Garrard, of London, have contracted to supply the plate. Various arrangements have been made in the way of double awnings and light-coloured floor-cloths to mitigate the fierce heat of a tropical sun, and an outer casing will be put round the funnel to secure additional coolness. The painting and embellishment of the fore part of the ship have been left to the discretion of the captain, the Hon. Carr Glyn, but the furnishing and decoration of the other parts will be submitted to the judgment of his Royal Highness. The Prince’s retinue, including servants —15 of whom have been entered by the Admiralty — will number about 50. There will also be a select band of musicians on board picked from that of the Royal Marine Artillery. The Serapis is expected to sail from Portsmouth on the 6th of October, embarking the Royal party at Brindisi. | ||
| Ma 16 August 1875 | The Prince's Visit to India.—The Serapis (3), marked as being for "Particular Service," was inspected yesterday by the Prince of Wales, attended by Colonel A. Ellis. His Royal Highness went minutely over the vessel and made a very close examination of the fittings and alterations, and it is understood that he was pleased to express his satisfaction with her progress, though we hear it will need incessant work to have her ready by the time fixed for her departure for Venice, which is understood to be September 25. Her officers, to whom some additions will be made, we believe, are Captain the Hon. H.C. Glyn C.B., Commander F.G.D. Bedford, Staff Commander W.B. Goldsmith; Lieutenants E.G. Hulton, J.L. Hammet, H.K. Gregson, J.R. Prickett, H.T. Smith-Dorrien; Sub-lieutenants the Hon. P. Hely-Hutchinson, his Serene Highness Prince Louis of Battenberg; Chief Engineer J.G. Shearman, Fleet Surgeon A. Watson, M.D., Surgeon H.C. Woods, M.D., Paymaster T. Bradbridge (born in Asia), Major Snow, R.MA., Lieutenant A.S. Burrowes, R.M.A., and Mr. Donaldson, Assistant-Paymaster. | ||
| Th 19 August 1875 | The Serapis having had her distinctive green streak of paint removed, workmen are now busily engaged in preparing tht base for the gilding which will go completely round the ship. This will consist of a broad "round" and mouldings on each side, with two blue ribands running along the top and bottom. His Royal Highness during the inspection last week suggested various alterations, more particularly in the furnishings of the grand saloon, and it will be at the least another rnonth before the Serapis will be ready. The Osborne, Royal Yacht, which will accumpany th Serapis, will this morning be taken into the dock which has just been vacated by the Volage, in order to have all defects made good and be repainted and embellished for the coming voyage. | ||
| Ma 30 August 1875 | The band of the Portsmouth Division Royal Marine Light Infantry, consisting of the bandmaster, three sergeants, two corporals, and 25 musicians, has been ordered to embark on board the Serapis to accompany the Prince of Wales to India. | ||
| Ma 6 September 1875 | The Serapis, troopship, which is ordered to be ready for sailing on the 22d inst., is being rapidly transformed at Portsmouth. She will call at Malta on the way out, and will receive the Prince of Wales at Venice on the 16th of October, the departure taking place the same day. Part of the Mediterranean squadron will escort the Prince to Athens, the first port of call, where a visit will be paid to King George of Greece. The voyage will be continued direct to Cairo, and the stay at Suez and Aden will be of the briefest character. As already announced, the Flying Squadron, under the command of Admiral Rowley Lambert, C.B.. and consisting of the Narcissus (flagship), Commander Alfred Jephson; Doris, Capt. Hon. E.R. Fremantle, C.B.; Immortalité, Capt. Francis A. Hume; Newcastle, Capt. R.G. Douglas; Raleigh, Capt. George Tryon, C.B.; and Topaze, Capt. Thrupp, will meet the Serapis at Aden and act as convoy thence to Bombay, which the Prince of Wales is expected to reach on the 9th of November, the anniversary of his birthday. | ||
| Th 9 September 1875 | The Osborne, Royal paddle yacht, now in dock at Portsmouth, has a large number of workmen employed in painting, gilding, and otherwise decorating her for the approaching Indian tour of the Prince of Wales. Like the Serapis, she is painted white, with gold ornaments; but the beauty of her appearance will be decidedly enhanced by the scarlet of her paddle-wheels and the dark blue of her boats. The Serapis is undoubtedly a magnificent floating palace, but her exterior suffers to a certain extent, from an aesthetic point of view, through the exceeding simplicity of her gilt moulding and the light colour of the gold employed thereon. It is expected that both ships will have all their available accommodation taken up by the necessary suite and the probable guests of the Prince. The 25th inst. is definitely fixed as the day on which the ships are to leave Portsmouth for Venice. His Royal Highness will embark there on board the Osborne, and it is not yet decided whether he goes from her to the Serapis as soon as the depth of water allows of the approach of the latter ship, or whether he will proceed in the Osborne to Corfu, where he is to meet the King of Greece, instead of at Athens, as previously arranged. The Osborne can be got ready for sea on the date above-named without any difficulty, as the only works of importance now being carried on are the improvement of her ventilation and the fitting of a distilling apparatus for fresh water, both of which will be finished in a few days. It is curious to note, by-the-by, that, in spite of the introduction into our Navy of the complicated inventions of Grant and Normanby, the Osborne is being fitted with a plain flat tube, extending for about 40ft. along her keelson, which is the original crude idea of a fresh-water manufacturing apparatus, first applied to men-of-war some five and twenty years ago. The reason is that condensers inside a ship make it hot, and condensers outside do not. Stores of Nixon’s Navigation coal, the only really smokeless kind, have been despatched to the various places which the two vessels are to call at. The Osborne, although tolerably capacious below, was not designed for continuous ocean service, so the Serapis is to carry supplies of various descriptions, including fireworks, for her. . | ||
