HMS Magicienne was the lead ship of her class of two 16-gun, steam-powered second-class paddle frigates built for the Royal Navy in the 1850s.

[1] The ships were fitted with a pair of 2-cylinder oscillating steam engines, rated at 400 nominal horsepower, that drove their paddlewheels.

The engines produced 1,300 indicated horsepower (970 kW) in service that gave them speeds of 9–10 knots (17–19 km/h; 10–12 mph).

[2] Magicienne and her sister ship Valorous were originally ordered on 25 April 1847 as first-class sloops to John Edye's design, approved on 12 August 1847.

[1] Magicienne was laid down at Pembroke Dockyard in September 1847, launched on 7 March 1849 and completed on 20 February 1853.