The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-19 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Lords of the Admiralty are expected to
arrive at Portsmouth on Tuesday evening, from
London, on their annual visit of inspection to the
dockyard and other naval establishments at Ports-
mouth. There are no vessels building at Ports-
mouth, with the exception of an unarmed gun-ves-
sel and two or three insignificant composite and
wooden double-screw gunboats, none of which will
have great speed or great powers of any kind. The
repairing work is widely scattered and of no inte-
rest. With the exception, indeed, of the new ex-
tension works of the. yard, their will be found
nothing to repay their lordships for the fatigue and
trouble which necessarily attend their annual round
of visits to the several yards on their call at Ports-
mouth, unless they should chance to strike a fresh
groove and conduct their method of procedure at the
port on this occasion on an entirely new principle.
The Norwegian sloop-of-war Nomen left Ply-
mouth Sound on Saturday morning for Norway.

Two vessels of war were launched at Chatham on
Saturday afternoon, in the presence of a large num-
ber of spectators. The Blanche—the largest of the
two vessels sent off the building stocks on Saturday
—has been only about 17 months on hand, the first
timber for her keel having been laid on the 27th of
February of last year. She is of the Danae, Sappho,
and Amazon class, and has been built from the de-
signs of Mr. E. J. Reed, the Chief Constructor of
the Navy. The following are her principal dimen-
sions :—Extreme length between perpendiculars,
212 ft. ; length of keel for tonnage, 185 ft. gin. ;
extreme breadth, 36ft. ; breadth moulded, 35ft. 2in.;
breadth for tonnage, 35ft. 9in. ; depth in hold
19ft. 4in. ; burden, 1,268 8-94 tons. With
the exception of the deck-beams and bulk-
heads the Blanche is built entirely of wood
and is unarmoured. She is destitute of
defensive but possessed of the greatest offensive
powers. Although the frames, planking, and tim-
bers of the Blanche are of wood, a free use has been
made of iron whenever it has been found to be prac-
ticable, angle iron and stringer plates being worked
into her frames, and plate iron bulkheads carried up
to the maindeck, the result of this system of con-
struction being to impart enormous stiffness and
rigidity to the entire structure. Her armament
will consist of two 7 inch 6i ton and four of the
improved 64 pounder muzzle loading guns, with
two breech loading 12 pounders, and one 6 pounder
Armstrong for boat and field service, her magazines
being arranged for the stowage of a large supply of
Palliser shot, and ammunition for the Snider naval
rifles. The ceremony of christening the vessel was
performed by Miss Dickens, daughter of Mr. Chas.
Dickens, Gad's-hill, near Rochester. The Beacon,
the other vessel launched at Chatham Dockyard on
Saturday, is a twin screw gun vessel, and is the first
of the squadron of vessels designed by the Chief
Constructor of the Navy on what is known as the
composite principle, her frame, keel, deck beams,
and stringers being of iron, while her planking is of
wood, in two layers, the inner being 3in. and the
outer 2in. in thickness. She was commenced in
Feb. last, and has been built in the short space of
six months, in addition to which the iron frames for
the Dwarf, a sister ship building at Woolwich,
have also been prepared at Chatham Dockyard.
The Beacon is one of the squadron of ten double
gun vessels ordered by the present Board of Admi-
ralty to be constructed for special service in China.
She is built on perfectly flat midship sections, which
will give her a light draught of water, not exceed-
ing at her deep load line 7ft. 6in., enabling her to
operate in rivers, harbours, and along the coast.
The whole of these vessels will mount an arma-
ment of one 7 inch 6- ton and one G 4 pounder
pivot guns, arranged to fire either ahead, astern,
or at the broadside. The engines of the Beacon
are in preparation at the steam factory, and
are collectively of 120 horsepower (nominal), each
driving its independent set of shafting for the port
and starboard screw. The engines have been taken
out of two gunboats built daring the Crimean war.
There will be three boilers, which will be new, and,
considering her light draught of water, the Beacon
is expected to attain a very fair rate of speed. The
launching ceremony was performed by Miss Stewart,
daughter of Capt. W. Houston Stewart, C. 8.,
Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard.
The undermentioned officers have been granted
commanders' naval pensions of £65 a year, vacant
by the promotion of the following officers placed on
the reserve half-pay ou the Ist ult.:—Caps.