The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-04 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The editor of the Western Morning News has re-
ceived a letter from an assistant engineer of the
Galatea, dated off Fort Monroe, the 15th ult.,
which explains the statement contained in an ex-
tract from the New York Herald quoted in The Sun
of yesterday. The assistant-engineer says t)iat a
boat and crew were sent after the boat which got
adrift. It came on to blow hard, and the former
were obliged to make for the shore, where they
stayed all night ; but they returned on board next
morning all well.
Instructions have been received at Chatham dock-
yard from the Admiralty directing the construction
at that establishment of another large ironclad fri-
gate of the improved Bellerophon class, to be named
the Hercules, the building of which will be com-
menced as soon as the ironclad ships Bellerophon
and Lord Warden, now nearly ready for launching,
are sufficiently advanced to allow of the required
number of hands being taken off them. The Her-
cules is to be built in the same dock in which the
Achilles and Bellerophon were constructed, the lat-
ter frigate, which will be ready for floating out of
dock during the ensuing month, being removed into
one of the smaller vacant docks to be completed for
sea. The order also directs the construction at
Chatham dockyard of one of the new class of Ama
zon sloops, from Mr. E. J. Reed's designs, to- be
named the Blanche, of 1,080 tons, and 300 horse
power; which is to be laid down in No. 7 slip as soon
as the ironclad frigate Lord Warden, now building,
is launched. By direction of the Admiralty Mr. J.
I. Fincham, the master shipbuilder at Pembroke
dockyard, has been on a visit to the establishment
at Chatham for some days past, for the purpose of
making himself acquainted wirh the system of iron
shipbuilding adopted at that dockyard, the Board
of Admiralty having decided on the immediate con-
struction at Pembroke dock of an ironcased ship,
of the corvette class, to mount eight heavy guns,
and to be propelled by engines of 600 horse power.
From the programme of shipbuilding work to be-
undertaken at her Majesty's dockyards during
the year 1865-6 it appears that Chatham and Pem-
broke are the only dockyards at which any new
iron ships are to be constructed during the present
year. With the exception of the ironclad frigates
named, the only other vessels intended to be laid
down at the several royal dockyards are gun sloops
of the Amazon class, two of which are to be built
at Deptford, one at Devonport, two at Pembroke,
and one at Chatham. Although no new work is to
be undertaken at Portsmouth dockyard during the
present year, the return alluded to shows that the
Royal Alfred, Helicon, Minstrel, Cherub, Minotaur,
Scorpion, and Valiant are all to be completed for
sea at that establishment, although, with regard to
the last three mentioned ironclads, the return states
that the time for their completion is " uncertain."
At Sheerness dockyard the Minotaur, Star, Bellero-
phon, and Lord Warden are to be completed, the Belle-
rophon and Lord Warden being returned as " uncer-
tain." The vessels to be sent to D evonport for comple-
tion are the ironclads Lord Clyde, Agincourt, and
Wyvern, and the unarmoured sloop Amazon. The
official programme also states that it is intended to
complete the Favourite, Prince Albert, Endymion,
Niobe, Viper, and Vixen at Woolwich dockyard
during the present year, the Viper and Vixen,
however, being set down in the return as " uncer-
tain." A portion of the hands at Chatham and Pem-
broke dockyards are to be employed in taking down
the ships' frames, the orders for the taking to pieces
of which have been received from the Admiralty.

The iron screw troopship Urgent, 4, Captain
Henderson, from Queenstown, arrived at Plymouth
Sound on Thursday afternoon, with the depot of
the 28th Regiment.
The screw corvette Niger, 13, 400-horse power,
was placed in No. 3 dock at Chatham yesterday
afternoon for the [purpose of undergoing a survey