The Sun.
London, England, 1857-09-17 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAY it-4N sEPTEMB ER 17, IW7.

;s; spa! and Mlitaxy Intenl-4,e1w0.

Our Malta kitten to II; 11th inst. mention the
arrival in the Bsy of Tunis, on the evening of the
31st Aug., of a French squadron composed of five
ships of the line and a steam f igate, which had
been suddenly ordi re 1 thither from Ajaccio, in Cor-
sica, by a telegraphic despatch, with instructions to
await ulterior ord.era from Toulon ; and it was re-
per:el that Admiral Lyons with the British squad-,
mei from Gibralta'-, and the Greningen, having on
board his Royal Highness the Prince of Orange,
accompanied by anolher Dutch steam frigate, had
been seen steering a course likewise tor Tunis,
where a Neapolitan steam frigate from Naples also
arrived on 3d Sept.
At the moment of the departure of the Malta
mail the Vigilant screw steam corvette Was signalled,
from Lord Lyons' fleet.
The Ottoman ship of the line Fethie, Capt. Tahia
Bey, sailed from Malta for England on the rith to
be fitted with steam machinery and propeller and
was to be followed shortly-by another new ship of
the same class, a frigate, for the same object, ex-
pected from Constantinople.
The Greek GovernMent steam-sloop Aphrodessa
arrived at Malta from Glasgow and Gibraltar on
the 7th, and left for the Pincus on the 10th.
The Russian Government screw steamer Abin
arrived at Malta from Londou and Gibraltar on the
9th, and left for Odessa on the same day.
The Duke of Cambridge has announced his inten
tioir of paying a 'Chit to Chatham Garrison, when he
will inspect the 4th, 10th, 11th, and 21st companies of
Royal Engineers, Bromnton Barracks, under orders
to proceed to India, l revintsly to their embarkation.
The following officers of the Royal Engineers have
been ordered to embark with the companies :
Lieut.-Col. H. D. Harness, in command of the en-
tire force ; Capt. F. E. Cox, Adjutant ; .Major L.
Nicholson, command of the 4th company ; Capt.
A. A'Court Fisher, in command of the 10th com-
pany; Captain C. E. Cumberland, in command of '
the 11th company, and Capt. G. Neville, in corn..
mend of the 21st company; Lieut. F. E. Beaumont,
Lieut. J. B. Edwards, Lieut. G. Longley, Lieu+.
P. H. Scratchley, Lieut. J. P. Magnay, Lieut. W.
B. Gas,ett, Lieut. Wilson, Lieut J. M. Maitland,
Lieut. E. R. Feasting, Lieut. C. E. Wynne, Lieut.
G. Swetenham, Lieut. D. C. Walker, Lieut. J. B.
Paterson, Lieut. W. Keith, Lieut. Maine.
Capt. E. T. Holmes, 43d Light Infantry, has
joined Lis regiment at the Provisional Battalion,
Chatham, for the purpose of taking the command
of his depot, Ensign E. Villiers, 43d Regiment, has
also joined the depot at Chatham. Staff Assistant-
Surgeon Wallace has been relieved from duty at
Chatham garrison, and ordered -to proceed to
Dublin for the purpose of joining the 94th Regi-
ment, ordered to proceed to India.
Preparationsare be:ng made at Chatham dockyard
for laying down a large 91-gun screw steamer, to be
named the Atlas,. which will be-built on the same
slip as that from which the Renown, 91, was re-
cently launched. The Lords of the Admiralty have
also given directions to lay down a screw steam
corvette of 22 guns, to be named the Orpheus,
which will be built on the slip recently occupied by
the Racoon, 22, screw corvette. It is also intended

to lay down another 91 gun screw steamer as soon
as one of the slip 3 at Chatham Dockyard shall be

vacant.

An Admiralty order has b ear received at Chat-
ham dockyard for every expedition to be used in
completing the large steam frigate Mersey, 40 guns,
now being built at that establishment. • This fine
flint° will be the longest vessel in the service,
and, although only laid down during the com-
mencement of the present' year, she is in such a
forward state that she will be completed for launch-
ing early in the ensuing spring. Her extreme
length will be 336 ft. 6in. ; length between perpen-
diculars, 300 ft. ; length of keel for tonnage,- 264 ft.
45in. ; extreme 'breadth, 52ft. ; breadth for ton-
nage, 51ft. Sin. ; breadth, moulded, 50ft. Bin. ;
depth of hold, 19ft. 10in. ; burden, 3,726 70-94
tons. She is to be fitted with a powerful screw,
which will be driven by engines of 1,000 horse
power.
The Hero, 91, screw steamer, which has been on
the stocks at Chatham dockyard since June, 1854,
is now nearly completed, and will be the next ves-
sel launched at Chatham. She will be fitted with
engines of 600 horse power, and is intended to be
taken to Sheerness to be made ready for sea as soon
as Liunched.
_ _

It was the Wellington, and not the Wellesley,
which was towed down off Sheerness Dockyard on
Monday to be immediately cousmissioned by rapt.
Moore.
The Sepoy gunboat was Owed down from her
harbour mooring yesterday at Sh-ernesx, and taken
into the basin to be fitted ready for immediate
active service. _ _

