The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-03 00:00:00

to undertake some of the lesser work of legislation, which
officials may deem to be beneath their dignity. As for law
reform, the results of recent endeavours in that direction do
not give occasion for much regret at its absence from the
congratulations of the Queen's closing Speech. The Bank-
ruptcy and the Transfer of Land and Registration of Titles
Acts have not tempted to further efforts by their authors.
The first has proved to be a monstrous failure—or worse—a
monstrous mischief; the others have been almost inoperative,
and threaten to die of pure inanition. So it has been, and
so it will be, so long as law reform is allowed to be dictated
or meddled with by mercantile committees,amateur lawyers,
and not entrusted to experienced lawyers,' who, knowing
the existing law, can alone know how to amend it. The
lull of the last session is not the result, as some suppose of
exhaustion of subjects for law reform ; there is abundance
of work for real reformers to do. We need to name only the
reconstruction of the Procedure in Magistrates' Courts, the
Law of 1 rusts and Trustees, and the Law of Partnership ;
but the Parliament and country are wearied of schemes
spun out of the brains of theorists, and law reform will not
resume its popularity until it is restored to the charge of
practical and experienced hands, whose work may not be
so ornamental in aspect, but will be vastly more efficient
in its operation.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and
the officers of the Controller's Department and
Board of Works, having completed their inspection
at Chatham and Sheerness yards, proceeded to
Woolwich on Saturday, in the Admiralty steam
yachts Vivid and Enchantress, for the purpose of
inspecting the naval armament equipments in the
Royal Arsenal. Capt. S. E. Parish, commanding
the Ardent, and Commander Lysaght, of the Fis-
gard, representing the Commodore and Superinten-
dent of the yard (absent on leave), met their Lord-
ships and party on their stepping on shore. Rear-
Admiral Eden and Capt. Drummond landed at
Woolwich Dockyard from the Vivid, and proceeded
to London. The Duke of Somerset, Sir F. Grey,
Mr. Stansfeld, Lord C. Paget, Admiral Robinson,
Mr. Reed, Col. Greene, and Capt. Hall landed at
the Arsenal pier from the Enchantress at 10 o'clock,
and commenced an inspection through the manu-
facturing departments of the establishment. They
proceeded first to the Royal gun factories, where
they were engaged upwards of an hour with Mr.
Anderson, acting superintendent of the department,
in examining the multiplicity of designs and
draughts of guns for sea service submitted for their
Lordships' sanction and approval. They also visited
in succession the whole of the department, passing
through the various forges and workshops now
standing idle. The party appeared to be struck with
the deserted appearance of the Royal gun factories
since their last inspection. The Board and accom-
panying officials then proceeded to the gun store,
where they inspected with much interest guns on
the new breech-loading principle which supplies the
expanding gas ring, introduced by Mr. Broadwall,
and now under proof by the Select Committee of
the Arsenal. They also examined some models
of Krupp's cast-steel guns which have been sub-
mitted to trial and fired successfully. Passing onward,
they entered the shell foundry, under the super-
intendence of Lieut.-Col. Boxer, which department
IS likewise comparatively still. Leaving the shell
foundry, the party passed through the joiners' and
wheels' branches of the carriage department, exa-
mining the naval productions of the establishment,
such as the carriages, platforms, and equipments for
ships' guns. They afterwards visited the cartridge
mills and machinery-room of the Laboratory, where
they terminated their inspection. They left Wool-
wich by the 1.5 train for London.

Her Majesty's paddlewheel sloop Ardent, Capt.
Parish, in basin at Woolwich, has been stripped and
dismantled, and will be paid out of commission on
Wednesday. The officers and crew who returned
in the Ardent, engaged latterly on service in the
River Plate, were Capt. Parish (promoted), Lieuts.
H. D. King and C. J. H. Bliss, Master T. Oyler,
Sarg. G. B. Moore, M,D., Paymaster Geo. W. Muir
(acting), Chief Engineer Geo. Park, and 89 petty
officers and seamen. The state of the ship and crew
since her reception in basin at Woolwich has been
highly commended.
The paddlewheel steamer Salamis, 250 horse
power, which, according to rumours current at
Chatham within the last few days, is intended to be
fitted as a yacht for his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales,was taken out of Chatham harbour on Fri•
day for the purpose of making her first trial of speed
on the completion of fitting of her engines. The en-
gines were in charge of Mr. Ravenhill, of the firm
of Ravenhill, Salkeid, and Co., by whom they have
been manufactured, and the trial was watched on the
part of the Admiralty by Mr. Baker, chief engineer,
Mr. Lang, master shipwright, under whose
superintendence the Salamis was built at Chat-
ham Dockyard, and other officials belonging to
the establishment. The vessel was in charge of
Mr. Blakey, second master, Queen's pilot at Chat-
ham. With 180 tons of coals on board the salamis
drew 9ft llin aft and 9ft 6in forward; or, in other
words, she was on a nearly even keel. She is fitted
with Morgan's patent feathering floats, and her
engines are fitted with all the modern improvements.
The diameter of the cylinders is 61in, and the length
of stroke 4ft 6in. She has four boilers in which the
steam is generated, and 12 furnaces, in addition to
which she is fitted with superheated steam apparatus.
The vessel was taken considerably past the Mouse
light, as far as the entrance to the Downs, when
with Lull boiler power the speed of the vessel was
very satisfactory. Two runs were made at the
measured mile, Maplin sands, at about three-quarter
speed, and, notwithstanding that the paddlewheels
were only making an average of 34 revolutions per
minute, the vessel attained an average speed of close
upon 15 knots per hour. With an improved trim
and with 33 revolutions of the paddlewheels there
is little doubt that she will attain an average of 16
knots per hour, which is exceedingly satisfactory.
During the trial her engines worked with remark-
able smoothness, and, notwithstanding that it was
the first occasion of their being tried, there was no
priming and no occasion to stop the machinery on
account of hot bearings.
Directions have been received at Chatham Dock- ,
yard from the Admiralty for the construction of a 12.
gun iron vessel, the first of a squadron of iron fri-
gates of a somewhat smaller size than those of the
Warrior and Achilles class, which are to be built
from the designs of Mr. Reed, Chief Constructor of
the Navy. The new vessel is to be commenced in
No. 2 dock as soon as the Achilles is completed,
which will be in about three months. She is to be
about 80ft shorter than the Achilles, and altogether
will, it is anticipated, be a decided improvement on
the present large iron steamers.

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Lieut. Henry S. Sandys to the
Recruit; James N. Dick, Burg., to the Medina;
and Arthur G. St. George Ponsouby, master's as-
sistant, to the Nile, for surveying.