The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-07 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

On board the Royal Oak, iron cased frigate, at
Chatham, every exertion is being used by the
crowd of mechanics, shipwrights, and other ar-
tisans who swarm her decks, to have her ready
for undocking by the date announced by the
Secretary of the Admiralty—the 19th instant.
All the hands have been removed from the
paddlewheel steamer Salamis—the only wooden
vessel now in progress at Chatham dockyard—and
most of them have within the last two or three
days been transferred to the Royal Oak, the dock-
yard officials being determined that nothing shall
be wanting to have the iron-eased frigate out of
dock by the date stated. A commencement has
just been made to sheath. the bottom with Muntz's
patent metal, which is to be used instead of copper,
the metal being prepared in the metal-mills, under
the superintendence of Mr. Magle, the head of that
department. The first of the elliptical 41in. plates
for encasing the turret which is now being erected
on the fighting deck was fixed in its place yester-
day, and the tower is now ready to receive the re-
mainder of the armour-plates as fast as they can be
prepared in the factory. The guns, shot, and shell
for the Royal Oak will not be placed on board until
after she has been undocked, in order that her
draught of water may not be increased while being
floated out.

Her Majesty's screw steam gunvessel Vigilant, 4
guns, 200-horse power, which, since her accident on
the Gunfleet Sands, has received thorough repair in
Sheerness dockyard, underwent her final trial on
Monday last at the measured mile off Maplin Sands,
under the command of Capt. T. P. Thompson, of
the Steam Reserve at Sheerness. She attained an
average speed, at full-boiler power, of 10.191 knots,
and at half-boiler power of 7'987 knots, everything
working most satisfactorily. She was inspected
yesterday by Capt. C. Wise, superintendent of her
Majesty's dockyard at Sheerness, after which she
sailed to join the squadron waiting to receive her
Royal Highness the Princess Alexandra on her
arrival at the N ore. After the arrival of the Prin-
cess the Vigilant will sail for Portsmouth, en route
for her destination, which is understood to be the
East Indies.

The Black Prince, 40, iron frigate, Capt. J. F.
B. Wainwright, is taking out her guns, shot, cables,
and other heavy weights, to lighten her draught of
water sufficiently to enter the steam basin at Ports-
mouth on Saturday to take out her damaged shaft-
ing, &c. So far as can be ascertained at present,
her bottom is very foul.

Yesterday afternoon there was a general official
inspection of the officers and men of the Royal
Naval Reserve on board the President, drill ship,
in the West India Docks. The ship was moored off
the south quay. Lord • Clarence Paget, the Secre-
tary to the Admiralty, was unavoidably absent ;
but Captain Carnegie, R.N., the Inspector-General
of the Royal Naval Reserve, together with the
Right Hon. E. Cardwell, Lieuts. Hybert, the Hon.
A. C. Dando, Comyns, Powell, and Riddle were
present. The men mustered on deck shortly after
2 o'clock to the number of about 250, and were put
through the ordinary movements of calling to quer-
ters, going through the gun practice, firing at sup-
posed enemies in broadsides, &e. The manning of
the guns, the shifting of them in different positions,
and other movements, were carried out with great
activity and readiness, showing in many instances
an amount of ability and efficiency equal to that
attained by the men in the Royal Navy. At the
conclusion of the drill the men were inspected
by Captain Carnegie, who expressed to the
commander of the President (Commander Mould,
R.N.) his satisfaction at the state of efficiency to
which the men had arrived. Mr. Mayo, the Regis-
trar-General of Seamen, was present during the
proceedings.