The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-06 00:00:00

level surface was obtained which enabled the ships to be
kept clean inside and free from foul collections in the bilges,
a thing impossible previously in iron ships. The cements
were, however, liable to crack, and they did not prevent the
oxidation of the iron inside, and they were capable of being
applied only under certain cireumstances of heat and posi-
tion. These objections, it is said, do not attach themselves
to the use of the Spence ship-lining composition. It is
elastic, and will not crack by any straining of the ship—it
is oleaginous, and prevents any oxidation or corrosion of
the iron ; and, to conclude, it is a perfect non-conductor of
heat or cold, and therefore furnishes the required means for
lining the mess decks or cabins of iron ships. Her Majesty's
screw iron sloop Sharpshooter, at Portsmouth, of 503 tons
and 150 horse power, has her starboard side internally, from
keel to upper deck, coated with this composition, and the
Buffalo, screw iron sloop of 440 tons, at Woolwich, is also
being coated with it. As a proof of the necessity existing
for protecting the rivet-heads on the inside of iron ships'
bottoms, we may mention that her Majesty's screw troop
ship Urgent, now in No. 8 dock at Portsmouth, has her
bottom plates riveted together by rivets an inch in dia-
meter, and that some hundreds of these are out of her
bottom, having had their heads on the inside of the ship,
destroyed by the motion of the bilge water and sand or grit.
The fine new transport ship Empress, Captain Ellis,
1,313 tons register, recently purchased by Messrs. Honlder
Brothers, of Leadenhall street, yesterday hauled alongside
the T pier at the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich, in pre-
paration
to embark the 4th battalion Military Train
under orders for service in New Zealand. The Empress
will undergo her last official inspection this morning by Sir
B. Decree and staff, commanding the garrison at Woolwich.
The troops will embark in the course of the following after-
noon and take possession of their quarters, and, according
to present orders, the vessel will sail on Monday morning.
The hattalion•consists of Lieut.-Col. O'Brien, in command;
Major Gray; Copts. Green and Witchell ; Lieuts. Sewell,.
Creagh, and St. Aubyn.; Ensigns Leir and Davis; Capt.
Reeve., paymaster; Qatrtermaater Lambert, Lieut. and
Adjt. Shackleton, Veterinary-Surg. Appleton, one medical
officer, 267 non-commissioned officers and privates, 38
women, and 50 children.

The steam storeship Balaclava has arrived at Woolwich
Arsenal, after a perilous voyage from Scotland, vizi has
commenced discharging her cargo of returned stores. The
Balaclava bore up in Yarmouth Roads during the violence
of the gale, and again proceeded to sea on Sunday morning,
when she was enveloped in a thick dark fog, and struck on
a sandbank off Wells Point. She came off at high water
without damage. _

.•
The whole of the guns, shot, shell, and other War De-
partment stores belonging to the screw frigate Emerald, 35,
600 horse power, Capt. A. Cumming, lately attached to the
Channel Squadron, have been landed at the Ordnance wharf,
Chatham, and the other stores deposited in the dockyard.
The Emerald is entirely dismantled, and will be paid off at
the Nore to-morrow, and placed in the steam reserve.
general order from the Horse Guards, signed by Sir J.
y. Scarlett, K.C,8., Adjutant-General, has been received
at Chatham, announcing that her Majesty has been pleased
to approve a new description of sword belt, with three rows
of gold embroidery, for field marshals, general officers, and
generals on the staff, and a similar belt, with two rows of
embroidery, for staff officers under the rank of general offi-
cers,lieu of those now prescribed by regulation, which
aref in lieu
not sufficiently strong for service. The Duke of
Cambridge directs that all general and staff officers on active
employment shall furnish themselves with the new sword
bats, according to the pattern deposited at the Horse
Guards, and general officers not actively employed will
adopt the new pattern as they may require to replace those
nowin use.