The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-14 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Duke of Somerset, accompanied by Rear-Ad-
miral Robinson, Controller of the Navy, arrived
at Portsmouth yesterday, from London, and visited
the dockyard, where they spent some time on board
the Royal Alfred frigate, converting to a peculiar
description of ironclad in No. 3 dock ; and on board
the Thunderer, razeed line-of-battle ship, converting
to a permanent target ship for testing armour plates
in the ship basin. The Duke afterwards embarked
in her Majesty's paddle steamer Fire Queen, Staff-
commander Paul, and proceeded to Osborne on a

_
visit to her Majesty.
The Princesses Margaret and Blanche of Orleans

arrived at Portsmouth yesterday from Osborne, in

her Maj esty's paddle yacht Alberta, Staff -commander

Welch, attended by Col. Liddell, on their return
from a visit to her Majesty. Their Royal Highnesses

disembarked from the Alberta at the dockyard, and
immediately proceeded to London by the South-

Western Railway.
During the gale which swept over Chatham har-
bour on Thursday afternoon the sailing frigate
Leonidas, 42, attached to the reserve, broke from
her moorings and was driven some distance up the

river, causing considerable anxiety. Two steamers
were promptly dispatched to her assistance, but, in
consequence of the fury of the gale, the work of

getting alongside her was attended with much diffi-
culty. After some time, however, this was effected,
and the vessel was ultimately brought up by her
best bower without having sustained any injury.
An order was yesterday received at Chatham, by
telegram from the Admiralty, countermanding that
previously given for the fitment of the Vernon, 50,
for service as a commodore's flagship at Woolwich,
in the place of the Fisgard, 42. The Vernon had
been brought up the harbour to the floating shears

in readiness to receive her masts, but subsequent re.

ports having been made to the Admiralty as to her

Unfitness for the service for which she was intended,
she has been ordered to resume her place in the re.

serve, and some other vessel will be selected by the

Admiralty in her stead.
Her Majesty's screw corvette Cadmus, 22, 400-
horse power, Capt. A. C. Gordon, still remained at
the Nore up to yesterday afternoon, having been
prevented leaving for the West Indies on the pre-
vious day in consequence of the gale which prevailed.
An announcement was yesterday received at Chat-

ham dockyard that her magazines would require
some attention, which would probably detain her a

day or two.

