The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-30 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
Her Majesty's iron steam storeship Buffalo, 410 tons and
500 horse power, was on Monday unlocked at Woolwich,
and was hauled into the outsr basin, to be fitted for coast
service. The Buffalo has been partially coated in the hold
with DaVs pateitt iZ'°l)A.:l3ll4gtAntrUgetlgOapessfully ip. OW'
ships over the bilge bottom plates and rivet heads. Her
bottom has been covered experimentallyby special order from
the Board of Admiralty with Leetch's new patent composi-

tion for preserving the bottoms of iron ships from the
accumulation of barnacles and sea weed which clog and
damage the ship's rate of speed. All other inventions
hitherto tested for that purpose have signally failed, and the
use of copper sheathing has resulted in producing a gal-
vanic action which is said to decompose the iron more
rapidly than if it were left with its own natural surface
exposed to the action of the sea water. Mr. Leetch
proposes to remedy the evil by his invention, now applied
to the Buffalo. 11 is plan is to apply a coating of gutta
percha cement in a liquid state, and while it is hot to place
over it sheets of glass, bent to the required form, which are
pressed on and firmly secured by iron bolts. The injurious
contact of the iron and glass is prevented by an adhesive
solution with which the bolt-heads are covered. Tho in-

vention is spoken of as being likely to be highly successful,
as the preservative properties of gutta percha have been so
fully proved, and the smooth and hard surface of glass un-

ders it impossible for any living matter to adhere perma-
nently to it under a ship's ordinary speed at sea.
The intention to remove the Welles:ey, 72, training ship
for boys and novices, from her present berth off Chatham
Dockyard to moorings near Folly Point,some distance down
the river, has been abandoned, at least for the present, a re-

port having been made to the Lords of the Admiralty of the
unsuitableness of that spot, in a sanitary point of view, as
the station for a training vessel having a large number of

lads and boys on board. As soon as the work now in pro.
gress at the dockyard will permit,the fitting of the Diamond,
27, one of the sailing frigates attached to the reserve, is to
be proceeded with, that vessel being required, as well as the
Wellesley, for the use of the officers and lads serving on
board the latter ship.
Admiralty instructions have been received at Chatham
directing that in future all engineer students attending dock-
yard schools are to be granted two days' leave of absence at
Christmas and Midsummer in each year, without being
checked in their pay.
The line• of-battle screw steamer Bombay, 80, 400-horse
Tower, fitting in No. 3 dry dock at Chatham, is having her
bottom covered with some additional plates of Munt z's metal
on her port and starboard sides. The shipwrights have
commenced erecting the additional cabins and offices on her
upper deck for the Admiral and his retinue, the Bombay
being intended to relieve one of the flagships ordered home.
The whole of the standing wire rigging is set up, and the
running rigging is now being got in its place. There are
several weeks' work still to be accomplished on board before
the Bombay can leave the dock.
The Dromedary, steam store ship, Commander A.Brown,
arrived at Spithead yesterday morning from Ascension,
with invalids and passengers. Among the latter were Mr.
E. R. Miall, paymaster of the Archer ; Mr. D. J. L. Mac-
narnara, Sub-Lieutenant of her Majesty's ship Antelope;
and J. J. Crew, 21sisiatant-Engineer of her Mejesty'd-ship,
Hatay. The Dromedary left Ascension oNNere. 24, arriated
at St. Vincent's Dec. 6, sailed again on the Bth, arrived at
Madeira Dec. 16, leaving again on the 19th. On Nov. 30,
while at sea, a horrible accident occurred on board. It ap-
pears that Mr. Hockerston, assistant-engineer, was in the
act of examining the bearings in the screw alley, when his
coat was caught by the coupling bolts of the shaft and was
immediately wound about it. He must have gone round six
or seven times before he cried out. The engines were at once
stopped, and on releasing him from his awful position he
was found to have his right leg broken above the knee, and '
his left leg below the knee, His head, chest, and right arm
were very severely bruised, Ho is getting on as favourably
as can be expected, and will be removed to Haslar Hospital
with the other invalids. The Dromedary passed the English
ship Backers in Ist 37 12, long 14 39, on Dec. 2e'th ; the
Jamaica in lat 41 53, long 14 40, on Dec. 23d. The British
ship Prince Alfred frc,m Singapore, bound for London, left
Ascension Nov. 19th with passengers, all well on board.
The Federal ship of war Onward, 9 guns, Capt. Clark, was
at St. Vincent's on the Dromedary's arrival there, but left
on Dec. 7th in search of the Confederate ship Alabama.
She also left at Ascension her Majesty's store ship Wye
and the gunboat Snipe, and at Madeira Lord Brownlow's
yacht Ceres, of the safety of which anxious fears have been
expressed in England. She had experienced very heavy
gales and contrary winds, but had arrived there safely. The
Dromedary has experienced very boisterous weather. She
will disembark her invalids and go to the eastward to dis-
charge her stores.
The detachment of non-commissioned officers and men of
the Royal Marine Light Infantry,belonging to the Chatham
division, who have been selectdd for service at Port Albany,
were inspected at headquarters yesterday, and this morning
will leave Chatham for Woolwich, where they will be
joined by the contingent from that division, and proceed to
Plymouth. At Plymouth the non-commissioned officers
and men will embark in the Salamander, 6, 220 horse
power, which conveys them to their destination. The offi-
cer selected to proceed in charge of the detachment is First-
Lieut. R. J. Pascoe, of the Chatham division. The Royal
Marines composing the detachment have been chosen for
their knowledge of some trade, and they are all men of good
character. They will be absent from England
ber of years, during which time they receive
aend out
derable addition to their pay. It is intendedhtoyrs
arrival
their wives and families to them shortly after their 0
f labour
at Port Albany, when all the roughest description
connected with the expedition has been
made at the Ad-
The following appointments have beastly,
to the Welles-
miralty :—Geo. A. Rowe, assist. Tar',
to the Aurera—Henry
ley—Patrick Keelan, assist. surgojile Royal Oak—Edward
C. Woods, acting assist. surg.,
Win], for the Tenders—Wm
Taylor, engineer, to the Blenhdeas,
for the Partridge—N.,
H. Elliott, engineer, to the In
Anzineer the C b
um erlatd
thaniel Farrant, confirmed as to the Orontes
assist. engine
—F. J. Fairclough,
as supernurn
A s'
forß aenatunniisoi:
runiag.e,
to the Asia, era Y—and
assist. engineer,
clerk, to the Fisgard.
Matthew Wellington, to the Tamar—
Burnes, assist. engineer,