The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-13 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence,

The Duke of Somerset and other Lords of the Ad-
' miralty commenced the annual inspection of the
naval departments at Davenport by a visit to the
dockyard. The five building slips which have pro-
duced so large a number of ships during the last
half century are now almost deserted. Nos. 2 and
5 are unoccupied'. No. 1 has a keel laid arid a stern
partly up; in No. 3, the Robust, 81, is partly planked
about the bends ; and in No. 4. there is the frame of
the later, 36, but occasionally not a single artisan
is Occupied on any of them. The ironcene. screw
steam frigate Caledonis, 35, in No. 1 dock, eppenred
to excite the special observation of their lordships.
Her sides are being prepared, eomewhat like those
of the Zealous at Keyham, to resist the galvanic
action of the copper sheathing. The upper tier of
sheathing has been removed, and vertical bars of
iron,3 inches broad by -I inch thick, have been bolted
about 3 feet apart on the iron plating. On these
bars a easing of teak 3 inches thick has been
fixed, having grooves to receive the bars. The
casing begins two feet above the load line, and runs
down seven feet, which is five inches below the iron
plates. The new tier of copper sheathing runs up
just high enough to overlap the teak three inches,
so that there is a space of about four inches between
the upper edge of the copper and the iron plating,
and a distcnce of 4ft 9in from the copper to the load
line. For this depth in the sea the sides of the
Caledonia present only the teak casing already dee.
scribed. The Lords of the Admiralty have, hove,
ever, given orders that there shall be applied on
a portion of the casing a new sheathing by Mr Jeet-
teley, which he terms "union metal." Unlikeyollow
metal, which is a mixture of copper and zinc, Bet..
teley's consists of copper ou one side and of a. white
metal like pewter on the other. The inventor cone
tends that his sheets are so well adapted for iron-
cased ships that if they were fitted directly on the
plates no injury through galvanic action could arise.
The results of this experiment will be looked for
with considerable interest. It is understood that
the Caledonia will be fitted for a flag ship, and that
she will2.have a poop and topgallant forecastle. Since
the last visit of the Lords of the Admiralty to De-
vonport dockyard three jetties, 40ft broad, have
been constructed, facing Hamoaze,, so that ships of
greater draught can lie alongside at low springs
when the depth is 27ft. An annihilator for service)
in case of fire has also been erected. It stands ea
three hollow legs; one is fed from the inner mr.st
pond, one is used as a waste pipe, and the third is for
the supply of water in case of fire. The cistern
stands at a height of 100 ft, and the water will rise
with considerable force 60 or 70 feet; it is driven
up by the engine of thesaw mill adjacent. It is pro.
bable that two of the docks in the yard will be
lengthened. At 2 o'clock the Duke entered the
Admiral's barge and went on board the ironcased
screw steamship Ocean, 35, in Hamoaze. Their
lordships then paid a short visit to Keyham, and
subsequently embarked on board the steam tender
Princess Alice, which conveyed them to Drake's
Island, where, in company with Earl de Grey and
Ripon and Cols. lervoise and Shuttleworth (who
during the day had visited the north-eastern forti-
fications), they inspected the new bomb-proof half
moon battery on the eastern facing of the island.
Afterwards they made a course in the steam
tender round the breakwater, and then landed on
the works of the Shovel Rock Fort, which are close
to and just inside that structure. Their Lordships
were received by Mr. Hutton, resident engineer,
and Mr Orraiston, agent for the contractors. Last
year the surface of the work's was 30ft. below high
water ; now it ir above that mark, being of a height
from the bottom of above 60ft. The fort up to low..
water mark, is constructed of largo blocks of Port,
eleed cement concree. and ffirpri sc,ith ci_ranifp
powder magazines, tunes, stores, :c., are of
work, and are now in progress. Tne first stone
was laid on the 11th March, last year, and the last
on the 6th of this month, leas than 17 months ago.
From the sound the Duke of Somerset returied to
Osborne, in Ilernoaze, where his Grace and b is col-
leagut s entertained the chiefs of the various dopert.
meats, the officers in command of ships and others.
Capt. J. Seacombe, and the effieers of Her Ma..
jesty's ship Duke of Wellington, at Portsmouth,
gave a ball on board their ship on Thursday even..
lag, at which upwards of 900 guests were received.
The supper tables occupied the entire length of the
main deck. The ship was moored alongside the
jetty of the dockyard, and the jetty itself was con.
verted for, the occasion into a vast reception tent
and promenade. The police arrangements in the
dockyard were most excellent.

