The Sun.
London, England, 1867-05-25 00:00:00

Naval and Military TutelliBe►nce.

The Black Eagle paddle yacht, Staff Commander
\\hillier, steamed out of Portsmouth harbour to
Spithead on Thursday, and made a couple of hours
trial under steam to test the working her paddle-
wheels after repairs. The trial was satisfactory, and
the Black Eagle afterwards returned into Ports-
mouth harbour to complete her refit. . .

The screw iron troopship Simoom, Capt. Thos. B.
Lethbridge, was taken out of Portsmouth harbour
yesterday morning under steam to make an official
trial of her engines, capstans, anchors, chains, &c.,
arter a refit on return to England from a round of
foreign troop service. The trials were highly satis-
factory. The engines of this ship were constructed
for her in the steam factory of Portsmouth dock-
yard, from the designs and under the superintend-
ence of Mr. A. Murray, the superintendent engineer
of her Majesty's navy at Portsmouth. They were
supplied for her last voyage, and from the time of
the ship leaving Spithead, at the commencement of
the voyage, until her return to the same anchorage
at its completion they were kept constantly work-
ing. During the whole of this time they worked per-
fectly and without the slightest accident or want of
repair to affect their working, and drove the ship a
total distance of 38,746 miles.

To-day being appointed for the celebration of her
Majesty's birthday, the dockyard and other public
establishments at Portsmouth and Chatham were
closed. On Southsea Common the troops will pa-
rade at noon and fire a feu de joie, the ships of war
in the harbour and at Spithead, in commission, with
the saluting batteries of the land fortifications at the
same time firing Royal salutes from their ordnance.

Capt. Bartell" and the officers of his Italian Ma-
jesty's ship Eurydice, now anchored at Spithead,
paid a visit to Portsmouth dockyard on Thursday,
and in the evening were !entertained at dinner by
Mr. L. A. Vandenburgh at the Consulate. The
Eurydice will sail from Spithead this morning for
Cherbourg.

