The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-13 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 13, 1863.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
The Sun of Wednesday, July 8, contained a de-

:ailed account of the lengthened frigate Constance

and a description of her engines. They were de-
scribed as double cylinder, or compound, of 500
horse power, and as designed especially to econo-

mise the use of fuel. In order to test them the fri-

gate was taken outside Plymouth Breakwater on
Monday last. The trial was under the superinten-

dente of Capt. Edmonstone, chief of the steam re-

serve, aided by Mr. Dinner,, inspector of machinery

afloat, and by Mr. Steil, assist.-engineer of Key-
ham-yard. Mr. Batt, master of the Indus, had
charge of the ship, and Mr. Joseph H. Ellis of the
engines. Mr. Randolph, senior partner of Messrs.
Randolph, Elder, and Co., of Glasgow, the contrac-
tors, was also on board. The wind was from the
south-west, the force from 2 to 5, and the weather
moderate. The Constance made six runs at the
measured mile, with the following results:—She
made the first run in 4m. 545.; rate,12.245 knots ;
the second in 4m. 405.; rate, 125 knots ; the third
in 4m. 505.; rate, 12.081 knots; the fourth in sm•
25.; rate, 11.921 knots ; the fifth in 4m. 425.; rate,
12766 knots ; the sixth in 4m. 425.; rate, 12766
knots. The other results were—average speed per
hour, 12.325 knots ; revolutions per minute, 55 to
58 ; steam pressure, 32-1-Ib.; barometer pressure,
301 b.; vacuum, 282 in.; temperature of the stoke-
hole, 96 deg.; engineroom, 74 deg.; deck, 68 deg.
There was no indication of hot bearings. With
half-boiler power she made the first run in sm. 430.:
rate, 10.496 knots ; the second in 6m. Bs.; rate,
9.783 knots ; the third in sm. 125.; rate, 11.538
knots; the fourth in sm. 555.; rate,lo.l4l knots. Her
average speed was 10.544 knots per hour, the num-
ber of revolutions was 46, and the steam pressure
281 b. The results as to speed are very satisfac-
tory. Although the consumption of fuel was less,
and the labour of the stokers not so much as with
other engines, yet it is considered that unless the
the ship is sent on a comparatively long voyage no
correct conclusion can be arrived at in reference to

the quantity of fuel required. It is therefore sug-
gested as being very desirable to test the competing
engines fitted on board the sister frigates Constance,
Arethusa, and Octavia at an early period by placing

them all in commission. The Constance went out
on Friday last, but, owing to the state of the
weather, her engines were not tried. When re-
turning through the Sound, about four p.m., three
shots were fired from the practice battery in the

lower fort of Plymouth citadel, which passed over
the deck of the Constance scarcely funnel high.
They seemed to be only a few feet from the heads of
those on her bridge.

The brig Ferret, 8, Lieut.-Commander Robert
Mansell, from Ireland, which arrived at Plymouth
on Tuesday, was appointed to return again yester-
day.
The troopship Windsor Castle, Capt. Price, left
Plymouth on Monday evening for Bombay.

The hulk Thisbe was towed on Tuesday from her
moorings in Hamoaze to the Devonport dockyard,
where she will be prepared for a chapel ship, and
will probably leave for Cardiff on Saturday.
The Fire Queen steam yacht, Master Comman-
der Pearl, with Vice-Admiral Sir M. Seymour,
K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, sailed
from Portsmouth yesterday morning for the Chan-
nel Islands, where the Admiral will make his an-
nual tour of inspections. During the absence of the
the Commander-in-Chief the duties of the port will
devolve on Rear-Admiral Elliott, Superintendent of
Portsmouth dockyard, who has shifted his flag to
the Victory. The Lucifer, paddle, in temporary
command of Master-Commander Allen, accom-
panied the Fire Queen.
The Orontes troopship; Capt. H. W. Hire, is

under orders to proceed.. to Gibraltar on or about
Saturday next, to be employed in removing troops
to and from Malta. This will occupy her until

about the middle of September. She will take out
a few supernumeraries, to be distributed among the

ships on that station.
The Admiralty have directed temporary roofs to
be erected over the stacks of timber deposited at
Chatham dockyard, in order to preserve them from
the effects of the weather until required for use in
wooden shipbuilding. This latter contingency,
however, appears to be exceedingly remote, as the
whole of the hands are at present employed, and
will be employed for some years to come, in the con-
struction of those iron and iron-cased vessels which
are already ordered to be built at Chatham.
Mr. 0. Lang, the master-shipbuilder at Chatham
dockyard, has within the last few days sent in a
formal application to the Admiralty, requesting to
be relieved of his appointment, and for permission
to retire from the service. Mr. Lang is one of the
most eminent shipbuilders in her Majesty's service,
and during his comparatively brief career as master
shipbuilder has designed and superintended the
construction of nearly all the finest and best of our
modern vessels of war. He was the constructor of
the Royal Oak, the pioneer of the squadron of iron-
clads which has turned out so complete a success. His
step has created considerable surprise, not unmixed
with regret. We have reason to believe, however,
that Mr. Lang is firm in his intention to retire from
the service, which, in consequence of some recent
important appointments at the Admiralty, has be-
come distasteful to him. It was yesterday an-
nounced at the dockyard that a reply had been
received from the Admiralty accepting Mr. Lang's
resignation, but requesting him not to quit the ser-
vice until the completion of the iron frigate Achilles,
the construction of which he has superintended up
till now. It is probable that Mr. Lang's retirement
will be followed by that of others at some of the
dockyards.

