The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-17 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

VALETTA, Aug. 10.—There has been no naval
movements here since the departure of the last mail,
except the departure of her Majesty's gunboat Pro-
cris, 3,Lieut.-Commander the Hon. J. B. Vivian, on
the 4th inst., for Gibraltar, after making good re-
pairs, and the departure of the Magicienne, 16,
Capt. W. Armytage-, on the 7th inst., with a mail for
the Commander-in-Chief at the Piraeus. The only
ships of war in port are the Hibernia,receiving ship
(bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral T. Austin, C. 8.),
Commander R. B. Harvey ; the Medina, Capt. T. A.
B. Spratt, C.B. ; the Cossack, 20, Capt. W. R. Rol-
land ; the Malacca, 17, Capt. G. J. Napier; the Sur-
prise, 4, Commander W, H. Whyte ; the Boxer, ten-
der to the Hibernia ; and the Growler, tender to the
Medina. The Cossack is still in dock undergoing
repairs, The Malacca will not have to go to England
as expected. According to the last accounts from
Greece received here, the ships had been sent about
in all directions in consequence of anticipated dis-
turbances, but, unfortunately, nothing took place.
The Queen, 76, Capt. C. F. Hillyar, had been sent
up to Corfu from the Piraaas to fetch military in-
valids bound for England, and is expected shortly
at Malta on her way home. The Pcebe, 35, Capt.
T. D. A. Fortescue, is also expected from Beyrout,
after touching at different points in the East, in-
cluding Alexandria. Her Majesty's despatch vessel
Psyche, 2, Lieut.-Commander R. Sterne, after con-
veying Mr. Alison, her Majesty's Minister at
Teheran, from Constantinople to Poti, will return to
Malta for mail service between this island and the
Piraeus. The Caradoc, 2, Lieut.-Commander E. H.

Wilkinson, has gone up to Constantinople, to take
her place. Capt. F. W. Hutton, 23d Royal Welsh
Fusiliers, left on Sunday to join:the Curragh Camp,
to which he has been appointed Brigade-Major, in
place of Capt. Vigors, who rejoins his regiment.
Capt. Hutton has passed the Staff College.
His Grace the Duke of Somerset early on Friday
morning commenced a survey of Devonport dock-
yard, which was completed between two and 3 in
the afternoon. The building slips here present just
now a very untoward appearance. No.l has the sloop
Bittern, 4,669 tons, 150 horse power, about Ith built;
nothing has been done to her for a long time, and
there are no orders to proceed. No. 2 is vacant.
The Cynthia was proposed to be built there, and
some portions of her timbers have been a long time
in the yard prepared. In No. 3is the Robust, 81,
3,716 tons, 800-horse power, 2,4- parts of which are
built. The work on her was suspended some time
since. In No. 4is the Ister, 36, 1-1 built. She will
probably be taken down again. No. 5 slip, from
which the Ocean was launched, is unoccupied. In the
basin is the screw steam frigate Aurora, 29, 2,558
tons, 400 horse power, fitting for the first division
of the steam reserve. Her topmasts are fidded,
the lower rigging is over her mastheads, she may
be ready in October. Their Lordships did not go on
board this frigate, but they visited the screw steam
sloop Royalist, 11, 669 tons, 150 horse power, a
new ship, which is undergoing alterations and
being newly coppered in No. 4 dock, which is 219tt.
6in. long. The copper first put on was very infe-
rior. She is fitting for the first division of steam
reserve. In the north dock, No. 5 (263 ft. 4in. lone)
is the gunvessel Goshawk and the hoy Arthur, be-
longing to the Victualling Department. It is pro.
bable that, in consequence of the great size of mo-
dern built ships, the Lords of the Admiralty may
give directions for increasing the lengths of docks
Nos. 4 and 5. It is stated that their Lordships have
approved of a plan for the erection on the east side
of the rope house of an iron reservoir for storing
water, to be 100 ft. high. The power of the engine
which drives the wheels in the rope house can be
applied to pumping water into this reservoir.
While surveying the smithery the Duke of Somer-
set witnessed the mode for bending iron plates, in-
vented by Mr. Mattison, one of the workmen.
