The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-05-10 00:00:00

Srmu anb ldauu.

ROYAL PROCLAMATION TOR INCREASING TIM NAVY.
—Her Majesty held a Privy Council at three o'clock un
Sal unlay week. A proclamation was issued offering
bounties to seamen on entenng the Royal Navy. Able-
bodied seamen. between the age of twenty and forty-
offering theineelves fur service on or before the
15th of June, Sr. to have a bounty of 1:10 each man ;
all ordinary seamen who alien so enter themselves are to
have 1:5 earl' man, and lan.lsinen between twenty and
twenty-five, forty shillings per elan.
The whole militia of the United Kingdom (says tbs
.11orniug Pust)is to be embodied forthwith. This ;state-
ment has not yet been confirmed or denied.
The aggregate of all the vessels of war now in the
course of construction at the several ports is 27, summit-
ing in all 1,547 guns, and 15,010 horse-power.
The let battalion of the Rifle Brigade left Newcastle-
on-Tyne on ',tidal for Plymouth, but it is stated that
their destination is Gibraltar.
Major-General Sir William Fenwick Williams, Bart.
! (of Kars), K.C.8., has been appointed Commander-in-
Chief in Canada.
' Captain the Hon. H. W. Campbell, of the Coldstream
floards, goes out to Gibraltar, it is said, as aide-.le-catup
to Lieutenant-General Sir W. Codringten, the newly ap-
pointed Governor of Gibraltar.
Mr. H. St. John Mikhuay, formerly an officer in the
Austrian service, will accompany the headquarters of the
Austrian army as British Commissioner during the war
in Italy. Colonel Cameron willaccompany the Sardinian
army in a similar capacity.
The following detachments are ordered to proceed at an
early date to the Mediterranean :-604 of the 2nd batta-
lion of the 4th Regiment, 264 of the 2nd battalion of the
2nd Regiment, 117 of the Royal Artillery, and 119 of the
Royal Logineers, by the Sir Robert Peel. By the Marl-
borough, 20 of the 9th Regiment, and 40 of the let bat-
talion of the 14th Regiment.
THE WAR.—A requisition, which has already been
numerously signed, is in the course of receiving signa-
tures, asking the Mayor of Leeds (Sir Peter Fairbairn)
to convene a public meeting of the inhabitants to
consider the propriety of addressing the Queen in favour
of the non-intervention by England in the impending
Continental war.
Since the proclamation of the Queen's regulations for
admission into the service of the Royal navy, the
Fisgard's office, at Woolwich, has been thronged with
applicants of every grade. Large numbers have been
accepted, but many, although apparently well-con-
ditioned and anxious to serve, have been rejected as not
eligible. The mirchant service, it is stated, is being
deserted for the sake of pocketing the Queen's bounty,
and it is likely to suffer considerable inconvenience.
The foundation for erecting the extensive branch. of
the Arniatrong gun factory in Woolwich' Arseual was on
Thursday completed, and the footing for the building
commenced. It was expected that Sir William Arm-
strong would have been present to deposit the founda-
tion-stone, and that souse formalities would have been
gone through, but no ceremony further than the ordinary
bricklayers work took place. Sir. W. Arinetrong and
Mr. Anderson are both industriously engaged at the lac-
tory at Elswick in endeavouring to improve the means
of bringing out the new rise.

SHIP-WR-IGUTS ON THE WICAR.—On Monday a tele-
graphic despatch was received in Sunderland by the
secretary of the Shipwrights' Society from the Secretary
to the Navy, stating that more shipwright,' and
caulker,' were required iu several of the 'loyal dockyard..
A great many of the men have expressed their readiness
to follow the 400 hands who have already gone from
the yards on the Wear, and they left Sunderland on
Wedinuiday. The despatch, however, stipulates that they
must undergo inspection by the dockyard surgeons. This
draught will wholly clear out all the surplus labour that
has been idling about the shipyards of the Wear for
more than a year past.
. . . . . .

