The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-12 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The line-of-battle ship Trafalgar, 120, in dock at
Chatham, where she is being converted into a 90-
gun, screw steamer, is ordered to be fitted with the
following powerful armament :—Lower deck, 32 8-
inch guns, each 65 cwt., 9 ft. long ; middle deck,
34 32-pounders, each 56 cwt., 9 ft. 6 in. long ; upper
deck, 22 68-pounders, 95 cwt., 8 ft. long, together
with two 68-pounders, each of 95 cwt., on "chocks."
Yesterday the Committee on Dockyard Economy
continued their investigaions at Chatham dockyard,
at which establishment they have been engaged
upwards of a week. Several of the officers were un-
der examination during the day, and numerous re-
turns have been called for, but the committee con-
duct their proceedings with a great deal of privacy.
The Sphynx, 6, paddlewheel steam sloop, got
her steam up in the basin, at Portsmouth, on
Tuesday morning, to test the utility of Normandy's
new patent apparatus for profit ing pure aerated
fresh water from foul or, fresh sea water, with the
view to its being fitted to her Majesty's ships. The
apparatus is an' iron construction 6, feet high, 20
inches wide, and 4 feet six inches long. It pos-
sesses the following advantages over the machines
which have been heretofore tried :—lt aerates the
water it yields, and then makes it pure, wholesome,
and immediately cool and fit for drinking, with a
saving of half the fuel ordinarily used by the con-
densers. The experiments were renewed on Wed-
nesday, in the presence of Admiral Sir G. Seymour
and other officers of the Dockyard establishment,
and with the most satisfactory results. We can
ourselves bear testimony to the freshness, purity,
and sweetness of the water produced by this appa-
ratus, which ought certainly to be attached to every
sea-going steamer in the naval and mercantile ser-
vice.
Hadj Alarby Attar and a party of Moorish offi-
cers of distinction in the service of the Emperor of
Morocco, on a special mission to this country for
the purpose of purchasing guns and other war ma-
terials, as stated by themselves, two of whom spoke
English with tolerable fluency, yesterday visited
the departments of Woolwich Arsenal, under an
order of the Earl of Malmesbury. They each wore
the Ottoman fez, and were habited in the rich and
decorative costume of their country. Their appear-
ance attracted such a degree of curiosity among the
labourers, who happened to be leaving the Arsenal
at the time of their departure, that it was found
necessary to despatch a party of police-constables
to escort them to the railway station.
The screw store-transport Industry, having em-
barked a number of supernumerary seamen from the
receiving\ 0 ship Fisgard at Woolwich, sailed yester-
day morning, laden with victuallinc, stores and
clothing foir Ascension and Rio.
The Urgent, 6, iron steam troopship, Commander
M'Donald, has been undocked at Portsmouth after
receiving a coating of composition, She requires
very little refit. She will, when ready, embark
troops for the Mediterranean. Commander
M'Donald and Mr. Braund were not tried on Tues-
day for " negligently navigating the ship, whereby
she took the shore off- Chichester," but the court-
martial was ordered- " to inquire into the circum-
stances under which her Majesty's ship Urgent was
run ashore on the Ist inst., and to try the comman-
der, John W. D. M'Donald, and Mr. W. P. Braund,
the master of the said ship, for their conduct on that
occasion."
The following work is going on in Portsmouth
Dockyard :—ln the steam basin the Melpomene,
51 ; Mersey, 40 ; Dauntless, 33, all screw frigates,
are being brought forward for commission. The
Urgent, screw troop ship, and the first-class paddle
sloops Bulldog and Sphynx are under repairs. In
the old basin are the Britannia, 120, sailing three
decker, fitting for a reception and training ship for
newly entered young officers for the navy, in lieu
of the Illustrious, 72, Capt. R. Harris; the Alfred,
50, awaiting-to be inspected by the Lords of the
Admiralty after the late, gunnery experiments upon
the iron plates bolted to her sides; the Ringdove,
despatch gun vessel, and the Decoy, gunboat,
under repairs. In dock arc the Agamemnon, 91,
under repairs ; the Neptune, 120, sailing three-
decker, in rapid process of conversion to a 91 gun
screw two-decker ; the Vulcan, iron troop ship,
under repairs, and awaiting new engines of 400
horse power, by Maudslay ; and the Rinaldo, 17
gun screw corvette, building. On the building
slips are the three deckers Victoria, 121 guns and
1000 horse power ; Prince of Wales, 131 guns and
800 horse power ; Royal Frederick, 116, sailer ;
Duncan, 100, screw two-decker ; and the Bacchante,
51 guns and 600 horse power.