The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-19 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Duke of Somerset, as First Lord of the
Admiralty, held a-levee yesterday afternoon at the
Admiralty, Whitehall. Among the officers pre-
sent were General Sir Charles Menzies, Vice-
Admiral Sir John Kingcome, Vice-Admiral Charles
Crowdy, Rear-Admiral Henry Edgell, Rear-Admiral
Douglas Curry, Capt. A. M. Lyons, Capt. H. T.
Burgoyne, Capt. Oliver J. Jones, Commander A.
G. Wootton, Commander 11. M. Bingham, Com-
mander A. D. W. Fletcher, Commander G. F. Cot-
tam, Commander R. G. Tufnell, Commander G. G.
Paterson, Commander W. F. Robinson, Commander
B. Sharpe, Commander T. S. Gooch, Commander
S. P. Townsend, Staff-Commander G. Wright, and
Mr. W. C. P. Grant (paymaster).
The 24th inst. will, by order, be observed as a
close holiday in Portsmouth dockyard and the other
naval establishments at the port in celebration of
her Majesty's birthday.

Three gangs of shipwrights are at present em-
ployed on board the iron frigate Warrior, in the
steam basin of Portsmouth dockyard, giving her a
new 4i-inch planking on each side of her main deck,
fore and aft. The original si-inch planking amid-
ships on the sack deck will not be removed, but will
be dubbed down to inches, the places where it is
worn below the 4i inches being made good with inlet
pieces of new plank. The wear of the planking on
this deck, on each side and within the ship's armoured
line, was considerable, and rendered the laying of a
new deck necessary over this particular part of the
ship's main deck. The wear of the planking was
owing to the almost constant " dumb scraping" re-
quired for the sake of cleanliness, where some 700
men were berthed and messed between the guns.
Foreward of the foremost athwartship armour bulk-
head, and abaft the after-armour bulkhead, on this
deck, however—a very considerable space in each
instance—there had been no such wear of the plank-
ing, but the same course is being followed through-
out, and the planking is being torn up in these un-
worn portions forward and aft of the line of armour
plating. What gives a greater appearance of folly to
this indiscriminate treatment of the sound and un-
sound portions of the ship's deck is that the excellent
oak plank laid down by the Thames Ironworks
Company when they built the ship is very superior
to any planking now in store in Portsmouth
dockyard. It is bare justice to the builders
of the Warrior to observe here that the opening
up of the Warrior's deck, to effect this renewal of
its timber planking, has exhibited such excel-
lent qualities of material and of workmanship that
it would be impossible to excel it. At the same time
it illustrates the immense increase in strength given
to a gun-deck by the iron frame of a ship, built as
our iron ships are, as compared with the gun-deck
of a screw wooden liner or frigate. Throughout
the whole extent of the Warrior's gun-deck there is
no sign of a drop of water having penetrated at any
time through the seams or butts of her timber
planking to the iron plating below, on which it was
laid. The iron plating, with the removed rivets,
and the beam edges, is also as fresh-looking as on
the day it was put together.
The Turretship Committee, with the Earl of
Lauderdale as chairman, are continuing their in-
quiry, and have examined Capt. Astley C. Key,
C. 8., of her Majesty's
gunnery ship Excellent, and
Mr. Scullard, chief draughtsman of Portsmouth
dockyard, the designer of Capt. C. P. Coles's pro-
posed seagoing turretship. The latter, in his evi-
dence, was unfortunately not able to give answers
to many questions put by the committee relative to
the turrets and their guns, and it is still more un-
fortunate that Capt. Coles continues so ill at Vent-
nor that his attendance before the committee is for
the present impossible, perfect quiet and rest being
absolutely insisted on by his medical advisers. So
far, however, as relates to the mere working of tur-
rets and their guns on board ship, the committee
have invaluable evidence in the very complete report
on the turrets and guns of the Royal Sovereign,
drawn up by Capt. Sherard Osborn, C. 8., at the
close of his command of that ship.
The following is an extract from a letter written
by an officer belonging to one of the ships compos-
ing Admiral Dacre's fleet which has returned from
Lisbon :

c 4 The Achilles is by no means a bad ship at sea. She
lifts to a sea better than any other of the ironclads, and has
a very Heady deck for her gun platform, only rolling 14 deg.,
to 26 deg. and 28 deg. of the Black Prince, the result of her
fiat floor, which gives her steadiness. She is quick and
handy under sail, and nearly as fast as the others, but she
has a tendency to sit by the head, notwithstanding she has
no guns in her ten foremost ports. The Prince Consort
tried her guns when rolling 26 deg. The 68-pounders were
just under control, but not so the Somerset gun, or 6-ton
smoothbore gun, 'which has damaged its carriage and slide."
If the Prince Consort's 6-ton guns were thus all but
unmanageable with the ship rolling at 26 deg., what
would she have done with 12 ton guns mounted on
her broadside under like circumstances ?
The scout, 21, screw steam corvette, which was
commissioned on Monday last by Capt. Charles IL
May, late of the Canopus, was taken out of dock to
her moorings in Sheerness harbour after having had
her screw propeller and valves examined and the
bottom of the vessel cleaned. Several of the officers
have been appointed and are joining the ship. She
is intended for service on the Pacific station, and
will have a complement of 275 men.
The Serpent, 4, screw steam gun vessel, Com-
was inspected on Tues-
. Fulford, of the Cum-
berland flag ship, for Vice-Admiral Sir Charles
idnaayn
ldaesrt Charles arles
Capt.J .CBhualrlloecsk
Talbot, K.C.8., and left Sheerness on Wednesday
morning for Portsmouth, en route for China and
Japan, where she will be employed on the survey-
ing service.
The Tartar, 20, screw steam corvette, 1,296 tons,
250-horse power, Capt. John M. Hayes from China,
was on Wednesday paid out of commission by Capt.
W. K. Hall, C. 8., Superintendent of Sheerness
dockyard. The crew have been granted 28 days'
leave. The Tartar was commissioned at Sheerness

by Capt. Hayes, in August, 1860, for service in
China, and has been employed on that station ever
since her commission, where she has been actively
employed, and done good service during the late
war with China. The Tartar has been placed in the
third division of the Sheerness steam reserve.

