The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-04 00:00:00

TILE NAV.y,

Kuper, C. 8., is, we
Rear-Admiral Augustus L.
understand, likely to succeed Rear-Admiral Sir
James Hope, K.C.8., as Commander-in-Chief on the
East India and China station.
Yesterday a party of 60 additional shipwrights,
including a portion of the hands removed from the
Rattlesnake, 21, screw corvette, completed, and the
Pylades, 21, screw, under repair in the fourth dock
at Chatham, were placed on the iron-cased steam
frigate Royal Oak, building under No. 7 shed, in
order to expedite the construction of that vessel,
which it is intended shall be completed and ready
for launching by the first spring tide in the month
of September next. A number of the shipwrights
now employed on the iron frigate Defence, 18, v?ill
be attached to the Royal Oak on their leaving that
ship during. the present week. The number of
hands now employed on the Royal Oak is nearly
400, including apprentices and labourers. By di-
rection of the Admiralty a powerful travelling crane
is in course of erection at the side shed adjoining
that under which the frigate is building, in order
to facilitate the removal of the heavy beams and
timbers used in her construction. The erection of
the traveller has been placed in the hands of a Lon-

don firm, the iron tramways on which the crane
will work having been already fixed. Considezing
the great weights which the traveller will be required
to lift, it is to be hoped that care will be taken to
have the supports thoroughly tested before the work
is completed and handed over to the Admiralty, the
opinion of practical men being that greater strength
ought to have been secured.
Although the elnstruction of the iron ship
Achilles, 50, 6,079 tons, 1,260 horse power, build-
ing at Chatham, has been seriously retarded, owing
to the difficulty experienced by the Admiralty
in procuring iron of the quality required,
considerable progress has been made in the work,
and already about one-half of her massive ribs,
answering to the timbers in an ordinary vessel, have
been forged and successfully fixed in their place
without accident. The difficulty experienced by the
Admiralty in obtaining adequate supplies of iron is
still felt in as great force as ever, and, instead of the
Achilles being completed within two years from the
time in which she was commenced, as was originally
expected, at least treble that period will elapse be-
fore she will even be afloat, if she continues to pro-

gress only at her present rate. There are not more
than about 100 workmen engaged on her, including
those in the factory department, and yet it was
estimated that at least 1,000 hands would be con-
stantly required to complete her in the prescribed
period of two years. The chief difficulty appears to
be in obtaining adequate supplies of plate iron, the
establishment being overstocked with angle iron.
Negotiations are, however, now pending with seve-
ral eminent firms, and it is believed that in a very
short time sufficient supplies of first-class iron will
be sent in to the dockyard. During yesterday and
Saturday a number of the massive armour-plates
were landed at the dockyard, although these will
not be required to be used for several months to
come. Each plate weighs slightly over four tons,
is about 15 feet in length by three feet in width,
and of an uniform thickness of 41 inches. The
whole are manufactured of rolled iron, at the Park-
gate Ironworks, Yorkshire, where powerful ma-
chinery has been erected for the purpose.
According to present arrangement, the officers
and crew of the iron frigate Defence, who are at
present accommodated on board the Gloucester, re-
ceiving-hulk, in this harbour, will be turned over
to their own vessel on Saturday next, by which
time it is expected that she will be fully ready for
sea. The Defence is to leave her moorings off Folly
Point on Monday next, and proceed to the Nore,
where she will remain for the purpose of having her
compasses adjusted.
Yesterday a party of shipwrights were despatched
from Chatham dockyard to Shoeburyness, to be em-

ployed in erecting a target faced with iron armour
plates fastened together without bolting, on the
principle recommended by Mr. Scott Russell. The
armour plates, which are of the same thickness as
those for the Achilles and Royal Oak, have been
prepared at Chatham Dockyard, where the target
has been put together, the plates being of different
sizes, with the edges prepared according to Mr.
Russell's directions. The experiments with the
elongated Armstrong shot upon this target, and
their effect upon the iron plates, are looked for-
ward to with some interest, as, should the
Admiralty decide on adopting the plan recom-
mended by Mr. Scott Russell, the whole of the
armour-plates for the iron ships building will require
to be altered. The Dove, Admiralty transport,
shipped the remainder of the plates and the scaffold-
ing for the target yesterday afternoon, and was to
sail for Shoeburyness last night.
Admiralty orders have been received at Chatham
directing the iron screw frigates Resistance, 18, and
Defence, 18, to be fitted with the newly-invented
engine-room telegraphs for conveying orders from
the captain to the engineers: The telegraph for the
Resistance is to be fitted by Messrs. Allen and Co.,
and that for the Defence by Messrs. Hornsey: The
same description of telegraph is to be fitted on
board the Constance, 51; the Aurora, 51; the
Octavia, 51; and the Arethnsa, 51, screw frigates.
Yesterday the War Department transport Henry
went alongside the Ordnance-wharf, Chatham, and