The Sun.
London, England, 1865-09-04 00:00:00

inboard, and thus
enable the battery guns on ,the
fore and aft port and starboard sides to be fired
either ahead or astern. The gates are fitted with
the ordinary nettings for stowing the men's ham-
mocks. In addition to the 6-ton guns which the
Favourite will carry, she will also mount a couple
of the large 30-pounder smooth-bore muzzle-load-
ing Armstrong guns.
The screw gun-vessel Griffin, 5, 80-horse power,
recently paid off into the third division of the
Chatham Steam Reserve, from the West Coast of
Africa, has been placed in dock, where she is under-
going a complete repair and refit of both hull and
machinery. She is to be furnished with new decks
and her defects made good ; in addition to which
she is to be supplied with new boilers, and her ma-
chinery generally thoroughly overhauled.
The screw gunboat Hasty, 2, 60-horse power,
Lieut,-Commander T. M. Campbell, tender to:the
Royal Naval Reserve training ship Castor, 22, has
been taken into the north basin at Sheerness, where
she is making good her defects. She is having new
boilers, and will undergo a thorough refit, which
will detain her at the dockyard for about two
months to come.
The books of the screw steam Coastguard ship
Blenheim, 60, Capt. T. H. Mason, now at Devonport,
were closed on Thursday, and will be opened again
when the Revenge is ready to receive her crew with
an addition of 30 Marines. The Revenge will, it is
-said, be commanded by Capt. Geo. Le G. Bowyer,
of the receiving ship Canopus, 8,. in Hamoaze, the
command of which will be transferred to Capt. Ma-
son. It may be six weeks or two months before the
Revenge will be ready to take the Blenheim's recent
duty at Pembroke.
The screw steam frigate Constance, 39, Capt. E.
K. Barnard, has been refitting in Plymouth Sound.
Her topgallant masts were sent up on Thursday, and
she will soon be ready for duty on a foreign station.
The new iron cased screw steamship Lord Clyde,
24, now in the south basin of Keyham Steamyard,
may be ready for trial in about a month. In conse-
quence of the protrusion of her stem (a brass cast-
ing weighing five tons) her hawse holes are so much
within the plumb that she was obliged, on arrival
from Pembroke, to leave an anchor in the Sound.
To remedy this defect a wooden casing, 2ft. to 2ift.
thick, is being fitted in the hollow part of the bow

just under the hawse-hole, to keep the anchor fur-
ther off when weighing. Her engines, of 1,000-
power, are from the manufactory of Messrs. Raven-
hill and Salkeld.

The petroleum boiler at Woolwich dockyard,
lately experimented with, is now undergoing consi-
derable alteration, in order to assimilate it more to
the simple form of the present marine boiler. The
long course of experiments under Mr. Richardson's
supervision at Woolwich, has proved the system to
be not only available but utterly free from danger.
The experiments are now to be carried on with
greater vigour. When the alterations are completed
the boiler will be able to burn the Rangoon, Barba-
does, or Tiinidad petroleum, .together with the Eng-
lish coal and whale oils alternately, as well as every
other kind of hydro-carbon, to obtain any degree of
speed that may be required, and without waste.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty .—Capt. T. H. Mason, to the
Canopus, vice Bowyear; Capt. G. L. G. Bowyear to

the Revenge, vice Mason ; F. Law, master, -to the
Constance; Thomas Roche, assist.-surg., to Haslar
Hospital, vice Lockhart; Martin Magill, assist.-surg.
to Haulbowline Hospital, vice Atkinson ; Robert

Atkinson, assist.-surg., to the Prince Consort, vice
Magill ; Wm. B. Clenerly, second-class assist.-engi-
neer, to the Scorpion ; and Edward J. O. Lanham,

second-class assist.-engineer, to the Excellent, for

the Stork.

DEPARTURE OF THE FRENCH FLEET.

