The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-28 00:00:00

Na va',. and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
VALE' IT A, Sept. 22.—The 7th Royal Welsh Fusi-
liers e.ise mbarked from her Majesty's troopship
Orontes on the afternoon of the 14th inst., and now
occupy barracks on the other side of the great har-
bour. On the 16th the Orontes went round into
th'a Marsamascetto harbour, and brought up along-
side the Lazaretta Buildings to embark the 4th
Battalio n Rifle Brigade, which was effected on the
following day, and she steamed off soon afterwards
on her return to Gibraltar to bring the 2d Battalion
Bth itegimerlt, which is to relieve the 2d Battalion
15th Regiment here, the latter regiment having
been ordered to Gibraltar to take the place of the
:3th Regiment. She will then make a third trip,
bring here from Gibraltar the 100th Canadian Re-
giment, and return with the 23d Royal Welch nisi-
leers from that garrison. The arrangements of the
Orontes as a troopship have crested some disap-
pointment. The accommodation for the soldiers, or
troop deck, as regards height and ventilation, is ex-
cellett. The women, also, have a separate com-
partment, and likewise a sick bay for themselves.
But the officers' quarters on the lower deck are very
badly ventilated, and in a long voyage, or in bad
weather, wouh6. scarcely be tolerable. It seems curi-
ous that nava•t and military officers cannot mess in
one saloon, rs much valuable space is taken up in
this ship b:ri separate saloons for the officers of the
two servicia. The Orontes is a fine vessel, but
the array cements as to space are certainly de-
ficient. I understand that she has been commis-
sioned for only three months, and that she will
afterwards be taken into dock in• England, refitted,

and a poop added. Her Majesty's screw line-of-
battle ship Queen, 74, Capt. C. F. Hilyar, left
Malta harbour on Tuesday morning last for Athens,
taking; with her a mail, stores, and provisions, and
.£24,01)0 for the use of the fleet. Her Majesty's screw
gunboat Buxer, Lieut.-Commander F. S. D. Brough-
ton (from the Queen), left on the same day, also to

join the Commander-in-Chief, to be employed in
carrying telegrams and despatches between the
Pittntis, Syria, &c. Her Majesty's iron paddlewheel
sloop Tri dent, 3, Commander C. J. Balfour, lately
arrived from Gibraltar, will leave to-night or to-
morr ovs morning, after the arrival of the Overland
Mail "from Marseilles, also for Athens, and will pro-
bab'.y be employed in keeping up communication
bet w een the Commander-in-Chief and the ships on
the -west coast of Greece, under the command of
Rear-Admiral Yelverton. The Foxhound, 4, Com-
mar der W. H. Anderson, will take up the next
mail to Athens on the 30th inst., and the Meannee,
60, Capt. G. Viodehouse (which arrived here from
the Pi: eras on the 19th) the following one on the
Bth proximo. The Meaunee is at present refitting,
and previous to departure will fill up with stores
and provisions for the fleet, which is not expected
here till the end of November, after the arrival and
coronr.tion of the King of Greece. Up to the 15th
inst. everything continued quiet in Athens. There
was to be a Coronation Ball, as well as other enter-
tainments, when the King arrived in October. The
-officers and men of the different ships were very
tired of the monotony of the Pirreas, and longing to
get back to Malta. Her Majesty's surveying vessel
Firefly, 5, Commander A. Mansell, was at Corfu on
the Bth inst., having put in on account of bad wea-
ther, an 3 was to leave next day for deep-sea sound-
ings, stud to work up the coast-line to the west-
ward. Her Majesty's ships Revenge, 73, Captain
the Hon. F. Foley (bearing the flag of Rear-Ad-
miral H. R. Yelverton, C. 8.), and. Surprise, 4,
Commander W. H. Whyte, were at Patras when
last heard from. The Liffey, 35, the Pelican, 17,
and the Wanderer, 4, were also on the West Coast.
Her Majesty's frigate Pheebe, 39, Capt. T. D. A.
Fortescue„ which lately left Malta with stores and
provision a for the fleet on the coast of Greece, put
into Ka] amata, having suffered serious injury to
her steer a machinery, which will most likely render
it necesE ary for her to go to England for repairs. A
telegrams received on Saturday from Corfu an-
nounce a her arrival there on the 18th inst., and that
she was to sail for Malta on the tollowing day.
Her ajesty's screw sloop Chanticleer, 17, Cora-
inande r C. Stirling, is also expected hero from the
coast of Syria, the Cossack, 20, Capt. W. Rolland,
having gone up to relieve her. The only ships of
war iu port are the Hibernia receiving ship (bear-
ing the flag of Rear-Admiral Austin, C. 8.) Com-
mander It. B. Harvey ; the Meanee, 60 ; the
Medina, surveying vessel; the Trident, 3 ; the Fox-
hound, 4 ; and the Psyche, despatch-boat.
Under the superintendence of Capt. Edmonstone
and Mr. Dinner], of the Steam Reserve at Devon-
port; of Mr. Steil, engineer at Keyham ; and of Mr.
Warrener on the part of the contractors, the screw
steamship Prince Consort, 35, completed on Friday
last the series of trials instituted by the Lords of
the Admiralty. The first experiment was made to
test the speed attainable by the power derived from
four large boilers forward, which are estimated at
600 horse power (nominal). Wind westerly ; force,
2to 3 ; sea sanooth. The results of four runs at the
measured raile gave a mean speed of 12.093 knots
per hour ; mean revolutions, 501. With two large
boilers fo.rward estimated at 300 horse power, the
mean sr_Jeed was 9.427 ; revolutions, 40. With four
small aoilers aft, estimated at 400 horse power, the
speed, was 10.33 ; revolutions, 432; and with two
small boilers aft (200 horse power), the speed
attained was 7.784 ; revolutions, 33. All these
experiments were considered most satisfac-
tory. The attainment of a speed of over 12 knots
'when using her fore stokehole only (four boilers),
and nearly 8 knots with two of the small boilers aft
(200 horse power) is looked upon as a remarkable

