The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-31 00:00:00

,

- _.,--

Naval and Military Intelligence.

~~-

The Pallas, 6, ironcased screw corvette, 2,372
tons, 600-horse power, Captain Matthew Connolly,
is being pushed forward for her completion with the
utmost despatch. Her Mangin screw has been un-
shipped, and a two-bladed Griffiths' propeller is
making to be fixed in its place. The ship is now
lying in the large basin in Sheerness dockyard,
where a large number of workmen are engaged in
painting her and completing the sea fittings con-
nected with her rigging, stores, and armament,
which were unfinished when she left Woolwich for
her steam trials, and which it was considered more
convenient to complete at Sheerness than at Wool-
wich.

The Endymion, 22, screw frigate, 2,486 tons,
500-horse power, which is completing her fitments
in Sheerness dockyard, has beeh placed under the
steam-masting sheers, where the shipment of her
masts has been nearly complete. When this is done
the vessel will be placed in dry dock for the pur-
pose of having her bottom coated with copper. The
engines, manufactured by Messrs. Napier and Co.,
of Glasgow, have been taken on board. It is pro-
bable some months will elapse before the vessel is
completed, as she was not much more than a mere
hull when brought from Woolwich, and the chief
part of the dockyard staff are at present engaged on
the Pallas and other vessels which will be required
before the Endymion.
The Favourite, 10, screw ironcased corvette,
2,094 tons, 400-horse power, Capt. F, H. Short, at
present lying in Sheerness harbour, will on Thurs-
day be placed in dry dock to have her bottom
scraped, preparatory to her being placed in com-
mission.
Capt. W. H. Stewart, the Superintendent of
Chatham dockyard, has granted what is justly
looked upon as a great boon to the workmen em-
ployed on the establishment—the privilege of smok-
ing in the dockyard during the dinner-hour,
the practice of smoking in her Majesty's dockyards
being, until recently, strictly prohibited. The places
set apart in which the mechanics will be allowed to
smoke are under the first and second class sheds,
the smitheries, metal and lead mills, boilermaker's
shop, and engine-houses. Smoking is not allowed
at any other time than the dinner hour, except on
extraordinary occasions.
The date for the departure of the ironclad frigate
Bellerophon, 14, 4,270 tons, 1,000-horse power,
Capt. E. Tatham, which was to be undocked at
Chatham to-morrow, has been altered, subsequent
orders from the Admiralty directing that she be de-
tained in dock until the next springs, to admit of a
large amount of work remaining to be finished on
board being completed. She will accordingly re-
main in dock until the 16th, or probably the 17th
proximo, when she will at once proceed to Ports-
mouth, where she will make her speed trials with an
ordinary two-bladed Griffith's screw, which has
been substituted for the four-bladed propeller she
prevously had. Her decks are now crowded with
mechanics and labourers, and the utmost exertions
are being used by all on board to have her as far ad-
vanced as possible before undocking. Her upper
steel masts and steel yards are fixed, and her stand-
ing rigging, as well as,' most of her running gear,
has been set up. She bent courses yesterday. On
her main deck, forward and aft, the fitting for the
officers and crew are getting well forward, the mid-
ship battery, in which the nominal 300-pounder
guns will be placed, being kept entirely free. The
addition recently made to her bow gives her lines in
that direction a much finer appearance, while the
additional stem will have the further advantage of
lessening the resistance of the water against her
former receding stem, when the frigate was being
driven at full speed. A fine bronzed Grecian shield
surmounts the bow, and adds considerably to her
formidable appearance forward. The slight defect
mentioned some time since as being found to exist in
some portion of her machinery has been made good,
and she will leave Chatham dockyard in all respects
as perfect an ironclad as it is possible to produce.
The contemplated contractor's trial of the ma-
chinery of the ironcased frigate Royal Alfred yes-
terday at Portsmouth was deferred.

