The Sun.
London, England, 1865-03-30 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Duke of Somerset will receive to-day, at
2.30 p.m., any officers whose names were on the list
for the levee on the 16th inst.

Messrs. Green's ship Nile, Capt: W. F. Owen,
hired as a troop transport, from Calcutta December
20, and St. Helena February 13, passed up Channel,
off Plymouth, during Tuesday night. She brings
the left wing of her Majesty's 52d lteginient of
Light Infantry, with band, from India, under the
command of Brevet-Major Crossi, and in medical
charge of Assist.-Surg. Gogarty. The Nile has had
a very fine passage of 97 days from Calcutta. She
rounded the Cape of Good Hope Feb. 1, and had a
long run of easterly winds to the Western Isles,
crossing the Equator Feb. 23. From the Western
Isles she experienced some very heavy N.W. gales,
but without accidents. The troops are to be landed
at Dover.

The Sparrowhawk, 4, screw gunvessel, 676 tons,
and 200-horse power, Commander Porcher, tried
her speed and machinery on Tuesdayat the measured
mile in Stokes Bay, near Portsmouth, Prior to sail-
ing from Spithead on a term of foreign service.
The vessel drew lift. 4in. of water forward, and
lift. 9in. aft, with 120 tons of coal in her bunkers,
and in all other respects complete in her stores,
&c., for sea service. Six runs were made over the
mile, with full boiler power, which gave a rate per
hour each run in knots of 12.285, 9.302, 11.250,
9.473, 11.920, and 8.845, the mean speed of the
ship given by the six runs being 10.417 knots per
hour. The revolutions of the engines were maxi-
mum, 94, minimum, 89k. With half-boiler power
four runs were made over the mile, 11.613, 7.072,
10.909, and 7.004. The mean speed of the ship
with half power was 9.124 knots, and the revolu-
tions of her engines, maximum, 80 ; minimum, 74.
At the conclusion of the runs over the mile the
vessel was tested in making circles with full and
half power. With full power, and the vessel turn-
ing to starboard, the half circle was made in 2 min.
29 sec., and the full completed in 4 min. 46 sec.
Turning to port, the times were respectively 2 min.
51 sec. and 5 min. 56 sec. With half power, and
turning to port, the half circle was made in 2 min.
34 sec., and the full in 5 min., and to starboard in
2 min. 40 sec. and 5 min. 9 sec. The trial was
concluded by testing the working of the ship's ma-
chinery by orders from the telegraph on the upper
deck bridge to the engine-room, the engines being
" stopped," " started ahead," and " started astern"
in 10 sec. in each instance.
This afternoon a party of the 2d Battalion Cold-
stream Guards, consisting of two officers and 92
men, will leave Windsor by the South-Western
Railway for Waterloo, in advance of the rest of the
battalion, which is at present quartered at the
Sheet-street barracks. The remainder of the regi-
ment, under the command of Lieut.-Col. Fielding,
530 men, with 70 women,
will quit the barracks
numbering 13 officers,
45 children, and four horses,
to-morrow, and proceed in a special to London via
Waterloo. The relieving battalion of Foot Guards,
consisting of 14 officers, 438 men, with 54 women,
69 children, and four horses, will leave Waterloo
to-morrow, at an early hour, and proceed by special
train to Windsor, to take up their quarters m the
Sheet-street barracks. The battalion will be pre-
ceded to-day by a detachment,of one officer and 153
men, who will leave Waterloo at three o'clock for
Windsor. The 2d Life Guards will leave the cavalry
barracks at Spital, near Windsor, next week, and
are to be relieved by the let Regiment.
The long-expected Mackay gun, manufactured at
the Mersey iron and steel works, has at length
arrived at Woolwich Arsenal, and was proved at the
Ordnance butt on Tuesday last. The gun was fired

one round only, the charge being a cartridge of 501 b.
of powder, and a proof projectile of plain cast iron,
with flat ends, weighing 3361 b. Major Freeth, In-
spector of Artillery, directed the proof, which was
attended by Mr. Mackay on his own behalf, and Mr.
Yates, representing the manufacturers. On the usual
test and examination made after each round it was
discovered that the plug at the end of the bore was set
back by the force of the concussion, leaving a small
space 2 inches in depth, visible only to apractised eye,
but of considerable detriment in its present condi-
tion. The proof was consequently at an end. The
defect, it is stated, will be made good, and the gun
will be submitted to further proof. It weighs 101-
tons, is 14ft. long, with Bin. diameter of bore, and
is rifled with 12 grooves. The gun consists of
a first solid forging from muzzle to breech,
hooped over from the trunnions to the breech; the

trunnions forming also a separate piece. The
grooves, which are cut at a very sharp twist, are of
the same depth and form as those used by Bashley
Britten for firing lead-coated shot, and are termed
" windage grooves," the gas passing through them,
and acting upon the projectile so as to give a con-
siderable impulse to its rotary motion, and increase
the rapidity of its flight. After the proof of the
Mackay gun, the testing of the competitive 127
pounder Armstrong and Whitworth guns, which
commenced four days ago, was resumed, and brought -
to a close. These guns it will be recollected, have
occupied the time and attention of a committee (of
which Major Dyer, assistant inspector of ordnance
is secretary) for many months past, and have
undergone a course of experiments to test their
range and accuracy at Shoeburyness. The
charge now used in the bursting cells at Wool-
wich consisted of 111 b. and 31b. of powder, and a
number of shots varying from 3 to 6. The mode of
testing was peculiarly severe, and air space was left
between the shot and cartridge. The 12-pounder
breech-loading Armstrong gun became unservice-
abe at the 42d round ; the muzzle-loltding shunt
gun at the 60th round, and in both instances they
simply cracked without a separation of the parts.
The Whitworth 12-pounder burst violently into 11
pieces at the 90th round. The test applied to each
gun was similar in all respects, and was directed by
the committee appointed for that purpose.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Hy. H. M. Magrath to
the Blenheim ; Lieut. T. Williams to the Canopus ;
Lieut. J. B. Michell to the Asia ; J. G. Parker,
second master, to the Speedwell; J. Campbell,
assist.-engineer, to the Sparrowhawk ; W. Stewart,
assist.-engineer, to the Fisgard, for the Pallas ; J.
V. B. Thompson, assist-engineer, to the Supply.