euccess.
The hired transport In, Capt. Cattier, 52 days
from Jamaica, laden with old stores, 110 disabled
has arrived at Woolwich,
guns, hemp cable, &c.,
and on Saturday commenced unshipping inside the
T pier. The Fontabelle transport has shipped a
number of 32-pounder guns and other stores from
Woolwich for the Cape of Good Hope.
Permission having been granted by Commodore
Sir P. Nicholson, Superintendent of Woolwich
DockyW, with the sanction of the Lords Commis-
sioners of the Admiralty, for the appropriation of
the refuse after the men's meals on board the flag-
ship Fisgard, as proposed by the commanding offi-
cer, Capt. Lysaght, for the use of the ragged school
at Woolwich, the first distribution took place on
Saturday, consisting of soup, remnants of meat, and
151 b. of waste biscuit, &e. These articles, which
would otherwise have been thrown overboard, were
gratefully received by the committee, and it is
hoped that the benevolent example may be followed
in other yards.
Instructions have been received froni the Admi-
ralty directing the officials at Chatham to report to
their lordships as to the desirableness of adapting
one of the screw gunboats, attached to the steam
reserve at that port, for use as a,Rtam-tender in
conveying the mechanics and yorkpeopie to and
from the dockyard to the iron frigate Achilles, when
onsid
she has been removed to Gillingham Reach.
TheLordsof the Admiralty haverec ered their
determination of effecting a decrease in the number
of the mechanics and other workmen employed in
Chatham dockyard to the number, it was announced,
of over 1,000 hands. A telegram was received atthe
dockyard on Saturday directing the officials and
heads of departments
to report if it were advisable
to make any reduction in the uresent strength of the
establishment, and if so, to
state the lowest possible
number of workmen in each brunch that should be
discharged, the proposed reduction being confined
to the hired mechanics, artisans, boys, and labourers.
The officials of the dockyard are opposed to any con-
siderable reduction at present, the work on hand
taxing to the utmost the resources of the establish-
ment; indeed, for some time past, the mechanics cm
ploved on the iron frigate, AchillfshaNrebeen working
extra hems, rind yet teem are still several months
work to be accomplished before she will be ready to
proceed to sea. It certainly is surprising that with
the anxiety manifested to have this ve:sel completed
as early as possible their lordships should select the
present moment for effecting a reduction of ono.
fifth of the establishment. The officials, in their
reply, recommended that no considerable number of
the dockyard hands should be discharged until the
Achilles is completed, or, at all events; floated out
of dock, by which time the Lords of the Admiralty
will have made up their minds as to the commence-