The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-03 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

In consequence of the severity of the weather the iron
screw steamship Black Prince, 41, Capt. J.-B. Wainwright,
was prevented on Tuesday and yesterday from proceeding
from Hamoaze into the Sound. When the gale veered round
yesterday morning to north-west, it caught the corrugated
iron roofing on No. 2 building slip in the Devonport dock-
yard, and carried large portions of it over the high walls
into the town of Devonport. Some of it fell on the roofs of
the houses in Mutton-cove, and some was carried into the
river. The wooden framing, part of which is 12ft long by
Sin thick, was driven into the roofs of the houses, and in one
case a chimney was knocked down. Portions of the corru-
gated iron are rolled up on the roof of the building slip like
paper, and some of the lead on the roof of the sail loft has
been blown off. The gates of Keyham steamyard have been
thrown down, boats are crushed alongside the ships of war
in Hamoaze, and the traffic of the passenger steamers be-
tween North Corner and Saltash was for a time suspended,
There are no casualties to report among the naval and mer-
cantile shipping. The direction of the gale was not likely to
damage them in this port, but great fears are entertained at
Plymouth for the safety of ships in the Bristol Channel.
The iron screw steam troopship Tamar, 2,812 tons, 500
horse power, Capt. F. H. Stirling, having been minutely in-
spected at her moorings in Sheerness harbour by Capt. the
Hon. J, B. Drummond, C. 8., one of the Lords of the Ad-
miralty, and Capt. W. B. Mends, C. 8., director of trans-
ports, was taken out to sea for a few hours' run on Monday,
as a preliminary trial of her engines. On the following day
she:steamed to the measured mile off Maplin Sands to undergo
an official trial of speed, &c., in charge of Capt. W. K. Hall,
commanding the Sheerness steam reserve, there being also
present Mr. G. Blaxland, chief engineer of Sheerness dock-
yard, Mr. Urquhart, chief engineer, and Messrs. Ravenhill
and Elliott, of the firm of Ravenhill, Salkeld, and Co., manu-
facturers of the engines. Six runs were made with full
boiler•power at the measured mile, giving an average speed
of 10.778 knots an hour ; pressure of steam, 251 b; vacuum,
2411 b; and revolution of engines, 52 per minute. At half
boiler power the vessel made two runs at a speed of 9'290
knots, with 46 revolutions of engines. The circle was turned
at full speed, with helm 24 deg. to port, in 9m, 25., with 50
revolutions of engines, the diameter of the circle being
1,28) yards. The vessel is fitted with horizontal direct act-
ing engines, which worked in an excellent manner, there
being an entire absence of priming or hot bearings, and
plenty of steam. The propeller is Griffiths's patent, with a
pitch variable from 25 to 30 feet. On the trial the pitch was
27ft. 6in,, and the diameter 18 feet. The draught of water.
both forward and aft, was 22ft. 4in. The wind was from the
SSW., with a force of from 5 to 6, and the sea was rough.
The screw was lifted from its place and replacad with rapi-
dity and precision; and the trial, both as regards vessel and
machinery, gave the greatest satisfaction. The Tamar will
be inspected to-day by Vice-Admiral Sir G. R. Lambert,
K.C.B, Commander-in-Chief at Sheerness, and will pro-
ceed to sea on Saturday, when it is believed she will sail for
the lonian Islands, to fetch home the troops at present sta-
tioned there.

The 14-gun ship Trusty, floating battery, 1,539 tons and
150 horse power, fitted about two years ago at Woolwich
with Capt. Coles's cupola, with a view to experiments afloat
at Shoeburyness, is still lying at Woolwich, and encumber-
ing the inner fitting basin of the dockyard. An engineer and
a party of working men are constantly employed in the care
of the machinery and at the pumps to prevent her filling.
The expense thus incurred in the maintenance of the Trusty,
which has been pronounced to be utterly worthless for any
purpose afloat, is stated to exceed £3OO per annum.
