The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-05 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

All the hands at Chatham dockyard not required
upon the Royal Oak, 50, and the other more urgent
works at that establishment, have been transferred
to the iron screw frigate Resistance, 18, 600-horse
rower, which is undergoing completion in No. 3
Dock, in order that everything may be prepared for
the undocking of that vessel by the date ordered by
the Admiralty—the 16th inst. Owing to the un-
forseen difficulties which occurred in completing
the Resistance by Messrs. Westwood, Baillie, and
Campbell, the contractors, the vessel on arriving at
Chatham was in a very unfinished state. The exertions
made, however, during the past few months by the
dockyardhands have enabled the general fitting and
completion of the ship to be pushed forward with
so much vigour that in the course of a few weeks
this fine iron steamer—which exactly resembles the
Defence in size and tonnage, will be fit either for
the pennant or the Steam Reserve, whichever the
Admiralty may decide upon. Like the sister-ship
Defence, her bulwarks form a straight line fore
and aft, and she is also provided with a projecting
bow to enable her to be used as a steam ram,although
it is the generally received opinion among nautical ,
men that with the great weight of the boilers and
machinery placed along their keelsons, combined
with the heavy iron masts, both the Defence and
the Resistance are altogether unfitted for employ-
ment as steam rams, the damage they might inflict
in running down an opposing ship being little likely
to supply an equivalent for the injury they would
themselves receive in the conflict. The Resistance
will be barque-rigged, like the Defence, and she
will also be fitted with Cunningham's patent top-
sail yards. She will be provided with four of the
110-pounder (late 100-pounder) Armstrongs, and
10 OS-pounder 25 cwt. smooth bore guns, on her
mai❑ deck ; an'.i on her spar deck two 110-pounder
Armstrong pi vot guns, two 40-pounder Armstrongs,
and two 32-pounder cast-iron guns. Her supply
:of shot and shell will be unusually large for that
'plass of vessel, and will consist of 240 common, and
;240 segm'ant 110-pounder shells ; 50 boxes of com-
mon and 50 of segment 20-pounder shells; 125
leases of 12-pounder Armstrong shells ; 320 68-
pounder shells ; 20 cases of 32-pounder shells; and 1
:109 boxes of 24-pounder shells for the pinnace and
launches. Her proportion of solid shot will be 220
110-pounders, 480 68-pounders, 140 32-pounders,
and 100 20 and 12-pounders. The amount of
powder she will require will be 345 cases.
The Lords of the Admiralty have decided on
having the armour-plated screw frigate Royal Oak,
51, under construction at Chatham dockyard, sup-
plied with iron lower masts and bowsprit, which
will be manufactured for her at one of the private
establishments. The Royal Oak is expected to be
the first of the new armour-plated ships which will
be afloat. To hasten her completion no efforts are
spared by the dockyard officials at Chatham. As
many as 600 hands are employed on and about her,
and in order that no time may be lost during the
approaching summer, the 'workmen will shortly
commence working overtime. The main and lower
deck beams have been fixed, and everything is in
readiness for fixing the upper deck beams, which
are of iron, as soon as they have been received from
the contractors.

The surveying screw steamer Swallow,9, 60-horse
power, Master-Commander E. Wildo, took her de-
parture from the Nore on Monday. She proceeded
direct to Plymouth, where she will remain a few
days before finally leaving for Japan on a surveying
expedition. In consequence of the great space on
board taken up with the charts and surveying in-
struments, the Swallow has been fitted with a com-
modious poop for the accommodation of the officers
and men. Before leaving the Medway the vessel I
was visited by Vice-Admiral Johnstone,Commander-
in-Chief at the Nore, who inspected every portion
of the vessel, and expressed his satisfaction with
the completeness of the arrangements on board.
The Swallow is not expected to return to England
till the year 1870.
A series of experiments have been carried out on
board several of the screw gunboats belonging to
the Steam Reserve at Chatham, by direction of the
Admiralty, for the purpose of ascertaining the com-
parative advantages of wood and coal as fuel in get-
ting up steam. The object more particularly kept
in view was to ascertain whether, in the event of a
fleet of gunboats being suddenly despatched to the
Canadian lakes, wood is likely to prove more eco-
nomical than coal. The result of the trials, so far
as they have been carried, is in the highest degree
satisfactory. It has been ascertained that, in using
the ordinary pitch pine wood which abounds in
Canada, steam can be generated in the boilers in
about half the time necessary when coal alone is
used.

The War Department steamer Baltic commenced
landing at the Ordnance-wharf, Chatham, yester-
day, upwards of 800 cases of the 40-pounder Aim-
strong shot and shell, from Woolwich, for distribu-
tion to the various vessels fitting for sea.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—J. A. R. Pelch, master, to the
Cumberland, for the Zebra ; A. W. S. Lyon, mid-
shipman, to the Nile ; J. Knight, in the Hero, pro-
moted to acting first class assist engineer ; James
Fraser confirmed as second class assist engineer in
the Virago; J. W. Watson, acting second class
assist engineer, to the Indus, as supernumerary ; W.
Rhodes, assist paymaster, to the Pembroke ; C. E.
Phillips, assist paymaster, to the Royal Adelaide;
and W. Crosthwaite, assist clerk, to the Royal Ade-
laide.

Mr. Alexander Baird, a member of the well-
knolvil Gartsherrie family, died in LORdOII on Sunday: