The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-06 00:00:00

711 E A' AVI.

The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, com-
prising his Grace the Duke of Somerset, Vice-
Admiral the Hon. Sir F. W. Grey, K.C.8,, Mr.
Whitbread, M,P., Capt. Drummond, R.N., with
Capt. Moore, R.N., private secretary to the Duke of
Somerset, attended by Col. Greene, R.E., Director
of Works, and other heads of departments, arrived
at Portsmouth yesterday by railway from London,
on their annual visit of inspection to the naval and
marine establishments of the port. Their lordships,
who were received at the dockyard by Admirals
Sir H. IV. Bruce and the Hon. George Grey,
accompanied by their respective flag-officers, im-
mediately on arrival embarked at the new landing
stairs of the dockyard, under a salute of 10 guns
from her Majesty's ship Victory, for the Royal
yacht Osborne anchored off the dockyard for their
accommodation. After luncheon on board the yacht
their lordships crossed the harbour in the Admi-
ralty barge and commenced their duties by insfact-
ing the Royal Clarence victualling yard at Weovill,
when the new process of preparing soft bread for
the nse of the seamen of her Majesty's Navy was
explained to them. After fully inspecting the
d;fferent portions of the establishment their lord-
ships returned on board the Osborne. To-day their
lordships will make their inspection of the dock-
yard, the chief points in which, and connected with
it, that will receive their lordships' attention will
be the proposed extension of its steam- basin, dock,
and jetty accommodation ; the Royal Sovereign
shield ship; the Royal Alfred, ready for plating as
a 50-gun iron-cesed frigate; the Psyche, paddle
vessel, fitting out as their own yacht in the steam
basin ; the iron frigate Black Prince, Capt. F. B-
-Wainwright, fitting for service; the Sultan target
ship, with her rows of smashed armour plates on
her sides, and new ones now being bolted on for
future experimental firing,and the various new works
in progress in the yard, including No. 11 Dock,
which, at its present rate of progress, may probably
be completed some years after their lordships are out
of office. One other feature of Portsmouth Dock-
yard will doubtless also attract their lordships' at-
tention. It is that at no other time during a long
period of years has the yard contained such a magni-
ficent collection of oak and other timber as at present,
and this when nations are endeavouring to outvie
each other in the production of iron ships. These
annual visits of the Admiralty to the national
dockyard are, however, becoming every year more
formal and useless. This is owing to the altered
nature of the work now carried on in the yard, as
well as to its vastly increased extent. Whether it
be the construction of a new dock, an iron cased
ship, or an increase in basin and jetty room, Ports-
mouth, with its dock and victualling-yard, its Royal
Marine Artillery and Light Infantry Divisions,
their barracks, old and new, and practice ranges,
Royal Naval Hospitals, &c., is now visited by
their lordships in from two to three days, when a
real inspection would occupy as many weeks. Of
course, their lordships can give no more time than
they now do to the port, but each visit they make
only proves the inutility- of periodical inspections.
This evening Vice-Admiral Sir H. W. Bruce, the
Naval Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth, will
entertain their lordships at dinner at the Admiralty
House in the dockyard, after which their lordships
will attend the ball in aid of the Seamen and
Marines' Orphans' Schools at the port. To-morrow
they entertain the heads of departments and officers
in commission at the port to dinner at Dent's
George Hotel, and on Friday morning his Grace
the Duke of Somerset will hold a levee at the Royal
Nrval College in the dockyard.
The Arcona, Prussian screw frigate, Commodore
Sundewall, arrived at Spithead yesterday from
Japan, China, and the Cape of Good Hope, en route
for Dantsic.