The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-25 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Duke of Somerset, First Lord of the
Admiralty, together with the other members of the
Board whose pressing duties did not require their
return to the Admiralty on Tuesday evening, re-
sumed and brought to a termination their official
inspection at Chatham yesterday. As already
stated in The Sun, the boisterous state of the wea-
weather and the heavy rain which swept across the
harbour on Tuesday morning prevented them land-
ing from their steam yacht, the Eachantress, Staff-
Commander J. E. Petley, and visiting the extension
works at St. Mary's Island, where preparations had
been made for receiving the Duke of Somerset and
the other members of the Board, and conducting
them over the island. Late in the afternoon, how-
ever, the wind having fallen, it was determined to
visit the island. Accordingly, on the completion
of their round of inspection of the dockyard, hospi-
tals, Royal Marine barracks, and the other naval
establishments, their lordships proceeded to the ex-
tension works, which were reached from the east
or land side of the dockyard. In consequence of
the lateness of the hour at which the visit was made,
Mr Bernays, under whose superintendence the
whole of the works are being carried cut, had left
the island, and the dirty of conducting their lord•
ships over the sites of the docks, basins, and other
undertakings devolved upon the officials connected
with the department of works at the dockyard. The
present area of the dockyard, with its factories,
workshops, wet and dry docks, and building slips
is exactly 98 acres, bat on the whole of the exten-
sion works now in progress being completed the
new dockyard will cover an area of 400 acres,
upwards of 100 acres being occupied by the basins,
docks, and locks which are now in course of for-
mation, while from 15 to 20 acres will be
covered by factories, workshops, and other build-
ings. In the formation of the basins advantage
has been taken of St. Mary's creek, which bisects
the island almost due east and west. It is this
creek which will form the site of the new docks, &c.
en the Works connected with which 1,000 convicts
have been daily employed for some three years past.
The portion of the undertaking which has claimed
the greatest amount of attention, and in the inspec
tion of which their lordships were chiefly occupied,
is the formation of the first of the three basins,
which covers an area of 221 acres. Already con-
siderable progress has been made in this work in
order that it may, if possible, be ready for receiv-
ing some of the vessels now under construction at
the dockyard as soon as they are launched. Five
large graving docks, three of which will be 500 feet
in length each, and two of 400 feet, will communi-
cate with this basin, the entrance to which will be
by a lock at that part of the harbour exactly facing
Upnor Castle. The centre basin will have an area
of 201 acres, and the largest of the three basins will
cover a space of 28 acres, with a mean breadth of
700 feet, and will be of sufficient depth to allow
vessels of the heaviest tonnage and draught of
water to be fitted and despatched to sea with the
whole of their guns, stores, &c., on board. After
spending about an hour in the inspection of the
works their lordships left the island and proceeded
on board the Enchantress, where some of the minor
alterations and improvements on the original plan
of the extension works formed the subject of con-
sideration.

The members of the Board commenced early yes-
terday morning the duty of completing the inspec-
tion of Chatham. It devolved on the Dake of
Somerset and Vice-Admiral Sir Frederick W. Grey,
Rear-Admiral the Hon. J. R. Drummond, Mr. H.
C. E. Childers, and Rear-Admiral S. Robinson, the
Controller, having been compelled to return to the
Admiralty in consequence of business of an urgent
nature requiring their attendance. The first
visit paid by their lordahipe yesterday morning
was to the naval training ship Wellesley, 72,
in Chatham harbour where they were received
by Commander R. Studdert and the officers. The
number of boys and lads on board the Wellesley at
present is rather less than 300, and even the cursory
inspection of yesterday showed the excellence of
their training on board. Some thousands of smart
lads are yearly sent into the navy from the training
ships at Portsmouth, Chatham, Woolwich, and the
other ports, and the experience of the last few years
goes far to prove that in a thorough knowledge of
their duties and in steadiness of conduct
,they are
among the most valuable seamen is the service.
The visit to the Wellesley occupied about halfean-
hour, and while on board their lordships inspected
the lads in making and shortening sail, in their
management of the broadside guns, the cutlass drill,
and other parts of their duty, and the manner in
Which they acquitted themselves, as well as the
regularity and cleanliness of the various parts of the
ship visited, reflected great credit on the officers,
and favourably impressed their lordships, who after-
wards re-embarked in their barge, and pulled to the
dockyard, where they landed. After spending a
short time in the establishment they paid a second
visit to the Naval Hospital at Melville, taking up
the inspection of that extensive establishment at the
point at which the previous day's visit terminated.
The hospital in all its departments is a model of
cleanliness and order; indeed, no further praise can
be bestowed on the building than that given by
Miss Nightingale on the occasion of one of her visits,
when she pronounced Melville Hospital to be one of
the most perfect and bestsarranged establishments
of its kind in this country. On quitting the hosp:tal
establishments their lordships left directions as to
the proposed additions and improvements to be ef-
fected, and proceeded on foot to the Royal Marine
Barracks for the purpose of making an inspection of
the officers and men of the Chatham division of Royal
Marius. Their lordships were received at the en-
trance-gates by Major-General A. B. Strausham,
Inspector-Gen. of Royal Marines; Col. G.C. LAngley
Deputy Adjutant Gene.ral ; Col.-Commandant T.
Lennon, C. 8., commanding the division ; Col. W.
