The Sun.
London, England, 1865-04-06 00:00:00

liamson, now serving as inspector of machinery in
her Majesty's ship Victoria, has been appointed to
hold a similar office in Sheerness, dockyard, vice Mr.
J. Rumble, who has been placed on half pay. Mr.
Williamson will be succeeded by Mr. Nichol], who
has been recently promoted, and who was not long
since serving outhere in her Majesty's ship Renown.
The Prussian war brig Rover left Malta harbour on
Sunday for Cadiz. The Mosquito has been detained
here in consequence of a serious accident to her
commander. Her Majesty's ship Pelican, 17, Com-
mander H. W. Comber, arrived to-day from Zante,
which island she left on the 28th inst. Major Brine,
R.E., and the Hon. A. C. Cassels arrived to-day from
Alexandria, on board the Euxine, and landed
here. By the same ship are passengers for Mar-
seilles, Lord and Lady Paget, General Cunning-
ham, Capt. Viramer, Capt. Taylor, Capt. and Mrs.
Harris, Major Magniac, Capt. Edlman, Capt.
Bannerman, Capt. Barton, Capt. Holberton, Capt.
Sheppard, Lieut. Merriman, Capt. Ferrers, Capt.
Laprimandage, Lieut. Newbigging, Capt. Bradford,
Capt. Chichester, Mr. Hadow, Mr. Bailey, Penin-
sular and Oriental,Company's directors, and Mr.
F. H. P. Wetherall and Mrs. Wetherall will leave
by the same vessel for Marseilles. We learn from
Corfu that the electric cable between that island has
been out of working order since the 17th inst.
The Edgar, 78, screw wooden line-of-battle ship,
now lying at Spithead, is ordered to be completed in
all respects and ready to proceed on her voyage to
Lisbon with the Earl of Sefton and suite by the
10th inst.
Her Majesty's paddle yacht Albert, 391 tons, 160-
horse power nominal, Staff-Commander David N.
Welch, made a preparatory trial of her machinery,
in readiness for the service of her Majesty on the
removal of the Court from Windsor to Osborne on
the 20th inst., in Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth, on
Monday last, and with four runs over the measured
mile, under full boiler power, realised a mean speed
of 15 knots. Her Majesty is expected to leave
Osborne for Germany, via Antwerp, on the Bth of
August, and will return to England on the Bth of
September, but previous to leaving for Germany
her Majesty will visit Scotland and Windsor.
. The Orontes, screw iron troopship, Capt. H. W.
Hire, and the Hector, screw iron frigate, Capt.
G. W. Preedy, C. 8., have been docked at Ports-
mouth to examine, report upon, and replenish the
preservative and anti-fouling compositions with
which their hulls below the water-line were coated
when they were last placed in the dock. The bottom
of the Orontes was found to be free of any important
accumulation of weeds, but, under the counter of
of her stern, and in the run of her lines, to her screw
apertures. She is thickly encrusted with barnacles,
and the bottom is dotted all over with patches of
rust, the rivet heads in many places showing evident
signs of being affected by the copper contained in
the " anti-fouling " composition. As " preserva-
tive " to the ship's bottom, the composition appears
to have utterly failed. As an " anti-fouling" pre-
paration, the result is rather more favourable, but
this slight advantage appears to have been more than
counterbalanced by the failure in " protective "
qualities to the iron of the ship's bottom. The com-
positions used on the Orontes were the Admiralty's,
or rather Hays' improved, whatever the latter word
may mean. The compositions were paid on the
Orontes' bottom when she was in dock in August
last.

The Hector was coated with the Admiralty's che-
mical assistant's ordinaryprotective and anti-fouling
compositions some seven months since, and her bot-
tom on being examined in dock was found to be
covered with long weeds, hanging in tufts and fes-
toons, with a moderate quantity of barnacles, and a
larger deposit of corallines aft. Her recoating with
the same description of compositions will cost some-
where about £3OO.

A naval court-martial assembled on Tuesday on
board her Majesty's ship Victory in Portsmouth
Harbour, under the presidency of Capt. Oliver J.
Jones, of her Majesty's ship Shannon, for the trial
of Mr. Henry Courland, boatswain of the 2d class,
_ _

and doing duty on board her Majesty's ship Harrier,
on a 'charge of "absenting himself without
leave from her Majesty's ship Harrier on the 30th
of March last." The Court sentenced Mr. Cour-
land to lose one year's seniority, and to be severely
reprimanded.

