The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-28 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

Most of the old line-of-battle sailing ships, fri.
gates, and other vessels which have for years past
b-en lying in what is termed the ordinary, in Chat.

ham harbour and various parts of the river, are gra-
dually disappearing, the Lords of the Admiralty
having wisely determined, instead of allowing them

to encumber the harbour and river (necessitating

the keeping up an extensive staff to guard them), to
sell those which are too rotten and unserviceable to
allow of their being again commissioned; while
those which are in a sound condition will be con-

verted into training ships for boys and lads at the
various ports, or handed over for the service of the
Coastguard. Already several of the largest and best
of the sailing ships have been sent from Chatham
to the Thames, Liverpool, Bristol, Newcastle, Hull,
and some others of our large ports, where they are

doing good service as receiving and training ships
for the volunteers connected with the naval reserve.

Yesterday the sailing frigate Active, one of the old
class of 40-gun frigates, was brought up from the
ordinary to Chatham dockyard, where she is to be
completed in her fittings by the hired shipwrights
and mechanics, and sent to Hartlepool as a training

ship. In addition to the numerous old sailing ships
which have been sold out of the service during the
past year there are several which have been sur-
veyed and are only waiting their Lordships' order
for their names to disappear from the Navy List.

Yesterday an order was received at the dockyard
directing the Terpsichore, 18-gun sloop, to be sold,
a confidential report of her value having been made
to the Admiralty. Several vessels have also been
selected from those in the Medway for the service
of the Coastguard.
Yesterday the paddlewheel steamer Adder, Mr.
Blakey, Master Commander, left Chatham, for
Shoeburyness, conveying the remaining portion of
the target prepared at Chatham Dockyard to be used
in the approaching trials of the 120-pounder Whit-
worth rifled gun against 7k-inch, 69-inch, and 51-
inch armour plates. The Adder attempted to make
the passage to Shoeburyness the previous day, but
soon after leaving harbour encountered a severe
gale, which rendered it unsafe for her to proceed,

•
from fear of an accident occurring to the target.
The Rhadamanthus, paddle store steamer, Master
Commander Raymond, which arrived at S pithead at
10 o'clock on Saturday evening, from Woolwich,
with a large cargo of machinery, including a heavy
deck load of boilers, experienced terrific weather on
the voyage round. Since arriving at Portsmouth
she has discharged the machinery from her hold and
her deck cargo, and has taken on board machinery
and boilers for Devonport, including two boilers on
deck for the Ocean, iron-plated frigate, each boiler
weighing 582 cwt. 2qrs. 191 b.
The Urgent, iron screw troopship, lately paid out
of commis ;ion at Portsmouth, on her return from
service in China, has been placed in dock at Ports-
mouth and her bottom 'ound to be covered with
barnacles anti other marine adhesions. The Urgent
had been previously, during the term of her com-
mission, carefully coated over her bottom with va-
rious so-nailed patent preservative compositions.
The result has only been to coat her bottom with
shell matter and weeds more plentifully than could
possibly have been the case without them. We have
before had occasion to remark on the apparent use-
lessness of these anti-fouling preparations, as illus-
trated by vessels docked at Portsmouth.
The Tyrian, screw gunboat, fitted with machinery
by Messrs. Maudslay, Son, and Field, commenced
her official trial of speed at Portsmouth yesterday,
and will bring them to a conclusion to-day, it being
our intention to give a report of the whole to-morrow.
The Esk, 17, screw corvette, and the Curacoa,2l,
screw frgiate, continue to absorb the entire ehergies
of the master-shipwright's department at Ports-
mouth yard. The first named has between 300 and
400 shipwrights employed upon her, exclusive of
other trades and labourers; and the latter is simi-
larly crowded with men. In the meantime the
Royal Sovereign and Royal Alfred, iron-cased ships,
continue in the deserted state to which we have of
late so often referred. It is understood that as soon
as the Esk and Curacoa have had their repairs and
outfit completed the Royal Sovereige and Royal
Alfred will be taken up in earnest, ma less some
other exigency should arise.
The Columbine, 4, screw steam gunvessel, 200
horse power, which was taken out of the fitting
basin at Sheerness on Wednesday last,
with Luniley's patent Eteering
.apparclttius
being fitted
iTiSsa nnelPt:
Friday taken to the measured mile off
for trial. The vessel was in charge otf CoipPst.hCeehranrelsess
Wise, A.D.C., Capt..Superintendr
Superintendent
in Ihe Sint,
Dockyard. As previously.
the Columbine was fitted with the ordinary rudder
and taken out on trial on the 16th of December
last. The trial made
on Friday was wiwthah
vthieewoltdo
compare the results. At the first trial it
rudder, at full speed, helm starboard, at an angle of
23 deg., the circle was made in 4 min. 26 sec. ; with
the new rudder, helm starboard, at an angle of 17
deg., the circle Was made iu 4 min. 10 sec. At the

