The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-21 00:00:00

711 E NA'.

The Shannon, 34, screw frigate, Capt: Oliver J.
Jones, sailed from Spithead yesterday afternoon on
her Mediterranean cruise, leaving under sail and
steam by the Western Channel.
The Rattler, 17, screw, Commander Howard,
sailed from Spithead at the same time as the Shan-
non, also under Sail and steam, and leaving the
anchorage by the same route. She is bound to
China, and takes out a few supernumeraries for dis-
posal of the flagship on the station.
The Edgar, 86, screw, Capt. Hon. F. F. Foley)
flagship of Rear Admiral Sidney Colpoys Dacres,
C. 8., crossed lower and topsail yards at Portsmouth
yesterday in progress of refit for service in the
Mediterranean.
The Nimrod, screw despatch vessel, sold by the
Lords of Admiralty to the Chinese Government,had
her boilers and part of her machinery taken out in
the steam basin at Portsmouth yesterday for over-
haul and repair. The vessel herself will be towed
down to Cowes for repair and outfit at the building
yard of Mr. J. White.
Workmen have commenced re-building the cut-
down deck and sides of the Royal Sovereign shield
ship at Portsmouth, according to plans submitted
by Capt. Coles, R.N. This alteration will do away
with the sheer at present existing fore and aft, and
will give her a raised central deck with sloping sides
sufficient to allow of the necessary depression being
given to the guns in her towers, or, at least, with
as much depression as can be expected to be ob-
tained with a razeed ship of a breadth of beam so
utterly unsuitable for carrying central gun-towers
as is the Royal Sovereign.
The Black Prince, 40, iron frigate, Capt. Wainer
w right, is appointed to leave Portsmouth harbour
for Spithead this morning, if there should be suffi-
cient depth of water. She, however, draws now
26ft. 7in. of water aft, and the tides being un-
usually dead, she may not possibly go out until
to-morrow. It would be a gain if the ship were
kept alongside the dockyard until the various jobs
which require finishing are out of hand, as work
which could be done in 24 hours alongside the yard
would occupy a week at Spithead, owing to the
time lost at the latter place in conveying workmen
and material to and from the dockyard.
The steam yacht Osborne, Capt. Bower, arrived
in Liverpool yesterday morning, having on board
Rear-Admiral Sir F. W. Grey, Capt. Eden, C. 8.,
and Mr. Whitbread. The Osborne is on the annual
voyage of inspection, and will sail from the Mersey
to-day.

In accordance with Admiralty orders received at
Chatham dockyard, the Sirius, fifth-rate, target
ship, the Sultan, receiving ship, the Champion
sloop, formerly used as a police vessel at Ports-
mouth, and the Griper, employed on the Coastguard
service at Chichester harbour, are to be immediately
broken np by a body of hired shipwrights, who
have been entered for that purpose.
The iron-plated target which has been constructed
at Chatham dockyard to be used in the approach-
ing trials with the large Horsfall gun, was on
Tuesday successfully shipped on board a transport
to be despatched to Shoeburyness, where it is to be
erected under the superintendence of the officials
from the Master Shipwright's Department at
Chatham. A number of shipwrights and labourers
have been specially sent from the dockyard to place
it in its required position, Just before the target was
shipped one of the 41 -inch plates, on being subjected
to a close examination, disclosed a slight flaw, but,
as the fracture was found to be close to the edge of
the plate, it was not deemed of sufficient importance
to delay the forwarding of the target. The trans-
port, with the target on board, left the harbour
yesterday morning. The monster gun will be
landed from the vessel in which it will be despatched
from Chatham by a number of men of the Royal
Artillery, but the operation is likely to be attended
with some difficulty, owing to the great weight of
the gun—between 20 and 30 tons—and the absence
of the proper appliances at Shoeburyness. The day
of the trials has not yet transpired.
An additional number of shipwrights and la-
bourers was yesterday placed on the iron -cased fri-
gate Royal Oak, under construction at Chatham
dockyard, in order to expedite the completion of
that vessel in readiness for her launch, which has
been fixed to take place on Sept. 10. The galleries
erected at the head of the slip, for the accommoda -
dation of spectators to witness the launch, were
completed yesterday. Every exertion is now being
used to have the frigate completed in time for the
launch. The efforts of the mechanics and workmen
are devoted to the decks and other interior portions
of the vessel. The work of plating the frigate pro-
ceeds as rapidly as circumstances will permit, two
rows of the 4a-inch armour-plates having been
already affixed to her port and starboard sides, the
third tier of plates being likewise nearly all in
their place. During the last few days, however, the
operation of plating has been temporarily suspended.
Before being razed, altered, and lengthened, the
Royal Oak, like her sister ships, the Ocean, Royal
Alfred, Caledonia, and Prince Consort, under con-
struction at the other Royal dockyards, was de-
signed as a two-decker, mounting 101 guns. She
was subsequently altered to a 50-gun frigate ;
but it is probable she will not mount more
than 34 broadside and pivot guns, all of which,
however, will be capable of throwing the heaviest
metal. On her main deck it is intended to
place eight of the new 110-pounder naval Arm-
strong guns and 2410-inch and 68-pounder smooth-
bore guns. On the upper deck, the ports of which
will be closed, she will mount two of the 110-
pounder Armstrong pivot guns. She will also carry
three smaller Armstrongs for her boats and launches,
including a 30-pounder, 12-pounder, and one of 61b,
together with the usual number of brass guns. The
fitting of the iron beams, funnel hatches, storerooms,
and other portions of the iron work is all done by
shipwrights connected with the establishment, there
being but few hired mechanics employed on the
Royal Oak,
the and those engaged chiefly in superin-
tending Preparation of the armour-plates in the
steam faetor3, adjoining the shed under which the
we ssel is buildin,
She is to be provided with a spare
tiller, and also two bridges, one of which, if found
practicable, will be l
Peced before the funnel.
The following
appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty;---Lieut. Mather Byles, to the
Excellent ; Henry G. s
A Gardner,
master to the
Rattlesnake : •
A. 'F. Echlin, and
Thomas James, midshipmen, to
the
Rattlesnake
; Peter
TViloL) c f2_ eungifie_er,,
to
gineer, to the Rattlesnake ; Thomaslursden act-
ing first-class assist.- en gi neer,. to the Indus, for the
Partridge ; J. F. Moreton, acting.first-ela
the Rattlesnaire'.
engineer, to the Indus, for the Tilbury ; asE
second-class assist.-engineer, to
Andrew Kennedy, second. class assist.-engineer,
s...en,
the Virago; James Frazer, second-class asst
gineer, to the Indus for hospital treatment ; w.
G. Starling, in the Cornwallis, confirmed as second
class assist,-engineer; G. Elliott, supernumerary
in the Indus, confirmed as second-class assist.-en-
gineer ; J. Fawcett, acting second-class assist.-
engineer, to the Rattlesnake ; Frederick Moore, W.
J. Sprake, W. B. Cleverly, and Henry Rawlings,
acting second-class assist.-engineers, to the Asia
as supernumeraries, and Thomas A. Miller, clerk,
to the Excellent.