| Tu 21 September 1875 | HER MAJESTY'S SHIP SERAPIS. Her Majesty’s troopship Serapis, which, under the command of Captain the Hon. Carr Glyn, A.D.C., is appointed to convey the Prince of Wales and suite to India, is attracting almost as much attention at Portsmouth at the present time as the Arctic ships did a few weeks before their departure. Visitors, however, are sternly refused admission; and, in fact, as a great amount of painting and other decorative work remains to be completed, promiscuous crowds of visitors would only tend to embarrass the workmen, and worry Mr. [William Braham] Robinson and Mr. Elliot, the chief constructor and the constructor of the yard, and Mr. Nash, the foreman in charge, all of whom will have sufficient to do to perfect the transformation within the limited time now at their disposal. According to present arrangements, the Serapis is expected to be out of the shipwright's hands by to-morrow; she will leave the harbour for Spithead on Thursday, make a final trial of her machinery on Friday, and probably sail for Venice on Saturday. All experience of Royal Dockyards has proved that the stage of completion can never be reached as long as a ship remains to be operated upon. Something will always be found to do in the way of additions, improvements, alterations. Should, therefore, any final touches be required at the end of the week, it is probable that a company of artificers will be despatched to make them en route, returning from Malta as they best can. It may be stated for the benefit of those who are compelled to remain outside, and to satisfy their curiosity from afar, that, as regards the arrangements within, the expectation is much greater than the realization, and that were they permitted to cross the entrance gangway, and enter the sacred precincts of the grand saloon, their first impression would probably be one of profound disappointment. It is usual to associate the idea of great magnificence with the presence of Royalty. But while the furnishing of the Royal apartments on board the Serapis is costly and satisfactory, and the colouring light and handsome, we doubt not that the Indian princes, who are accustomed to combine power with extreme gorgeousness, will wonder at the simplicity of the arrangements.The ship itself is more worthy of notice. That is really a very striking object, the more especially as it has now got the whole of its holyday paint and embellishments on. With the exception of the gilding, it presents to the eye a long and unbroken expanse of white, a colour which insures the maximum of coolness on board during a voyage in tropical temperatures. The bows are ornamented with the usual crest and motto, "Heaven's Light our Guide," and some elaborate gilt scroll work. The decorations of the stern, including the shield and the riband, bearing the words "India, Persia, China, Scinde, Burmah, Punjaub," are also exclusively worked in gilt. The ordinary distinctive green band has been obliterated, and replaced by a gilt moulding 10in. deep and 5½in. thick, which runs along the whole length of the vessel at both sides. The moulding consists of a broad "round" and two coves, and is enclosed within two blue ribands. The entrance port is on the port side, on entering which the visitor finds himself upon the main deck, where several important structural alterations have been made. The midship cabins have been entirely removed in order that a broad and clear passage might be formed to the new temporary staircase which communicates between this deck and the grand suite of apartments above, in which the old hatchway with its coamings bas been boarded over to secure additional space. For the accommodation of the Prince's suite 20 cabins have been erected on each side of the main deck abaft the mainmast; and forward, cabins have been constructed along the whole of the remaining space on the starboard side, for the junior officers of the ship, the bandmaster, stud groom, &c. The captain and senior officers are also berthed on this deck, in the cabins originally forming the women's quarters during the trooping season, and a ward-room has been specially fitted up for their use. The whole of the cabins on the main deck have been furnished with polished mahogany furniture of the ordinary service pattern, the stern settee being covered with green leather. The deck on the port side from the engine hatch to the side of the hatches extending to the thwartship bulkhead, which forms the boundary of the saloon, and the whole of the flat of the main-deck apartment, are covered with linoleum. The predominating colour of the cabins is a French gray, and they are fitted with an electric bell service communicating with a central gong. Having entered through the after-port, the Prince's guests will ascend by the grand staircase already mentioned to the grand saloon on the upper deck, which is reserved for the exclusive use of the Prince. The saloon is divided by heavy bronze-yellow curtains of Indian pattern into three compartments — the reception-room, the drawing-room, and the dining-room. All can, however, be thrown into one handsome and spacious room on State occasions. The whole of the upholstery and the principal part of the furniture and fittings of the Royal apartments have been supplied by Messrs. Jackson and Graham, of Oxford-street. If we were inclined to be critical, we might object that the carpet, which is of the finest Brussels, is of much too small a pattern for the splendid