The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-24 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 24, 1854.

111-AV AL AND MILITARY INTELLIGOCA

The Orion, 90, screw, bonding in Chatham Dockyard,
is ordered to be launched on the 7th of next month.
This ship, since 'she Was first laid down has been
lengthened fore and aft, and she was lengthened in mid-
ships by about 20 feet, for which purpose she was cut
asunder. _ _

Preparations are being made at Sheerness for the launch
of the new steam corvette Pylades, to carry 20 guns.
The Cuckoo is under repairs in the fitting basin at Sheer-
ness. It is fully expected that her officers and crow will
be turned over to another vessel. •

The Porcupine is being refitted for immediate and par-
ticular service. She will be ready in a few days.
The Adder paddle-wheel steam-vessel, having had her
requir,d repairs completed, left Woolwich on Monday for
Chathgin; to serve as a tender at that dockyard.
The 'Rhadarnanthus paddle-wheel steam store-vessel,
Master-Commander John Belam, left Woolwich on Sun-
day: witli provisions and stores for the fleet in the Baltic.

01... RING THE ENTRANCV TO THE
HARBOUR OF SETABTOPOL.

(From t 1 c Moniteur dela Flotte.) •
No sooner have our troops gained a footing on the
soil of the Crimea than the English ,and French Govern-
ments labour with indefatigable activity to send to their
expeditionary corps all the reinfereements and means
required for attacking vigorously the enemy, whether
behind his fortifications or in the open field. From
15,000 to 20,000 . cavalry•have been already sent from
Varna and Bourgas on board our vessels ; strong re-
setves of infantry and artillery accompanied them.
Others will follow, and our imperial navy, which
really seems to have the gift of übiquity, after -making
incredible efforts ever since the commencement of the
war, till contrives, at a moment all its resource 'night
be thought-to be actively employed, to collect in the
ports ot the, Mediterranean numerous sailing vessels and
steamers, which will be einployed.as transports to con-
vey fresh .troops from France and Algeria.
Another important question has of late been taken
into serious consideration at. Paris and London. The
object, is to find out what measures are•to be taken for
opening the passage in the,harbour of Sebastopol, which
is known to have been blocked trp -by the Russians,
who have sunk there. five • ships ot the line and two
•frigates. •

Ile channel or passage is everywhere from 40 to 50
feet deep. Now, it is admitted that a ship of the line
draws generally, on an average, about 25 feet, and has
about the same height above water. The ships, then,
that have been sunk must be close to the surface, and if
no open space exists between them so as 'to permit the
free ingress °fa sliip,-hlheOnn:s absolutely necessary to
attack this submarine rampart, clear the way, and re-
store the entrance of the harbour 'to its former condi-
tion.

The solid mass represented by the five liners and two
frigates now under water weighs not less than 21,700
tons. It is easy to comprehend that no "camels" are
capable of raising so enormous a weight.
In cases of this description we generally have recourse
to the mine. Without citing here the beautiful opera-
tions of this kind that have been carried out of late, more
than once at Cherbourg, Brest, Lorient, and Toulon,
&c., which are familiar to all, we think we shall interest
our readers by extracting from contemporary publica-
tions a few details of similar operations carried on with
great success, on the other side of the channel, by
Colonel Pasley about ten years ago. •
• This distinguished engineer succeeded in blowing up a
brig and a schooner, that obstructed the entrance to the
port of Gravesend in the Thames, and the Royal George,
which went down at Spithead in 1789.
Colonel Pasley used charges varying from 20 to
118, from 1,000 to 1,100 kilogrammes. The charges
of 20 kilogs. were put into tin cases ; those of 118 were
placed in tubes of wrought iron, that ended in cones.
At the ends two holes were drilled ; oite ,for pouring in

the powder, and the other for receiving ;another tube
that contained a train charge. The tubei Were strongly
bound with iron hoops. As for the great charges of
1,000 or 1,100 kilogs., they were enclosed sometimes in
a leaden pipe within another wooden one, and sometimes
in a wooden cylinder, properly secured, then encased in
lead, soldered down, and pro4e2ted over all by a cradle
of splinters with coils of old rope lashed as siezing
round it. _

