The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-23 00:00:00

Steam was got up on Saturday in her Majesty's
floating battery Trusty, 14, 150 horse-power, in
Woolwich basin, in order to test the efficiency of her
engines, preparatory to a first trial at sea of Capt.
Cowper Phipps Coles's patent shot-proof gun-shield
erected on board the Trusty, already alluded to in
fern' er numbers of The Sun. One of the great
advantages derived from the aid of the shield is found
to he the porthole, which is entirely closed by the
gun, save the small space sufficient to permit an
elevation of 10 and a depression of 7 deg. The
horizontal motion, or training, is effected by turning
the shield itself, with the gun, crew, and platform
on which they stand. The whole apparatus thus
becomes, as it were, the gun-carriage, and being
placed on a common turn-table is revolved to the
greatest nicety of adjustment. The shield is pro-
vided with a hollow cylinder 3 feet in diameter,
through which the powder is handed up from the
magazine and communication obtained. A current
of air is likewise kept up through the hollow pivot
by means of a fan, which causes the smoke, directly
it leaves the breech of the gun, to escape through
the opening immediately above it. The exposed
portion above the glacis of 3 feet 8 inches (the
entire shield being 7 feet high) is covered with
blocks of iron, and the lower part is sunk into the
deck, and protected by an iron glacis. The face of
the shield presents a slanting surface of 45 degrees
elevation, on a solid substance of 41-inch plates of
iron, backed up by 18-inch timber blocks. It is
calculated that any amou4t ~iwundtp,•„ from the
&
enemy's guns would prod auj list/teat, as
no horizontal fire can strike this structure above
the water line, except at an angle of 40 degrees_ It
is completely protected against a vertical fire by its
arched roof, and is supported on each side by stan-
chions, or fore and aft bulkheads. The experi-
ments are looked forward to with considerable in-
terest, as from the appearance of the shield and
the benefits likely to be afforded, the circum-
scribed limits of the broadside gun and gunners of
a man-of-war will now be rendered, it is confidently
expected, under ordinary circumstances, totally
shot proot. The ordinary portholes are entirely
dispensed with.
The Warrior, 36, screw, iron-plated ship, fitting
in the Victoria Docks, will have her pendant of
commission hoisted on the Ist proximo by Captain
the Hon. Arthur A. L. P. Cochrane, C. 8,, an officer
who has served with much distinction in all the
naval operations in which this country has been
engaged since 1840.
The Defence, 22, screw, iron-plated ship, complet-
ing at Jarrow by Messrs. Palmer Brothers, will
leave that port for Chatham or Portsmouth on the
9th proximo. She is expected to proceed direct to
the latter port, and on her arrival will be imme-
diately commissioned by Capt. Richard Ashmore
Powell, C.B. Capt. Powell bears the character in
naval circles of being a most energetic and pushing
officer.

The Pelican, 17, screw, fitting for commission by
the riggers of the dockyard and men of the Reserve
at Portsmouth, has been undoeked, and is having
her armament placed on board alongside the dock-
yard. It comprises 16 short 32-pounder smooth
bores, of 32 cwt. each, on truck carriages, and one
40-pounder Armstrong, new naval pattern.
The Wanderer steamsloop, now in commission, is
to have an armament of one 100-pounder Armstrong
gun and three 32-pounder guns. The Collingwood,
80, converted from a sailing vessel to a screw
steamer, is to be completed for service. The
Arethusa, 51. is to be fitted for sea. The Undaunted
ii, has been coppered, and is now in a forward'
state. The Trident and Persian are in the basin at
:Woolwich.

Her Majesty's ship Hussar, which had been for-
warded to Shoeburyness to serve as a target for ex-
perimental purposes, was consumed by fire a few
days since. A detachment of Royal Artillery had
been firing shot and shell during the day, and had
retired, when about 9 p.m. the vessel was in one
body of flame from stem to stern, and continued to
burn for several hours until destroyed. A large
number of persons assembled on the beach at South-
end and Sheerness to witness the spectacle.

The forthcoming experimental firing upon Jones's
angulated target, it has been decided by the autho-
rities, will take place on the shoals in the vicinity
of Spithead, and a gun will be forwarded to Ports-
mouth from Woolwich specially for the purpose.
The results of the trial will be watched with great
interest by scientific men. It has been suggested
by a gentleman who has seen a good deal of these
plate experiments, that on some future trial the
plate—instead of being bolted on a heavy backing
of timber, as has been the case in all trials at Ports-.
mouth, or in a wooden framework without any
backing, as at Shoeburyness—should be bolted on
to the target or ship's side through heavy wrought-
iron double T-headcd beams, leaving a space of six
inches between the armour plates and the ship's
inner skin of one-inch plate, or the ordinary wooden
side. By this mode it is said that it would probably
be found that the vibrative power of the metal
would be sufficiently retained ; that, acting in con-

junction with the substantial manner in which the
plate would be supported by the wrought-iron beams,
it would destroy the majority of shots on their strik-
ing it. Even if broken or pierced, the shot would, as
now, pulverise itself in passing through the plate,
while the six inches distant would prevent the inner
skin or the ship itself, in fact, from the concussion
and from the splintered shot or plate, confining the
damage to the armour plate, which would thus
legitimately fulfil its professed duty—the protec-
tion of the ship without any necessary accompanying
injury, as attends the present mode of hanging the
plates.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. A. P. Marescaux, to
the Edinburgh ; Lieut. E. F. Weld, to the Corn-
wallis ; and Gerard C. Langley has been nominated
to a naval cadetship.