The sailing Indianian the Sir Jamsetjee
Capt. Wilson, belonging to Bombay, arrived at
Spithead on Thursday afternoon from Bombay,
bringing the following invalided troops from her
Majesty's regiments serving in the Presidency, who
were disembarked from her yesterday morning and
conveyed to the Royal Victoria Military Hospital at
Netley :-166 Don-commissioned officers and men,
13 women and 31 children, accompanied by Lieut.
W. Stirke, 14th Brigade Royal Artillery ; Lieut.
Power, 6th (Inniskillen) Dragoons ; Lieut. Blair,
102,1 Regiment; Lieut. Isaacson, Ist Royals ;
Assist.-Sorg. Kilroy, 11th Brigade Royal Artillery,
ant Mrs. Kilroy. The ship sailed from Bombay on
the 21 February, and passed St. Helena April 5.
The armoured iron frigate Warrior, after having
satisfactorily tested the working of her engines on
Wednesday off Spithead, anchored there for the
night, and on Thursday was partially manned with
men lent from the Miuotaur, who were engaged on
board during the day in testing the working of the
ship's capstans, anchors, chains, &c. She has re-
turned into Portsmouth harbour from Spithead to
complete her outfit for commission.
The work of constructing the steel boat, ordered
to be built at Chatham Dockyard, to be used by the
exploring party about to be despatched from this
country to search along the rivers and lakes in
the interior of Africa for traces of Dr. Living-
stone is being hurried forward at that establish-
ment. A few days will now suffice for its com-
pletion, when it will be taken to pieces and de-
spatched from the dockyard in readiness for ship-
ment on board the mail steamer leaving on the oth
proximo, which also takes out the exploring party.
The designs for the boat, furnished by Mr. E. J.
Reed, the Chief Constructor of the Navy, con-
templated its being made of prepared steel plates,
put together in half sections by screws and bolts.
Owing, however, to the delay in procuring a supply
of the requisite steel plates, the Admiralty decided
on havi'lz, the boat constructed of the best charcoal
iron plates ; but a sufficient quantity of the steel
plates having been furnished in the meantime by Mr.
E. Deane, of Arthur-street, cast, the patentee, the
boat is being built as originally ordered. Its length
is 30ft., and breadth, from gunwale to gunwale, Bft.,
the weight being rather more than one ton. The
plan of construction adopted by Mr.Re,el will enable
the boat to be taken to pieces in a very short time,
and packed for conveyance across the country by
the negroes who will be engaged for that purpose.
The principal advantages obtained by constructing
the boat of steel plates is in its possessing a maxi-
mum amount of strength with a minimum of weight,
while the steel plates, which are 1-14th of an inch
in thickness, are so exceedingly ductile that they
may be bent almost to any shape, without fear of
injury. Although steel plates for ships and boats
have been largely used by other Governments, we
believe this to be the first instance in which the Ad-
miralty have adopted that material for the construc-
tion of a boat. Should, however, the results follow
which the patentee claims for the steel plates there
is no doubt they will hereafter take a prominent part
for ship and boat building purposes. Mr. Young,
one of the warrant officers attached to the Royal
yacht, who formerly spent a considerable time with
Dr. Livingstone in his African explorations, will
have charge of the expedition ; he is in constant at-
tendance at Chatham dockyard, superintending the
' construction of the boat, in order to obtain a com-
plete knowledge of the manner in which it is fitted
together and taken to pieces.
A number of shipwrights and other workmen at
Chatham dockyard are employed in laying down the
launching-ways, and making preparations for the
launch of the screw gun vessel Myrmidon, 4, 200
oh
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of her engines and machinery fitted on board.
The Lords of the Admiralty have awarded the
annual gratuity of £5O to Mr. G. Penny, one of
the foremen of shipbuilders at Chatham dockyard,
in appreciation of his services in expediting the
construction of the ironclad turret ship Monarch
and the other vessels he has superintended building
in that dockyard.
The Field-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief has
approved the following alterations and appointments
at Chatham garrison :—Capt. W. M. Frobisher,
34th Regiment, to be attached to the depot of that
corps; Capt. N. Kirkland, 106th Bombay Light In-
fantry, to be held in readiness to proceed from
Chatham to Calcutta, to join the head-quarters of
that Regiment; Capt. A. W. Ducat, to join the
depot companies of the 106th Regiment at Chatham;
Lieut. William Louis, Ist battalion of the Bth Regi-
ment, to be held in readiness to embark for Malta,
to join head-quarters.
An order has been received at Chatham garrison
directing the following detachments to be held in
readiness for embarkation *for Canada and Nova
Scotia to reinforce the troops serving in British
North America :-70 non-commissioned officers and

men of the 20th Regiment, 91 non-commissioned
officers and men of the Ist battalion of the 22d
Regiment, and 71 non-commissioned officers and
men of the Ist battalion of the 15th Regiment ;
four officers are also placed under orders to embark
with the above detachmen ts.

A review of the whole of the military forces in
and around Chatham will be held at Chatham lines
at 12 o'clock to-day, by General Freeman Murray,
in honour of her Majesty's birthday.
The 12th company of Royal Engineers, now on
passage home from the Cape of Good Hope in the
chartered troopship Akbar, will on their arrival be
attached to the head-quarters of the corps at
Chatham. The strength of the company is 80 non-
commissioned officers and men.
The following appointments were madeyesterday
at the
_Admiralty :—llerbert 'l'. Gitnson, second
master, to the Jutnna ; W. IV. Browne, second
master, to the St. Vincent, additional, for se r,
in the Martin ; A. N. Lines, assist.-paymastr, o
the Pallas ;R.S. S. Moss-Lewin, assist.-paymaster,
to the Royal Adelaide, as supernutneraTy ; G.
u.
F.
Bell, engineer, to the Crocodile ; and 11, m.
acting second-class assist.-engineer, additional, to
the Cameleon.

THE CATTLE PLAGIJE.—TIiC official return for
last week reports two fresh outbreaks, viz.: Tower Ham-
lets 8, and Finsbury 25; total, 33 cases; of those, one ani-
mal died, and 32 were killed to prevent contagion.

~~

11111[ D EDIT .

SUN OFFICE, 6 O'CLOCK.

BTJRKE, THE CONDEMNED FENIAN.

--- --

DEPUTATION TO THE EARL OF DERBY.

