The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-05 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The iron screw steamship Black Prince, 41, Capt. Lord
Frederick 11. Kerr, and the ironcased screw steamship
Prince Consort, 35, Capt. George 0. Willes, C. 8., went
on Thursday from Plymouth Sound into Hamoazo to repair
and refit.

The screw corvette Cadmus, 21, 400 horse power, is still
in the hands of the engineer department at Chatham-dock-
yard, in consequence of its having been found necessary to
furnish her boilers with new tubes. This will detain her
about three weeks longer before she is fit to go into the
Steam Reserve. Her Griffith propeller has also been un-
shipped, in order that some alterations may bo made in her
screw, the working of which on the occasion of her recent
trial by the officials of the Steam Reserve proved exceed-
ingly unsatisfactory.
The screw corvette Scout, 21,1,462 tons, 400 horse power,
fitting for the first division of the Chatham Steam Reserve,
has been selected by the Admiralty to hate her midship
sides protected by means of chain cable, on a plan similar
to that adopted by the American frigate Kearsage when in
action with the Alabama. For this purpose, the corvette
is to be fitted with eye-bolts for the chains in tho wake of
her engines, and the necessary arrangements for carrying
out the plan are to be made by the dockyard authorities,
who are superintending the fittings on board the Scout.
The Austrian screw steam-frigate Radetzky, 31, Capt. E.
Bary, left Plymouth Sound on Thursday for Cadiz.

The announcement of the appointment of Mr A. Moore,
principal assistant-master shipbuilder at Chatham dockyard
to be acting master shipwright at Devonport, previously to
his being confirmed in that office, was made at Chatham
yesterday, and was received with very general satisfaction.
The name of his successor as assistant master shipwright at
Chatham, has not yet been announced.
On Thursday night about 10 o'clock a fatal accident Ns-
cured on board her Majesty's ship Supply, Staff Comman-
der Bawden, in dock at Woolwich. A corporal of marines,
named David Buchanan, on duty on board the Supply, after
having gone the rounds with the officer in charge for the
night, left the lower deck with a lantern in his hand with
the intention, it is supposed, of getting a drink of water in
from the cooking galley in the forecastle. An able seaman
and a lad who were walking the deck perceived the man go
into the galley, but instead of doing so by either the port or
starboard doorway he was seen to force himself through an
aperture cut in the after part of the galley, and which is
about 4ft Gin wide, used with benefit for the purpose of van-
tilation in warm climates. A very short time elapsed when

the unfortunate man was seen to make his appearance out
s'de the galley without his lantern, and to fall head fore
most into:the bold, a depth of 19ft. One of the boilers had
been removed for repair, and the hold had been carelessly
left unguarded, a mere ledge of timber about 18in broad re •
maining between it and the cookhouse on the main deck,
and from which he fell over. Assistance was promptly given
and the sufferer was removed on a stretcher to the Royal
Naval Infirmary. He was carefully attended by Dr Salmon,
Deputy Inspector General of Hospitals, and Dr Campbell,
who pronounced the case hopeless. Besides various other
injuries, the poor fellow had sustained a frightful wound at
the back of his head sufficient to cause death, which hap-
pened at 2 a.m. yesterday. lie was a steady, temperate man
and of good character.
Col. Knox, C. 8., who has for some time commanded the
9th Depot Battalion at the camp at Colchester, is about to
leave England for an important command in Japan. The
testimonial to the gallant colonel from the officers of the 9th
Depot Battalion, to which allueion,was made on Wednes-
day, has been presented.
The Deputy-Adjt- General Col, G. Gambier, by order of
the Duke of Cambridge, K.G., has issued the following
memorandum, addressed to the officers of the Royal Artil-
lery :—" Several officers of the Royal Artillery having ex-
pressed a wish to subscribe towards placing in the head gar-
rison church at Woolwich a memorial window for the late
General Sir R. W. Gardiner, G.C.8,, K.C.H., his Royal
Highness the Field-Marshal Commanding in chief has been
pleased to sanction such a subscription, with a distinct un-
derstanding that it shall be purely voluntary." A subscrip-
tion list for the above purpose will be opened by Messrs.
Cox and Co., and such officers as may be desirous of con-
tributing to the fund are requested to authorise those gentle-
men to add their names to the list, with the amount of their
subscriptions.
The following appointments have been made at the Ad-
miralty :—Lieut. G. D. Henderson to the Asia—Lieut. A.
J. Collins, of the Excellent, to the Cambridge, for gunnery
duties, vice Stanley—A. J. Burniston, master, to the Cum-
breland, for the Scout—Fred. J. W. Passy, midshipman, to
the Duncan—A. A. C. Parr, Wm. Doraville, Jasper E. T.
Nicolls, W. C. Alexander, Wm. H. May, C. Sherard, and
Alan Howard, midshipmen, to the Victoria—M. W. Hall,
P. Warburton, Hon. Bothwell J. B. Willoughby, George
R. Lindley, Francis E. Chesney, Ed ward J. Murdoch, and
Horace Adams, naval cadets, to the Victoria—Edmund B.
Vankoughmet, Richard Watt, Louis Hawkins, and George
Hector, naval cadets, to the Duncan— F. Buckley, naval
instructor, to the Victoria—Wm. Roche (b), assist-sing.,
to the Victoria—J no. Pringle, acting assist.-surg., to the
Victoria—Thos. Pullinger, assist. paymaster, to the Asia—
Arthur M'Wade, assist. paymaster in charge, to the Espoir
—Wm. Pearce and E. F. Eming, master's assist, to the
Victoria—C. E. Ingram, master's assist., to the Espoir—
T. Winterbottom, assist. clerk, to the Espoir—W. Buchan,
chief engineer, to the Asia, for the Warrior when paid oft—
Juo. Simons, promoted to acting engineer for temporary
service—W, E. B!ackburn, assist, engineer, to the Hector—
, T. Punnett, assist, engineer, to the Asia for the War.
ior—W, G, I\l‘Burney, in Gladiator, canfirmed as 2d class
assist engineer.

