The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-17 00:00:00

Arrival of Ironclads in the Firth of Forth.

(From the Scotsman.)
Three ironcased war-vessels, apparently the vanguard of
the Channel Fleet, arrived in the Firth of Forth yesterdaY
afternoon, and anchored in the roads to the west of Leith
piers. The ships are the ironcased screw corvette wolve-
rine, 21 guns ; the ironcased sloop Research, of 4 guns!
and the ironcased sloop Enterprise, of 4 guns. The arrival
of these vessels naturally creates, in the present political
crisis, more interest than in ordinary circumstances it might'
as they may be considered the advanced division of the
Channel Fleet, the main body of which has been already
moved to Spithead, nearer to the scene of its possible opera•
Lions. It is true that the vessels—which are all new, end
of which the two sloops are experimental ships, are said to
being merely on a trip; but at a time like the present it is
not difficult to fancy that they may prove to have in view a
graver errand. The chief interest of this visit will natu-
rally attach to the ironclad sloops Enterprise and Research•
They belong to a class of wooden armour-plated vessels of
a now construction, designed by the present chief conotruc"
tor of the navy, Mr Reed, to prove the practicability of
coating with armour plates of four and a half inches wooden
ships of small size.

The ships are nearly similar in dimensions, burden, and
equipment. The Research, which is the older vessel, is
commanded by Capt. Arthur Wilrnshurst, and was launched
at Pembroke in August last. She is of 1253 tons, and 200
horse power; is completely plated with four and a half
inch iron up to the upper deck; and carries two 110-
pounder Armstrong guns, and also two 68-pounder
smooth bore guns. With her entire complement of stores
and coal the Research draws somewhat less than 14ft of
water. Her plating, small as she is—being little more than
one-fourth the burden of the Warrior—is even more cora-
plate than that of the Warrior and Black Prince, which are
only plated on the battery ; and in spite of the proportional
excess in the weight of her armour, she is not only thoroughly
seaworthy, but, as was proved in her first trip, perfectly
light and easily manageable, even in a sough sea. On the
same occasion, the Research steamed at an average speed
of 10f knots an hour. On Saturday, June 4, an interest-
ing trial of the fighting capacities of the Research took
place in the Channel. Her guns were fired under
every possible change of position, and even all exactly
at the same moment—a test for which no ship in
the navy is designed—with the most satisfactory results,
not the slightest strain or breakage of any kind being dis-
covered by minute inspection. The peculiarity of the con-
struction of the Research and Enterprise consists in the
elevation of the battery above the other parts of the ship
fore and aft so as to enable the guns in the battery to he
fired both ahead and astern at the acute angle of from 10 f‘'
15 degrees of the course of the vessel. Captain Wilmshursst?
who commands, entered the navy in 1832. He has serve'
at sea for about 26 years in nearly all parts of the world'
and has received a medal and two clasps, and the Order
the Medijdie of the fifth class.
The Enterprise is a smaller vessel than the Research:
6;:te is 180 feet long by 36 feet wide, of 990 tons, and 1.6 v
horse power, and also carries four large guns. 811 e ,-
commanded by Commander Rowley, and was launched at
Deptford in February last. Her sea-going qualities are
much the same as those of the Research. At her trial trip
her mean draught of water was something short of 14 feet.
She is propelled by a pair of horizontal single piton-rod
engines, fitted with suriaco condensers, tubular boilers,
super-heaters, and all the latest improvements. Her
machinery was supplied by Messrs Ravenhill, Salkelid,'
and Co. The engines are of lt2:0-horse power (nominal)'
but are capable or being worked up to four times that
power. The screw is a two-boded Griffiths, with
a diameter of lift Bin, and a pitch of llift. The diameter
of the cylinders is 45in, and the lencth of stroke 181 n•
There is an area of fire-grate surface of 9t3ft, and of heating
surface 960 ft. There are two of Appold's ,siumps tor circu;
Wing the water through the condensers, driven by a Pal
of auxiliary engines. Her speed, as ascerth hied on her,.
trial trip, was a small traction under ten knos's an Roe:
which was half a knot more than the builder had aleularet:
upon. Her contruetion is generally the same as that of
the Research; and the fact that the battery and the chief
weight of the vessel is concentrated amidships gives th.ese
ships the advantage of turning with extreme facility alp
very short line. The tiller is placed below the amour'
plates, and thus quite secured from the danger of being:
shot away; and as one of the advantages of the elevated
battery—which is pierced for musketry to command the
deck directly fore and alt—is that the whole crew of the
vessel can in case of need be concentrated there, arrange"
ments are made by which the ship can also be steered front
within the battery,
as
slt those winaspi
snsroce w scarcely believed possible, when the Warrior 04
the Black Prince were novelties that so small iron-clads
fighting
qualities,
sf
suche Firth
confidencecould
in
ne btuhielitr;
sea-going
ge
osiphegr
has
that several iron-cased ships of nine'.
smaller size than the Warrior, or even the Resistasees
are now in course of construction. There are also irx
preparation some other vessels of larger dimensions, e,11,0
embodying the same peculiarities of construction. 1"f
question whether the principle of armour plating Was of
necessity applicable only to ships of very large burden, and
could not be applied to the protection of the smaller classes
of vessels—which aro not less essentially required in war
ms
has therefore received what is deemed a very satisfactorf
solution from the success of the Research and Enterprise.
The Wolverine is a 21-gun screw steam corvette, an!'
was launched at Woolwich about six months ago. 5110 la
of 1703 tons, and 400 horse-power, and is commanded by
Captain De Horsey.

IN THE NOTICE OF " MR. HOLMAN 1-110T'8
PICTURES,'' which appeared in our impression of Ye6te"
day, there were tss o grammatical errors that happily,
believe (to the observant reader) will at once have corrected
themselves. It should be remarked, moreover, in regard I°
the third picture mentioned in the notice referred to--
namely, the celebrated painting of " The Last Day in rhe
Old Home"—that it, of course, is not from the easel of Mr=
Holman riunt, but from that of Mr. Robert B. Martineau.
Charles 1., writing from Charing-cross to our
chief contemporary, says--I break the silence of a couple of
centuries to inquire whether your poet Cowper intends to
gild the like as he bath done these Gegrges ?