The Sun.
London, England, 1867-07-13 00:00:00

improvement upon its previous practice in
the 'Wednesday's rehearsal, and if " eccentricities"
are abandoned, and a somewhat closer attention paid
to signals, the " waltz of the fleet" round the pivot
on the review day will be a spectacle well worthy
travelling 1,000 mites to see. On nearing the Nab
light-ship the lines of ships were again wheeled out-
wards, and a course laid out to the S.E. at half-
speed, the " irrepressible" sloop again soon after the
start in the new direction butting with her stern
back upon the Valiant's stem, and forcin her out
of the line, until the Admiral's signal to the frigate
to " keep place" put matters straight. The Daphne
immediately afterwards received a similar cautionary
message, and deserved it. The three turret-ships, the
Royal Sovereign, Prince Albert, and Wivern, kept
their stations better than any three ships next to
each other in the fleet, and the hydraulic Water-
witch held her berth capitally astern of the twin
screws. The weather had now approached the sum-
mer aspect of Wednesday, and the sun shone as
brightly as then on the lines of ships as they stood
' out into the Channel, each ship at a cable's distance
and with about three cables' distance between the
two lines—a splendid and unparalleled display of
naval magnificence and power. The fleet continued
its course thusuntil 2.25 p.m., when the course was
changed 16 points by signal, and the fleet wheeled
again to port and to starboard in its respective lines,
bringing the ships' heads to about N.W., and for
the Nab light on its return towards Spithead. Signal
was then made to double the distance between ships
from one to two cables' length, and to return under
steam at five knots' rate, or at the same rate under
steam and sail, at the option of commanding officers
of ships. Topgallant and royal yrd men sprang
aloft, and laid in close in the tops in readiness for
the next order. "Away aloft," " Let fall," " Sheet
home," rapidly followed, and all plain sail was soon
crowded on each ship, the Valiant on this occasion
being the smartest ship with the flagship second by
a very few seconds. From the order being given on
board the Valiant, " Away aloft," until all the
royals were fairly set, the time was 1 minute 48
seconds. Many other ships in both lines may have
been within a second or two of the Valiant and V ic-
toria, but the times of all the ships could not be
taken from one point in the fleet. All did their best
in this competitive struggle aloft, and if all were not
winners they at least deserved to be so. The Sutlej
made no sail, having no yards aloft above her top-
sails ; the Mersey set no foretopgallant sail or roya
at the same time as the other ships, owing to her
accident, but soon after the other ships had done
aloft and coiled down ropes, she had made all right
again, and got all sail set like the rest. The Royal
Sovereign and Prince Albert, of course, scorned the
use of sails as contrary to their principles. All the
other ships had set their fore-courses, three topsails,
topgallant sails, and royals and their jib and flying
jib. The day's exercise was now over, and the fleet,
in all the beauty of swelling canvas, supplemented
by steam at its lowest grade of power. Slowly the
fleet moved in for the anchorage, the wind falling
very light, the Nab light being passed by the stern-
most vessel at 4.40 p.m. From the Nab the majority
of the ships held their way in under sail only with
just occasionally a turn or two with their screws to
keep position, until passing through St. Ileleu's
roads, where a general signal was made to
shorten sail to topsails. Under their topsails and
steam the fleet continued its progress towards Spit-
head. At 5 p.m. topsails were furled, and the Vic-
toria dropped anchor to her old berths soon after-
wards, the remainder of the fleet picking up their
berths in succession as they arrived in the anchorage.
The squadron under the command of Rear-
Admiral Warden, consisting of the ironclad Mino-
taur, Bellerophon, Lord Clyde, Achilles, and Pallas,
with the unarmoured screw frigates Liverpool and
Phoebe, will have joinel at Spithead by the time
his report appears in print.