Her Majesty's iron steam storeship Megora, 1,395
tons, and 350-horse power, Captain Montagu B.
Dunn, having 'shipped a cargo of victualling stores
at Deptford for the coast of Africa, is ordered to
call at Woolwich, and embark a detachment of non-
commissioned officers and privates of the Royal
Marine Light Infantry, for the Island of Ascen-
sion. The mes have been specially selected from
their knowledge of various trades, in which their
time will be principally occupied during their term
of service—namely, three years.
One colour-sergeant and 19 privates Royal Ma-
rines were paraded and ordered to be medically at-
tested yesterday at Woolwich, under orders to
proceed to Portsmouth for passage in Her Majesty's
39 screw-frigate Liverpool, to join the Hibernia,
flagship of the Admiral-Superintendeitt of the
Dockyard at Malta. Lieut. Morris and two ser-
geant-instructors of musketry were also ordered to
accompany the detachment for service at Malta.

The hired sailing transport Talbot, Captain
James, belonging to Messrs. Temperly, Carter, and
Darke, of London, arrived at Spithead yesterday
morning from Bombay, with troops on board, un-
der contract with the Hon. Council for India. The
troops were as follows :--Brevet-Major Hastings
and Mrs. Hastings, Lieut. St. John T. Frome, En-
sign M. H. Ede Cetto, T. Winslow, T. S. Gildea,
T. H. H. Barstow ; Assist.-Surg. E. Footner ; two
companies ; 85 non-commissioned officers and men ;
110 time-expired and discharged soldiers from
various regiments, 3 pensioners, 17 convicts, 9
women, and 26 children. Two births occurred
during the voyage and one death only, the troops
having enjoyed excellent health since leaving India.
The Talbot sailed from Bombay on the 16th of
October, and from the Cape on the 9th of December.
On entering Simon's Bay the Talbot met tler Ma-

jesty's ship Conqueror coming out under steam for
England, and she has thus beat the line-of-battle ship
upwards of 3 days in making the voyage between the
Cape and Spithead. Fine weather was experienced
by the Talbot throughout the passage from the
Cape to Spithead. In Simon's Bay she left anchored
the .Grecian, sailing transport, from Hongkong,
bound to Spithead with troops and invalids. During
the passage homeward, since leaving Simon's Bay,
the Talbot spoke,--on the 18th of December, in lat.
18.30 S., long. 2.30 W., the bark Precursor, from
Algoa Bay for London, 16 days out ; on the 3d of
January, in lat. 3.20 N., long. 28.11 W., the bark
Catherine Morrison, from Monte Video for Cardiff,
40 days out. The troops will be disembarked from
the Talbot at Spithead this morning, by the aid of
Government steamers, and the ship will immediately
afterwards sail for London to deliver her cargo.
The Royal Marine Light Infantry battalion, with
the naval and marine supernumeraries brought to
England from China and Japan in her Majesty's
ship Conqueror, Capt. Luard, whose arrival at
Spithead was announced in The Sun of yesterday,
were disembarked from that ship soon after 7 a.m.
yesterday. The ROyal Marine battalion were offi-
cially inspected on landing at the Royal Clarence
Victualling-yard, Gosport, by 11lajor-Gen. A. B.
Stransham, Inspector-Gen. of her Majesty's Marine
Forces, when the appearance and :general bearing
of officers and men were highly commended. On
the dismissal of the parade the battalion was broken
up, and each part sent on to the headquarters of its
respective division, the Woolwich, Chatham, and
Devonport portions by railway from the Gosport
'terminus of the London and South-Western Rail-
way Company, and those belonging to the Ports-
mouth division marching into the divisional head-
quarters at Forton, near Gosport.
The detachments of the 2d Battalion 4th King's
Own Regiment, 2d Battalion 15th Regiment, 2d
Battalion 20th Regiment, and the 29th Regiment,
under orders to leave Chatham for embarkation for
the Mediterranean and China, will not leave the
garrison for some weeks, the date of their intended
embarkation having been altered.

An officer, recently returned from Andersonville,
Georgia, states thero is but a small garrison of about
twenty mon stationed there, who are guarding the old
stockade and cemetery, which are still undisturbed,
although numerous threats to burn the stockade have
been made by the chivalry of the surrounding
country.