The Sun.
London, England, 1860-06-25 00:00:00

21 guns, took place at Chatham on Saturday after•

noon with complete success. This is the third I
vessel completed and launched from Chatham dock-
yard during a very short period. A large number
of persons were present on the occasion. The
Orpheus, although inferior in point of size and ton-
nage to many of the noble line-of-battle and other
ships recently launched and now in progress at
Chatham, is nevertheless a fine specimen of the
Modern class of 21-gun screw corvettes, and her
symmetrical proportions, and fine outline, viewed
as she lay on the stocks before the launch, excited
very general admiration. As regards her archi-
tectural design and build, it may be stated that she
has been little more than two years in progress, her
keel having been commenced on the 12th of May,
1853. She has been constructed from the designs
of Admiral Sir Baldwin W. Walker, K.C.8., Sur-
veyor of the Navy, under the superintendence of
Mr. 0. W. Lang, the master shipwright, and his
assistants. The following are her dimensions :
Length, extreme, 22Gft. Gin. ; length between per-
pendiculars, 197 ft. 2 in. ; breadth, extreme, 40ft.
Biu.; breadth for tonnage, 40ft. 4in. ; breadth,
moulded, 39ft. Bin. ; depth in hold, 24ft. 2in. ; bur-
den, in tons, 1,705 55-94. She is to be furnished.
with a very heavy armament, and :is pierced to
carry 21 guns, which will be thus disposed :
Twenty 8-inch guns on the maindeck, eaela of
60 cwt. and Bft. 10in, in length ; and one 68-poun-
der pivot gun, of 95 cwt. and 10ft, in length. Her
propelling power will consist of a pair of 400-horse
power (nominal) trunk engines, by Messrs. Hum-
phreys and Co. She is to be immediately fitted
with her machinery, and prepared for service. The
next vessel to be launched at Chatham dockyard
will be the Atlas, 91 guns ; the launch will take
place on the 21st of July.
The Bulldog, 6, paddle, Capt. Sir F. L. M'Clin-
tock, sailed from Spithead yesterday at noon, pro-
ceeding to the Channel by the Needles passage.
The Blenheim, GO, screw, has been placed in N.
7 Dock at Portsmouth for examination of her
bottom, &e.
Admiral E. Harvey, accompanied by his Staff,
with Captain Schomberg, of the Steam Ordinary,
made a minute inspection of the vessels in the first-
class steam reserve at Sheerness on Saturday, The
vessels inspected were the Meanee, 80, screw, 400
horse-power ; Challenger, 21, screw steam corvette,
400-horse-power, Charybdis, 21, screw steam cor-
vette, 400 horse-power ; and the Bullfrog, May-
flower, Carnation, and Fly gunboats. The gallant
admiral expressed his gratification at the efficiency
an 1 cleanliness of the respective vessels, but espe-
cially of the Meanee.
The screw steam gunboat Violet, Lieut.-Com-
mander Eugene C. Batty (tender to the Coastguard
ship Eagle, 50, at Milford Haven), arrived at Ply-
mouth on Friday evening. The Violet, en route,
was employed surveying the Scilly Islands for the
purpose of fortification, and had on board Captain
Edward Sothan, R.N., her Majesty's ship Blen-
heim; Col. Prescott, Royal Artillery; and Major
Potter, Royal Engineers. The Violet, after leav-
ing the islands, touched at Penzance and Fal-
mouth.
The lighter Hamoaze, Webber, master, is load-
ing at Plymouth for Pembroke ; the Sinbad, Thos.
Moore, master, sailed on Saturday for Chatham
and Deptford.
The paddlewheel steam-sloop Hecate, 6, from
Spithead, arrived at Plymouth on Friday en route
to Vancouver's Island.

Lieut. C. G. T. Knowles is appointed to the
paddlewheel frigate Terrible, 21, Capt. Glass, C. 8.,
at Plymouth.
The screw steamship Orion, 91, Capt. Frere, in

Kcyham steamyard, has received her repaired
shafting and will be soon ready to vacate No. 3
dock.