second trial, with the old rudder, from dead stop,
helm starboard, at an angle of 351- deg., the circle
was made in 4 min. 30 sec.; with the new rudder,
at an angle of 30 deg., the circle was made in 4
min. 15 sec. At the third trial with the old rud-
der, at lull speed, helm port, at an angle of 182
deg., the circle was made i❑ 5 min. 5 sec. ; with
the new rudder at an angle of 18 deg. the circle
was made in 4 min. 10 sec. At the fourth trial with
the old rudder, from dead stop, helm port, at an
angle of 32 dt g., which fell off to 27 deg., the circle
was made in 4 min. 28 sec.; with the new rudder,
at an angle of 30 deg., which fell off to 26 deg., the
circle was turned in 4 min. 20 sec. At the fifth
trial, with the old rudder, at full speed, helm star-
board, at an angle of 11 deg., the circle was made in
7 nun. 48 sec. ; with the new rudder, at an angle
of 10 deg., the circle was made in 5 min. 40 sec. At
a similar trial with the old rudder, with the helm
to port, the circle was made in 7 min. 20 sec., and
with the new rudder in 6 min. 40 sec. The com-
parative diamete, sof circles were—Second trial,
with old rudder, 818 ft.; new rudder, 625 ft. Third
trial, old rudder, 1,450 ft. ; new rudder, 782 ft.
Fourth trial, old rudder, 551 ft. ; new rudder, 291 ft.
Fifth trial, old rudder, 673 ft. ; new rudder, 468 ft.
When testing the power of the old rudder the trial
was made on a calm day, and with little or no
wind. The trial of Lumley's rudder on Friday was
made in a heavy sea, with a heavy gale of wind
blowing from.S.S.W., the force of wind being from
7 to 8. Capt. Wise, with a wish to test the strength
of the new rudder in the most efficient manner pos-
sible, turned the Columbine's stern up to the wind
in the teeth of the gale then blowing and against
the heavy sea, and directed the ship to be steamed
astern full speed, which the rudder answered in a
most admirable manner, proving the strength and
efficiency of the invention when applied to heavy
and powerful vessels, and under the most unfavour.
able circumstances. The most marked improvement
was evident when the small helm was given, such
as 11 to 12 deg., the Lumley rudder then gaining
as much as two minutes in describing the circle
over the old rudder. The diameters of the circles—
the true test of the efficiency of a rudder—were
found to be in some cases as much as 50 per cent. in
favour of the Lumley invention. The trial was
considered most satisfactory. _ _

The whole of the joiners and smiths ordered to be
entered at Chatham dockyard have been obtained,
but shipwrights are still required.
The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Augustus W. Benvon, Charles P.
G. Hicks, Alric F. Grant, Godfrey W. M. Eliot,
William F. E. Freeland, Cecil G. Horne, George R.
C. Eyres, Robert H. Ramsden, and George S. Dea-
con, midshipnien, to the Revenge ; George March,
master, to the Edgar ; John P. P. Warren, master,
to the Marlborough; Dr. Edward Heath, surgeon,
to the Dauntless ; the Rev. Edward Pemberton,
chaplain, has been selected to perform the duties of
chaplain of the Asia, temporarily, until another
chaplain is appointed; George Woodridge, assist.-
paymaster, to the Colossus ; Richard H. Byron,
midshipman, to the Narcissus; Stuart Banks Ru-
pell has been nominated to a naval cadetship ; E.
R. Brown, Harry H. S. Andrews, Edw. F. Dixon,
and K. Mao') zie, assist.-clerks, to the Marlborough.

Cooking for the Navy.

While everything connected with the construe-

tion, rig, and ornament of our ships of war is in a
state of revision, it is but just to the crews of those

. _
ships that the system of victualling should also be
revised, old rules swept away, and the whole sys-
tem based on principles in accordance with modern
ideas. We are much pleased to find that a step in

this direction is about to be taken by the Admiralty
with reference to victualling the seamen and ma-

rifles of our fleets, and to which we are about to re-

fer. Before doing so we must call attention to the
present system, so far as relates to meat and vege-
tables, and contrast it with that carried out with
regard to prisoners undergoing penal servitude. In
drawing the contrast there is not the slightest in-
tention to throw blame on the present or late Boards
of Admiralty ; on the contrary, great praise is due
to the present Board for the steps they have already
taken to do away with this reproach, and still
greater praise will be accorded them if they carry
out the proposed scheme. Our seamen and marines
are now fed exclusively upon beef and pork
that is, they can have boiled salt beef, boiled
fresh beef, and boiled salt pork, but all must be
boiled in the ship's coppers. From the date of a
ship's commission to her paying off there is there-
fore nothing but " boil." There is a chance,
certainly, of a mess obtaining a baked dinner of
fresh meat when in harbour about once a fortnight,
but from the small amount of oven accommodation
in the cooking galleys fitted on board our ships this
treat cannot be obtained oftener than the time stated,
as the use of the existing ovens is chiefly monopo-
lised for the messes of the ship's officers. Taking
the average of ships in commission, it will be found
that nine out of the twelve months of the year are

passed in harbour, and during this harbour period
fresh beef is served out to the crews five days out of

