The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-20 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
The operation of testing one of the new hydraulic
machines, of a size larger than any hitherto in use
at either of the Royal dockyards, for bending the
enormous armour plates with which the sides of
the Bellerophon and Lord Warden will be encased,
took place at Chatham dockyard yesterday in the
presence of Capt. Stewart, C. 8., superintendent;
Mr. Thornton, master shipwright; Mr. Baker,
chief engineer; and other officials. The machine
tested was manufactured by Messrs. Baillie and
Co., Millwall, and was one of the largest ever sent
out by that firm. The trial was under the superin-
tendence of Mr. Westwood and Mr. Baillie, both of
whom were present to direct the working of the
machine. The plates operated upon were four of
the 4-1,-ineh Lord Warden slabs, sent in by Messrs.
John Brown and Co., of the Atlas Works, Shef-
field, the plates being of rolled iron. The hydraulic,
machine was worked by steam power, and within
three minutes after the pumps had been set in
motion the required curve was given to the plate,
which was only slightly heated before being placed
in the machine. The contract made by the Admi-
ralty with Messrs. Westwood and Baillie stipulates
that the hydraulic machines shall be capable of
bending plates of 9 inches in thickness when chilled,
but the machine tested yesterday is equal to bend-
ing plates up to 12 inches, and even to 14 inches,
should plates of the latter thickness ever require to
be operated upon.
In addition to the hired transports laden with
returned stores from the demolished fortress of
Corfu, already reported in The Sun, and which
occupy every available space for discharging their
cargoes at Woolwich Arsenal pier, the following
vessels, similarly freighted, have arrived, and
are awaiting berths alongside : The Ann
Duncan, the Thornhill, and the Tanaro. Cap-
tain 'lhorvildten, the master of the Tanaro, re-
ports that when within half a mile of Tarifa, on
the Spanish coast, he heard, as he thought, the
firing of a single musket from the shore. This was
immediately followed by a gun shot, which passed
completely through the hull of his vessel nearly
amidships, and within three or four inches of the
water's edge. The Tanaro then hoisted her ship's
colours and let go her anchor. A Spanish boat
with some officials on board soon after made her
appearance alongside, but they were unable to hold
any communication, as none of the parties were able
to make themselves intelligible to each other. After
patching up the breach made on either side of the
ship by the gunshot the Tanora resumed her
voyage.
The screw steam frigate Prince Consort, 35, Capt.
George 0. Willes, C. 8., was placed in No. 1 dock
at Keyham on Wednesday morning.
The screw steamship Warrior, 40, Capt. the Hon.
Arthur A. Cochrane, will be removed from the
Qaeen's dock, at Keyham, today.
Tho ships of war on the Australian station at the
date of the last adrices were the Harrier, 17, Capt.
Sullivan ; the Miranda, 14, Capt. Jenkins; the
Eclipse, 4, Capt. Mayne ; the Curagoa, 23, Comm°.
dory Wiseman ; the Esk, 21, Capt. Hamilton ; and
the Falcon, 17, Capt. Parker. All these vessels
were at New Zealand.
The following appointments were made yester•
day at the Admiralty ;—David Wilson to be snrg.
o the Wolverene and Thomas H. Taylor to be surg.
:o the Rinaldo.

THE ARMY.
The Orontes, steam troopship, Capt. W. H. Hire,
whese arrival we have already announced, came
into Portsmouth harbour yesterday, and disem-
barked her troops at the dockyard jetty, under the
superintendence of Colonel lihadwell, A.Q M.G.,
whence they proceeded by special train at 2 p.m.
for Farnborough station, South-Western Railway,
en route to Aidershott Camp, where they are to be
stationed. The troops comprise Col. Budd, let bat-

talion (in command); Col. Trevor, 2d battalion ;
Majors Hawley and Grogan ; Capts. Maycock,
Warren, Le Mesurier, Cosby, Burton, Gordon, and
Barlow; Lients. Watson, Lemon, Laing, Williemss,
and Hall ; Lieut. and Adjutant Blois; Ensigns
Firmen, van Heythuyson, Laverton, Mille, Atkin-
son, Pigott, and Hosack ; Quartermaster Moore,
Dr. King, Assist.-Surgeon Cherry, Staff Assist.-
Surgeon Wills; Mr. Doorley (bandmaster), and 711
rank and file of the Ist battalion 14th Regiment.
Also the following officers' wives :—Mrs. Trevor,
Mrs. Hawley, Mrs. Grogan, Mrs. Cosby, Mrs. War-
ren, and Mrs. Doorley and families; 38 soldiers'
wives and 95 children. The passenger list com-
prises Capt. Watson, R.N., on promotion, from her
Majesty's ship Petrel ; Lieut. Dawson, 23d Royal
Welsh Fusiliers; the Rev. B. Fielding; Mre. Bl ack •
ler, wife of Assist.-Commissary-General Blackler,
and family; Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Armstrong, Mrs.
Richards, the Misses Fyfe, and Mrs. Moat, wife of
the barrackmaster at Jamaica, and family. The
Orontes also brought 16 naval invalids, who were
removed to the flagship Victory, 1 sergeant, Ist
West India Regiment, and 4 gunners, Royal Artil-
lery, invalided, and sent to the Royal Victoria Hos-
pital, Netley, The Orontes left England on the
Bth of February, with draughts of various regi-
ments for Gibraltar and Malta thence, proceeding
with a select number of engineers, eec., to assist in
the demolition of the fortifications at Corfu, after
which she embarked the 2d battery of the 6th
Red, touching
gime a
Regiment,
Gibraltar, three detachments to Trini-
dad, raltar, Teneriffe, and St. Vin-
cent, and the remainder to Kingston. Jamaica.
Owing to strong head winds and unfavourable wea-
ther she made a long passage of 40 days. After the
disembarcation of the 6th Regiment she immedi-
ately proceeded to the different stations and em-
barked the 14th Regiment, leaving Jamaica for Eng-
land on the 24th April, where she left her Majesty's
ships Liverpool,
Aboukir, Challenger, Virago, and
Petrel. The Diana (flagship) and Royalist were
expected at the beginning of the present month from
Bermuda. The boilers of the Orontes are, as was
supposed, very defective. The engines work well,
hut the connecting rods being unusually short have
often to be stopped to " screw up." A survey
was held on board yesterday, and it is reported a
trial will be made to remedy the only defect which
is apparent in her, by reducing the pressure of the
boiler from 20 to 10, so as to enable her to make an-
other voyage, and if not then found to be of sufti-
eient effect she will be furnished with now boilers.
With this exception she le perfectly ready for sea,
and is ordered to coal and prepare immediately, to
proceed, it is believed, to Corfu.
The troops which arrived in the Orontes reached
the camp at Aldershot last evening at 7 o'clock.
he bands of the Ist battalion of the 6th, 73d,
and
87th Regiments played the 14th from the station to
tieir quarters, the East Bloch, Permanent Barracks:
Two troops of the 14to Hussars arrived at the
;•ath C4mp, Aldersh t ' •
, yesteroay, by March
um Mancneater.
We have to record the death of Eir Alex. Murray