The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-06 00:00:00

1 Taval and Military Intelligence,

The i ton screw steamship Black Prince, 41, Cap-
tain C. B. Wainwright, second in command, and
five othe r ships belonging to the Channel squadron,
were hr vi ) to inside the Eddystone at half.past
four o'cl.oc.'t yesterday afternoon, under steam. At
six o'clock, one of them, supposed. to be the iron-
cased.ship Royal Oak, 35, Capt. Frederick A.
Campbell, entered the Sound, and is now at anchor
inside the breakwater. Wind S.W., a smart
breeze, with thick rain, and heavy weather im-
pending.
The Defence, armour-clad, Capt. Phillimore, one
of the Channel fleet, was expected to anchor off
Clev edon yesterday evening, or by this morning's
tide, previous to -visiting Bristol harbour.
Her Majesty's, 13, steam corvette Niger, 1,072
tons and 400-horse power, paid off at Woolwich
by Captain Peter Cracroft, C. 8., on her return
from New Zealand, is again progressing for corn-
mieeion. She has been partly built up anew in
No. 3 Dock at Woolwich, at a cost of upwards of
£lO,OOO, She was constructed in Woolwich dock-
yard in 1846, under the superintendence and after
the designs of Mr. 0. Lang, the master shipwright
of the yard, and was afterwards lengthened 16ft.
aft, and was many years on the Mediterranean and
Pacific stations. She is HOW masted and rigged in,
preparation for commission.
Her Majesty's steam gunvessel Landrail, paid off
s't Woolwich from the North America and West
India station, Commander Thomas H. Martin, has
baen supplied with new decks, has undergone
general repairs in hull and machinery at Woolwich
and is advancing rapidly for the pennant.
The Forte, 39, screw steam frigate, 2,364 tons,
400-horse power, Capt. A. Mellersh, lately arrived
at Sheerness from the south-east coast of- America,
has been dismantled, and returned stores, ammu.
nition, &c. She will be paid out of commission on
Thursday next.
The 100-pounder smooth-bore guns which arrived
at Chatham from the Royal gun factory in the
War Department transports Marlborough and Bo•
marsund, for the iron frigate Achilles, have been
landed at the Ordnance-wharf, and will not be
shipped on board the Achilles for some days, the
delay arising from the fracture of the chain at the
largest crane used in shipping the guns, and the
necessity for procuring another of a stronger de.
scription.
The chartered troopship Roxburgh Castle, 1,121
tens, Capt. C. Dimsdale (Sub-Lieut. Royal Naval
Itt serve), belonging to Messrs. Ureen and Co., which
has been chartered by the Government for the con•
vey ante of Royal Artillery to Australia, embarked
at thavesend yesterday, Lieut.-Col. C. H. Smith,
Lieut. W. H. Graham, Lieut. A. L. C. Smithett,
Lieut. C. Boyd, Assist.-Staff-Surg. J. T. Milburn,
6 sergeants, 8 corporals, 2 buglers, and 85 gunners
of N 0.7 battery, 2d brig.:Royal Artillery, from Dover,
toget her with 13 women and 17 children, the whole
of whom proceed to Melbourne. Prior to the troops
embarking the Roxburgh. Castle was inspected by
Major-General Sir Robert Walpole, K.C.8., corn-
manding the Chatham district, in order to ascertain
that the whole of the arrangements for the health
and comfort of the non-commissioned officers and
mon during the voyage were complete. The troops
embarked under the direction of Col. Jacksen and
the officers connected with the Quartermaster's
staff at Chatham garrison. The Roxburgh Castle
is fitted with one of Dr. Normandy's steam fresh.
water distilling apparatus, which is capable of pro-
ducing 500 gallons of fresh water from the sea daily.
In addition to the troops, the vessel takes out about
50 first and second class passengers, together with
a large and valuable miscellaneous cargo. The
Roxburgh Castle was intended to leave the Thames
last evening, and at sunset had her blue peter

flying.
Th 3 Linnet, gunboat, 60 horse power, after hay-

1-ng, been fitted with a condenser to her high-pres.
svre er.•,zine, was on Tuesday taken to the measured
mile off Maplin Sands, for trial. The vessel was
under the command of Capt. W. K. Hail, C. 8.,
an I Mr. J. J. Greathead, chief engineer, and Mr.
S. 'l% wnshend, foreman of steam factory in her

Majos ty's dockyard at Sheerness, had charge of the
mach iiiery. The trial was conducted with results
which are perfectly satisfactory, and are as fol-
lows : —True mean speed, 6.807 knots per hour;
revolu ;ions, 142 per minute; pressure of steam,
451 b. ; vacuum, 27 ; load on safety valve, 601 b,
The V( ssel event reund the circle, with helm hard
over at starboard, and two men at the wheel, in lm.
50c.; the draught of water during th© trial was,
forward, 7ft. 2.in ; aft, Bft. tin. ; the time under
way and at full speed was four hours; the force of
wind, 5 ; and the direction, N.W. The sea had a
a light swell. The vessel was fully rigged and
ready for sea, having 34 tons of coal on board.

