The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-26 00:00:00

THE WAR.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
The Royal Albert will be put out on Monday next at
high water, and in consequence of the lateness of the tide
serving, her trial of engines will take place. on Tuesday
next. A n official survey of her feed pipes, cocks, Leo.,
through her bottom, has taken place by,Mr. Rumble, her
chief engineer ; Mr. George Blaxlaud, civil engineer ; and
Mr. Nation, managing engineer here from Messrs. Penn's
factory, the engines having been set up under his imme•
diate and personal superintendence.

The Caledonian, 120, is ordered to be fitted with all
despatch as a prison ship at Plymouth.
The Boscawen, 70, which carried away the bits of her
mainstays and experienced heavy weather in the Channel,
was expected to have her repairs completed last night, pre-
paratory to her sailing again for the West Indies.
The Phaeton, 50-gun frigate, was taken into the fitting.
basin yesterday, to be fitted for commission. The clearing
of the fitting basin of mud deposited therein was completed
yesterday, and at high water the caisson was again put
into place, after some defects had been made good, at the
lower part of the entrance groove, by the dockyard diver,
Mr. Parish, leading man of the stonemasons.
The Indefatigable, 50, Captain Hope, is at Leith, filling
up her complement, if she can, for the brazils station.
The Meander, 44, Captain Baillie, arrivedat Carrigaholt,
county Limerick, on Sunday last. It :is stated that she is
to take away the Royal naval coast volunteers lately en-
rolled along the Shannon.
The Inconstant, 36, having been masted on Thursday, is
now placed in the new basin in the Devonport Dockyard
to be jury-rigged with all despatch.
Yesterday, at four p-m., the commander-in-chief at
Sheerness, Vice-Admiral Gordon, returned from inspect-
ing the Malacca, 15, screw, Captai❑ Farquhar. The crew
were put through their various evolutions in the long and
short gun exercise, &a. There is no doubt but that she will
leave Sheerness harbour this day. We understand
she is bound to the westward, most likely to Ports.
mouth, where she will receive her final orders. Th 6 Black
Sea, however, it is generally understood, will be her ulti-
mate destination. In consequence oft he quantity of extra
ballast and coals this screw-versol has shipped, she will
doubtless be found not to be so crank in the water ; at all
events, she appears now in much better trim for sailing,
as she swims considerably deeper than she was when she
left Chatham, and took the trial trip round the Nore and
up the Thames.

The Swallow, 8, screw, Commander Crawford, Ports-
mouth, has shipped her masts. She is ordered to be for-
warded with all despatch.
The Spy, 3, brigantine, Lient.-Commander the Ron. R.
Boyle, sailed from Sheerness on Thursday morning, bound
to the westward. We are happy to report that the greatest
possible harmony seems to prevail on board. The destina•
Lion of the Spy is the south-east coast of America station.
The Vivid, Master Commander Allen, arrived at Ports-
mouth on Thursd ty evening from the Channel Islands, with
Rear-Admiral Berkeley. Yesterday the admiral inspected
the Arrow alongside the dock jetty.

THE SCREW DESPATCH AND SCREW GUN-
BOATS.
The sixth of the new screw despatch vessels, and the first
of the half-dozen screw gun-boats, will be launched this
day, the former from Mr. Mare's establishment at Black-
wall, and the latter from Mr. Pitcher's establishment at
Nflw,t
.
firstalready (the despatch men-of-war), one, the
class (the
tried; the second, the Wrangler,
lr
is ready for sea, and the third, the Beagle, has received
armament, and is progressing fast in her equipment.
As we have before remarked, the celerity with which
Arrow, Of
rrot h
the
haset
these vessels have been built and fitted with machinery is
wonderful, as it is unprecedented in the annals of ship-build-
ing and engineering. It is undeniable that no country in the
word could have executed so great an undertaking in
so short a period ; anti it indicates in the most satis-
factory manlier the vast resources of Great Britain. From
only two private
ship-building firms—Mare and Co who
have built four of these vessels (above 1800 tons), and
Messrs. Green, who have built two--and three private en-
gineering establishments—viz., Penn and Co., Maudslays
and Field, and Humphreys and Co,._the Admiralty have
managed in the short space of fou
rr months to'construct
one of the fastest and most poweful
men-of-war that have ever been tu little squadrons of
turned- out, and have
added to the navy-list a class of vessels that reflects the
greatest credit on the department of the Surveyor of the
Navy for their design, as well as on those firms selected by
the Admiralty to carry out the enterprise.
We have 'stated tha't one oT daitpatch-bOats has
already been tried, and we may remark that the trial of
the Arrow, although made under the most unfavourable
circumstances—the vessel having been anchored across the
title-way at the Needles, and thus exposed to the uneasy
ray is sure to
motion, that a produce—we say, under
the most unfavourable circumstances, the Arrow has proved
her capabilities to bear with case and efficiency the heavy
armament she was designed to carry—an armament that
no one ever before attempted to place in a ship of so small
a tonnage, and that ship too designed to run as well as to
fight. The Arrow, although of comparatively fine lines,
and, with her machinery, possessing great Power's of speed,
is, nevertheless, stiff enough and strong enough to take two
of those heavy Lancaster guns, \Old', although weighing
about 12 tons, including their ca riagea, can be fired not
only from her bow and stern, but e.an be trained so as to
be fired amidships from the broadside with ease and effec-
tiveness. The immense range of, these guns has been
proved, accuracy of fire will as ,surely be obtained, and
we feel convinced that when corbplete in all her equip.
merits, and handled by experienced men, officers as well
as crew—commanders as well as sabordinates - sea-
men as well as gunners—there will be no smarter or
more dashing men of war in any navy. Everything about
them looks well and shapely ; and there is a style in their
build and equipment that is different to all other vessels
that bear the Royal pendant. Although coming from the
Thames they may startle old memories of Cadiz and
Flushing gun-boats, yet they so mark the advance of the
age, and the improvements of modern science in ship.
building, engineering, and armament, that, commanded by
young, dishing, and competent officers (vessels of this
class require men fully up to their work) they will form
the most efficient engines of war that have ever been pro.
duoecl.

SALE OF RUSSIAN PRIZES.
Xestegky agotim ago of &W WIN toed plug 0