---~--

The French fleet quitted our shores on Saturday
morning, not many hours after its officers had danded
through the last dance at the ball given by the Ad-
miralty at the Royal Naval College on Friday night.
Of this ball it may with truth be recorded that it was
eminently brilliant and successful. The spacious tent
in which it was held, and which occupied the whole
quadrangle in the rear of the college, had, since the
Admiralty banquet given in it on Wednesday, been
still further decorated. The approaches to it too had
been most extensively illuminated, under -the super-
intendence of the Messrs. Defries, of London. Over
the gateway leading into the dockyard shone the
same mass of light which had been shining there each
night since the banquet on board the Duke of Wel-
lington. Once inside the gateway one saw nothhig
on both sides of the avenue leading up to the college
—which was belted for its entire length of 200 or 300
yards with tricoloured lamps, but lights red and white
arid blue, shining forth in a great blaze, thrown back
by innumerable crystal reflectors, or twinkling with
a more subdutLi radiance in oil lamps from beds in
the plots of grass in front of the college, where
the place of flowers.
.ttline of the
they seemed to have usurpeci
Variegated lamps formed the entire al
front of the building itself, and over the L:,,liatral
porch the word " Welcome," in large white letters
of light, expressed the spirit in which the enter-
tainment was given. Shortly before ten o'clock the
first rank of a long line of carriages began in rapid
succession to set down the guests under the orna-
mental porchway which had been constructed in
front of the entrance-hall, and from that time unti:
11 o'clock, when the numbers in the ballroom at-
tained their greatest height, ladies in rich dresses
and gentlemen in uniforms looking richer still, there
being very few in simple civilian attire, streamed
into the hall of the College, which was decorated
on each side with those most tasteful of all orna-
ments—beautiful plants in flower. On each side of
the ballroom, which was made dazzling bright by
the light of 30 candelabra, there were alcoves with
seats, in which the ladies, when fatigued with the
dance, rested themselves until tempted to rush into
its whirl again. In the centre of the room and on
the right-hand side of the entrance, busts of her
Majesty and of the Emperor of the French were
placed opposite to each other in a recess, the hang-
ings of which were of crimson cloth. Two bands—
those of the Royal Marine Light Infantry and the
Royal Marine Artillery—stationed in recesses on the
other side of the room, played very efficiently the
music to which the dancing took place. At the end
of the room opposite the entrance a spacious door-
way led into a refreshment-room, large indeed, but
yet not large enough to accommodate without much
squeezing the numbers who hoped to find in it not
only refreshment but relief from the pressure in the
ballroom,
which at midnight and for some hours
after was so thronged with a company numbering
over 2,000 as to render dancing, except at particular
points and within very limited circles, almost impos-
sible. The door-way leading to therefreshment-room
was oftcn in the night the scene of as protracted
a block-up as one ever witnessed in the Strand
or Cheapside. Opposing streams of guests met,
and the result was that both were brought
to a standstill, fortunately at a point where two
welcome fountains cooled the air. Despite of heat
and pressure, however, dancing was somehow or
another kept up in the ballroom, some young French
midshipmen, in particular, entering into the spirit
of it with all the abandon of their age and nation,
as they had done at the ball on the Governor's-
green on the previous evening. It on some of these
occasions happened that neither the lady nor her
partner could convey to each other their sentiments
very freely in words, but somehow they did manage
to effect an interchange of thought, a fertility of re-
source under the circumstances being exhibited, by
the young lady especially, which went far to corro-
borate the soundness of the doctrine maintained by
those who contend that one tongue is enough for a
woman. Whenever the attempt to converse became
rather embarrassing there were the mazes of the
waltz to resort to, which to both was common
ground. During the evening the Lords of the Ad-

