The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-11 00:00:00

7HE NAVY.

The Psyche, 1, paddle despatch vessel, fitted as
a yacht, and said to be intended for the use of the
Lords of the Lords of the Admiralty, of 845 tons
builder's measurement, arrived at Portsmouth,
yesterday, in charge of Commander Richard Stokes,
Assistant Master-Attendant of Portsmouth Dock-
yard, in tow of the Lucifer, paddle steamer, from
Pembroke, at which dockyard she has been recently
launched. Her machinery, of 250-horse power
nominal, will be fitted on board her in the steam
basin of Portsmouth yard. With the exception of
her head knee, which has a somewhat ungraceful
outline, she presents a very handsome appearance
on the water, and from the fineness of her lines
forward and aft, gives promise of a high rate of
speed on her trial trip.

The Highflyer, 21-gun corvette, under repair in
dock at Portsmouth, is ordered to be undocked to
make room for the Royal Sovereign, three-decker,
converting to a shield ship. The latter will, how-
ever, not be placed in the dock until some further
progress has been made in the removal of her upper
deck beams, &c. The material removed from the
ship is ordered to be carefully deposited in the dif-
ferent stores for future use. Beyond her deck beams,
however; but little of the timber removed will ever
be of service in the construction or repair of any
other vessel. A large number of hands are em.
ployed on her.
The Adjutant-General, Sir James Yorke Scarlett,
has issued a circular memorandum, addressed to the
army at home and abroad, dated the 7th instant,
wherein it is announced that the Duke of Cam-
bridge, as General Commanding-in-Chief, has
directed that, whenever an increase is sanctioned
to a regiment, the proportions of non-commissioned
officers shall be regulated by the gradual increase to
the strength of the privates, in the proportion of one
sergeant and one corporal to 19 privates.

An official notification has been issued by the
Adjutant-General, in reference to the Army Hos-
pital Corps, that the regimental hospital establish-
ments are not to be borne as supernumeraries, but
are to form part of the establishment of the several
corps. Men employed on hospital duty are to be
exempted from musketry and gunnery instruction,
and all duties but those of the hospital.
So desirous are the Lords of the Admiralty to
have the iron-plated frigate Royal Oak, 50, 1,000-
horse power, building at Chatham, completed and
launched, that no less than 700 hands are now
employed upon her. During the last few weeks
the most astonishing progress has been made in
every part of the vessel, and from the energy dis-
played by all hands, from the master-shipbuilder
downwards there is every probability that she will
be out of the hands of the shipwrights early in
August next. Unfortunately, however, the -wish
to have her ready for sea during the present year
is likely to be frustrated, in consequence of the
want of a proper understanding between the
various departments. Although it was known
months ago that the vessel was to be plated with
armour-plates prepared in the dockyard, no prepa-
rations were made for providing a suitable building
in which the slabs of iron might undergo the various
processes to fit them to the ship's side until a few
weeks since, when it suddenly occurred to the autho-
rities that this important part of the arrangements
had been overlooked. Orders were accordingly
given for erecting furnaces and the necessary ma-
chinery, in a building to be specially prepared for
their reception upon the space immediately adjoin-
ing the slip on which the Royal Oak is building ;
but up to the present time comparatively little pro-
gress has been made with building, which cannot be
completed for two or three months. In the mean-
time, the powerful machinery to be used in prepar-
ing the plates continues to arrive at the dockyard,
and, as the shed under which it will be fixel is not
i
ready to receive it, it is placed alongside the Royal
Oak, to the great inconvenience of the workmen.
A huge machine from the firm of Westwood, Baillie,
and Co., for bending the armour-plates cold, now
blocks up a most valuable space. The armour-plates
also continue to arrive in large numbers almost daily
and are deposited in out of the way places until the
building designed for them is completed. In the
course of some three or four weeks the ship's side
will be in ill respects ready for the reception of her
iron coating ; but, instead of everything being ready
for that important operation, it now appears certain
that the Royal Oak must either be detained on the
slip for several months after the time fixed for her
launching, or else be launched without her armour
plates—either alternative delaying her completion
some months. Yesterday the workmen completed
fixing her false keel, and also the plates for
strengthening her sternpost. The stern-plates
are composed of the best kind of gun-
metal and have been prepared in the
dockyard, under the direction of Mr. Cotsell,
the master-smith. Each plate weighs about 2
tons 10 cwt. The whole of the deck beams are
now in their places, and the decks are partially
completed ; the orlop and maindeck beams are of
wood, but on the upper deck are iron. Men are now
employed completing the magazine, and in other
parts of the interior. Although pierced for 50 guns,
size
zbey
and no o means
gdeis,ipt riospo
probablert ionate t
harmamenttheßoyal
herr
Oak
will only be furnished with 32 guns, all of Which
will be of the very heaviest description made. The
moment the Royal Oak is completed the whole of
the hands employed on her will be transferred to
the line-of-battle steamer Bulwark, 91, on one of
the slips in Chatham Dockyard, in order that she
r.
may be lengthened and one of her decks removed ,
to enable her to be converted either to n arml
Oakou
plated frigate, similar to those of the Royal
class, or else to one of Captain Co:es's cupola shield
ships.

