The Sun.
London, England, 1859-06-20 00:00:00

THE NA VY.

The Victoria and Albert Royal steam-yacht,
Captain the Hon. J. Denman, is berthed alongside
the north quay of the steam basin in Portsmouth
yard. She is in the hands of the factory authorities
having the necessary repairs to her damaged ma-
chinery effected.
The Sidon, 22, paddlewheel frigate, Capt. Craw-
ford, in the ship basin at Portsmouth, has her masts
alongside, and will shipthem from the inner sheers
of the basin.
The Pearl, 21, screw corvette, at Ports-mouth, has
been plaeed in the steam basin. She is to be pre-
pared for the second-class steam reserve.
The Duke of Wellington, 131, screw steamship,
was undocked at Portsmouth on Saturday, and re-
moved to the moorings up the harbour.
The Melpomene, ST, screw frigate, Capt. Ewart,
had her crew paid advance of wages on Friday and
left Spithead under steam for Liverpool on Saturday.
The Urgent, screw steam troopship, Commander
Hire, has been placed in No. 7 dock at Portsmouth.
The Neptune, 91, screw steam two-decker, Capt.
Sir W. Hoste, Bart. (the first of the " reconstructed"
three-decked sailing ships)steamed out of Portsmouth
harbour on Saturday in charge of Capt. G. T. Gordon,
commanding the steam reserve, to the trial ground
in Stokes Bay to test her speed at the measured
mile. Mr. G. Murdoch, inspector of machinery afloat,
with Mr. Miller, from the steam factory, superin-
tended the trial. The results gave the ship a speed
of 111 knots; draught of water forward, 19 ft. 3 in.;
aft, 22 ft. 3 in., without her guns, men, stores, &c.
Revolutions engines, 62 ; pressure of steam, 20.5;
force of wind, 21 ; temperature in stoke-hole, 104
deg. • barometer, 30.25. The result of the trial is
considered highly satisfactory, but as this trial has
been made at such a light draught, another will take
place when the ship approaches nearer to her sea-
going trim. The engines are by Ravenhill, Salkeld,
and Co., with 500-horse power, nominal ; 71 inch
cylinders, with a 3 feet stroke.
The steam frigate Amphion, 36, having completed
her alterations and repairs at Chatham, has been
taken out of dock, and will be attached to the
second division of the steam reserve in ordinary
at that port.

The screw gunboat Victor, 6, 300-horse power,
has been taken into No. 2 dock at Chatham Dock-
yard, for the purpose of being repaired and fitted
for the steam reserve in the Medway.

A letter received at Plymouth from an officer
states that the screw steamship Caesar, 91, Capt.
Frederick, arrived at Havannah on the 15th ult.,
all well. The writer says,—" On the Bth, we met
with a terrific squall, such as few on board had
ever experienced. Our ship passed through it
gallantly, and was so steady that a tall jug in my
cabin was unmoved. When the awful darkness
rolled away and the supernaturally black green
sky gave place to blue, we saw the Diadem far
astern with her main and mizen yards both gone."
The steam store ship Rhadamanthus, 3, Master
Commander F. Sturdee, from Woolwich, arrived at
Plymouth on Saturday with supernumeraries,
boilers, machinery, &c.
The screw steam troopship Simoom, 8, Comman-
der J. M. Cooke, from Scotland, arrived at Ply-
mouth on Saturday with the Fifeshire Militia.
The steam tender Avon, 3, Second Master J. H.
Lawrence commanding, left Plymouth for Portland
on Friday evening, with the Cone Committee, com-
prising Vice-Admiral F. Martin, Capt. A. IV. Jer-
ningham (of the Cambridge), Capt. H. Stewart,
C.B. (Impregnable), and Capt. R. S. Robinson (of
the Wellington). The system (Redl's) will be
adopted by all the ships in the squadron, and the
committee will report. Lights on the cone prin-
ciple will be used for night signals.
The crew of the screw steamship London, 90, in
Plymouth Sound, were paid advance of wages on
Friday.
The paddle steam vessel Locust, 3, Lieut. J. B.
Field, commanding, from Sheerness, arrived at Ply-
mouth on Friday with supernumeraries.
The lighter Aid, J. Grandy, master, from Chat-
ham and Portsmouth, arrived at Plymouth on Fri-
day.
Orders have been received at Devonport to cop-
per the Donegal, 101, up to her deep water line.
The screw steam gunboat Snap (tender to La
Hogue), Lieut. W. F. Johnstone commanding, from
Greenock, arrived on Saturday at Plymouth, where
she will be thoroughly repaired. The Snap brought
some men for the London, 90.

The paddlewheel steam vessel Advice, Second-
Master M. C. Raymond, having completed her re-
pairs, left Plymouth on Saturday for Queenstown.
At Bovisand Point, near the eastern entrance to
Plymouth Sound, preliminary arrangements have
been made for the erection, close to the water's
edge, of turf batteries, which will extend from the
flagstaff to the gate.
In the naval appointments in The Sun of Satur-
day the name of " A. Cogar," master's assistant to
the Hannibal, should have been " Arthur Cazaly."
The periodical inspection of the Royal Marine
Artillery took place at Fort Cumberland, near
Portsmouth, on Friday. The inspecting officer, Ma-
jor-Gen. Wesley, accompanied by Major Rodney, of
the Royal Marine Light Infantry, arrived on the
ground at 11 a.m., and was received by the troops,
under Col. Fraser, with the usual salute ; after
which they broke into open column right in front,
marching past in slow and quick time, and per-
formed a variety of other manoeuvres. At the con-
clusion of battalion inspection the detachment just
returned to head-quarters from service in her Ma-
jesty's ship Pearl, and with her famous Naval Bri-
gade in India, were called to the front by the Ma-
jor-General, and addressed by him in warm terms
on their conduct while on service in India, where
they had, if possible, added lustre to the corps to
which they belonged, and afforded a good example
to those of their comrades who had not as yet had
an opportunity of distinguishing themselves ix the
face of an enemy. The general and staff afterwards
visited the laboratory, where nearly 200 men were
employed in the different branches of their profes-
sion. At 2 p.m. the laboratory and repository courses
being gone through, practice commenced with a
shell gun with naval shell from the works of the Fort,
a park of field guns of heavy calibre on the beach,
and a rocket brigade firing 31b. and 121 b. rockets. The
precision and accuracy of the firing, at various
ranges from 830 to 1,600 yards, the bursting of the
shells at the spot desired, both from the heavy gun
on the works and the field pieces and howitzers
on the beach, were such as could only be witnessed
on a practice day of this corps. The day's proceed-
ings concluded with practice at a butt, from a bat-
tery at 600 yards distance, representing a section
of a line-of-battle-ship, armed with 8-inch guns,
which were handled with all the activity of seamen
unners. At the conclusion of the practice, Major-
eneral Wesley returned from the Fort to Ports-
mouth, this concluding the gallant General's in-
spection in the S.W. district. The Royal Marine
Light Infantry were inspected at Forton and Brown
Down on Wednesday and Thursday