The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-07 00:00:00

Naval and Military intelligence.

The James Baines and Champion of the Seas
clippers, Captains M'Donnell and M'Kirdy, em-
barked yesterday at Portsmouth the 97th and 20th
Foot, a portion of the 42d Highlanders, and other
troops for India. Officers and men seemed gratified
in the highest degree at the roomy and lofty accom-
modation these noble ships afforded them, and in

the best spirits at the prosp -ct of a speedy passage
to the scene of their operations. The embarcations
were superintended by Colonel Wright, Assistant
Quartermaster-General of the South-west District,
in whose hands was placed.the followingnoWe let

ter by the owner of the Black Ball line of packets :

" On board the James Bainee, at Portsmouth,
" Thursday, August 6.
" My dear Sir,—As I know, from the experience of
being a soldier'B son, that there is more glory than riches
in the profession of arms, I believe there must be many
sorrowing hearts among the poor soldiers' wives ; and,
as a substantial proof of the deep interest felt by the
owners of the James Baines and Champion of the Seas
at these sad partings, I beg to encl me a check for 200/ ,
which I shall feel obliged by your dividing between the
commanding officers of the troops now embarking in
these ships.—Yours very 'faithfully,
" T. M. MACKAY.
" To Lieutenant-Colonel Wright, Assistant Quartermas-
ter-General of the South-west District."

The above sum goes to the wives of the 20th,
97th, and one-third of the 42d Regiment who have

embarked.
Yesterday Colonel E. A. Parker, Commandant
of the Chatham division of the Royal Marine Light
Infantry, received an order from the Marine-office,
directing him to hold in readiness two captains, six
subalterns, and 312 non-commissioned office's and
men of that division for the purpose of proceeding
to the Plymouth division for duty. Orders were
also issued for the whole of the m,41 required for
duty at Catham to be withdrawn from the battalion

of Marines at Deal.
A large body of troops who have recently arrived
at Chatham garrison from various foreign stations,
having been invalided h,,me on account of wounds
or sickness, were yesterday discharged from the
service at Chatham.

Lieut. C. Spencer, 82d Regiment, bait been ap-
pointed instructor of musketry to the troops at the
PrAvisional battalion, Chatham, during the illness
of Capt. W. Not', 83d Regiinent.
[t is intended to send five more battalions of in-
fantry and one regiment of cavalry with all possible
despatch to India. Orders have been forwarded
to the respective commanding officers, and the East
India Company have been instructed to provide the
necessary tonnage for their conveyance with the
utmost expedition.

The 97th Regiment (34 officers and 733 men),
under the command of Colonel Ingram, C. 8., and
the 20th Regiment (38 officers and 761 men), tinder
the command of Colonel Everlegh, C. 8., left Al-
dershot yesterday far Portsmouth.
On Wednesday 14 officers and 341 men of the
38th Regiment left Dublin for Kingstown, where
they embarked on board the United Kingdom sail-
ing transport, which left yesterday morning for
Calcutta.

On Thursday 19 officers and 310 men of the 2d
battalion. Rifle Brigade left Kingstown. for India.
The H troop Royal Horse Arillery, under the
command of Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel Turner,
marched from Portobello on Thorsday to Dublin,
where they embark for Liverpool, proceeding to
India.
The headquarters division of the 3d battalion
60th Rifles, under the command of Col. Bedford,
are to embark at Kingstown to-day, in the Liver-
pool, for India.
Our advices from Malta reach to the 31st of
July, and mention the arrival, on the 19th at
Genoa, from Lisbon, of the Princess Royal, and
her departure on the 20th to join the squadron
under Lord Lyons, which has, it is stated, received
orders to retrace its way to Malta, where it was
looked for during tb.e following week. The Penin-
sular and Oriental Company's steampackets Co-
lombo rtve p. tn. in 67 hours, and the Vec-
tistnatilai3iopi at b
.m. in
77 hours, on the 26th, from
Alexandria.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Indus arrived at Malta on the 30th from South-
ampton and Gibraltar, and was awaiting the arrival,
hourly, expects d, of the Valetta from Marseilles,
with the overland London mail.
The Lords of tba Admiralty on Wednesday,
visited the powder works at Bull Point, in Ha-
In° 'Oodford J. Williams,
P
in ordinary, the
Royal
winasipi;euxict,edl2toh,ec grdaupat.ws
flag of Admiral Plumridge, mustered Vie artisans
in the Devonport Dockyard, examined that esta-
blishment, and the new steam yard at Keyham. In
Devonport dockyard the only ships building are the
screw steam-ship Donegal, 101, which may be
launcliel during the present year. The Narcissus,
a fourth-rate, is lengthening--it may be said rt-
building—for a 50-gun screw.
The screw steam-ship St. Jean d'Acre, 101, is
being restored for the steam reserve, after being
nearly prepared for the reception of the Atlantic
telegraph wire. The Creole, 26, sixth rate, is alter-
jug for an advance ship, and the sailing ships -
don, 90, and Aboukir, 90, are both receiving this
screw. The basin contains the screw stcaii corvette
Pelorus, 21, and the screw steam gunvessel Mo-
hawk, 4, and the gunboats Skipjack and Forward,
. preparing for sea, The only new work in progress

