The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-23 00:00:00

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THE NAVY.

Steam was got up on Saturday in her Majesty's
floating battery Trusty, 14, 160 horse-power, in
Woolwich basin, in order to test the efficiency of her
engines, preparatory to a first trial at sea of Capt.
Cowper Phipps Coles's patent shot-proof gun-shield
erected on board the Trusty, already alluded to in
former numbers of The Sun. One of the great
advantages derived from the aid of the shield is found
to be the porthole, which is entirely closed by the
gun, save the small space sufficient to permit an
elevation of 10 and a depression of 7 deg. The
horizontal motion, or training, is effected by turning
the shield itself, with the gun, crew, and platform
on which they stand. The whole apparatus thus
becomes, as it were, the gun-carriage, and being
placed on a common turn-table is revolved to the
greatest nicety of adjustment. The shield is pro-
vided with a hollow cylinder 3 feet in diameter,
through which the powder is handed up from the
magazine and communication obtained. A current
of air is likewise kept up through the hollow pivot
by means of a fan, which causes the smoke, directly
it leaves the breech of the gun, to escape through
the opening immediately above it. The exposed
portion above the glacis of 3 feet 8 inches (the
entire shield being 7 feet high) is covered with
blocks of iron, and the lower part is sunk into the
deck, and protected by an iron glacis. The face of
the shield presents a slanting surface of 45 degrees
elevation, on a solid substance of 41-inch plates of
iron, backed up by 18-inch timber blocks. It is
calculated that any amount of pounding from the
enemy's guns would produce no injurious effect, as
no horizontal fire can strike this structure above
the water line, except at an angle of 40 degrees, It
is completely protected against a vertical fire by its
arched roof, and is supported on each side by stan-
chions, or fore and aft bulkheads. The experi-
ments are looked forward to with considerable in-
terest, as from the appearance of the shield and
the benefits likely to be afforded, the circum-
scribed limits of the broadside gun and gunners of
a man-of-war will now be rendered, it is confidently
expected, under ordinary circumstances, totally
shot proof. The ordinary portholes ara entirely
dispensed with. .

The Warrior, 36, screw, iron-plated ship, fitting
in the Victoria Docks, will have her pendant of
commission hoisted on the Ist proximo by Captain
the Hon. Arthur A. L. P. Cochrane, C. 8,, an officer
who has served with much distinction in all the
naval operations in which this country has been
engaged since 1840.
The Defence, 22, screw, iron plated ship, complet-
ing at Jarrow by Messrs. Palmer Brothers, will

leave that port for Chatham or Portsmouth on the
9th proximo. She is expected to proceed direct to
the latter port, and on her arrival will b© imme-
diately commissioned by Capt. Richard Ashmore
Powell, C.B. Capt. Powell bears the character in
naval circles of being a most energetic and pushing
officer.

The Pelican, 17, screw, fitting for commission by
the riggers of the dockyard and men of the Reserve
at Portsmouth, has been undocked, and is having
her armament placed on board alongside the dock-
yard. It comprises 16 short 32-pounder smooth
bores, of 32 cwt. each, on truck carriages, and one
40-pounder Armstrong, new naval pattern.
The Wanderer steamsloop, now in commission, is
to have an armament of one 100-pounder Armstrong
gun and three 32-pounder guns. The Collingwood,
80, converted from a sailing vessel to a screw
steamer, is to be completed for service. The
Arethusa, 51, is to be fitted for sea. The Undaunted
51, has been coppered, and is now in a forward'
state. The Trident and Persian are in the basin at
Woolwich.

Her Majesty's ship Hussar, which had been for-
warded to Shoeburyness to serve as a target for ex-
perimental purposes, was consumed by fire a few
days since. A detachment of Royal Artillery had
been firing shot and shell during the day, and had
retired, when about 9 p.m. the vessel was in one
body of flame from stem to stern, and continued to
burn for several hours until destroyed. A large
number of persons assembled on the beach at South-
end and Sheerness to witness the spectacle.
The forthcoming experimental firing upon Jones's
angulated target, it has been decided by the autho-
rities, will take place on the shoals in the vicinity
of Spithead, and a gun will be forwarded to Ports-
mouth from Woolwich specially for the purpose.
The results of the trial will be watched with great
interest by scientific men. It has been suggested
by a gentleman who has seen a good deal of these
plate experiments, that on some future trial the
plate—instead of being bolted on a heavy backing
of timber, as has been the case in all trials at Ports-
mouth, or in a wooden framework without any
backing, as at Shoeburyness—should be bolted on
to the target or ship's side through heavy wrought-
iron double T-headed beams, leaving a space of six
inches between the armour plates and the ship's
inner skin of one-inch plate, or the ordinary wooden
side. By this mode it is said that it would probably
I be found that the vibrative tower of the metal
would be sufficiently retained ; that, acting in con-

junction with the substantial manner in which the
plate would be supported by the wrought-iron beams,
it wooed destroy the majority of shots on their strik-
ing it. Even if broken or pierced, the shot would, as
now, pulverise itself in passing through the plate,
while the six inches distant would prevent the inner
skin
from thesplintered
ort shiphe
shot i nfoat oct,r plate, confining
onhcecfionngcinuss on
and the
damage to the armour plate, which would thus
legitimately fulfil its professed duty—the protec-
tion of the ship without any necessary accompanying
injury, as attends the present mode of hanging the
plates.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. A. P. Marescaux, to
the Edinburgh ; Lieut. E. F. Weld, to the Corn-
wallis ; and Gerard C. Langley has been nominated
to a naval cadetship.

