The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-20 00:00:00

7.11 E NAVY.

Her Majesty's iron-cased sloop Enterprise, build-
ing► under the direction and superintendence of Mr.
Reed, in -Deptford Dockyard, is making rapid pro-
gress. fhe planking of the bottom is now com-
plete, and the false keel has been fitted and cop-
pored. The magazines and:other internal arrange-
ments below are being proceeded with, the deck of
the battery platform and the deck above the battery
are being laid, and the timber portion of the ship
is rapidly approaching completion. In the region
of the water line the ship has been made enor-
mously strong by the addition of a solid mass of
thick timber, which is intended to aid the armour-
belt to resist the action of shot, and is also to form
the foundation for the iron topsides, which are to
be built up upon the timber hull. The " barpins"
for giving form to the iron works are now being
fitted, the whole of the iron required haviug been
received from Messrs. Bolcknow and Vaughan, the
contractors. The contract for the armour plates of
both the Enterprise and the Favourite, in course
of construction on Mr. Reed's principle on adjoin-
ing ships, has been granted to Messrs. Brown and
Co., of the Atlas works, Sheffield, and they are to
be fitted in dock at Woolwich. They are of the same
thickness, for the most part, as those of the Cale-
donia, Royal Oak, and other iron-cased ships of
the largest class. Some of them are to be nearly 6
feet in width and no less than 17 feet long. As she
now stands upon the slip the Enterprise very much
resembles the published drawings of the American
vessel Monitor, but instead of having a
_revolving
turret containing a single gun (which is all that a
sloop of her size could carry), she has a fixed tower
or battery, which is to be armed with four of the
largest naval guns in use in the British navy. The
officers appointed by the Ordnance Department
have been in attendance at Deptford Dockyard for
the purpose of arranging the details of the arma•
ment, and have found that ample accommodation
has been afforded for four Armstrong 110 pounders
even when mounted upon carriages and slides of the
largest kind. The form of the Enterprise is uni-
versally admired, every naval officer who visits her
predicting that she will possess excellent qualities
as a seagoing ship, and that she has better ventila-
tion and cabin accommodation than any ship of
war in the service. The Favourite is in frame with
the exception of a few stern timbers. Owing to the
frequent changes of master shipwrights in Deptford
Dockyard, the Admiralty have placed the entire re-
sponsibility of the construction of this ship, as well
as of the Enterprise, on Mr. Reed. In the fore part
and midship part of the Favourite, where the fram-
ing has been completed, nearly the whole frame has
been made solid by means of long fillings of the
same scantling as the timbers, bolted and coaked to
the frame. The shelf of the upper and lower deck
has 111133 been worked, and the beams are ready for
crossing. As soon as this has been done, and the
sides of the ship have thus been bound together, the
external barpins and ribands will be removed a por-
tion at a time, and the diagonal planking will be
brought on. The application of this diagonal plank-
ing, and of the fillings, introduced by Mr. Reed's
system, will considerably strengthen the ships thus
constructed, especially as the armour plating will
be continued up to the upper deck from stem to
stern, in which case the necessity of erecting iron
light topsides witl be avoided.
A case having recently occurred of one of the 110
pounder Armstrong guns being found, on examina-
tion, to be deeply indented, nearly all round, at 60
inches, and the bore from 52 inches to 60 inches, ex-
panded •045 of an inch, which damage had evi-
dently been caused by the bursting of a shell in its
passage along the bore, it was determined, with
the sanction of the Duke of Cambridge,to make the
experiment of rendering the gun serviceable with-
out the aid of any kind of machinery. The altera-
tions were intrusted to the battery armourers of the
Royal Artillery under instruction at Woolwich, and
the alterations have been effected with the most
complete success. Major-Gen. Tulloh, C. 8., In-
spector of Artillery, has reported that no difficulties
of consequence were experienced in carrying out
the experiment, which was effected by filing down
with the ordinary tools, the operation taking abou