Stranding of Her Majesty's Ship Ringdove.

COURT.MARTIAL ON OFFICERS AND CREW

On the re-assembling of the Court yesterday the follow-
ing evidence was adduced :

Robert Gilpin, master of the Ringdove, said he was put
in the sick list on the evening of the 17th of last May.
After that he did not continue to keep the ship's reckoning.
Ho told the captain he would assist and do as much as he
was able. He last laid down the ship's position on the
chart at noon on the 18th. Ho marked her position on the
chart, but he made no reckoning that day. He marked her
position from observations given him by other people. He
had taken sights that morning at eight, but was too ill to
work them. At six o'clock on the ISth he particularly
requested that the course might be altered to SE , to stand
in and take soundings on the bank. The commander for a
long time was disinclined to do it. He spoke of the dan-
gerous coast, and the prevailing current, which was very
uncertain and very rapid, and said the exact position should
be obtained, if possible, before dark. At my suggestion the
course was altered about 6 o'clock. I then left the deck,
and I was very ill afterwards and unable to shape the
course for the night or to give any advice.
By the Court—When I was on deck about half past
seven the vessel was stopped, and I heard the commander
say, " If I don't get soundings I shall stand on for the
night;" but I was too ill to attend to anything. I went
to sleep, and have no recollection of waking again until
the morning when she struck. I did impress upon the
captain the necessity of making soundings to ascertain the
true position of the ship more a dez en times between four
and six o'clock. I did see the land on the morning of the
18th between eight and nine o'clock, and we stood on for
the land till half-past 12, when it was clearly in sight. Had
no recollection of taking bearings of the lend, and was not
aware that they were taken. Did recognise the land. Hid
no doubt as to the regularity of the chronometers under my
charge. Had only been on board the ship about a fortnight,
having been in hospital at Hong Kong for three weeks.
Had opportunities of rating the chronometers after to the
ship. On the morning of the 12th took 21 sights, the en•
tries of which were contained in the book produced. The
result of those sights were quite satisfactory. Had taken
every opportunity to comet the variations of the compass
between Hong Kong and the time I went on the sick list.
It was not the custom to state how those variations arose in
the log-book.
The President—Have you any reason to doubt the cor-
rectness of the chart you were sailing by P—No,
How do you account for the ship striking on that shoal,
when, according to the reckoning, she ought to have been
ten or 15 miles off had made an allowance of ten or twelve
miles for a current setting to the eastward before making
the land, on account of knowing the very strong currents
of the coast and the irregularity cf their setting in. I
told the captair, when I wished him to alter the course
south-eas', that I was not positive of the ship's position
within 10 or 12 miles, and entreated him to strike the bank
for soundings, where the exact position of the vessel could
Le ascertained before dark. This took place when looking
at the chart a little before 6 o'clock. I found my impression
of an easterly current running to the extent I have named
was not correct, I had no opportunity of ascertaining the
set of the current and its extent. I believe there was no
current. I had only taken the precaution to make the land.
I did not consider there was danger attending the persever-
ance in the south-east course until wo could obtain sound-
ings, supposing the soundings were taken every hour.
Knowing our latitude at noon, and approximately at dark,
by steering for the land, we could have ascertained her posi-

