The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-28 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
The Royal Albert is iu dry dock at Sheerness, where
she is likely to remain until next spring, and it was found
that some obstruction in the grove of stonework at the
basin entrance prevented the caisson from going properly
down. This being the case, it cannot be depended upon
for keeping sufficient water in the basin to enable her to be
kept afloat. Immediate arrangements are being made for
ascertaining the cause. Within the last week some crimps
have visited Sheerness, and they have succeeded in con-
veying away nearly one-half of the able-bodied seamen
who have entered for this noble ship. It has been vaguely
intimated to the A.B.'s that they can have immediate
bounty of 5/, put in their hand on their consenting to run.
Several of the seamen who have run were men entered for
continuous service. One seaman, a foreigner, who entered
from the barque Mariner, has been brought back from
Gravesend. He will be tried for desertion under the Ad-
miralty regulations, and will, no doubt, get committed
for two months to hard labour in the county gaol at
Maidstone. The only cause assigned for the men running
is the temptation offered and paid them—namely, 5/.
bounty. There are several detectives here for the purpose
of finding out the crimps, who, if taken, will have all the
punishment which the Admiralty can by law give them,
for harbouring deserters or inducing seamen by bribes to
desert her Majesty's service.
The Ganges, 84, built in India entirely by natives, was to
have gone out of the graving dock, at Sheerness, on Satur-
day. She has undergone a thorough repair ; being a teak
ship she may now fairly be considered as sound and fit
for service as the day she was launched. Her model as a
sailing ship of the old class stands unrivalled, her qualities
were al ways considered first-rate ; under both these good
qualities it is likely she will be put into commission.

The Hornet, 14, screw-sloop, Commander Campbell,
arrived at Spithead from the coast of Ireland on Saturday,
and remains.

The Malacca, 14, screw corvette, slipped from her
moorings at eleven a.m. on Saturday last, and proceeded
for Portsmouth. On leaving Sheerness harbour she pro-
ceeded out over a very strong flood tide, doing from
74 to 8 knots off the reel. The ballast already put
on board her has evidently been advantageous to her
not only in stiffening her, but giving her a consi-
derable increase in her speed. She is to take in 103 tons
more ballast immediately her provisions and stores can be
expended, so as to remove her ground tiers for the purpose
of properly stowing her ballast fore and aft to the best
advantage. Mr. Hartrie, irom Messrs. Penn's factory,
proceeded in her for the run down to Portsmouth, to in-
spect the machinery when under trial. The fitting of Mr.
Bonney's gutta percha speaking tubes leading to the engine
room was completed previous to her departure from Sheer-
ness.

The Spy, 3, brigantine, Lieutenant-Commander the
Hon. R. Boyle, arrived at Spithead on Saturday, and
sailed yesterday morning for the westward.
The Unite convic,, hospital-ship has been removed from
her moorings off the Royal Arsenal to moorings off the
dockyard, in consequence of the prevalence of diarrhoea
and Asiatic cholera. The general health of the convicts is
now much better. There has only been one case of Asiatic
cholera among them for some time past, and the person
attacked is now convalescent.
At 11 a.m. on Saturday last, the bark Achilles, of Glas-
gow, was towed into Sheerness by a steam-tug from the
Downs, having a Deal lugger astern. She has the cholera
very badly on board, two of her crew having died, and
e3veral other cases still raging on board. She was towed
up to Stangate Creek Quarantine ground, and it is reported
the sick patients aro under treatment by the superintendent
surgeon there.

The Rhadamanthus, paddle-wheel steam store-vessel,
Master Commander John Belam, has taken on board, in
the basin at Woolwich, a groat portion of the machinery of
tho Exmouth, 90, screw steam-ship of 403-horse power,
with two telescopic funnels, by Maudslay, Sons, and Field,
and will convoy them to Devonport. The Rhadamanthus
has been ordered to remain at Woolwich until the machi-
nery of the Falcon, Di, screw steam-sloop, recently launched
and brought round from. Pembroke, is put on board the
Diligence store-ship, just come from the arctic regions, and
then tow the Diligence to Portsmouth, where she is to
remain for some time.

APPOINTMENT.
Lieutenant Richard B. Foster (1854) to the Swallow, S,
screw steam sloop, at Portsmouth.

