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

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

The Lords of the Admiralty concluded their visit
to Portsmouth yesterday by inspecting the boys'
training ship St. Vincent, the officers and men of
the steam reserve, the gunnery ship Excellent, and
the Duke of Wellington, seamens' depot ship. On
board the latter vessel their lordships witnessed the
delivery of the men's baked dinners from the sup-
plementary oven, which has been supplied to the
ship on the plan of Mr. Superintendent Grant, of
the Royal Clarence Victualling-yard. Baked din-
ners were on this occasion served out to 410 men.
The application of Mr. Grant's principle to the
means of cooking on board her Majesty's ships
would be exceedingly economical, and would also
be a great boon to the men. The petty officers
were called up before their lordships and questioned
as to their preference for biscuit or soft bread,when
they replied that they should much prefer soft
bread ss baked in Mr. Grant's oven. The bread is
therefore to be introduced into this ship, where,
from the fact of its being a depot ship, and the crew
constantly changing, no bavings are paid for biscuit.
Therefore all grumbling on the part of the men at
the introduction of soft bread, for which savings
are not allowed, is avoided. His Grace the Duke of
Somerset held a levee at the Royal Naval College.
Soon after noon the board took leave of the Admi-
rals and officials, and embarked on board their yacht
' with the exception of Rear-Admiral Eden, Rear-
Admiral Robinson, and Lord C. Paget, who re-
turned to London by train. At 3 p.m. the En-
chantress, with the Admiralty flag at the main,
left for Cowes and Portland under the usual salutes
from the flagship and battery of the garrison.

In accordance with instructions received at Chat-
ham from the Admiralty, the first of the descrip-
tion of iron frigates to be constructed according to
111 r. Reed's plan is to be laid down at that dockyard
as soon as the resources of that establishment will
permit. The new frigate is to be appropriately
named the Bellerophon, although she will be a very
different vessel from her namesake, which did such
good service in the naval wars at the commence-
ment of the present century. The new vessel,
although somewhat smaller than the iron ships of
the Achilles class, is intended to be superior, both
for offensive and defensive purposes, to any of the
iron steamers now afloat, while, from the several
improvements already effected in iron shipbuilding,
she is expected to be a first -rate sea-going ship.
The Bellerophon will be a little over 200 ft. in
length, or about 80ft. less than the Achilles, and
with a breadth of beam of 50ft. She is only in-
tended to mount 12 guns, but these will be of the
most powerful description used in the service. The
vessel will be incased in iron armour-plating of 51
inches in thickness in her most exposed parts, and
44 inches in other portions of the vessel. She will
be fitted with engines of 1,200 horse power, in order
to enable her to steam 15 knots an hour. The Lords
of the Admiralty are desirous that the new iron
frigate should be completed and at sea within two
years from her being taken in hand, and, from the
resources possessed by Chatham dockyard for iron
shipbuilding, there is little doubt that she will be
finished within the prescribed period. With the
exception of the blocks being laid on No. 7 slip, no
commencement has yet been made in building the
new iron-cased frigate Lord Warden, which the
Admiralty several months since decided on building
in Chatham dockyard. This arises from the fact of
there being no hands that can be placed on the new
frigate, as every available workman in the dockyard
is employed on the iron frigate Achilles, in order
that she may be completed as speedily as possible.
In the meantime the hands in the saw-mills are fully
occupied in cutting out the oak frame for the Lord
Warden, in order that the mechanics, when released
from the Achilles, may immediately commence
building that frigate. The Lord Warden
is to be constructed from the designs prepared
by Mr. Reed. She is intended to be of somewhat
larger dimensions than the Royal Oak, and will be
built with a stem which will project about 10 feet,
and which, being below her water-line, will be com-
pletely hidden, At the recent Admiralty visit to
Chatham dockyard their lordships directed some
additional machinery to be erected at the slip on
which the Lord Warden is to be constructed, which
will very considerably facilitate the progress of the
work. The intention of converting the line-of-
battle two-decker Bulwark, 91, and the Belvidera,
51, on the stocks at Chatham dockyard, to iron
cased frigates has been abandoned—at least for the
present.
The iron screw frigate Tamar, 3,500 horse power,
on being undocked at Chatham, after her survey
by the master shipwright's staff, is to proceed to
Sheerness, where she is to be fitted for the first-
class steam reserve, in readiness for immediate com-
mission. She has been fitted with a poop, by which
additional accommodation will be provided for the
officers on board, it being intended to employ the
Tamar as a troopship. Ia addition to her usual
complement of officers and crew, she is fitted to
carry 80 officers and 1,000 troops.
The Duncan, old line-of-battle sailing ship, is to
be taken into No. 3 dock at Chatham, where she is
to be broken up by a party of shipwrights who ate
to be hired for that purpose. The Duncan has been
employed, until recently, as a hospital ship at
Stangate-creek, Chatham, but, on being surveyed
by the dockyard officials was condemned as unfit,
for further service.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—W. H. Favvckner, master, to
the Indus, for the Aurora ; Henry D. Sarratt, mas-
ter, to the Asia, for the Osborne ; Samuel Libby
(a), master, to the Fisgard, for the Black Eagle ;
John Jones, master, to the Cumberland, for the
Scylla ; Samuel Libby (b), master, to the Geyser ;
iohn Spinks, acting engineer, to the Snipe; Alex.
Smart, first class assisteengineer, to the Snipe;
and J. W. Smart, second class assiet.-engineer.

