The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-12 00:00:00

THE ARMY.

Major-General Lord W. Paulet, C. 8., command-
ing the S.W. district, and Lieut.-Governor of
Portsmouth, yesterday paid an official visit to
Admiral Wipff, commanding the Dutch squadron
at Spithead, on board his flagship, the screw-
frigate Evertsen, 51 guns. His lordship was re-
ceived with the usual honorary salutes. Admiral
Wipff, with Captains Vreeland and Fabius, were
entertained at dinner by the Chevalier Wanden-
bergh, Netherlands Consul, at his residence, Hol-
land-house, Southsea. In the evening the Consul
gave a ball to the officers of the squadron.
Instructions have been issued by Lord Herbert,
Secretary of State for War, to the principal military
storekeeper at Woolwich, directing a number of
barges to be sent to the batteries at Coalhouse Point
and Shornmeade for the removal of the powder and
ammunition at these stations to Chatham and the
floating magazines at Woolwich during the reeon-
struction of those forts by Messrs. Brassey and Betts,
the contractors. The removal of the powder will
not be commenced until the floating batteries /Etna
and Thunderbolt have taken up their positions in
tho Tilarnosa, which is expected to be the case in
a few days. •
The half-yearly inspection of the Royal Artillery,
stationed at Gosport, took place yesterday on Has-
lar-common. Lord W. Pauiet, C. 8., was the in-
specting officer.
Mr. Naylor, builder, &c., of Rochester, is the
successful competitor for the construction of new
buildings at Sheerness barracks, his tender being
7109, married3oo. Thet
ro consist\vi
th
washing,
drying,
ua rt e for
and ironin grooms, besides ablution rooms and baths,
seoeldrs, in
tgosg areet
and everything necessary for the health and com-
fort of the soldiers' families stationed at Sheerness
garrison.

LAUNCH 01 THE IRON-CASED FRI-
. GATE RESISTANCE.

A further addition to our iron-cased frigates was
made yesterday by the launch of the Resistance
from Messrs. Westwood and Bailie's yard, near
Miliwall. On Saturday next the sister vessel to
that sent afloat yesterday will be turned off the
stocks from Messrs. Palmer's works near Newcastle.
Within this week, therefore, England will possess
four armour-plated frigates actually afloat, and four
more in embryo, which have been ordered, and the
frameworks of which have been commenced.
This is as yet but a small set off to the
one actually in commission, three afloat and set-
ting ready for sea, and 10 building, of the French
navy. The lead, however, which France has taken
in this matter is more one of numbers than actual
strength. The Warrior and Black Prince are nearly
double the size of the French iron frigates, which,
except in the matter of strength of framework more
resemble the Defence and Resistance than the co-
lossal iron monsters which have been turned out
from our great shipping yards. There is not the
least doubt that if any sudden emergency arose the
manufacturing resources of this country are quite
equal to producing 20 vessels like the Warrior in a
single year. But, as it is even now an open ques-
tion how far these ponderous hulls will be service-
able in a seaway, the Admiralty are not unwisely
halting to see the results of experiments with the
Warrior before they are committed to the building
of a greater number than those now ordered.
Every day seems so show that the science of build-
ing an invulnerable ship is quite in its infancy. The
Resistance and Defence are built as steam rams.
In the two new ones which have been ordered to be
built, of about the same size, the idea of the " ram"
is entirely abandoned, and the Admiralty, rather
late in the day, take a hint from the Gloire, and by
giving the proposed vessels a greater breadth and
greater midship section, they are enabled to plate
them in armour from end to end.

