The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-20 00:00:00

THE SON, LONDON, TUESDAY
_EVENING, AIARCH 20, 1866.

fitted at each end, through which four 6f-ton 7in.
rifled guns will be mounted, to fire in a line with
the vessel's keel. The central armour on each side
of the ship is the side armour of the main battery of
the ship enclosed in a space about 100 ft. in length
by the breadth of the ship by a 51in. armour-plated
bulkhead thrown across the gundeck at each end of
the outer plating. Sitting in a boat alongside the ship
it is impossible to detect where the line of plating
begins on the ship's hull or where it ends, so beau-
tifully is the work finished, The lower masts of the
ship are of iron, and all spars -above them, with the
exception of the three topgallantmasts, the mizcn
topsailyard, and the studdingsail booms, are of steel.
The general smartness of the rig adds greatly to the
outward appearance of the ship. Inboard, the ship
appears to much greateradvantage than when viewed
externally. Those portions of the main deck for-
ward and aft of the central battery, where the offi-
cers and crew mess and sleep, are of unusual height,
and have an amount of light and ventilation beyond
that of any other ship in her Majesty's navy. The
ship's battery occupies a central position between
these two portions of the deck, and is entered by an
ascent of two steps at each end from the mess deck.
The guns, 10 12-ton wrought-iron 9-inch rifles, will
be mounted in the battery 15ft. apart, and will be
trained by the machinery on Mr. Reed's plan, which
is fitted to each gun. The gear is somewhat heavy
and costly, but it has the advantages of having none
of its parts on the gundeck except a radial arm of
metal, which works in a slot underneath the gun
slide, and the six men who work it are placed with
the working gear on the deck below the battery, out
of all danger from the shot or shell of an enemy.
In point of comfort to the crew the Bellerophon's
arrangement of her main deck is immeasurably supe-
rior to that of the Warrior, Minotaur, and otherves-
sels whose crews mess between the guns on the battery
deck. When the Warrior was in commission and the
ship was coaling it could only be effected by render-
ing the mess-deck dirty and uncomfortable to the
crew. At quarters, too, the men's messes were all
capsized to give room for working the guns, and this
was another piece of discomfort to the men, who
were often heard lamenting the loss of the wooden
frigates, which gave them a clear lower deck to mess
and sleep upon, and kept all above that for duty.
In the Bellerophon the ship is coaled through the
battery only, and the mess-deck is never disturbed
or covered with coal dust. At quarters, too, her
crew simply walk out of their messes into the battery.
The men's messes, therefore, under the new condi-
tion of things on board the ship, can be kept as
permanently clean, dry, and comfortable as in the
best days of the wooden frigate, and with an un-
limited supply of air and light. In all the fittings
of the frigate the old dockyard rules of " ponde-
rosity" of material, without any reference to utility,
have been abandoned, and the eye can rest on
nothing in which lightness combined with strength
has not been the guiding principle.
The frigate altogether, in workmanship and finish
of her hull and fittings, far exceeds anything of
the kind seen previously at Portsmouth. She is a
great credit to the skill and abilities of the officers
and workmen of Chatham yard.

to Earl Brownlows, or Mr. Aug.ustus Smiths, to
decree or dispute as to the limits of trespass, or the
form of admonition to be visited on trespassers ;
and while we congratulate the public upon the con-
stitutional protest just made, we earnestly hope its
effect will be, not merely to preserve Berkhampstead
Common from further encroachments, but to so
simplify the law, that " annexing" our neighbours'
commons will be as severely prohibited as filching
our neighbours' goods.—Hertford Mercury.

betting was 6t04 on Steel, Messrs. Scott and Sterling
officiated as referees,

BIRMINGHAM.
On Saturday, at Aston Cross Grounds, G. Stevens, of
Birmingham, and Braham's Novice, ran 110 yards, for £lO.
The Novice won by two yards. The betting was 2to 1
on the winner. Mr. Marson was referee.