The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-15 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Osborne, steam yacht, Commander D'Arcy,
left Portsmouth yesterday morning for Cherbourg,
with the Duke of SomAset, K.G. (First Lord), Ad-
miral the Hon. F. W. Grey, K.C.8., and Rear
Admiral E. G. Fanshawe, Lords of the Admiralty ;
Captain Hall, Secretary to the First Lord; the Earl
de Grey and Ripon, Secretary for War ; and Sir R.
Mayne, Chief Commissioner of Police. On leaving
the harbour the Admiralty flag received the custo-
mary salute from the Admiral's flagship Victory.
The Enchantress, Admiralty yacht, Staff Comman-
der Petley, with Lord Clarence Paget and Lady
Paget, and Mr. Hugh C. E. Childers, and Mrs.
Childers, followed the Osborne. The Fire Queen,
steam yacht tender, Staff-Commander Paul, con-
veyed the Naval Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Sir
M. Seymour, K.C.8., and Rear-Admiral Wellesley,
Admiral Superintendent of Portsmouth dockyard ;
the Sprightly, steam tender, Master Commander
Allen, conveying the Admirals' boats and boats'
crews. The Urgent, troop-ship, Capt. Henderson,
also left the harbour about 11, having been especi-
ally appropriated for the use of naval and other
officers. The Royal Sovereign, turret-ship, Capt.
Herbert, left Spithead, yesterday morning, for Cher-
bourg.

The Channel squadron left Portland Roads for
Cherbourg on Sunday evening. The whole of the
vessels of the Channel squadron, under the com-
mand of Sir S. C. Dacres, K.C.8., Rear admiral,
consisting of her Majesty's ships Edgar, 71 (flag-
ship), Capt. G. T. Hornby ; Achilles, 20, ironclad,
Capt. E. W. Vansittart; Black Prince, 41, ironclad,
Capt. Lord F. Kerr ; Defence, 16, ironclad, Capt.
A. Phillimore ; Prince Consort, 35, ironclad, Capt.
George 0. Willes, C.B. ; Hector, 24, ironclad,
Capt. George W. Preedy, C.B. ; Research, 4,
ironclad, Capt. Arthur Wilmshurst ; Liverpool,
39, screw wooden frigate, Capt. Rowley Lambert;
Octavia, 39, screw wooden frigate, Capt. Charles
F. Hillyar ; Constance, 39, screw wooden frigate,
Capt. Edward K. Barnard, Trinculo, gunboat,
tender to the Edgar ; and Salamis, paddle, despatch
vessel, Commander Francis G. Suttie, left Portland
Roads at a quarter to seven o'clock. Anchors were
hove short at six p.m., and at the time first stated
all weighed anchors. The Defence was the first off ;
she was followed in Indian file by the Achilles,
Prince Consort, Hector, Black Prince, and Research,
under steam. The Edgar (flagship) was followed
by the wooden frigates Liverpool, Octavia, and
Constance, all being under plain sail, the rear being
brought up by the Trinculo and the Salamis, under
steam. After rounding the breakwater, the fleet
were divided into two divisions, all of them being
under plain sail ; the ironclads to leeward, and the
rest of the fleet to windward. The departure of
the fleet was witnessed by hundreds of people, the
" Look-out" and the "Nothe" at Weymouth being
lined with spectators. The wind was fresh from
south-west.

It is understood that the French fleet will arrive
at Spithead on the 28th inst., and their stay will
extend to the 2d of September, during which time
the flag officers will be entertained on board the Os-
borne by the Duke of Somerset, as First Lord of
the Admiralty. General invitations will be issued
for a dinner at the Port Admiral's, and also on
board the Duke of Wellington. A review of the
troops will take place on Southsea-common, on the
evening of which day the French officers will be the
guests of Leiut.-Gen. Sir C. Buller, and a banquet
on a grand scale to be followed by a ball from the
Mayor, town council, and inhabitants of theborough
generally will probably add to the festivities.
Admiral Sir M. Seymour's flag ou board the Vic-
tory was struck last evening at sunset. During the
absence of Sir Michael and Rear-Admiral Wellesley
the duties of the port will devolve upon Capt. Scott,
C. 8., Flag-Capt. of the Victory.
An official investigation into the circumstances
attending the fire on board the Arethusa has been
instituted by order of the Admiralty, and a report
fordwarded to their Lordships. The fire was first
reported to Capt. Macdonald at about six o'clock
p.m., as he was at his station on the bridges, and
just as the frigate was coming to an anchor at the
Little Nore, after returning from a lengthened
trial trip for the purpose of testing her steaming
capabilities, and only a few minutes before she
saluted the flagship of Vice-Admiral Sir C. Talbot,
K.C.B. During the day the lower part of the fun-
nel was found to be dangerously heated, and this
circumstance occasioned great anxiety to Capt.
Macdonald, who directed the boats to be removed as
far as possible, and to prevent their igniting, of
whi'eh grave fears were entertained, wet swobs were
placed over them, and other precautionary measures
adopted. An inspection of the hold in the imme-
diate vicinity of the boilers proves that the fire
originated near the fore boilers, as was believed to
be the case at the time, which is to be accounted for
from the vessel having been nearly 12 hours' steam-
ing, the engines during that time being driven to
their utmost capacity, while the furnaces were kept
fed to as much as they could consume. From the
heated state of the woodwork in that part of the
vessel where the fire first broke out it was a miracle
the flames did not gain the mastery. But for the
energy of Capt. Macdonald and the officers and men
under him one of the finest frigates of her Majesty's
navy would have been completely destroyed. After
the fire had been extinguished it was ascertained
that the Arethusa had between four and five feet of
water in her hold, which will give some idea of the
quantity thrown on the flames. On account of the
fire the Arethusa could not join the Channel
squadron.