H. March, Col. S. N. Lowder, Aide-de-Camp to the
Queen, and other officers. The division, which
numbered 800 men under arms, was formed in the
barrack-square in two battalions, in quarter-dis-
tance column, and on the arrival of the Lori's of
the Admiralty the companies gave the usual salute,
with colours lowered, the band playing " Rule
Britannia.'' The battalions then marched past in
open columns of companies at quick time, and
having executed a few other movements, were diah
missed to their quarters, their lordships leaving the
barracks and proceeding to the gun-battery, where
they spent nearly an hour in seeing men selected
for that duty go through their exercise with the
110.ponnder Armstroogs and the naval 68-pounder
broadside guile, under the direction of Capt. Bligh,
the divisional instructor in gunnery. The Duke of
Somerset and Sir F. Grey afterwards returned to
the Royal Marine Barracks, where a portion of the
battalion was drawn up in the barrack-square for
the purpose of going through the bayonet exercise
before their lordships, at the termination of which
the officers and non-commissioned officers were
drawn up on the parade ground and went through
the broad-sword exercise. On the conclusion of this
portion of the inspection their lordships were enter-
tained at luncheon by the officers of the division in
their mess-room, Major-General Sir R. Walpole,
K.C.8., Commandant of the garrison, and other
officers, being invited to meet them. Their lordships
brought their inspection at Chatham to a close
shortly after two yesterday afternoon,when they left
by train for London. The Admiralty yacht Ens
chantress left the pert shortly afterwards for Ports-
mouth, to a wait orders from Whitehall. According
to existing arrangemeas, which were announced at
Chatham previous to the departure of their lordships,
one or two members of the Board, together with Lord
Clarence Paget, Rear-Admiral Robinson, and Major
Clarke, Director of Works, will proceed to Malta on
an inspection of the dockyard and Admiralty esta-
blishments at that island. The members of the
Admiralty who will be engaged in this duty will
proceed overland to Marseilles, at which port the
Enchantress, Staff-Commander Petley, will be in
readiness to embark them. It is uncertain whether
the Duke of Somerset will accompany his colleagues,
as his Grace has to be in attendance on her ajesty
on Saturday, and will probably accompany her to
the Highlands.
In accordance with arrangement previously made
that effect, advantage was taken of the visit of
he Lords of the Admiralty to Chatham to test the

value of the improvements just completed on board
the iron frigate Research, 4,200 horse power, Capt.
Wilmsburst, previously to that vessel i ing her
departure from the Medway to join it e Channel
fleet; the chief object of the trials being to ascer-
tain the value of the new descrip L of portable
hinged bulwarks, recently fitted t • enable the
broadside guns to be discharged ahead. The mem-
bers of the board present were the Duke of Somer-
set, Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir F. W. Grey, K.C.8.,
Rear-Admiral the Hon. J. R. Drummond, C. 8., Mr
H. C. E. Childers, M.P., and Rear-Admiral S. Robin_
son, Controller of the Navy, with Capt. Hall, C. 8.,
commanding the steam reserve at Chatham, and
other officers. On their lordships reaching the Re-
search, in the barge, orders were at once given to
clear the ship for action, and this was completed in
a couple of minutes. The guns on board the Re-
search, it should here be remarked, are the heaviest
at present carried by any vessel in the navy, and
. consist exclusively of the 6+ ton smooth bore guns.
After a few discharges had been made from the
broadsides the most important trials of the day com-
menced by placing the two foremost guns in the
bulkhead ports for firing ahead over the ports. It
will be remembered that on the formefoccasion, when
a much smaller kind of guns were fired from the bulk-
head ports on board the Research considerable miss
chief ensued from the want of caution exhibited on
board in not making the requisite arrangements for
firing the guns in that direction. Since that occa-
sion, however, Mr. Reed has taken every precaution
to prevent a recurrence of any similar mishaps, and
at the same time has effected several improvements
in the arrangements for removing the bulkheads
when the frigate is cleared for action. Instead of
the bulwarks being made to shift out and in, the
fore end has been hinged, which allows the bulwark
to be thrown open like a gate. This, so to speak,
gate has been made of stout angle irons and plating,
and its obvious strength gave the dockyard officials
so much confidence that they have not only built up
hammock berthing on the top, but flapboards have
also been hang on the lower part of it. As has
been already pointed out in The Sun, these were of
wood, and of inferior strength to the iron bulwarks.
It was doubtful whether they would stand the fire
and concussion of the guns, but the members of the
Board said, as the trials were purely experimental,
they might be allowed to remain where they had
been placed during the firing of the guns, as they
were trifling fittings, and, if not found to stand,
could be removed on a subsequent occasion. The
firing then commenced with "reduced" charges of
121 b. of powder, and these were attended with the
most satisfactory results, not the slightest mishap
marking this portion of the trial. The charges
were next increased to "full," and afterwards to
" distant charges," with 251 b. of powder. These
latter were watched with the keenest interest, as
it was exactly in this portion of the trial that
the breakdown was likely to occur. In
order to place the gate-bulwark in the worst
possible position, it was purposely kept close to
the port, so that the fullest effects of the firing
might be brought to bear upon it. It was ad-
mitted by all on board that no invention could have
baen subjected to a more severe trial, but, notwith-
standing the heavy charges of powder used, and the
extremes of elevation and depression at which the
guns were fired, the iron gate bulwark stood per-
fectly, giving, at the close of the firing, not the
slightest indication of weakness or injury, while
even the wooden berthing and flapboards at the top
and bottom of it stood all but the largest charges
successfully. With the guns fired at extreme ele-
vation
,and the largest charges used, the canvas
covering of the hammocks became unlashed, and
blown in on the deck, and with the guns laid at
extreme depression some of the flapboards below
were driven in on the deck, as was generally an-
ticipated would prove the case. It was found, how-
ever, that even those would stand the concussion
satisfactorily if made of iron like the bulwark. So
satisfied were tha Lords of the Admiralty with the
result of the trials that nt their termination they
directed similar bulwarks to be fitted abaft the bat-
tery of the Research, and also in the ironclad ships
Favourite and Pallas now under construction.