The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-15 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The screw sloop Rosario, 11, 673 tons, 150-horse
power (unarmoured), Commander L. H. Versturme,
was put out of commission and the crew paid off in
the Chatham steam basin on Saturday morning,
under the superintendence of Capt. W. R. Hall,
superintendent of the dockyard, and the officials
connected with the Chatham and Sheerness Steam
Reserve. On the crew being paid off, William
Flashivan, ship's cook, was awarded a silver medal
and £lO by the Admiralty for long service and good
conduct. During the time the Rosario was in
commission—upwards of four years—she was at-
tached to the North American squadron, and was
employed chiefly in the West Indies. A consider-
able number of the officers as well as the crew who
left England in her have been invalided or trans-
ferred to other vessels, Commander J. S. Graham,
who originally commissioned the Rosario, relinquish-
ing the command within a short time after she left.
The crew were paid off in a very expeditious and
orderly manner, the majority at once proceeding on
the usual leave of absence granted by the Admiralty.
The Rosario goes into the third division of the
Steam Reserve, where she will await orders as to
her final disposal. Before she can again be placed
in commission she will require some extensive
repairs to both hull and machinery.
The Bristol, 31, screw frigate, Captain L. E. H.
Somerset, left Spithead for Plymouth, for repairs to
her machinery, which, if found not to require much
detention of the ship, will give the crew an oppor-
tunity of having leave granted them. She was
towed from Spithead clear of the Isle of Wight by
the Lucifer, Government steamtug.
The Boscawen, training ship for boys, Comman-
der Cockcroft, left Spithead on Saturday in tow of
the Gladiator, Capt. D'O. D'A. Aplin, for Portland,
where she is in future to be stationed, instead of
Southampton water.
The Surly, gunboat, has been carrying out some
experiments with torpedoes in Harwich harbour.
The Earnest, gunboat, has been attached as ten-
der to the Pembroke, 60, in the room of the Magnet
gunboat, which is under repair.
The Africaine, 44, one of the old class of sailing
frigates, for some years past attached to the Sailing
Reserve in Chatham harbour, is ordered to be
handed over to the Trinity-house Corporation, for
use in the lighthouse service at one of the outports.
The screw frigate Leander, 39, 400-herse power,
from the Pacific, is ordered to be paid off into the
Steam Reserve in the Medway on the morning of
the 17th inst. The work of stripping this vessel and
returning her stores and War Department material
into the dockyard was completed by her officers and
crew on Saturday afternoon. The Leander has been
in commission three years and a half.
The Lords of the Admiralty have appointed Mr.
Edward Swales, surgeon, to be the certified inspec-
tor of the Government hospital established at Sheer-
ness for the reception of patients under the Con-
tagious Diseases Prevention Act.
An order has been received at Chatham garrison,
from the Horse Guards, directing detachments from
the Ist Division of the Depot Brigade, Royal
Artillery, to be held in readiness to embark for
Hongkong and Japan, in the troop-ship Golden
Fleece, from Portsmouth.
Yesterday Major-Gen. Walpole, K.C.8., was en-
gaged in the inspection of the various depots com-
prising the 3d battalion of Infantry, under the com-
mand of Col. the Hon. J. J. Bourke, in continuation
of his half-yearly inspection of the troops quartered in
the Chatham district. In the early part of the day
Sir R. Walpole had the officers and men drawn up
in front of their quarters at St. Mary's barracks,
where they were inspected according to their
regimental depots, and their clothing, kits, arms,
accoutrements, &c., examined. The quarters, bar-
rack rooms, and barrack establishments were also
visited, and the usual inspection made of the books,
returns, and other official documents and records
connected with each of the depots. In the afternoon
the depots comprising the battalion, consisting of the
Ist and 2d battalions of the 10th Regiment, 2d bat-
talion of the 14th Regiment, Ist and 2d battalions
of the 22d Regiment, 34th Regiment, and 45th Re-

gintent, were marched to Chatham Lines, where,
under the direction of Major-Gen. Walpole, the
corps were put through an extended course of ma-
noeuvres, with the view of testing their efficiency in
battalion and other movements.
