It was reported in The Times that the torpedo gunboat Seagull was the only ship in the Royal Navy fitted with Niclausse water-tube boilers had concluded a series of nine trials, each of approximately 1000 miles. During the first four trials the indicated horsepower ranged from 1,354 to 1,371, and the speed varied from 13 to 13.6 knots. On the fifth trial the speed was 14.48 knots and the indicated horsepower 1611, but on the sixth trial the speed was increased to 14.6 knots with an increase of an extra 20 indicated horsepower. The seventh trial was abandoned after 855 miles because of bad weather, but the Seagull averaged a speed of 15.2 knots and 1798 indicated horsepower. The eighth trial was conducted in fine weather, the Seagull completed the 1,000 miles with an increase of two indicated horsepower, and an increase in speed of 0.2 knots. On the ninth trial the speed was 16.07 knots and the indicated horsepower was 1,947. Throughout the trials only four of the Seagull's six boilers were in use, and as the engines were capable of 3,000 indicated horsepower, the actual power at the time of the last trial was, for the number of boilers in use, nineteen-twentieths of the maximum. The maximum coal consumption for the entire series of trials was calculated to be 1.9 pounds per indicated horsepower hour for the main engines and 2 pounds for all purposes.