The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-15 00:00:00

horse power, by Messrs. Mendslay, Sons, and Field,
may be ready in the course of a month to be passed
into the hands of the Government. They were
tried successfully on Monday last. The bottom of
this ship is covered with some prepared metal con-
taining copper. in several places where it ap-
proaches the iron-plates galvanic action has com-
menced. From the Prince Consort Admiral Robin-
son proceeded to No. 2 dock, where the screw steam-
ship Ocean, 35, is receiving her casing of iron.
Although launched at Devonport on the 19th of
March last, and removed forthwith to Keyham,
there is on her port side a section of only one layer
of plates, which extends from' the bow to a feet
abaft the foremast, and on her starboard side a
similar layer with some plates on her waist, About
20 are ready in the store. Some delay has occurred
in the supply on the part of the manufacturer.
About a fortnight since the hydraulic machine at
Keyham, while at work, broke, in consEquence of
the defective state of a cylinder.

The iron screw frigate Tamar, 2,812 tons, 500-
horse power, in No. 3 dock at Chatham, having
been surveyed by the master shipwright's staff,
and a favourable report made to the Admiralty, has
been taken over from the private firm by which she
was constructed. Orders having been received for
her to be fitted for the first-class steam reserve, in
readiness for the service for which she is intended

—that of a troopship, similar to the sister iron
steamer Orontes, yesterday the dockyard hands gave
the last coating of the anti-corrosive composition to
both sides of her hull, which had previously been
payed over with a mixture of coal tar and naphtha,
two coats of which were applied to the iron in its
erude state. Over this again was laid two coats of
the anti-corrosive composition invented by Mr.
Hayes, the Admiralty chymist, which bears the
character of being the best of the several anti-foul-
ing compositions yet brought into use. It may,
however, be at once stated that all of the many
anti-fouling mixtures which have hitherto been in-
troduced to the notice of the Board of Admiralty are
more or less failures, none of them possessing in an
invention of the kind—namely, the property of pre-
venting the growth of marine incrustations and
other accumulations on iron ships' bottoms, and of
preserving the iron itself from the destructive chy-
mical action of the water and marine animalculx.
The old line-of-battle sailing ship Duncan was
yesterday towed into Chatham harbour from Stan-
gate-creek and moored alongside the dockyard, in
readiness to be placed in the first vacant dock, for
the purpose of being taken to pieces in consequence
of her unfitness for further service. A notice was
yesterday posted at the dockyard gates for the entry
of hired shipwrights, to be employed in breaking

her up.
Her Majesty's iron steam storeship Industry
yesterday went up to the Victoria-yard, Dept-
ford, from Woolwich, to load with victualling
stores for the Isle of Ascension. After receiving
her cargo she will be fitted with a new foremast,
now under construction at Woolwich, to replace the
one eaten throughout with dry rot, and which fell
over the deck in three pieces a few days ago on the
vessel leaving the dock at Woolwich.