The Sun.
London, England, 1864-11-01 00:00:00

Naval and Military Illtelligence.

The ironplated iron screw steamship Achilles, 20, Capt.
E. W. Vansittart, left Sheerness or the Nore on Wednes-
day, Oct. 19, and arrived in Plymouth: Sound on Tuesday,
25th. During her passage down Channel she encountered
severe weather, and took shelter in Torbay. This is her first
trip at sea, and being one of an entirety new class of ships
of large dimensions, 6,121 tons, and carrying four masts,
her performance has been watched with considerable inte-
rest. Mr Moore, assistant master shivwright, and Mr
Penny, superintendent of fittings, pone 'Chatham dockyard,
Mr Wigzell, of the firm of Messrs John :Penn and son, who
supplied her engines, and Mr Robins or', from the depart.
ment of the Surveyor of the Navy, were .on board. The re-
results of the trip were not entirely sati sfs.ctory, but this re-
fers chiefly to the difference of speed at the contractor's trial
and in the Channel. The officers speak well of her Bea-going
qualities, and all on board are hopeful that the cause of the
loss of speed under steam will be found. out and remedied.
Oa the 21st, by plunging during a sevelm gale, the Achilles
carried away her jibboom and her whisk :era (two stout spars
projecting at right angles from either 1 )ow). She also took
in several heavy seas at the bow ports, • and it was in conse-
quence determined to run in for Torbay.: Here she arrived
on the 22d, and dropped her starboard anchor, but having
drifted with her full broadside to the wind, the chain, 60
fathoms of which were out, broke, and re course was then
had to the portanchor. Thevessel, however , was kept under
steam all the time she continued in the road stead. On Mon-
day the lost chain was fished up. On ruesd ay morning, the
25th, in weighing the port anchor with: the steam capstan,
it snipped off near the junction of the s haft with the flues,
both of which were left below. The din meter of the shafts
of the anchors of the Achilles is nearly the same from the
ring to the flues. Formerly anchors wer o made with shafts
increasing in their diameter as they approached the flues—
an arrangement which would strength, m what has proved
to be the weakest part of this ship's broken anchor. The
Achilles arrived at Plymouth at 3 30 p.m. on Tuesday,
and having discharged her powder was as deed on Wed•
nesday afternoon by the Medusa, Confia ncs , and Scotia into
Hamoaze. The Medusa, which has engine s of 312 horse
power, went purposely from Sheerness to b a at her service.
On Thursday the Achilles was placed in the south basin of
Keyham steatnyard, where the new hog for scouring the
bottoms of iron ships was tested, under the au, perintendence
of Mr Robinson, from the Admiralty*, -White, hall, by the
help of the ship's diver. This hog is an enormous brush of
birchbroom, about five feet long by th.eee feet broad. Its
back consists of a frame of wood 16 inc hes thick, having
round the edge a groove, into which is itaserted a rope with
iron thimbles attached to each of its for tr sides, to recoive
the guides by which the hog is moved under water. The
system is much practised at Malta. In the present instance
the experiment was net considered very satisfactory. Some
shellfish were brought up, but the b could not detach
those which were oa and near the panda, or projecting