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miralty exerted, themselves t #loitiiiiViVst,;,m
the ball pats off pleasantly to t st:itkiticks4 *lir'
it was given. Lord Clarence Pa ,•1 emeciar
0 of
remarkable for the zeal which he edi •itealn oLet )
pro-
curing partners for the young French officers who
wished to dance. This was no difficult task, for
the ladies showed every disposition" to second his
efforts, and they mustered in great force. Nor were
they more numerous than fair. In whatever other
respects there might be shortcomings, the fresh
beauty which we are accustomed to associate with
the young womanhood of England was not inade-
quately represented. Suppei was served at 1 o'clock
at buffets, in spacious rooms, constituting a portion
of the permanent building of the College, while
refreshment-rooms also branched off from the en-
trance-hall. After supper dancing was resumed
with renewed energy, and with more space to move
in, for the guests had then begun to leave, but at
4 o'clock there were still not a few who were keep-
ing it up with apparently unabated vigour. 'Morn-
ing had long dawned before the last carriage drove
from the entrance porch of the Royal Naval Col-
lege and through the dockyard gateway by the
avenue which a few hours before had been so
bright with a thousand lights.
as
ew connected
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to celebrate.
five Not more than four orve hours elapsed after
the ball had terminated before the French fleet was
under way. It was expected that it would notleave
until about noon on Saturday ; but late on Friday
evening instructions were given to prepare for its
departure as early as 9 or 10 o'clock on the follow-
ing morning.
Favourable weather attended the coming of the
fleet, but a still brighter sun shone upon its leaving.
Shortly after 9 o'clock the Mayor of Portsmouth
Mr. Ford, and the members of the Corporation, ac-
companied by a large party of ladies and gentlemen,
embarked from the Victoria pier in H.M.'s steam yacht
Sprightly, and proceeded to Spithead to witness the
departure of the Fleet, and to say farewell, as
far as was possible, to the pleasant guests whom
it was about to bear away. The Sprighly had on
board her also several children of the Orphan School,
for whom an agreeable excursion was thus con-
siderately provided. When the Sprightly neared
the French ships a number of officers were seen
on board the deck of the Magenta aad Solfe-
rino, as well as of their companion ships, and the
moment the Sprightly drew sufficiently close a loud
cheer, in which the Mayor led the way, was raised
from her decks. A cheer in answer was at once
given from the decks of the Solferino, and hats were
taken off and waved in recognition of the compli-
ment. Handkerchiefs were seen, too, to wave at
more than one of the portholes of the French vessel,
and then there was one more cheer louder and more
sustained than the last, and the Sprightly glided on
her way, steaming by each vessel in the Fleet, and
bidding the crews and officers of each as they stood
upon the docks a similar adieu. From each in turn
the cheers were cordially given back, and hats and
handkerchiefs waved as before. Meantime parting
visits were being paid by the Lords of the Admi-
ralty to the French Minister of Marine on board
the Reine Hortense, which lay in the harbour, and
immediately after that beautiful yacht steamed out
for Spithead, salutes being fired from the Victory
and the garrison batteries. The Enchantress, with
the Lords of the Admiralty on board, followed in
her wake, and as soon as they reached the spot
where the leading ships of the Fleet lay prepared
to start, the guns of the Edgar thundered forth
a salute of 19 guns, and then the two yachts drew
towards each other, and dipped their flags in a
parting salutation. It was the last official adieu, and
while it was taking place, and for some time before,
the Black Prince and all the other ships of the Eng-
lish fleet had their yards manned in honour of those
companions irorn-avhom they were in a few minutes
about to separate. It was an imposing sight, that
parting scene between the two fleets, amid the
thickly clustering yachts with their. snow-white
sails, under an almost cloudless sky. The Enchan-
tress, immediately after she had .bid her consort
" good bye," steamed back to the harbour, and the
Reine Hortense made for the open sea. The
Sprightly had by this time got beyond the fleet on
her way to the Nab, and those on board had an
opportunity of seeing each ship of the French fleet
to advantage, as following the lead of the Reine
' Hortense one after the other gradually but surely
overtook and passed the little steamer. First in
order came the stately Solferino, and immediately
after her the Magenta, the whole of the fleet steam-
ing, ship after ship, in single file. When leaving
Spithead the band stationed on the poop of the Sol-
ferino struck up " God save the Queen," and a cheer
was given by the crew on deck. As she passed the
Sprightly a cheer was given on the deck of thelatter.
The cheer was at once echoed back by the crew of
the great ship and the officers, amid the waving of
hats anti handkerchiefs as before, and the Solferino
moved ahead 911 her way.
ta followed in the wake of her
repeated as the Magt;2l Again were the cheers
sister ship, and so it was vi,J
pe;:s_onteizanFdaothne,
`MC, the Invincible,
e
h each of the seven fri-
gates, the Normandie, the Couro
Gloire, with three attendant
the, Provence, the Fl
ne
Caton, and Ariel--o by one steamed after their allcire'thseloni
o
•
huge leaders. The Gloire brought up the rear a
the long and formidable line.
About 11 o'clock, when the leading ships were
about three miles south of the Nab light, the flag
of Admiral Bouet-Willauraez, the admiral in
command of the French squadron, was dipped in
salute to that of the Minister of Marine, who pro-
ceeded on board the Reine Hortense to Havre,
while the remaining vessels held on their way for
Cherbourg ; and thus ended the visit of the French
Fleet to the shores of England.

Whatever may be the comparative merits of the
two Fleets, t6:e can be no doubt as to the cordial
spirit in which the; met, both on the coast of
France and Portsmouth. While the French officers
stayed among us, nothing cod surpass the courtesy
th
which they displayed towards ail wi whom they
came in contact. The English naval uthorities, on
the other hand, left nothing undone to ;flake the
best return in their power for the splendid hospi-
tality they received at Cherbourg and at Bred.
From the moment the French Fleet anchored at
Spithead until the hour of its departure an English
gunboat in command of an English officer was
placed at the disposal of each of the French ships,
and while the French Minister of Marine and the
chief officers of the French navy were being enter-
tained at magnificent banquets on board the Duke
of Wellington and in the Royal Naval College, the
officers of the Black Prince and the other English
ironclads at Spithead dispensed to those who re-
mained behind a hospitality only less splendid. The
warmth of the reception which the representatives
of the French navy met with at the civic entertain-
ment given in their honour by the Mayor and the
Corporation of Portsmouth and the inhabitants in
its vicinity could scarcely be exceeded. What pleased
them most, perhaps, throughout the whole series of
entertainments was the evident spontaneity which
characterised every effort made to contribute to
their gratification. There is reason to believe that
they left our shores most favourably impressed
with the endeavours which had been so earnestly
made to render their stay at Portsmouth as agree-
able as possible. Nothing, more than one French
officer has been heard to say, greatly as they all ad-
mired our dockyards and our fleet, struck them so
much as the immense number of yachts which all
day long shot to and fro about the roadstead at Spit-
head, affording, as it did, so strong an indication of
the naval tastes of the people.
The officers and men of the French Fleet will
probably look back for many a day with satisfaction
on the events of the past week, and on-the more
than kindly spirit in which the inhabitants of Ports-
mouth, and in their persons the entire people of
England, bade them farewell.