The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-09 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence,

THE NAVY.
The Aurora, 35, 400 horse-power, Captain Sir F.
Leopold M'Clintock, which arrived in the Medway
a few days since, from the westward, for the pur-
pose of taking on board stores, provisions, coals, &c.;
previously to proceeding on a cruise to the North
Sea, has been detained in the river waiting the re-

suit of a court of inquiry which, in accordance with
orders received at Chatham, has assembled by direc-
tion of the Admiralty to ascertain the alleged de-
fects of some portion of her machinery, as well as
the cause for the excessive priming of the boilers.

The court consists of Mr. W. Rumble, chief inspec-
tor of machinery attached to the Chatham Steam
Reserve in the Medway; Mr. W. A. Dinnen, in-
spector of machinery at Devonport, where the
Aurora was fitted out; and Mr. W. Blaxiand, chief
engineer of the steam factory ; Mr. Warren also
attended the court as the representative of Messrs.
Maudslay and Co., the makers of the engine©. It
is probable that the Aurora may be detained for

some days.
The Cornwallis, 60, 200 horse-power, late coast.
guard ship at Hull, has been removed from the
Medway into the steam basin for the purpose of
being dismantled and placed in the third division
of the Chatham Steam Reserve. The officers and
crew belonging to the Cornwallis have been turned
over to the Dauntless, 31,580-horse power, which
will be stationed in the Humber. The Cornwallis

will require some very extensive repairs before she

can again be placed in commission.
The Dauntless, 31, screw steamer, has been re-
moved into No. 1 dock at Sheerness, where she is
making good defects prior to proceeding to succeed
the Cornwallis as guardship at Hull. Since she has

been placed in dock she has undergone a thorough
survey at the hands of the officials, in order to
ascertain if any defects exist, in order that they

may be made good. Her bottom, up to nearly her
load water-line, has been found in an exceedingly
foul state and covered with mussels, barnacles, &c.,
while her discharge pipes are almost choked up.
This circumstance will now account for the low rate
of speed attained by the Dauntless on her passage
round from Southampton to the Medway, and
which, from the high power of the engines, was a
puzzle to all on board. A considerable leak has also
been discovered in the upper body of the frigate,
behind the forward sternpost, and close to the screw
well, the repair of which will detain her in dock
longer than was at first anticipated. It is now
between three and four years since the Dauntless
was in dock, and it is probable that a close inspec-
tion will lead to the discovery of other defects re-

.•
quiring to be made good. Should it be found neces-
sary to disturb the sternposts and screw ahaft to
get at the leak, the Dauntless will be detained in
dock much longer than is at present anticipated.

Her Majesty's gunboat China, Lieut.-Commander
Noel Osborn, recently in th© service of the Chinese
Government, arrived at Woolwich yesterday, 61

days from the Cape of Good Hope. After discharg
log her powder and guns at the Royal Arsenal
the men were paid five months' wages due, and
were granted leave of absence, pending arrange-
ments for their future provision. Her armament
consisted of one 68-poander pivot gun aft, one 32-
pounder Whitworth rifled gun amidships, six 32-
pounder broadsides, and two 12-pounder brass guns.
She also carried two small mountain guns. She
afterwards proceeded to the dockyard to return
stores, the whole of which, it is stated, will be re-
purchased by the War Department and the Admi-
ralty.
Her Majesty's War Department vessel Lord Pan-
mure, H. T. Moore commander, has been launched
from Messrs. Simpson and Co.'s works, Isle of Dogs,
having been thoroughly overhauled on their new
patent slip, Christ Church Works. Her engines
and boilers have been repaired and a new gun
metal stern tube has been fitted to her screw shaft.
Her hull has bean caulked, rivetted, and painted,
and the whole of the work performed in the short
space of ten days. The ship has again sailed from
Woolwich and Purfleet, laden with a cargo of
3,430 barrels of powder, 35 tons of 68-pounder shot,
and 45 tons of other stores, for Portsmouth.
Her Majesty's steam storeship Dee yesterday
arrived at Woolwich, bringing up the screw gun-
vessel Roebuck, the engines of which vessel are
ordered to be removed to the corvette Niger, undor
thorough repair in dock at Woolwich.
The Nile, screw line-of-battle ship, Capt. Barnard,
with Vice-Admiral Sir Alexander Milne, K.C.8.,
late Commander-in-Chief of her Majesty's Naval
Forces in North America and the West Indies, and
family on board, arrived at Spithead from Bermuda
late on Thursday. Yesterday, at eight a.m., she
exchanged the customary salutes with the Vic-
tory, flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir M. Seymour,
K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, and
shortly afterwards Sir A. Milne, accompanied by
his staff and Lady Milne and family, disembarked
from the Nile and landed at the dockyard from the
Fire Queen steam tender, where ho visited Sir
Michael Seymour at the Admiralty House. The
Nile coaled yesterday at Spithead, and will sail
this afternoon for Devonport, where she will be dis-
mantled and paid out of commission. She sailed
from Bermuda on March 17, at which time her
Majesty's ships on the station were the Duncan'
flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Sir S. Hope,
K.C.8., Shannon, Phaeton, Liverpool, Medea, Buz.
zard, Pylades, Greyhound, Nimble, Cygnet, Spit.
fire, Onyx, Netley, and Terror.
The Plover left Bermuda on the 10th ult. for Cuba.
The Royalist was at Port Royal, and the Rosario
at Norfolk, Virginia.
Thirteen navalland marine invalids arrived in the
Nile, with 52 supernumeraries from the fleet ; the
former were sent yesterday to the Naval Hospital
at Haslar, and the latter to her Majesty's ship Vic-
tory, harbour guardship. The following officers also
came home in the Nile—Lieut. Fellowes, Royal
Rngineers ; and Lieuts. Trotter, Millett, and Getty,
39th Regiment, Mr. Harris (son of Capt. R. Harris,
lately commanding her Majesty's ship Britannia),
invalided, and Mr. Gedley, gunner, her Majesty's
ship Greyhound, on promotion ; Mr. Trevor, late
lieutenant of her Majesty's ship Plover (dismissed
the service); and four military prisoners also came
home in the ship. The Nile has bean known among
the ships' crews Raving on the North America and
West India station as a " happy ship," and as such
her crew have been envied by those of other vessels
serving in the same latitudes,
The Scout, 21, screw corvette, Capt. J. Corbett,
sailed from Spithead yesterday afternoon to strip
and pay out of commission.
The testing of two 41 inch armoar plates, one of
English, and one of French manufacture, resulted
in the latter proving the better. It is but just to
observe, however, before referring further to the
trial, that the plate was below the average standard
of quality which has been maintained by its makers,