The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-01 00:00:00

TILE NAVY,

Yesterday Vice-Admiral W. Hope Johnstone,
Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, paid an official
visit to the training ship Wellesley, 72, at Chatham.
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effected to adapt the vessel as a training ship. The
Wellesley has been fitted up to accommodate 250
boys and the usual complement of officers. The
whole of the main deck has been converted into a
spacious drill-room. At present there are only 120
lads on board, but 100 more will arrive in a few
days from the other naval ports. Admiral John-
stone, on leaving the Wellesley, complimented Capt.
Studdert, the commander, on the excellent arrange-
ments and discipline maintained on board.
Rear-Admiral James John Stopford, who was
selected by the Admiralty as successor to Rear •
Admiral Sir James Hope, K.C.8., as Commander-
in-Chief on the East India and China station, -has,
we understand, had his appointment cancelled at
his own request. Several other officers have been
named as likely to succeed Sir James Hope, but we
believe nothing is definitively settled.:
The Defence, 18, will receive on board about 600
tons of coal before leaving the Medway, to enable
her to steam round to Portsmouth. She will leave
Folly Point in the early part of next week, and
drop down to the Nore, where she will swing to ad-
just compasses. Most of the work remaining to be
done on board will be completed to-day.
The screw corvette Rattlesnake, 21, 1,705 tons,
400 horse power, recently built and fitted at
Chatham, will be completed by the dockyard autho-
rities today, when the whole of the workmen, with
the exception of a few hands required for any
minor alterations, will leave her, the shipwrights
employed on her being required for the armour-
plated frigate Royal Oak, 91, five additional gangs
having been ordered to join that vessel on Monday,
to hasten forward her completion. The Rattlesnake
is an exceedingly fine screw steamer, and by her
completion another valuable addition hasbeen made
to our large squadron of screw corvettes,and another
powerful war steamer placed at the disposal of the
Admiralty, fully equipped and armed, and ready for
service in any part of the world. The destination of
the Rattlesnake is not yet known, but it is probable
she will be sent round to Portsmouth, where she will
either hoist the pennant or be attached to the first-
class steam reserve. The expeditious manner in
which she has been brought forward, rigged, and
fully equipped for sea reflects considerable credit on
the dockyard officials, six months having scarcely
passed since the order was received from the Admi-
ralty for her to be fitted.
The Rosario, 11, screw steam sloop, 150 horse
power, Master W. L. Southey, having been again
tried at. the measured mile off Maplin Sands yester-
day, was inspected by Capt. Wise, superintendent
of her Majesty's dockyard at Sheerness, and the
officers of the steam reserve.

The Fly, screw gunboat, 60 horse power, Lie at.
and Commander Wm. Vickery, tender to the Corn-
wallis, 60, screw steamvessel, Capt. Sidney Gren -
fell, Coastguard service in the Humber, has been
taken into the basin at Sheerness, where she will be
put out of commission, before undergoing extensive
repairs. The Fly has been in active service during
the last six years.
The Lively, screw gunvessel, .60 horse power,
which has had her engines converted from high-
pressure to condensing, and fitted with new pumps,,
had her engines tried on Thursday at the measured
mile off Maplin Sands, when she obtained a mean
speed of 71 knots per hour, the trial being of the
most satisfactory character.
The Lords of the Admiralty contemplate erect-
ing two additional forts near Sheerness, to be
mounted with Armstrong guns of the largest calibre,
for the better protection of the estuary of the Thames
and the Medway. One of the forts is to be built
near Cheney Rock, at a distance of about one mile
to the north-east of Sheerness, and the other near
Queensborough-green, at a similar distance to the
north-west of Sheerness. The forts are to be con-
nected by means of a ditch and rampart, two miles
in length, which will be the distance between the
forts. Yesterday a party of surveyors and land
valuers inspected the locality on the part of the
Government, for the 'purpose of ascertaining the
nature and value of the land which will be required,
and with the view of facilitating its purchase as
early as possible.

Her Majesty's paddlewheel steamship Scourge,
Commander the Hon. W. I. Ward, yesterday went
into the inner basin at Woolwich, and discharged
the cases of antiquities from Candia, which were con-
veyed in charge of officers of the British Museum
to London. Commodore Sir F. Nicolson inspected
the ship.
The steam transports Brunette, laden with 450
tons of war stores for Bermuda, and the Wisbech,
with a heavy cargo for Halifax, have sailed from
Woolwich to adjust compasses at Greenhithe.
The dockyard authorities at Pembroke have re-
ceived orders from the Admiralty to proce€d with
the utmost despatch in the construction of the
Triumph iron-cased screw frigate, 51 guns ; and in
consequence a large body of workmen have been
placed upon her. She was originally intended for a
91-gun liner of 800 horse power, but will now, like
the Royal Oak and Bulwark, be fitted with armour
plates, and carry an armament of the heaviest metal.
The staging to be used in the erection of the large
target of Shoeburyness, for the purpose of trying
the Armstrong shot and shell against a new descrip-
tion of iron armour plates, the invention of Mr. Scott
Russell, having been completed at Chatham dock-
yard by a number of hired shipwrights entered for
that purpose, was yesterday shipped on board one
of the Government lighters for removal to Shoe-
buryness. A portion of the iron armour plates to be
tested was at the same time despatched from the

dockyard. The superiority claimed by Mr. Scott
Russell for his armour plates consists chiefly in their
being attached either to the target or the vessel's
side without bolts, thereby materially adding to the
strength of the planking which they cover. They
are hung vertically, and not horizontally, as is the
case with those which will protect the sides of the
Royal Oak, Royal Alfred, and the other armour
plated frigates, each plate being affixed to the ship
by a peculiar formation of the edges, obviating all
necessity for ,bolts.