The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-31 00:00:00

IHE NA VY.

It affords us sincere pleasure to be enabled to
state that the illness of Admiral Sir C. Napier,
K.C.8., has taken a favourable turn and that there
are sanguine hopes of the gallant Admiral's speedy
recovery.

Commander Thompson, the Queen's harbour-
master at Plymouth, is, by instructions from the
lords of the Admiralty, keeping a look-out for the
possible arrival of his Royal Highness the Prince of
Wales in the Sound. The railway authorities have
received a communication on the subject. If not
under direct orders to call at Plymouth it is con-
jectured that in the event of the Hero's arrival off
the Eddystone in the evening she will proceed up
Channel to Portsmouth. On the other hand, if she
happens to be short of fuel or if she encounters a
strong easterly wind she will go into the Sound.

The screw steam frigate Liverpool, 51, was safely
launched from the Devonpo rt dockyard yesterday,
shortly after 4 o'clock. I-Ler principal dimensions
are—length between perpeekdiculars,23sft.; breadth
extreme, 50ft. lin.; ditto for tonnage, 49ft. 7in.;
ditto moulded, 48ft. 9in.; depth in hold, 18ft. sin- ;
,burden in tons, 2,654 46.47, ; armament on the main
neck, 30 8-inch guns, 65 'cwt., 9ft. long; on the
upper deck, 20 32-pounderls, 58 cwt., 9ft. Gin, long ;
light draught—afore, 13ft. Gin. ; abaft, 18ft. 3in. ;
load ditto, afore, 20ft. 1 lin.. ; abaft, 22ft. The lines
of the Liverpool are the ma me as those laid down by
the Controller of the Naly for the Liffey, 51, and
Topaze, 51, which answer well under both canvas
and steam. She was constructed by Mr. J. Peake,
the master builder at Deavonport, under the super-
intendence of Mr. Wm. Mitchell, acting foreman of
the yard. Considerable, activity has been evinced
in bringing her forward. The Liffey was com-
menced in July, 1854, land launched May, 1856.
The Topaze was coma aenced April, 1856, and
launched May, 1858. 'The keel of the Liverpool
was laid November 11 , 1859. The two former
were considered to ha se been built very expediti-
ously, but they each oct3upied a period of about two
years, while the construction of the latter has oc-
cupied 11 months onl3. It is stated that, taking
into consideration the forward condition of her
magazines, storerooms,, and internal fitments, no
other ship of her class has been built with so much
expedition: On the 10th of November the new
steam-sloop Petrel, 'll, 150-horse power, will be
launched from the mine yard, making four new
ships in the present :financial year, or from October
last, six new ships---viz., the Narcissus, 51; Jason,
21; Gibraltar, 101; Pantaloon, 11 ; Liverpool, 51 ;
and Petrel, 11. A :mooring lighter will be added
to the number on tile 9th of November. The Liver-
pool is to be supplied with engines of 600-horse
power from the manufactory of Messrs. Humphreys
and Tennant.
The Orpheus, 2 P,, screw corvette, 400-horse power,
fitting at Chathana for the second division of the
steam reserve, eras taken into the second dock
yesterday for the, purpose of being caulked and
coppered.
The Racehorse., 4, 200-horse power, screw steam
sloop, having completed some trifling repairs to
her machinery, was undocked at Chatham yester-
day,•and will join the steam reserve in the Med-
way under the command of Capt. C. F. Schomberg.
The Tartar, 21, screw, Capt. C. 0. Hayes, sailed
from Spithead at 4 30 p.m. yesterday, for the
Pacific.
The Prince of Wales, 131, screw, in the Ist class
of the steam reserve at Portsmouth, yesterday went
out of harbour to Spithead on her official trial of
speed, The trial, however, was deferred until to-
day on account of the state of the tide. The ma-
chinery worked exceedingly well in every part.
The Duke of Wellington, 131, screw, has been
brought down from her moorings in Portsmouth
harbour, and placed in the old ship basin for over-
haul and repairs..
The Royal screw yacht Fairy has been placed in
the steam basin for overhaul, &c.
The Duke of Somerset, the First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, left his official residence at Whitehall yes-
terday for Maunhead, near Exeter. Vice-Admiral
the Hon. Sir R. S. Dundas, K.C.8., left the Admi-
ralty yesterday. for Melville Castle, near Edinburgh,
on a visit to hie brother, General Viscount Melville.
Rear-Admiral, Lord C. Paget, M.P., the First Sec-
retary of the Admiralty, arrived in town on Monday
night from the Continent, and resumed his duties
yesterday. Capt. C. Frederick has left town for
Bolton-hall, Sussex. Mr. S. Whitbread, M.P., has
left for Cobham-hall, Kent, on a visit to the Earl
and Countess of Darnley. Rear-Admiral the Hon.
F. 'l'. Pelham, C. 8., and Capt. C. Eden, C. 8., are
staying in town ; also Mr. W. G. Romaine, CM.,
the Second Secretary.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Commander J. P. Thur-
burn, to be Inspecting Commander of the Coast
Guard; Commander Sir Malcolm MacGregor, Bart.,
to the Harrier, commissioned ; W. G. J. Ayre,
surg., to the Harrier ; Dr. D. A. Moxsey, acting
assist.-surg., to the James Watt ; W. F. C. Bart-
lett, assist.-surg., to the Asia ; W. A. Turner,
assist.-surg., to the Harrier ; H. Moore, confirmed
to the rank of chief engineer, and appointed to the
sia for charge of the machinery of the Tribune ;
P. Allan, first class assist.-engineer, to the Har-
rier ; T. W. Sanders, acting second-class assistant-
engineer, to the Harrier; John Dyson, third-class
assist.-engineer, to the Harrier; James Imrie, act-
ing third-class assist.-engineer, to the Asia, for ser-
vice in the Wellington ; W. T. Bray, acting third-
class assist.-engineer, to the Indus, as supernume-
rary ; E. Kearns, master's assist., to the Desperate ;
E. J. T. Behenna, master's assist., to the Royal
Albert ; and H. G. U. Walsh, master's assist., to
the Conqueror.