THIS AFTERNOON,

A large and doput tti,)n, consisting
of upwards of 100 members of Parliament, waited
upon the Earl of Derby, as the head of the Go-
vernment, at his lordship's residence in St. James's-
square, this afternoon, to urge a remission of the
sentence of death which hal been passed upon
Burke, found guilty of high treason, and whose
execution is ordered for the 29th inst.

The deputation having been introduced,
Mr. J. S. MILL addressed his lordship, and
strongly urged that clemency might be very well
extended after what had been done with the raiders
in Canada.

Mr. MAGUIRE said the present deputation bad
been arranged in the House of Commons last night,
and that it did not represent any particular
party. It was thought that the execution of
Burke would be fraught with the greatest dan-
ger to the peace of Ireland, and therefore it
was the unanimous desire of the deputation that
the clemency of the Crown might be extended to
hm, which would, it was thought, be fraught
with the best results in Ireland.

Mr. POTTER said a very strong feeling existed in
Manchester, and if the men were executed it would
be thought there an act of the greatest cruelty.
Mr. NEATE said the news of the intention to
to execute these men last night produced a feeling
of grief mixed with indignation, and such as would
make it difficult for the futura to diseuSs Irish
matters in the House of Commons with the calm-
ness which it was so desirable should exist.

The ODONOGIIUE said he looked upon the pre-
sent deputation as the exponents of public opinion
both of England and Ireland, and he hoped the
views that had been placed before his lordship would
have the best effect.

Dr. BRADY said he thought if any desire existed
to preserve peace in Ireland, the life of the con-
demned man Burke ought to be spared.
Mr. DODSON, as an English member, thought tha
after what had taken place in Canada, if the sen-
tence of death was carried out, those in the coun-
try would imagine that Government looked with a
keener eye upon matters done nearer home than it
did on transactions at the other side of the At-
lantic.
Mr. FOSTER, as an English member, also strongly
urged for a remission of the extreme sentence of the
law. On that happy day (her Majesty's birthday)
how appropriate would the message of mercy go

forth ! •
Sir G. BOWS ER said, as no life had been lost
during the disturbance, he hoped that fact would
induce the Government to advise a remission of the
'extreme sentence, a course which would, he was
certain, be productive of the best results in Ireland.
Mr. TORREN3 also strongly advised a merciful
view of the matter.
The NOBLE EARL said it was extremely painful
for him to have to discuss such a question. He
spoke then, not in his individual character, but on
the part of the Government, and it was gratifying
to hear that there was a general disclaimer to mix up
the question with that of political support. No such
considerations had influenced the Government,
and he might also state that the question of differ-
ences of religion had not for one instant been
thought of, or had any influence is the decision come
to. He did not think the case of the civil war in
America formed any analogy with the—it was
dignifying it to much to call it revolt—attempted
revolt in Ireland. The case of Burke had been
seriously and anxiously considered by the Govern-
ment, and whilst there was one party anxioas for a
remission of the sentence passed on the unhappy
man, there was another party. who entertained
very strong feelings with regard to the
atrocious attempt, and the peaceable and loyal in-
habitants of Ireland would not feel that the Go-
vernment were in earnest until they, in the most
aggravated case, carried out the sentence of the
law. The matter had been weighed in the Cabinet ;
it had been considered by the Lord Lieutenant,
the Secretary for Ireland, and the Judges
who tried the case, in order to ascertain
whether there was any mitigating circumstances in
the case, and with the single exception (and that
was entirely an interposition of Providence) that
no lives had been lost, none could be discovered,
and with every desire to spare the life of the un-
happy man, it was the decided opinion of her
Majesty's Government, after a full examination of
the whole case, that it would be a dereliction of
duty if they spared the life of one who had done the
things that Burke had been guilty of. That resolution
was arrived at after the gravest consideration and
with extreme reluctance. All he could say was
that if the gentlemen present would attach thei r
names to a memorial, the Council would meet this
afternoon, and he would, after expressing th e
wishes of the deputation to his colleagues, presen t
the memorial to them. He could not say that it
would alter the decision that had been announced,
but he would say that it would be a great pleasure
to him to lay the paper before his colleagues.
The deputation then retired to an adjoining
apartment, where the memorial was signed by every
member' of Parliament present, and sent to the noble
earl, as he had directed.