dimensions of the saloon, the result being that the colours and design, except when narrowly examined, become blurred and obscure. The furniture, too, which is of unpolished English oak, or rather wax polished oak, and of Tudor design, with quaint brass mountings, does not harmonize perfectly with the bright and essentially modern painting and decorations. These latter are light and attractive. The whole of the woodwork is painted a pure white, the panels and stiles being picked out with gold fillets, while the cornices and pilasters which relieve the walls of the dining-room at equal distances are of a delicate blue. The stern windows and ports are fitted with sage-green silk patent spring blinds and white lace curtains, the vallances being also green mixed with white silk strands and having hangers to match. The sides of the drawing and reception rooms are hung at intervals with mirrors set in oaken frames, embellished with gold rope beading. We need not, however, present our readers with an inventory of the whole of the furniture. All that it is necessary to say is that the tops of the writing desks and tables and the covers of the settees and couches are of brown morocco leather, and that the whole are stamped with a gold composite badge, consisting of the collar and pendant of the Star of India encircling the riband and motto of the Garter, surmounted by the Imperial crown and flanked by the Prince's initials A.E. The fixtures and the heavier part of the furniture have been made by the dockyard cabinetmakers, and are of superior workmanship; but it may be pointed out as a slight incongruity that while the whole of the articles supplied by the contractors are of unpolished oak, having been designed after the style of a period when French polish was unknown, the furniture manufactured in the Portsmouth yard itself is highly polished and of a purely modern style. It consists of a seat, 50 feet round, with carved scrolls, and which fits into the bend of the stern; a circular ottoman, which has been dropped over the rudder post to conceal it; a handsome buffet; several swing tables, and two magnificent dining tables. The smaller of the two, which is of oval form, and provided with massive reeded legs, is 24ft. long by 6ft. 6in. wide, and is capable of accommodating 24 persons; the larger is horseshoe-shaped and can seat 60 guests. It is intended to supersede the smaller one upon State receptions. The saloon is also furnished with a noble grand pianoforte, manufactured by Broadwood, the value of which is £170. Among the most attractive objects in the reception-room are a clock and a set of vases to match, which are fixed upon a handsome polished table abaft the mizenmast and between the two ventilators. They are designed and supplied by Mr. Emanuel, of the Hard, Portsea. The plinths, which are pyramidal in shape, are formed of rouge antique marble, ornamented with oxidized silver and parcel gilt workmanship. The hour face is in the centre, and on either side is the two-fold lozenge, with crest, pendant, and initials, the same as has already been described. This design has been engraved on the hard face of the marble itself and gilded. On the top of the entablature is a broad base of gold on which is a beautifully moulded female figure of oxidized silver, relieved by gilt earrings and hair fillet, by the sculptor Moreau. The bowls of the vases are also formed of rouge marble, the handles being composed of grotesque winged figures in oxidized silver. The clock has a lever escapement, so that it may not be deranged by the motion of the vessel, and the time is struck upon a finely-toned gong. The same maker also supplies a number of ship’s clocks and instruments, all hearing the distinctive badge of the Star or India in combination with the Garter. The temperature of the saloon is kept at a refreshing coolness by means of a double set of punkahs, which will be worked by six Chinese punkah-wallahs, the services of whom have been borrowed from the Peninsular and Oriental Company. Electrical bells communicate with a gong in the lobby, and have flap indicators to show whence the gong has been struck; and the whole of the apartments are illuminated with three-light candelabra, and by six four-candled Grecian lamps, which are suspended from the roof amidships, and are furnished with patent receivers for catching and reconsuming the wax. The candles were all lighted for the first time on Saturday night. The effect was very brilliant, but additional lights are ordered. The Prince's private apartments are situated on the right and left of the fore part of the grand saloon, and have necessitated the removal of the whole of the usual cabin accommodation. They consist of two independent suites of rooms, and comprise a bedroom, a bath-room, and a boudoir or retiring room. Each suite is exactly of the same character, and is furnished exactly alike, the only difference being that the bedroom on the port side is slightly curtailed in length in order to afford space for the construction of a wine cellarette. The furniture is of the same style, material, and workmanship as that of the saloon. The carpet is also the same, but, inasmuch as the size of the rooms is considerably smaller, it is seen to better advantage. The must conspicuous object in the boudoir is a Gothic chiffoniere, the door panels of which are formed of dark oak with ebony borders, and curiously carved with floral designs, the flowers being formed of gold and silver gilt. The panels of the back are also formed of dark oak, the lower ones, however, consisting of thick bevelled glass plates. The bed is of brass, the body being suspended by pivots working in upright standards, so as to secure cradle action at sea. The bathroom is supplied with cold, hot, and salt water services, the tank itself being capable of containing 12cwt. of water. In the outward voyage the Prince will occupy the suite on the port