TEE ARMY.
The following votioe
,has been issued from the
Horse Guards :

"August 7, 1863.

" No examination for direct commission will take Pia"
for some months, hut due notice will be give:l
when the
date is fixed for the next examination."

Sir Cresswell Cresswell's Successor•

(From to-day's Law TimaJ__eated by the
It will be difficult to supply the vacancf:
d a a divorce
death of Sir Cresswell Cresswell.
Aj: In addition to
court requires some special qualificati:
judges, the judge
the judicial faculties indispensable to
matrimonial causes
to whom is confided the decision of
measure of sagacity and
must possess more than the common
er:vtust be essentially a gen-
tleman—in But, besides these,
a gentleman not by train-
tleman—in feeling
natrieniarllg: needs a profound knowledge of
ing only, but by experience of society ; he must
and a d unswayed by sectarianism. A man
the human mind,
be free from bigotry and
religious or otherwise, would be
ache
fettered by prejudices,
The inquisition which he conducts
unfitted for the Pac •
is of necessitybrinb,
directed where a coarse mind might offend, a
a vulgar mind insult. The controlling
weak mindf ib gentleman affords the only security that the
spirit a" -
peculiar functionsdevolving •
1113011 the judge of a Divorce
Court will be discharged with dignity and honour, to the
satisfaction of the suitors, and to the advantage of the
public.
It was the possession of these qualities that so specially
fitted the late judgo for his office, and enabled him to create a
code of law upon the scanty foundation provided for him by the
Legislature, This it is that makes the choice of a successor
so difficult. The importance of that choice is so great that
the claims of party will probably not be permitted to infla •
ence it; the Government will feel itself bound to consult
only the public welfare, and make its choice from the
entire Bench and Bar. Among them there is not one who
possesses such an unquestioned qualification that every
finger points at him as the right man. The Solicitor •General
is the most competent, but he has higher aims. the
man is not to be seen on the Bench, nor among the
men at the bar is there one whose proved fitness would be
acknowledged by all. The Queen's Advocate, Sir R. Phil-
limore, perhaps embraces the greatest number of recom-
mendations, but he is wanting in some. The range of
choice is so small, that the Government is almost com-
pelled to take what it can get. Happily, the object of its
choice will find the way prepared for him, and he will need
but to follow in the footsteps of his predecessor to be se-
cured against falling into serious error, either in the con-
duct of his court or in the decisions on the points of law and
practice that must be continually arising for some time yet
to come.