The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-06 00:00:00

THE NAVY.
In order to hasten the construction of the Lord Warden,
the first of Mr. Reed's armour plated wooden frigates, now
in frame at Chatham Dockyard, the Lords of the Admiralty
propose to give the hands employed on her what is termed
"encouragement money," with a view of inducing extra
exertions on the part of the workmen. A similar plan was
adopted at Chatham Dockyard in the construction of the
Royal Oak, ironclad frigate, which was built, launched,
fully equipped in men and stores, and sent to sea from
Chatham, all within 18 months. At present there are com-
paratively a small number of hands employed on the Lord
Warden, nevertheless very considerable progress has been
made ia the work of putting the vessel in frame. As soon,
however, as the mechanics are released from the iron frigate
Achilles, the total number of mechanics who will be em-
ployed on the Lord Warden will be upwards of 1,000, and
hopes are confinently expressed that she will be completed
and ready for launching before the end of the present year.
Considering the vast resources now possessed by Chatham
as an iron ship building yard, there is no reason for doubt-
ing that the wishes of the Admiralty with regard to the
completion of the Lord Warden by an early day will be
fulfilled. Several hundred tons of the siin. and 41in. armour
plates for this frigate have arrived at the dockyard, and
yesterday the workmen finished landing :70 tons of plates
sent in by the Atlas Steel and Iron Works. The plates,
as soon as landed at the dockyard, are placed beneath
the sheds erected for their reception, care being taken that
they receive no injury from any lengthened exposure to the
weather.
By orders from the Admiralty her Majesty's screw steam
ship Irresistible, 68 guns, 400 horse power, which has re-
cently been fitted at Sheerness, has been commissioned as
coastguard vessel for service at Southampton in the place
of the Dauntless, 31 guns, 600 horse power. Captain H.
Dickson, the officers, and crew of the Dauntless have been
transferred to the Irresistible, and will shortly proceed to
their station.
The Dauntless, 31 guns, has been taken into No. 3 dock
in Sheerness Dockyard to have her bottom cleaned, to refit
for service as coastguard ship on the Humber, in the place
of the Cornwallis, 60 guns, 200 horse power power. Capt.
J. W. Strange, of the Cornwallis, will hoist his pendant on
board the Dauntless, and the officers and crew of the Corn-
wallis will be transferred. The Cornwallis will be put out
of commission, and be placed on the third division of the
Sheerness steam reserve. _ _

The Aurora, 35, screw steamship, 2,558 tons, 400 horse
power, Captain Sir F. L. M'Clintock, which was recently
ordered to the Baltic, but has been waiting orders at Leith,
arrived at Sheerness on Saturday last. She has been taken
into dock at Sheerness to refit and receive stores.

The War Department screw steamship Balaclava, from
Woolwich, which arrived at Devonport on Monday, left
again on Tuesday to return to Woolwich.
The paddlewheel ate -trasloop Gladiator, 8, went yesterday
from Hamoaze into Plymouth Sound, where she received
her powder and ammunition.
The gunboat Pekin, Commander Burgoyne, 104 days
from Shanghai, arrived at Woolwich yesterday morning,
and discharged her'ammunition at the powder buoy off the
Royal Arsenal. She afterwards went alongside the pier
and landed her guns, 10 in number—namely, one 68
pounder, one 32 pounder, Whitworth rifle gun, six 32
pounders, smooth bores, and two 1 pounder Whitworth
mountain guns. Her crew were afterwards paid down, and
were granted leave of absence to visit their friends. The
Pekin is ordered to Woolwich dockyard to. morrow to strip
and return stores. She is the first of the expeditionary gun-
boat fleet fitted out for the Chinese service, which has
reached harbour, but she will be immediately followed by
the China and the Tien-Tsing reported yesterday in the
Channel, and which sailed from the Cape seven days in ad-
vance of the Pekin,
The hired transport Nexo, from the lonian Islands, laden
with 227 tons of war stores, yesterday commenced discharg-
ing at 'Woolwich Arsenal. The Nexo will be shortly fol-
lowed by 10 other transports laden with similar cargoes—
namely, the Morning Star, the Veranda, the Bellona, the
Hun, the Tanaro, the Werterbottom, the Odin, the Transit,
the Ann Dunn, and the Viandra.
The Maxwell transport, laden with war stores from Wool-
wich for New Zealand, yes' erday shipped 70 tons of powder
off Gravesend, and will sail to-day for her destination.
The Dagmar, 18, Danish screw steam corvette, has been
coaling in Harwich harbour during the last few days. The
Dagmar is one of the Danish fleet which has been cruising
in the Noith Sea, and she has msde several captures since
the outbreak of hostilities between Denmark and the Ger-
man Powers.
The Lords of the Admiralty have sanctioned an expend!.

ture of between £16,000 and £17,000 for new machinery at
Chatham Dockyard, the whole of which is to be forthwith
erected. The new machinery ordered includes a hydraulic
press of a new description and of a size larger than any now
in use at either of the Royal dockyards, for bending the
6-inch and other iron-plates intended for the Bellero-
phon and Lord Warden iron-cased frigates. £l,OOO is also
to be expended in the erection of six additional overhead
travellers beneath those sheds where the iron vessels are to
be built, to be used in armour-plating the ships. They have
also decided on laying out £lO,OOO in the erection of new
and improved spinning and other machines in the ropemak-
ing establishment at Chatham Dockyard, where the largest
cables are now manufactured by steam.
Mr. Hayes, Admiralty chemist, has received directions to
attend at Chatham Dockyard, for the purpose of superin-
tending the operation of preparing his anti-fouling compo •
sition for the bottoms of those iron vessels to which it is to
be applied.
Staff-Surg, R. T. Scott, M.D., has been appointed sur-
rean for service in Sheerness Dockyard, vice Deputy-
Inspector-Gen. of Hospitals Alexander ,Cross, M.D., who
retires on promotion.
The following appointment was made yesterday at the
Admiralty.:—James H. Lawrence, master, to the Irresis-
tible.