The following are the prnicipal dimensions of the
new ironcased frigate Hercules, of 1,100-horse
power (nominal), which is about to be commenced
at Chatham dockyard, from the designs of Mr. E.
J. Reed, the Chief Constructor of the Navy :
Length between perpendiculars, 305 ft. ; extreme
breadth, 57ft. ; depth of hold, 20ft. Tin. ; burden in
tons 4,813 14-94. Her sides are proposed to be con-
structed of a thickness greater than any vessel now
afloat, in order to render her as nearly as possible
invulnerable to the heaviest description of ordnance
she may be called upon to face. For this purpose
the Hercules will be plated with a thickness of no
less than 114 in. of iron, in addition to 32in. of
timber backing at the water-line, and in immediate
contiguity to her gun battery. Her armour-plates
will be composed of the best description of rolled
iron, Din. thick, in addition to which a double skin
of iron-plating, composed of plates 14in. in thick-
ness, will be worked behind the 10-inch teak back-
ing, to which the armour-plates will be bolted.
Behind these again will be 22in. of timber, and,
finally, the ordinary i-inch inner plating, or skin of
the frigate. Contrasting these with the correspond-
ing -figures in the Minotaur, Warrior, and others of
our ironclads, the Hercules will have a thickness of
iron-plating more than double-that of either of the
vessels named. It will surpass that of the iron
frigate Bellerophon, nearly completed for sea at
Chatham dockyard, although the latter is considered
a marvel of strength. In the case of the Warrior
the iron armour-plates are only 44in. in thick-
ness, and in the Minotaur 54in., while along a
portion of her broadside the Bellerophon carries
armour-plates of Gin. in thickness, with an inner
plating of lain. in thickness behind her 10-inch
timber backing. Like the Bellerophon, the Her-
cilles will be built on the cellular principle, with
a double bottom, the Bellerophon being the first
vessel in the British navy constructed on that
phin. In her construction steel will be used for her
stronger plates, and in:other parts:where experience
has shown that it is advisable to employ that sub-
stance. The Hercules will be commenced in the
second dock, in which the Lord Warden, wooden
armour-plated frigate, is now being fitted for sea.

Orders have been received at Chatham for tend-
ers to be received on the 29th inst. for the purchase
of the screw gun-vessel Plover, 80 horse-power no-
minal, And 426 tons, now attached to the third di-
vision of the steam reserve, together with the whole
of her spare gear. The Plover was built for the
Government only a few years since by private con-
tract, and has recently been paid off after a length-
ened cruise on the West Coast of Africa.
Mr. Reed's iron screw steam ram corvette Pallas,
launched at Woolwich, on the 14th of March last,
and supplied by Messrs. Humphreys and Tennant
with engines of 600 nominal horse-power, is now

ordered to carry the following armament :—Four
300 and two 100 pounder Armstrongs in the mid-
ship batteries, four 40-pounders on the upper deck,
one in the captain's cabin and one abaft, and two
pivot guns forward and aft on the weather deck.
She is rapidly approaching completion, and will be
undocked on the 30th of November next.

The ironclad Research, 4, Capt. Arthur Wilms-
hurst, has arrived at Portland from Portsmouth.
His Prussian Majesty's steam corvette Nymphe
Delphine put into the Portland Roads on Saturday
afternoon through stress of weather, being en route
for Plymouth. She saluted the flag of Rear-Ad-
miral Sir Sidney Colpoys Dacres, which compliment
was duly acknowledged by the Edgar. A strong
southwest wind was blowing, with squally weather.
The paddle despatch steam-vessel Salamis, Capt.
Francis G. Suttie, arrived at Portland from Ports-
mouth on Sunday morning at 10 o'clock.
The War Department storeship Lord Panmure, Mr.
Moore, master, in charge,havingreturned toWool with
from Portsmouth, yesterday commenced unshipping
at the Arsenal wharf. Her cargo consists of shot
and shell, with 40 Armstrong guns, brought back
to the Royal Gun factories for alteration and re-
Pair.
The troops, already mentioned in the Sun, dis-
embarked from the troopship Himalaya, Captain
Lethbridge, yesterday morning, at the jetty in
Portsmouth dockyard, under the superintendence
of Col. Shadwell, A.Q.M.G. The 63d Regiment
proceeded to Aldershott by railway, via Farnbo-
rough, the time-expired men to their respective
depots, and the invalids to the Royal Victoria Hos-
pital, Netley.
The Lady Melville, hired transport, arrived at
Spithead yesterday from Calcutta, with time-ex-
pired men from various regiments serving in India.
They will disembark this morning. She also brings
a few private passengers.
The Orontes, troop ship, Capt. H. W. Hire,
arrived at Portsmouth yesterday morning from
Dublin.

The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—Capt. Leveson E. H.
Somerset to the Formidable, as additional, for ser-
vice in the Bristol ; Lieut. J. W. Brackenbury, to
the Hector ; J. S. and C. Bower nominated to a
naval cadetship ; J. G. Taylor, engineer, to the
Britomart ; 11. A. Henri, B. Carr, and Andrew
Hindmarsh, engineers, to the Duncan, for disposal;
J. Bates, J. Davies, and W. G. Paige, for Ist class
assist. engineers, to the Duncan, for disposal.