The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-28 00:00:00

WOOL.

The public sales of colonial wool continue to be well
attended by home buyers, and as regards the home trade
biddings rule tolerably active. The demand for export to
all quarters is very moderate. Prices for all good and fine
wools rule firm, and are without change from the close of
last prices ; but faulty descriptions show a slight fall in
value, as compared with the same period. Privately, the

trade for English wool is firm, on former terms. The total
imported into London last week was only about 500 bales
Current prices of English wool per lb.
Fleeces—South Down hogets 1 8
Half-bred do 1 111
Kent fleeces
South Down owes and wethers 1 81
Leicester do
Sorts—Clothing
Combing

s d
1 9
2 01
1 11
1 9
2 0
1 11
2 0

SEEDS.
Nearly all agricultural seeds were in slow request on
former terms. There was a steady demand for English
rapeseed at full prices. East India linseed and rapeseed
changed hands freely at slightly enhanced rates. Cakes
wore dull at drooping prices.

TALLOW.
The tallow trade is firm at fully late rates. New P.Y.C.
is quoted at 44s 91, and old at 41s 3d per cent. on the spot.
Town tallow commands 44s Cd net cash ; rough fat, 2s 3FI
per 81bs.

Particulars. 1862. 1863. 1864. 1865.
Stock this day ......... 35337 41,622 43,276 31,819
Price of Y.C. 1488 Od to 428 6d 42s 6d 44s 3d to
Delivery last week....,. —s 43s 3d to —s 44s 9d
1,314 1,459 1,971
Ditto from Juno 1 ...... 18,970 12,210 13,267 19,842
Arrival last week ...... 113 1,132 1,652 3,838
Ditto from June 1 ...... 15,099 16,129 11,522 19,178
Price of Town
......... 50s 43s 9d 4359 d 47s 3d

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Duke of Somerset will leave his official resi-
dence a tWhitehall to-day for Portsmouth, accompa-
nied by the whole of the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty and Rear-Admiral Lord Clarence Paget,
C. 8., Secretary, where the board will remain during
the reception of the French fleet.
The Channel squadron were off Portland at 10
a.m. on Friday, en route to Spithead.
The Channel fleet now anchored at Spithead,
under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Sydney C.
Dacres, C. 8., consists of the Edgar (flagship),
screw line-of-battle-ship, Hector, Defence, Black
?rince, Achilles, and Prince Consort, iron screw
frigates ; Royal Sovereign, iron-cased turret-ship ;
and the Salamis, paddle, wooden despatch vessel.
The Edgar lies anchored in the deep water channel
off the east end of Spithead anchorage, with the
llector, Defence, Black Prince, Achilles, and Prince
Consort anchored in the order as named N. W. of
the Edgar, and each 200 fathoms apart, the Pr:nee
Consort thus occupying the western position in the
line. The Liverpool, Royal Sovereign, and Salamis
at present lie anchored inshore of the line of Admiral
Dacres' ships. The imperial squadron, on arrival
in sight from Spithead on Tuesday, will be met off
the east end of the Isle of Wight by the Pigmy
steam tender, which will put on board each French
ship a master of her Majesty's navy, who will then
take charge of the navigation of the French ship,
and anchor her in her appointed position inshore of
the English squadron.
The recent trials of the machinery of the frigates
Octavia, Constance, and Liverpool proved to be very
interesting. The trials, so far as the three ships
named are concerned, may be considered as com-
plete, but the Arethusa has yet to make her trial to
finish the series.

The iron screw steamship Agincourt, built at
Birkenhead, which arrived on Saturday, the 19th,
at Plymouth, was placed in the Prince's Dock, De-
vonport, on Wednesday. It is understood that she
was docked at the earliest possible moment because
the naval authorities wished to be relieved from the
responsibility of securing her in Hamoaze during
the present uncertain state of the weather. In the
dock there is only a distance of two feet between
her bilge pieces and the steps. Prior to being
launched, or rather floated, out of dock at Birken_
head, on the 27th of March last, her bottom received
three coats of red lead and one coat of protecting
Tarnish. She was then placed alongside the jetty,
by rubbing against which a portion of her bottom is
chafed and rusted. The whole is now to be cleaned
and be paid over with Hay's protective and anti-
fouling composition.
His Prussian Majesty's screw steam corvette
Nymph, Capt. Henk, and gunboat Delphin, Capt.
Kuhn, which have been some days in Plymouth, left
the Sound on Saturday morning for the Mediterra-
nean. They will go probably to Malta and Constan-

tinople.
With the exception of a few of the stern plates
and those to be worked under the counter and at

