THE GERMAN CORVETTE AUGUSTA.

On the 3d of June of this year, the German cruising corvette Augusta left the island of Perrin, in the Straits of Bab el Mandeb, for Australia; and as nothing has been heard of her since that day, the report that she was destroyed in the typhoon on June 3 is probably correct.  The vessel left Kiel on April 28, with the crews for the cruisers of the Australian squadron; 283 men were on board, including the commander, Corvette Captain Von Gloeden.  There is still a possibility that the Augusta was dismasted, and is drifting somewhere in the Indian Ocean, or has stranded on an island; but this is not very probable, as the Augusta was not well adapted to weather a typhoon.  During her cruise of 1876 to 1878, all the upper masts, spars, etc, had to be removed, that she might be better adapted to weather a cyclone or like storm.  If the Augusta had not met with an accident, she would have arrived at Port Albany in Australia by the 30th of June or beginning of July.  She was due June 17.

The Augusta was built at Armands’ ship yards at Bordeaux, and was bought in 1864 by Prussia.  She was a screw steamer with ship’s rigging, 2371/2 feet long, 351/2 feet beam, 16 feet draught, and 1,543 tons burden.  Her engines had 400 horse-power, and her armament consisted of 14 pieces.

[Illustration:  THE GERMAN CORVETTE AUGUSTA.]

During the Franco-German war of 1870-71, she was commanded by Captain Weikhmann, and captured numerous vessels on the French coast.  January 4, 1871, she captured the French brig St. Marc, in the mouth of the Gironde; the brig was sailing from Dunkirken to Bordeaux with flour and bread for the Third French Division.  The Augusta then captured the Pierre Adolph, loaded with wheat, which was being carried from Havre to Bordeaux.  Then the French transport steamer Max was captured and burned.  The French men of war finally forced the Augusta to retreat into the Spanish port of Vigo, from which she sailed Jan. 28, and arrived March 28 at Kiel, with the captured brig St. Marc in tow.—­Illustrirte Zeitung.

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IMPROVEMENT IN METAL WHEELS.

In the Inventions Exhibitions may be seen a good form of metal wheel, the invention of Mr. H.J.  Barrett, of Hull, Eng., and which we illustrate.

[Illustration:  FIG. 1.  FIG. 2.  FIG. 3.]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the wheel, Fig. 2 a transverse section, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of the boss.  These wheels are made in two classes, A and B. Our engraving illustrates a wheel of the former class, these wheels being designed for use on rough and uneven roads, and when very great jolting strains may be met with, being stronger than those of class B design.  The wheels are made with mild steel spokes, which are secured by metal straps in the recesses