The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-26 00:00:00

711 E NAVY.

The official trial at the measured mile of the iron
frigate Black Prince, Capt. I. F. B. Wainwright,
was deferred at Portsmouth yesterday owing to the
force of the wind. It will take place to-day, should
the weather prove to be more favoniable.
The Victoria and Albert, Royal paddle yacht,
Captain G. H. Seymour, C. 8., will sail from Ports-
mouth at 6 a.m. to-morrow morning for Gravesend,
in readiness to convey her Majesty and ,9yt to
the Continent on the occasion of the fortikoniing
Royal visit to Germany.
_.Tira-Jaoperi- screw C.Tbcat,sold to, .the Chinese
Government by the board ot -Adincialty, and re-
named the Amoy, was removed from the steam
basin at Portsmouth yesterday and placed on the
gridiron at the south end of the dockyard, to exa-
mine her copper, valves, Sze.
The Sultan target ship, at Portsmouth, is now
having six sample armour plates bolted on her sides
for testing by the Stork gunboat. They consist of
four from the Mersey Steel and Iron Works, two
from the Thames Iron Shipbuilding Company, one
from the Monkbridge Works, and one from Messrs.
Hill and Smith. In February last a 41-inch plate
from the Thames Iron Shipbuilding Company was
tested on the sides of the Java target-ship and
re-
ceived six solid 681 b. shot (the ordinary cast shot)
within a space of six inches before any parts of the
metal could be detached. The excellent quality of
this plate attracted considerable notice at the time.
Shortly afterwards, in the course of some similar
experiments on the sides of the same ship, Captain
Hewlett determined to test the plate's resisting
powers still further by firing a wrought-iron shot
at it from the 95-cwt. gun at the same distance at
which the cast-iron shot had been fired-200 yards,
but with 231 b charge of powder, instead of 16,which
is the ordinary full service charge on all such occa-
sions. The result was that the shot embedded it-
self in the plate to the extent of one half its own
diameter, flattening its diameter on the plate's
surface at the point of entry from eight to nine
inches, thus increasing its diameter here one inch.
A bolt is within two inches of the blow ; but there
is not the slightest appearance of a crack in the
metal, surface or otherwise,anywhere in the vicinity
of the shot, which now remains embedded in the
plate, as though it were t-- sir into a mass of putty.

Small fringes of plate
shot. This plate has I.

' out round the
off the side

of the Java, and this v

tuned to the

makers, on their applic
of the Admiralty. As
armour and its power ox

of the Lords
f ship's plate
t, this plate

is, perhaps, unequalled,
placed in the Internatior
Her Majesty's screw
tons, 250-horse power, Ct

be at once

20, 1,296
1, was put
on Satur-
Is of three
ployed on
the globes

out of commission and pa
day, after being in corn
years, during which per
active duties in nearly c

commission, only aoouno

the ship at the time she-

in her. About 70 medal'
of the crew who were eni
tions in China With the
the whole are continua

have been granted six w(
piration of which they v
ships at either of the naN
to any ships requiring m,

Cossack was in commissic

upwards of 75,000 miles.

second division of the ste►

The ships of war on t
the Fawn, 17, Capt. Cayt