The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-24 00:00:00

Roebuck

Osprey
Weasel

B 1 o m fida.
Craigie.
Swinburne.
Ward (a).
Cuming.
Da Crespigny
Simpson.

2-68 4-`l2
1 68 1-34 2-24
1-6 t 1-3 ! 2.24
1-66 1-32 2-24
1-63 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-32 2.24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-32 2.2
1-68 1.32 2-!4
1-68 1.32 2-24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1-68 1.32 2-24
1-63 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-32 2.24
1.68 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1.68 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1.68 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-36 2-24
1-63 1-32 2-24
1-68 4-32
-68 1-32 2.24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1.63 1-32 2-24
1-68 1.32 2-24
1-68 1-3'' 2-24
1-68.1-32 2-24
1-6 S 1-32 2-24
1-68.1-32 t'-24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1-68 1-3,2 2-24
1-68 1-32 2-24
1 1-68 1-32 2-2
1-63 1-32 2-24
1.68 1-32 2-24
1.68 1-32 2-24
4 1-63 1-32.2.24
4 1-63 1-32 2-24
4 1-68 1-32 2-24
4 1-68 1-32 2-24
4 1-63 1-32 2-24

Jackdaw .
Hind ....

S heidrake

Cockchafer
Staunch
Charon
Tilbury.
Sparrowhawk
Prompt
Goldfinch
Dali,ght

Wildman.
Pollard.

Cresswell.

Boxer.
Bingham.

Bouncer

Drake:

---
Nightingale
Camel
Confounder
Foam

Snider ...

Intrepid
Mohawk
Stork .....
Dapper
Gleaner
Magpie
Redwing
Badger
Skipjack
Forward
Banterer
Haughty
Assurance
Procris
Porpoise
Goshawk
Grappler
Ifymna ......
Violet .........
Caroline ......
Cr0cu5.........
Wave.........

Wood
Close.
Malcolm.
Dyer.
Bogle.
rim.

Forbes.
Chetw'ynd.
Nelson.
Whitshed.
Hamilton.
Jones.

6., 3i
60 31
60 31

CO 31
60 -
200 si

Irvine.

Gooaenongh,
Silcerlock.
Gregory.
Woolcombe.

60
c 0 3(
60 -3(
60 3(
60 31
60 31
60 3,

LIGHT SQUADRON, OR DETACHED SERVICE.
Under the Command of Capt. Astley Coo
per Key, C. 8.,

in the Sanspareil, 71.

Name

Commanding
Officer.

Gunboat.

Surprise .....
Cheerful ......
Fidget .........
Dai1ey.........
Pert............
Midge .........
Drake
Blossom
Gnat
Angler
Pet
Rambler . .
Wanderer
Chub
Flirt •
Dwarf
Onyx
Tiny
Janus
Gadfly
Garland
Ant
Nettle

Vernon.
Rasou.

Brent.
Doughty.

Peile.

Howarth.
Stubs.

RlVlllgtoll.
LUC3.
Cochrane.

Ile \vett.

20
20
40
20
20

'Robson.

N. Salmon.
Key.
Clark.

2-32
,2-32

Decoy

The following vessels were not included in order
of sailing, but as some of them form an important
Portion of our fleet, and were at the anchorage,

saluting and manning yards with the rest, we in-
clude them in the list :

•
Captain or
Name of Ship. commander . Guns. Tons. 11.-p. Crew.
—...-- —..—. --
Rodne Pivot Wilmn 93 2593 sails 820
London ships Tervis 90 2598 sails 820
Meander
Dasher
Rattler
Alban ... .... Fisher 4 405. 100 51
Lizard .
Kite Veitch 2 300 170
Sealarlt.. ......
Rolla . Lut. Fpnwiel 6 231 boys
FLOATING BATTERIES.
Trusty Campbell 14 1163 15') 200
,Glatton . Cumming 14 146) 250 200
Meteor Randolph 14 1169 110 200
Thunder .. (Seymour 14 14ii9 130. 200

