§ CAPTAIN VERNEY (Bucks, N., Buckingham)asked the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether his attention has been drawn to the circumstances under which H.M.S. Calypso broke down during the late cruise of the training squadron; and, whether, as stated in the newspapers, the vessel was imperfectly caulked, and her keel was only singly plated; and, if so, who is held responsible for these defects?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. HIBBERT) (Oldham)In 1835 reply to my hon. and gallant Friend, I have to say that the breakdown in the machinery of the Calypso was confined to the feathering gear of the screw propeller. The feathering lever of one of the blades broke when the ship was in the West Indies, and afterwards the connecting link of the same blade broke on the voyage home. The cause of these breakages has not yet been clearly ascertained, and the case is still under investigation. At the present moment a searching inquiry is being made.