The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-13 00:00:00

THE NAVY .

Yesterday morning Prince Arthur landed early
from the Vivid, and, in the company of Col. Owen,
RE., Director of Works, inspected the new fort at
Tregantle and the battery at Cawsand, to the west
of Plymouth. His Royal Highness then crossed
the Sound to the eastern batteries constructing at

ovisand, Staddon-heights, and Turnchapel, where
he was received in a barge, which conveyed him to
the Old Citadel at Plymouth. In the evening he
re-embarked on board the Vivid. To-day he will
probably go to Tavistock.
The Shannon screw frigate, Capt. Wainwright,
was undocked yesterday at Portsmouth, and placed
in the steam basin preparatory to commencing her
experimental screw trials.
The Coquette, 5, screw, Commander Alexander
sailed from Spithead yesterday afternoon for the
China station.
The Java target ship, at Portsmouth, has been
removed from her moorings in Porchester Creek to
a berth in Portsmouth harbour, preparatory to
being broken up, when she will be succeeded as a
target ship by the Sultan, old line-of-battle ship,
which has been specially selected for the purpose.
An examination of the remains of the various ar-
mour plates on the sides of thelJava would be the
means of imparting a considerable amount of in-
struction relative to the resisting powers of ships'
armour. As may be surmised, the plates, the
majority of which are 41 inch, are very uneven in
thesr quality, comparing them with each other.
Some have broken up like sheets of glass under the
impact of the first two or three blows, while others
exhibit -extraordinary tenacity and resisting power.
Two of the latter class deserve special mention.
Both are 44- inch plates, and both had been pre-
viously fired at on their day of official testing by
the Stork's 68-pounder. They had exhibited such
good qualities on that occasion that it was deter-
mined to try them experimentally with two wrought
iron shot at a short distance with increased
charge. The first plate fired was manufactured at
the Thames Iron Shipbuilding Company's Works.
The charge of powder was 221 b., and the distance
50 yards ; the shot buried itself two-thirds its
diameter in the 'plate, and remained, causing no
fracture. The other plate, manufactured at the
Atlas Works, Sheffield, was fired at also with a
wrought iron shot at the same range,but with 251 b.
powder. In this instance the shot entered the plate
three-fourths of its diameter and remained.
The screw steamer Galatea, 26, 800 horse-power,
recently fitted at Chatham, is ordered to be com-
missioned at Devonport with a complement of 485
officers and men, including one captain, one subal-
tern, and 69 non-commissioned officers and men of
the Royal Marine Artillery and Royal Marines.
The Echunga sailing transport, with military
invalids on board from Hong Kong, sailed from

Spithead for the Thames yesterday afternoon.
In the list of naval appointments contained in
The 'Sun of Friday, read " R. W. Beaumont" instead
of "R. W. Beaufort," surgeon, to the Jason.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Commodore Robert Douglas
Gordon, to the Vesuvius, commissioned; Lieut.
Charles J. Brownrigg, from the Excellent, to the
Galatea ; Lieut. George H. Blake, to the Vesuvius ;
Sub-Lieut. H. A. Monteith and Sub-Lieut. Ralph
de B. Hawtrey, to the Galatea ; Dr. Joseph Brown,
surgeon, to the Galatea; Dr. Robert Hague, assist.-
surg., to the Hawke ; Dr. Francis B. Harley, acting
assist.-surg., to the Trafalgar; C. W. Wakeman,
C. A. Vogwoll, and T. J. Richard, acting second-
class assist.-engineers, to the Asia ; Alex. Collins,
assist.-paymaster, and Thomas D. Riordan, acting
assist.-paymaster, to the Galatea; J. W. Ozzard,
paymaster, advanced to the first-class ; C. A. Prit-
chard, paymaster, advanced to the second. class ;
and E. J. Giles, paymaster, advanced to the third-
class.