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

Naval and Military Intelligence.

_
Yesterday the Lords Commissioners of the Ad-
miralty resumed and brought to a conclusion their
official inspection of the dockyard and other esta-
blishments under their control at Chatham, taking
up the inspection at the point finished on the pre-
vious day. Their lordships slept and breakfasted on
board the Admiralty yacht Enchantress, in the har-
bour, and during the interval which elapsed previous
to their landing yesterday the subjects under con-
sideration related to the proposed new undertakings
intended to be carried out at the dockyard—the
drawings and plans for which bad previously been
inspected—together with the enlarged works in pro-
gress and contemplated for the extension of the
dockyard eastward, and the construction of addi-
tional basins and docks large enough to admit ves-
sels of the largest size which may be constructed.
Sir J. Pakington and the other members of the
Board landed from the Enchantress in their barge,
and at once proceeded to the extremity of the dock-
yard where the extension works for the enlarge-
ment of the dockyard have been in progress for
several years past. The members of the Board were
received and conducted over the works by the offi-
cials to whom the superintendence of the undertak-
ing has been intrusted, including Major Clarke,
General Director of Admiralty Works ; Major Pas-
ley, Superintendent of Admiralty Engineering
Works at Chatham ; and Mr. Bernays, Resident
Engineer and Superintendent. Hitherto the princi-
pal work here has been the reclamation from the
sea of nearly the whole area of the fiat tidal
marshes known- as St. Mary's Island, covering an
extent of about-300 acres, together with such parts of
the creeks at Gillingham as are required to form the
site of the three large basins intended to be con-
structed. With the large convict establishment close
at hand the labour of the convicts has been utilized
in this respect, and up to the present time nearly the
whole of the works have been executed by the con-
victs. Sir John Pakington and his colleagues in the
course of their inspection yesterday traversed the
portions of the island on which the works have been
pushed forward with the greatest energy, and here
the progress made during the past 12 months is very
apparent. Upwards of 2,000 feet of massive sea-
wall across the western end of Gillingham Creek has
been finished, a length of 3,000 ft on the north side
been embanked and reclaimed from the sea, while
two massive embankments formed of earth and clay,
strengthened by piling, have been thrown across
the creek to the eastward, between the sea-wall and
the present dockyard. The effect of these under-
takings, whtch have been steadily carried on during
several years, have been to lay dry upwards of 200
acres of hitherto waste and unproductive land, and
here it is intended to form the site of the basins,
docks, factories, and other establishments for the
construction and repair of ironclad ships proposed
to be built. The works have now arrived at that
state that the Admiralty have wisely determined on
having the remainder executed by contract, and a
number of the leading contractors have already been
invited to' tender for the execution of the works.
These, as at present contemplated, include 1, the
repairing basin, with an area of 22 acres ; 2, the fac-
tory basin, covering a space of 20 acres ; 3, two
graving docks, each 500 ft. in length, adapted for the
reception of the largest class of ironclad ships ; and
4, the engine-house and machinery, together with the
other arrangements for pumping the water into and
from the docks when required. Each of the above
works will form a separate tender, and, from
the terms insisted upon by the Admiralty, the con-
tractors intrusted with the execution of the works
will be required, under heavy penalties, to complete
the repairing basin, the two docks, and the engine-
house in three years, and the factory basin within
four years from the date of the tender being accepted.
Their lordships yesterday visited and inspected the
sites of each of the above works, the space they will
occupybeing clearly seen by means of a line of flags,
while in the case of the basins and docks the exca-
vations are already being made by the convicts not
required on the other portions of the works. The
whole of the bricks required to be used in the works
will be supplied by the Admiralty, who will also
furnish the contractors with the cement and Port-
land stone, the bricks being made and the stones