is the south smithery, which has bean two years in
hand—it measures 160 feet long by 120 broad, and
will be ready for use in a few months ; the saws
mills adjoining, which arie 120 feet square, are
equally forward.
At Keyham steam-yard the 40,0001. granted for
the current year has been all expended towards the
completion of one of the finest Government foun-
dries in existence. The chief portion has been laid
out on the great quadrangle, which, with the
buildings, has a roofaoe of seven acres. It is 900
feet long by 430 broad. Since their lordships were
there last year the engine smith-shop, south, has
been completed, including the erection of a Nasmyth
five-ton steam haminer, and several of lesser pow, r.
In the north end of the quadrangle tae oil-
smiths' shops and sores and the furnaces are in a
forward state.. The larger foundry is in use ; it
has four powerful travellers; consrructed on the
tubular principle, each weighing 22 tons, and
tested to the exttnt of lifting 30 tons; the side
walls are equally armed, having four cranes, each
tested to 30 ton., and four or five others with lesser
power to suit the various requirements. The gas
pipes are laid on, and there are two furnaces and
a drying stove attached. North of the foundry
are the usual pattern smiths' chop, trimming shop,
iron store, pug mill. blast, dec., all put up, anti
north of these again, to drive all the machinery, is
a 50-horse engine, similar to the one on the south.
The•boiler shop on the north end of the qua 1-
rangle is nearly complete, the cranes and travellers
are up, and the pavement and gas could be finished
in a month. The Government have not yet
availed themselves of all the land they possess on
the uoith, and the tidal basin has therefore not
obtained
.its full proportions. Negotiations are
pending .witle_the St..Auby,si family for the pur-
chase of 50 additional acres, and with the Duchy '
of Cornwall for a frontage of 50 acres of mud:
This may involve an outlay of 100,0001. Space
would b., obtaine 1 for a dock suitable for the in-
creased length of the new war ships, for a barrack
to save the military guard their long and tiresome
march before commencing duty, and, what mv
be of more consequence than either, for a siding
into the new Cornwall Railway, which will thus
also open direct commuuicat'on with the' South
Devon, Bristol and Exeter, and Great Western
lines. No. 1 dock at Keyham, which took the
Himalaya with not au inch to spare, is being lene-
thened 12 feet, and now contains the screw steam-
ship Doris, 32, 800 horse-power, the first of her
class in Devonport, preparing for commission.
No. 2 dock has the screw steamship Exmouth, 90,
which was taken in on Monday. Her stem has
received extra supporting shores, to facilitate the
repairs of her keel and' false keel, recently damaged
by grounding on the Land's-end on returning from
Lisbon, and in No. 3 (the Queen's dock) is the
screw steamship Nile, 90, refitting.
The Lords of the Admiralty will probably leave
Plymouth this morning for the coast of Dorset-
shire and Spithead.
The screw steamship Imperador, Commander
J. B. Atkins, belonging to the South American
Steam Company, from Liverpool, arrived at Ply-
mouth yesterday morning to embark marines for
Chins.
The screw steamship Sarah Sands, surveyed
some time back by Government surveyors, and
rejected in consequence of not being ready at the
time, has been since thoroughly completed, and
fitted in. every department by the owners, Messrs.
Walton and Sons, and has been taken up by the
East India-house for the conveyance of troops to
India. She was again surveyed on Tuesday by
the company's surveyors and an engineer officer of
Woolwich dockyard. In consequence of the Sarah
Sands having been in dock some time, it was con-
sidered necessary to institute a general examina-
tion through the various compartments and
machinery of the vessel, and, having been tested
and put under steam, she was pronounced efficient
throughout. She will leave the Victoria Dock
to-day for Southampton. Her nominal burden is
1,200 tons. The East India Company have suc-
ceeded in chartering the 14 undermentioned fiist-
class screw steamships—the 'Prince; Carthage,
Caledonia, Thebee, Rob •rt Lowe, Scotland, John
Bell, United Kingdom, Victoria, Sydney, Au4t al-
ian, Golden Fleece, Lady Jocelyn, mil Sarah
Sands, the majority of which are already under
way, besides about an equal number of sailing
ships of heavy tonnage ; and they are negotiating
and surveying for the hire of a further number.
Lieutenant-Colonel Walsh; Lieutenant Tavers,
and a sera, ant-major of the Ist battalion Royal
Marine, proceeded to Chatham yesterday from
Woolwich for the purpose of embarking with that
detachment under orders for China. Instructions
were yesterday received at the Royal Marine garri-
son, Wo ilwich, informing the commandant that
the troopship Adelaide, preparing for the transport
of the Woolwich division of Royal Marines to
China, will be ready for inspection on Monday next.
The steam-transport Rhedamantlins, in Woolwich
Y 1; e
punit al 1.
Cecil
Delves D hass
basin, has commenced shipping boilers and steam
gear for her Majesty's steamship Revenge, 91,
under construction at Pembroke, and is under
orderst o s on
Tuesday
Broughton, mi dl
f Plymouth.
been
appointed to the Buzzard; James R. Osborne,
master's-assistant, to the Mohawk ; Jac. pitman,
master's•assistant, to the Roebuck.