Yesterday a detachment of the 24th Regiment ar-
rived at Liverpool from Belfast en route for Sheffield.
Sir John Pakiugton and Vice-Admiral Sir Alex.
Milne were engaged the greater part of yesterday at
Portsmouth in inspecting the iron plated ships in
the steam basin of the dockyard, the troophhips
Himalaya and Urgent, the works for the contem-
plated extension of the dockyard, the hospital ac-
commodation available in the port, &c. Sir John
and the gallant Admiral left Portsmouth for Lon-
don in the evening:
Gen. Peel, who is now making an official tour in
the paddle wheel steam yacht Black Eagle, Staff-
Commander T. J. Whillier, is expected to call at
Plymouth for the purpose of inspecting the fortifi-
cations there.
The screw frigate Bristol, 31, 600 horse power
(machinery disabled), Capt. L. E. H. Somerset, ar-
rived at Spithead yesterday morning from the West
Coast of Africa station, where she has been doing
duty as flagship to the flag officer in command,
Commodore G. T. P. Hornby. The Bristol has come
home for the repair of her machinery, which broke
down utterly soon after her arrival out on the station
from England, and is ordered to proceed to Devon-
port for that purpose, the present scarcity of dock
accommodation at Portsmouth rendering it im-
possible to carry out her repairs at that port
with the despatch requisite for sending her out
again to her station. The Bristol sighted the
Scilly Islands ten days prior to her arrival at
Spithead, and since that time has been beating up
against constant head winds. On Thursday, in the
after part of the day, the Isle of Wight was made
out to windward, and at 1 a.m. yesterday the
frigate had fetched in and went about close under
the Nab Light vessel. At the most critical moment
the wind suddenly shifted a couple of points, and
the tide at the same time taking the quarter of the
frigate she fell foul of the light vessel and carried
away the latter's foremast. The men on watch in
the light vessel jumped overboard, but were picked
up by the remainder of the crew of the vessel, who
rushed out from below and lowered their boat ; all
then pulled away to the Warrior Light Vessel. The
Bristol anchored by the damaged lightship for the
remainder of the night, and yesterday morning at
daylight weighed her anchor and sailed into Spit-
head. The Fancy, gunboat, is ordered to do duty
for the Nab Light Vessel during the time the latter
is receiving repairs.
'which
Leander, 39, 400-horse power, screw frigate,
_boich recently arrived in the Medway from the
"c 'tic, will be ready for paying off and being put
out of
commission early in the ensuing week, the
work of dismantling and stripping her being nearly
completed. The crews of this frigate, as well as the
Rosario, also
on t the eve of being paid off, will place
500 seamen at the disposal of the
k .tabomdiyraoltf about
y, after they have completed their usual
leave of absence.
Thq engineers, smiths, d
e; alloyed overtime in thelltat hnoey others who have been
al carriage department ofWoolwichh
Arsenal,
gun construction. of the first
batch of the new iron
and slides,
urgently demanded by the Admirraliat2e:
mono
of one
anent of the fleet, yesterday reoeiveYa
aobr the arena
week's relative pay, entitled " exertion
stuns varying from 323. to t, and in a few'y'e"
£5 each ; the total sum amounting, it is stater:
about £1,200. A second batch of 70 carriages and
50 slides, to be completed by the Ist of December, is
now on hand, the men working as formerly from 6
o'clock in the morning until 10 at night. A relief
of men then take up the work, and continue through-
out the night, so that the machinery and hand labour
are incessant. In the event of the work being com-
pleted according to the stipulations, a similar bonus
has been conditionally promised by the War De-
partment. A larger number of the carriages and
slides already completed, together with their cor-
responding guns, turned out of the gun factory and
proved, were yesterday shipped for transport to the
various home stations. The Lord Panmure, Mr.
Spriddle, master in command, commenced shipping
from the Arsenal-wharf a heavy cargo of carriages,