The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-16 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
The Duncan, 74, old sailing ship, which is being
broken up in No. 3 dock at Chatham, will be out
of the shipwrights' hands by the end of the first
week in October, when the dock will be entirely
cleared in readiness for the reception of the iron
paddlewheel steam frigate Recruit, 6, 150-horse
power, which is once more to be docked in order to
discover the locality of a leak, and for a few slight
repairs. Since she has been lying in the harbour her
bottom has become very foul, and is largely en-
crusted with weeds and animalcules.
Admiralty instructions have been received at
Chatham Dockyard, directing that all launches shall
in future be schooner-rigged, according to the plan
recommended to the Admiralty by Admiral Elliot,
them
instead of the old system of lugger-rigging

adopted in the navy since 1841.
Her Majesty's iron paddlewheel steamer Blood-
hound, Lieut.-Commander Stokes. from the West
Coast of Africa, was yesterday paid out of commis-

sion at Woolwich, and will be docked for repairs
She sailed from Ascension on the 4th day of

July, and called at Goree, Teneriffe, Madeira,
and Vigo, and on account of the fearfully bad state
of her boilers and machinery, and the accumulation
of barnacles, &c., on her bottom, she was two
months making her way home. The officers and
crew were all paid off in good condition.
Her Majesty's steam storeship Fox yesterday
went down to Woolwich Dockyard to complete her
cargo of steam machinery shipped at the Victoria
docks, and will sail to-day for Pembroke yard.
The Monarch, target ship, was undoeked yester-
day at Portsmouth, and placed at the practice moor-

jogs in Porehester Creek.
At Fort Cumberland the Royal Marine Artillery,
under the supervision of Col. Alexander; at Lumps
Fort the Royal Artillery of the 6th Brigade, under
Col. Longdon's supervision ; and on board her Ma-
/PBteY's ship Excellent the trained gunners, under
Capt. A. C. Key's directions, have been engaged in
making a series of experimental rapid firing courses
with shot and shell from the new " wedge" Arm-
strong 40 and 70 pounders. Similar experimental
firing is taking place at other out-stations under
competent officers, and each officer engaged in con-
ducting the experiments, will, at their close, for-
ward his own report, independently of all others, to
head-quarters. The guns now under trial are the
most perfect form of the Armstrong breech-loader
extant. The whole of the experimental firing has
not yet been concluded with all the guns under
trial, but it has proceeded sufficiently far to enable
a correct judgment to be formed of the gun's power
and its suitability for service on board ship. The
70-pounder wedge gun under trial concluded its
course yesterday, after firing 200 shot and 50 com-
mon shell (Armstrong, but not built in segments).
The target was placed at 2,000 yards' distance, out
on the Horse Shoal, seaward. The charge of pow.
der used for the shot was 10Ib., and for the shell
91b. ; the latter containing 31b. of powder as a burst-
ing charge. Two different targets were used for
shot and shell, that for the latter being built up of
nine-inch oak plank, as the shells were fired with a
pillar fuse, and therefore required a resisting object
of some solidity to strike again to cause them to
burst. The practice made throughout with this
gun was magnificent. Yesterday it was much inter-
rupted by vessels crossing the range, but on the pre-
vious day, when the range remained more open, 65
shots were fired in 472 minutes, and the target was
struck 36 times. This was the longest period of
firing at one time to which the gun was subjected,
for the" keybolt"gave out on several occasions, and
the gun became disabled until the arinourer had re-
moved the pin and repaired the damage. The
Armstrong armourer stationed at Portsmouth being
present,
examined the bolt by Col. Longdon's direc-
tions, and gave it as his opinion that it was made
from a similar metal to the gun. He suggested that
he should be allowed to make a new steel bolt. To
this the colonel at once acceded, and yesterday the
new bolt was tried, and 64 shots were fired from
the gun consecutively without any burring up of
the metal on the wedges or any serious damage to
the bolt, beyond the indentations which might be
expected on the side of so
The firing from the 40- small a piece of metal.
Pounder also under trial is
not yet concluded. One of the 70-pounder shells
burst at the mouth of the gun yesterday, but that
was the only instance of the kind throughout its
firing, and no cause could be assigned for it. With
all the wonderful accuracy exhibited by both the
guns, there was a great eccentricity of movement
observed in the after course of the
general opinion which has been formshots, and the
formed thus far of
the wedge gun is that it is not in its present state
at all fit for sea service. As the present trials have
been ordered to obtained a simultaneous testing of
the gun under officers of known skill and experi-
ence, it is very possible, as before observed, that
their reports of the trials may contain such valuable
information and suggestions as may render the 70-
pounder a serviceable main-deck gun for our ships
of war, E 0 fie as its calibre and the weight of its
shot will permit its being so.
Wo have to record the death of Vice-Admiral of
the Red Henry Dundas, second son of the late
Right Hon. Robt. Dundee, of Arnieton. Lord Chief
Baron of the Court of Exchequer in Scotland,
which occur red at Craig Royston, near Edinburgh,
on the 11th inst. The deceased admiral, who had
attained the age of 64 years, entered the Royal
Naval College in February, 1813, and embarked in
Sept., 1815, as a volunteer on board the Niger, 38,
on the North American station. In July, 1817, he
was made midshipman of the Leander, 50, Bag ship
of Sir David Milan on the same station, and, after
subsequent attachment to the
a twelvemonth s
Liffey, 59, was promoted to lieutenant, Dec. 7,1819.
As lieutenant be served in the Glasgow, 50, and
Euryalus, 42, in the Mediterranean, Where he was
promoted to the command of the Rose, 18, May 16,
1823. He obtained pest rank Feb. 9, 1825, and
commanded the Dartmouth, 42
m $ and sapphire,, 28,
on the 3a
ain and, South American stations from