The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-29 00:00:00

THE SUN LONDON, THu ESDAY LVENIc-G, MAY 29, 1862.

1118 NAVY.

The Sutlej, 50, screw frigate, in the first-class
Reserve at Portsmouth, was yesterday taken out of
harbour in charge of Capt. H. Broadhead, command-
ing the Reserve, to make her half-yearly test of
machinery under steam. The trial was quite satis-
factory, and at its close this, the finest of our con-
verted wooden frigates, was taken into harbour again
and berthed at her old moorings. Her speed was

not tried at the measured mile.
The Biter gunboat, tender to the Colossus, screw,
at Portland, yesterday tested her machinery outside
Portsmouth harbour, under the superintendence of
Mr. W. Lynn, of the steam factory department,
after completing a thorough overhaul and repair of
her machinery by the factory. The engines worked
well, forming a good vacuum, and the boilers were
also apparently in good working order. After the
trial, the Biter returned to the harbour to complete

her refit.
The Argus, revenue screw steam sloop, got up
steam yesterday in the steam basin at Portsmouth,
to test machinery in her process of refit.
The Defence, 18, iron frigate, Capt. R. A. Powell,
C. 8., was undocked from No. 10 dock at Portsmouth
jetty yesterday, and berthed temporarily alongside
tha dockyard. A great deal of work yet remains
to be done before the ship can be pronounced ready

for sea.
The sultan, target-ship at Portsmouth, was yes-
terday iemoved from the dockyard to the practice
range in Porchester-creek, where the plates on her
side will be tested with the Stork's new 68-pounder

gun.
It is said that the Black Prince, 40, iron frigate,
at Portsmouth, will be put in commission in a few
days, and that Capt. Wainwright, now commanding
the Shannon, is the officer selected to command her.

The Roy al Alfred, at Portsmouth, one of the 90
gun screw liners converting to a 50-gun iron-plated
frigate, has upwards of 300 hands, mechanics and
labourers, now employed upon her. Her planking
will soon be completed, and her main and lower
deck beams are nearly all in position. The beams
of the upper deck will be of rolled iron, from the
Butterley Works Company, and the deck will be laid
on sheet-iron, in a similar manner to the upper decks
of the Warrior and our other armour-covered ves-
sels. The lower tier of armour-plates (which are
being manufactured by Messrs. Brown and Co.,
Atlas Works, Sheffield) will rest on the worked 4-
inch edge of a 12-inch plank, the planking diminish-
ing in the seven under-stakes to the ordinary 5-inch
of the vessel's bottom. In the most exposed parts
of her sides the plates will hang upon 12-inch outer
planking, behind which will be the 12-inch square
timbers of the ship's frame and the 7-inch inner
planking. Upwards of 50 armour-plates arealready
in the adjoining building shed, delivered from the
manufactory. The shed to hold the machinery for
landing the plates, &c., has just been commenced
by the contractor. The ship's stern will be of the
same description as the one now being got out for
the Royal Sovereign shield ship. It is of conical
form, will be of great weight, and would be of im-
mense strength but for the " overhang" it will ne-
cessarily have. The ship's bows are being consider-
ably strengthened internally. No great rate of
speed can be expected from the Royal Alfred, or
similarly converted vessels, while it is feared that
their draught of water will very much militate
against their usefulness as vessels for coast defence.
The screw steamship Sanspareil, 70, Capt. Geo.
Le G. Bowyear, at Plymouth, will be put out of
commission on the 6th of June next. She will be
re-commissioned the next day with a complement
of 65 men only, and will probably be employed in
the conveyance of Royal Marines to China.
The hired transport Ratcliff, laden with platforms,
gun carriages, and other war stores, for Gibraltar,
yesterday sailed from Woolwich Arsenal for her
destination.

The new iron screw steam storeship Dromedary,
built by Messrs. Samuda for the Admiralty, having
received her engines in dock at Woolwich, yester-
day got up steam at her moorings opposite the dock-
yard on the engineer's trial, and will proceed down
the measured mile this morning on an Admiralty
test, in charge of the officers of the dockyard.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Vesuvius, Comman-
der Lethbridge, commissioned at Woolwich for
North America and the West India stations, yester-
day sailed from Greenhithe, after adjustment of
compasses, &0., for Portsmouth. Mr. Hale, com-
manding the steam reserve at Woolwich, and Mr.
Partridge, acting chief engineer at the factory,
accompanied the Vesuvius to the Maplin Sands on
an official trial of her machinery.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Commander Frederick W.
Wilson to the Orlando; John A. R. Patch, master,
to the Fisgard, additional, for the Rapid; Robert
J. Roberts, engineer, to the Dromedary ; J. F.
Moreton and C. R. Lacy, first-class assistant engi-
neers, to the Indus, as supernumeraries; William
Powell, first-class assistant engineer, and N. F.
Hockerston, second-class assistant engineer, to the
Dromedary ; W. W. Blaney, assistant paymaster,
to the Hawke, and H. G. T. Packer, master's
assistant, additional, to the Formidable, for the
Lizard.

fere with their establishment and trade upon which
a million had been expended. Mr. M`Clean, the
engineer for the promoters, was examined to show
that they had offered to the City Gas Company two
arches under the embankment, S ft. high, in front
of the works, but this had been objected to by the
Metropolitan Board of Works, who deemed that
arches of 4 ft. would ho sufficient. Mr. Phinn,
Q.C., for the Metropolitan Board of Works, said
this was so, and Mr. Mann, the City Gas Gompany's
engineer, and Mr. I lawkesley having given evidence
as to its inadequacy, the committee adjourned until
Friday to enable the parties to come to an arrange-
ment.