The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-30 00:00:00

The boats of the ships of Rear-Admiral J.
Erskine's division of the Channel Fleet, lying at
Spithead, mustered yesterday morning under the
stern of the Edgar flagship, manned and armed, and
afterwards went through a variety of manoeuvres
under oars and canvass. The cadets of the Britannia
training ships were also called away in their boats,
and being formed into two divisions, pulled out of
harbour and effected a landing on the beach, storm-
ing the western curtain of Portsmouth lines.
The Duncan, 101, screw, resumed her experi-
mental trials at Portsmouth yesterday, using on
this oceasion a three-bladed propeller with its lead-
ing edges removed. The draught of water was the
same as on the last trial. The mean result of six
runs gave the ship a speed of 13.289 knots, with 55
revolutions of the engines.
The Sutlej, 51, screw frigate, had a most interest-
ing trial made on board of her in the steam basin of
Portsmouth Dockyard yesterday with one of Dr.
Normandy's steam water distilling apparatus. The
trial was satisfactory in the highest degree. The
apparatus produces 4,032 gallons of deliciously pure
and cool water in the 24 hours.
The screw steam frigate Immortalite, 51, Capt.
G. Hancock, from Gibraltar, arrived in Plymouth
Sound on Tuesday evening. The Immortalite was
appointed to go into dock at Devonport yesterday
(Wednesday). She left the Channel squadron at
Plymouth on Feb. 9 for Lisbon, and from there
was ordered to the Mediterranean, where she has
since been variously employed. For some time
while at Gibraltar she provided guard-boats to row
guard in the port for the purpose of protecting the
shipping from the Spanish Garda Costas, who were
in the habit of creeping in by night, and carrying
off vessels on the plea that they were smugglers,
from under the guns of the forts. She was re-
called home per telegraph, via Valencia, on the 6th
inst., while at Palma, in Majorca, waiting to re-
ceive the Empress of Austria there, and passed the
Empress on the 9th inst. while between the port
and the rock. She left Gibraltar on the 13th inst.,
and returned under sail to the chops of the Chan-
nel, when she got up steam. She experienced
variable N.E. winds. At Gibraltar she left the
Cockatrice, Supply, Argus, and Procris. On her
passage home she signalled on the 20th inst. the
barque John Arthur, and on the 27th the ships
Surrey and Bury St. Edmunds, outward bound
with troops. At Algesiras there were lying a
Spanish line-of-battle ship, a frigate and a large
number of smaller vessels. She was to go into
dock on Wednesday, to repair defects, and is then
to reinforce the North America and West Indian
squadron.
The Challenger, 22, screw corvette, 400 horse-
power, Capt. J. J. Kennedy, C. 8., having shipped
her Armstrong guns and the remainder of her stores,
left the Nore yesterday afternoon under steam.
The Challenger proceeds direct to Portsmouth, and
will afterwards be despatched to the American
waters, together with the other vessels composing
the squadron which the English Government has
decided on stationing on the American coast during
the civil war in the Southern States.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel steamer Cuckoo, 3,
100-horse power, which sank off Chatham dockyard
some time since, has been taken into the fourth
dock at Chatham to undergo a thorough repair and
to have the injuries she has sustained made good,
after which she will be sent to Gibraltar for har-
bour service, instead of the Redpole, 160-horse
power, now attached to that station.
The Herald, 8, surveying-vessel, Captain H. M.
Denham, which recently arrived at Chatham, will,
it is expected, be paid off on Saturday next. She
has been out eight years, and has only six seamen
of her original crew now on board.
The Industry, iron store-vessel, paid off at Wool-
wich yesterday, has been stripped, and is ordered
to undergo examination for necessary repairs, after
which she will be recommissioned by Master-Com-
manding Hodges.
The Osprey, steam-vessel, was this day undocked,
after repairs, and is ordered to be got ready for
commission.
Admiralty orders have been received sanctioning
certain alterations to the basin at Woolwich dock-
yard, for the purpose of admitting the Adventure,
screw steam-vessel, which arrived this week from
China, and will require extensive repairs.
The Escort gun-boat was yesterday morning re-
moved from Haslar slip to the north corner of the
dockyard, where she has commenced taking in shot,
one 68-pounder and one 32-pouuder. She will be
masted to-morrow, and placed in the first-class
steam reserve.

