The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-09 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

Rear-Admiral Sir Jas. Hope, K,C.8., the future Com-
mander-in-Chief in the North American and West Indian
waters, yesterday hoisted his flag at Portsmouth on board
his flagship, the Duncan, 81 gun screw liner, The usual
honorary salutes were exchanged with the Victory, the
flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, G.C.13,,
Port Admiral and Commander-in-Chief of the district.
A naval court•martial, consisting of Captains J. Sec
combo (President), H. W. Hire, and R. Gibson, and Com-
_

Taanders Phelps and Curme, assembled yesterday on board
her Majesty's ship Victory, at Portsmouth, for the trial of
Joseph Lowth, a private, Royal Marines, lately serving in
her Majesty's ship Queen, on charges of desertion and a
fraudulent misapplication of mess money. The Court
found the charges proved, and sentenced the prisoner to
12 months' imprisonment with hard labour.
The Lyra, 9-gun screw sloop, Commander Parr, went
out at Portsmouth harbour yesterday, and anchored at Spit.
head, where she took in her ammunition for sea. To-day,
weather permitting, she will be tried at the measured mile
in Stokes Bay, and if the results prove satisfactory will
then be reported ready to proceed on foreign service.
The Victoria, semi three-decker, 107 guns and 1,000
horse power of engines, is ordered to be brought down
Portsmouth harbour and fitted out for commission. It is
stated that she has been selected by the Admiralty to re-

...
lieve the Marlborough, three-decker flagship of the Admiral
Commanding-in-Chief on the Mediterranean station.

The: Fox, screw storeship, went into Portsmouth harbour
yesterday, with a cargo of machinery from Woolwich.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel sloop Hecate, Captain G. H.
Richards, ordered home from the Pacific, yesterday went
up to Woolwich dockyard from Greenhithe, and berthed
alongside the Salsette hulk, where she commenced discharg-
ing her powder preparatory to the Commodore's inspection,
previously to her being paid out of commission. The Hecate
was commissioned at Woolwich on the Ist of September,
1860, and she has consequently been absent three years and
four months. On her arrival yesterday at noon and until
sunset the offing in the river presented a most animated ap •
pearance, from the number of shore boats laden with the
wives, families, and friends of the ship's company who
awaited her arrival off the dockyard.
The War Department screw steamer Balaklava,Mr. Pellet
master commander, yesterday went down the river from
Woolwich Arsenal on an engineer's trial after repairs. The
trial was in all respects satisfactory. She had previously
shipped a portion of her cargo, consisting of 100 pounder
Armstrong shot and some 7 inch shot, for Portsmouth, for
the purpose of carrying out experiments on board the gun-
nery ship Excellent with Commander Scott's new gun.
During the last few days a considerable quantity of angle
and plate iron, chiefly from the Consett Ironworks, has ar-
rived at Chatham dockyard and landed at the Anchor wharf,
to be used in the construction of the iron frigate Bellero-
phon. In accordance with the instructions from the Admi-
ralty the most rigid examination of every bar and plate of
iron received at the dockyard is made by the officials ap-
pointed to thAt duty, after which the iron undergoes the
usual tests at the hydraulic testing house in the dockyard,
the Lords of the Admiralty having given directions for the
Bellerophon to be constructed of the best description of iron
it is possible to procure. Most of the iron recently received
at Chatham has proved to be most excellent, the variety of
tests to which it has been subjected failing to detect a flaw.
On the other hand, however, some of the angle and plate
iron has turned out to be very inferior, and the whole of
this has been unceremoniously rejected, and returned to
the contractor.
The Wizard, screw steam gunboat, 60-horse power, at-
tached to the first division of the Sheerness steam reserve

squadron, was taken up from Sheerness harbour for a pre-
liminary trial of her machinery, &c., at the measured mile
off Maplin Sands, on Thursday, previous to being commis-
sioned for service on the West Coast of Africa. Au average
speed of 8 knots an hour was attained, and the trial was
considered altogether very satisfactory.

The appointment of Masters-Attendant and Queen's Har-
bour master at Chatham has become vacant by the resigna-
tion of Commander C. Pope, who has held that post for
upwards of 10 years. It is probable that the vacant office
will be filled by one of the masters-attendant now stationed
at Sheerness Dockyard. It was yesterday announced that
some further changes will shortly take place among the
officials connected with the naval establishments by the re-
tirement of some of the heads of departments now doing
duty at Chatham Dockyard.
The Bombay, 67, 2,782 tons, 400-horse power, fitting on
No. 3 dry dock at Chatham as an admiral's flagship, has
still about two months' more work to be completed on board
before she will be ready for undocking. Additional cabins'
and offices are being fitted on the upper deck for the admire.
and his suite, and extra cabins placed on the main deck
The topmasts and topgallant masts ale in their place, but
the present severe weather has been very much against the
expeditious rigging of the ship. The Bombay is in good
condition, and the repairs requisite to fit her for the service
on which she will be engaged aro very trifling. She was
built at Bombay, where the Calcutta was also constructed,
and was converted at Chatham a few years since to a screw
steamer. The present will be her maiden cruise.
On Wednesday an accident happened to a party of work-
men employed on board the Irresistible, 80, screw steam
line-of-battle ship, being brought forward in dry dock at
Sheerness for Coastguard service. It appears that the men
were working in the screw aperture, and had made fast a
staging with ropes to a "curling" or wooden beam over-
head. They required, however, to shift the stage, and the
second time made it fast to one of the steps used in getting
down the aperture to the propeller of the vessel. While
four men were on the vessel inspecting the caulking pre-
vious to commencing to " pay " that portion of the verso
the iron bolt which secured the stage broke, and the meni
were precipitated to the bottom of the dock, a distance of
about 27ft. A second stage just below broke the violence
of the fall, and most probably preserved some, if not all, of
their lives, but as it was George Brisley, caulker, received
two large scalp wounds; —Vandepur, inspector of caulkers,
suffered several abrasions of the skin, and was much shaken ;
George Dace, caulker, sustained severe injury to his back,
and John Hughes, labourer, was hurt in the hands and
knees. The Q•euse of the iron bolt snapping is supposed to