striates of the Aailles. On Saturday sJae was placed in
dock No. 3, or the Queen's dock, recently lengthened to
430 ft. It will be recollected that the ship measures 380 ft
from stem to stern, or 392tt over all. Her draught aft was
26ft Sin, the depth of water in the dock was 28ft. Her en-
gines are of 1,250 horse power nominal, and at the con.
tractor's trial wore worked up to 6,067 horses, in the Chan-
nel 3,200 horse power only could be attained, the pressure
of steam being occasionally ,261 b, and the revolutions 40 per
minute, against 46 on the trial. The speed first attained,
and which at the time gave great satisfaction, was 141- knots,
but during the passage to Plymouth, although an especial
effort was used on one occasion, very little over 10 knots was
produced. Scotch and Welsh coals mixed were used. The
trim of the ship, her great immersion, and the foulness of
the bottom may account for the loss of from 2 to 3 knots,
but what remains puzzles all concerned. After her repairs
in dock the Achilles will be removed into Hamoaze, where
several experiments will be made in reference to her lino of
flotation, centre of gravity, &c,, under,the superintendence
of Mr N. B trnaby, the second assist.-constructor at
Whitehall. At the contractor's trial the ship was 15in. by
the stern—her immersion now is 2ft more, and she has
about 30,000 superficial feet under water. Soon after leav-
ing the Nore it was discovered that she was too much by the
) head, some of her weights were moved af',, and the coal in
the fore bunkers was reduced as speedily as possible. The
armament of her main deck is 16100-pounders smooth-bore
Armstrongs, weighing 61 tons each, and on the upper deck
four 110-pounders. On the passage, when going ahead, the
screw revolved 73,500 times—when backing and performing
other evolutions not accounted for it is calculated that the
revolutions were 26,500, making a total of 100,000. The
screw is considered very powerful. It was occasionally out
of water to a small extent, but the " rest" was not groat,
because the screw is provided with four blades. The
4 chilies dipped very quickly. In a fresh gale there is little
motion ; but she did not answer so well in a rolling sea.
She has been 10 months afloat, chiefly in the Medway, and
it was expected that much weed and quantities of large
shell-fish would have been found on her bottom. When she
got into a rough sea large patches of barnacles were washed
off—some were removed in Keyham basin by the hog, and
as the water was pumped out of the dock the crew, as
usual, cleaned her sides, but as soon as the dock was
dry, and those parts untouched could be surveyed, it
became apparent that no extensive fouling had occurred.
There was comparatively no weed, but she was well
studded with barnacles, upon rough patches of
which muscles of no great size had here and there become
attached ;:the starboard counter was the worst place. On
the blades and boss of her brass screw many barnacles
wore quartered, and this would undoubtedly retard its revo-
lutions. The Achilles was paid over at Chatham with Mr
Hay's composition, which was much rubbed off at her high-
water lines by the stages and floating factories alongside her
for many months after she was undocked. The line of
flotation was, of course, gradually raised as she received her
engines, armament, &o. In addition to this, the several
coatings of red lead applied previously, in November and
December, were scarcely dry enough to receive ♦arnishes
without being further softened ; but in other parts the
composition adheres firmly, especially where it was placed
directly on the iron. The bottom of the ship is, however,
generally speaking, not much corroded. Green's composi-
tion is to be now applied. The crew of the Achilles, all
told, would be about 765 men. On departure from Sheer-
ness she %Vas 180 short of all descriptions ; since she has
been at Plymouth she has obtained 160 men from the
receiving ship, Canopus, 8, Captain Charles H. May,
in Hamoaze. Out of 75 men engaged in the engi-
neer's department 61 only were effective in the stoke-
hole. During the height of the gale 27 stokers were unfit
for work at one time, chiefly through sickness, occa-
sioned by her liveliness. Such an amount of prostration
is very unusual, but may be accounted for chiefly by the
fact that many of the stokers are unseasoned men. The
ship is considered a great credit to the country, her
frame appears to be perfectly firm, she did not give one inch
in the dock, and the engines are in excellent condition. The
fittings of the ship, which were executed at Chatham, are
very satisfactory. The crew are a fine body of men, and well
conducted, By recent Admiralty order a diver is appointed
to every ironclad ship. In consequence of the limited pay
these men are mere divers $ it would seem to be more econo-
mical to increase the pay and thus secure the services of a
class of men capable of stopping a leak or performing other
mechanical duties which might prevent the delay of a ship,
or the necessity of incurring the cost of placing her in dock.
The ironcased screw steamship Research, 4, Capt. Arthur
Wilmshurst, from the Channel squadron, arrived in Ply-
mouth Sound on Sunday afternoon. The Black Prince, the
Prince Consort, and the Defence are expected there to-
morrow.

The Dutch frigate Adolph Hertogvan Nassau, 50, 400
horse power, Capt. tTlmberg, has been placed in the dock
at Sheerness dockyard until recently occupied by the screw
frigate Bristol, 39, 600 horse power, in order to make good
defects and repair damages. The captain and the whole of
the officers of the frigate were entertained at dinner and a
ball on Saturday, at the Admiralty-house, by Vice-Admiral
Sir C. Talbot, commander in chief at the Nore, the
ward room officers at the naval barracks having previously
entertained them. On Thursday Capt. Ulrnberg and the
officers of the Dutch frigate will be the guests of Colonel
Riddell, C. 13 , and the 6flitierta of the Royal Artillery.
The Chesapeake, 39, 2,377 tons, 400 horse power, has been
placed in No. 3 dock at Chatham, where she is to undergo
a thorough repair preparatory to being brought forward for
commission, This fine frigate was one of the last of her class
built at Chatham dockyard, and for the last few ytars she
has bean lying idle in the harbour, attached to the third
division of the Steam Reserve. Her engines and machinery
have been taken out and removed to the factory. The
Chesapeake has been surveyed by the officials connected
with the mlster shipwiight's staff, who have ascertained
that she will require extensive repairs, necessi ating her de-
tention in dock•for a period extending over several months.
The extensive alterations which have been for some time
in progress at the general hospital, Fort Pitt, Chatham, for
the enlargement of that establishment by the erection of
additional buildings for the accommodation of the whole of
the troops of the garrison requiring hospital treatment, hav-
ing been completed the building was yesterday handed over
to the military authorities at the garrison, and a portion of
the patients from the western hospital at once removed into
the new ward. The alterations and additions earried out at
Fort Pitt will enable that building to be used as a hospital
for the entire garrison, and will thus dispense with the ser-
vices
of a separate staff of medical officers at each of the
military hospitals at Chatham. The block of buildings
hitherto used as the garrison hospital, near the inner line of
fortifications, will be vacated by the whole of the patients
to-day, and the hospital converted into quarters for the
troops of the line at the garrison, the numbers of whom
have recently very considerably increased.
Her Majesty's Royal yacht Alberta, Staff Commander
Welch, made a trial of her machinery at Portsmouth yes-
terday.