seven. The meat is weighed out and cut up into
junks under proper supervision, and handed over to
the ship's cook, who bundles it, according to old
usage, into the ship's coppers with a small quantity
of vegetables, and boils the whole until reduced to
a kind of soup that would be uneatable were it not
for the few vegetables in it. The meat is at the
same time transformed into a pulpy, stringy sub-
stance which is no longer nutritious. Fresh beef
soup, with a few shreds of vegetables, is a capital
thing in its way, but if people on shore were com-
pelled to live on it, with nothing for a change but
boiled salt beef or boiled salt pork, the chances are
that they would soon pray heartily for a changto of
diet. The allowance by Admiralty regulation of
vegetables on fresh-beef days to seamen and marines
is half a pound of mixed vegetables per man. In tak-
ing up these vegetables potatoes are generally re-
fused, for two reasons—first, that a good sized
potato would weigh the half pound; and, secondly,
that a handkercuief full of biscuit can always be
exchanged for a net of potatoes in some boat along-
side. Now, prisoners undergoing penal servitude,
say for six years, in one of our outport prisons, for
the first four years of their servitude are fed on
boiled meats and soups. As their constitutions, how-
ever, might be possibly injured if such a course of
treatment were long persisted in, they, during the
last two years, get baked beef or mutton two days
in the week. They are allowed the same quantity
of vegetables for soup that seamen and marines re-
ceive—viz., half a pound per day ; but, in addition
to this, and, therefore, in excess of what is .talso
allowed
to the crews of her Majesty's ships, a
receives daily 11b. of potatoes,
se re
fthey
have been boiled. Such are coatramst d
traineden Pe
and
existing systems of victualling the
trusted to fight their country's battles and the con-
victed felon. To remedy
this state of things, and
give a greater variety to
the seaman's dinner, a plan
has been submitted
for the consideration of the
Lords of the Admiralty by an officer of considerable
standing in the Victualling Department, which has
been most favourably received by their Lordships,
who have, we believe, issued orders for its imme-
diate trial on board one of the ships in the home
ports; and most probably the Hannibal, screw
liner at Portsmouth, selected as a depot ship for the
reception of seamen returning to the port from
leave, will be fitted on the proposed plan, in order
that it may be fully tested and reported upon by the
Staff of the Port Admiral. The cost of the existing
cooking galleys on board a first-class ship is to the
Admiralty about 11,000 each. It is, therefore,
evident that an immense plant of such material is
on hand, which can only at enormous expense be
superseded by any other form of galley. If the
present galley can have its oven accommodation in-
creased, it being efficient in all other respects, this
supplementary aid is all that is required with

44•••••(
NEWSPIPER -
regard to the cooking arrangeme t 4s,y
which this is proposed to be a ;- t
erect an oven about four feet fares f , p, z
coppers, the oven to be, for a c , "
five feet high and wide, and two qief- S
This oven will contain four shelveKof Itires
trays, so as to equalise the heat from top to
bottom, which weld, receive the men's mess-dishes
containing their rifesh meat and potatoes. A jacket,.
or flue, encirclei'the oven from a small fire under-
neath, the smoke being carried off by a. funnel com-
municating with the larger funnel of the galley.
This oven would bake dinners for the whole crew of
300 men. Again, take the instance of a ship on a
foreign station, say the Pacific, in which tee biscuit
runs ,short. B trrels of American flour, the best
bread making flour in the world, can always beob-
tamped in any quantity and at moderate cost. ne
supplementary oven would, therefore, under such
circumstances, afford a means of giving a ship's com-
pany good, wholesome, fresh bread every day, in
lieu of the unwholesome biscuit to be allow( don tho
spot, on which they must be otherwise fed. Mr::
exact difference between soft, fresh bread and rotten.
or flinty biscuit on a distant station like the Pacific
can only be realised by those who have served in,
such latitudes. In addition, however, to providing
our ships' crews with the means of baking as well
as boiling their fresh beef, and with fresh, soft
bread, when necessary, on a foreign station, the pro-
posed scheme goes still further. It is proposed that
the men shall be allowed not the 11b. of potatoes of
the convict, weighed after boiling, but half a pound
of potatoes with his fresh meat, in addition to his
half pound of shreds of vegetables for soup, and that
mutton should be supplied on certain days in har-
bour in lieu of beef. It is estimated that the cost
of this additional allowance of potatoes, and the oc-
casional substitution of mutton for beef, would in-
crease the coat of victualling our seamen and marines
about Bs. per head per annum—a mere bagatelle, if
we even putt- the question of the men's comfort and
enjoyment aside, and look upon it from a merely
sanitary point of view. The cost of a supplemen-
tary oven which would bake sufficient bread and
the cligaare daily for 300 men would not exceed
£35. If, however, the present Board carries out the
proposed plan for improving the supply and cook-
ing of provisions for the crews of her Majesty's
ships, they will do more to render the Royal Naval
service popular with seaman than has been done by
any previous measure.

RAILWAYS AND OTHER COMPANIES.

NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE.

It appears that, subject to the audit now in pro-
gress, the dividend for the half-year ending the 31st
of December will be at the rate of 3i per cent.,
carrying over a balance of £3,600.