It was generally believed that the Resistance and
Defence would for a long time have the honour of
being the ugliest ships in her Majesty's service.
Their supremacy in this unfavourable respect, how-
ever, will not only be disputed but quite overthrown
by the two completely cased armour ships which,
as we have said, have just been ordered.
The chief dimensions of the Resistance are—
length extreme, 292 ft. ; breadth, 54ft. ; depth from
spar deck, 3811 ft. ; and tonnage, by builders' mea-
surement,3,6BB. As we have stated she was designed
and built with a view to being used as a " ram," and
therefore, instead of having a concealed, obtuse beak
like the Warrior and Black Prince, the whole out-
line of her bows resembles the curved line formed by
a swan's neck and breast. Thus the projection of the
breast placed below the water line, and would
strike the enemy below the water line also. It
is this projecting beak and exceedingly retreating
bows which give the whole vessel so clumsy and
unwieldly an appearance in the water. As a speci-
men of ironwork manufacture she is perfect, and
neither the Black Prince nor the Warrior surpasses
her in the care and strength with which the whole
frame is put together. Like those vessels, she has
no external keel, but an inner kind of girder, which
acts as a kelson, and which, from stem to stern, is
formed of immense strength. To this are bolted the
massive ribs, which are made in joints, with an angle
or ledge on the outer side, on which the armour
plates, with their teak lining, 22 inches thick, are to
rest. The armour only extends a length of 144 feet
of her broadside, and thus only 14 guns out of the
32 she is to carry are under cover. In proportion to
size and tonnage her armament is greater than the
Warrior's, though, in proportion also,
a smaller
number are sheltered by the armour. The orlop
deck is of wood, but the main and upper decks are
of iron, and all the decks are carried on wrought
iron beams of the most powerful description, to
which both decks and ribs are riveted together with
as much firmness as if the whole were one piece of
wrought iron. The armour plates are of the same
size and excellence as those which cover the frigates
already launched ; they are about 16 feet long by
4 bread, and 44- inches thick. Behind these come
the beams of teak, while the bolts which secure the
plates themselves are countersunk, outside, so as to

have their heads level with the surface of the plate.
On both sides the armour is continued, to five feet
below the water line. The stem and stern, which
are unprotected by armour, are crossed and re-
crossed in every direction with watertight compart-
ments of the most solid kind. Those which cut off
the stem and stern from the armour-coated portions
in the centre are faced with plates to 5 feet below
the water line, backed up with iron ribs and 22 in.
of teak—exactly similar in arrangement to the
strongest part of the broadside. The bows, as the
place where the whole force of the blow must be
received when the Resistance is used as a steam
ram, are strengthened inside with a perfect net-
work of iron of the most massive kind. Here no
less than eight wrought-iron decks stretch back
from this portion to the armour plates, in addition
to other supports, such as cross bracings and balk-
heads, almost innumerable.
Throughout the entire length of the armour-
coated portion run two wrought-iron bulkheads,
one inside the armour on each side. These are
termed wings, and serve as main passages of coin-
munication. Inside these wings are the coal
bunkers ; inside these again are the water tanks,
and within all the magazines. The engines of the
Resistance are to be of 600 horse power, and, with
these it is anticipated that a speed of even 15 knots
an hour will be obtained. This certainly appears
a rather sanguine estimate for a ship of 600 horse
power, of such immense weight, and above all, such
unusually full and heavy bons. If her form la in
fault, however, the Admiralty aro to blame,'Tor
they supplied the model. In point of workman-
ship, all that could be done has been effected,' and a
better built ship was never sent afloat than that
which glided so easily into the Thames yesterday.
The hour fixed for the launch was 2 o'clock, but
long before that every part of Messrs Westwood's
yard was thronged with visitors. About 200 men
of the Royal Naval Reserve, the crew of the Bril-
liant, who are now undergoing their course of drill,
marched on to the ground, with colours flying and
band playing. They seemed a remarkably fine
body of men. The band of the Life Guards was
also in attendance, and, as the day was all that
could be wished, the usual dull interval of expecta-
tion passed pleasantly enough until a few minutes
before 2 o'clock, when the Lord Mayor and Lady
Mayoress arrived at the yard. They at once took
their stations on the raised platform at the head of
the vessel, and the preparations for the launch
began. Two o'clock was the time named for her
going off the stocks, which, of course, every one
thought was meant to be half-past. Contrary, how-
ever, to usual custom and general expectation, the
vessel moved at the first touch ; when it still wanted
one or two minutes to 2 o'clock she moved, and,
before half the reople in the yard expected it,
began to glide rapidly down the ways into the
river. It was a very quick and easy launch, and
in less than a minute af.er the first movement com-
menced the Resistance was afloat in the middle of
the stream, turning lightly to her moorings.' She
looked, even less sightly in the water than out of
it. Her draught appeared to be about 13 or 14 feet,
and from her look thus it seemed as if, when
brought down to her full-load water line, her port-
sills and hawse pipeholes would be uncomfortably
near the water. Ihe next iron-cased frigate which
Messrs. Westwood and Baillie have in hand is the
Valiant. This, as we have intimated, will' be one
of the ugliest things ever seen. Her length is 280
feet, breadth 56 feet 3 inches, depth 19 feet 4 inches ;
tonnage, 4,062. Thus, while 12 feet shorter, she is
more than two broader than the Resistance, is
almost flat-bottomed, and with stem and stern
almost alike in obtuseness. The Valiant is to carry
36 guns and to be covered entirely with armour.
After the ceremony of launching the Resistance the
principal visitors partook of a dejeuner in honour of
the occasion.