The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-13 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The following circular has been issued from
the recruiting department, Horse Guards, dated
March 4 :
" At the instance of the Secretary of State for War the
General Commanding-in-Chief directs it to be notified
that soldiers who have purchased their discharge, or ob-
tained a free discharge by indulgence, and who subse-
quently re-enlist within two years after their discharge,
will be allowed to reckon their former service towards pen-
sion ; which regulation, however, is only to apply to men
who have re-enlisted or may re-enlist after the 30th of
June, 1557
" By command of his Royal Highness the General Com-
manding-in-Chief.
" G. A. WETHERALL, Adjutant-General."
Orders have been received at Sheerness Dock-
yard to lay down the lines immediately for a new
screw frigate, to be named the Orestes, and to be
commenced on the building slip immediately the
Clio, now building, is launched, which will be in all
probability about Juno next. The Orestes will be
225 feet between the perpendiculars, being 25 feet
longer than the Clio, and 4 inches more beam, this
class of frigate, or rather corvette, being found most
desirable in the British navy, more especially as
we have so many three deckers and line-of-battle
ships both building and ready for sea.
The new Lords of the Admiralty having inquired
yesterdayof the Portsmouth authorities how aeon 60
gunboats could be got afloat if wanted for service,
Col. Greene, the Admiralty engineer, was despatched
to Gosport to ascertain practically the answer. At
Gosport the gunboats are hauled up under sheds,
where they are under the attention of a staff of engi-
neers of the steam fleet in reserve. A trial of the
new machinery just completed by Messrs. Hum-
phrey, Tennant, and Dyke, of Deptford, was
accordingly ordered, with th 3 object of answering
the question of the Admiralty. The machinery
principally consists of an enormous endless screw
' 126 feet in length (the longest in use), by 6 inches
diameter, and weighing four tone, in one continu-
ous piece. The trial was made in the presence of his
Royal Highness Prince Alfred, Colonel Green,
Captain Dacres, C. 8., and the principal officers of
the dockyard, when a gunboat of 80-horse power
was drawn out of its shed across the transverse
lines to the launching rails in the short space of six
minutes. Therefore, it is estimated that in little
better than 48 hours 50 gunboats could be afloat
and under steam. The action of the whole machin-
ery, with screw, was much admired by the scientific
staff present, and Messrs. Humphrey and Co. were
congratulated upon its highly satisfactory and ex-
peditious working.
The Melampus, 42-gun sailing frigate, which,
until relieved by the Arrogant steam frigate. was
the Coastguard ship for Southampton water, having
been dismantled, was taken up and placed in or-
dinary at Portsmouth yesterday.
Tho Ithaclaraanthus, steam storeship, Master
Commauder Sturdee, left Portsmouth yesterday for
Woolwich.
The Renown, 91, Captain Forbes, will try her
speed at the measured mile in Stokes's Bay to-day.
Detachments of volunteers from the Limerick
and Roscommon Regiments of Militia (now at Al-
derskott) have this week joined the new cavalry
regimentj(the 18th Hussars) at Leeds Barracks, and
there is every probability of the regiment being
soon filled up. The head-quarters have this week
been joined by Major Jenyns and other officers.
The Argus, revenue screw yacht, Comnander J.
W. S. Grandy, arrived at Sheernes, yesterday,
baying Commodore C. Eden, comptroller general of
the Coast-guard, on board, and flying his pennant
of red at the main. The gallant commodore's ob-
ject for visiting there was to inspect the screw coast-
guard ships fitting for sea at that port.
The Arrogant, 47, screw, Captain Leopold G.
Heath, C. 8., has ridded topmast and pointed top-
gallantrnasts in the steam basin at Portsmouth
Dockyard. She will haul out of the basin next
week.

The Blenheim, GO, screw block ship, Captain
Francis Scott, C. 8., we hear has at length dis-
covered the cause of her leakage, and she will be
enabled to go out of dock at Portsmouth die next
springs.

Th; Duke of Wellington, 131, screw, Captain
Harry Eyers, C. 8., hap completed the recoppering
to the load water line, and will haul out of the
steam basin dock the next spring tides.
The Cressy, 84, screw, Captain Edward Polley?.
Halsted, is ordered to haul into No. 3 dry dock at
Sheerness next week, when the Majestic, 84, screw,
fitting at present for second-class steam reserve,
will haul out of that dock. The caws° of her being
redocked again is solely occasioned through the late
accident, when she was driven with great force
stern on to the basin wall.

The Lapwing, despatch gun vessel, Commander
0. Reilly, having had all her defects made good,
went out of Devonport Harbour on Thursday, and
now only waits her sailing orders.
The Orlando, 50, screw frigate, building at
Pembroke, is now so far completed that a few
months will make her ready for launching, and this
event is likely to take place early in the summer,
probably at the commencement of June. This
magnificent frigate will be the first launched of the
half-dozen ordered to compete with the monster
American frigates. She is the lai gest frigate in the
service, being about 360 feet in length over all.
Two other first-class ships, the Revenge, 91, line-
of-battle screw, and Aurora, 51, first-class screw
frigate, are also very much advanced in c)nstruc-
tion.

The Racoon, 22, screw, Capt. J. A. D. Paynter,
will (weather permitting) take her trial at the mea-
sured mile at Stokes Bay on Tuesday next, the
16 It inst.
The Scout, 21, screw corvette, fitting for first-
class steam reserve at Sheerness, is rigged with top-
gallantwasts an end.