A numerous body, composed of the select com-
mittee of Woolwich arsenal and a humber of scien-
tific officers of her Majesty's !service, were yester-
day assembled in the lung range adjoining the
Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, to witness the progress
of some experiments intended to test a newly pro-
posed method of fortification. A temporary fortress
had been erected for that purpose, composed of
huge quadrangular blocks of cast iron, about 4ft. by
2ft. each. Laid one. above the other, so as to form a
wall about-Bft. high,
they were baeked by
of granite, weighing about 18 tons each. The at-
tack was carried on: at a distance of 600 yards from
the fortress, the gun---a 68-pounder—being charged
with 161 b. of powder, a wad, and a solid ball, four
of which were of wrought iron and the remainder
of cast iron. The s;co, under the direction of
Maj-r Vandeleur and Captain Carripball, in com-
mand of some 'experiended gunners of the Royal
Artillery, was conducted to a most successful issue
after a duration of about three hours. At length
the heavy blocks were found to crack and crumble,
one of which was liftedfromits position and thrown
in splinters to the ground. 24 roands were fired,
one-half only taking effect; the other half were em-
bedded in the mound at the back, but no sooner-
had the elevation of the (run and its range been cor-
rectly obtained than shot after shot told with de
structive effect. After the 24th round the fortress
was pronounced utterly untenable. The wrought
iron shot was concluded to be infinitely superior for
that Especial purpose to iron, the later cracking
into atoms with the concussion and solid resistance
of the iron slabs, while the former appeared to cling
to the surface with more destructive effect, and fell
to the ground merely battered.
On Tuesday a detachment.of the 2d Dragoons,
consisting of 2 officers, 3 sergeaTO, and 29 privates,
left Dublin for Belfast, where they will remain till
further orders. By the same train 3 officers, 3 ser-
geants, and 17 privates of the same regime:4 pro
c-ededte Dundalk, and by the 5 o'clock train 2
officers and 25 rank and file of the 3d Dragoons,
which had arrived in the course of the day from
Newbridge, left for the same destination. In the
morning 4 officers and 139 renk and file of the 16th
Re,zitnent, matched from their quarters at the
Richmond-Bar.acks, and proceeded aiss to Dun-
dalk by the 8.30 a.m. train.
On Tuesday morning 50 privates, volunteers
from the 2d Dragoons to the 7th Hussars, left
Dublin by the Calypso, screw steamer, fur Bristol,
for the purpose of proceeding to India;
Major Nasmyth, whose brigade was broken up at
the Curiagh on the Ist inst., has been appointed
Brigade-Major of the 21 Infantry Brigade in
Dublin, under the command of Major-General
Cunyngham.
The Jura, not having yet completed her coaling,
having to take 1,000 tons on board, is still lying at
Queenstown. During the course of the present
week seven out of the eleven of the large steam
transports which have been chartered by the Go-
vernment are expected to arrive in Queenstown, to
embark tie ops for the-East Indies.
The Coa t guard screw at samer Argus arrived at
Liverpool yesterday, with Commodore Eden on
board.
The Admiralty yacht, with Sir C. Wood, First
Lord of the Admiralty on beard, was hourly ex-
pected in the Mersey yesterday, but bad not ar-
rived when our usual parcel left.
The Ganges, Cept. J. Fulford, now at Sheerness,
remains over 150 short of her complement of able

in 1786, being the fourth son .of Charles,
fourth Earl of Albermarle, by the Hon. E izSb 'th
Southaven, daughter of the la'e Lord Da Clifford,
whose lAther, the third E arl, was _aide-rte-camp
to
the Duke of Cumberland at 'Cull° len, and was
commander-in-chief at the reduction of Havaonah.
Sir Henry Keppel was born in 1809 ; entered the
navy in February, 1822 ; passcd his examination
in 1828, and obtained his first eeininiizion i.n the
following year. In 1830 he joined Vie Galat
42, under Captain C. Napier, aLd. in 1831 the
Magicienne, 21, under Captain, new Admiral
Plumridge, then serving on the East India ststion.
Having been promoted- to the rank of commander
in 1833, he served till the sprng of 1838 on board
the Childers 16, on the Mediterrisne.a,u station and
at the Ca?e of Good Hope, and b3ca•ne captain
in 1837. From 1841 till his return to England in
1845 he commanded the Dido, 18. In the latter
wszel he served on the coast of China, and was pre-
sent at the capture of Woosung and Shanghae in
that year, and took part in the operations on the
.Yang-tse-Kiang. In August, 1844, with oulY•the
Dido and the East India Company's steamer Phk-
gethen under his orders, hu attacked a large-pira-
tical settlement on the coast of Borneo, where,
while the loss of the. British amounted to-32 men
killed, and as many more wounded, the enemy had
five of their towns destroyed, 250 men Avcre
some thousands of house; and between .00-and 300.
proas of various descriptions burnt, and. 70 brass
guns and 13 flags taken. In _lBl5 ho published an
interesting account of this exploit, wider the tide.
of a " Narrative of the Biped it on .again4t llorneo."!
From that date hewas'unemp‘oyed until the break-
ing out of the late war with Russia in 1854, when
he was sent to the Baltic in'lcommand of the St. Jean,
d'Acre. He was created a Companion of the.Batb.
in 1856, for his Baltic services. Having attained
the rank of rear-admiral, he was sent out in com-
mand 'of the naval force in China early in the pre-
sent year ; and our columns have sufficiently in-
formed our readers of his recent successe.s in that
quarter.