tion exactly by soundings when we got on the bank. No
ordinary current that might have been running would have
rendered such a course dangerous. There was no reason to
anticipate danger from the Collingwood shoal by pursuing
such a course. There is no other shoal which would have been
dangerous under such circumstances. I consider I was not
doing duty after the ship struck only assisting, by answering
any question put to me or giving any information. I believe
the sights I took on the morning of the 18th were worked
out by Lieut. Arundeli. I never thought of the sight when
the ship's position was ascertained at noon—the latitude had
been observed, it was a beautiful clew: day, land was fairly
in sight, cross•bearings might have been taken at any mo-
ment, and soundings got on the bank to correct any errors.
I was in my cot at the time. The latitude and longitude by
which we laid down our position on the chart that day were
the observed latitude and longitude, to the best of my
knowledge. I worked no sights, I was told the latitude and
longitude, and I put it down. I was anxious to see how
far we had gone south, and that we were clear of shoals. I
did not think about soundings till 4 o'clock, and then I
spoke to the captain about it. His reason for not taking
them then was that he did not like losing so much time. I
answered that two hours was nothing where the safety of the
ship was concerned. I did not point out to the captain that

if the observations were correct we must have been in sound-
ings from noon until 6 p m. At 12 30 I said to the captain
—" We may as well alter course, and steer SW. lam not
sufficiently acquainted with that part of the coast to know
the headland and remarkable points, and am not aware of
any of the officers being so. Cross-bearings can be taken
with certainty by persons not acquainted with the coast;
the land is very remarkable." Had no doubt as to the cor-
rectness of the ship's position at noon. I never thought of
it on account of the latitude, and knowing the exact position
could be taken at any moment on the bank. It is usual,
after being out of sight of land for some days, to verify the
observations by bearings of the land and sounding, if to
be obtained, &c. I should have done so if I had been able
to move about, but I was suffering very much from dysen-
tery, and had little thought beyond myself atter the latitude
had been taken, and the exact position could be depended
upon by soundings or cross-bearings. I did not keep the
chronometer journal from the time of leaving Hong-Bong ;
I save it to the second master to keep. It was my practice
to examine that journal daily, but I cannot say whether I
did so. I either wound, or saw the chronometers wound,
daily up to the time of going upon the sick list. Tho ship
was at Hong-Kong for about a fortnight ; and as we were
only going for a four days' passage we went to sea without
having obtained fresh rates for the chronometers. The chro-
nometer " A," upon which I depended, was rated as gaining
three seconds a day. From subsequent observations I have
no reason to believe that rate was au erroneous one.

If the entries made between May 23 and June 7 in the chro-
nometer journal show the rate to be losing instead of gain-
ing I cannot say whether the Court ;_s to infer that they are
incorrect. I was not on board, but the chronometers might
have altered wonderfully coming from Shanghae, where it
was very cold, and getting into warmer weather-1 found
the chronomers always gaining. I cannot say whether the
position marked in the chart is that I gave to the captain
as the position of the ship at noon on the 18th. To the best
of my knowledge it is. I did not say the captain refused to
stand in to strike the bank, I only strongly recommended
him to do so. I did not work any ieckOning. I was merely
doing my best in giving information. I can account for the
difference of a minute in the chronometer A, as shown in
my work and the chronometer journal. When the ship was
on the reef Mr Jackson remarked that the chronometers had
very much altered their rates, and had been jumping about
a great deal. When the land was observed I had given up
all responsibility of taking charge or doing anything at all,
Mr Gilpin was cross-examined by Commander Brown
and Mr Jackson at some length; but nothing material was
elicited tending to contradict the evidence in chief.
Mr Jackson was examined, also the quartermaster on
duty when the ship struck, and the men on the look out.
These men said they had been cautioned that night to look
out for rocks and shoals and broken water ; thot they saw
nothing until the ship struck. At daylight the rock was
visible for about a mile ; and was from two to four feet
above water. _ _ .

The Assistant Surgeon proved that on the night the ship
struck Mr Gilpin, the master, was on the sick list horn
dysentery, and that be administered morphia. He was
unfit for duty.

This closed the prosecution.
The Court asked the commander, master, and second
master if they wished to make any additional statements,
or if they required time.
The reply was in the negative.
Testimonials were then read, produced by Commander
Brown and Mr Gilpin. _ _ _

PORTSMOUTH, Friday.

The Court-martiial closed this evening, when the com-
mander was reprimanded, and ordered to be more careful
in future. The master was admonished for not having
ascertained the proper state of the chronometers before
leaving Hong Kong.