her troops and invalids yesterday. The invalids
were removed to Netley Hospital, and the troops to
their severai depots. The Royal Stuart sailed for
the Thames yesterday afternoon.

England, the substitutes' provided being for the most
part " rowdies" and ruffians of the great cities, who
have all the physical and none of the moral attri-
butes of the good soldier, and who make it their
business to desert as soon as possible after receipt
of their money, to carry on the same trade in a new
locality. The name of " bounty jumpers" has re-
cently been applied to them. This morning a
steamer with 117 conscripts and substitutes arrived
an the East River, from Newhaven. in Connecticut.
The vessel no sooner touched the pier than the men
endeavoured to escape. Some jumped overboard,
and a scene of the greatest confusion ensued, the
bystanders generally doing all in their power to
assist the runaways. The result was that 47 got
clear eff and defied pursuit. The remaining 60
were marched to the Park Barracks under escort,
to be removed forthwith to Washington.

The enrolment of negro regiments has proved a
greater failure in point of numbers than most people
anticipated. There are about 2,000 white men be-
sieging the official bureaux at Washington for cap-
taincies and colonelcies in black regiments; but
there are not nearly as many black candidates
throughout the whole North for the perilous honour
of serving the Federal Government in the capacity
of private soldiers. The negroes know their friends
from their enemies. They feel that the North has
no affection for them, and that it is only anxious
for black soldiers because it is running short of the
white supply. If they did not, they might be un-
deceived by the speech of the Rev. Horace James,
chaplain of a Massachusetts regiment, delivered a
few nights ago at Roxbury, Boston, in favour of
the establishment of a negro colony on Roanoke
Island. " Remember," he said, " that every black
soldier who is put into the field may intercept the
bullet that would other wise pierce the breast of a
white man. How can any individual, with one
spark of human feeling, look coldly on an experi-
ment the object of which is to save the lives of our
own young men, as well as to elevate and interest
an oppressed but tractable and courageous race ?"
The tender mercies of the Northern Aboli-
tionists are cruel. If this passage meant anything
it meant that white blood was valuable, and that
black blood was not, and that the cheapest food
for the gunpoWder of this strife was the black food.
The negro understands the matter perfectly well.
He says little, but he prefers to sweep chimneys,
whitewash walls, or be a waiter in taverns and
eating-houses, to shouldering the musket as a
soldier; more especially since it has become the
fashion, first set by General Banks, to place him in
positions of the greatest danger, where the whole-
sale massacre of himself and his companions is in-
evitable. Though such a proceeding answers the
double purpose of sparing white blood and of prov-
ing what no one ever doubted—that a negro pro-
perly drilled, educated, and fed, will make almost
as good a soldier as an Irishman—the negro may be
well excused for not seeing any advantage to him-
self in the experiment.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN.

The half-yearly meeting of this company was
held yesterday, at the Euston Station. Mr. R.
Moon, the chairman, presided.
The CHAIRMAN explained that, in order to enable
the warrants to be prepared ready for issue, as
usual, immediately after the declaration of the
dividend, the transfer books had to be closed on the
29th July, and the meeting now called within a
fortnight of that date was usually held on the 3d
Friday in August ; but as the accounts could not be
issued so as to be in the hands of the proprietors
seven days prior to the day of meeting, the ordi-
nary business would be adjourned to the 21st inst.
at noon.

A SHAREHOLDER wished to know what the
dividend was likely to be on the 21st ?
The CHAIRMAN saidthat the dividend would be at
the rate of 41-, per cent. per annum, which had been
fairly earned, leaving a small balance over. He
stated that since the first half of 1855 they had not
been able to add anything to the surplus forward
for the second half year.
The remainder of the ordinary business of the
halfyearly meeting was then adjourned to the 21st
inst. at noon.

The special general meeting was then held, to
consider the propriety of raising further capital.

The CHAIRMAN moved a formal resolution autho-
rising the directors to create additional capital to
the amount of £2,197,666, in shares of £lOO each,
having a perpetual preference dividend of 5 per
cent. per annum, payable half yearly, at the same
time as the ordinary dividends.
After some discussion the motion was carried by
a large majority.
Resolutions were passed authorising the directors
to convert a further amount of the debenture bonds
into a perpetual 4 per cent. debenture stock to the
extent of £5,000,000.