The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-07 00:00:00

pathies and care of these men will descend below
their class, and be the greatest for the humblest and
weakest in the ranks.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

The iron frigate Achilles, 6,070 tons, 1,250 horse power
(nominal) having had the whole of her engines and ma-
chinery fitted on board, got up steam for the first time on
Saturday, at her moorings in Chatham harbour. The trial,
Which was under the superintendence of the leading mem-
bers of the firm of Messrs. John Penn and Sons, by whom
her engines were manufactured, was in the highest degree
satisfactory. With the screw propeller disconnected the en-
gines averaged 70 to 75 revolutions per minute, the boilers
giving an abundance of steam, and the whole machinery
working with the greatest smoothness aid regularity. The
engines were kept working for some time fo enable the
dockyard officials—Capt. Stewart, C. 8., Mr. Ba2fer, chief
engineer, at Chatham-yard, and Mr. Moore, first ass,stant
master shipwright, to report upon the result of the prelf-,
minary trial of the machinery. There is still work to be
done in the way of fitting and completing the Achilles be-
fore she will be ready for the pendant, and however san-
guine the Admiralty officials may be, there is little doubt
that the summer will be far advanced before she will be
ready to take her maiden cruise. The Achilles now waits
instructions from the Admiralty relative to the trial of her
engines at the measured mile, Maplin Sands.
The Ariadne, 26, 3,214 tons, 800 horse power, Capt. E.
W.Vansittart, is ordered to be paid off in Chatham harbour,
and afterwards placed in the third division of the steam re-
serve at that port.

During the last few days nearly 40 shipwrights, all of
them skilled mechanics, have taken their discharge at Chat-
ham dockyard, the reason assigned being the smallness of
the wages given at her Majesty's dockyards as compared
with the amount which is now to be obtained by first class
mechanics at private shipbuilding establishments. It is
stated that there are still a number of hands in the dock-
yard who are only waiting the first opportunity to transfer
their services to private yards.
FATAL ALPINE EXCURSION,

On Sunday morning, Feb. 28, a young Russian gentle-
man, M. B--, and an English friend, Mr. G-, set out
on an Alpine ascent of some difficulty. Accompanied by
four guiaes, and well provided with all the necessaries for
a similar excursion, they left Sion at 2 o'clock a.m., and
proceeded to a village called Ardon, whence they com-
menced the ascension of the Dent d'Ardon.
Owing to the heat of the sun and under the influence of
the warm wind which prevailed the snow was exceedinglY
soft, and on nearing the summit it became almost impossible
to advance. Still persevering, however, in their hazardous
enterprise, the travellers waded, eo to say, through the
yielding snow, when suddenly the mass on which they were
gave way and dashed down the side of the mountain with
fearful velocity. At the time of the accident all were pro'
perly attached by a new rope. made on purpose for the
ascent. Is some unaccountable manner the rope snapped
in two places during the descent, so that when the
avalanche reached the valley below, after a slide of 600
metres (or 1,800 feet), the travellers were no longer roped
together. The two gentlemen and one of the guides were
entirely buried in the snow, another guide partly so, and
the only two uninjured were the remaining guides, who
were attached to the two ends of the rope.
Notwithstanding the most heroic efforts of these two
men, only two of the party could be got out in time to save
their lives. Mr. B- was found dead in a recumbent
position, with his head downwards, and it was only after
two days' continued search that the missing guide's body
was found.

This sad affair has thrown a gloom over the surrounding
neighbourhood, and those who knew Mr. B- will long
remember the deep impression that his untimely fate has
left behind,

The funeral took place on the 3d inst., at Lausanne, in
the Ouchy burial ground.
It is but right to add that the inhabitants of the Valais
took the most kindly interest in the affair, and had it not
been for their prompt and eager assistance the bodies of the
unfortunate sufferers would most likely still have bees
where they were buried alive,