The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-31 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

-
A general order from the Horse Guards has been received
at Chatham garrison, announcing that his Royal Highness
the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, with the concur-
rence of the Secretary of State for war, has been pleased to
award silver medals, with gratuities, to various non-com-
missioned officers and gunners of the Royal Artillery for
lorg service and exemplary conduct. Medals and gratuities
of £l5 each were awarded to Master-gunners Thos. Ander-
son. Thomas Birks, Edward Dewey, Joseph Hunter, James
Hunter, John Knox, Jacob Little, Jas. Piper, R. Redfern,
Charles Smith, John Williams, Wm. Taylor, and William
White; Battery Sergeants-major Walter Gibson, R. Hall,
Robert Murray, R. Lakin, John Doulon, John M`Glashan,
John Moore, Wm. Wishart, and David Montgomery; Ser-
geants-Major David Humphreys. Chas. Clarke, and Lee
Buckland ; Quartermaster-sergeants Thos. Gibson and Wm.
Massey; Farrier-sergeants George Horton and Robert
Wilson ; Drum-major James Lawson ; Sergeants William
Beach, Samuel Milligan, Thos. Watt, Wm. Brett, Gran-
vine Smith, John Powell, John Smith, Joseph Smyth, P.
Walsh, Hugh Thomson, Richard Coghlan, David Corbett,
James Gilbertson, William Ingram, John Lythgoe, James
Magihon, and James A. Menzies. Medals and gratuities of
£lO each were awarded to Master-gunners Thomas Keown,
James King, Joseph Thornley, John Agnew, and Charles
Wildbore ; Battery Quartermaster-sergeant Thomas Cribb;
Battery Sergeants-major Thomas Finlay and Charles Bon-
cell; Staff Collar-maker Thomas Fairchild; Sergeants
William Legerwood, William Rhodes, William Newstead,
William Dodd, Ephraim Blythe, Hugh Murray, David
Bannister, Jabez Chapple, William Deans, Thomas Inglis,
W. M‘Donald, and James Rolla; Corporals Henry Allen
and Thomas Johnson. A large number of other non-com-
missioned officers and gunners received medals and gratui-
ties of £5 each.

Ironclads on the Mersey.

Though it is well known that several ironclads aro in
course of construction in various parts of the kingdom for
foreign Governments, and though one has already sailed.for
Russia and another for Denmark without occasioning sur-
prise, the public suspect that any vessel of war built on the
Mersey must be intended for the Confederate Government.
For a considerable time past mysterious assertions have been
circulated respecting two ironclads building in Messrs.
Laird's yard, and Federal spies have never lost sight of
them. A few days ago it was currently reported and be-
lieved that one of these vessels had slipped away to sea clan-
destinely to join company with the Florida off the Irish
coast. That such was not the case a visit to Messrs. Laird's
yard made evident. There at present lie the two suspected
vessels side by side, with the French flag floating over t
one nearest completion. Messrs. Laird make no myster
named.
about El Tousson and El Mounassir, as the ships are s
They are undoubtedly built on French account, and i
t i
understood that the French Vice-Consul has given the Col-
lector of Customs satisfactory explanations respecting them.
El Tousson, which was launched some time ago, will be
ready for a trial trip in a month or six weeks. El Mounatsh
was only launched on Saturday, but already a portion of her
machinery is on board. Perhaps there are not two more
They are 230 ft, over all, 42ft.
formidable frigates afloat.
beam, with 19ft. 6in. depth of hold. Tonnage, 1,850 o.m. ;
horse power 350. They will combine speed with good sea-
going qualities. They are very flat-bottomed, with exceed-
ingly fine ends, and will sit low in the water. Their
draught when loaded will be about 15ft ; estimated speed,
11 knots. The stem is so formed that the vessel may be used
as a ram, and the stern which overhangs affords protection
to the screw and rudder from shot or collisions. The rig
is that of a barque, the masts, which are telescopic, and the
lower yards, being of iron. The armour-plating on
the sides of the vessel is 41 inches thick amidships,
and rather less at the ends. The plates, the join-
ing of which together is imperceptible, are fitted
into a teak backing of great strength. The deck is of bin.
teak, protected with iron. The bulwark let down in case
of action in order to allow the turret guns to fire over them.
They have two cylinderical turrets on Captain Come- principlo—one before and the other abaft the eng room ,
heavily plated. These turrets are made for twoitghuens each.
The pilothouse is formed of teak and iron. An r end of
the vessel are raised decks, which afford exca
ent accommo-
dation for the officers and crew. In the captain's cabin
provision is made for two heavyistedrenegkunTs, and heavy guns
can be trained from the forecasAt
thell
meehhi
nery vessels have
capacity for 300 tons of experiencederess ede ie
navalnitionfficers who have
is below
the water line. Several
" exP r 3 most gratify-
inspected the vessels haing to their design dock is her
In the adjoining
This vessel is •
being constructed in a
court, of 6,720 tons.
I dock which was adapted specially for the purpose, and is now
one of the finest in the kingdom. It is about 400 ft. long,
with an entrance of 75ft. wide, and a depth of water on the
blocks of 241 t. at average spring tide, or 26ft. at a high
spring tide. Rapid progress has been made during the
spr
summer months—about three-fourths of the iron-work of
the hull is now fitted in place, and a large proportion of this
completely riveted and finished off, ao that the carpenters
have commenced with the woodwork, some six or seven
atreakes of the teak backing for the armour plating are fixed
on amidship, and various checks, waterways, planking, &c.,
aro being prepared for the different decks. The forgings
for the stem and stern frames have, as usual in these very
large ships, required a longer time to make than was ex-
pected, but the lower part of the stem has now been in its
place for some months, and the stern post, weighing some
35 tons, was finally erected last month. The remaining
parts of tbs. stern and the rudder-post will be complete in a
few weeks, and then the extreme bow and ._tern of the
vessel will be rapidly closed in. Large quantities of the
5.1-ineh armour plates have been received, and as all the
machinery for preparing and fitting them has been com-
plete and at work for some time, it is expected that rapid
progress will be made with fixing them to the sides of the
frigate. The winter weather will not have the effect of in•
terfering with the progress of the work to the extent usually
to be feared in this climate, as the whole ship and dock
is covered over with a shed, under villsk are placed the
travelling crane 3 and other appliances for carrying on tile
work,