The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-16 00:00:00

111 E NAVY.

The iron masts of the Prince Consort iron-plated
frigate have been received at the dockyard at Pem-
broke. They are entirely of wrought iron, and have
been manufactured at the iron works at Chepstow,
whence they were sent by special train down the
South Wales Railway. The mainmast is upwards
of 80ft. in length, and the united length of the three
masts with the bowsprit is 260 ft, while the weight
of the whole is over 60 tons. They were conveyed
on a train comprising 23 limber carriages, and each
mast was complete and ready for shipment when

placed on the trucks. Enormous shears have some
time been ready on the deck of the Prince Consort,
and, as the iron plating is well advanced, in a short
time this fine frigate will be ready for floating out
of the dry dock, where the process of armour plat-
ing has been carried on.

The screw steam frigate Doris, 32, Capt. Sir F. I.
M'Clintock, from the 'Mediterranean, arrived at
Plymouth yesterday morning. She left Gibraltar
on the Bth, Lisbon on the 10th, and Ferrol on the
12th inst. Very fine weather prevailed on the pas-
sage ; the wind was north-east, with heavy swells.
The Doris steamed nearly all the way. She brings
as passengers from Gibraltar Ensign Graham, 3d
Regiment, and one seaman and two marines, inva-
lids. This frigate was put in commission on March
4, 1859. Her crew will be paid off at Plymouth.
She has been constantly occupied in the Medi-
terranean, and on two occasions, for four months
and for two months, was in attendance on the
Prince of Wales during the visits of his Royal
Highness to the Continent. The Doris in in good
condition. At Gibraltar was the gunboat Procris,
Fredk. Warden, 0.11., and at Lisbon the screw
steamship Revenge, 73, Capt. Chas. Fellowes, flag
of Rear-Admiral Robt. Smart, K.H,; Black Prince,
40, Capt. James F. P. Wainwright ; Warrior, 40,
Capt. the Hon. Arthur Cochrane; Resistance, 18,
Capt. Wm. Chamberlain ; and the Defence, 18,Capt.
Richard A. Powell, C.B. . I

A contract for the supply of a portion of the
armour plates for the iron frigate Achilles, 50, 1,250
horse power, building at Chatham dockyard, has
been taken by Messrs. Brown and Co., of the Atlas
works, Sheffield. They have engaged to supply the
plates at the rate of £45 10s. per ton. The same
firm is under contract to supply the armour plates
for the iron vessel Enterprise, which is being con-
structed according to the plan proposed by Mr. Reed.
About 600 tons have already been received at Chat-
ham dockyard from the Thames Ironworks, the
Parkgate Foundry, and other establishments, to be
used in plating the Achilles and the Royal Oak, 50.
The whole of these plates are stacked beneath the
shed erected for the screw steamer Reindeer, 17,
under construction. In addition to these upwards of
800 tons of armour plates have been already bolted
to the sides of the Royal Oak. The principal por-
tion of the armour plates for the Achilles will be
manufactured at the Parkgate Ironworks, York-
shire, which firm has already supplied a large
number used at Chatham. In the manufacture of
the armour plates for the Achilles some im-
provements will be introduced in order to give
greater strength and hardness to the iron. In
the preparation of plates hitherto supplied for our
iron and iron cased vessels a certain number have
been manufactured either from rolled or hammered
iron—that is, the bloom of iron when taken from
the furnace is either rolled into the required slab
under heavy rollers, or else beaten into shape under
the steam hammer. It is intended, however, to
employ both these processes in preparing the armour
plating for the Achilles, the bloom being first rolled
into the shape of the plate, which will then be
completed under the operations of the hammer, ex-
perience having shown that the plates manufac-
tured by hammering are considerably tougher and
have a much closer grain than those which have
been rolled only. According to existing appear-
' ances, the Achilles will be ready to receive her
first tier of armour plates in about a month, the
shipwrights being now engaged in fixing the 18 inch
teak backing on those parts of the interior plates of
the vessel which are already completed. The pre-
, sent elevated tramway on each side of the dock will
shortly be removed, and in its place a much larger
tramway will be laid down for a pair of the most
powerful of Taylor's steam cranes, two of which
have been for some time at work in the adjoining
dock, lifting the heavy armour-plates and other
portions of the iron-work for the Royal Oak,which
latter vessel is expected to be ready for floating out
of dock during the ensuing month.
The following appointments have been made at

the Admiralty :—Commander W. H. Edye, to
the Britannia ; Lieutenant George M. Comber,
to the Victory ; John G. Barnes, paymaster, to
the Pylades ; A. M. Williams, midshipman,
to the Shearwater ; H. J. H. Veitch, midshipman,
to the Pylades; and F. T. Bagshawe, master's assis-
tant, to the Mecanee. Meesrs. J. B. Fellowes, A.
E. Stuart, and H. I. Bodman have bee❑ nominated
to naval cadetships.

FRIGHTFUL FALL INTO THE MAIN DRAINAGE
WoRKs.--Last evening, about 4 o'clock, a frightful occur
rence took place at the Main Drainage Works, Back-hill,
Clerkenwell. It appears that John Hennesy, one of the
workmen, was about to descend the shaft, when he over-
balanced himself and fell head foremost from a height of 40
feet to the bottom of the shaft. lie was almost immediately
hoisted up in a state of insensibility, having been crushed
in a shocking manner, and removed to the Royal Free
Hospital, Gray's Inn-lane, but, from the serious nature
of the injuries, not the slightest hopo is entertained of his
recovery.
Advices from Lesparre, in the Gironde, mention
the largest sales of wine during the present year. The
produce of Chateau Lafitte, Chateau Latour, and Chateau
Margaux has been sold at 4,000 f. the 912 litres. Panillac
and St. Estephe brought 1,400 E, Cissac from 800 f. to 825 f,,
and St. Lambert 800 f. There are several buyers in Lower
Medoc, who are endeavouring to purchase at the prices
quoted immediately after the vintage, but the wine growers
declare their determination not to sell at less than 660 f.