Also a Flotilla of Mortar Vessels and. Mortar Floats.
But even the above number, stupendous as it
appears, by no means represents the number of men
of war actually present in the line ; and there was,
of course, a large portion not on duty-set aside to
convey visitors. The latter ignoble lot fell.to the.
Driver. Her services in the Baltic might have
saved her from this fate, to say nothing of the fact
of looking more frigate-like and man-of-war fashion
than many which followed the Royal yacht in the
order of sailing.
As we had quitted the harbour some time ere the
Queen was expected to arrive, we had a fine oppor-
tunity of surveying the whole fleet, and going down
its line from end to end.
Though not put in the order of sailing, yet the
first we could closely inspect were the floating bat-
teries. They are most singiilar and striking in
appearance, and by no means prepossessing. They
looked very like dumb barges of uncommon
strength, and had their tall spars lugger-rigged ;
but that tliey were. very black, and showed a broad-
side of guns of the heaviest calibre, we should cer-
tainly have taken them for beacon ships. These,
however, were the floating batteries, Than their
appearance nothing can be conceived more un-
couth and massive looking, or more indicative of
unwieldy ponderous strength. Their massive
wrought-iron sides, huge round bows and stern,
and, above all, their close rows of solid 68 and 84-
pounder guns, show them at once to be antagonists
under the attacks of which the heaviest granite bas-
tions in the world crumble down like contract
brick-work. Each of the tremendous floating bat-
teries 'carries 14 68-pounders, and is sheathed,
from the bulwarks to three feet below the water

line, with massive plates of wrought iron, 14 feet
6 inches in length, 20 inches wide, and 4A- inches
thick. Each of these plates are bolted to the tim-
ber sides of the vessel with 40 screw nuts.' When
French floating batteries of the same construction
were used in the combined attack on the fortress
of Kinbourn, one vessel was struck 58 times in the
hull. But she stood this most severe ordeal with-
out sustaining the least possible injury, except that
wherever she was hit her wrought-iron plates were
dented to depths varying from 1i inch to" of an
inch. .

But in spite of these apparently strong recom-
mendations for vessels in a time of warfare, the
floating batteries are not precisely the class of
vessels we should prefer to serve in on active ser-
vice.
A little below these, to the north of Monkton,
Fort, the whele of Stokes Bay was apparently
crowded with rafts, jury-rigged in an emergency,
in some incomprehensible manner. These were
the'mortar boats, and what a harmless little flotilla
they all looked. How easily we should, under
ordinary circumstances, have mistaken them for
the most comino, of pilot or fishing vessels. In
appearance how heavy, slow-looking' bluff, and
round—much akin in externals to the sombre
Dutch luggers which figure so prominently in the
water pieces of the Flemish school ! But, alas !
bow foreign is this peaceful guise to the purposes
for which they were really built. The floating bat-
teries have an aspect " villanously low," but you
expect no better from them ; but the mortar boats,
under the most commercial, hardworking exterior,
conceal a destructiveness not inferior to the iron
batteries thetnBelves.

