The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-14 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

Mr. J. Stansfeld, M.P., Junior Lord of the Admiralt:,
continues his investigation of the dockyard accounts at
Sheerness.

VALETTA, Nov. S,—Her Majesty's despatch-vessel
Psyche, 2, Lieut.-Com. Sterne, arrived on Thursdayafter-
noon with the latest dates from the Pima ,
which port she
left at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, the 3d inst. On Wednesday the
Psyche passed the Russian:
corvette Sokol, which left Malta
T
on Tuesday for the Piraeus. Sokol had arrived here on
the Sunday previousfromthe westward. The Psyche passed
through a very heavy thunderstorm at S a.m. on Thursday
when about 80 miles from Malta, with hail and rain, the
wind changing from all parts of the compass, Another se-
vere thunderstorm was experienced the previous night. At
On
the Piraeus the weather was fine. the arrival of the
young King of the Hellenes Admiral Smart, it is said,
of-
fered him the use of the launches, pinnaces, and other
of the squadron ; but he declined the offer, his new boats
sub-
jects should take umbrage. All accounts agree in stating
that the new King has succeeded in making a very favour-
able first impression. A lamentable accident occurred dur-
ing the preparations for his reception. A store of fireworks
at the Piraeus blew up, killing and wounding five persons.
It is not known when the Commander-in-Chief will return
to Malta, as Admiral Smart is awaiting orders from the Fo-
reign-office. The Marlborough will, in any case, shortly
come down here for the purpose of giving the men leave,
and she is expected before the 20th inst. Should the Com-
mander-in-Chief be detained in Greece, he will probably
hoist his flag temporarily on the Psyche, or the Gibraltar,
81, Captain Prevost, which arrived yesterday from Eng-
land, on her way to Greece. Her Majesty's corvette
Pelican, 17, left the Pincers early in the morning of the
31st ultimo, for the coast of Syria, Commander Comber
having joined her, and Lieutenant Boger returned to his
duty as flag-lieutenant. The Queen, 76, Captain C. F.
Rillyar, sailed on the same day at 7 a.m. for Corfu,
Malta, and England, and has just come in. The Trafalgar,
70, Captain T. Mason, it was reported, would await her
orders from England; but the Meeanee, 80, Capt. Wode-
house, St. George, 86, Capt. the Hon. F. Egerton, and the
Orlando, 46, Capt. Randolph, would leave in a few days for
Malta. The following is a list of the ships of war at Athens
on the2d inst. :—lnglish.—Marlborough, 129 (flag of the
commander-in-chief), Revenge, 73 (flag of Rear-Admiral
Yelverton, C. 8.), Trafalgar, 70, Foxhound, 4, and Trident,
3 (inside the Piraeus) ; the Meeanee, SO, the St. George, 86,
and the Orlando, 46, in Salamis Bay, French—The Ma-
gicienne, frigate (bearing the flag of Admiral Abbeville) ;
the Mouette and Tangier, sloop, paddle; and the Algeciras,
liner (bearing the flag of Admiral Bouet Willamuez), who
accompanied the King of the Greeks. Austrian—The
Frederich (bearing the broad pendant of Commodore Tege-
toff), the Dandolo, 31 guns, and the Wall and the Seahund,
gunboats. Prussian—The Basilisk and the Blitz, gunboats.
Italian—The Tancredi, paddle-sloop. Turkish The
Brousa, sloop, 17, Hessen Bey, Captain. There was no
Russian ship with the Royal cortege, Several Greek gun-
boats and a Greek merchant steamer joined them on this
side of St. Angelo. These Greek merchant steamers fly a
pendant, and are Government vessels. The Liffey, 35, Capt.
George Parker, the Wanderer, 4, Commander M. C. Sey-
mour, the Surprise, 4, Commander W. H. Whyte, and the
Firefly, surveying vessel, Commander A. Mansell, are at
Corfu and different points on the west coast of Greece. Her
Majesty's ship Chanticleer, 17, Commander C. Sterling,
left Malta on the 31st ult. for the Piraeus, and the Ma-
gicienne, IG, Capt. W. Armytage, returned thence on the
3d inst. Lieut. Oliver, 22d Regiment, was a passenger on
board the latter vessel, which has come down to load stores
and provisions for the fleet. The Supply, 2, iron screw
storeship, Master-Commander Bowden, arrived from Torbay
and Gibraltar on the 2d inst., with stores for the garrison
and fleet. The Hydra, 6, paddlewheel, surveying-vessel,
Lieut.-Commander Wilkinson (temporary), arrived on the
sth inst. from Plymouth and Gibraltar. This vessel has
been specially fitted for the surveying service, and has a
spacious chart-room on deck. She is very much superior
both as regards speed and accommodation, to the old Medina,
which she is about to replace. The Growler, tender, Staff-
Commander Stokes, went out on the 4th inst. to continue
the local survey in the neighbourhood of Gozo, and returned
on the 7th. Her next trip will be to examine the new
island reported to have been thrown up on the Cherki
Rocks, near. Tunis. The following military officers have
arrived during the week :—Lieut.-Col. Mattel, R.M.F.A.;
Capt. De Lancy, A.D.C.; Capt. Sir W. Fairfax, &D.C.;
Col. Dunn, Major Brumell, Capt. Hutchinson, and Assist.-
Surg. Adcock, Ist battalion 22d Regiment. The following
have left :—Capt. Deane, 22cl Regiment, for Marseilles, and
Major Drew, for Southampton. The telegraphic lines in
Sicily have been interrupted for some days, owing to the
heavy rains. Communication was re-established on Thurs-
day last, and now messages are transmitted as usual. Her
Majesty's ships in port are—The Hibernia, receiving ship
(flag of Rear-Admiral Austin, C. 8.) ; the Gibraltar, S 1;
the Queen, 76 ; the Phoebe, 35 ; the Magicienne, 16 ; the
Icarus, 4; the Hydra, 6; the Growler, 2; the Medina;
the Psyche, 2 ; and the Supply, 2."
