The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-08 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Virago, 6, 220 horse power, Commander H.
M. Bingham, having been inspected by Vice-A
Sir B. Walker, Bart, K.C.8., Naval Comman-
der-in-Chief, left the Nore for the West Coast of
Ireland on Thursday evening, calling in at Spithead
on her way down Channel. She proceeds to Queens-
town, where she will receive her final instructions.
The iron troopship Malabar, 2, 4,173 tons, 700
horse power (nominal), one of the squadron of iron
transports building for the Hon. Council of India,
for carrying on the improved transport service of
officers and troops between this country and India,
will be launched from the establishment of Messrs.
Napier and Sons, Glasgow, to-day. The Malabar is
in all respects similar to the other vessels building
for the Government—viz., the Crocodile, building
at the yard of Messrs.Wigram and Co., Blackwall ;
the Euphrates building at Birkenhead by Messrs.
Laird and Sons, and launched a few days since ; the
Jumna, building at Jarrow by Messrs. Palmer ;
and the Serapis, building at the yard of the Thames
Shipbuilding Company, Blackwall. She is 360 feet
in length between perpendiculars, with a length of
keel for tonnage of 326 feet ; extreme breadth, 49
feet ; depth in hold, 22 feet 4 inches ; burden, 4,173
tons ; and mean draught of water, 30 feet. The
whole of the five vessels, which will cost, when com-
pleted and ready for sea, rather more than a million
sterling, resemble each other in every respect, and
will unquestionably constitute the finest steam tran-
sport fleet in the world. The Malabar hasbeen built
on the double-bottom unsinkable principle, the im-
portance of which is an iron vessel destined to carry
1,500 souls cannot be over-estimated. She has been
constructed from the designs of Mr. E. J. Reed,
Chief Constructor of the Navy, from whose plans
the other vessels of the squadron are being built,
while the whole of the internal arrangements
have been planned by Capt. W. R. Mends, C. 8.,
Principal Director of the Transit Service, aided
by his naval and military assistant& The cir-
cumstances connected with the designing of this
squadron of vessels were somewhat unusual. On

the original designs being requested to be prepared
for the Indian Government in the Controller's De-
partment at the Admiralty, Mr. Reed is understood
to have suggested that their construction should be
intrusted to private firms, several of whom were in-
vited to prepare plans and designs for the kind of
transports require Mr. Reed being in the mean-
time
requested to make an official design for the
Admiralty. On the various designs sent in being

submitted to the transport officers, none was found
satisfactory, on which the official design of Mr.
Reed was called for and fully approved. Before

_
finally adopting it, however, the Lords of the Ad-
miralty thought it desirable to subject the whole of
the desig3 to the investigation of an independent
and thoroughly well-informed committee, and ac-
cordingly Mr. Isaac Watts, C. 8., late Chief Con-
structor of the Navy, was called on to report on the
speed, stability, and other like features of the de-
sign ; Mr. W. Fairbairn, of Manchester, was re-
quested to report on the structural features, and
Capt. Mends, C. 8., on the general arrangements
and accommodation ; the result being that the offi-
cial design of Mr. Reed was again pronounced the
best on all the points, and was forthwith adopted.
Some idea of the capabilities of the new transport
may be inferred from the fact that they will afford
ample accommodation for 1,250 officers, troops,
women, and children in each ship, in addition to the
complement of 200 officers and seamen attached to
each vessel. The Malabar is to be fitted with en-
gines of 700 horse power, nominal ; but with surface
condensers, superheaters, and the other improved
appliances for economising steam, the actual power
of the engines will be about 5,000 horse, which will
enable the vessel to attain a mean speed of 14 knots,
or about 16 statute miles per hour. The space for
her coals will enable her to stow the enormous quan-
tity of 1,250 tons, or sufficient for 16 days' full
steaming. Two of the transports will be employed
in the service between Gravesend and Alexandria,
and two between Suez and the Indian ports, the
fifth vessel being kept as a reserve.
Messrs. Penn and Sons have commenced fitting
one of their improved high pressure double screw
engines on board one of the steam launches at Chat-
ham Dockyard, at which establishment Messrs.
-Mandalay and Co. yesterday completed fitting a
launch with a similar description of engine, which
will be officially tried next week.
In consequence of the recent outbreak of cholera
in one of the districts of Chatham largely occupied
by the married non-commissioned officers and men
of the Royal Marines Light Infantry, for whom no
barrack accommodation is provided, the whole of
the men lodging in the infected locality were, by
order of the Admiralty, ordered to leave the neigh-
bourhood and procure lodgings elsewhere. At the
meeting of the Chatham Local Board of Health held
yesterday a report was received from Dr. Jardine,
medical officer of health, announcing that there had
been no fresh outbreak of cholera in the district,
while there had not been a case since the 3d ult.
Under these circumstances it was decided to apply
to the authorities to allow the men to return to the
neighbourhood from which they had been compelled
to take their departure during the prevalence of
cholera.