dressed by the convicts on the works. Already a
large brickfield, covering an area of 16 acres, has
been formed on one portion of the island, where
several millions of bricks have been manufactured
by the convicts, two brick-making machines being
employed for the purpose, which together turn out
30,000 bricks in eight hours, the economy of con-
- vict labour in this respect showing to considerable
advantage. After spending some time on this por-
tion of the works the members of the Board visited
the site of the fitting-out basin, the largest of the
three new basins intended to be formed, the area of
which will be about 33 acres. The sea wall which
will form the embankment for this basin is now in
course of construction. Among the works already
executed and inspected by the Admiralty yesterday
was a portion of the massive work of the repairing
basin, a length of 600 ft. of which has been com-
pleted, principally by convict labour, chiefly for the
,purpose of showing the contractors a specimen of
the woik to be done, and at the same time to
ascertain, by actual trial prior to the contracts
being decided upon, how the difficulties in
the way of getting in the foundations in a very
treacherous soil could be effected. After completing
• their inspection of the works connected with the
formation of the basins and docks, their Lordships
proceeded to the buildings in progress to be used as
factories for the manufacture and repair of steam
machinery. The foundation walls of these build-
ings have been completed by the convicts, the build-
ings themselves forming a qUadrangle, and covering
an area of some 14 acres, about half of which will
be occupied in the first instance. During their in-
spection their lordships had under consideration the
desirability of having a second contract for the exe-
cution of this portion of the undertaking, in order
that the buildings may be completed and ready for
use jointly with the first two basins and the two
docks. During their
progress over the works yes-
terday the importance of having the new basins and
docks by as early a date as possible was insisted
upon by the members of the Board, it being impos-
sible to overrate the advantages of having lm.g,
basins and docks available for the refitting and re-
pair of the largest ironclads, remote from the pos-
sibility of injury from hostile guns of even the
longest range, as is the case with Chatham, in the
event of this country being engaged in a European
war. With the view of forwarding as much as pos-
sible those parts of the works at Chatham intended
to be executed by convict labour the prison at St.
Mary's is now being enlarged to enable it to contain
1,500 prisoners. At present only about 900 convicts
are employed, but in a few months about 1,400
hands, in addition to the contractors' workmen,
will be engaged on the dockyard extension works.
Before leaving the dockyard their lordships trans-
acted official business with Captain Superintendent
IV. U. Stewart, C. 8., and the other heads of de-
partments, and subsequently visited the several estab-
lishments, 'wharves, slips, and buildings not inspected
on the previous day. At the termination of their
visit yesterdaythe
Enchantress,
of the Board re-em-
barked in the Staff-Commander Pet-
ley, and inspected the fortificationst at Folly Point
and Bishop's Marseene.
hr,afsserwards proceeding down
Sheerness. the harbour to After the inspection of
were todi
the dockyard they
WalkneerlaNstavevlerciing with
Vice-Admiral Sir B. W.
Comman-
der-in-Chief, returning to the Admiraltya to-day.
The crew of the screw steam gunvessel Sparrow,
5, Commander St. Clair, in Plymouth Sound, re-
cently returned froln the West Coast of Africa
were mustered and inspected on
Monday by Capt.
Seymour, of the Royal Adelaide. Yesterday rho
went into Hamoaze, and was placed on the jetty
alongside the Devouport dockyard, for the pur-
pose of being dismantled and placed iu the third
division of the Steam Reserve. Her crew will be
paid off in a few days.
The armour-plated screw steamship Zealous, 20,
belonging to the first division of outside Steam Reserve
in Hamoaze, went yesterday Ply
Breakwater, to test her engines and machinery.
A court-martial was held yesterday on board the
Royal Adelaide, in Hamoaze, for the trial of Mr.
Thomas William Johnson, assist.-engineer, first-

class, her Majesty's ship Indus, for drunkenness on
board the Seahorse, while in temporary charge of
her engines. Capt. Ewalt, of the Ca nbi idge, pre-
sided. ' The prisoner pleaded guilty, and was sen-
t tenced to be dismissed from her Majesty's service.