The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-06 00:00:00

Naval and Mitary. Intelligence.

VALETTA, Dec. I.—On the 23d ult., when the last
mail was closing for England, several of her Ma-
jesty's ships left for different destinations. The
Pelican, 17, Commander R. P. Cator, as announced
at the time, left for Bengazi, to attend on the tele-
graph steamer Hawk during the operations for the
repair of the Bengazi section of the Malta and Alex-
andria cable ; the Cossack, 20, Capt. R. D.
White, left for the Piraeus ; the Phoebe, 35, Capt.
W. E. Rolland, left for Corfu (passenger, Lieut.
Hon. E. Dawson, R.N.) to relieve the Gibral-

tar, 81, Capt. R. Coote, now expected in a few
days ; and the Orlando, 46, Capt. J. B. Dickson,

took her departure for Gibraltar and Devonport, to
be paid off. The Orlando steamed out of port with
a man at each mast-head, amid reiterated cheers
from the line walls, the band on board striking up
" Auld Langsyne." Favoured -by the weather, the
faulty part of the Bengazi and Alexandria cable
was soon repaired by the able engineer of the com-
pany, Mr. Temple, assisted by Mr. Saunders, elec-
trician, and an adequate staff on board the Hawk,
and the services of the Pelican being no longer
required she proceeded to Tripoli, to communi-
cate with her Majesty's Consul-General there
before returning to Malta, while the Hawk
hastened back to this island to be ready for any
fresh emergency. Business is now carried on again
by the line as usual. Another submarine cable
has lately stopped working—that between Sicily and
Sardinia; so that the assistance of the Hawk
Before Hawk maybe
again immediately called into requisition.
setting the Alexandria cable to rights, she repaired
the Corfu and Otranto line, which continues to work
in a very satisfactory manner. The Megmra, screw
transport, Capt. M. D. Dunn, having discharged at
the victualling-yard the stores she had on board for
Malta, left on the 27th ult. for England, taking with
her the following :—Lieutenant H. S. Hutchings,
; Lieutenant W. T. Freeman, 4th Regiment ;
Mr. R. Sutton, R.N. ; Surgeon Donaldson, 100th
Regiment ; 103 soldiers, 22 women, 41 childrenand
2 seamen. The Cockatrice, 2, screw gunboat,
Lieutenant-Commander Gillson, left the day before
yesterday for Tunis. The Caradoc, 2, despatch-
vessel, Lieutenant-Commander E. Wilkinson, ar-
rived on the 26th inst. from Marseilles, having on
board the Right Rev. Dr. Trower, Bishop of Gib-
raltar, and family, who were admitted to pratique
yesterday, after performing three days' quarantine
on board in the Marsamucetto Harbour. The iron-
cased ship Caledonia, 31 (bearing the flag of Rear-
Admiral H. R. Yelverton, C. 8.), which, together
with the Resistance, 16, and the Enterprise, 4, has
been stationed for some time past at Syracuse, has
received orders to repair to Malta. All three vessels
are looked for here about the 2d or 3d inst., and on
their arrival will probably go into dock. The Terrible,
21, paddlewheel frigate, Capt. J. G. Napier, will
leave Malta for Corfu about the Ist or 2d inst. The
Assurance, 4, Commander Woollcombe, is being
fitted with Orde's apparatus for lifting the screw,
which is becoming generally adopted in the
navy. The Psyche, 2, despatch-vessel, Lieutenant-
Commander R. Blane, is still under orders for
immediate service, believed to have reference to the
cruise of his Royal Highness Prince Alfred, who
is at present on a visit to Madeira, in the Racoon,
22, Captain Count Gleichen. The Surprise, 4,
Commander G. Tryon, after calling at Corfu and
Scutari (Adriatic), to communicate with the
British Consul, has orders to return to Malta.