side, the suite on the starboard side being reserved for the return passage, so that by changing quarters the Prince will always be on the cool side of the ship. Leaving the Royal apartments and ascending by the ladder to the poop, one finds that the chart-house has been removed bodily, and that upon its site a handsome deck-house has been erected. It is 25 feet long and 17 feet wide, and has been specially designed to secure the comfort and convenience of the Prince and his suite under the fierce heat of a tropical sun. It is provided with a double open roof for ventilating purposes, and the windows are of so unusual a size that a balance of 60lb. is required to counteract their weight. The panels are white, with gray stiles picked out with gold, and the interior is furnished with a fixed settee and smoking divan. They are of polished oak, and were made by the dockyard joiners. As a further protection against the effects of the sun, the deck is covered with canvas from the break of the poop aft, the same as on board the Royal yachts. Eleven cabins have been provided in the lower saloon and steerage for the Prince's servants and those of his suite, while the crew will be located in the lower troop deck and under the forecastle. Mr. Ward Hunt, the First Lord of the Admiralty, accompanied by Admiral Mends, Admiral Elliot, Mr. W.B. Robinson, the Chief Constructor, and other officers, made an inspection of the ship on Friday afternoon, and it is expected that the Prince of Wales will make a final survey before leaving England. The Serapis is fitted with two ice rooms, containing together 20 tons of ice, or about double the quantity usually supplied to Indian troopships. Six carriage horses will be embarked for the use of the Prince, and during the passage milk will be supplied by a couple of cows. It may also be mentioned in connexion with this that among the numerous presents which the Serapis will take out is one for the King of Greece, consisting of two Orkney heifers, 14 sheep, and three pigs, for which special screens have been erected on board. The crest which has been approved by the Prince and Princess, and which has been cut by Messrs. Griffin, of the Hard, consists of the old ship's crest, the only difference being that in place of the sacred cow we have the Prince's feathers. The Messrs. Griffin have also on show at the present time a watercolour painting by Mitchell of the Serapis in full sail, attended by the Osborne, which it is the intention of the officers to present to the Princess of Wales as a souvenir. | ||
| Th 23 September 1875 | Her Majesty's ship Serapis was formally turned over on Tuesday to her officers and crew, and, yesterday being the last day of her stay in the Dockyard at Portsmouth, visitors were generously allowed the run of the ship, the Royal apartments and the grand saloon excepted. It need scarcely be said that thousands availed themselves of the opportunity thus afforded them. On Tuesday 32 tons of ice were stored on board the Serapis, and in the evening the baggage of his Royal Highness and suite, plate, presents, &c., arrived by special train at the steam basin, in charge of Mr. lsaacson, and were embarked. Yesterday the Prince's stud were stalled, and also the cattle and other live stock, which have either to minister to the comforts of the voyage or to be disposed of as gifts. Most of the boats were also taken on board yesterday. These consist of a State barge 34ft. long, a State galley 32ft. long, a steam pinnace and a steam barge each 30ft. long, two troop boats 38ft. long, one lifeboat 28ft long, three cutters 30ft. long, one cutter 24ft., two gigs of 20ft, one dingy 14ft,, and one punt 14ft. The lifeboat and one of the cutters are fitted with Messrs. Hill and Clarke’s patent boat-detaching hooks. The State barge, which, as has already been stated, is 34ft. long, presents a highly attractive appearance, and will be rowed by 14 men. The bows and quarter are ornamented with gold scrolls, while on each side the "rubber," which is painted a garter blue, two broad bands of gold, enclosed within blue ribands, run the whole length of the barge. The backboard is formed of beautifully polished mahogany, carved with the Prince of Wales’s feathers set in an oval cable framework. The tiller is made of electro-plated metal with ivory handle. The panels are embellished with waved gilt beading, and a pretty gold wreathing, composed of rose, thistle, and shamrock in combination, on a blue ground, goes round the entire barge. The awning draperies are of silk damask, the movable canopy underneath being made of the same costly material. The awning, which is supported by brass stanchions, is formed of two lengths to allow of its being tilted so that his Royal Highness may enter or leave the barge without stooping. The barge is grated throughout its length, and a brass flagstaff has been placed at the bows, to which a Royal Standard will be attached 3ft 8in. deep. The whole of the gilding, carving, and painting, including the prettily-designed badge on the bows, has been executed by the dockyard artificers. The State cutter is similarly decorated, with the exception that the awning is of one length only. The ship's boats, which, with the State barge and cutter, are white, have each a gold band enclosed in blue ribands. Just as everything had been satisfactorily disposed of the Dockyard authorities yesterday received an order to prepare accommodation on board, for 20 Horse Guardsmen and their horses, as it has been thought desirable that the Prince should have a body guard composed of the Household troops. There is still cabin space available on board after all requirements have been met, but the disposal of 20 cavalry horses would not only seriously derange the whole of the plans at the last moment, but, as a matter of course, would materially increase the cost of reconstruction, which has already transcended the specified limits. We believe the matter is still in abeyance, but it is thought probable that the troopers and their horses will be forwarded in the Euphrates, which sails on Friday for Queenstown, where she will embark the 34th Regiment for Bombay. The Serapis will go out to Spithead to-day for the adjustment of her compasses, after having been visited by the Duke of Cambridge. To-morrow she will in all probability be visited by the Prince of Wales, and will afterwards make a six hours' trial of her engines, in charge of her new officers, and will take her departure on Saturday. | ||
| Fr 24 September 1875 | Sailing orders have been sent to the Serapis, Captain the Hon. Carr Glyn, to proceed to Malta, and thence to Brindisi, to meet and embark his Royal Highness. Captain Glyn will regulate his further movements in accordance with the instructiuns given him by the Prlnce. The Osborne, paddle-wheel Royal yacht,will leave Portsmouth on the 27th inst., and will proceed to Malta, where she will join the Serapis, and follow Captain Glyn's instructions as to her future proceedings. After being inspected yesterday by Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, Rear-Admiral Hornby, and Capt. Lord Gilford, the Serapis sailed out of harbour to Spithead for the adjustment of her compasses. She will sail for Venice tomorrow, and will be followed on Monday by the Osborne. | ||
| Sa 25 September 1875 | The Serapis, Captain the Hon. Carr Glyn, got under way at Spithead yesterday moming to complete her circles for the proving of her compasses, and to make a full boiler six hours’ trial of her machinery for the satisfaction of her officers before sailing. During her official trial on the measured mile under the officers of the Steam Reserve, the steam power developed exceeded the horse power contracted for in the proporties of 4,016 to 3,945. The pressure in the cylinders was 21·125, the mean number of revolutions per minute 57·77, and the speed attained 13·888 knots. The Serapis, which received her last consignment from the Dockyard on board yesterday — 16 handsome cushions manufactured in the yard — will sail from Spithead to-day for Malta; and the Osborne, Royal paddle yacht, will leave Portsmouth at half-past 5 on Monday for Gibraltar, and thence for Brindisi, where she will embark the Prince of Wales, his Royal Highness travelling from Venice to that port by railway. The Osborne will take out a few personal friends of the Prince of Wales who are not on the Staff or in any official way connected with the Royal excursion. The following is understood to be the route which the Prince will pursue on landing in India:— Leave Aden for Bombay,Nov. 2; visit Bombay, Nov. 8; visit Beypoor, Nov. 23; Bangalore, Dec. 2; Madras, Dec. 6; Tuticorin, Dec. 8; Colombo, Dec. 11; Trincomalee, Dec. 17: Calcutta, Dec. 23; Barrackur, Jan. 4; Benares, Jan. 4; Lucknow, Jan. 6; Cawnpore, Jan. 10;Delhi, Jan. 11; Unritsur, Jan. 20; Lahore, Jan. 21; Jamoo, Jan. 24; Lahore, Jan. 27; Suharunpore, Jan. 28; Paneeput, Jan. 28; Agra, Jan. 29; Gwalior, Feb. 3; Agra, Feb. 5; Ajmere, Feb. 7; Jeypore, Feb. 11; Bareilly, Feb. 13; Lucknow, Feb. 29; Allahabad, Feb. 29; Jubbulpore, March 2; Kundwah, March 7; Indore, March 9; Kundwah, MLarch 11; Ellora, March 12; Dowlatabad March 14; Bombay, March 15; Poona, March 19; and Sattara, March 19. | ||
| Ma 27 September 1875 | In consequence of some indiscretion in the use of unsuitable water, the boilers of the Serapis were found to prime considerably during the trials on Friday that she did not sail from Spithead until yesterday morning. Before taking her departure some music stands and additional stores were conveyed on board by the Camel. | ||
| Tu 28 September 1875 | The Serapis, 3, iron screw, Captain the Hon. H.C. Glyn A.D.C., arrived in Plymouth Sound early yesterday morning from Portsmouth. and left at 11 40 a.m. for Malta. where she will take in a supply of coals. She will then proceed to Brindisi, where the Prince of Wales and his suite will embark. The steam trials on her passage down Channel were not considered satisfactory, the boilers still priming; but this state of things, it is thought, will improve after the vessel has been some time under steam. The Osborne, Royal yacht, Commander Francis Durrant sailed from Portsmouth yesterday afternoon for Gibraltar. After calling at Malta she will proceed to Brindisi to embark the Prince of Wales. | ||
| Sa 9 October 1875 | THE PRINCE OF WALES'S JOURNEY. This evening a portion of the suite of the Prince, including Sir Bartle Frere, Canon Duckworth, and several other gentlemen, will leave town in advance for Brindisi. The members of the suite in question will drive to the Charing-cross Station of the South-Eastern Railway, and will quit the metropolis in a couple of saloon carriages attached to the 8 45 p.m. Continental mail train. They arrive at Dover at 10 40 p.m., and will immediately embark, probably on a special steamer for Calais, whence they proceed direct through France to Brindisi, where they will await the arrival of the Prince of Wales. The Prince and Princess of Wales, attended by General Knollys and suite, will leave Marlborough-house about 20 minutes to 8 o'clock on Monday and drive to the Charing-cross terminus of the South-Eastern Railway, alighting within the station, where they will be received by Sir Edward Watkin, M.P., the Chairman of the Company, several of the directors, and Mr. John Shaw, the manager and secretary, and conducted to the middle platform where the special Royal train will be placed in readiness. The general public will not be admitted, it is understood, to the platform, in order that the Prince and Princess may not be inconvenienced. The special train intended for the conveyance of the Prince to Dover will consist of a powerful engine, driven by Mr. Watkin, the locomotive superintendent, three saloons (including the new State saloon), two first-class carriages, and