The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-02 00:00:00

PRICE..." —..4d.
STAMPED ....sd.

an opening from the main deck. The form of the
turret is elliptical, and it is intended to construct it
of sufficient strength to resist the effect of any shot.
The inner skin of the turret, or " conning" tower,
is composed of sheet iron 9-16ths of an inch in thick-
ness, and firmly rivetted together. On these is laid
the teak planking, 9in. in thickness, the whole of
the exterior being cased with 4a-in. armour plates of
the same thickness as those used in encasing the
outside of the frigate. The first of the plates for the
tower was got on bard on Friday, having been bent,
planed, drilled, and polished in the factory. The
plate operated upon was one of the ordinary 4,-,in.
4 ton armour plates in store at Chatham Dock-
yard, and considerable interest was attached to
the process of bending it to the required shape,
from the circumstance of the whole question relating
to the present system of bending and preparing the
armour-plates for ships of war being just now under
the consideration of the Iron Plate Committee. The
plated used was one of the rolled kind, from the
establishment of Messrs. Beale and C0.,0f the Park-
gate Ironworks, Derbyshire. The shape to which
the slab was bent was that of the large arc of an
ellipsis. This was accomplished by means of a new
description of plate-bending machine fitted at Chat-
ham, the invention of Mr. Armstrong, who is em-
ployed on the iron-frigate Achilles,and under whose
superintendence the plates for that vessel are being
bent. It this instance the plate was heated to a
" black" heat, and afterwards placed in the press,
when by means of the hydraulic ram the required
bend was given it. A minute examination of the
plate on its being removed from the machine failed
to detect any rupture of the fibres of the iron, and,
to all appearance, theplate was in every respect as
sound as before it was operated upon. The slab
was afterwards planed, drilled and smoothed, and
to-day it will be bolted to the exterior of the
turret.

The following appointments were made on Thurs-
day at the Admiralty :—John A. P. Williams, as-
sist.-paymaster, supernumerary to the Victory;
Ronald Taylor, in the Marlborough, confirmed as
engineer ; W. Roberts, first•class assist. engineer to
the Indus, for the Forth; and Robert Hall, second
class assist engineer, to the Defence.
The following appointments were made on Fri-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. T. Key, flag lieut.
to Rear-Admiral G. Elliott, superintendent of Porte-
mouth dockyard; Lieut. St. Vincent Lake, to the
Wellesley; Lieut. W. L. Martin, to the Formidable;
W. D. Jeans, secretary to Admiral Sir M. Seymour,
K.C.8., Commander-in.-Chief at Portsmouth; S. G.
Robinson, paymaster, Henry J. Ray, and F. Le B.
Bedwell, assist. paymasters, and F. L. M. Dyer,
clerk, to be secretary's clerks to Sir M. Seymour ;
Charles Mackern, assist. paymaster to the Indus ; H.
S. B. Giles, assist. paymaster to the Pembroke.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Francis W. Prosser
and Lieut. T. H. Royse to the Cornwallis ; Lieut.
A. Buller, Lieut. E. W. Hereford, and Lieut. E.
Rice to the Excellent ; Lieut. T. V. Williams to the
Racoon ; Lieut. J. W. James to the Blenheim; W.
Hewlett, master, to the Indus for the Valorous;
and Walter H. Worsfold, master, to the Fisgard,
for the Archer.