From the dockyard they proceeded to Keyham, and
went on board the iron plated frigate Prince Con-
sort. In the course of the afternoon they inspected
the iron troop ship Adventure in No. 1 dock, and
the process of bending the Ocean's plates in the
great quadrangle. While in tie steam factory they
were raised from the ground to the first floor by the
hydraulic elevating platform. The most important
engineering work in connection withKeyham steam
yard is that for the extension of the North or tidal
basin into the waste ground, and for the construc-
tion of a boat basin in place of the old powder ma-
gazine basin. The North basin, which occupies
about five acres, is about 500 ft. long ; when com-
pleted it will be 8331 t. long, 447 ft. wide, and 4lft.
deep from coping level. The river, or Hamoaze wall
enclosing the boat basin strikes off at an obtuse angle
from the west wall of the North basin. The length
of the boat basin will be 300 ft. by a mean width of
90ft. The wharf between the boat basin and the
North basin will be 30ft. wide above. The entrance
to the boat basin will be 30ft. wide. The area of the
North basin, when completed, will be somewhat over
nine acres, and the length of the new sea wall 470 ft.
A new entrance, 80ft. wide, will be constructed at
the north end of the North basin, to communicate
with any works which may afterwards be con-
structed. The outer facing of the north wall is
completed, and blocks of wrought granite for the
inner face are on the ground. It is understood that
the contract will be completed by Mr. Jackson in
three years. Shortly after 4 o'clock, the Duke of
Somerset, Admiral Eden, Captain Drummond, and
IVIr. Stansfeld, accompanied by Admiral Stewart
and Captain Hall, landed from the steam yacht
Princess Alice at the breakwater, where they were
received by Commander Aylen, the harbour-master,
and Mr. Neville, the superintendent of the works,
who explained to them a proposition for forming a
neer landing place at the centre jetty. There are
now only 100 men employed on the breakwater and
the Government quarries at Preston. They are
occupied is placing a granite buttress at the foot of
the work, the foundation being at the level of low
water of the lowest spring tides. The buttress con-
sists of three courses of granite dovetailed horizon-
tally and vertically. The progress is necessarily
slow, as the work can only be done for four or five
days at each spring tide. Between August, 1862,
4114 August, 1863, 788 lineal feet have been laid, and
there remains 324 feet to complete the work. The
19'6MA of stone deposited since last August is 9,800
tone, Peking a total, since the first stone was laid,
on theof
Be-
fore dea_'_l.a. August, 1812, of 3,940,200 tons.
the prok;ell4 their lordships took a cursory view of
foundaeensBo;if the works in connection with the
part of the Shovel
elliptical fort constructing on that
the breaksvate:el Rock which is immediately inside
and Mr. orelaelnir.Hutton, the resident engineer,
were Zuille, the representative of the con-
tractors,
water, staging.
were under At the time the divers
the foundation course,
more than three.soarthtsing
of Which is laid. Nearly
all the blocks for the remainder are ready for ship-
ment at Lairs. From the breakwater their lord-
ships went into Cawsand
Ya'° view Picklecombe
Fort, and then returned to aatni
In the even•.
tug they were present at the re'l at the RoyaAl
Ma a I,m
rine Barracks in favour the Female ale Orphan
y
After Sir F. Grey and Admiral Eden had in-
spected the boys on board the Implacable in ua-
reo9ze, on Wednesday, in their various drills,sea-
manship, gunnery, rifle, and cutlass, and
tea° at
school,
they expressed their pleasure at finding
them in such a satisfactory
state. The complement
of this ship is 400. There are at present only five
vacancies which can be readily filled, es the boys
are very happy, and none run away when ashore on
leave. 0:1 Thursday next the officers and boys take
their annual excursion up the River Tamar.
The Clio, 20, KIT w corvette, arrived at Spithead
on Saturday, from Rio de Janeiro, whence she sailed
on the 27th of June. YesterdayMorniag she sailed
from Spithead for Sheerness to dismantle and pay
out of commission. Oa the 2d of July, in lat, 26 26
S., long. 37 50, the Clio saw a large ship on fire and
ndarly burnt to the water's edge, and afterwards
during the same day spoke the Confederate steamer
Alabama, which had captured and fired the ship.
The Orontes screw troopship, Capt. H. Hire, sailed
from Portsmouth on Saturday for the Mediter-
Tartan with detachments and supernumeraries.