The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-18 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The Royal Alfred, converting at Portsmouth
from a 90-gun line of battle ship to a plated frigate,
has her frame again in position in the 18-foot space
where she was cut in two and launched. It would
be difficult to convince a stranger to shipbuilding
that the vast hull of this ship had so recently been
separated, and the one part detached 18 feet from
the other.

Her Majesty's ship Undaunted, 51 guns, recently
launched at Chatham, left her moorings in Sheer-
ness harbour, and proceeded to the Maplin Sands
to test her machinery at the measured mile. Capt.
Schoenberg, of the steam reserve, had command of
the ship, and Messrs. Price (inspector of machinery
Thenr
exceeding
afloat), Blaxland (chief engineer, Sheerness yards,
Robinson (assistant shipwright, Sheerness), and G.
Penny (foreman of shipwrights afloat, Chatham),
were in attendance on the part of the Government.
The
mostthseucmceossstfusal,ngthun
the working
x ta
oerkpinecgotn
of the
engines .
waa
north-west
conductedbot h
by
tideundern
oar
nt
hathe
w disadvantagesn
witha force
wind,
t her
wind
eno d
being etrial trial
from
gm
w against
of bf
six
s;apbsotro
ieesrte
rsse—seruvear ewfent
.o
diameter
power;oaThe
nt steam,eie2tnresultsk.2in;oBoflftbottr.
:v;
spvali
vacuum,
cdcruh,
ewere—averageuiv2ms.3of:tlu.
t2t.6is;oin;nsspeed
speedaeGu;r ahf
et_t
with full boiler power, 13 knots ; revolutions,
o6fih flut hew;
vessel was also tried at the turning the half circle,
which was accomplished in four minutes, and also
in turning the full circle, which took six minutes 47
seconds, and was executed at a diameter of about
three times the length of the ship. Daring the trial
there was an entire absence of hot bearings and
priming. The average temperature in the stokehole
was from 78 to 82 deg., which is considered very
good ventilation.
The auxiliary 30 horse-power steam engine manu-
factured in Woolwich factory for the internal use
of the Warrior, having been fitted in the engine
room, yesterday got up steam, and was found to
work admirably. It was tested as a fire engine ;
volumes of water were thrown up sufficient to de-
luge every compartment of the ship in case of emer-
gency. As a hauling machine it was also found to
work well. The fans intended for blowing off the
smoke from the guns, and likewise for ventilating
the lower part of the vessel and reducing the heat of
the stokehole (the atmosphere of which had risen,
it is stated, to 130 deg. Fahrenheit), were yesterday
found effectual in lowering it to a wholesome and
agreeable temperature. The Warrior will leave
Greenhithe, as anticipated, to-morrow morning.
She is ordered to cast off her moorings at 6 a.m.,
and will arrive at Portsmouth to be docked as ori-
ginally ordered on the 22d inst.
Our correspondent at Plymouth has received the
following communication from the screw steam cor-
vette Jason, 21, Capt. P. B. Von Donop, in which
so many persons have died from yellow fever :

" Halifax, Sept. 4.

" This unfortunate ship, a second Dauntless, was de-
spatched in April last to the West Indies. the very last place
to which she should have been sent, considering she is a new
vessel and built of green wood, and does not possess a place
for the surgeon to see the sick. If a man gets sick he is
either put on the gangway or is subjected to the annoyance
of the lower deck. The Jason is also a flush vessel, when,
if the watch of men get wet, they must remain on deck
the whole four hours. This, in a hot climate like the Gulf
of Mexico, is enough to give the crew the yellow fever. Her
bilges cannot be kept sweet ; the officers have tried all means
to do so without success. This is considered the principal
cause of her being so unhealthy. The stench is abominable,
particularly in the after part of the ship and in the officers'
cabins."

We have received the following official list of per-
sons who have died on board the Jason, Barracouta,
Racer, and Spiteful, with their rating, places of
abode, and the times and places of their death :

