The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-28 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

With regard to a paragraph which appeared in
the Naval and Military Intelligence of yesterday
relative to scarlet fever on board the cadet training
ship Britannia, at Dartmouth, we learn that Capt.
Powell has been authorised to disperse the boys
should matters become worse. He is gratified in
having received liberty to act, which places him
more at eabe, but he hopes that there will be no ne-
cessity to send the lads home, as there have been no
fresh cases since Friday, and young Mr. Brooke,
=whom he was so anxioni, is recovering,
ugh he cannot yet be pronounced out of dan..
ger. It would have been a source of much annoy-
ance to Capt. Powell to break np before the usual
time, as the boys thoroughly enjoy themselves on
board
the Britannia, and work with so much spirit
that an interruption would have been a great check
to their progress. Yesterday a north-easterly wind
was blowing, which was the most favourable the
Britannia has had for some time. There is not now
a single case of scarlet fever on board. Every patient
has been removed to sick quarters on shore.
The Lords of the Admiralty on Monday afternoon
transmitted a telegram to Port-Admiral Stewart, at
De.vonport, to have the new steam iron-cased fri-
gate Prince Consort, 25, 4,045 tons, commissioned
for " short service," supposed to be for a month, and
giving the command to Captain Vesey, whose com-
expires on Saturday.
atched to Commandant
Tmealnegdroafmtshewßeroeyal also
d Adelaide
esp
Gacaptain, three subalterns, and
100 s cloig
t oynae to
l Marinas
as
re
innde
s onenn
board
to the Royal Naval
llospitsl to send two surgeons; and to the Royal
William victualling-yard to prepare provisions.
the
Yesterday
morning the Marines, with 450 seumen
from Royal Adelaide, Cambridge, and Canopus,
began to prepare the Prince Consort, and proceededmost actively to bend sails, &c,, and boats were
hastily launched from the dockyard. A. court-mar-
tial was postponed until Thursday. At 10 o'clock
ordersr res were unexpectedly received to stop all further
.
The men returned to their ships, and the
psMarines to their barracks. Shortly before noon, how-
progress,
ever, another telegram was received to prepare
the Prince Consort for a trial trip, and the men re-
newed their labours on board. At a late hour last
evening it was announced that the ship's destina-
tion is Liverpool, and that her duty there will be
to watch the iron rams preparing for sea in Mr.
Lai r ' s yard. The Prince Consort went in the
from Hamoaze into the Sound. It is ex-
pectedimmediately after her compasses are
adjusted
evening
this morning she will sail for her destina-
tion. The apparent indecision on the part of the
that
Lords of the Admiralty is attributed to an error in
the transmission of the message of yesterday morn-
ing.
The screw steamship Desperate, Commander
Arthur T. ThruPl3, from Jamaica, Sept. 23, and
Bermuda, OA. 6, arrived in Plymouth Sound yes-
terday (Tuesday) afternoon. She brings as passen-
gers from Bermuda, Dr. Donville, her Majesty's
ship Nile, and Mrs. Donville, and the Rev. John
Evans and Sub-Lieutenants Darwell, from the
'Andrei', and Skipworth, from the Challenger.
Mr. Whitehead, Master-Assistant of the Ariadne,
and Mr. E. N. Naylor, midshipman from the Phae-
ton, 12 supernumeraries, 6 naval and 10 military
invalids, and 5 military prisoners. She left at
Jamaica the Ariadne, the Cygnet, ant the Barra-
couta, and at Bermuda the Challenger and the
Plover. She spoke on the 21st of October, in let.
44 23 N., long., 21 21 W., the English bark Flying
Cloud, and on the 23d, in 46 25 N., long. 15 30 W.,
the ship Belooehee, outward bound.
The Resistance, 16, iron frigate, Capt. Chamber-
lain, had her bottom examined and reported upon
yesterday, on being docked, by the officials of Ports-
mouth dockyard. She was coated when last in dock
with Hay's and Peacock's protective and antifoul-
ing compositions on opposite sides. On examining
both sides now they appear to be nearly alike in
their state, whether as regards cleanliness or pre-
servation of the iron, but if there is any difference
it is certainly in favour of the " Peacock," as
the " Hay" side has a more liberal allowance
of adhesions of all kinds—dirt, coralline, weed,
and barnacle. Small patches on the ship's bottom
when last in dock were coated with Brown's patent
vitrous sheathing, attached to the iron of the
ship's bottom with Hay's marine glue. The ma-
jority of these plates have, however, fallen off, but
the patentee of the vitrous sheathing, who was pre-
sent yesterday at the inspection of the ships bot-
tom, attributes the falling off of the plates
purpose to
to the
inefficiency of the marine gluo for theromon
which it was applied, and the glue
the ship's bottom appears in a great
de remaining
degree to verify
sed state. A
this assertion by its evidently decomp
to test both
fresh trial will probably b ordere o
d
glue and sheathing.
Admiralty instructions were yesterday conveyed
by telegram to the authorities of Woolwich dock-
yard anuulling the previous order for the removal
of the iron-case d ship Caledonia this day frees the
Victoria desks to Sheerness. It appears that the
works on board require some few dap more
for
completion, although the men have been latterly
emplo,ed day and night. Their I-inn-1,14a have
therefore ordered her detention in the Vlctoria docks
until the 10th of November. She was launched from
her building slip at Woolwich precisely a twelve-
month ago—namely, October 24, 1862.
The iron-cased ship Royal Oak, 35, Capt. Fred.
A. Campbell, one of the Channel squadron, was
placed in No. 1 dock in Keyham steam-yard on
Friday last. When high and dry on the blocks she
oc gave" about an inch, which is not considered much,
as rL`'st ships droop a little at both ends when afloat.
The po-tb of the Royal Oak, which are of iron, were
on hinges below, so that when they
originallv , hanh