The iron frigate Resistance, 18, 600 horse power,
fitting in Chatham harbour, is ordered to be com-
pleted by Saturdayevening,
ot in order that she may
proceed to Sheerness Monday morning, where
the work of rigging her will be proceeded with.
A number of additional hands were placed on her
yesterday in order to complete her by the time
required.

Vice-Admiral W. Hope Johnstone,
CoYesterdayCommander-in-Chief
i an d e r _ i n
-Chief at the Nore, accompanied by
Lieut. T. K. Mackenzie, his flag-lieut., arrived at
Chatham in the Admiralty steam yacht Wild
fire, Mr. G. Brockman, master-commander, from
the flagship Formidable, 84. At 4 o'clock he pro-
ceeded on board the training-ship Wellesley, 72,

where the whole/of the boys and lads were mus-
-ered on the upper deck, to the number of 250.
After Admiral Johnstone had addressed several
questions to them relative to their duties, be in-
spected every portion of the interior of the vessel
on board which he spent almost an hour.
The following appointments and promotions were
made on Wednesday at the Admiralty :—Lieut.
Richard Roche, to the Trafalgar, for gunnery
duties; Benjamin Renard, master, to the Indus, for
the Gibraltar ; George Deans, acting engineer, to
the Coquette ; J. Dearden, first-class assist.-en-
gineer, to the Asia, for the Pheasant ; E. D. Dooley,
to the Coquette ; George Simpson, acting first-el'ass
assist.-engineer, to the Coquette ; George Sullivan,
confirmed as second class assist,-engineer in the
Greyhound ; E. Williams, acting second class awsist.-
engineer, to the Coquette. James Dalton, in the
Aboukir ; George Watson (B), in the Edinburgh,
t'or the Erne ; Andrew Lloyd, in the Pearl ; H. IL
Mothersole, in the lmperiense ; James G. Hill, in
the Russell, for the Hind ; and Wm. C. Beak, in
the Sphinx, have been promoted to the rank of en-
gineers. John Blight, in the Ringdove ; Edward
Agnew, in the Revenge ; and Thomas S. Nunn, in
the Miranda, have been promoted to, the rank of
acting engineers,

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Frederick Wise, master, to the
Colossus, for the Coastguard ; Charles M. Hughes.
master, to the Ajax, for the Coastguard ; Charles J.
Serjeant, promoted to chief engineer; R. 7.
Roberts, engineer, to the Fisgard, for the Drome-
dary; J. D. Lamont, first class assist.-engineer, to
the Asia, for hospital treatment; H. Johnson, first
class assist.-engineer, to the Revenge.