Major Gen. Warde, C. 8., attended by Brigade
Major Hay, Captain Nangle, Deputy Assist Quarter
Master General, Captain Williams, A.D.C„ Captain
Lirdner Clarke, Superintendent of Gymnasia, and
other officers, yesterday inspected the classes of
noncommissioned officers and men of the 13th
brigade, R.A., and the Royal Marines, who have
passed through a course of gymnastic exercises. The
whole of the men went through the exerciese (nor
a material portion of their ordinary drill) and ac-
quitted themselves most satisfactorily.

- Her Majesty's steam vessel Monkey, employed
in dockyard purposes at Woolwich, Mr Smithers,
master in command, yesterday embarked Major D.
Sarsfield Greene and 150 non-commissioned officers
and men belonging to the C battery C Brigade
Royal Horse Artillery, to undergo a course of gun.
nery instruction at Shoeburyness. The Monkey
returned to Woolwich by the evening tide, bringing
back to headquarters Major Dickson and No. 2 bat-
tery of the 13th Brigade Royal Artillery, having
terminated their gunnery practice for the season.

DEATH OF MR C. W. DILKE.—Mr Charles W.
Dilke, well known as the proprietor of the Athei
nseum newspaper, died on Wednesday last at his estate,
Alice Holt, near Farnham, in Surrey. Mr Dilke, who was
74 years of age, was father of Sir Charles Dilke, who was
recently created a baronet for his exertions in connection
with horticulture, art, and the Prince Consort. Mr Dilke
purchased the Atha:mum when it had been reduced to a
very low ebb in its literary as well as its financial condition,
under the auspices of Mr James Silk Buckingham. He and
the brilliant staff of writers whom he introduced to the paper
raised it to the position which it now occupies. Mr Dilke
himself did not of late write much, though to the last he
continued to take a deep interest in the journal which, by
his ability and :tact, he had made a flourishing property.
He was himself chiefly known in the literary world for his
intimate acquaintance with the times of Queen Anne.
THE SANITARY STATE OF METROPOLITAN
D for careful attention. The
peZLLleacaNnOdS.—oubNe
doubt
fora
anma
moment that thhatitsthe ai
md p Pr
oevres: na
rarla negZe
ment of the sub-divided dwellings in the metropolis is a
calling
after a severe battle, have
• interments,esanvilistaorfyiqnutresamtiounridlondly
been brought to an end; the main drainage of this great
city is approaching completion ; and in other directions pro-
gress made;
but as regards the dwellings in which
vast at
present forced to reside, the state of
things
been
moata
unsatisfactory, and serves to injure
life and health to an extent which has not been sufficiently
estimated. During a comparatively recent period, the re-
moval of dilapidated and unwholesome dwellings through-
out multitudes
remainsre
out the London district has been enormous in extent ; and
up to the present time the houses provided in lieu have
been quite insufficient, and the result has been, as Aso years
ago stated would be the case necessarily, that great masses
of people aro driven into housca which were never intended
for the use of numerous families. In ono way the demoli-
tion of the dwellings which have given place to the e,,n-
struction of railways and other modern changes, is scarcely
to be regretted, for it was not easy to overestimate the evil
condition of many of them; but the mischief is, that no
sufficient provisions of suitable d wr,llin,7s for the industrious
classes, and otla-,is of loni',ed income, had been made in
their place.—Puil(br.

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