The freightship Guide has arrived at Woolwich from
Malta, and has commenced unshipping her cargo, which
consists of soldiers' clothing, military tents, shot, engineers
tools, &c.
The Steam Reserve Commission continued their labours
at Portsmouth yard yesterday, attended by their secretary,
Mr. W. Hickman, R.N.
Five hundred able seamen have been selected from the
books of the Coastguard ships in the Portsmouth district,
and are held in readiness for service in sea-going ships.
A number of second-class lads, about 60, were yesterday
mustered by Capt. Lysaght on board the Fisgard at Wool-
wich, and were transferred by train to Portsmouth, for
instruction in the flagship Victory. The number now
entered on the Fisgard's books, and who are distributed to
the various flagships at Chatham, Sheerness, Portsmouth,
Plymouth, and Pembroke, averages about 25 weekly, the
required number being 60 per week.
A telegraphic message was received at Portsmouth Dock-
yard yesterday from the Admiralty containing orders for the
authorities to select 25 riggers from the dockyard and for-
ward them to Chatham, where their services are required to
assist in expending the outfit of the Bombay screw line-of-
battle ship, now fitting for commission at that 3 ard.
A naval court-martial assembled yesterday on board her
Majesty's ship Victory, at Portsmouth, for the trial of James
Anderson, sick berth attendant on board her Majesty's ship
Malacca, on charge of insubordination and disobedience of
orders. The court was composed of Capt. W. S. Chamber-
lain, president; Capts. Seceombe, Hire, and Bowden, and
Commander Phelps. The court found the.charges proved,
and sentenced the prisoner to 12 months' imprisonment with
hard labour, and at the end of the term of imprisonment to
be dismissed with disgrace from her Majesty's service.
We have to record the death of Admiral Sir James Han-
way Plumridge, K.C.8., at the ago of 76. The deceased
was educated at the Naval Academy, Chelsea, and entered
the navy in 1799. He served in Egypt in 1801, and at
Trafalgar in 1805. In 1806 he was made a lieutenant, and
commanded the boats of the Melpomene frigate at the cap-
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of France. He was aide-de-camp to the commander-in-
chief at the capture of Genoa in 1814, and for his services
was promoted to be commander in 1814. Subsequently he
commanded vessels on the Indian, St. Helena, and Irish sta-
tions, and was made post-captain for his services against
smugglers on the coast of Ireland. He was captain of the
Magicienne frigate, in India for several years, and was cap-
tain-superintendent at Falmouth five years. This office he
resigned on becoming Storekeeper-General of the United
Kingdom. From 1841 to 1847 he represented the borough
of Falmouth and Penrhyn in the House of Commons. In
1854 he took the command of the flying squadron in the
Gulf of Bothnia as rear-admiral, and three years afterwards
succeeded to the second command in the Baltic Fleet. He
served at the capture of Bomarsund, and subsequently com-
manded two detached squadrons. He was appointed Ad-
miral Superintendent of Devonport Dockyard in 1855, and
Rear-Admiral of the Red in 1856. The deceased Admiral
was married three times—first, in 1821, to the daughter of
Rear-Admiral Hart; second, in 1835, to the daughter of the
Right Hon. Hugh Elliott ; and, third, 1849, to the daughter
of Col. &inner, of the Royal Artillery.
The following appointments were made yesterday at the
Admiralty :—Commander Francis A. Hume, to the Vic-
tory; Commander Henry Fairfax, to the Resistance;
Lieutenant James D. Curtis, to the Egmont ; Lieutenant
Arthur C. Curtis, to the Black Brince ; George T. Temple,
George Trower, and Charles R. Congreve, rai lshipmen, to
the Euryalus; David L. Dickson, Frederick S. Pelly,
Frank R. Robinson, and Ed ward T. Hume, naval cadets,
to the Euryalus; Albert Hodges, master's assistant to the
Euryalus; and Remy C. Tremane, master's assistant to
the Dee.