The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-29 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

YEsterday the screw gunvessel Plover, 5, Com-
mander the Hon. A. L. Corry, fitting for sea at
Chatham, received on board three of her Armstrong
guns—viz., one 100-pounder pivot gun and two 20-
pounders. She also shipped 40 cases of Armstrong
solid and hollow shot and her 68-pounder ordinary
guns. The Plover has obtained nearly the whole
of her crew, and she will be ready for sea by to-
morrow.

The Dove, Admiralty transport, which sank off
Shoeburyness while engaged in conveying the
stores from the sunken Hussar to Chatham dock-
yard, was raised on Tuesday afternoon, and the
same night was towed into Chatham harbour by
the African paddlewheel steamer.

Commander Paul, assistaut-master attendant at
Devonport Dockyard, left Pembroke on Tuesday in
charge of the recently launched screw sloop Per-
seus, 17. She is attended by the steam tug Pro-
spero, and is bound to Plymouth, from which port
the steam tug Zephyr was despatched yesterday
(Wednesday) to meet her in the Channel.

The screw steam gunboat Hind left Plymouth
yesterday (Wednesday) with stores for the coast-
guard ship Russell, 60, at Falmouth.

. .
The paddlewheel steamvessel Trident, having em.
barked naval supernumeraries, left Plymouth yes.
terday (Wednesday) for Gibraltar.

It is rumoured in Plymouth that, having in-
curred some damage, the screw steamship Centu-
rion, 80, Capt. Henry Rogers, C. 8., one of the
Channel Squadron, is ordered to that port for
repair.

In addition to the powerful batteries and line of
defences which are now in course of erection at
Garrison Point, at the entrance to the Medway,
as well as thc, range of batteries on the north
shore of the river, on the isle of Grain, it is
intended still further to increase the sea defences,
which now extend from the demi•bastion on the
extreme left to the salient angle of No. 1 bastion
on the extreme right, by the erection of a casemated
battery at Cheyney-rock, which is situate about

1,200 to the eastward of the present fortifi-
cations. This work when completed will be mounted
with 100-pounder Armstrong guns, and will be of
enormous strength. The new batteries will be so
constructed that the guns will cross their fire with
those mounted on the bastions of the fortress, there-
by subjecting an attacking flotilla to the destructive
opposition of numerous powerful batteries, crossing
the line of each other's fire. The new works at
Garrison-point are progressing as rapidly as the
removal of the remains of the dismantled fortifica-
tions—the Halfmoon and Cavalier batteries—will
admit. The contract for laying the foundations
expiring in January next, every effort is now being
made by the contractors to have the work completed
within the time specified. The contemplated erec-
tion of a battery on the eastern shore of the Med-
way, inside Garrison-point, and on the south of
Sheerness dockyard, has been abandoned, as the
natural defences are considered to be a sufficient
security in that direction, the navigation of the
Medway for vessels of considerable draught being
now exceedingly hazardous. It would, of course,
be rendered more so by the removal of the buo3's
and other objects which now mark the navigable
Channel. Higher up the Medway, however, atd
only at a short distance from Chatham dockyard,
two most formidable batteries are now in progress,
one battery being placed on the projecting head-
land known as Folly-point, and the other on the
opposite shore, a short distance below, on another
projecting
.point called Bishop's Marsh. Both these
batteries will command an uninterrpted range of
three miles. Their fire would tell with serious effect