The smiths and other ironworkers employed in the
Royal carriage department of 'Woolwich Arsenal
have been engaged for some time past, night and
day, in hastening forward the second batch of
wrought-iron gun-carriages, slides, platforms, &c.,
urgently demanded by the Board of Admiralty for
ships' use. The day gangs commence at 6 a.m., and
retire at 8 p.m., when the night-men take up the
work and continue until relieved on the following
morning. The number of carriages, &c., now in hand
—namely, 70, would, it was expected,
have been
delivered ready for issue at the end of November,
having been promised for that period. Very little
now remains to finish the whole, when, as a recom-
pense for their exertions the most experienced men
and those who may be deemed meritorious will be
awarded a week's additional pay, as granted on a
former occasion with good results.
Major-Gen. Sir R. Walpole, K.C.8., havinf, com-
pleted the prescribed period of five years' service
on the staff, at Gibraltar and Chatham, will retire
from the command of the latter district at the close

of the present month, and will be succeeded by
Major-Gen. F. Murray.
On Thursday evening the officers of the Woolwich
Division of Royal Marines Light Infantry enter-
tained Major-Gen. Maxwell at a farewell dinner, on

his retiring from the command of the division. Col.
Suther, C. 8., second commandant, in his address to

the general, said " that he only echoed the senti-
ments of every officer, non-commissioned officer,
private soldier, and drummer of the division when he
stated that he left behind a mixed feeling of pain
and pleasure—pleasure at his promotion to a supe-
rior rank, and pain for the loss of a commanding
Officer who, by his wise and kindly yet firm system
of command, had called forth the respect and affec-
tion of every member of the division, each of whom
felt by the retirement of Gen. Maxwell that he lost
a personal friend." The command of the division has
been assumed by Col. Suther, during the temporary
absence of Col. Connolly, the newly-appointed com-
mandant, on leave.
Gaudet, one of the directors of the Messageries
Imperiales Company, has completed the arrange-
ments with Capt. Gordon, Principal Military Super-
intendent of Stores at Woolwich, for the transmis-
sion of the whole of the stores intended to be ex-
posed at the Paris Exhibition, among which is the
monster gun of 23 tons weight, denominated " Big
11ill."

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Lieut. L. Dacres to the Bellero-
phon ; W. E. Scriven, second master, to the Black
Prince, additional, for service in the Advice ; E. 11.
Spray, second master, additional, to the Challenger,
for surveying duties ; A. S. D. Ridder, second mas-
ter, to the Bellerophon ; Dr. R. Irvine, surgeon, to
the Formidable; J. B. Nicoll, assist.-surg., to the
Asia ; J. Taylor and T. Burnes, first-class assist.-
engineers, to the Black Prince ; G. L. Miller, assist.
Paymaster, to the Dauntless ; and C. E. Goulds-
bury, clerk, to the Caledonia, as supernumerary.