The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-16 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

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-----Liit_Grace the Duke of Somerset he__
the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth Dockyard
yesterday, which was numerously attended by
naval officers at the port. The Britannia, naval
cadet training ship, Capt. R. Harris, was inspected
in the morning. In the afternoon the Board pro-
ceeded to Fort Cumberland and inspected the Royal
Marine Artill.ry, the Royal Marine Infantry hav-
ing been inspected at Forton barracks on Wednes-
day. Last evening their lordships gave their official
dinner at Dent's George Hotel, Portsmouth, to
heads of departments, Bze. Covers were laid for
35. The Duke of Somerset and the Lords of the
Admiralty return to town today from their official
visit to Portsmouth.

After the levee his grace was joined by
other
members of the board by appointment, for a de-
putation of warrant officers to present a memorial
to their lordships (on behalf of that valuable
close). They were very courteously received, and
their memorial will have due attention from their
lordships. _

Their lordships took this opportunity of viel,v-

in; some sites of land which have been recom-
mended as suitable for the erection of the talked-of
new naval college. _ _ _

The Board of Admiralty is now engaged in ob.

taining information from the several ports as to the
exact depth of water, the number and dimensions
of docks, gridirons, &c., in order to register them
for the benefit of the naval and mercantile service.

The Osborne paddle yacht, Master-Commander
Bower, left Portsmouth yesterday morning for
Cowes, to embark the Crown Prince and Princess
of Prussia for conveyance to Ostend, en route for
Berlin.

The preparations for building the iron armour-
plated ship Achilles at Chatham, are making good
progess ; the machinery is daily getting into better
working order. During the last day or two a steam
crane has been placed on the raised tramway by
the side of the dock ;it has been used to-day for
the purpose of lifting out ballast, and it is ex-
pected that it will be tested by the chief officers
to-morrow.

• The Winchester, old 50-gun frigate, has arrived
at Portsmouth from Chatham, in tow of the Geyser,
paddlewheel steamer, Commander Jackson, and will
proceed to Liverpool as a training ship instead of
the Conway.

The floating battery Trusty, having shipped am-
munition and guns at the Royal Arsenal, will be
moored off Shoeburyness to-morrow for a series of
experiments to test Captain Coles's shot-proof shield.
The result is looked forward to with much interest,
and the experiments will take place in the pre-
sence of Colonel Tulloh, R.A., the newly-appointed
Director of Ordnance, Commodore Sir F. W. E .
Nicolson, Superintendent of Wooiwich Dockyard,
and numerous members of the Ordnance Select
Committee.

The War Department transport Thames was
placed alongside the Ordnance-wharf at Chatham
yesterday, and landed three large TOO-pounder
Armstrong guns, and a number of the ordinary
cast-iron 56 cwt. guns, together with a quantity of
gun-carriages and other war stores. The Thames
will to-day receive on board a number of guns to
undergo alteration at Woolwich. In consequence
of the recent arrivals of numerous transports of the
War Department, a considerable number of the
Armstrong guns have been received at Chatham
for distribution to the Steam Reserve, and the other
vessels of war lying in the Medway. Strict orders
are issued for no persons unconnected with the Go-
vernment to be allowed to inspect them without
special authority.

Her 111,1jesty's gunboal,. Speedwell, in command of
Mr. IVPlntosh Hall, which went down the river
on Tuesday last from Woolwich on a first trial of
her machinery, made a second trial yesterday, the
first having been unsatisfactory. The engines are
of 80-horse power. The Speedwell was recently
built at Deptford, and is intended to carry five
Armstren; guns.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Commander Augustus C.
Hobart, to the Foxhound; Commander George
Blanc, to the Hibernia ; Lieut. John G. S. Clarke,
to the Impregnable ; William H. Gribben, assist.-
paymaster, to the Plover; and Frederick L.
Dyer, clerk, to the Centurion.