The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-30 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence,

The Forte, 39, screw frigate, which has just returned to
Sheerness to pay off, after an absence from England of over
four years, was commissioned at that port January 28,
1860, by Capt. Edward W. Turnour as the flagship of Rear-
Admiral the Hon. Sir Henry Keppel, K.C.8., on the Cape
of Good Hope and West Coast of Africa station. She sailed
from England on 30th of April following, and on the 22d of
September was in Table Bay. She arrived at the Mauritius
on the Bth of November, and sailed again on the 24th for
Madebourg, on the south-east coast, returning to Simon's
Bay Dec. 15. She left Simon's Bay Jan. 2, 1861, for a tour
on the West Coast and for Ascension. Admiral Keppel
transferred his flag to the Emerald in June and sailed for
England, when Admiral Warren succeeded to the com-
mand of the station, with Capt. Thomas Saumarez as his
flag captain. The Forte put to sea on the 10th of July, was
at Montevideo on the 31st, and remained cruising, In Octo-
ber, 1862, she proceeded to Palmas Bay, with the Brazilian
Minister and Attache on board, and returned to Rio on the
24th Nov., and Capt. Saumarez was superseded at his own
request by Capt. Arthur Mellersh shortly afterwards. After
further cruising at Rio Janeiro, River Plate, Montevideo,
and the Falkland Islands, the Forte called at Bahia on the
12th of July, and Fayal on the 9th of August. She had a
succession of light winds and fine weather until entering the
Channel, when she expetienced a strong easterly gale. She
arrived at Portsmouth on the 26th, and left on the evening
of the 27th for Sheerness, at which port she is to be paid off.
The War Department transport Petrel left Chatham yes-
terday to receive the powder and shell from the Forte, 39,
and place the ammunition in store at the magazines,
Upnor Castle.
It is the intention of the Lords of the Admiralty that the
Ariadne, 26, screw steam frigate, 3,214 tans, 800 horse
power, now lying in Sheerness harbour, and in the third
division of the steam reserve, shall be taken to Chatham
Dockyard as soon as convenient, to be brought forward for
the first-class steam reserve.

The Hood, 79, screw steamship, 3,303 tons, 600-horse
power, having been four years and a half in the third divi-
sion of the Sheerness steam reserve, steam was yesterday
got up at her moorings to test the condition of her boilers.
The trial was satisfactory, and every part was found right
and sound,

The Recruit, 6, iron paddlewheel vessel, 593 tons, 160-
horse power, has been taken out of dock in Sheerness yard
to moorings in the harbour to wait Admiralty orders. It is
rumoured that she is to be employed in the protection of
the Scottish fisheries in the place of the Jackal.
The Babilisk, 7, paddlewheel sloop, 1,031 tons, 400-horse
power, which has been repaired at Deptford Dockyard, is
ordered to be conveyed to Sheerness, to be fitted for the
first-class steam reserve at that place.
The first instalment of the naval 100-pounder 6i-ton
smooth-bore wrought iron gun arrived at Chatham yester-
day, from the Royal gun factory, Woolwich, in the War
Department transport Bomarsund, Mr Spicer, master, which
went alongside the Ordnance-wharf to await orders from the
War-office as to the landing of the guns. According to ar-
rangements previously made, the guns were intended for
shipment on board the ironclad frigate Achilles, 6,121 tons,
1,250-horse power, which is to be armed exclusively with
the 100-pounders; but, in consequence of that vessel not
being ready to receive them for some days to come, the gnus
were yesterday unshipped from the Bomarsund, and landed
at the gun-wharf to prevent the transport being unneces-
sarily detained, In consequence of this misunderstanding
between the Naval and War Department authorities the
guns, after being landed at the Ordnance-wharf, will
be reshipped in the course of a few days and
conveyed down the harbour to the Achilles, this
arrangement—or, more properly speaking, want of ar-
rangement—entailing additional labour and responsibi-
lity on the part of the War-office officials at Chatham. The
Bomarsund also brought a number of gun-carriages and
other stores, and these, as well as the 100 pounders, were
landed by means of No. 7 crane, the steam cranes erected
at the gun-wharf not being used on this occasion to land
guns of the weight of the 100 pounders. The Bomarsund
will proceed from Chatham to the Nore this morning, for
the purpose of receiving the guns from the screw steam fri-
gate Forte.
Yesterday Capt. F. S. Tremlett, of :the Impregnable, 78,
inspector of training ships, commenced his half-yearly in-
spection of the boys and lads serving on board the training
ship Wellesley, 72, Capt. W. H. Stewart, C. 8., in Chatham
harbour, in which duty he will be engaged until this after-
noon. During his visit yesterday Capt. Tremlett inspected
the various portions of the vessel, and witnessed the boys
and lads go through their gun drill and the various other
duties connected with seamanship, in the whole of which
they exhibited great smartness and efficiency.
The Helicon, paddle despatch vessel, building at Ports-
mouth, is receiving her outer skin of longitudinal plankings
and is expected to be launched in about two a.onths time.
The Helicon was laid down on the same lines as the En-
chantress, Admiralty yacht, and will also be propelled by a
similar amount and description of engine power and paddle-
wheel. Since the accession of Mr E. J. Reed to the office of
Chief Constructor of the Navy, the Helicon's frame has
been taken down to abaft her midship section and a new
forebody given to her on that gentleman's plan, by which
the U form of the midship section is oarried well forward,
so that the vessel under the full pressure of her engines,
may, so to speak, tread the water under her forefoot, in lieu
of burying her nose lin every sea she meets, as ordinarily
the fashion with:Admiralty designed steam vessels of the
Helium and Enchantress class. The teal of the Helicon
under steam when launched will afford, by a careful com-
parison with the result of the Enchantress's trial, a fair
criterion of the merits, if any, possessed by this U form of
forebody now advocated by Mr Reed over the hollow bow
system previously in vogue at Whitehall.
The Royal Alfred, screw frigate, on the north building
slip of Portsmouth dockyard, is having a topgallant fore-
castle fitted to her. She is expected to be launched about
Oct. 15, when she will be docked and armour cased.
The operation of testing the two locomotive steam cranes
which have been constructed for use on the dockyard
extension works at St. Mary's Island, Chatham, was under-
taken yesterday, when each crane was tested by weights,
gradually increased up to 16 tons, or about double that
which they will be required to raise in ordinary use, both
cranes bearing the trials satisfactorily.
A body of workmen are now busily employed in demolish-
ing the house erected a few years since at the western end
of Chatham dockyard for the official residence of the master
ropemaker at that establishment, the ground on which the
premises stand, as well as a portion of the dockyard, being
required to be taken in for the enlargement of the Royal
Marine Barracks, that part of the dockyard being the site
selected by the Admiralty on which a commodious range of
buildings for officers' quarters will be erected.
A garrison court martial, under the presidency of Lieut••
Col J. R. Gibbon, C. 8., 4th Division Depot Brigade Royal
Artillery, which assembled last week at Woolwich for the
trial of the 10 soldiers implicated in the recent robberies at
the Government clothing establishment in that garrison,
have found nine of the prisoners guilty, and have discharged
the tenth, namely, the gunner Lindsay, who was acquitted.
The sentence of the court martial was yesterday read in the
eastern range of the barracks, in which it was announced
that the nine prisoners were condemned to various terms of
imprisonment and hard labour, as follows—one to 56 days,
four to 84 days, and four to 112 days.
The erection of a couple of elegant painted glass memorial