The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-30 00:00:00

2HE NAVY.

The Virago, 6, paddle, Commander A. J. H.
Johnstone, with the Sparrow, 6, screw gunveseel,
in tow, arrived at Spithead during the night of
Saturday from Chatham, and sailed again yester-
day morning for the westward, calling in Plymouth
Sound, whence she is expected. to proceed to the
North American and West India station.
The necessary estimates and drawings are ordered
by the Admiralty to be prepared at Chatham dock-
yard for the conversion of the large line-of-battle
steamer Bulwark, 91 guns, building at that esta-
blishment, into a 51-gun iron-clad frigate, of the
same class as the Royal Oak, under construction on
an adjoining slip. The Bulwark, which is a sister
ship to the Hero, 91, Orion, 91, and other vessels
of that rating built at Chatham, has been in pro-
gress about two'years,and although entirely planked,
and in fact about three-fourths completed, the whole
of the workmen have been withdrawn from her for
several months past, the Admiralty being undecided
whether she should be finished as what she has been
all along intended for—a line-of-battle screw steamer,
or altered to one of the large iron-clad 51 gun fri-
gates. The latter intention appears too have been at
length resolved upon. The Bulwark is one of the
largest of the 91 gun ships, her extreme length
being 266 ft., her breadth 55ft., and her burden 3,094
tons. The proposed alterations will necessitate her
being cut asunder, and an addition of 20ft. made to
her length amidships, besides which her decks will
be required to be raised, and some other impor-
tant alterations effected in her to increase her
strength, and enable her to sustain the enormous
weight of the slabs of iron with which her sides
will be covered.

Orders were on Saturday received at Chatham
for the Defence, 22, iron steamer, to be fur-
nished with 16 broadside 100-pounder Armstrong
guns 'on her main deck, and two 100-
pounder Armstrong pivot guns on the upper deck.
The third dock at Chatham, in which she is to be
placed, is entirely ready for her reception, the
blocks having been cut away, so as to give her an
increased depth of water in the operation of dock-
ing. Every arrangement has been made for fixing
her iron masts on board as soon as these have been
received from the Thames Iron Company.
Various officers and men belonging to the Wool-
wich division of Royal Marines, arrived at head-
quarters from her Majesty's screw steamship
Renown, were, on Saturday granted five and six
weeks leave of absence from.the division.

The floating battery Trusty, fitted with Captain
Coles's experimental shield, was on Saturday re-
ceived into basin at Woolwich, to be stripped and
placed in reserve.
The screw steamship Niger, recently paid off
from the Australian station, was on Saturday
hauled out of basin at Woolwich, in preparation
for being docked, and the Archer, screw steam cor-
vette, Capt. Craufurd, from the West Coast of Africa,
was on Saturday hauled into basin at Woolwich,
and commenced stripping and dismantling, and will
pay off on Saturday next, the sth of October.
Our correspondent at Plymouth has received a
letter from the screw steam corvette Charybdis, 21,
Capt. the Hon. George D. Keane. It is dated at
Singapore, Aug. 21, and says :—" We are to leave
here about the let of September for Hong Kong,
and expect to be about 12 days making the passage.
The ship will be docked there, as she struck on a
rock during the last cruise, and the divers who
have been down report that a portion of her false
keel is knocked off, and that 15 sheets of copper are
gone or injured. From Hong Kong the corvette
goes to a place called Hamilton Creek, which is
about five miles from Whampoa, and seven from
Canton. It is not improbable that the Charybdis
will be ordered up to Japan, as the Admiral will
want more ships."