LAUNCH OF THE PELTER GUN-BOAT.
The interesting ceremony of naming and launching the
gnu-boat Pelter, being the first of four gun-boats which
Mr 4 Pitcher of Northfleet has been ordered to build for her
Majesty's navy, took place on Saturday last, at Northfleet
dockyard, in the presence of a very numerous and gay as-
semblage—the ladies, as usual, predominating in number.
There were several naval and military officers, and persons
connected with her Majesty's civil service, present on the
occasion. The dimensions of the boat are—length between
the perpendiculars 100 feet; extreme breadth 22 ft.; depth
in hold 7 ft. 10 inches; burden 212 tons. The engines that
are intended for her, and which have been manufactured
by Messrs. Penn and Co., are on the high pressure princi-
ple; and aro of 60 horse power. Her armament will consist
of two guns of 96 cwt., which will be capable of throwing
solid shot of 8 inches diameter. The draught of water
which she took when launched was 4 feet 6 inches aft, and
and 3 feet 2 inches forward. The load draught will be 6
feet 6 inches, with guns, powder, shot;shells, and all stores
complete. She will be rigged as a lugger, having 3 sails
and no bowsprit, the forepart being arranged in such a
manner that one of her guns (which will, under ordinary
circumstances, bo carried amidships) can be transported
forward so as to be used as a bow chase, while the stern is
also arranged as to receive the other gun as a stern chase.
It is evident, from the above description, that this gun-
boat is a vessel admirably adapted for the service for which
these boats Aro intended by the Government. The flat-
ness of the floor and the shallowness of the vessel will en-
able her to penetrate into creeks and shallow waters,which
we believe no other description of vessel in the service can
posSibly do, while, from the immense range of her guns and
the lowness of her hull, she will be scarcely assailable.
The boat, immediately after being launched, was taken
in tow by a steam-tug to Woolwich, to have the machinery
put in. We understand the engineers, Messrs. Penn and
Co., will not require more than three or four days to fix
the machinery, when the boat will be brought back to
Northfleet dockyard for completion. The other three boats
respectively named Pincher, Ranger, and Snapper, are in a
state of groat forwardness, one of which will be launched
in a few days, and the other two will be completed within
a fortnight. Only nine weeks have elapsed since the order
was given by the Government to Mr. Pitcher for the con-
struction of these boats ; the despatch, therefore, that has
been displayed in this instance is a proof of what can be
achieved by our private shipbuilding establishments.
The interest of the day's proceedings were considerably
enhanced in the estimation of the mere pleasure-seekers by
the circumstance of a launch taking place immediately
after that of the Pelter of a fine commercial screw-vessel,
called the Dom Pedro, which has been constructed by Mr.
Pitcher for the Luizo Braziliero Steam Company. The
dimensions of this vessel are : Length between the per-
pendiculars, 250 feet ; the extreme breadth, 35 feet 8
inches ; depth in the hold to main deck, 20 feet 6 inches ;
burden, 1,519 tons. She is constructed for a passenger
vessel to run between Lisbon and Rio Janeiro. The two
launches having taken place without one disturbing inci-
dent, and under the most genial sky, Mr. Pitcher, the
nephew of the contractor, under whose more immediate
direction tho whole proceedings were conducted, withdrew
with his numerous friends to the Rosherville Hotel, where
they partook of a cold collation, with wine ad libitum, to
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LANCASTER'S GUN AND THE ARROW.
Considerable misapprehension exists in many quarters
as to the position of the 68-pounder oval guns on Lancas-
ter's principle on board the Arrow and the other five screw
steam despatch gun-boats. It is not correct to state that
they are placed at the bow or stern of the vessel, as their
permanent positions are both amidship, the one between
the foremast and funnel, and the other between the funnel
and mainmast, where the brass circles on which the their
traversing platforms revolve are permanently fixed, and
they are never on any occasion moved from as nearly the
centre of the vessel as possible. Owing to the high angle
at which these guns have to bo fired when practised with
at long ranges, they can be fired within 15 or 20 degrees
of the direction of the bow, and consequently the vessel
will not present much of her broadside to an enemy's ves-
sel or fortification, even if the opponents aro in possession
of guns of an equally long range. The only difference be-
tween the position of the large guns of the Arrow and the
vessels built by Mr. J. Scott Russell for the Prussian Go-
vernment is, that in the former the guns are not only in
the centre fore and aft, but also in the centre from side to
side, with the advantage of being capable of being fired on
either side of the gun-boat when required. In the gun-
boats made for the Prussian service the guns were mounted
on the sides of the centre fore and aft, and supported in
their positions by strong braces, which afforded them an
opportunity of firing in a direct line with the bow of the
vessel. Thero are six pivots for each large gun traversing
platforiu on board the Wrangler screw despatch gun-boat,
iwhich will enable that vessel to fire in any direction that
may be required. The four 12-pounder brass howitzers
a" Placed 04 board the WONT despatch gun-bouts,