The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-08 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

On Tuesday morning a Court-martial assembled
on board her Majesty's ship Formidable, flagship of
Vice Admiral Sir B. W. Walker, K.C.8., Com-
mander-in-Chief at the Nore, to try Thos. Neville,
of her Majesty's ship Pylades, captain of the after-
guard of the ship, for deserting her at Halifax on
the 4th of Feb., 1866 ; and, secondly, with making
away on the 2d of Feb., 1866, with the sum of £7
175., the money of a mess in which the prisoner was
the caterer. The Court consisted of Capt. S. L. Crof-
ton, additional to her Majesty's ship Cumberland, for
service in the Naval Barracks, Sheerness, president ;
Capt. D. M'L. Mackenzie, of H.M.S. Formidable;
Commander J. P. Sherburne, of H.M.S. Wellesley;
Commander W. L. Partridge, of H.M.S. Cumber-
land; and Commander E. Nares, H.M.S. Reindeer.
Mr. H. Knight, of the firm of Essell, Knight, and
Arnold, Admiralty solicitors, Rochester, was deputy.
judge-advocate. Capt. A. W. Hood, of H.M.S. Py-
lades, prosecuted. The prisoner pleaded guilty, and
threw himself upon the mercy of the Court. Capt.
A. W. A. Hood said that previous to Feb. 4, 1866,
his character was very good, and that he was satis-
fied with the manner in which he did his duty. The
Court then was cleared, and after an hour's delibe-
ration, and on the Cot re-assembling, the prisoner
was sentenced to be reduced to an able seaman of
the second class, and to undergo two years' impri-
sonment, with hard labour, in Lewes Gaol.
Additional particulars have been received at Chat-
ham respecting the final trial of the ships comprising
the Channel squadron, under steam, during the run
from the coast of Ireland to Plymouth. On leaving
Bantry Bay, on the Ist inst., a short trial of the
squadron at full speed took place, when in the course
of the trial, which lasted only two hours, the Achilles
beat every other ship, the shorter vessels acquitting
themselves remarkably well, with the exception of
the Bellerophon, which on this occasion took the
fourth place only. The ponderous Lord Clyde,
which represents in the squadron Mr. Reed's class of
wood-built frigates, completely clad with thick ar-
mour, took the second place, while the Pallas, which
has gained the palm for sailing in all trials, and
under all circumstances, followed next. The Pallas,
it may be remarked, is 50ft. shorter than other fri-
gates of the squadron, and by thus taking the third
place, beating even the Caledonia, Ocean, and Hec-
tor, and coming so near the Achilles, has vindicated
the character of the new ships as steamers, which
the momentary failure of the Bellerophon might
otherwise have compromised. The low speed at-
tained by the Bellerophon at the commencement of
the trial was attributed to the circumstance of one of
the bearings of the engine having been screwed too
tightly, and to the sudden priming of the boilers,
which resulted iu her steaming, fora short time, at
11 knots only, while there is little doubt she would
have been beaten
the deytfhecetswhnoolte obfeetnhervemesesceilid
seo.f the
l
consequence of these accidents during the short race
a further trial oftohuh
the Bellerophon was ordered on
her way to Portsm
atzulting in a speed of rather
more than 14 knots,
rn
achieved in August last at theequalling, in fact, that
Bay. It is scarcelycasured mile, Stokes
Possible to
importance of the long series of suecessOver estimate the
whichduringPallas has attained during the cruise of the squad-
ron, inasmuch as they completely dissipate the
opinion universal in the ship-building world to a
year or two since, that enormous length was the
leading desideratum iu our d ironcla
ships. Durinc,
the cruise the Pallas succeeded in b •
eating every-
thing under canvas, and followed close upon the
heels of the Achilles, which proved herself the fastest
vessel of the squadron under steam, and that not-
withstanding the Pallas is 155 ft. shorter than the
Achilles. Since the trials the Pallas has proceeded
to Galway for a short time.
The screw corvette Pylades, 21, 350-home power,
of
was yesterday put out commission, and her crew
supervision of Capt. W. K.
paid .off under the s
Hall, C. 8., superintendent of Sheerness Dockyard.
She has been in commission within a few weeks of
four years, during which period she has been at-
tached to the squadron on the West Coast of Ame-
rica. On being paid off yesterday the crew were
granted six weeks' leave of absence. Capt. A. W.
A. Hood, who commissioned the Pylades, and re-
turned to England with her, has been appointed to
the command of the Excellent, gunnery ship at
Portsmouth.

The Lily, 4, 702 tons, 200-horse power, having
been dismantled on her return from the North
America and West India station,
was yesterday put
out of commission, and placed in the third division
of the Steam Reserve in the Medway.
Yesterday the B Battery, 4th Brigade, Royal Field
Artillery, with the whole of the horses, Armstrong
guns, animunition waggons, and other materiel, left
Chatham garrison, en route for York, where the
battery is to be stationed for the winter.
Two officers, two sergeants, and 48 rank and file
of the Bth depot battalion have been withdrawn from
Landguard Fort, Harwich. Sergeant Wood and
Corporal Glover, of the 84th Regiment, having qua-
are held in readiness to
lifted at the gymnasium at Aldershot, as instructors,
proceed to Malta to join tl,e
gymnasium:at that station,where also their reiLnent
of tke 100th
is quartered. Lance-corporal Brown,