two vans. Mr. John Shaw, the manager and secretary, will take charge of the train and will accompany it to Dover. The Prince will leave Charing-cross at 8 o'clock, and will travel in the special train by the short route via Sevenoaks to Dover, where his arrival may be expected shortly after 10 o'clock. The train, it is understood, will run on to the Admiralty Pier, when the Prince and suite will embark on board the twin ship Castalia and cross the Channel to Calais. Landing here, the Prince will proceed by the Northern Railway, viâ Amiens, to Pans, arriving in the French capita! early on Tuesday morning, and driving at once to the Hotel Bristol, where a suite of apartments has been already prepared for him. The Prince of Wales will stay in Paris till the next day, and in the evening, at 20 minutes to 9 o'clock, will recommence his journey, travelling over the Southern Railway by way of Maçon to Turin, which will be reached about 20 minutes to 7 o’clock on Thursday evening, the 14th inst. From Turin he goes to Brindisi, where those of his suite who leave London to-night will join him. At Brindisi the Prince will embark on board the Serapis on the 16th inst., with the whole of his suite, which will then comprise the Duke of Sutherland, Lord Alfred Paget, Lord Aylesford, Lord Carington, Sir Bartle Frere, Lord Suffield, Major-General Probyn, Lord C. Beresford, Colonel A. Ellis, Mr. F. Knollys, Canon Duckworth, Mr. Albert Grey, Captain Williams, Dr. Fayrer and Dr. Russell. Upon leaving Brindisi the Prince. will proceed to Athens, arriving there on the 18th of October. In the Capital the Prince will be the guest of the King and Queen of Greece. Remaining at Athens till the 20th of October the Prince will cross the Mediterranean to Port Said, and enter the Suez Canal. It is expected that the Prince will reach Cairo about the 24th of October. Aden will be the next stage, and thence the Prince will proceed to Bombay. The Prince himself may be expected to return to England about the close of March. | ||
| Sa 9 October 1875 | Malta, Oct. 8. Vice-Admiral Drummond and his family arrived here to-day from Naples in the flagship Hercules, accompanied by the Swiftsure, Rapid, and Helicon. The Serapis arrived here yesterday from Plymouth, having experienced bad weather. She will leave for Brindisi on the 12th inst. | ||
| Tu 12 October 1875 | The Royal paddle yacht Osborne, Commander Durrant, arrived at Gibraltar on the afternoon of Sunday, the 3d inst, alter a most favourable passage in beautiful weather, although in the Channel it was so stormy that she put into Plymouth for 24 hours for shelter. She was to fill up with coal, and proceed as soon as possible on the 4th to Malta to join the Serapis. Both ships are expected to leave Malta for Brindisi on the 13th. | ||
| Tu 12 October 1875 | The performances of the Serapis between Portsmouth and Plymouth in the first instance, and then between Plymouth and Malta, have been so disappointing that Mr. John Oliver, the Chief Inspector of Machinery Afloat at Portsmouth, was summoned on board the Admiralty yacht Enchantress on Saturday, and ordered to start at once by overland route to pick the Serapis up at Brindisi, in order to overhaul her machinery. The boilers have been found to prime to an extraordinary degree. It was not until the second or third trial that the infirmity was sufficiently overcome to enable her to make her runs on the measured mile in Stokes Bay, where, however, she exhibited capita! steaming powers, having attained the extreme speed of close upon 14 knots an hour. But when Captain Carr Glyn, a couple of days before sailing from Spithead, got under way for a precautionary six hours' trial of the machinery, the boilers found to prime as much as ever. It was thought that as the Serapis was somewhat deeply immersed in the steam basin at Portsmouth, a quantity of mud had been carried into the boilers with the water on being filled. This was probably the cause of the priming in the first instance, but when the priming continued al! the time during the run to Plymouth it began to be suspected that the action was due to some defect in the construction of the boilers themselves. The Chief Engineer at Portsmouth, Mr. W.H. Steil, and his second assistant, Mr. A.J. Dursten, accompanied the Serapis to Plymouth, and it was hoped that when they left her the causes of the priming had been removed. On her passage to Malta, however, it is understood that the utmost speed which could be got out of the Serapis was seven knots, and from the sudden departure of Mr Oliver for Brindisi it is believed that the boilers have again become refractory. The boilers of the Crocodile, a sister ship, have also primed greatly on her trial trip, and it is evident that the defect of the cylindrical boilers with which both ships have been supplied is a want of steam space. Mr. Oliver will proceed with the Serapis from Brindisi to Port Said, it being left to his own discretion whether it will be necessary for him to go further. | ||
| Fr 15 October 1875 | MALTA, Oct. 13. Her Majesty’s ships Invincible and Pallas left here on Monday for Brindisi. Vice-Admiral Drummond, the Commander of the Mediterranean squadron, sailed yesterday in the Hercules for the Piraeus, accompanied by the Swiftsure, in order to form an escort of honour to his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. The Serapis proceeded to Brindisi to-day, the Royal yacht Osborne following.BRINDISI, Oct. 14. The Italian ironclad ships Maria Pia and Castelfidardo, who will escort the Serapis on the embarkation of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, arrived here this morning. Two British war vessels are in sight. | ||
