The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-11 00:00:00

TILE NAVY.

The freight ship John Bunyan yesterday com-
pleted shipping 3,000 barrels of ammunition for
Malta, and is to sail to-day for her destinatien.
Tnis large shipment of ammunition is intended for
transport by the overland route for India.
H.M. steam-yachts Black Eagle and Vivid ar-
rived at Portsmouth yesterday with supernume-
raries from Woolwich and Sheerness.
H.M. screw steam transport Urgent, Commander
J. W. D. M'Donald, sailed from Spithead yester-
day morning at daybreak, the weather having con-
siderably moderated.
Her IL-lest-is screw steamship Algiers, 91, Cap-
tain, G. V. D. O'Callaghan, completed muting
Yesterday alongside the Sheer-jetty at Portsmouth
aockyard.
Her Majesty's screw steam-frigate Mersey, 40, in
the steam-basin, Portsmouth, has sent up her lower
and topsail yards, and is otherwise fast progressing
in her equipment.
The Trafalgar, 120, in the dock at Chatham,
being converted into a 90 gun screw steamer, is nearly
completed, and will be ready to be undoeked next
month, when it is understood she will be attached
to the Channel fleet.
THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NAVY.—It is
rumoured in naval circles that the navy will be
entirely reconstructed. The old line-of•battle ships
such as the Vanguard, Albion, &c., will be dis-
carded as useless. Even the French Government,
it is said, has been wofully deceived in the con-
struction of some of its ships of war. Thus it was
boasted that such a ship as the Napoleon could
proceed to the West Indies or any other distant
station, and sweep the seas, when it was found that
she could not carry sufficient ammunition, provi-
sions, and coals to keep to sea a week. The truth
is that the stowage of the machinery and coals of
swift-going steamers occupies so much room as to
render such vessels useless unless for a voyage of a
few days. Opinions among even naval authorities
appear to be pretty equally divided as to whether
large war steamers of inferior horse power, and in
which the expenditure of fuel would be small, or
small sized steamers with heavy armaments would
be the better. It is consolatory to think that, owing
to a want of experience in naval warfare since the
introduction of war steamers, other nations are as
much in the dark as ourselves as to what kind of
steamships are the best for fighting. The Yankees
boast that their Merrimac and other ships are so
swift that they could destroy such comparatively
slow vessels as the Duke of Wellington by rapidity
of evolution ; but they forget that the Merrimac
would soon consume the small quantity of fuel that
she can stow away, and then she would become a
helpless log on the ocean.
,
DOCKYARD APPRENTICES.--Admiralty oruers
have been received at Woolwich Dockyard direct-
ing certain alterations in the regulations as to
the education of apprentices. Those who have at-
tended the dockyard school for three years will be
allowed on the recommendation of the schoolmaster
to remain another year. A periodical examination
is to be made by the Inspector-General of Schools,
who will recommend a proportion of the scholars to
pursue a higher branch of study ; and the last year
of their apprenticeship is to be served in acquiring
a knowledge of ship-building, algebra, equations,
logarithms, trigonometry, mechanics, &c. Their
lordships have also intimated their intention of
taking into consideration the propriety of granting
a scholarship of £2O per 'annum to those who may
exhibit superior abilities.