Her Majesty's armour-plated ship Caledonia, 05, 4,125
tons, 1,000 horse power, recently launched at Woolw.ich
dockyard, arrived at the Great Wore yesterday evening.
She will be taken into the harbour of Sheerness at flood-
tide this day, as her great draught of water renders it im-
possible to take her into the harbour at any other time.
Orders have been received at Sheerness that tho Caledonia
is not to be taken to Chatham dockyard, which was the
original intention. She is to be t
and brought forward for
commission.
A day's firing at armour-plates took place yesterday at
Portsmouth, under the superintendence of Captain Astley
Key, C,8., commanding her Majesty's gunnery ship Excel-
lent, and resulted in a most decided triumph for the plates
over the gun. The plates were bolted on the sides of the.
Monarch target ship in the ordinary manner, with 2-inch
bolts, and were fired at with the 95cwt. 6S -pounder gun, at a
distance of 200 yards. There were four plates, comprising one
41-inch plate from the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding
Company for the Minotaur, one 41-inch plate from Messrs,
John Brown and Co., of the Atlas Works, Sheffield, for the
Ocean, and one 51-inch plate from the same firm as an ex-
perimental plate, being made from Arcadian charcoal iron;
one 51. inch plate, and one 41-inch plate from Messrs. Cam.
sell and Co., of the Cyclops Works, Sheffield. Mee
ars,
Brown's Arcadian iron plate received nine shots, one of
which struck the right lower corner, and broke a piece off
1G inches in length by 15 inches in width. There were three
other slight cracks, but the plate was not materially
solelyallyineudreude
except in its broken corner, and this damage teas
to the shot striking at the extreme corner, and where the
backing also was afterwards found to be deficient.anu fa c Thetur e
metal, however, with which Messrs. Brown
their own plates is undoubtedly superior to theit Arcadian
tried yesterday, the latter being apparently
manufacture of armour plates of the first el too hard for the
ass. The Ocean's
plate, from Messrs. Brown, for a 41-inch plate, could not well,
with our present knowledge of armour-pla.to manufacture, be
surpassed. It is almost unnecessary to state that both these
were rolled plates, as none others are manufactured at
the Atlas Works. The Thames Company's plate for the
Minotaur, hammered, was the smallest of the four, but
was undoubtedly one of superior manufacture and metal.
Like Messrs.on Be
rown's
its
Arcadian plate, it was severely da-
magedcorners by shot, and, the iron being
there unsupported,
necessarily gave way. The two plates
sent in as test plates by Messrs. Cammell of Sheffield were
rolled, and gained for their manufacturers a position never
before surpassed by any other plates on their first trial as
test plates. The si-inch plate, indeed, in its left centre, re-
ceived six shots in a space measuring 18 inches horizontally
and 2 feet 10 inches vertically. Over this space and through
the indents of the shot marks there was nothing beyond
three slight surface cracks. The plate received 11 shots in
all. The 41-inch received eight shots, and was possibly one
shade inferior in quality to the 51-inch. The metal of these
two plates, as well as that of Messrs. Brown's 4S-inch,
four
beautifully fibrous. At the conclusion of the trials of trbeed 4
plates several shots were fired at a French manuf,ascsee e
with
inch plate that was bolted on to the target ship
id
the French
Arcadian iron bolts. Ono of these shots
tstraukd
penet rat ed
plate in a comparatively uninjured p
aerdieg, a strong con-
clear through into the ship's side, perreosd
to the shot by the
treat to the stubborn resistance offered
d but just been through
a experiments at Ports-
mouthtwo English 41-inch plates that
gradual progresseomplai
complain
being
their trial. The last twelvemonths
have satisfactorily shovels the
made in the excellence of their manufacture by English
serve in to the
uali. Thtyesoefl.taht tee
plates they
etvbeery,
armour-plate makerqs
as they improve the
Admiralty the latter raise their testing standard. This
to it should be, if by so doing the Admiralty 16,
however,
insure the best possible armour for our ships of War, - can
, end the
manufacturer is satisfied with the price he obtains for his