The Chanticleer, 17, Commander Fenwick, is to re-
main at the Southern Islands and Patras for the
present. The Meeanee, 60, Capt. G. Wodehouse, is
still at Athens. The Firefly, 5, surveying steamer,
Commander G. R. Wilkinson, now on the south-east
coast of Tunis, is expected back here about the 11th
or 20th Dec. There is a rumour that it is not in-
tended to keep more than one surveying vessel in
the Mediterranean, and that the Firefly will conse-
quently proceed home in the spring, to be paid off
or be broken up. Considering the amount of impor-
tant work that remains to be done, and much that
requires careful correction, it is earnestly hoped, in
the interests of Mediterranean navigation, that no

motives of false economy will cause any ill-advised
reduction of the hydrographic staff in these waters,
and that should this ship be removed she will be re-
placed by a more efficient class of vessel. The Racer,
11, Corn. L. Brine, sicce her arrival from the lo-
nian Islands, has been placed in the hands of the
divers of H.M.S. Victoria, for the purpose of hav-
ing her bottom cleaned of an accumulation of weed
and shell-fish which had formed on it during the 12
months she has been in commission. The Procris,
gunboat, and the Redpole, tender, are at Gibraltar.
Her Majesty's ships at present in Malta harbour are
as follow :—The Victoria, 102, bearing the flag of
Vice-Admiral Commander-in-Chief Sir R. Smart,

K.C,8., K.H. ; Hibernia, receiving ship, bearing

the flag of Rear-Admiral IL Kellett, C.B. ; Royal
Oak, 35, iron-clad, in dock ; Terrible, 21 ; Racer,
11; Assurance, 4 ; Wizard, 2 ; Tyrian, 1 ; Psyche,
2, and Caradoc, 2, despatch vessels ; and one or two
smaller craft for harbour service. The French fri-
gate Renommee, 36 guns, bearing the flag of Rear-

Admiral Simon, Captain A. Vrignaud, arrived here
on the 27th ult. from Rochefort. She first en-

tered Quarantine Harbour, but, on receiving pra- I
tique, steamed round into the Grand Harbour and
fired the usual salutes, which were duly re-
turned. The Rear-Admiral, immediately on
landing, went to 'pay his respects to the Governor,
by whom he was received with his Excellency's usual
courtesy, and his Excellency returned the visit within
an hour, as the Renornmde was to leave the follow-
ing day for Athens. Complimentary visits were
also exchanged with the naval authorities. By the
Italian steamer arrived yesterday information has
been received that arrivals from Malta will be ad-
mitted into all the ports of Sicily, subject to a
quarantine of seven days. At Tunis quarantine has
been removed from vessels arriving from this island."
Her Majesty's ironclad ram Pallas left Woolwich
basin on Monday, at 2 o'clock p.m., under her own
steam, and went down to Greenhithe. Before leav-
ing the basin she was inspected by a large number
of officials, including Admiral Codrington, late
Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean ; Ad-
miral Robinson, Controller of the Royal Navy, and
others. Admiral Codrington, who was escorted over
the ship by Commodore-Superintendent Dunlop and
Capt. Randolph, expressed his •
admiration of the
accommodation for the officers and men. His atten-
tion was specially arrested by the commodious wash-
places and bath rooms provided for the seamen and
marines. Yesterday, at 11 a.m., Mr. Reed, the
Chief Constructor, Capt. Connolly, Mr. Humphreys
and his son, with other persons interested in the
ship, arrived from London. The charge of the ship
had been given over by Commander Dillon, of the
Woolwich Steam Reserve, to Capt. Randolph, porn-
manding the reserve at Sheerness, and she proceeded
at full speed towards the Nora to ascertain at what
number of revolutions the engines could drive the
four-bladed screw with which she is fitted, the pitch
of which has been reduced to 17ft. Owing to the
fact that the boilers were filled with the river water,
which was at the time foul, the priming was very
considerable, and prevented the full pressure of
Steam from being obtained in time for running the
measured mile at the highest speed. It was obvious,
however, that the four bladed screw is ill-adapted
for the engines, and the ship will consequently be
placed in dry dock immediately at Sheerness for the
purpose of having two of its blades removed.
The ironclad frigate Lord Warden, 20, 4,080
tons, 1,000 horse power, fitting at Chatham dock-
yard in dry dock, is ordered to be supplied with an
armament of 16 of the new pattern 9-ton 8-inch
rifled guns, and four of the ordinary 110-pounder
Arrastrongs, together with the usual number of
smaller rifled guns for boat and field service. The
work of armour-plating this fine vessel is proceed-
ing as rapidly as circumstances will admit, and con-
siderably more than half of her 5i and 4i-inch ar-
mour plates have been bolted to her broadsides.
Inboard the joiners are busily engaged in fitting up
her cabins, offices, &c., and otherwise getting her
forward. The whole of the engines and machinery
have been fitted by the contractors, Messrs. Maude-
lay, Sons, and and steam can Field,
whenever be got on board
required. About three months will
elapse before the Lord Warden is completed to en-
able her to leave the dock, when Mr. Reed's new
ironclad frigate Hercules will be at once come eneed