Nearly all the convicts recently employed in
Chatham Dockyard have been withdrawn, though
a few still remain. The prisoners thus withdrawn
are to be employed on St. Mary's Island in brick-
making. Good brick earth exists on the island ;
.. ..

and, of course, a vast number of bricks will be re-
quired for the new constructions and the wall for
the proposed great enlargement of the dockyard.
It is expected that an accession of convicts will
shortly be received from Bermuda, some of whom
will probably replace the men now withdrawn from
dockyard:work.

Admiral R. S. Robinson has paid an official visit
to Chatham Dockyard, and inspected the prepara-
tions for building the Achilles, iron armour-plated
vessel. These preparations have been actively pro-
ceeding. They are, of course, very different from
those required for an ordinary ship. Travelling
cranes, running along stakes on each side of the
dock, will be employed in moving the large masses
of iron which will be used in constructing the
vessel.

At the Devonport dockyard on Tuesday morning
a fire occurred, apparently from spontaneous com-
bustion, Which might have led to very serious lose
of property but for the vigilance of the police. The
ascertained facptsasrie,th at as policeman Wm. Stowell,
No. 121, was
passing No. 4at half-past four
o'clock in the
burning, g he observed that various
packages were He sprung his rattle, when
all the policemen in the
oyardprmp assembled immedi-
ately, and with the hoseextinguished the
fire. Four of the cases containing machinery and a
shipwright's chest were charred outside.
tLisle. One side
of a case containing oil was burn
an inch thick and the hole is about arofugh. It is
foot square.
The flame from it ascended to a number of spars
used for shoring up ships in dock, and which are
kept triced to the framework of the roof of the
shed. These spars arc eight feet above the level of
the yard, they are much blackened, and if they had
become thoroughly ignited various costly
buildings
would undoubtedly have been burnt. The fire broke
out among stores belonging to the contractors.
The Lords of the Admiralty have given direc-
tions to Messrs. Taylor, of the Britannia works,
Salford, to erect two of their travelling steam crane-
lifts, with elevating jibs, on the Anchor-wharf, at
Chatham dockyard, to facilitate the loading and un-
loading of ships. One of the new cranes has been
at work in the dockyard for several days past, and
performs its task in a most expeditious and in 1

every respect satisfactory manner. Messrs. Taylor
are also erecting four of their patent travelling
cranes on each side of the second dock, to be used
in lifting and moving the heavy slabs and ribs of
iron used in the construction of the Achilles, 40.
A British squadron, consisting of a three-decker
and three steamers, was off Cape Florida, America,
on the 7th.

Vice-Admiral C. R. Moorsom, whose death took
place on Sunday last, was born Sept. 22, 179 2. He
was the eldest son of Sir Robt. Moorsom, K.C.B. of
Whitby. He was educated at the Royal Naval Col-
lege, where he distinguished himself by gaining the
first medal. He served at the siege of Cadiz as
signal mate, in the Revenge, 74, under the late Sir
C. Paget and Commodore Sir H. Hotham. He
afterwards held the post of lieutenant in the St.
Alban's, 64, and the Superb, 74, in the blockade of
New London, Long Island Sound, and New York.
He commanded the Fury in the attack on Algiers
in 1816, in which that vessel threw more shells
than any other of the vessels engaged. This result
was attained by arrangements which were after-
wards adopted in bombships, by order of the Admi-
ralty. In the Prometheus he was in the exercising
squadron under the late Sir B. Hallowell, and in
the Ariadne he had the Racehorse and the Helicon

tinder his orders for experiments in the Channel for