ARRIVAL OF H.M.S. WOLVERINE.

Auckland Star, Volume IX, Issue 2500, 29 March 1878, Page 3

ARRIVAL OF H.M.S. WOLVERINE.

H. M. S. Wolverine, Commodore Hoskins, arrived from Sydner, via Wellington and Lyttclton,late this a£ternoon,and anchored in the man-o'-war ground. She left Sydney on March lit, Wellington on March 16, and Lyttelton on Saturday last. The Wolverine is aye jsel of the old class, and carries 340 men all told, out of which number there are 51 marines, 260 blue jacket?, and 26 officers. She is said to be a remarkably smart sailing vessel, being able to do her 11 knots an hour. He rate of travelling with steam is 11 knot?, and her engines are on the compound principle, of 1,519 h.p. Her armament is broadsides seventeen sixty-four-pounder rifle muzzle-loadiug guns, two guns for the boats (one a nine-pounder, the other a sevenpounder), and a field-piece. She has also a laige supply of Martini-Henry rifles and revolvers. A torpedo-room and all the necessary appliances is another feature in her. There is noth.ng of an 7 novel character in the Wolverine's armament, except a Gatling gun, which is situated on the poop. This piece of mechanism is indeed well worthy of inspection. It consists of ten rifled barrels fastened .together in a circular shape, and capable of being made to revolve round similar to the chambers of a revolver. A drum containing some hundreds of cartridges is placed over the ends of these barre's, and as they revolve one of the cartridges drops into the uppermost barrel, and this continues till the whole of the cat idges in the drum are exhausts d. In this manner about 250 shots can be fired in a minute without the least heating of the gun, and the shifting of the drum which contains tha cartridges is so arranged that no cessation in the firing need occur. This piece of ordnance is said to beveiy effective even at 1700 yards, and it can easily be handled by one man. By an ingenious arrangement it is so swerved about that the shot can be scattered in all directions. Owing to the extreme lightness of the gun it can be placed in the boat, and in case of action it can be hoisted to thp maintop position in which it is said to be invaluable

The following is a list of the officers on board the vessel:— Anthony 11. Hoskins. C.8., Commodore; Francis. A. Carter, secretary; Walter B. Bridges, commarder ; G. H. Bower, Charles W. Gordon Spring, Chas. W. P. Bouverie, Wil liam M. Maturin, and Frank J. Grassie, lieutenants ; William J. Symons, navigating lieutenant; Chas. W. R. Kitching, lieutenant, R.Jf.L.I.; RevF. L.-Warleigh, 8.A., chaplin ; VVilter Reid, M.D., staff surgeon ; Alexander Allen paymaster; William M. M'Dowell, chief engineer; Albert F. Arthur, and Frederic B. J£. Brock, sub-lieutenants; James G. Gordon, assistant-paymaster; Herbert K. Marsh, surgeon; John Muir and John Knapps, engineers; John P. Rolleston, Ralf J. RuckKeene Ernest J. Caras-Wilson : Hon. Erancis C. B. Addlington, Selby H. B. Ash; Frederick A. Winter, Allen F. Gardiner Willoughby, P. Dawson. midshipmen ; Chas. E. C. Webb, Harcourt W. B. Dalafour, clerks; Alexander Barfoot, gunner; Henry Lee, boatswain, James R. May, carpenter.