The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-11 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The Sidon, 22, paddle, Capt. R. B. Cranford,
steamed into Portsmouth Harbour yesterday, and
berthed alongside the dockyard, unbending sails,
preparatory to dismantling and paying off.
With reference to the order alluded to in 77w Sun
of yesterday for reducing the number of guns and ,
men on board ships of war, instructions are given I
for the reduction of the armament, the character of
hw examples :—The
Tribune, screw
be illustrated
nowy
fittinge for commission
at Portsmouth is ordered to carry, in lieu of 32
guns, as heretofore, only 23, as follows :—Main
deck, 16 65 cwt. 8-inch; upper deck, 4 40-pounders,
Armstrongs ; 1 100-pounder, Armstrong (pivot) ;
2 32-pounder. The Shannon and Euryalus are
each to land 16 guns, and, like the Tribune, will
carry only 8-inch guns on their main decks. The
Duncan, 99, lands 10 of her guns, reducing her to
an 89, The substitution of one calibre_of gun on
the main deck of our frigates and on the main and
lower deck of our line-of-battle ships will tend to
considerably simplify the " projectile" question.
The reduction of the number of guns on board ship
in peaceable times must be for the ship's benefit in
in a seaway, and, besides, the
rendering her easy
guns can be easily replaced on board whenever they
might be required. The' reduction of the number
of men on board, however, does not admit of such
reasoning. In the case of the Warrior, for instance,
we believe that during her recent stay at Ports-
mouth her crew was inspected at quarters by one of
the Board of Admiralty, upon the complaint of the
captain that the crew allowed her was insufficient
in number. Our frigates now exceed the size of our
three-deckers of a few years back, and this reduc-
tion of their crews will be looked upon by the pro-
fession generally with grave suspicion.
The completion of the Octavia, screw frigate, at
Portsmouth, at the hands of the dockyard depart-
ments, has been deferred from the original time
fixed—the Ist of March, to the 31st of May; and
the Glasgow, screw frigate, from the 28th of Feb-
ruary to the 30th of April. The work on the Dun-
can has been suspended, and the hands taken from
her placed upon the Tribune. The Megmra is re-
ported for completion at Orb-lands of the engineer-
ing department on the 7th April. The work on the
Prince Regent has also been suspended for the pre-
sent.

The Jasper, screw gunboat, SO horse power, has
been masted in the steam basin at Portsmouth, pre-
paratory to commission.
The B alaklava, 0 rdn ance screw transport, Master-
Commander Pellatt, is discharging 12 100-pounder
Armstrong guas and a large cargo of fittings at the
gun wharf stores, Portsmouth. A large number of
Armstrongs of lighter calibre was received on Sa-
turday.

The wooden model of Captain C. P. Coles's cupola
or shield was completed on the deck of the Hazard
in the steam basin at Portsmouth yesterday, and
the experimental firing will at once take place to
enable him to prepare the specifications, &c., for the
new shield ship which the Admiralty have deter-
mined upon constructing. Information is sought
from the intended experimental firing as to the
minimum area of a shield capable of working two
100-pounder Armstrong guns; the amount of con-
cussion produced by the guns' discharge ; the re-
moval of smoke; and any other points which may
occur to Captains Hewlett and Coles during the
time the firing is being carried out.

Directions have been received at Chatham Dock-
yard from the Admiralty for every exertion to be
made to complete the Resistance, 18, 600 horse
power, by the second week in March, in order that
she may be undocked and tried as speedily as pos-
sible after.

The Scourge, Commander the lion. W. J. Ward,
was put out of commission on Saturday and paid off
in Woolwich Dockyard. The report circulated by
some of the daily papers, to the effect that Com-
mander Ward would commission the Rapid, after
paying off the Scourge, is without the slightest
foundation. The Rapid is perfectly ready for
commission. Her speed will be tested shortly, for
the first time, at the measured mile. She carries
an armament of 11 guns and engines of 150 horse
power only.