The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-04 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

Colonel T. O'Brien, the Assistant Quartermaster-
Geseral, has completed his inspection of the military
hospitals and the casemate barracks at Chatham, and
has made several important suggestions and alterations
which will provide increased comfort and accommoda-
tion for the sick and convalescent troops who are now
sent to Chatham to await their discharge from the

service.
Yesterday preparations were commenced at Brompton
barracks, Chatham, for converting the whole of one side
of that establishment into a hospital for the sick and
wounded troops who are now on their passage home
from India. It is understood that upwards of 1,000
sick troops can be accommodated at Brompton barracks,
which is admirably adapted for the purposes of an
hospital.
Considerable activity prevails in the ship-building
department of Chatham Dockyard in hastening forward
the completion of those screw steamers which have been

ordered by the Admiralty to be brought forward for
launching. The following serew steamers will be
launched from the dockyard during the approaching
summer—viz., Hero, 91 ; Hood, 90 ; Mersey, 40 ' • and
Charybdis, 21, giving an aggregate of about 12,000 tons
burden.

The experimental operations of casting and preparing
iron ordnance at Woolwich have gone through a variety
of grades since the recent opening of the factory last
month, with a view of testing the standard of material
and workmanship indispensable to the new undertakint.
The 68-pounder gun, the first production of the establish
meat, was composed solely of scraps of Swedish krill,
pronounced by a series of chemieal experiments to be
superior to the various samples selected. Although the
establishment has been fitted with the best working ma-
chinery which the ingenuity of the day could suggest, the
process of turning, on account of the hardened quality
of the metal, was found to be a task of considerable
difficulty. The machinery was consequently worked with
increased power, and the operations made partial pro-
gress, but the temper of the metal resisted the extraordi-
nary efforts which it was found necessary to adopt, and the
ring terminating the head of the gun, termed a " caeca-
ble " suddenly gave way. The gun has, therefore, been
rendered useless, except to be broken up and employed
with other metal. A couple of heavy guns were yester-
day cast from a supply of iron obtained of Mr. 'Archi-
bold, proprietor of the Acadian iron mines in Nova
Scotia, with whom the Government has entered into a
contract for a term of years. The Nova Scotia iron is
known to be of a softer and more pliable nature than the
Swedish, and from experiments already made the former
has been proved to possess equal powers of resistance.
Colonel Teesdale, commanding the brigade of Royal
Horse Artillery, yesterday assumed the command of the
Royal Artillery garrison at Woolwich, during the absence
on leave of Col. Bloomfield, Aide-de-Camp to the Queen.
Col. Brown, commandant of the Royal Marines at Wool-
wich, returned to the garrison on Sunday from leave of
absence, but is unable to attend to his duties, in conse-
quence of indisposition.
The following named freight-ships were yesterday
chartered by the Military Store Department, for the
transportation of war stores from Woolwich—namely,
the Golconda, for Trincomalee ; the Sarah, fir Malta ;
the Lady of the Lake, for Port Natal • the Jubilante,
for Cape Town ; the Parkfield, for New Brunswick ;
and the Glentilte, for Bermuda.

Capt. T. S. Thompson (1846), recently in command of
the Colossus, is named as the officer to succeed Captain,
now :Rear-Admiral, Craigie, as superintendent of the
Royal William-yard, Plymouth.
Mr. George Moore, lately appointed master of the
Eagle, has been ordered to proced to Devonport, to
superintend the fitting out of the Shamrock, gun-boat,
and to navigate her, when complete with stores, to Pem-
broke, where she will be employed as a tender to the
Eagle.

PAYMASTERS, R. N.—lu consideration of the many addi-
tional duties devolving on paymasters arriving in coast-
miard vessels the Admiralty have been pleased to grantto
'these deserving officers their time so served to count as
that of second rates, towards their half-pay. We trust
the assistant paymasters serving in similar ships, all of
whom are upwards of six years' standing on the list,
will also receive some additional emolnment.—Plymoutli
Mail.

The Hannibal, 91, screw. Captain the Hon. George
F. Hastings, assisted by the Echo, Mr. Harding, in
command, and the Comet, Mr. Sanger, in command
(Government steam tugs), was removed from the Ports-
mouth dockyard jetty yesterday up to moorings opposite
the Magazine at Hardway, until her berth is secured on
the Gosport side of the harbour.
The Marlborough, 131, screw, Captain Lord F. Kerr,
flag of Vice-Admiral A. Fanebawe, C. 8., hauled out of
the steam basin duck at Portsmouth yesterday, assisted
by the Government steam-tugs, and moored alongside
the dockyard jetty, where she will complete her rigging
and stores. It is rumoured that his Royal Highness
Prince Alfred will make his first sea trip in the above
noble three-decker, at present the largest and most
powerful line-of-battle ship afloat.
The Renown, 91 screw, in consequence of the incle•
mency of the weather, was prevented getting under
weigh at Spithead yeAterday, to test her speed at the
measured mile, at Stokes Bay, it blowing half a gale at
Spithead. Renown, Curava, and Racoon, have struck
lower yards and topgallantmasts.
The Agamemnon, 90, screw, was taken out of dock,
at Devonport. on Monday last, and will soon be ready
to receive her portion of the Atlantic cable.
The Orlando. 50, screw, now building at Pembroke
is rapidly p.ogreseing towards completion. The I:2th of
June next is the day named for the launching of this,
the finest frigate in the world. She will be navigated to
Devon port.
The Shamrock and Cadger, gun-beats, were taken
into dock at Devonport yesterday, to prepare for com-
mission.

The Rhadamanthus; steam-vessel, is ordered to leave
Woolwich to-day for Plymouth with boilers for the screw
steam-ve3sels Orlando, 50 ; Aurora, 51 ; and Revenge,
91, now building at Pembroke.