The Simoom screw troopship was docked yesterday at
Portsmcuth for repairs. Report states that the Admiralty
intend to give the commcmi of this fine old ship to Captain
F. B. Lethbridge, late of the Adventure, 4 very popular
and energetic) officer.

The Urgent screw troopship,Capt. Samuel H. Henderson,
arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from Plymouth Sound,
with Lieut. Irvin and 27 men of the 87th Regiment, and a
company of Royal Engineers of 76 men, with 20 women and
22 children. The detachment of the 87th landed at Ports-
mouth and joined regimental head quarters, and the Royal
Engineers will be landed and sent en to Aldershot this
morning.

The regiments and depots comprising the 3d battalion of
infantry at Chatham garrison have vacated the hut barracks
hitherto occupied exclusively by that battalion, and have
removed to St. Mary's casemated barracks, which were oc-
cupied by the inval d depot until the removal of the latter
to Netley. The barracks at St Mary's have been empty for
nearly two years, during which advantage has been taken
to carry out some important alterations for the health and
comfort of the troops, in accordance with the suggestions of
the Army Sanitary Commissioners. The situation acid gene-
ral arrangement of the barracks are such as to render them
anything but desirable quarters for either officers or men,
and the entire barracks should be taken down and re-erected.
The hut barracks at Brompton will be set apart for tke pre-
sent as quarters for the married non-oommissioned officers
and men of the several depots.

The Lords of the Committee of Council on Education, in
conjunction with the Admiralty and the Institute of Naval
Architects, having determined to establish a school of naval
architecture and marine engineering, it will be formally
opened at South Kensington to-day. Mr Merrifield, F.R.S.,
who has been appointed principal, will deliver an introduc-
tory address. The school is intended for the instruction not
only of Admiralty pupils from the Royal dockyards and
officers of the Royal Navy, but also for the use of naval
architects and shipbuilders in wood and iron, marine engi-
neers, foremen of works, shipwrights, and the public gene-
rally. The Admiralty have deposited their collection of
naval models at the Museum, and have issued an invitation
to private shipbuilders to afford their assistance in render-
ing the collection more complete. It is intended that di-
plomas shall be given to all persons, whether they have
receive their instruction at the school or not, who pass the
final examination of the school, provided that they give
satisfactory evidence of having gone through the course of
practical work recommended by the Council of the Insti-
tute of Naval Architects. These diplomas will be of two
grades, according to the success of the candidate in the ex-
amination, the title of the higher grades being Fellows, and
of the lower, Graduates of the Royal School of Naval Ar-
chitecture. Certificates for success in special subjects, and
prizes also, will be given to the students. The school will
have a session at S ,uth Kensington from tvesaber to
April, and when the school is not open artaments will
be made, if possible, for study in the Roya' iikyards and
in private yards. The Rev. Joseph Woolley; LL.D., of St.
John's College, Cambridge, Principal of, the School of Naval
Architecture at Portsmouth, has been appointed, with the
concurrence of the Admiralty, Inspector General and Di-
rector of Studies. Mr C. W. Merrifield, F.R.S., Principal,
and Mr 11. J. Purkiss, 8.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge,
Vice-Prineipal.

REPORTED DEFEAT OF LONGSTREET.—MAN-
CHESTER, OCT. 29. —The following telegram has been re-
ceived here :—"New York, Oct. 21.—Sheridan defeated
Longstreet on the 19th inst. near Strasburg, capturing 50
guns, including 20 lost early in the Ongagewent,".