The Sun.
London, England, 1858-07-22 00:00:00

MILITARY AND NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

The Lords of the Admiralty paid their annual
official visit to Chatham Dockyard yesterday af-
ternoon, for the purpose of making an inspection
of that establishment. Their lordships arrived
shortly after 12 o'olook. The members of the Board
present were—Sir J. S. Pakington, Bart., First
Lord, Vice-Admiral W. F. Martin, Vice-Admiral
the Hon. Sir R. S. Dundaa, K.C.8., and Rear-Ad
miral A. Milne' who were accompanied by Rear-
Admiral Sir B. W. Welker, Bart., K.C.8., Sur-
veyor of the Navy, and Lieut. Col. G. T. Greene,
Director-General of Admiralty engineering works.
After the various officers of the dockyard had br en
presented to Sir J. Pakington, and the other mem-
bers of the Board, their lordships immediaeely
epmmenced their inspection of the dockyard and
tha several establishments, proceeding first to the
Captain Superintendent's office, where they re-
' maftre-erfar Semte-tirne,etheir lordships being (mu-
pied in their inspection until the close raf tht, oft, r,
noon. The Admiralty steam yacht Osborne, Mas-
ter Commander G. K. Bower, was ordered
round to Chatham and moored offihe dockyard for
the accommodation of their lordships, who will
sleep on board during their visit. Tao inspection of
Chatham Dockyard will occupy the members of the
Board of Admiralty three days, and will be re-
sumed this morning.
Major-General Sir W. F. Williams K. 0.8. of
Kara, received a party of Russian Artillery officers
yesterday at Woolwich, among whom were 0. Ra
dochkooski, Officier de la Gat de; Rienne Gussef,
Lieutenant de l'Artillorie do la Garde de Sa Ma-
jestie l'Empereur de Russie. At 2 p.m. the General
and staff, accompaniedby theßussdan officers above-
named and others, rode up the revi tw ground on
Woolwich-conamon and reviewed two troops of
Royal Horse Artillery and four field batteries, of er
which the field b tteries perform, d several move-
ments in brigade, covered by the Royal Horse Ar-
tillery. They afterwards visited the Royal Military
Repository, where the batteries were manned, and
the use of the different machines for mounting and
dismounting and the conveyance of guns and mor-
tars wss explained, and they were afterwards con-
ducted through the barrack quarters, and the entire
establishment, and accep•ed an invitation at the
mess-table in the evening.
Yesterday a large party of sick arid wounded
troops who have recently returned to this country
from India, having been wounded at Delhi, con-
sisting of 76 non-commissioned officers and men of
the 52d Light Infantry, 60th Rifles, and 75th
Rego., were medically inspected at Fort Pitt,
Chatham, when the whole of that number, with
the exception of a few men, having been pronounced
convalescent and fit for further service, were di-
rected to join their respective depots at Chatham
and Winchester. A party of convalescent troops
belonging to the 78th Highlanders, who were re-
cently invalided home from India, left Chatham
garrison yesterday morning to join their depot at
Aberdeen.
Capt. Lambrick, in command of a detachment of
eight subalterns and 180 non commissioned officers
and privates of the Royal Marine Light Infantry,
from Woolwich, yesterday relieved Captain Harris
and an equal number of that corps, on guard at the
Victoria-yards, Deptford.
Special permission having been finally accorded
by the Secretary of State for War for another proof
of the durability of Mr. Mallet's mammoth mortar,
the officers of the select c mmittee of Woolwich
Arsenal and various other persons assembled in the
marsh yesterday morning to witness the experi-
ments which were intended for that day's trial. It
was arranged to attempt as far as practicable to fire
ten rounds, the charge to commence with 4010. of
powder, a straw wad, and a 36-inch shell, the shells
averaging about 2,3761 b. weight, each succeeding
charge of powder to be inc.-eased 101 b. 170 bags
of powder, containing 51b. etch, and a supernume-
rary number of the huge shells were accordingly
served out and conveyed to the spot for the occa-
sion. Lieut. Parke, Lieut. Harris, ten non-com-
missioned officers, and 20 gunners of the Royal Ar-
tillery were ordered to be in attendance at 10.3),
and, having got through the necessary preliminary
preparation, by 12 the spectators we re gratified with
perceivinga gunner introduced into the mouth of the
mortar, who placed in it the first charge, cout diced
in eight separate flannel bags. The loading oc-
cupied about 30 minutes, and the first shot was
pronounced to be highly satisfactory, the fl ght
extending over 1,700 yards. and the shot alighting
in an almost direct line with the butt. The second
shot, containing 501 b. of powder, was fired at one
o'clock, and was considered equally satisfactory,
taking a flight of about 400 yards beyond the firs,
rav a
and unmistakeably marking the spot where
lit esl
i
by casting up a mound of ear 11 and gtm
bluing itself many feet beneath. The third
charge was about to be introduced, when
sundry indications were perceived of some
ra.ngement in the rings forming the barrel of
the martar, by the slisplacemeet of some of
the cw-ters, or wedges. Th engineeis were
immediately set to work, and on the appli-
ca,ion of the hammer one of the cotters was
found to be broken. It was theref .ro judged
imprudent and unsafe to re oceed with the
trial. The damage is somewhat similar to that
which occurred in one of the former experi-
ments, since which the cotters (which were then
of iron) have been replaced by steel, which it was
csnsidered would resist any amount of concussion.
The continuation of the experiment was therefore
postponed. According to the progressive ratio of
adding 400 yards to the range obtained by each
increase of the charge, the last shell, impelled by
1301 b. of powder, would have fallen upwards of
three miles from the mortar whence it was dis-
charged.
A breach-loading rifle carbine, detachable so as