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

THE CHANNEL FLEET.

THE CRUISE OF THE WARRIOR.
(Abridged front the Scotsman.)
A little after noon, on Tuesday, a large and fashionable
party left the west pier of Leith on board the trim gun
boat Trinculo, which steamed out towards the fleet, and
brought up under the lee of the Warrior. A little before
two the whole party was on board ; and soon after the
anchor was weighed, the engines were turned ahead, and
the Warrior moved majestically down the Firth, amid cheers
from the war vessels she passed, and from the many tugs
plying busily through the fleet, and especially clustering
round the Black Prince with double eagerness that
there was on Monday no general admittance on board the
Warrior.

The party, which might number about 150, a large pro-
portion being ladies, dispersed throughout the ship, in all
directions save upwards, to watch the various operations
connected with the start. The heaving of the anchor was of
course the main interest. The steady and well-timed tramp
of the men marching aft with the tackle when walking he
ship up to hor anchor was very impressive. A more especial
source of interest was the manning and working of the great
capstan on the main deck, where 200 or more stalwart fel-
lows—A. B.'s, idlers, marine artillerymen, and marines
pressed lustily upon the capstan bars to the music of the
band, while with clank and clang the slimy chain cable crept
along and round, and again along and vanished down an
iron-lipped chasm into the Cimmerian gloom of the table-
locker. Black and oozy the cable crept in, and with
a long and unremitting sweep the men pressed manfully on
the capstan bars, till at length the shrill pipe of the boat-
swain forward proclaimed that the toil was over, and the
cable was secured with a slip, and the capstan was un-
manned. Yet the toil for many was not over, but only
transferred to the upper deck. The anchor was weighed, but
the cable was only slipped, and the anchor was yet at some
considerable depth. The tackles on deck were soon manned,
and by steady hauling, the huge beam of the anchor rose
at last to the cathead out of the green water, black,
dripping, and muddy. There was much shouting, piping,
and clambering of fearless bluejackets on the perilo,us-
lookir g platforms and footholds without, and in anotutr
minute the great flukes of the anchor were lifted astern and
secured, and before a motion was perceptible at the bow,
the anchor was a-trip and the Warrior was a full mile front
her moorings, sweeping under easy steam pat the north
side of Inchkeith.

The Warrior's course was shaped towards a point be-
tween the Island of May and the Bass Rock, thence back-
ward past the Bass, and on a course of S. W. by S., towards
the anchorage she had left. It must be said, however, that
few on board save the officers on duty knew or cared whither
the ship was steering, or how long she was to be out on her
cruise. The attractions of the quarter-deck were manifold
and potent to the gay and lightseme many; and not the
less so to the inquiring and exploring few were those of
the wonderful regions below. The op?ortunity, which
so rarely presents itself, of observing and inspecting the
internal working of a great ironclad under steam, was
eagerly seized by some on board. On deck vibration was
scarcely perceptible. At the bow only the dash of the
waves on the ship's side told that she was moving.
Astern, th 3 revolution of the screw-shaft and screw
was distinctly felt, but not at all so as to be un-
pleasant. Even in the engine-room, on the iron platforms
immediately above the massive cranks, revolving rapidly
with alternate 'notion, the vibration was very slight.

_.-7-_-_-- ------- -------_-_
MEETING OF THE IRISHCATIIOLIC HIERARCHY.
The Freeman's Journal reports that a meeting of the
ntire of the Catholic Bishops of
Ireiand was held in the
Pro-Cathedral, Mailborcugh-street, Dublin, on Tuesday
a w rind the two felleiNg days.
The affairs under discussion
though not stated, are
said to be of the utmost im-
portance.