The Sun.
London, England, 1867-04-02 00:00:00

Naval and. Military Intelligence.

Vice-Admiral Sir S. Dacres, K.C.8., arrived at
Portsmouth on Saturday from the Admiralty. Vice-
Admiral Sir A. Milne, K.C.8., also arrived at Ports-
mouth from the Admiralty yesterday, and in the
afternoon paid a visit to the dockyard. On Sunday
Admiral Dacres went on board Vice-Admiral Sir G.
Mundy's flagship, the armour-plated frigate Royal
Alfred, at Spithead. Yesterday the Admiral, accom-
panied by Rear-Admiral Superintendent G. Welles-
ley, went on board the Minotaur and Valiant,
armoured iron frigates, and other vessels in Ports-
mouth Dockyard. _ _

The arnionrecl iron screw frigate Minotaur, 26,
6,621 tons, 1,350-horse power, has received the
whole of her armament at Portsmouth, and yester-
day was removed from under the sheers to the large
south jetty, where she is expected to be formally
commissioned this morning, by Capt. J. Goodenough,
as the flagship of the Channel Squadron for 1867.
The 48 hours' cruise which has just been made by
the Royal Alfred in the Channel appears to have
been attended with very satisfactory results, except
on one point. The ship proved wonderfully manage-
able under sail as well as steam, and the gun-carriages
and slides of the 12-ton guns gave no signs of weak-
ness with the guns firing, singly and in broadsides,
401 b. powder charges, with shot. The exception lies
in the damage caused by the tremendous concussion
from the explosion of such charges. A large hole
had been made in the bottom of the lifeboat, and all
light wood about the ship's bulwarks or deck fittings
had suffered more or less. The boilers are having
some 180 of their faulty tubes replaced by new ones,
and when this has been completed the ship will make
a second trial of her speed over the measured mile in
Stokes Bay, probably on Thursday or Friday next.
The Norwood convict ship, arrived at Spithead
yesterday from the Thames to embark convicts for
conveyance to Western Australia.
It is rumoured that Capt. W. C. Chamberlain, at
present commanding the Asia and the Steam Reserve
at Portsmouth, will most probably be the officer se-
lected to succeed to the commodoreship of the 2d
class, and as senior officer in the Indian Ocean, on
the promotion to flag rank of the officer at present
holding the appointment, Capt. C. P. Hillyar,.now
third on the captains' list of seniority.
The 40th Regiment of Light Infantry will remove
from Portsmouth garrison to Plymouth on the 10th
inst. The depot of the 98th Regiment, from Col-
chester, will afterwards occupy a portion of the
quarters vacated by the 40th at Portsmouth, and
await there the arrival of the service companies of
the regiment, now on their way home to England
from India, in two transports.

Major-Gem John W. Ormsby, Royal Artillery
(April 5, 1866), recently appointed Lieutenant• G-
overnor and Second Commandant of the Royal Mili-
tary Academy at Woolwich, in succession to Lieut.-
__

Gen. 11. Sand-ham, Royal Engineers (Aug. 3,1866)
entered the academy yesterday morning, and com-
menced the duties of his post, which is a compara-
tively new one. The direction of the establishment
was held exclusively by Col. Wilford until Feb. 2,
1862, when he retired on promotion as MajorzGcn.,
Royal Artillery. The governorship and chief com-
mand was then assumed by Field-Marshal Com-
mander-in-Chief the Duke of Cambridge, to whom
all matters of importance connected with the cadets
have since been referred.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—R. Humphrys, surgeon, to the
Chanticleer ; G. B. Moore, ALD., surgeon, addi-
tional, to the Frederick William ; J. Prowett, chief
engineer, to the Chanticleer; J. Watson (A), engi-
neer, to the Chanticleer ; J. Lewthwaite, first class
assistant-engineer, to the Chanticleer; and James
D. Drysdale, assistant-clerk, to the Fisgard, as su-
pernumerary for disposal.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.