The sailing corvette Havannah, 19, has been
towed from the higher moorings in Hamoaze, and
was moored on Saturday to the jetty in the Devon-
port Dockyard, where she will discharge her har-
bour gear and stores, and be sent to Cardiff as a
school-training ship for boys.
The crew of the screw steam gun-vessel Wrangler,
4, at Devonport, were paid wages on Thursday.
The paddlewheel steam tender Avon, 3, G.
Day, second master commanding, returned to Ply-
mouth on Saturday night, from Falmouth. She
brought two boys from the Russell, for the Im-
pregnable. Her coal bankers were replenished on
Saturday.

The paddlewheel steam-sloop Geyser, 6, at Ply-
mouth, was put in commission on Saturday morn-
ing by Commander Jackson.
The lighter Tortoise, H. Hoskings, master, from
Plymouth, arrived at Liverpool on the 21st inst. ;
she was appointed to sail for Devonport on Satur-
day.

The Dockyard lighter Devon, J. Jennings, mas-
ter, from Plymouth, arrived at Pembroke on the

19th inst.

The guardship in ordinary Royal Adelaide, 104,
at Devonport, is to be superseded by the frigate
Stag, 44. The Royal Adelaide will be fitted for a
training ship.

The paddlewheel steam tender Advice, M. Ray-
mond, stcond master commanding, having had de-
fects made good, took on board supernumeraries
and botne passengers, and left Plymouth on Satur-
day for Clneenstown.
Steam was got up on Saturday on board the screw
steam troopship Himaiaya, Capt. Seccombe, in
Keyham basin, Plymouth.
The new gun vessel Penguin, 4, was hauled off
from the Devonpert dockyard and taken to her
mitorings on Saturday.
The chartered troopship Grainger, 1,400 tons,
_Capt. Gummer, which arrived at Gravesend on
Saturday from the Cape of Good Hope with several
hundred troops and military invalids on board, dis-
embarked her troops the same day at Customhouse
quay, hen
the non-commissioned officers and men
Were
The c imm o • ediately forwarded to Chatham garrison.Ne mpetiti -
admission as examination of candidates for
apprentices in Chatham and Sheer-
ness dockyards
commenced on Friday at
Chatham dock commenced
trhe Civil Service Commis-
numberyi
sioners. The
oneicandidates who presented
themselves Was 42,
dockyard, and 19 from shuedeing 23 from Chatham
The Megrera, screw troopsrrss.
Berson, arrived at Spithead"P'eommander lien-
from Corfu, Malta, and Gibr l yesterday afternoon,
a tar, her from
13th dates
the two latter ports being respective)
18th inst. She has brought home 400 the ith and
naval invalids, and a number of
private military andpassengers,
among the latter of whom are Lord F. Ker, lately
commanding her Majesty's ship
Marlborough
Lieut.-Col, Hamilton, 25th Regiment. The Me4aral
experienced fine weather during the passage home
until crossing the Bay, when she fell in with thiek

weather, which continued up Channel. The inva-
lids will disembark alongside the dockyard to-day.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—Geo. Green, chief engineer,
to the Geyser; Wm. Saunders, Ist class assist.•en-
gineer, to the Colossus, for service in the Biter;
John Singer, 2d class assist.-engineer to the Wel-
lington, as supernumerary ; Jas. T. Page, 2d class
assist.-engineer, to the Orion ; Immer Fielden, 3d
class assist-engineer, to the Geyser ; Wm. H.
Nicholson, 3d class assist.-engineer, to the Welling-
ton, for charge of the machinery of the Sheldrake ;
John Symons, acting 3d class assist.-engineer, to
the Geyser; G. R. Bissaker, 3d class assist.-engi-
neer, to the Hawke; Wm. H. Sedgwick, 3d class
assist.-engineer, to the Ajax; Robert Humphreys,
assist.-surgeon, to the Fisgard ; J: M. Wortley,
assist.-paymaster, to the Dauntless ; R. K. Heaven,
secretary's clerk, to the Victory ; W. Crump, clerk,
to the Greyhound ; A. H. Carlyon, assist-clerk, to
the Terrible ; and A. Smith, assist.-clerk, to the
Colossus.