Yesterday Mr. E. J. Reed, the Chief Constructor
of the Navy, accompanied by Mr. N. Barnaby, As-
sistant Constructor, paid a visit to Chatham dock-
yard for the purpose of ascertaining the progress
made with the ironclad frigates Bellerophon and
Lord Warden, under construction at that establish-
ment, this being the first visit made by the Chief
Constructor since his return from the Continent.
The Bellerophon, which was first visited, and to the
inspection of which a considerable portion of the
morning was devoted, has upwards of 1,000 hands
employed about her, including those engaged in the
adjoining factory in the work of preparing her plates
and other portions of the ironwork. The progress
made during the last few weeks is exceedingly satis-
factory, leaving no doubt that this the first of Mr.
Reed's iron frigates will soon be- completed. Already
the whole of the inner plating both on the stem and
midship sides is rivetted to its place, while the
broadside planking, to which the armour-plates will
be bolted, has been worked to the sides and carried
as far as the main deck, in readiness for the recep-
tion of the 6in. armour-plates, some half-dozen of
which have already been fixed on the port and star-
board sides. According to existing arrangements
the Bellerophon will be completed in readiness for
launching, or, more properly, floating out of dock,
in about three months from the present time,
with a portion of her armour attached to her
sides. Her engines and machinery are now in
course of construction by Messrs. John Penn and
Sons, Greenwich, and will be completed by
the period stated. After shipping the heavy portion
of her machinery and receiving her iron lower masts
the Bellerophon will be re-docked in order to have
the remainder of her armour bolted to her sides and
to be completed for sea, for which she is expected to
be ready by the close of the present year. The Lord
Warden, the other ironclad frigate building at Chat-
ham dockyard from Mr. Reed's designs, is in an
equally advanced state. From the circumstance of
this ironcased frigate being built on a. wooden frame,
the rate of progress made in her construction ap-
pears to be more marked than in the Bellerophon.
The whole of her decks are laid, and the inner skin
of inch-and-a-half iron plating has now been worked
in temporarily, from her main deck beams upwards.
Each plate, however, will subsequently be removed
in order to be drilled for final fixing. The exterior
planking has all been copper-bolted to her sides in
readiness for the reception of the first course of 51
inch armour-plates, some few of which have been
already fitted. The fine bow battery, which answers
the twofold purpose of enabling a powerful battery
of guns to be placed in that portion of the vessel,
and at the same time to give complete protection to
the gunners, is getting well forward, in readiness for
the reception of the armour casing. In order to give
buoyancy to this portion of the frigate the under-
water stem is thrust forward some 10 or 12 feet,
while at the same time its wedge-shaped form and
metal covering render it a most formidable weapon
for offensive purposes. Like the Bellerophon the
Lord Warden is intended for launching during the
approaching March or April, according to the time
when she may be completed. She will then be plaec-3
in one of the available docks, where the vr
fit-
ting her machinery on board ar -„1 e..,rc of
otherwise com-
pleting her will be proc
ef,tied with. Mr. Reed and
Mr. Barnaby, 13.,:ftere returning to the Admiralty,
transacte,'l 'business with Mr. P. Thornton, the head
of the shipwright department at the dockyard.
Yesterday the two large 10 ton steam travelling
cranes recently constructed and fixed at Chatham
dockyard by Messrs. Taylor and Co., of the Bri-
tannia Ironworks, Birkenhead, for lifting the
armour plates for the. Bellerophon ironclad frigate,
were officially tested up to 10 tons, the maximum
weightthey are intended to lift. They bore the strain
applied without exhibiting any signs of weakness.
Lieut.-Col. J. W. Lovell, C. 8., principal instruc-
tor in field fortifications at the Royal Engineer esta-
blishment, Brompton Barracks, Chatham, having
been appointed Commanding Royal Engineer in
China, is succeeded at the Royal Engineer establish-
ment by Major F. H. de Vere.

The Powder Boat Explosion at Wilmington.

(From the New York Tribune, Dec. 31.)

Every appliance which scientific knowledge and
ingenuity could devise, and enterprise and manly
daring execute, were put in requisition to insure
the success of this novel and important feature of
expedition. The boat selected for the purpose was
the Louisiana, a propeller of about 300 tons burden.
About 140 tons of powder, together with the
Gomez fuzes and other appliances for insuring an
instantaneous ignition of the vast mass of powder,
were put on board before the boat left Hampton
Roads. One hundred and twenty tons more powder
were added at Beaufort, where she put in on her
way to the scene of action, making in all 260 tons, ,
or 520,000 pounds. The aggregate cost of powder
and boat to the Government was slightly in excess
of a quarter of a million of dollars. The boat was
painted white, her general appearance not being un-
like that of a blockade runner---though, to her strict
justice, a somewhat more respectable looking craft.
As the garrison at New Inlet are known to have
familiarised themselves of late with the tout ensemble
of this class of vessels, and as it was further deemed
necessary to the success of the experiment to secure
a passport within the range of their guns, it was
thought advisable to further disguise her by the
addition of a bogus chimney a little for-
ward of her own, which was accordingly
done. Whether this blind operated as it was
intended, still remains a matter of some doubt.
A crew of seven men, who volunteered for the dan-
gerous service, were put on board of her, and Com-
mander A. C. Rind and Second Assistant Engineer
A. T. E. Mullen of the Agawam, and Lieut. S. W.
Preston (formerly of Admiral Dupont's [staff, and
now on that of Admiral Porter], and Acting Mas-
ter's Mate Paul Boyden, volunteered to pilot her on