ME TRIAL OF ME PRINCE FREDERICK
WILLIAM, DOVER MAIL PACKET•

The official trip of this vessel took place yeste
day, a large party being on board interested in her
success, including Mr. P. Rolt, Capt. Ford, Capt.
Rawstone, R.N., Col. Fleming, Capt. IVl`llwainel
R.N., superintendent of the packet service at
Dover ; Major Cartwright,
Mr. Watson, of the
Dublin and Holyhead packet service,; the Admi-
ralty surveyors, Messrs. Hughes and Luke ; the
Board of Trade surveyors, Messrs. Galloway and
Gladstone ; Mr. Piddington, the agent of the Bel-
gian G ,vernment • ' Mr. Redhead, Capt. Jenkings,
Capt. Smithett, &c.c, At 12 o'clock the yeas" lift
the Brunswick Wharf, Blackwall, with a west wind
and a flowing tide against her ; within 11 minutes
she was off Woolwick Dockyard, and at 1.15 she
was abreast of Tilbury Fort, and proceeding to
the theasur,d mile she ran the course six times
with the following results :-
I,t run, against tide and wind 4m. 135..„„ 14 377 knots.
2d run, with tide 4m. Os. ••• 15.000 tt
31 run, against tide
4m. 295. ... 13 318 I,
4th run, wi .h tide
sth run, against tide
6th run, with tide
The mean result of the two longest and quickest
times giving a speed of 14.786 knots, or nearly 17k

statute-
We cannot h.-lp remarking that this is a vast im
provement over the speed of the former vessels
built for the Dover, Ostend and Ca'ais station; and
the remarkable improvement either in ship or ma-
chinery is shown in the fact, that whereas eight
years ago the greatest speed attained by the b-st of
the Dover mail packets was 13 knots, the rate of
speed a vessel of the same nominal power-120
horses ; length, 165 feet ; breadth, 20 feet ; exert-
ing a real power of 720—has now attained is leti
knots • a speed inferior only to that of the Royal
yacht ?Victoria and Albert, acknowledged to be the
fastest in the world.
In a vessel of 325 tons, of such surpassing speed,
the greatest exacted from any Admiralty contrac-
tor, the accommodation must naturally be expected
to be limited ; but we must confess that, for a
steam packet the principal service of which is the
conveyance of the mails, the accommodation for
passengers is most ample, and the elegance of her
fittings, in oak and maple, is unsurpassed.
This vessel has been turned out by the Thames
I•
andproduction Shipbuildingoof that
William affords a specimen of shipbuilding that
fir Company,
thpeany irince Frederick and as the first
rn
must win for the new company
a first-rate charac-
ter ; and with respect to the engineers, the success
of the Prince Frederick William, her power and
speed, must tend to enhance and consolidate the
celebrity of the firm.
We have only to add that the contractor, Mr.
Churchward, was fully satisfied with the result
the Admiralty and Board of Trade authorities ex-
pressed the r acquiescence in Mr. Churchward's
satisfaction, and one and all congratulated builder,
engineer, and owner, on the success of a vessel so
superior to anything in the shape of a sea-going
steam packet introduced on the river Thames.
The Prince glided through the water with an ease
and steadiness most gratifying, and there was no
more vibration on board than if the vessel had had
no steam-engine. On Saturday she leaves for her
station, and on Saturday night she makes her first
trip with the mails from Dower to Ostend.

FATAL ACOIDNNT FROM USING SWIMMING CORILI3.-
Yesterday an inquest was held at St. George's Work-
house on the body of a little boy named Abraham
Richards. The boy had provided himself with a set
of swimming corks, and on Monday last, while he was
uathing out of his depth in the Serpentine, the corks
got away from under him, and he was drowned. Ver-
dict, "Accidental death."