The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-20 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

VALETTA, Jan. 15.—Her Majesty despatch vessel
Caradoc, 2, Lieut.-Commander E.Wilkinson, left
Malta on the 12th inst., for Constantinople, for the
disposal of the British Ambassador. The Tyrian,
gunboat, 2, Lieut.-Commander P. J. Murray, re-
turned from Tunis to-day. She was unable to ac-
complish one of the objects of her mission, that of
communicating with the keepers of the Cane Rocks
Lighthouse, on account of bad weather. Lieut. H.
F. Hovenden, appointed by the Admiralty to com-
mand this vessel, arrived yesterday by the Massilia,
from Southampton. - Capt. E. G. Horne, 25th Foot,
appointed Major of Brigade to the 2d Brigade at
Malta, in succession to Capt. Swann, 22d Foot,who
has become Deputy-Assist. Quartermaster-Gen. in
Ireland, also arrived by the Massilia. H.M.S. Ter-
rible, 21, paddlewheel frigate, Capt. G. J. Napier,
arrived to-day from Corfu. She left that island on
the 12th inst., having been relieved on the 10th by
the Arethusa, 35, screw frigate, Capt. R. J. J. G.
Macdonald. She brought no news of importance.
The Chanticleer, 17, stew corvette, Commander 'N.
H. Fenwick, also came in to-day from Patras,
having been relieved by the Assurance, 4, gunboat,
Commander H. B. Woollcombe. Her Majesty's
surveying ships Hydra and Firefly have been in-
spected by Rear-Admiral Yelverton, C. 8., and as
regards the service for which they were commis-
sioned found to be perfectly efficient. Official in-
telligence of the death of the King of the Belgians
has just been received here. On the 13th, 14th, and
to-day the flags were hoisted half-mast on the forts,
ships of war in port, foreign Consulates, and other
public buildings, in consequence of the Consul for
Belgium having given official intimation to the
authorities of the event. In the letter of the
12th inst. mention was made of the Hawk having
picked up the faulty part of the Malta and Alex-
andria cable. I have now much pleasure in announ-
cing that telegraphic communication between Ben-
gazi and Alexandria has been restored, and that
the line is again open to the public. The English
schooner yacht Myth, having on board Viscount
Lismore and family, which arrived at Malta on the
4th inst. from Cowes and Algiers, left on the 13th.
The English schooner yacht Medma, having on
board Mr. G. H. Wildea and Mr. Baird, arrived on
the 10th inst. last from Algiers. Her Majesty's
ships in port are—the Victoria, Hibernia, Cale-
donia, Gibraltar, Royal Oak, Meeanee, Resistance,
Terrible, Hydra, Cossack, Chanticleer, Surprise,
Enterprise, Firefly, Tyrian, Cockatrice, and Hearty.
The iron frigate Minotaur steamed into Ports-
mouth harbour yesterday at high water from Spit-
head, and was berthed alongside the dockyard. She
is ordered to receive onboard a 12k-ton 9-inchrifled
gun—the " Woolwich gun," as it is now generally
termed, from itssystem of rifling—and its carriage,
which will be mounted on the fourth main deck
central gunport, which has been constructed in the
Minotaur's main deck battery for this description of
ordnance. The port and deck fittings for the gun and
its carriage and slide have yet to be prepared, and this
will necessarily occupy several days. When this has
been completed, the ship, according to the present
arrangements of the Admiralty, will sail from Ports-
mouth for Portland, and in her subsequent trials
from that anchorage her course will be extended
sufficiently far westward to insure her meeting with
waves large 'enough to give her the desired lateral
motion or "roll"—from 14 to 16 deg. each way.
This will at once and definitively settle the disputed
question as to the possibility of efficiently working
12f ton guns on a ship's broadside in a considerable
seaway, and also define the exact merits and deme-
rits of their present competitive gun carriages and
slides, their compressors, running in out and out
gear, training gear, and other points of detail. What
trials have taken place on board the Minotaur on her
two cruises south of the Isle of Wight, on Wednes-
day and Thursday, the 17th and 18th inst., have
been confined to three gun carriages and their slides
—Commander R. Scott's, iron; theWoolwich Arsenal,
I iron; and the wooden Admiralty pattern carriage
improved according to the suggestions of Capt. A.
C. Key, C.B. The trials, however, were really so
limited, owing to the ship's hull being so large, and
hence slightly affected by what sea there was found
in the Channel south of Dunnose, that we may dis-
card any consideration of what has been so far done
with the wooden carriage and its slide, and make
only a very few, and necessarily very brief, remarks
upon the two iron carriages and their slides. On the
Wednesday there was a moderately fresh breeze near
the land in the Channel ; but no waves of sufficient
volume to materially affect the ship's steadiness
could be met either close in with the land or off in
the main tideway. The maximum roll attained by
the ship was only 8 deg. each way. On the follow-
ing day the weather was squally in the morning,
with the wind, as on the previous day, from the S.W.
(the south cone cautioning signal being up), and it
freshened considerably in the afternoon. The Mino-
taur was really less fortunate on this second than on
her first search for big waves, as she only succeeded
in giving her sides a maximum roll about 4 deg.
each way. Any reliable comparative results were
therefore out of the question, beyond these somewhat
general observations, that Commander Scott's iron
carriage and slide worked remarkably well, and proved
the excellence of its mechanical fittings as turned
out of hand by the engineering staff of Woolwich
dockyard, or whichever department of that yard or
arsenal may have done the work. The Woolwich
Arsenal iron carriage and slide, which appears to be
wonderfully rough in appliances and general finish
in comparison with the carriage and slide on Com-
mander Scott's plan, has so fax proved itself good
and serviceable. It is simple, and consists of few
parts, but it had serious defects in its general ar-
rangement. Any further comparison between the
two would at the present time be premature. Speak-
ing of all three carriages and their slides, however,
it may safely be observed that there is not a single
new mechanical contrivance about either of them.
Some very rapid firing was made from the guns
mounted on both these carriages and slides on Com-
mander Scott's and the Arsenal plan on Wednesday
and Thursday, but especially on the latter day.
Rapid firing means necessarily also ease of working,
but this fact must be taken only for what it is worth
lin considering that the ship was only attaining a
maximum roll at the time of 4 deg. Whatever may
be done on board small ships, it may be considered
now so far certain
that on board the Minotaur,
with well-trained
gun's crews, a 12} ton gun,
mounted and worked with our present mechanical
appliances, as adapted to the carriages and slides on
board the Minotaur, may be handled on the broad-
side with much greater facility and ease than the
old 112 cwt. 68 pounder gun on a pivot on board our
paddle steamers 20 years ago. The former throws
a rifled projectile of 2251 b., and the latter a spheri-
cal one of 681 b. What can be really done with the
12i ton gun in rough weather the forthcoming
cruise of the Minotaur must decide. The rifled Din.
gun for the Minotaur arrived at Portsmouth from
Woolwich in the Dee steam storeship on Thursday.
The screw frigate Endymion, 22, 2,486 tons, 500
horse power, fitting in the steam basin for the Chat-
ham steam reserve in the Medway, has shipped the
whole of her boilers and the greater portion of
the heavy parts of her machinery, manufactured
by the firm of Messrs. Napier and Son, Glasgow,
and will be so far completed as to be able to
make her preliminary contractors' trial of speed in
the course of a few weeks. The details of the arma-
ment she is intended to mount have not yet been re- ,
ceived at the Chatham Ordnance establishment.
The Rattlesnake, Commodore A. P. E. Wilmot,
C. 8., from Sierra Leone Dec. 24, arrived in Ply-
mouth yesterday evening. She is 110 men short of