The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-27 00:00:00

:iHE NAVY.

Lord Palmerston and. the Minister of War, ac-
companied by the Director- General of Ordnance and
other officers, went down to Shoeburyness yesterday
morning by special train to witness a soles of ex-
periments to be made with the Whitworth guns
supplied to the Government. Mr. Whitworth him-
self was present.
In consequence of the severe gale of wind which
blew yesterday, varying from S. to S.S.W., the
Warrior, Capt. Cochrane, was not removed from her
anchorage at Spithead, neither was the Britannia
taken from her moorings in the harbour. Should
the weather moderate, the changes will be effected
to-day. We understand that when at sea she
rolled only to the extent of six degrees, and that
when she had her sails set made a steady roll of
about three or four degrees, to the surprise of all.
Ifer seagoing qualities are spoken very highly of.
The necessity of greater dock accommodation is
more apparent now that the Warrior and Black
Prince are here, and both requiring to be docked.
The blocks are laid down in No. 10 for the latter,
but her being placed there is delayed in consequence
of the Osborne being detained in the contiguous
dock, No. 7. Should it be considered absolutely
necessary to dock the Warrior (as there is some-
thing out of order in her steering qualities), she
must remain until the Black Prince is undocked.
A plan has been submitted for lengthening No. 8
dock 70 feet. If carried out it would be a great
acquisition. The invert to the new dock in course
of construction from the steam basin is to be lowered
three feet ; and the dock, which will be 400 feet
long, is to be proceeded with immediately. The
steam basin itself is to be deepened three feet. This
of itself will be found to be of great service. These
preliminary improvements may only be regarded
as what may be hoped for, and as an indication of
what is intended to be carried out on a much more
extensive scale for dock accommodation for ships of
the largest class.
The steam storeship Industry, Master- Commander
Hodges, yesterday went down the river to Green-
hithe, to adjust compasses, in preparation for her
departure for Rio and Ascension.
By direction of the Admiralty, the whole of the
screw gunboats attached to the first division of the
steam reserve at Chatham have been supplied with
one 100 pounder and one 40 pounder Armstrong
pivot gun on their upper decks. Yesterday and on
the previous days several hundred cases of shell
were despatched from the Ordnance wharf, Chat-
ham, for the screw gunboats Griper, Cochin, Car-
nation, and Julia, all of which are attached to the
steam reserve in the Medway.
Yesterday a numerous party of convicts arrived
at the St. Mary's convict establishment. Chatham,
from London, for the purpose of being employed on
• the public works at St. Mary's Island, in connection
'with the extension of the dockyard. Several hun-
dreds of the convicts will also be employed in break-
ing up the Comus, 14, which has been handed over
by the Admiralty for that purpose.
Yesterday Dr. Woolley, the Admiralty Inspector
of Schools, visited Chatham dockyard for the pur-
pose of making an inspection of the apprentices'
and other schools at that establishment. During
hisinspection Dr. Woolley will also examine the
hired boys employed in the dockyard.
In consequence of the inferior description of iron
supplied at Chatham dockyard for the Achilles, 50,
by the various firms under contract to the Admi-
ralty, and the difficulty experienced in obtaining
adequate supplies of plate and angle iron for the
prosecution of the works in connection with the
*building of that frigate, the Admiralty have entered
into a contract with the well-known firm of Mares
and Co., who have undertaken to supply whatever
plate iron may be required at Chatham. The first
deliveries of iron from Messrs. Mares' firm have
been made at Chatham dockyard, and the whole of
that supplied up to this time is of very excellent
quality. The delay in building the Achilles has
arisen solely from the difficulty experienced in ob-
taining iron of prime quality. This, however, has
now been got over, and the works of the Achilles
will be proceeded with rapidity.
The screw steam corvette Satellite, 21, at Devon-
-port, is ordered to be put in commission with a
coargennent of 270 men and officers. Four of her
8-inch guns, weighing 60 cwt. each, will give place
to four Armstrong guns.
The gunboats Sheldrake and Spider are fitting at
Devonport for immediate commission. Each will
will have a complement of 40 men, and will be sup-
plied with Armstrong guns. They will be convoyed
by the frigate Emerald to the south-east coast of
South America for duty on that station.
The south jetty of the Davenport dockyard is to
be extended 40 feet.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—E. A. Bolicho, R. W.
Evans, and H. Russell, midshipmen, to the Satellite;
A. M. Causton and N. J. A. De Courcy, naval cadets,
to the Satellite ; Francis V. Brady has been nomi-
nated to a naval cadetship ; William E. O'Brien,
surgeon, to the Satellite; Mark Anthony Harte,
acting assistant-surgeon, to the Satellite; W. H.
Rundle, promoted to chief engineer in the Indus;
L. T. Harris, promoted to engineer in the Indus as
supernumerary ; A. N. Miller and W. Stewart, se-
cond-class assist: engineers, confirmed in the Fire-
brand ; J. J, Taylor, acting second-class assist.-en-
gineer, to the Asia, as supernumerary ; J. F. Towns-
bend, acting second-class assist.-engineer, to the
Fisgard, as supernumerary; J. Briggs and R. S.
Willcocks, acting second-class assist.-engineers, to
the Asia, as supernumeraries ; J. Kelly, C. W.
Lewis, E. J. Whatmore, and W. Hopkins, acting
second-class assist.-engineers, to the Cumberland,
as supernumeraries.