in the same dock, a considerable portion of the iron
to be used in her construction having already been
received at Chatham dockyard from the contractors.
The paddlewheel steamer Virago, 6,1,( 59 tons,
300 horse power, attached to the Steam Reserve in
the Medway, is ordered to be docked at Sheerness,
where she is to undergo a very extensive repair, at
an estimated cost of about £lO,OOO. Her engines
and machinery have been removed to the factory
where they are to be repaired. She will also require
new boilers. The repairs ordered to be executed will
detain her in dock for some considerable time.

The Research, 4, ironcased corvette, Commander
R. A. E. Scott, arrived at Spithead yesterday, from
the Coast of Ireland. The arrival of the Research
will enable Commander Scott to superintend the
completion of the fitting of her iron carriage and
slide, and the mounting of the 12-ton gun, on board
the iron frigate Minotaur in readiness for the com-
petitive trials at sea, ordered to be made immediately
on board that ship. The trials will most probably
take place at Portland, under the superintendence
of Capt. A. C. Key, C. 8., commanding the gunnery
ship Excellent.
Mr. Cunningham's method of training heavy
guns on a ship's broadside, which has been in use on
board the gunnery ship Excellent since August
last, is now being fitted by Admiralty order to one
of the 12-ton gun carriages on board the Minotaur,
at Portsmouth, for further trial at sea during the
forthcoming competitive carriage trials. On board
the Excellent the working of Mr. Cunningham's
plan, fitted to a 12-ton gun, has been singularly
successful. The average time taken in the extreme
training of the gun under all circumstances may be
very fairly stated as nine seconds with two men at
the winch. One of its main recommendations is that
the training gear on board the Excellent has been
fitted and the gun brought fully under training by
it in less than one hour. However violently the ship
may be pitching at sea when the crew are at quar-
ters Mr. Cunningham claims that his controlling
stoppers hold thegun at perfect control at any degree
of training and in rapid changes of angles in firing.
Some very interesting experiments took place yes-
terday on board the Mersey screw frigate, at Ports-
mouth, with West's electrical apparatus fitted on
board as a warning indicator of possible danger to
the ship from fire or water. A 10-cell battery fitted
in the captain's cabin, with an indicator dial plate
and an alarm bell, is placed in communication with
20 isolated copper wires, each of which communi-
cates with a numbered section of the ship's hold, the
latter being set off in 20 sections. Calorimeters con-
nected with each wire are set at a given temperature
—say 50 deg. above the normal temperature of that
part of the ship—and the ever-watchful sentinel for
fire is then placed on permanent duty. If the tempe-
rature afterwards becomes increased from spontane-
ous combustion, or from a smouldering fire raised
by other causes, the temperature has no sooner
reached the heat at which the calorimeter has been
set than the circuit is completed, the alarm bell
violently and incessantly rung in the captain's cabin,
and a number displayed on the dial showing the
section of the ship in which the dangerous heat is
being generated. The rise of water in a ship's
bilge beyond a fixed height is also indicated by
the ringing of 'the alarm bell and the display
of the section number. The calorimeter is a
small metal vessel, some three inches in length,
three-fourths filled with mercury. The outside of
the vessel is in contact with one part of the copper
wire of the section; the other part being suspended
through the boxivood stopper in the neck of the
vessel, the distance between the point of the latter
part of the copper ►•ire and the mercury being re-
gulated according 'to the temperature considered
dangerous. Should this latter event ever occur
the mercury necessarily expands, and, bringing
the end of the wire in contact, the circuit is com-
pleted. The water signal is a piston enclosed in a
chamber with the signal wire fixed at a certain
distance, say 2ft., above it. If water finds its way
from any cause into the ship's hold the piston rises
with the water, and on coming in contact with the
wire the circuit is here completed, and the signal
transmitted to the indicator dial and alarm bell.
The signals yesterday were sent from all parts of the
ship with unerring certainty and with calorimeters
set at various degrees of temperature, and with the
water signal at varying heights. As the use of
fire to raise the temperature of the ship was out of
the question, hot water at the required tempera-
tures was used for testing the question and the
manner in which it had been applied on board the
Mersey. Her Majesty's ship Valiant is already
fitted on the same principle, which is also to be
I applied on board all of her Majesty's troop ships.
The hired sailing transport Bombay, Sellers
master, belonging to Messrs. G. G. Tyser, of
London, arrived at Spithead yesterday after-
noon from Auckland, New Zealand, with officers and
troops, invalided and time-expired, from regiments
serving in the colony, and a number of private
passengers. The troops on board .are in military
charge of Major Mould, R.E., and in medical
charge of Dr. Henry Titterton, M.D. Capt. Vere-
ker, Ist battalion, 12th Regiment; Lieuts. Clark-
son, King, and Pownell, Deputy Commissaries-
General Robertson and M‘Dermot, 135 invalids and
time-expired men, 13 women, 23 children, and
three naval invalids. The rough weather prevailing
yesterday prevented the disembarcation and trans-
fer of the troops from the Bombay, at Spit-
head, to the Military Hospital, at Netley, and
the regimental depots, but, weather permitting, it
will be effected this morning. The Bombay sailed
from Auckland on the 3d of September last. On
the 15th of the same month she fell in with heavy
field ice, which three days later, by its density,
compelled Capt. Sellers to retrace his vessel's course,
and make a considerable detour to clear it. From the
same date to the 25th of September a large number
of immense icebergs were in sight, some of them
pparently upwards of 400 feet in height.
The following officers at Chatham garrison were