Vice. Admiral the Hon. Thomas Best died on
Sunday last at Hyde Park-square. The de-
ceased admiral was second son of the late Lord
Wynford, formerly Chief Justice of the Court of
Common Pleas, and was born August 12, 1799. He
entered the navy November 3, 1812, on board the
Ramillies, 74, and after assisting in capturing the
islands in Pasamaquoddy Bay, and bombarding the
town of Stonington, was employed on the Irish and
South American stations. He was advanced to the
rank of Lieut. March 6, 1822, and in that capacity
was e mployed off Newfoundland, in the Channel, in
the Mediterranean, and again in South America,
and obtained Commander's rank April 30,1827. He
commanded the Icarus, 10, on the Jamaica station,
from March, 1828, until December, 1829, and was
Second• Capt. of the 'William and Mary yacht from
January 14, 1830, until advanced to Post rank July
22 following. He became Rear-Admiral on the re-
served list October 3, 1855, and Wide Admiral Nov.
10, 1862. Admiral Best married in 1835 Mary
Anne, the daughter of the second Baron Kenyon.
The decision has at length been adopted by the
Horse Guards, to employ the various drummer boys,
buglers, and other lads attached to the Royal Engi-
neer Establishment, Chatham, in some one or more
of the trades followed by the Royal Engineers, and
so training them up to become skilled workmen.
Accordingly an order has been received at head.
quarters, Chatham, from the Horse Guards, direct-
ing the whole of the boys to be classified, and each
to be allowed to select the trade in which he is de-
sirous of being employed. In accordance with the
above instructions, the whole of the boys and lads
were paraded at Brorapton barracks yesterday, and
each requested to state the trade he was desirous of
learning. As each boy announced his desire he was
at once sent off to the Engineer workshops, where
they wit'. be instructed in the trades now prac-
tised at the Royal Engineer establishment, including
printing, engraving, photography, the trades of car.
pesters, bricklayers, wheelwrights, smiths, masons,
and the other branches taught to the Royal Sappers
and Miners. As an incentive to the boys to obtain
a perfect knowledge of the trade they have selected
the Duke of Cambridge has directed that, in addi-
tion to their regimental pay of is 3/cl per day, each
lad shall receive 3d per day working pay.
A garrison order was issued at Woolwich on
Monday, announcing that Major-Gen. Warde, C. 8.,
Commandant, would commence his half-yearly in.
spection yesterday of the troops and barrack quer-
tars throughout the district within his command,
commencing with the 4th division depot brigade.
On account of the stormy state of the weather, the
order was countermanded, and the following order
was yesterday issued in its place—" The 4th divi-
sion depot brigade and the 4th brigade Royal Ar-
tillery will assemble on -Woolwich-common at 10
R.M. to-morrow morning in marching order, and
will go through the general's half-yearly insPe"
tion., The whole of the inspection, according to ordi-
nary circumstances, will occupy upwards of a month,
inc!nding fortifications along the Thames, Warley,
and other places within the district.
The 2d company of the Royal Engineers, which
proceeds to the Mauritius to relieve one of the com-
panies at that station whose period of colonial ser-
vice has expired, has received orders to leave Chat-
ham garrison on the 20th inat. for embarcation.
The reinforcement of Royal Engineers to augment
the 68th company in New Zealand, as vveil as those
ordered to join the 32d company in St. Helena,
will also emnark on the 20th inst., the detachment
for the 6ih company proceeding with the other
reinforcements in the troopship Eight Brigade.
The following appointments were made yesterday

at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Francis S D. Brough-
ton, to the Brisk ; Lieut. Coryndon P. Boger, to the
Duke of Wellington ; Lient. George S. Brown, to
the Excellent ; Lient. Herbert Hilton, to the
Canopus ; Lieut. Robert Ross, to•the Lion ; Charles
E. Tremain, clerk, additional, to the Seringapa•
tam; E. Elliot, assist.-clerk, to the Seringapatam ;
and W. C. Reed, nominated to a naval cadetship.
The following appointments have been made in
the Royal Naval Reserve :—To be lieutenant, Mal-
colm Green ; to be honorary lieutenants, Nathan
Wynard Haselwood and Theophilus Godolphin
Hinson.