The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-22 00:00:00

DOVER.

Sir H. Leeke, and Mr. W. Nicol, the sitting members,
having announced their intention to stand for re-election;
Major Dickson, of Waldershare-park, and Mr. C. Fresh-
field, of the firm of Messrs. Freshfield and Newman, soli-
tore-to the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway Com-
pany, have formally declared themselves candidlites in the
Conservative interest. Major Dickson, in his address-, de-
clares that ho is not devoted to the watchwords of any
party, but inclines to that party in the State which en-
deavours to secure Conservative progress and the true and
permanent interests of the country. He is anxious to see
settled all those irritating questions that separate the
Church from the other branches of the Protestant com-
munion, and with this view would heartily rejoice at an
arrangement of the church-rate dispute on a basis that
would be satisfaeory both to Churchmen and Dissenters.
Though not opposed to the readjustment of the franchise,
he thinks a movement for that object should be taken with
great caution. Measures calculated to promote the inte-
rests of commerce on the basis of free trade would always
receive his cordial support. Mr. Freshfield declares that
his political principles aro Conservative, but that he is in-
dependent of party or faction. His desire is to promote
enlightened measures of every description adapted to the
progress of society and the development of the trade and
commerce of the country. As a member of the Church of
England, he " is anxious to protect her institutions, but in
the spirit of charity and good feeling to all who conscien-
tiously dissent from her communion." The Liberals have
adopted Lord Bury and Mr. Eustance Smith as their can-
didates, but their addresses have not yet been issued.
Naval and Military Intelligence.

Her Majesty's iron-clad screw steam frigate Black
Prince, Capt. Lord F. IL Kerr, arrived in Portland
Roads on Friday morning, at 8 a.m., from Ply-
mouth.

The Miranda, 15, screw corvette, 1,039 tons, and
250-horse power, Capt. Robert Jenkins, C. 8., ar-
rived at Spithead on Saturday afternoon from Auck-
land, New Zealand, and on anchoring exchanged
the customary salutes with the Victory, in Portsmouth
harbour, the flagship of the Commander-in-Chief at
Portsmouth, Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, G.C.B.
The Miranda sailed from Auckland on the 7th of
February last, and has experienced generally fine
weather during the passage to Spithead, which has
been made without calling at an intermediate port.
On the 28th of February, in lat. 56 19 S., long.
1 42 E., a very large number of icebergs were in
sight, some of them being of unusual size. The
crew were at quarters during the forenoon, and some
very excellent shot practice was made at several of
the bergs. The Miranda has been in commission
upwards of four years and a half. She had steam
up at 5 30 p.m., yesterday at Spithead, and was ex-
pected to sail immediately afterwards for the Nore
for dismantling and paying out of commission in the
Medway. A few passengers and naval supernu-
meraries came home in her from New Zealand.

Her Majesty's iron-clad frigate Bellerophon, 16,
4,246 tons, 1,000-horse power, on Saturday at
Chatham, completed the shipment of her iron masts,
boilers, condensers, cylinders, and other heavy por-
tions of her engines and machinery, and, according
to existing arrangements, will be floated into one of
the vacant docks to-day for the purpose of being
completed and made 'ready for sea. Her iron masts,
of which there are three, and not four, as originally
intended, were manufactured by the Woodside
Graving Dock (limited), the same firm which made
the iron masts for the Lord Wardeß and Lord Clyde.
They were prepared from plans and specifications
supplied by the Admiralty, and are formed of three
7-16th plates, rivetted flush on T-irons 6by4 by
7-16, which are again supported internally by tri-
angular stays connecting the T-irons, the whole
forming a triangle inside the circular mast, and ren-
dering them perfectly rigid. The " cheeks" are also
of iron, with the addition, holvever, of wooden
trestles and cross trees, placed on the iron, for car-
rying the tops according to the old plan. The cap
of each mast is a massive solid piece of ironwork,
shrunk on to the masthead, on which are worked
the various eyes for top blocks, &c. Its weight is
nearly one ton. The general appearance of the iron
masts is more snug than that of the old wooden
masts with their heavy cheeks and cumbrous
cap, and the masts being cylindrical, instead of
solid, they are actually less in weight, with all
complete, and of less diameter throughout than
the wooden masts would be for the same ship,
while their strength and durability are in-
creased fourfold. Another important advantage in
the use of iron-masts for an ironclad frigate like the
Bellerophon is that, being hollow, they serve as
powerful ventilators between the decks, the arrange-
ments for this purpose attaining the object to per-
fection. The length of the foremast is 110 ft. lin.,
and its diameter 2ft. gin ; the mainmast is 99ft. 7in.
in length, and 2ft. lin. in diameter ; the mizenmast
is 82ft. 7in. long, and 2ft. in diameter.
The Medusa, 4, 312-horse power, Master Cora.
J. H. Allard, which brought the iron masts for the
Bellerophon from Birkenhead to Chatham, left the
latter port on Saturday for the westward.
The paddlewheel steam-vessel Advice, from Ports-
mouth, touched at Plymouth on Saturday, and
proceeded to Queenstown.
The iron-screw steamship Achilles, 20, Capt.
Edward W. Vansittart, left Plymouth on Saturday
for a cruise.

The iron-screw steamship Defence, 16, Capt.
Augustus Phillimore, has left Plymouth to join the
Channel Fleet.

The screw steam gun-vessel Serpent, 4, Com.
Charles Bullock, arrived at Plymouth on Saturday,
having in tow a tank, with which she will proceed
to Hongkong.
The Austrian ironcased screw steam-ram Kaiser
Max, 31, Capt. Morelli, from Bremerhaven for Pola,
arrived in Plymouth Sound on Saturday evening.
The Special Committee appointed by the Admiralty
to examine into the old and new forms of cooking
apparatus will bring their labours to a close at
Portsmouth by the end of the present week. The
report may be reasonably looked for as a practical
and definite settlement of this very important ques-
tion.

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—henry G. Napier, Frank 11. Bar-
nett, and John V. Fawcett, naval cadets, to the
Caledonia ; henry S. Christopher, naval cadet, to
the Gibraltar ; W. A. L. Henriques, naval cadet, to
the hector; G. F. Maynard, naval cadet, to the
Achilles ; W. B. Rich, paymaster, to the Alert ; the
Rev. Percy Rogers, chaplain and naval instructor,
to the Terrible; and AV. Horn, second master to
the Victory.

FEARFUL FALL DOWN A COAL-PIT.—On Saturday
a policeman, named John 31.'llarg, fell down a coal-pit at
West Bromwich. He was of course dashed to pieces, the
pit being nearly three times as deep as the dome of St
Paul's is high.

Mr. C. E. Stewart, the secretary, having read the
notice convening the meeting,
The CHAIRMAN said there were only three bills on
the list which were ready to be submitted at the
present meeting. They were the following:--" A
bill for conferring additional powers on the London
and North Western Railway Company, in relation
to their own undertaking and the undertakings of
other companies in Wales and Ireland, and for other
purposes;" "A bill for making a new railway sta-
tion at Leeds, and for other purposes;" and " A
bill to empower the Lancashire Union Railway
Company to construct an extension line to St.
Helen's, and other branches in the county of Lan-
cashire, and for other purposes."
The Solicitor having read the heads of the three
bills,

The CHAIRMAN moved formal resolutions approv-
ing them, which were unanimously adopted, and the
meeting was further adjourned for the consideration
of the remaining bill.