The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-19 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

Yesterday the War Department transport Sebas-
topol, Mr. Andrews, master, arrived at the Ordnance
Wharf, Chatham, and landed 810 cases of the 100-
pounder Armstrong shells, for the ships of the steam
reserve at Chatham, ordered to be furnished with
100-pounder Armstrong guns. The Henry, War
Department transport, Mr. John Bull, master, also
landed at the Ordnance Wharf yesterday 13 of the
8-inch smooth-bore guns, each of 65 cwt., from the
factory at Woolwich.
The Pylades, 21, screw, Captain Michael de
Courcy, sailed from Spithead, under canvas and
steam, at 3 p.m. yesterday, for Sheerness. The ,
invalids brought to England on board her from
the Pacific were landed from her while at Spit-
head by the Sprightly steamer. The Pylades sailed
from Valparaiso on the Ist of May, and arrived at
Rio Janeiro on the 28th of the same month, sailing
thence for England on the sth of June. Fine
weather was experienced during the passage home.
Some interesting experiments were again made
at Portsmouth yesterday, from the launch of Her
Majesty's ship Britannia, off the harbour's mouth,
to test the efficiency of the plan proposed by Lieut.
O. S. Nares, senior lieutenant of Her Majesty's
ship Britannia, for forming a communication be-
tween a stranded ship and lee shore. Lieut. Nares's
plan consists simply of a kite with two lines, in
addition to a tail, the latter being used as a tow-
line if required. Of the two flying lines of the kite,
one is made fast in the usual manner in the centre
of the kite and the other at the bottom. If the
object be to send a hawser to the top of a cliff, sup-
posing that the surf breaks too heavily at the cliff's
base for any one to land, as was the case in the
wreck of the Royal Charter, the kite is given suffi-
cient line to fly over the highest point o the cliff;
when sufficiently far inland the line from its centre,
by which it has been flown, is let go, and the one
made fast to the foot of the • kite, being held on,
brings the kite to the ground, and places in the
hands of the people on shore the line with which a
hawser can be sent from the stranded vessel, a boat-
swain's cradle rigged, and ultimately the crew of
the ship rescued. If again, on the other hand, a
ship lies stranded on a low coast, with her boats
destroyed, the kite is sent on shore with its tail in
this instance towing through the water to the shore
a man, a raft, or any other object to be saved. The
trials yesterday had reference to a ship placed in
the latter position, and were of a most satisfactory
character. As a final test, Lieut. Nares jumped
overboard from the launch with the line from the
kite made fast to a selvage strop under his arms,
and was, by means of the apparatus, towed over the
intervening distance between the boat and the
shore, over deep wster and through the surf, in
perfect ease and safety, without even the necessity
of moving an arm to assist himself in his progress
or keep him afloat.
Yesterday a contractor's trial of the engines of
the Liverpool, 51, took place outside the breakwater
at Plymouth. This frigate was launched last year
at the Devonport Dockyard. She is of the same
class as the Bristol, Newcastle, Dublin, and Aurora.
The burden of the Liverpool is 2,654 tons, Her
length between the perpendiculars is 235 ft. ; her
extreme breadth, 50ft. lin. ; her depth of hold,
18ft. sin. The engines, by Messrs. Humphrey and
Tennant, of 600-horse power. are remarkable for the
simplicity of their construction. The screw shaft
is 90ft. long by 151 inches diameter. The screw,
Griffiths', has a diameter of 18ft., with a pitch of
26ft. Gin. Her bunkers will contain from 350 to
400 tons of coal, and the daily consumption at full
speed is estimated at 60 to 70 tons. Alongside the
dockyard, on Monday, 58 revolutions per minute
were obtained, with a pressure of 131 b. to the
square inch, and a vacuum of 21 inches. At the
trial yesterday Captain Key, Commander Risk, and
Mr. Steel, of the Indus, and Mr. Ward, from the
Keyham Steamyard, represented the Government.
Messrs.; Humphrey and Tennant were themselves
on board. The wind was from the south-west,
force of from 4to 6. The Liverpool is not yet pro-
vided with spars, guns, or provisions. She draws
16ft. Gin. forward and 19ft. Sin. aft. After run-
ning six times on the measured mile, a mean speed
of nearly 121 knots was obtained; revolutions per
minute, 78 to 60 ; pressure of steam on boilers,
201 b. ; vacuum, 261 in. The engines were exerted
up to nearly 2,600 horses.

The screw steamship Sanspareil, 70, will be out
of the hands of the artisans of the Devonport
Dockyard before the end of the month. The
supernumeraries which she will embark for re-
lieving the ships on the China station will include
one captain, 12 lieutenants, three masters, 11 second
masters, 33 engineers, 11 warrant officers, and one
subaltern Royal Marines.
In the West India intelligence appearing in The
Sun of Monday, it was stated that some apprehen.•
sions were felt for the safety of her Majesty's
steamer Spiteful, there referred to by a misprint as
the Spitfire. It will relieve the minds of many
having friends on board to know that intelligence
has since been received that the vessel is safe, she
having run into the Caymans when short of coal.

A naval court-martial assembled on Wednesday
on board the Formidable, 84, in the Medway, flag-
ship of Vice-Admiral W. Hope Johnstone, Com-
mander-in-Chief at the Nore, for the trial of William
Knight, a supernumerary stoker of and belonging
to the Cumberland, 70, on a charge of having, on
the 11th of July last, made use of disgusting and
insulting language to Capt. Henry Cardew, of the
Royal Artillery, near the Royal Artillery guard-
house,Sheerness, such conduct being in breach of
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and
Mr. G. H. Knight, of the firm of Essell, Knight,
and Arnold, Admiralty solicitors, Rochester, offi-
ciated as Deputy Judge-Advocate. The Court, at
the close of the evidence for the prosecution, con-
sidered the charge fully proved, and sentenced the
prisoner to be imprisoned in the county goal at
Maidstone for 15 months, and for 12 months of that
time to be kept to hard labour.