The Sun.
London, England, 1862-11-20 00:00:00

very commencement of the works, have more
than verified by the results, the {reach ous and
The Alfred target frigate, at Portsmouth, is hay- Yielding nature of the soil on which th, forts are
ing a number of armour plates affixed to her sides to be erected presenting apparently insurmountable
for testing by the Stork's OS-Pounder, in Porches- obstacles to the repeated attempts to find anything
ter lake, under the superintendence of Capt. R. S. like a solid foundation on which to rear the enor-
Hewlett, C. 8., and the staff of the Excellent gun- mous mass of granite and brick which will compose
eery ship, at Portsmouth. The plates comprise one the batteries. The foundations have been destroyed
from the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Com_ on two occasions from the sudden bursting in of the
sway, one from Mare and Company, and one from water and the yielding of the ground, and although
Messrs. Hill and Smith. that part of the undertaking has been many mouths
The Resistance, 16, iron ram, Capt. Chamber- in progress, it is still far from being complete.
lain, steamed out of Portsmouth harbour yesterday, With the repeated failure and sinking of the faun.
and, taking in powder and shell at Spithead, sailed dations before a single stone of the superstructure
for Lisbon. During the stay of the Resistance at has been laid, it becomes a matter for serious con-
Portsmouth she has been refitted in a very corn- sideration whether there is not too much reason to
Clete manner with Mr. Gurney's oil gas apparatus fear that, even supposing the fort snould be com-
for lighting up her engine-room, stokeholes,
&c. pleted, the enormous weight will cause a yielding
The system has been tested on board the ship dur-
of the foundations and the consequent giving way
ing the time she has 'already been in commission of the entire mass. As soon as the severe frosts of
and has been attend with such satisfactory results
winter have set in, the whole of the works now in
'
that she has now been supplied with the retorts progress at the several batteries will be discontinued,
b
and gasornetP,c and fitted in a more complete and by which a twofold object will be gained—that of
maintaining the foundations in an uninjured perfect mPsaner than previously. The manufacturer
con-
of the as so far on board has been effected at a less dition during the worst of the winter, as well as
rs's
cost than attended the use of the old oil lamp, while allowing time to settle substantially on the piled
at the same time there is no possible comparison to bases en which they rest.
be drawn between the brilliancy of the one light The following promotions and appointments were
and the murky dimness of the other. Gallipoli oil yesterday announced at the Woolwich division of
used to produced the gas, but it is calculated that Royal Marines, consequent on the sudden death of
petroleum could be advantageously substituted, the Capt. Mansell, commanding the detachment of
cost being much less arid the petroleum giving 40 Royal Marine Light Infantry doing duty on board
per cent. atom- gas from a corresponding quantity the flagship loyal Adelaide, vice Admiral Sir
of liquid, As the apparatus is fitted on board the Houston Stewart, which occurred on Saturday last,
Resis.tauce, it is estimated that an apparatus capable at Devonport :—First Lieut. and Adjt. Charles
of applying 24 jets could be put up for about £2B. Buller Hugh Mitchell, of the Woolwich division, to
The court of inquiry held at Portsmouth last be Capt., at the Plymouth division, vice Mansell ;
week relative to certain transactions or dissensions First Lieut. Alexander Bassett Stephen Shairp, of
said to exist between Capt. Chamberlain and one the Plymouth division, to be Adjt. at the Woolwich
of his officers has, we are informed, resulted in the division, vice Mitchell, promoted; Second Lieut.
exoneration of Capt. Cbaulberlain from all blame Henry Ainslie Alfred Turner, of the Plymouth
in the matter.
division, to be first Lieut., vice Mitchell, and ap-
The Fervent scrsisis
gunboat, 60-horse power pointed to the same division.
(condensing eng,'.nes), rigged and armed in readi-
nesssl for commission, has sailed from Portsmouth to
join the B.est-class reserve at Devonport.
The Crgent screw troopship, Capt. H. W. Hire,
disv.ia.ntling at Portsmouth, is ordered to be paid
out of commission on the 27th inst.
The Egmont, sailing line-of-Itattle ship, converted
by Messrs White, at the Medina Dockyard, Cowes,
to a storeship for service at Fernando Po, is com-
pleted in her start esing rigging in the steam-basin
of Portsmouth Dockyard, and is drawing closely
towards the Completion of her outfit by the ship-
wright department. She will shortly leave for her
destinsttioo.

711 E NAVY,

rae repairs of the Curacoa screw frigate have
been commenced at No. Bdock (uncovered) of Ports-
mouth dockyard. A weather housing has been
erected over her upper deck to protect it from the
weather during the time her repairs are being car-
ried out.

mew York papers rfvoeived by last mail contain
an account of the trial trip of the Paissac turret bat-
tery, built on the. plan of the Monitor, carrying two
guns in her t!lrret, one of ilin., and the other of
loin. bore, 'the latter being the largest piece of ord-
nance t)".lat has yet been mounted on board any
vessel., The following are the dimensions of the
Pai:.isac's monster gun :—Maximum diameter, 48in.;
rr.inimum do. (rough), 38in.; minimum do. (finished)
261 in. ; bore, 15in. The length of the gun is 13ft.
Tin. ; the weight of rough casting 68,0001 b. ; of the
finished gun, 42,000 lb; solid shot, 4601 b. ; and of
the shell, 3301 b. The maximum or service charge of
powder is 351 b. The speed attained by the Paissac
on her trial trip was only five knots.
/Her Majesty's steam storeship Rhadamanthus,
Corn. Sturdee, was yesterday warped in the outer
basin Woolwich, to undergo an examination of
her boilers and machinery, preparatory to her usual
winter voyage. The Rhadamanthus will ship two
two boilers, weighing 30 tons each, which will be
.secured on deck ; also armour plates and capstans
for the iron-cased ship Ocean, in course of construe-
' tion at Devonport, an well as the huge Horsefall
gun for Liverpool, weighing 22 tons 14 cwt.
The screw steam storeship -Fox, Commander T. I
Pullen, has tompleted repairs at Woolwich. and is
ready for v..ea. Her cargo consists of boilers and ma-
chinery for the screw steam frigate Curacoa, at
Por+.:;mouth, recently returned from the south coast
of America.
The following appointments were made yesterday
-at the Admiralty :—William F. Parsons, master,
to the _Meeanee; William M'C. F. Castle, midship-
man, to the Forte ; Dr. E. H. Cree, surg., to the
Saturn, for Pembroke Dockyard; Dr. J. Andrews
(b), surg., to the Meeanee; Michael 0. Hurlatone,
assist.-surg., confirmed in the Cockatrice ; William
T_ Ryan, assist-eurg., confirmed in the Orlando ;
Dr. G. B. Beale, assist.-surg., to the Meeanee ; Dr.
Adadn Robertson, acting assist.-surg., to the Mee-
unee ; Timothy T. Jennings, paymaster, additional
to the Fisgard ; Stephen Fisher, paymaster, to the
Meeanee ; Alfred H. Piddeil, assist.-paymaster, to
the Sutlej, to be Secretary's clerk; Frederick
Parker and Edward B. Pillans, assist.-paymasters,
to the Meeanee ; and Archibald Court, assist-clerk,
to the Meeanee.