All are cutter-rigged, with light and small spars.
Their tonnages average 120 tons. Their draught
of water is only from 1. to 5 feet. Bach is about 45
feet long and 18 broad, and armed with one 13-inch
mortar, .weighing, with stand and etceteras, nearly
9 tons. These terrific ordnance, when mounted in
their places, leave no more space than two feet on
each side—the most limited at which the gun can
be worked. Some idea may be formed of the im-
mense strength of the construction of these boats
when we mention that under each discharge the
mortar recoils upon the vessel with a pressure of
nearly 75 tons. To these boats there are no com-
manding officers, - the divisional ships "to which
they are attached furnishing them with 10 of their
marine artillerymen, under the command of a ser-
jeant of bombardiers from the Royal Artillery, and
a few sailors, who perform the ordinary evolutions
necessary to anchor the vessel off the object of
attack. Properly speaking, the divisional ships of
the mortar-boats are the Sea-horse and the Forth,
which, though called mortar-frigates, are only
lugger-rigged. They are built of enormous strength,
and each carries twelve 13:inch mortars bedded
round her bulwarks. North of these again, and
in rear of the port and starboard lines of first-rate,
frigates, and corvettes, the gun-boats, or stingers,
as they are more generally called, lay anchored in
close order.
This fleet, which, when we consider the marvel-
lously short space of time in which it was put to-
gether, is perhaps the most wonderful the world
ever saw, is composed of four distinct classes of
vessels, each varying in size, horse power, and
weight of armament. How inexhaustible are the
naval resources of this country may be guessed
from the fact, that twelve mouths ago scarcely one
of the gun-boat vessels manoeuvred yesterday be-
fore the Queen was in existence. The majority
have been ordered and completed within the last
six months, and had the Government found reason
to think that the services of more would have been
required, we are informed that with perfect ease
600 could have been built, launched, armed, and
manned within the same space of time.
The first class of gun-boats is composed of screw-
'ships of 200 feet in length, and carrying six long 63-
pounders, provided with engines of 360-horse power
and a crew of 100 men. This class is intended as
0 -
sub-divisional ships.
0 The second class are about 150 feet long, and
6 carry four 68-pounders, are provided with engines
6 of 200-horse power, and the crew numbers 80
'5 hands.
6 The third class are about 100 feet long, of 60-
horse power engines, armed with one 687-pounder
;6 pivot gun, one 32-pounder pivot gun, and two brass
6 howitzers, ‘24-pounders, on the broadside. Thisclass
;3 is by far the most useful and numerous of the whole
16 flotilla, their extraordinary light draught (generally
tO
f; averaging from 4to 6 feet) enabling them to steam
16 in the shaliowest creeks and inlets, while the heavy
16 armament renders them effective against the
strongest forts. The whole bulwarks are provided
16 - with moveable wrought-iron plates, perfectly rifle-
-16
• proof, and reachine• about seven feet above the
;g deck, so as to protect the men from the enemy's
t 6 riflemen, in case of having to force the passage of
i 0 narrow rivers defended by sharpshooters.
O The fourth class is also a useful flotilla for,very
6 shallow streams and close in-shore service. It com-
prises vessels of about 80. feat long, the engines
6 averaging 23-horse power ; each boat carrying two
6 32-pounder pivot guns amidships, the crew usually
5 numbering 36 hands, exclusive of officers. These
3 boats are very little larger than the small steamers
3 which ply upon the Thames, though they are cer-
tainly considerably broader, in order to admit of
) working the guns without danger to the craft.
Their draught of water, with stores, atnmunition,
provisions and guns on board, does not exceed
; from 3' to 4 feet.
; The head of the fleet, with which we should more
properly have commenced. our description, was, of
course, composed of line-of-battle ships, carrying,
from 120 to 60 guns. Our' vessel ran close along-
side the leading ship of the first line; the far-famed
Duke of Wellington, 131. The magnificent appear-
ance of this noble ship as she lay upon the water,
slovily rising to the slight swell—her tall, dark-
chequeredsides, her triple rows of massive guns,
her tapering spars and taut-'black rigging, relieved'
by the gaudy colours in
which she was dressed fore
and aft, made a tout ensemble which it is literally
impossible to do justice to by any description.
The fleet was ordered to salute the instant the.
Royal yacht showed clear of the harbour. This
affair, which it was rightly judged would be the
most striking feature in the day's proceeding, was
looked forward to with immense expectation and
interest. The Royal yacht showed each minute
more and more clearly out of the harbour, yet still
no preparations seemed to haVe been made by the
fleet towards anything like a general salute. Sud-
denly a confused black mass was seen at the shrouds
of the headmost ships of the line, and instantly, as
if by magic, men swarmed up the rigging of every
vessel in the fleet. They clustered upon the shrouds
like bees. At first there seemed confusion; but as
the men got higher, formed into their places, and
spread out upon the yards, the marvellous rapidity
and regularity of the whole manoeuvre was seen
with feelings of admiration and astonishment.
Hardly had the men joined hands, when the 'Royal
yacht showed- well 'out of the harbour. On the
instant one large dense spirt of smoke dashed in a
heavy mass from the side of the Duke of Welling-
ton. The eye had scarcely time to perceive it, ere
from every vessel" along the two lines came the
same discharge, followed instantly by another and
another from the same ships ere the report of the