The particulars of the number, weight, and de-
scription of the armament to be carried by the iron-
clad frigate Bellerophon, 16, 1000-horse power have
been received at Chatham from the War Depart-
ment, and the necessary works are being executed on
board preparatory to the guns being mounted. On
the maindeck she will carry ten of the 12-ton 300-
pounder rifle Armstrongs, and five of the 110-
pounder rifled Armstrongs, two forward and three
aft, one of the latter being mounted on a pivot gun.
On the upper deck she will carry only one gun, a
40-pounder Armstrong, mounted under the fore-
castle. Yesterday the Bellerophon shipped her iron
masts, which arrived at Chatham from the Wood-
side Graving Dock Company's Works, Birkenhead,
where they were manufactured, in the Medusa,
4, 312-horse power, Master-Commander J. H.
Allard. According to the existing arrangements she
will be docked on Monday next, for the purpose of
having the remainder of her armour-plates bolted to
her sides, and to be equipped for sea, there being
fully six months' work to be completed on board.
The Martin, 12-gun boys' training brig, Lieut.-
Commander the Hon. James T. Fitzmaurice, ar-
rived at Portsmouth on Monday from Devonport.
The Martin has been recently attached to the Im-
placable, training ship for boys at Devonport, but
has now exchanged stations with the Sealark, late
tender to the St. Vincent, boys' training ship at
Portsmouth.

Yesterday morning a religious service was per-
formed on board the Russian flagship Alentider

Newsky, in Plymouth Sound, in honour of the re-
mains of the Czarewitch. It was attended by Baron
Brunnow, the Russian Ambassador, M. Sabouroff,
secretary, and Mr. Luscombe, the Vice-Consul at
Plymouth ; by Port-Admiral Sir Charles R. Fre-
mantle, K.C.B.,.Admiral Lessofsky, Admiral J.
Symonds ; Lord Templetown, Commander of the
Forces in the West ; Col. Owen, C. 8., R.E., Col.
Millman, R.A., and other military commanders ;
and by a number of officers belonging to the Rus-
sian, American, and British ships of war in port.
The ceremony took place on the lower deck, in one
portion of which, on the port side, the body of the
Imperial Prince is laid in state. It is placed on a
catafalque approached by three steps. The whole
enclosed by rails, and draped with rich crimson
velvet curtains edged with gold lace. The coffin has
a velvet covering, ornamented with a profusion of
flowers. The ceremony was performed by M.
Papoff, the chaplain to the Embassy. Besides Gen.
Annenkow there are on board the ship, in charge of
the body, Gen. Ritter, aide-de-camp, the Prince's
tutor and guardian, and Prince Bariatinsky, adju-
tant, his companion. The Russian squadron is ap-
pointed to leave Plymouth to-day. It will be 13
days on the voyage to St. Petersburg, viz.—five
days on the passage to Christiansand, in Sweden,
three days coaling, and five days passing through
the Baltic and the Gulf of Finland.

Major-Gen. Stransham, Inspector-Gen. of Royal
Marines, commenced his half-yearly inspection of
the Woolwich division of the corps on Tuesday,
when he went through several departments, and
examined the official books, quarters, and interior
economy of the establishment. In the afternoon he
mustered a battalion of 900 officers, non-commis-
sioned officers, and men on Woolwich-common.
After marching past in slow time and grand divi-
sions they went through several evolutions, which
the General was pleased to express himself very well
satisfied with. Ile especially commenced the
marching in grand divisions. At the same time, he
said, he had seen them do better. On the return of
the battalion to parade the General inquired of the
men, as usual, if they had any complaints, upon
which 13 privates stepped to the front and stated
their grievances. The General, upon resuming his
inspection yesterday morning, investigated the com-
plaints, most of which were made by young soldiers
who formerly belonged to Militia regiments, regard-
ing their enlistment and Militia stoppages. All the
cases being satisfactorily disposed of, the General
inspected the hospital, the men at ship's gun drill,
&c., which concluded the first and second days' in-
spection at Woolwich.
The following promotions and appointments, con-
sequent on the promotions of Messrs. Burdwood and
Harwood, as accountant and cashier, under the new
Admiralty regulations, have been announced at Chat-
ham dockyard :—Mr. E. W. Jeffreys, supernumerary
senior clerk at Sheerness, to be confirmed ; Mr. H.
N. P. Walker, acting senior clerk at Deptford, to
be confirmed; Mr. J. H. Morris, clerk at Devon-
port, to be senior clerk at Portsmouth ; Mr. H. C.
Harvey, clerk at Malta, to be acting senior clerk at
Pembroke.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Seymour H. P. Dacres, mid-
shipman, to the Black Prince ; Charles S. Hill,
assist.-paymaster, to the D onegal ; Robert K. Heaven,
assist.-paymaster, to the Asia ; Gerard T. Napier,
master's assistant, to the Caledonia ; James Morris,
chief engineer, to the Scout ; Richard Taplin, en-
gineer, to the Cumberland, for service in the Pigeon,
vice Farrant ; Nathaniel Farrant, engineer, to the
Scout; Thomas M'Farlane, first-class assist.-en-
gineer, to the Scout ; and Henry W. Fitzgerald,
second class assist.-engineer, to the Scout.