yesterday placed under orders to embark for Cal-
cutta to join the service companies of their regi-
ments in India, viz.:—Capt. R. Doyle: Barrett, Ist
Battalion 19th Regiment, and Capt. F. L. Edridge,
Ist Battalion 20th Regiment. An order has also

been received for the embarcation of Lieut. J. W.
G. Telfer, 2d Battalion 4th King's Own Regiment,
in charge of draughts for Malta.

THREE BODIES FOUND ON THE LANCASHIRE
AND YORKSHIRE RAILWAY.—Since Saturday morning last
three bodies—two of men and one of a boy—have been
been found lying on the rails of the Lancashire and York-
shire Railway, the men near Bootle Station, and the boy
at the Sandhills Junction. All these presented marks of
having been run over by trains.
BRITISH COLUMBIA AND VANCOUVER'S ISLAND.
—A. meeting of merchants, traders, and others interested
in the prosperity of Vancouver's Island and British Colum-
bia was held on Wednesday at the London Tavern,
Thec
hopsg,ate-street, city. Mr. Ballas was called to the chair.hairman,
recentlythhoamt he efrshoulde
eheaeveevbe el:en I gladan
in opening the business of the meeting, re-
been called to the chair, di ft
h Balmehimself one
mhadore
Ile described the present posi-
tion and future prospects of tho colonies as very gloomy.
Trade was depressed, the population decreasing, and land
could not be sold at any price.
The taxation was very
heavy, amounting to no less than $lOO per head, as against
$29 per head in Queensland and contiguous places, down
to $2 12c. in Prince Edward's Island. Tho reason of this
was that the island, with a small and decreasing popula-
whole burden of a distinct popula-
tion, bad to bear the
.legislative
mode of levying taxes was also
machinery. The very
ma
onerous, more especially the export tax upon gold, which,
fwas made a tax upon
from the peculiar mode o its levy,
capital and labour, instead of uponprofits.
its
results or
The only remedy for the evils complained
of Vancouver's Island with British of was a union
Columbia, as the one
legislation would bo quite sufficient .
for both colonies. Mi.
moved as
Selim Franklin, a member of the Legislature,
follows :—" That the interests of the colonies of British
Columbia and Vancouver's Island will be best consulted
by a union based upon such terms as shall appear just to
the Imperial Government." In a speech of some length
he urged the desirability of the proposed union, which he
stated to bo in accordance with the wishes of the whole of
the colonists. He considered that it would pave the way
for a general confederation of the whole of the British
North American colonies. Mr. Burnaby seconded the re-
solution, which was supported by several gentlemen who
had been long resident in the colony, and carried unani-
mously. Mr. Drake moved the appointment of a com-
mittee to draw up a memorial embodying the sentiments
of the meeting for presentation to the Colonial Secretary.
Mr. Southgate seconded the motion, which was unani-
mously adopted. The committee and deputation were
then appointed, and a vote of thanks to the chairman
brought the prococdinga to a close.