The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-24 00:00:00

711 E NAY Y.

Tho Iron-plate Committee, in prosecution of their
experiments to ascertain the most efficient mode of
applying armour-plates to ships, yesterday attended
at Shoeburyness to try a target proposed by Mr.
Scott Russell. In this target the armour-plates are
attached by a now method, which obviates the use
of bolts. The thickness of the plates is 43 in., but
they are supported behind by other plates and iron-
work, which alone are equal to a stratum almost as
thick as-the armour, so that the total thickness of
iron is little short of 9 inches. No wood is used in
this target, but from the great thickness of iron, its
weight considerably exceeds that of the Warrior
target. It is in fact the heaviest target that has yet
been tried. After sustaining the usual battering
from 110-pounders and 68-pounders, three shots
were fired against it from the 300-pounder, charged
from 501 b. of powder. These three shots were
earth airpotea againat an uninjured part of the tar-
get. The first, and second shots were lodged in the
target, and the third went completely through. The
mode of attaching the plates seemed very effective,
but the resisting power of the target, considering
its greater weight, was deemed inferior to that of
Warrior. A crack had been previously discovered
in one of the external coils of the 300-pounder,
but was not thought sufficiently serious to prevent
the gun being used. The crack from its rusted state
does not appear to be recent, and is supposed to
have originated at proof, which was very severe. It
will be necessary to remove the fractured coil and
replace it with a new one before the gun can be
considered perfectly safe.
The screw steamship Donegal, 99, Capt. Sherard
Osborn, C. 8., which left Vera Cruz on the Bth of
March, and Bermuda on the 6th inst., arrived in
Plymouth Sound yesterday morning, as already re-
ported in The Sun. She conveyed from Vera Cruz
to Bermuda 110 Marines, of whom 64, sick of fever
and dysentery, were sent to Ports Island, in medi-
cal charge of Dr. Elliott and Dr. Anderson. The
Donegal brings from Bermuda 74 Royal Marines,
belonging to the Plymouth and Eastern Divisions,
under command of Col. Lambriek and Lieutenants
Shanks and Barham, and in medical charge of Dr.
Elliott; also 52 naval and military invalids, in
charge of Dr. Thompson ; Dr. Austen, invalided
from the paddlewheel steam sloop Medea, 6 ; Lieu-
tenants Clarkson and Stewart, 39th Regiment;
Commander James A. R. Dunlop, from the screw
steam frigate Orlando, 50; and the Rev. Joseph
C. Horderne, of the screw steam frigate Diadem,
32. During the expedition to Mexico, 55 Royal
Marines, rank and file, died from fever and dysen-
tery, and one officer, Lieut. Price. These fatalities,
and the extent of sickness in the entire force, are
unusually large. Dr. Elliott and Dr. Anderson are
reported to have attended to their duties most
assiduously. The steam corvette Challenger, 2?,
3apt. J. Kennedy, C. 8., brought to Bermuda 163
Royal Marines left at Vera Cruz by the Donegal.
They are to be transferred to the screw steamship
Edgar, 89, flag of Rear-Admiral Sidney C. Dacres,
C. 8., ordered home. The Nile, Orlando, Mersey,
Melpomene, Agamemnon, Hero, Aboukir, Chal-
lenger, Medea, Petrel, Racer, Landrail, and
Nimble left Bermuda on the 6th of May for Hali-
fax. The Donegal experienced fine south-west
winds on her passage to Plymouth.
Her Majesty's frigate Curagoa arrived yesterday
at Spithead from Rio Janeiro. In coming up
through the West Channel to Spithead she grounded
on a shoal, but got off again without damage.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Fredrick R. Child, master, to
the Saturn, for the Lightning; Thomas Bowen,
master, to the Wellesley ; George S. Alldricks,
master, to the Cumberland, for the Severn ; John
Rogers, master, to the Russell, for the Coastguard ;
James B. Haye, midshipman, to the Icarus ; Victor
E. J. B. Von Donop, midshipman, to the Bacchante;
George V. M‘Donogh, surgeon, to the Trincomalee;
Angus Robertson, assist.-surgeon, to Hasler Hospi-
tal; Edward A. Dyer, clerk, to the Nile; Chas. A.
Dewar,promoted to first-class assist.-engineer in the
Princess Charlotte; and James A. Dicks, confirmed
as second-class assist.-engineer in the Cumberland.
Two" good-service" pensions are placed at the
disposal of the First Lord of the Admiralty by the
promotion of Capt. Geo. Goldsmith, C. 8., and Capt.
Charles Frederick to the rank of Rear-Admiral,