the stem of the frigate, the whole of the armour
plates which encase the sides of the iron frigate Bel-
lerophon from stem to stern, have been fixed in their
place, and by the close of the present week the ope-
ration of plating that frigate will be completed,
when upwards of 1,000 tons of armour plating
will have been worked to the frigate's sides in the
short space of less than eight months, the first
armour plate having been bolted to the side of the
Bellerophon on the 29th of December last.
The rate of progress with which the Bel-
lerophon has been constructed at Chatham dockyard
is altogether without a parallel in iron shipbuilding,
an average of between 50 and 60 tons of materials
having been worked into the frigate weekly since her
commencement in April, 1864, and that, too, with-
out any undue strain on the establishment an iron-
cased frigate, the Lord Warden, of larger dimen-
sions, being at the same time under construction at
the same dockyard. The principal work now remain-
ing to be effected in the Bellerophan relates ckiefly
to fittings inboard, and on these nearly 1,000 me-
chanics and other hands are employed daily until
long after dark each evening, in order that not an
hour's delay may arise in her completion beyond the
date fixed by the Admiralty. The machinery and
engines have been fitted by Messrs. Penn and Sons,
and everything is ready for steam to be got up in
the boilers directly the vessel goes out of dock. The

steel plates on her weather fighting deck have been
laid, and the covering of ordinary deck-planking
fixed. On the main gun deck the deck-plating is
finished, and the planking laid. The work of com-
pleting the large reconnoitring tower on the upper
deck of the Bellerophon is now being hurried for-
ward, and on Saturday the timbers to which the
armour-plates will be bolted were fixed in their place.
The 8-inch armour plates which will inclose thefore
and aft sides of the tower have arrived at the dock-
yard from the works of Messrs. Cammell and Co.,

and have undergone the bending process by the
hydraulic rams in the dockyards in readiness for fix-
ing in their place during the present week. The

work of rigging the Bellerophon has not yet been
taken in hand. According to orders issued at the
dockyard on Saturday, the Bellerophon is to be ready
to be put out of dock on September 18, immediately
after which she will make her first official trial of
speed at the measured mile, Maplin Sands.
The draughts selected from thevarious regimental
depots at Chatham for the Royal Canadian Rifle
Regiment, including the 4th (King's own), 15th,
20th, and 35th Regiments, left that garrison this
morning for Portsmouth, where they will em-
bark on board her Majesty's iron screw troopship
Himalaya, 3,453 tons, 700-horse power, Captain
B. Lethbridge, for conveyance to Quebec, to join
service companies of that regiment.
The division at Aldershott under the command of
Lieut.-General Sir J. L. Pennefather, K.C.8., had
a field-day on Thursday. The troops were formed
up to Claycart-hill, at 10 o'clock, the infantry
furnished with ten rounds of blank ammunition per
man. The usual march past was dispensed with,
and immediately on the arrival of the Lieut.-General
commanding the troops were put in motion. They
moved off to Eelmoor, where dispositions were made
to meet an enemy advancing from the south-west.
The 3d and Bth Hussars advanced in line, covered
by skirmishers of the 14th Hussars, while the in-

fantry ranged itself in order of battle. The 3d
brigade, under Major-General Lord Henry Percy,
V.C., formed the front line, in rear of the cavalry,
the Ist, or General Russell's brigade, formed the
second line, and the 2d brigade, under Brigadier-
General Adams, C. 8., formed the reserve. B and F
batteries, 9th Brigade Royal Artillery, were posted
on the flank of the Ist Brigade. While this forma-
tion was in progress skirmishing had been actively
going on. The enemy soon showed iu force, and
made a feint to attack the right of the division.
This caused a change of position, but as soon as the
enemy's intention was discovered the original order
was resumed. The enemy, in overwhelming num-
bers, came pouring down from Bricksbury-hill, upon
which the cavalry recalled skirmishers, and retired
steadily by alternate squadrons, reforming as they
retired until the infantry were in good position, when
they opened out from the centre, retired by troops
from both flanks, and uncovered the front of the

infantry, which opened a galling fire, assisted by the

artillery. The 2d brigade then passed through the
- - -

centre of the let and took up the fire, which was de-

livered with such effect that the enemy thought it
advisable to send an avalanche of cavalry to make

a diversion in his favour. To check his threatened

onslaught the 3d and Bth Hussars advanced in line,
and executed a brilliant charge, while the infantry
formed square, in echelon, and, together with the

artillery, threw in a withering cross fire.

The Bth

and 14th Hussars dashed through the squares
from the right and left flanks, charged in front of
the infantry, met in the centre, and retired in good
order. The 3d Hussars executed a similar move-
ment. The 3d brigade then advanced in line, and
opened a well sustained file fire, before which the
enemy slowly retired to Claycart-hill, where he
made a final show of resistance. The division

_ .
changed position to meet him, and another tremen-
dous fire was poured in. This completed his over-
throw, and the troops returned to quarters. The
weather was remarkably fine, the ground in excel-
lent order, and owing to the march past being dis-