The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-08 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
The iron paddlewheel steamer Lizard, 'employed in har-
bour duty between Chatham and Sheerness, has been
selected by the Admiralty to be experimented upon with
Capt, M'Killop's coffer-dam, or portable dock, in order to
test the merits of that invention. The Lizard having been
placed an the gridiron to ascertain the state of her bottom
will be floated into the steam basin to-day, should the gale
at all moderate, and will be placed in the dock to-morrow
in order to save the spring tides.
The Bombay, 67, 400 horse power, which was to have
been undocked at Chatham during the present week, is now
ordered to remain in dry dock for a month longer, and in
the meantime she is to be made ready as soon as possible
for commission. During the time she has been in the ship-
wright' hands she has been fitted with an entirely new
description of apparatus, from the plan of one of the officials
in the dockyard, for more expeditiously and safely lower-
ing the boats at sea. The date at which the Bombay is
now ordered to be undocked is the 7th of April.
Tho Ariadne, 26, 100 horse power, Capt. E. IV. Vansit-

tart, having been inspected at the Nore by Vice-Admiral of
the White Sir C. Talbot, K.C.8., naval Commander-in-
Chief, has discharged the whole of her powder and shells
into the magazines at Upnor Castle, and yesterday the War
Department transports Marl l'orough and Bomarsund landed
her heavy 68 pounder and Armstrong guns at the Ordnance
Wharf, Chatham. The orders previously given for the
Ariadne to be paid off in Chatham harbour have been
countermanded, and she is now to be paid off at the Nore,
and afterwards placed in the third division of the Steam
Reserve in the Medway. The crew of the Ariadne ate now
busily employed in dismantling the ship and returning her
stores into the dockyard. Notwithstanding the length of
time she has been in commission, the vessel is in excellent
order, and her condition reflects the highest credit on Capt.
Vansittart and the officers under him.
Yesterday a large party of convicts arrived at the St.
Mary's convict establishment, Chatham, from Leeds, to be
employed on the works now in progress for the enlargement
of the dockyard.

Admiralty orders have been received at Chatham for the
paddlewheel steamer llermes, 6, 830 tons, 220 horse power,
attached to the third-class Steam Reserve, to be broken up,
the Lords of the Admiralty having decided that she is not
to be sold, as was previously directed.
A portion of the Channel Fleet, consisting of the screw
line-of-battle ship Edgar, 80, bearing the flag of Vice-Admi-
ral Decree, C. 8.; the iron plated screw steamships Warrior,
40, Black Prince, 40, and the Defence, 18, arrived at Port-
land on Saturday. The Hector and Prince Consort have
been in port some days.

The following appointments were made yesterday at tho
Admiralty :—Henry M, Barkley, midshipman, to the
Princess Royal ; Robert F, Smyth, assist.-paymaster, to the
Rattlesnake ; Russell Hill, assist.-paymaster, to the Pem-
broke ; Dr, Alexander Mitchell, acting assist.-surg., to the
Excellent ; John Lambert, assist.-surg., to the Implacable ;
_ _

William Oliver, chief engineer, to the Asia, for the Royal
Sovereign, vice Taylor; W. J. Ibbett, chief engineer, to
the Aeia, for the Prince Regent; and Adam Dann, chief

engineer, to the Pembroke.

PRINTERS' PENSION SOCIETY.

Yesterday the annual general meeting and 42d election,
in connection with the Society, took place at the London
Tavern, Bishopsgate-street.
The ballot for the e!ection of pensioners opened at one
o'clock and closed at four, when the chair was taken by Mr.
Coe, of the Bank of England, who declared the result of the

ballot to be as follows :—For the ordinary pensions—Mrs,

Elizabeth Cartherine Ruth Smith, 6,247 votes ; Mrs. Mary
Ann Watford, 5,757; Mr. Daniel Carter, 5,592; and Mrs.
Elizabeth Harley, 5,149. For Biggs pension—George
Wright, 4,817. Franklin pension—Goorge Elliott, 4,G25.
Whittingham pension—Mrs. Mary Willoughby, 4,623.
Fley pension—H. W. Rentoul, 3,787.

IThe CHAIRMAN having declared these parties duly elected
pensioners on the funds of the institution, the business of
the general meeting was proceeded with.
Mr. J. S. llonsoN, jun., the secretary, read the report of
the committee of management for the past year,whieh stated
that the annual festival connected with the charity had
taken place in April last, under the presidency of Viscount
Enfield, M.P., and had realised £3OO to the funds, while the
committee had the satisfaction to announce that the next an-
niversar3 festival, which will take place on the 6th of the
next month, would be presided over by Mr. Chas. Dickens,
who for the second time has responded to the wishes of the
committee, and consented to preside on the occasion. The
annual and life subscriptions had amounted to £956 18a,
being as increase of £lO over the preceding year, though not
equal to the amount received in 1861. The funded property
of the institution consisted of £8,901 17s lodged with the
National Debt Commissioners, with £273 Gs 3d as the inte-
rest of that sum for the year, and added to the principal, to-
gether with £1,915 Ile 5d in the Three per Cent. Consols,
making a total of funded property of £11,090 14e 82. Seven
pensioners had died during the year, three of them being over
80 years of age,and the number at present on the funds was 25
males and 46 females, of which number 14 were recipients of
Biggs's Charity, and eight were inmates of the Printers'
Almshouses. Tim amount paid in pensions during the year
had been £846 4s, being £2O 10a in excess of the previous
year. The eight pensioners elected that day was the utmost
number to which the committee could for the present extend
the benefits of the institution, but they hoped that by in-
creased support they might soon be able to add to the num-
ber. The total receipts for the year had been £1,509 2a 4d,
and the expenditure .£1,488 Gs 10d, leaving a balance in hand
of £2O 152 6d.

On the motion of Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Wells,
the report and balance-sheet were unanimously adopted;
and the officers for the year having been appointed,
A cordial vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the
proceedings.