Capt. Frederick A. Herbert, RN., who received
his promotion to post rank when serving recently
as commander of the Excellent, gunnery ship at
Portsmouth, has joined the Excellent, for service in

the turret-ship Royal Sovereign, ordered for corn

mission.

Lieut.-Col. A. Alison, who has recently served
three years as Assist. Adjutant-Gen. of Infantry, a
staff appointment now abolished, has succeeded Col.
Thackwell as Assist. Adjutant-Gen. at Portsmouth,
Col. Thackwell's five years of office having expired.

The Great Lock-out.

THE LOCK-013T WITHDRAWN.
WOLVERHAMPTON, Wednesday.
To-day a special meeting of the iron trade of North and
South Staffordshire and Derbyshire has been held in the
Exchange of this town, to consider the stops to be taken
relative to the lock-out. Mr. W. 0. Foster, M.P., chairman
of the South Staffordshire trade, presided, and there were
about 120 ironmasters present.
The CHAIRMAN announced that the North Staffordshire
masters had come to the conclusion that their purpose
would be no longer served by a continuance of the lock-
out, and that, seeing that so much suffering was being en-
tailed upon innocent persons, they were willing that it
should be withdrawn, especially after the course which
had been taken by the masters in the North of England,
He would, however, state that it was the opinion of the
panel or committee that the North Staffordshire masters
ought to be upheld by the masters in the South. At the
same time, there was an opinion prevailing, both in and
out of the committee, that the course which the masters in
the North had taken made it no longer incumbent upon the
masters of South Staffordshire to abide by a contract which
one party to it had broken. The chairman then suggested
a resolution, which had been previously submitted by Mr.
W. Matthews, a master in both divisions of the county, in
his capacity as a master of the North.
After Mr. Walter Williams, jun., had announced, as hon
secretary, that the Executive at Brierley-hill, had given
their pledge that the North Staffordshire men should not
be supported either 'directly or indirectly, the motion, as
suggested by the chairman, was slightly altered, and the
following was agreed upon unanimously as a notice to be
printed and posted at the different works :
" At a meeting of the iron trade of South Staffordshire
held at Wolverhampton on Wednesday, the sth of April,
1865, it was resolved—
" That the ironmasters of North Staffordshire having by
their trade resolution of April 3, 1865, released this district
from the undertaking entered into with them on the 16th
of February, 1865, and believing the assurance given by the
men of South Staffordshire that they disapprove the con-
duct of the North Staffordshire men, and that they will not
assist them, directly or indirectly, during the continuance
of the present strike, it is hereby resolved that the works
in the South of Stafford be reopened this sth day of April,
1865.
" Wolverhampton, April 5, 1865.
" Pursuant to the above resolution, these works are now
declared open. (Signed) tl
Although this resolution was passed unanimously,
opinions were freely expressed early in the meeting to the
effect that the lock-out ought not to be withdrawn, even
though the North of England masters had broken the com-
pact into which they had entered with the Staffordshire
masters, and one of the speakers said he felt inclined to ask
who were the gentlemen who, considering themselves ab-
solved, had made preparations to resume, but he would not
press the question. Very strong condemnation of tho con-
duct of the North of England masters in withdrawing their
support from Staffordshire without consulting the masters
here also found free expression. On the contrary, tho
North Staffordshire masters were spoken of in terms of the
highest commendation, and a vote of thanks was passed to
them for the business-like and manly course which they
had pursued.
Mr. W. MArrnEws, in responding, said that they were
influenced in wishing the lock-out to bo withdrawn by a
desire to remove the misery which was resulting to many
unoffending persons. The North Staffordshire masters
would continue their opposition to the unreasonable demands
of their men, and they had no doubt whatever that they
should be able successfully to resist them. For the gene-
rous and prompt aid which the masters of the South had
given to those of tho North the masters felt under consider-
able obligation.
An IRoNMASTER inquired what course the North Staf-
fordshire ironmasters intended to pursue ?
Mr. MATTHEWS said that the question was scarcely a fair
one. The North Staffordshire masters were prepared to be
judged as to their future conduct by their proceedings
hitherto.

The committee of the South Staffordshire Trade were
len thanked for the manner in which they had sustained
the interests of the trade during the lock-out.
The meeting then broke up.
A large number of workmen had assembled during the