60 hours to accomplish. The gun is now as ti;ervice-
ab'.3 as it was before the damages were sustained.
The Columbine, 4, screw steam gun vessel, 669
tons, 150 horse power, attached to the first division
of the Sheerness steam reserve, was taken from het
Moorings in the harbour on trial at the measured
mile off Maplin Sands, on Tuesday last, in charge
of Capt. T. P. Thompson ; Mr. Urquhart, chief en-
gineer, and Mr. S. L, Townsend, foreman of engi-

veers in the dockyard, both of Sheerness, having the
superintendence of the machinery. The Columbine
made six runs at the measured mile, giving a result

of 9.614 knots per hour, with 102 revolutions of en.

gines per minute, vacuum 23, pressure of steam 20

During the trial there was scarcely any perceptible
vibration from the working of the machinery. This
part of the trial was considered most satisfactory, as
nearly one knot per hour more speed was got out of
the engines than has been obtained from any other
vessel of the same class. After the trial of speed, in

accordance with Admiralty orders, the steering qua-
lities of the vessel with the old rudder were tried,

and the results noted for comparison with a similar

trial to take piece with Lumley's patent steering
_ _

apparatus. The first trial was at full speed, helm

starboard at an angle of 23 deg, when the circle was
made in 4 min. 26 see.,the diameter of the circle being
536 ft. The second trial was from dead stop, helm

starboard, at an angle of 35 deg ; the circle was made
in 4 min 30 sec; diameter, 693 ft. In the third trial

at full speed, helm port at an angle of 18 deg., the
circle was made in 5 min 5 sec; diameter, 1,718 ft.

Fourth, from dead stop, helm port at an angle of

27 deg ; the circle made in 4 min 28 sec ; diameter,
693 ft. In the fifth, at full speed, helm starboard at

an angle of 11 deg, the circle was made in 7 min 48
sec. In the sixth, at full speed, helm port at an
angle of 11 deg, the circle was made in 11 min 20

sec. In each ease the helm was put to port or star-
board before the time was taken. The Columbine

Will shortly be taken into dock to be fitted with

Lumley's patent steering apparatus, when she will
again be taken to the measured mile on trial, and
the comparative merits of the two rudders tested.
Tne 21, screw corvette, Capt. R. Lambert,
arrived at Spithead yesterday, from the Mediter-
ranean. She experienced rough weather during

the passage home.
The Emerald, screw frigate, Capt. A. Cumming,
LArrived at Spithead yesterday from Plymouth Sound,

She. will be docked and otherwise prepared for en-

tering upon the experimental series of screw trials

which were left unfinished by the Shannon, screw
frigate, Capt. 0. Jones.
As a gang of convicts, under the supervision of a
warder named Deane, were employed yesterday in
the •
Junk store at Portsmouth dockyard, one of the
fellows, named Fraser, made a ferocious attack on
the wartirdnera,
f, mg him to the ground with the
oaken
a Jacob's ladder, and kicking him
severely While
andremoved
the ground. He was speedily
secured
the dockyard. oved to the convict prison adjoining
for medical Deanetreatm was removed to the hospital
Sir Richard Mae"'
policeedf
lieu, yesterday notaynpais,taccompanied by Mr. Malle-
his annual inspection of
the metropolitan
uaatorce doing duty at Ports-
mouth, in the docky
Clarence-yard, Has-
lar Hospital, and Gunboat.°Yal
Priddy's hard magazines. yard'
the Gunwharft and
natetasinspection—which
the
ttablishmente at
ig the first Sir Richard has
minute,
eands of
vision of the whole of the public
establishments
the super-
Portsmouth has been placed in
his
esti and at its
me tropolUan police—was very min the
that
conclusion Sir Richard expression
satis-
faction at the oCudition of the force, and said
credit was due to its two chiefofficers—Mr.
1 -
great
Superintendent Guy and Chief Inspector Ring.
The Portsmouth dockyard police was first organised
under Mr. Superintendent Mott, a most energetic
officer, now in command of the N division of metro-

politan police.
The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Lieut. J. R. D. Cooper to the
Edinburgh ; Lieut. A. J. Day to the Colossus; A.
J. A. Parks, intater, to the Pembroke, for the Coast-
guard; G. A. Waters, master, to the Russell; N.
Arquimbau, master, to the Asia, for the Frede-
rick William ; E. C. T. Youel, master in corr mend,
to the Industry; Sub-Lieut. A. G. B. Riall, to