| Fr 15 October 1875 | A telegram was received at the Admiralty yesterday morning, stating that Rear-Admiral Inglefield, the Admiral Superintendent, had gone 20 miles from Malta in the Serapis, and that the troopship had steamed at the rate of 12 knots without showing any signs of priming. Mr. John Oliver, Chief Inspector of Machinery Afloat at Portsmouth, who left England. on Saturday last to examine the boiler of the Serapis, arrived at Brindisi on Tuesday evening. | ||
| Sa 16 October 1875 | The people of Aden, it is said, are making preparations tor the reception of the Prince; but, inhabiting as they do one of the most uninviting spots on the face of the earth, it is hardly likely that they will be honoured with a lengthened visit. The few hours which the Serapis will require for coaling will probably be quite long enough to satisfy any curiosity the Prince may feel regarding that barren and burnt-up rock. | ||
| Ma 18 October 1875 | BRINDISI, Oct. 16. The Prince of Wales arrived here by special train at half-past 9 o’clock this morning, attended by Sir Augustus Paget, the British Minister to Italy. The Duke of Sutherland, Lord Aylesford, Lord Suffield, Lord Charles Beresford, Colonel Ellis, and Mr. Knollys were in waiting to meet the Prince. A guard of honour was drawn up at the railway terminus on the quay, where Admiral di San Bon, the Italian Minister of Marine, Count Maffei, and the Provincial and Military authorities received the Prince, amid cheers from the people assembled and salutes from the British and Italian ironclads in the harbour.The Royal launch was in readiness, and conveyed the Prince and his suite to the Serapis, where breakfast was served immediately. The Minister of Marine sat on the right and Count Maffei on the left of his Royal Highness at table. After a showery morning the weather has become quite fine, and the Serapis, which now has the Italian flag at her fore, will start as soon as she can be got under way. The Prince is in excellent health and spirits. The Serapis, with his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales on board, is just steaming out of the harbour. Her Majesty’s ships Pallas and Invincible salute her as she passes, and the Italian ironclads act as escort. The weather is splendid, and the Serapis is expected to reach Athens on Monday morning. | ||
| Tu 2 November 1875 | ADEN, Nov. 1, 11 40 P.M. The Serapis, with His Royal Highness on board, sailed hence at 10 o’clock to-night. | ||
| Fr 5 November 1875 | Our Malta Correspondent writes under date October 26:— "Her Majesty’s training ship Cruiser, 4, Commander John Hext, was at Naples on the 22d inst. Mr. George H. Beaton, chief engineer of Her Majesty's dockyard at Malta, returned from Brindisi to-day by the Italian packet. Mr. Beaton was ordered by telegram from the Admiralty to proceed to Brindisi in the Serapis from Malta, the boilers and engines of which ship were fitted here with several improvements by Mr. Beaton, to prevent the violent priming which hindered her attaining proper speed. These fittings proved most successful, and the Serapis, on her passage from this to Brindisi, worked up to a speed of 13·4 knots, and averaged 12·2 knots all the way, without the slightest sign of priming. Her Majesty's Indian troopship Malabar, Capt. Edward Kelly, arrived at Malta from Portsmouth and Queenstown with troops on the 22d inst, and proceeded on her voyage to Bombay, viâ the Suez Canal, on the next day. Her Majesty's iron ship Hercules, l6, Capt. William Codrington (bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir James R. Drummond, K.C.B.), and the iron ship Swiftsure, 14, Capt. John K.E. Baird, are expected here from the Piraeus on the 2d proximo, after calling at Zante and Corfu. At the latter port they will find the armour-plated turret-ship Devastation, Capt. Frederick W. Richards, which ship will return with the Commander-in-Chief to Malta. | ||
| Ma 8 November 1875 | (By Indo-European Telegraph, viâ Theran.) BOMBAY, Sunday, Nov. 7. 3 45 P.M. ... A considerable military and naval force is to be assembled in Bombay to take part in the reception of the Prince. Two squadrons of the 3d Hussars have arrived from Mhow and two regiments of British infantry, the 2d and the 7th, and a body of Artillery has also been brought into the city. The native troops consist of the Bodyguards of the Viceroy and Governor, the Poona Horse, a regiment of Lancers, and two or three regiments of infantry. An imposing fleet is anchored in the harbour, under the command of Rear-Admiral Macdonald, the Naval Commander-in-Chief in India. Her Majesty’s ships Undaunted, Briton, Daphne, Philomel, and Nimble, of the East Indian squadron, the Narcissus, Newcastle, Raleigh, Doris, Topaze, and Immortalité, of the Flying Squadron, the troopship Euphrates, and the two ironclads Abyssinia and Magdala are all ready to salute the Serapis on her arrival to-morrow.Some days ago there seemed likely to be a difficulty in the matter of salutes. The Naval Regulations direct that no other Standard shall be saluted in the presence of that of the Queen or Prince of Wales, and Admiral Macdonald had some doubts as to whether he could show any mark of honour to the Viceroy on his proceeding on board the Serapis. Reference was made by telegraph to the Admiralty, and it is now said that the Admiral has been instructed to salute the flag of the Viceroy as well as that of the Prince. The Serapis and Osborne are expected to enter the harbour to-morrow afternoon. A Royal salute will be fired by the men-of-war and the batteries on shore, while the merchant vessels in port will be dressed out with flags. At 3 p.m. the Viceroy will go on board, and will be followed alter a few minutes by the Governor of Bombay. After Sir Philip Wodehouse has been presented to the Prince, he will return to shore. At 4 p.m., the Prince, accompanied by the Viceroy and suite, will leave the Serapis in the Royal barge, under a Royal salute from the men-of-war, and will proceed to the Dockyard, where he will be received by the Governor, the Members of Council, the Commander-in-Chief, and other principal officials of the Presidency, and will land under a Royal salute from the battery of artillery. The news of his disembarkation will be immediately telegraphed all over India, and a Royal salute will be fired at every fort and cantonment throughout the country. | ||