The screw'steaa'apship Bootie hu been chartered at
Liverpool by French agents to carry coal from South
Wales to Brest. Some of the principal houses in the
city uninected with France and Russia have been
actively enraged during the past week in making Large
purchases of coal, their orders being to take what they
could get, irreqs:ctive of quality, price, or port.
Orders were received on Thurs.lay by one of the prio-
cipal chart-sellers in London from the French and Rus-
sian Governments for the purchase, to the extent of
I:600 each, of copies of the charts and surveys of the
English coast and fortified places, of our stations in the
Mediterranean, and of the ports and coasts of our
Indian possessions. An order to the same amount was
sent by France and Russia about two months ago, and a
similar order, to the amount of £3OO, has since been
received from Spain.
The greatest activity prevails sat Pembroke Dockyard.
The numerous artisans are employed from early until
late, and as the dockyard strength is now very great,
and almost unlimited earnings are allowed, rapid pro-
gress is being made with the various men-of-war in
course of construction. The Revenge, which has recently
been launched, is in the hands of the seamen riggers,
who will iunnediately navigate her round to Porte-
mouth for comminsion. The build of the Revenge is an
improvement upon the lines of the RCTIOWIII, 91 guns, a
sister ship, and it is thought she will prove • fine speci-
men of the new class 91's. The Howe, 121 guns, will
soon be ready for launching. She is a magnificent
vessel, being over 4,000 tons burden. It is stated to be
the intention of the authorities to strengthen the ap-
proaches to the dockyard by the erection of a powerful
battery of heavy guns on the Great Head facing the
mouth of the harbour.

The launch of the fine line-of-battle screw steampship
Hood, 91 guns, took plate from Chatham dockyard on
Wednesday afternoon in the presence of an immense
concourse of spectators. The Hood is • noble specimen
of naval architecture. She was commenced many peen
situ*, and was originally intended by Admiral Sir
Baldwin Walker, Surveyor of the Navy, for an 80-gun
sailingahip ; but, after progressing considerably, it was
decided to complete her as a screw steamer, and enlarge
her size so as to enable her to be pierced for 91 guns,
She 1,1144 accordingly twice cut asunder, and a consider-
able addition made to her length. The following are her
principal dimensions :—Length between perpendiculars
238 feet; length of keel for tonnage, WO feet 10-75 inches;
extreme breadth, 55 feet 9 latches ; breadth for tonnage;
55 ; breadth moulded, 54 feet 3 inches ; depth in hold,
24 feet; burden in tons, 3,4 l 32-94. The ceremony
of christening the vessel was performed by !lass Hood.
a grand-daughter, we believe, of Admiral Lord flood,
after whom the ship is named. By the launch of the
Hood a valuable addition is made to the line-of-battle
screw steamers of the British navy. The Hood will he
taken to Sheerness for the purpose of being fitted with
her machinery, which will be of SOO horse power. Ihe
next vessel to be launched at Chatham is the screw
corvette Charybdis, 21, which is to take place on the let
of June.

-
W HITWORTH'S 111PROVEN5.STS IN GUNS, GUN-CAR•
RI %DES, AND A HMUNITION.—MT. Julien') Witworth has
just completed a patent for a set of improvements, which
relate first, to • mode of giving accurate horizontal
adjustment to • gun by moving its trunnions laterally in
their bearings. This is effected by means of a lever
which acts on one of the trunnions, the opposite end of
the liver being connected with a screw winch is
adjusted by the hand. To this apparatus and mode of
adjusting guns the patentee makes no claim. Secondly,
it relates to the use of discs or cakes of wax, tallow, or
other similar lubricating cosnpounds or substances, as
wads for ammunition for ordnance 14 n d fire-arms, whereby
the piece is properly lubricated. Thirdly, the invention
relates to the application of tin or zinc, or other hard
metals or alloys, as in outer coating for soft metal ride
mojectiles. The soft metal for time projectiles is made in
a cent impels length, and is coated by an adaptation of the
well.known apparatus employed iss manufacturing lead
pipes ,and coating them with tin or other metal.
• --•

The Urgent, screw steam troopship, Commander Hire,
embarked Seturday the let division of the 100th
(t'rince of %%dec.,' Royal Ceanolitui) Regiment, at Porte-
mouth, for Gibraltar, consieting of 2 held otficere, 6
captain*, 12 eubaltetus, 5 staff, 6 officers' wives, 13
children, and 3 female servants, 29 sergeants. 14 drum-
men, 49d rank and ble, 45 whiter.' wives, 53 children,
and 3 borsea, the whole under the commend of Lieu-
tenant-Colonel G. Le Rottenburg, C.B. The Urgent
was zlwcte.l t.O prOCCOLI to hes about 2 p. HI. 514111.4111 y.
The 2nd division of the lilOth (Prince of WI%WWI Royal
('amolian) Regiment, remelting for embercetion for
Gibraltar, amebas of 1 field officer, 4 captains, 7 sub-
alterns, 5 staff, 23 sergeants, 7 druunners, and 324 rank
and file.