.N EW S PAPER

tFt •
were the departure of _g =
;alion Scots Fusilier Guards, under the commana
of Lieut.-Col. Dalrymple, and the arrival, on Fri-
day, of the 2d Battalion Coldstream Guards, under
the command of Col. Wood. The Coldstreams are
occupying the tents on Cove-common, vacated by
the Fusiliers. The annexed statement shows the
figure of merit obtained at rifle practice this year
by the regiments comprised in the Aldershott divi-
sion :-23 Battalion Scots Fusilier Guards, batta-
lion, 49.42; best company, 50.82-2 d Battalion
Coldstream Guards, battalion, 48.32 ; best company,
48.96-2 d Battalion 20th, battalion, 48.02 ; best
company, 48.67-2 d Battalion Grenadier Guards,
battalion, 47.76 ; best company, 52'36-30th, bat-
talion, 45.99 ; best company, 47.11-45th, batta-
lion, 44.70 ; best company, 50.64-32 d, battalion,
43.46 ; best company, 46 75-41st, battalion,42.3l ;
best company, 46.06-78th Highlanders, lett alion,
41.83 ; best company, 44.65-29th, battalion, 40.60
best company, 42.08—15 t Battalion 10th, battalion,
40.43 ; best company, 47.14-84th, battalion, 40.35 ;
best company, 43.71—R0yal Engineers, battalion,
3866; best company, 39.00-53 d, battalion, 35.41 ;
best company, 42.04-2 d Battalion 25th, best com-
pany, 19.68.

Capt. Sir W. Hamilton, Lieuts. W. A. Bazalgette
and Rice, Assist.-Surg. Turper, 16 sergeants, 13
corporals, 11 bombardiers, 398 gunners, and four
trumpeters, total 446 of all ranks, together with
40 women and 44 children, belonging to the depot
brigade, Royal Artillery, started from head-quar-
ters, Woolwich, yesterday morning at 9 o'clock, to
establish the division of the depot in course of for-.
mation at Warley. Assist.-Surg. Turner will return
to Woolwich.
The Akbar yesterday embarked at Spithead the
officers and troops, for conveyance to the Mauritius
and Ceylon. She sails for her destination this
morning, calling at Queenstown to take in other
detachments.
Cupolas for melting the iron for filling Martin's
liquid shells have just been supplied to the whole
of the defences in the Chatham district in the fol-
lowing proportions, viz. ;—Sheerness, 11 ; Tilbury
Fort, two ; New Tavern Fort, Gravesend, two ;
Coalhouse point, two ; and Shornmeade, one. The
cupola consists of a cylindrical shell of wrought-
iron, lined with fire-brick, having a blast fan at-
tached. Connected with the cupola is a fan for
raising the necessary heat for melting the iron.
This fan can be driven by either manual labour or
steam power. A ton of metal can be melted in 30
minutes after the fan has been set in motion. In
consequence of the forts at Coalhouse-point and
Shornmeade having been dismantled, the cupolas
for those batteries have been landed at Tilbury
Fort, until the reconstruction of the fortifications.
A substance used for preserving these expensive
contrivances from the injurious effects of the
weather has been received at the different stations
to which the cupolas have been supplied.

FOUR2II OF JUL-1 IN THE STATES.

Our great holiday was celebrated on the 4th of
July in the States in a style that has never been
surpassed. Of the millions who celebrate it pro-
bably very few know the real cause, or think of it.
It is a grand jubilee—young America is out in all •
her glory. She must fire off something that will
make a noise. Some only get a pack of Chinese fire
crackers ; other boys procure a pistol, a shot gun,
or a small cannon, and let it off at all times and in
all places. This year China bas sent us a fire cracker
that makes the noise of a cannon, and costs five dol-
lars per 100 ; the small packs sell, a box (40 packs)
for one dollar. All the boys in New York get some-
thing to shoot ; for American babies from six months
to a year old, small torpedoes, that they fling down
and explode, are furnished in boxes at six cents
each. At night comes the crowning glory; almost
every one provides a lot of fireworks. Patriotic
lanterns, made out of paper stripes and stars, are
hung up in the front windows and doors. Every
man of family spends from five to 100 dollars in
fireworks for his own home and family, and these
are let off after dark. Squibs, rockets, Roman
candles, American candles—red, white, and blue—
mines,s&c., to the delight of the youngsters, and to
the utter horror of horses and outsiders. The coun-
try folks all came to the eity yesterday. Of course
every place of public amusement was crowded, and
throngs crowded the streets from morning until
night. The vessels in the harbour displayed their
flags gaily ;so did all our public buildings. The
military turned out, and all this fuss and patriotism
was to celebrate the anniversary of the day when
we very irreverently licked our mother and set up
housekeeping for ourselves. Probably next year
another holiday will be inaugurated to celebrate
the anniversary of the day in 1861 when we flogged
our relations South, and made them obedient.