| Tu 9 November 1875 | BOMBAY, Nov. 8, 6 40 P.M. His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales landed here at 4 o’clock this afternoon, accompanied by the Viceroy and his suite, who had gone on board the Serapis immediately on her arrival. On leaving the Serapis, a procession was formed astern of the Royal barge by the Admirals and Captains of the Queen’s ships in their boats. Salutes were fired by the squadron and the shore batteries. All the ships in harbour were dressed with flags and their yards manned, forming a grand spectacle. | ||
| Ma 13 March 1876 | BOMBAY, March 12, 9 56 P.M. In five or six hours after these lines have been read in London the Serapis will be leaving Bombay homeward bound with the Heir Apparent on board, his Indian tour ended, and his mission, never quite free from care, most happily, accomplished. | ||
| Ma 20 March 1876 | ADEN, March 20. The Serapis has arrived at Aden with the Raleigh in company. All are well. Will leave after coaling. The Osborne was sent ahead yesterday at noon to have all in readiness for her consort. | ||
| Fr 7 April 1876 | MALTA, April 6. The Royal yacht Osborne arrived here on Sunday from Brindisi.His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, on board the Serapis, with the Invincible and Raleigh, preceded by the Helicon, which had left the Port with Admiral Drummond to meet the ships, entered Valetta Harbour at 10 a.m. today under salutes from the forts of St. Elmo, Ricasoli, and Tigne, and from the ships of war. The latter were dressed with flags and the yards manned. At noon the Prince, under salutes from the forts of St. Angelo and Biscaris, landed at Marsa and was received by Governor Straubenzee and Admirals Drummond and Rice, with the Military and Naval Staff, the members of the Council, and the heads of the Departments. | ||
| Sa 29 April 1876 | LISBON, April 28. Her Majesty’s ship Lively left this morning to accompany the Serapis and the Osborne into the Tagus, which they entered at 6 p.m. to-day. The Serapis anchored opposite the naval arsenal. The Raleigh also entered the Tagus to-day. | ||
| Fr 12 May 1876 | The Princess of Wales, accompanied by the Royal children and the Duke of Sutherland, and attended by Miss Knollys, Lord Colville, General the Right Hon. Sir W. Knollys, Colonel Kingscote, and Lieutenant-Colonel Teesdale, met his Royal Highness in the Enchantress off Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight, and proceeded with him on board Her Majesty’s ship Serapis to Portsmouth, where addresses of welcome were presented to his Royal Highness from the Mayor and Corporation of that town and from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Hampshire. Their Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of Connaught, and the Duke of Cambridge, and the first Lord of the Admiralty (the Right Hon. G. Ward Hunt), Admiral Elliot (the Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth), and Lieutenant-General Sir Hastings Doyle (the Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth) came on board the Serapis immediately on her arrival in the dockyard. | ||
| Th 18 May 1876 | Her Majesty’s Ship Serapis.— By permission of the Lords of the Admiralty, the Serapis will be on view during the present week at Portsmouth, and a special first-class cheap fast train will be run by the South-Western Company from Waterloo-bridge Station to Portsmouth (viâ the Direct Portsmouth Line), at 9 45 a.m. on Saturday, the 20th inst., returning from Portsmouth at 4 30 p.m. | ||
| Th 18 May 1876 | The Serapis.— Her Majesty’s ship Serapis, Captain the Hon. Carr Glyn, will be paid off out of commission at Portsmouth on Wednesday next. An attempt is being made to induce the Admiralty to send her in her present trim to America, to be exhibited in connexion with the Philadelphia Exhibition. Yesterday afternoon 100 seamen, belonging to the Serapis, the Osborne and the Sultan, were despatched to London, where they will form a bodyguard to the Prince of Wales on the occasion of his entry into the City. | ||
| Ma 15 November 1880 | The following information respecting the movements of Her Majesty's ships is supplied by the Admiralty: — From Malta letters have been received from the Rear-Admiral Superintendent up to the 8th inst.; the Téméraire will be ready for sea the 27th inst.; and the Cygnet on the 20th inst.; the Invincible and Hecla are in port. Her Majesty's troopship Orontes left Port Said for England on the 12th inst. From the West Coast of Africa letters hive been received from the Senior Officer in the Dido, at Fernando Po, up to the 2d of October; had arrived from Bonny on the 1st of October, with the Firebrand in company, and would proceed to Ambas Bay, Batanga, and Cape Lopez, returning to Quitta via St Thomas. The Firebrand would relieve the Firefly at St. Paul de Loando. From the Cape of Good Hope intelligence has been received that the Commodore, in the Boadicea, was at Simon's Bay on the 14th inst. From the East Indies, letters have been received from the Commander-in-Chief, Rear-Admiral Gore Jones, C.B., in the Euryalus, was at Trincomalee up to the 12th of October. Was about to sail for Rangoon, and would be met there by the Eclipse and the Dryad. The Beacon was at Bussorah, the Ready was at Muscat, the Woodlark was at Karachi on the 6th October. The Ruby, the Dragon, and the Wild Swan, were on East Coast of Africa. The Seagull was at Aden, and would visit Jeddah shortly. The Philomel, coming to Aden from Seychelles, arrived there on the 20th October. Her Majesty's Indian troopship Serapis left Bombay for England on Saturday, the 13th inst. | ||
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