The Sun.
London, England, 1856-01-16 00:00:00

Naval and Milit:-.l.ry laelbsjanott,

The Marlborough, 131, screw-ship, completed reading
at Portsmouth yesterday.
The B .rusia screw steenetransport left Spithead yes-
terday morning for Malta, with the troops she embarked
on Monday.
The Colossus, SO, screw-skip, Captain the Hon. Henry
.Keppe', had her lower deck cleared of gins, carriages.
Stc., at Portsmouth yesterday, to enable her to find
stowage room for stores for the division of gun-boats to
be commanded by Captain Keppel iu the Baltic.
The Pigmy steamer was Spithead all day yesterday,
endeavouring to raise the Rev. Mr. Berthon's mortar-
raft. The weather was much smoother than the day
before; and the object will probably be attained at an-
other attempt.
The crew of the London, 90, Captain A. Kuper, were
inspected on Monday by the Commander-in-Chief, and
yesterday she went from Plymouth Sound into Hamoaze,
where she will be fitted with jury topmasts and yards,
for service as a store-ship in the Baltic.
The Avon steam-tender left Plymouth yesterday, with
liberty men for the steam-ship Duke of Wellington, at
Portsmouth.
The hired screw steam-ship Vedra, No. 108, Captain
Burn, from the Meaiterrauean, put into Plymouth,
windbound, on Sunday eveniu. Her dates eare—Bala-
klava, December 14 ; C ,nstantinopie, 20 ; Malta, 28 ;
and Gibraltar, January 2. She brings passengers, three
serjeants belonging to the 66th Regiment—viz., Ser.
jeant-Major J.M'Dermot, and Serjeant Thos. Kelly,
on furlough ; and Schoolmaster-Serjeant Thos. H.Silver-
wood, for discharge. Off Ushant the Vedra spoke the
bark Ken, oet ward bourol. •
The new ship.building slip, which was contracted to
be raised by Messrs. J. and C. Rigby at the east end of
Woolwich Dockyard, and which has been 12 months in
the course of construction, is now completed. This slip
has been built on a scale sufficiently spacious to obviate
the difficulty hitherto experienced in Woolwich Dock-
yard—namely, of building ships of large burden. Thin
new slip contains sufficient space for all the purposes of
building men-of-war of the largest tonnage. Its dimen-
sions are 280 feet length, with a proportionate breadth.
As it is essential in structures of this description that
foundation and flooring of the ehipway should be solidly
secured, the foundation has been sunk to a considerable
depth, a bed of concrete from 10 to 12 feet in thickness
forming the lower stratum, which rests on the chalk rock.
This substance is covered by a body of brickwork. Th
floor of the building consists of large blocks of masonry
15 inches in thickness. The masonry and brickwork
are set in cement. A portion of the river wall, in con-
nection with the above, is likewise completed. This im-
portant addition to the dockyard at Woolwich haw been
carried out under the general superintendence of Mr.
Botrneys, the clerk of the works.
Her Majesty's paddle-wheel steamer Merlin, Captain
Sullivan, will have completed her repairs by the end of
the week. Her machinery has been refitted, and she has
commenced receiving her spare gear. She is to be again
employed in operations, as soon as the season opens, on
.lie Baltic coast.
The William, schooner, of Goole, is embarking from
Woolwich arsenal a cargo of mixed shot for Portsmouth;
and is likewise shipping two 13-inch mortars and mortar
beds, with two eight-inch guns, for the Seahorse.
Her Majesty's steamer Coquette, 4 guns, 700 tons
burden, lately built at Blaelewall, receives her crew and
a detachment of Royal Marines, which are being trans-
ferred from the Salsette, at Woolwich.
The Admiralty yacht Black Eagle got up her steam
yesterday morning in Woolwich basin to test her ma,
chinery.
The Tartarus has bean commissioned, and is also in a
forward state for service.
Staff Assistant-Surgeon R. W. Woollcombe has
ceived the appointment of Surgeon to the Medical Staff
Corps, vice Second-class Surgeon A. Knox, M.D., re-
tired from the service.
The iron floating battery which R. Napier and Sons
have commenced to build at G'aegow, and are to com-
plete by the middle of April, is to be about 200 feet long,
with a breadth of 45 feet, and a depth of 16 feet. Stein
and stern are to be alike, and the form of the hull is not
one calculated for quick alining. The bottom is flat, and
without a keel, so as to float in as little water as possi-
ble. The bilges are full, and the topsides tumble in
considerably. There are to be two decks, on the lower
of which the armament will be placed, consisting of 20
guns of the largest calibre. The bull will be built of iron
in the usual way, but between decks will be lined with
teak-wood 6 inches thick, and the outside protected with
iron plates about 4 inches tthielc, so as to render the sides
shot-proof, and secure the men at the guns from the
effects of point-blank shot. The draught of water, when
ready for sea, is expected to be about 8 feet, but it will
probably be more. The measurement tonnage will b
about 2,000 ; and the propelling power is a screw, actu-
ated by non-condensing engines of 200 horse power.
Messrs. Napier are also making a second pair of engines
of the same description for a battery at present building
at Newcastle.