The tubes containing the different charges are now in
a fit state, not only to resist the pressure of the water,
but to sink rapidly to the bottom, on account of their
weight. Over the cylindrical body of the cases a round
hole is made for admitting a train-tube filled with a
charge of about 85 grammes, to which fire is conveyed
either by special fusees or mining sausages, or, lastly,
by the electric current. At the time when Colonel
Pasley was engaged, the use of the galvanic battery was
less general, for the practical application, indeed, of
all the physical and chemical sciences was less at-
tended to in those days than it now is. However,
with a Daniell's battery, having a constant current,
composed of ten tubes, 0.5;3 in height and 0.09 in dia-
meter, with copper conducting wires of 5 millimetres
in diameter, Colonel Pasley succeeded in producing,
at a distance of 152 metres, the instantaneous igni-
tion of a platina wire that set a charge of powder on
fire. This was often dose under very disadvantageous
conditions, since he operated frequently in the open air
when it rained and snowed. Both rain and snow are
considered to be very unfavourable for the development
of electricity.
As for the mode of taking down the charges of powder
to the bottom of the sea, and there fitting them in the
right place, that is the diver's business. Now, since in
the Sebastopol channel the sea is generally calm, the
divela will not find much difficulty in lodging the charges
where they can be most elfect,ive. After that, so soon
as the train is fired by one of the contrivances explained
above, the explosion, even supposing it does not de-
molish at the first .blast this peculiar kind of stockade,
will at all events make a breach, so as to facilitate

further operations. Lastly, tke sea will enter and clear
away any deposit of silt or rubbi'h, so that the divers
will have mere room for exploring the bottom of the
sea, in order to save the guns and other materials worth
the salvage. In France and England there are many
varieties of the scaphander' of the diving bell, and
many sorts of apparatus used by divers.
In fine, judging from what has already been done on
both sides of the channel, taking into account also the
great progress made by science during the last few years,
we may venture to hope that clearing the passage of
Sebastopol will not prove too difficult a task for, the
naval forces and the engineers of the Allied. Powers.
Waiting fOr this enterprise to be commenced, the siege
of the great fortress itself in the Crimea is progressing
in a satisfactory manner:

. .
by rival creeds one against •the other. C!ergymen of
different denominations are sent out in the relative pro-
portion of the troops belonging to their faith, but they
go at the expinie ,of the Government, to whose autho-
rity they are. amenable, .and they are empowered to
choose persons to aid them in their labours as Scripture
readers or otherwise.

An additional number of clergy are about to proceed
to Turkey, but, like their predecessors, under military
authority, and under .strict orders as to their conduct ;
and no oce can be admitted on other terms. It is most
necessary, for the sake of harmony and good order, that
this system should be strictly maintained.
• I have endeavoured, I fear at some length, to explain
what has been done and what is doing, and the reasons
for the coulee adopted. It only. remains for me to ex-
, press my thanks for the interest you have taken in the
Itneble and brave men whose sufferings it is ourduty
and .our endeavour to assuage, and my sense of the ad-
mirable spirit which has dictated the many offers of
personal service and pecuniary liberality which have been
made through yourself and others.—Believe me faith-
fully yours, ..
En. SIDNEY HERBERT.

[PRICE SD.

children in it at present. lie Witi positive that if that fact
were placed before the public tl,e funds would come in
to them, and be was positive that the institution would
go to ruin if they did not act with the caorgy that was
ne,n,sarv.

At the suggestion of Lord Kinnaird the amendment
of Mr. Macrae was withdrawn, and the resolution pro.
po:ed by Dr. Cumming was unanimously adopted.
The Ilarl of liINNAIRD then proposed that that meet-
inf., should authorise the monthly court of directors to
admit to the benefits of the institution the children of
Sc )teb soldiers, sailors, and marines, at 75/. per head, iu
lieu of 1051., the usual charge.
Mr. JOHN MASSON seconded the resolution.

After a short discussion, the bum of 50/. was substi-
tuted for 751. in the resolution, and in that amended
shape it was put from the chair and adopted.
A resolution was then passed that an appeal for sub-
scriptions should be published in the London papers, and
in the principal papers in Scotland, as suggested by DP.
Cumming.
The Chairman desired that his name should be put
down far 1001., and a vote of thanks having been passed
to him for his conduct in the chair, the meeting sepa-
rated.