" On board the Jason—John Kirby, ordinary, Tippe-
rary, Ireland, Aug. 8, at sea; Wm. Ford, private, Wolvu-
hampton, Aug. 13, at sea ; Wm. Selby, ship's corporal,
Exeter, Aug. 15, at sea ; John B. Riddolls, boy (2d class),
Devonport, Aug. 16, at sea; James llayes, boy (2d class),
Exmouth, Devon, Aug. 20, at sea ; Wm. Middlewick, ward •
room steward, Brent, Devon, Aug. 21, at sea ; Thomas
Lowney, ordinary (2d class), Kirkleman, Isle of Man, Aug.
21, at sea; Thos. Phillips, ordinary, Devonport, Aug. 23, at
sea; Thos. Rowe, ordinary (2d class), Cannelford, Corn-
wall, Aug. 24, at sea; Samuel Tall, boy (2d class), Ply-
mouth, Sept. 2, at sea.
" On board the Barracouta—Jas. Hope, ordinary, Cam-
berwell, July 23, Jamaica Hospital ; John W. Geach, boy
(2d class), late Orion, Sept. 3, at sea.
" On board the Racer—Charles H. Wallis, boy (second
class), Croydon, August 16, at sea; Andrew Casey, engi-
neer's servant, Valley of Diamonds, Bray, Aug. 17, at sea;
James Masson, gunner, R.M.A., Stanford, Lincoln, Aug.
19, at Nassau; Samuel M'Blane, A. 8., Yarmouth, Norfolk
Aug. 19, at Nassau; Wm. H. Mackinnon, ordinary, Lon-
don, Aug. 19, at Nassau; Robt. Burns, stoker, Spetal, Ber-
wick-on-Tweed, Aug. 19, at Nassau; Wm. A. Knight,
boy (first class), Chelsea, London, Aug. 19, at Nassau ;
Geo. Woollen, stoker, Woolwich, Aug. 21, at sea ; Henry
Walker, ordinary, Lambeth, Aug. 22, at sea; Jas. Han-
cock boy (first class), Bristol, Aug. 27, at sea ; Jobu Hore,
stoker, Portsmouth, Sept. 3, at sea.
" On board the Spiteful—Jas. H. Harvey, alias Lazzell,
ablebodied, Tiptree, Essex ; Henry Pollard, ordinary
(second-class), Sheffield ; Wm. Rees, able-bodied, Milford,
Pembroke ; G. T. Witt, ordinary (second class), London ;
R. Collins, stoker, Parkhead, Glasgow ; the last five at sick
quarters, Nassau; intelligence received per Racer, data of
death not known. J. Merrill, ordinary (second class), Plum-
stead, Kent, Aug. 20, Halifax; Chas. Tuk, leading seaman,
Parkston, Southampton, Aug. 20, Halifax; G. J. Graham,
Woolwich, sick quarters, Nassau."

The Helicon, paddle, one of the future courier
vessels for Channel service, building at Portsmouth,
has three-fourths of her frame in position, and is
attracting much attention among naval men, owing
to the apparent slightness of her timbers and the
fineness of her lines. Her midship timbers are of
English oak, while forward and aft they are of
mahogany.
A large number of Martin's cupola furnaces have
been received at the Gun-wharf, Portsmouth, for
distribution among the various works bearing upon
Spithead and its approaches. The pivot 68-pounders,
flanking the various works, are being temporarily

dismantled for the purpose of fitting their platforms
with raised racers. A largenumber of the Armstrong
100-pounders are now in store in the Gun-wharf,
for land and sea service, but as yet no order has been
issued for the disposal of anybey on d those required for
the first-class reserve or ships put in commission.
It is, however, expected when the line of defence
along Stokes Bay is completed that the Armstrong
gun will be largely employed. Nineteen of these
guns have been received at Portsmouth from Wool-
wich during the past few days, each having sent
with it two wrought-iron vent pieces. These are to
take the place of the steel vent pieces hitherto in
use, but superseded, owing to the accidents that
have happened to them when firing the gun.
The Ship Ventilating Committee are busily en-
gaged at Portsmouth Dockyard in their duties.
The monster Horsfall wrought-iron gun, which
was lately fired from the beach under the old fort at
Eastney, near Portsmouth, still remains in the same
position, just above high-water mark. Owing to
objections raised by the firm who presented the gun
to the Government,, the experiments with it were
not carried out to the extent intended. The cost of
material and extr a pay to the Royal Artillery em-
ployed in its removal from Southsea Castle to its
present resting place—a distance of a mile—ex-
ceeded £l,ooo -a sum for which no adequate re-
turn has been c btained.

Mr. Jones's target was yesterday towed from
Portsmouth hs irbour to its former position on thR
shoals south of Southsea Castle, where it was moored
for the experimental practice expected to take place
to-day.

The follevring appointments were made yester-
terday at the) Admiralty :—Lieut. G. J. Armitage,
to the Malacca.; Lieut. C. Wodehouse, to the Medea ;
Lieut. J. 'Hoy Lghton, to the Orestes ; Lieut. P. J.
Murray, to tb
.e Pelican ; R. P. Pardon, midshipman,
to the Pelics ;G. B. Newton, surgeon, additional,
to the Nile, ; J. Noble, assist.-surgeon, to the Mersey;
Dr. T. Mil, ie, acting assist.-surgeon, to the Staa,
J., IL ligr rvey, second class assist-surgeon, tota