The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-10 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelli;ence.

Several hundred tons of the 9-inch, 6-inch, and
other descriptions of armour-plates have been re-
ceived at Chatham from the establishment of Messrs.
John Brown and Co., Atlas Works, Sheffield, to
be used in plating the ironclad frigate Hercules,
12, 1,200-horse power, under construction at the
dockyard. The plates are of rolled iron, and
those of nine inches in thickness are the largest
ever, Jet manufactured for an English ironclad,
a4hough plate's of 13 inches in thickness have been
rolled by the same firm for the Russian Govern-
ment. Additional machinery of a more power-
ful description than any ever used in the dockyard
has recently been set up for planing, bending,
boring, and otherwise preparing the plates in readi-
ness for their being bolted to the vessel's side.
The whole of the guns, carriages, shot, and shell
from the screw frigate Leander, 39, 400-horse power,
and the Rosario, 11, 150-horse power, have been
transferred to the War Department transports for
landing at the Ordnance-wharf, Chatham, both
vessels being rapidly dismantled preparatory to being
paid off out of commission and placed in the Steam
Reserve ordinary.
Commander Sullivan, her Majesty's paddlewheel
yacht Vivid, at Woolwich, yesterday received a
telegram from the Board of Admiralty, ordering
the Vivid to be held in readiness to proceed this
morning to Calais, and await the commands of the
Queen of Denmark, who is about to pay a visit to
the Prince and Princess of Wales. The Queen will
probably embark on board the Vivid on Saturday
or Sunday, and will cross to Dover for London.
The shipwright department at Woolwich yester-
day commenced laying down the blocks for receiving
the keel of the new screw steamship Thalia, ordered
to be constructed as speedily as possible for service.
The double screw iron and wood gunboat Vixen,
commissioned at Woolwich by Commander Spencer
P. Brett, late of the Asia, guardship of reserve,
carrying the flag of Rear-Admiral Wellesley, C. 8.,
Superintendent at Portsmouth, is ordered to be
docked at Woolwich for examination, preparatory
to her departure for sea. Her guns and Palliser
chilled shot, &c., are all on board, and her crew,
consisting of 80 of all ranks, together with one ser-
geant, one corporal, and 12 privates, Royal Marines,

are in readiness for transfer.
The Sylvia, constructed' at Woolwich, and fitted
for survey, is ordered to have a crew of 90 meu and
boys. A number of seamen gunners from the Ex-
cellent at Portsmouth arrived yesterday at Wool-
wich, having been told off to join the Vixen and the
Sylvia for service.
The sum of £3O from the underwriters at Lloyd's
has been received at the Fisgard's office at Wool-
wich as a remuneration to the warrant officers and
men, 120 in number, who, at the request of the
officers of the Accrington, hastened up to Blackwall
in September, 1865, and succeeded, with much ex-
ertion and labour of five hours, in extinguishing
the fire on board that vessel, which threatened the
destruction of the shipand cargo, valued at £40,000.
The distribution of the money, it is stated, is at-
tended with much difficulty from the absence, after
the lapse of so long a time, of a number of the men,
and the discontent and unwillingness of others to
accept the trifle apportioned to their share. The
Accrington, as stated in The Sun, was laden with
railway sleepers steeped in creosote, and but for the
prompt and willing assistance rendered by the steam
floating fire-engine, towed up from Woolwich by
the Monkey, and which filled the hold with water,
not a remnant of the ship and cargo could have been
saved.