The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-07 00:00:00

Na,Ml and Military Intellience.

Capt. W. R. Mends, R.N., C. 13., Director of
Transports ; Mr. E. J. Reed, Chief Constructor of
the Navy ; and Mr. James Luke, Surveyor and In-
spector of Contract Work, are at present engaged
upon an official visit to the several steam transports
now completing in the private building yards of the
contractors for the Indian troop service. During the
past week the Jumna was inspected at Jarrow, the
Malabar at Glasgow, and the Euphrates at Birken-
head. TLis week the three officials named will con-
clude their present round of duty with an inspection
of the Serapis and the Crocodile on the Thames.
According to present arrangements the Jumna will
be sent to Devonport to be docked and coated with
preservative and anti-fouling paints, and afterwards
put through her measured mile trials outside the
breakwater of Plymouth Sound. The Euphrates,
Serapis, and Crocodile will proceed to Portsmouth-
to undergo similar preparation and trials previous
to being commissioned for active service.
The Hector, 20, armoured iron frigate, 4,089 tons,
800-horse power, Capt. W. G. Luard, is ordered
into Portsmouth harbour from Spithead, to dis-
mantle and pay out of commission, on the 19th inst.
The Minotaur; 26, armoured iron frigate, 6,621
tons, 1,350-horse power, Capt. James G. Goode-
nough, is being hurried forward at Portsmouth dock-
yard for commission as the flagship of the Channel
squadron of 1867, as rapidly as possible. It will,
however, be nearly, if not quite, another month yet
before the ship can be reported ready for commis-
sion, notwithstanding the energetic superintendence
of Captain Goodenough. At present there are not
a sufficient-number of seamen available at Ports-
mouth to form her crew.

The Rodney, 78, screw steamship, 2,777 tons,
500 horse power, Captain A. C. F. lieneage, left
Sheerness harbour yesterday morning for a trial of
her engines, boilers, and machinery. She was under
steam some five or six hours, and on her return an-
chored at the Little Nore, where she will remain
till she receives her final orders for sea. The crew
have now permanently taken up their quarters on
board, but the vessel is still short of her proper
complement by nearly 100 hands—the required
number being about 800 officers and men. After
leaving Sheerness she will stay a short time at
Portsmouth, and there, it is anticipated, the proper
number will be made up. The trial yesterday was
made under the supervision of Capt. the lion. A.
A. Cochrane, C. 8., captain of the Steam Reserve,
Mr. W. W. Williamson, chief inspector of ma-
chinery afloat, being also present.
The Ordnance Select Committee resumed the
trial of Major Palliser's 9-inch gun on Monday, at
the proof-butt, Woolwich. The charges were slightly
increased—namely, from 431 b. to 451 b. of powder.
The shot were flattened cylinders, with gun-metal
studs, and weighed 2501 b. each. Fifty rounds were
fired, with complete success. The usual impression,
taken in gutta percha, of the bore and rifling showed
that the gun had not sustained the slightest injury
from these enormous charges. The firing, which on
such occasions—viz., on testing the extreme endu-
rance, is carried out in the bomb-proof cells, was
witnessed by a number of persons interested in gun-
nery. The trial was brought to a close on Tuesday,
when 38 rounds were further fired with charges cou-
sisting of 451 b. of gunpowder and 2501 b. shot. The
gun has withstood the required test without mani-
festing the slightest symptoms of weakness. At the
conclusion of the trial it was stated that if in time
the gun would be sent for exhibition to Paris. :The
wrought iron, or minor, portion of the gun was ma-
nufactured under the direction of Mr. Geo. Rendel,
and the cast-iron-casing was run over it under the
superintendence of Captain Noble (late Royal
Artillery), both belonging to the firm of
Sir W. Armstrong and Co. The success-
ful issue of the experiment is in a great
measure due, it is acknowledged, to the cordial
asssi,tance afforded by the firm to Major Palliser.
Some of those who were present on Tuesday stated
that they distinctly heard the report of each shot in
Hyde-park on Monday, while the wind was easterly,
and were able to count the rounds even at that dis-
tance.

Vice-Admiral Boutakow, of the Mogan Imperial

navy, attended by his secretary, yesterday inspected
the manufacturing department of the Royal Arsenal
at Woolwich, under a special order from the Secre-
tary of State for War to the heads of departments,
to afford the gallant Admiral every facility to inves-

tigate our newly-adopted method of warfare in its
entirety.
The following appointments were made on Tuesday
at the Admiralty :—Lieut. A. K. Wilson, additional,
to the Rodney, for instruction of Japanese ; C. W.
M'Conachy, master, to the Fisgard, for service in
the Nymphe; R. J. C. Grant, master, to the Rod-
ney, for instruction of Japanese ; and 11. Crauford,
midshipman, to the Virago, as supernumerary.

Spirit of the American Press.

A PROPOSITION TO GRANT.

We really wish that General Grant would issue a
daily bulletin of his opinions. As things now are
his authority is claimed in favour of every political
scheme that any member of Congress, any editor,
or anybody takes it in his head to propose. A
short time ago he issued a sort of proclamation pro-
hibiting any one whatever from attributing any
opinions to him, and declaring the utter impossibi-
lity of any one but himself telling what his opinions
were on any current subject. But this only fur-
nished a new stimulus to the enemy. Since then
General Grant has told every member of Congress,
all the Senators, each Cabinet officer, as well as the
President, that he entirely coincided with the opi-
nions of each, and considered them all gentlemen
and scholars. As late as Thursday last the bill for
the establishment of military despotism acquired
great strength in the house by the declaration of
Mr. Farnsworth that Grant favoured it, and the
member who announced the news was regarded
for the time being as an oracle to be respected.
Owing to the importance of the matter, Grant
took the earliest opportunity to inform a prominent
member of the house that he had been misrepre-
sented—that he did not favour the erection of a
despotism, with himself as chief despot—and that
he was really surprised that such a notion should be
attributed to him. It is now announced, however,
that he has just given out that he is in favour of
another scheme, all but quite as bad, and it is pos-
sible it may be enacted into law on the strength of
this announcement. We see no way for the poor
man but to issue a daily bulletin of his views on all
topics of current interest—political, fashionable,
moral, and African, with an occasional remark as
to the proper price of rents and rations. He should
sign his full name to each opinion, after the style of
the writers in the French journals, and then he
should be held responsible for the authenticity,
consistency, legality, and logic of each. He would
find that the scheme would save him a world of
vexation and annoyance ; and if he should consider
it too expensive and bothersome we will save him
expense by giving him half of the Times for his
daily use, and we will save him bother by sending
to Washington a reportorial Boswell to take down
his waking ideas and nightly dreams as fast as they
are generated in his brain.---New York Times.