The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-02 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
Her Majesty's ship Osprey, Commander Innes,
having been detained at the buoy off Woolwich
arsenal to make good some defects in her tiller, was
on Saturday thoroughly inspected. Having re-
shipped her powder she proceeded to Greenhithe to
adjust compasses ; and she will sail for Portsmouth
for orders as to her destination.

Her Majesty's paddle yacht Victoria and Albert,
Capt. G. H. Seymour, C. 8., made an official trial of
her machinery on Saturday at Portsmouth, on the
completion of engineering repairs, under the super-
vision of Capt. H. Broadhead, commanding the
steam reserve ; Mr. Murdoch, inspector of machinery
afloat, and Mr. Ward, assist. engineer to the dock-
yard and steam factory. Mr. Hilladay represented
the makers of the engines, Messrs. J. Penn and Sons.
The yacht left the harbour at 8.40 a.m., and first
steamed at full speed out to the Nab Light. She
returned thence down the West Channel, and etn—
barked from Osborne their Royal -Highifesses the
Prince of Wales and Prince Louis of Hesse. After
this the yacht's course was continued down the West
Channel to Yarmouth Roads, when her head was
brought round again for Osborne, where the Royal
Princes disembarked, and the Victoria and Albert
returned to her moorings in Portsmouth harbour.
Her machinery worked unexceptionably through-
out the trial. The weather was exceedingly bois-
terous. The yacht will fill up with coal to-day, and
will leave Portsmouth in the end of the present
month to convey to England her Royal Highness
the Princess Alexandra of Denmark.
The line-of-battle screw steamer Goliah, 81, 400-
horse power. recently converted at Chatham from a
sailing ship to a screw steamer, and since attached
to the Steam Reserve, is to be converted into a
troop ship, for which her large tonnage and size
render her exceedingly appropriate. An estimate
of the cost of converting her is to be forwarded to
the Admiralty by the dockyard officials, when,
should the proposed outlay not be excessive, she
will be taken in hand as soon as the vessels already
in progress are completed.
The Vigilant, 4, 680 tons, 200 horse power, hav-
ing made good the defects occasioned by her hav-
ing been driven on shore on the Gunfieet Sands,
got up steam in the great basin on Friday, when
her engines were found to work very satisfactorily.
She is ordered to be placed in the first division
of the Chatham Steam Reserve.

The Mars, 81, 400 horse power, Capt. Strange,
which recently arrived at the Nore from the Medi-
terranean, will be taken into dock to-day to be paid
off. On being put out of commission the Mars
will be placed in the Chatham Steam Reserve.

The screw corvette Racoon, 22, 400 horse power,
attached to the Chatham Steam Reserve, commis-
sioned by Captain the Count Victor F. F. E. 9.
Gleichen, who has joined that vessel, will be placed
in dock to-morrow for the purpose of undergoing
the usual survey before being sent to sea. The fol-
lowing officers had been appointed to the Racoon
up to Saturday, and most of them have already
joined and taken up their commissions :—Lieuts.
H. M. Miller, H. Campbell, and G. R. Trefusis ;
Master W. H. Bradley ; Second Master C. AT.
M'Conachy ; Master's-Assistants G. A. Broad and
W. H. Petley ; Paymaster T. Bradbridge ; Assisi.-
Paymaster C. E. James; Assist-Engineer W. I.
Parnell; Clerk A. N. C. King; Naval Cadet t e
Hon. W. B. Phipps ; Midshipmen J. W. Ramsay,
N. Byng, A. Kingscote, and A. P. Pascoe.
The following appointments were made on Satin.-
day at the Admiralty : Commander Thomas
Heard to the Wellesley, additional, for service in
the Active ; Commander Edward Field to the Trin-
comalee, vice Commander Heard; Lieut. J. V. D.
Butler to the Buzzard; James Kiddie, master, ad-
ditional, to the Fisgard for the Royal Oak; and
John W. M'J. Hall, master, additional, to the Fis-
gard for transport duties at Deptford.