The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-10 00:00:00

TILE NAVY.

The Duke of Somerset, as First Lord of the Ad-
miralty, will hold his fourth levee this season to-
morrow, at the Admiralty, Whitehall.
The lower masts and bowsprit of the Warrior,
40, mail-clad steamer, :having been completed at
Chatham Dockyard, have been sent to the Victoria.
Docks to be put on board the Warrior by the sheer
hulk, which left Chatham for that purpose on
Monday,
The Challenger, 22, screw corvette, 400-horse
power, has been taken into No. 1 dock at Sheerness
to complete fitting for the steam reserve.
The Surly, 2, screw gunvessel, 60 horse power,
having completed her fitting at Sheerness, has been
put out of No. 5 dock, which is now occupied by
the Thrasher, 2, 60 horse power, in order that she
may undergo a thorough overhaul and repair.
The Leander, 51, 400 horse power, in the steam
basin at Sheerness, has nearly completed her fit-
ments, and is in a very advanced state. Since this
vessel has been lengthened she is one of the finest
of the class of 51-gun frigates in the British navy.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Sampson, 6, Capt.
George S. Hand, C. 8., and the paddlewheel steam
frigate Magicienne, 16, Capt. John E. Commerell,
both from China, are expected shortly to arrive at
Plymouth.

The screw steam corvette Jason, 21, Capt. von
Donop, left Plymouth on Monday for North Ame-
rica and the West Indies.
The screw steam gunvessel Nimble, 5 -Lieut.
D'Arcy, left Plymouth on Monday to joi:e the screw
steam ship Nile, 90, Capt. Edward Ye. Barnard, flag
of Rear-Admiral Sir Alexander Milnes, K.C.8., at
present in the West Indies.
The screw steam Gunboat Cockatrice, 3, from
Woolwich, arrived
on Monday at Plymouth and
proceed into Thanpool.
When the gunboat Redwing, tender to the gun-
nery sh.ip Cambridge, 42, Capt. Jerningham, went
on Monday from Harnoaze into the Sound, Rear-
Admiral of the White, Robert Smart, K.H., com-
manding the Western Division of the Channel
Flesi, with several of his officers and men, were in
her to witness the shot practice.
The iron screw steam troopship Megaara, 6,
Commander S. H. Henderson, has been some time
expected at Plymouth to embark artillery.
Two Dutch ships of war, 14 days from Gibraltar,
under canvas, were spoken by the Plymouth pilot
boat Whisper, off Star Point, on Monday morning
at 10 o'clock, when they got up steam for Ports-
mor; th.
Preparations are being made at Messrs. Palmer's
works, at Jarrow-on-the-Tyne, for the launch of the
Defiance iron-plated war vessel on Saturday. She
will be removed into the Tyne dock to be finished,
and it is stated that there is a prospect of a vessel
of similar proportions to the Defiance being imme-
diately set on at Jarrow.
Her Majesty's steam troopship Rhadamanthus,
Master Commander Sturdee, yesterday sailed from
Woolwich, laden with boilers and machinery for
the Black Prince at Glasgow.
The War Department screw steam storeship
Balaklava, Mr. W. Pellatt commander, having
undergone repairs in hull and machinery, and a
removal of her engines forward so as to afford addi-
tional stowage room, left Woolwich yesterday to
be adjusted at Greenhithe for Portsmouth, to dis-
charge her cargo, consisting of miscellaneous stores
from the military store department of Woolwich
Arsenal. The War Department sloop Lord Vivian
yesterday commenced shipping from Woolwich
Arsenal a battery of guns and armament complete
for Dartmouth.
The following transports have been chartered by
the War Department to ship stores from Woolwich
for stations abroad—viz., Northern Light, Doon,
Northumberland, Mary Smith, Mazurka, Heather
Bell, Esmeralda, Wolfe, Juan, Henry Holman,
Evangeline, Sea Breeze, Cairngorm, Jane, and Lord
of the Isles.
Of the six new screws gunboats ordered to be
built at the gunboat yard at Haslar, three—the
Minstrel, the Cherub, and the Netley—are getting
well up in frame. The keels of two others, the
Bruiser and the Orwell, are laid, and the blocks are
prepared to receive the keel of the sixth. These
boats will be 20 feet longer and two feet deeper
than the largest of the old class, and will be of a
much finer form in their bow and quarter. They
will be fitted with condensing engines. But
little change has occurred in this yard since the
period of the Gunboat Commission. The Caroline
and Mackerel are still on their blocks, and still
" awaiting orders." The Cherokee, Whiting, Pea-
cock, and Brave have been timbered and partially
planked. The Charger may be said to have
been rebuilt. The Earnest and Escort have each had
planks taken out above the former ones and their
timbers further examined, the result confirming
the decision formerly arrived at, that no vessels
could be wished to be in a sounder condition. All
vessels completed in their repairs have a plank
removed fore and aft with shelf pieces, &c., opened
up to admit a free current of air between the ves-
sel's timbers. The Tiny, Midge, Flirt, and Ready
have not been further, interfered with, and, from
their appearance, it is exceedingly doubtful whether
they are fit for anything beyond breaking up. The
mortar vessels have not been any further opened as
yet, but they are believed to be in a fair condition.
The naval estimates for the present year provide
for the erection of a line of stores on the eastern
side of the yard for the storing of the vessels masts
and boats, with their gear. In consequence of the
reduction of the number of hands employed in the
Royal dockards, but 60 are now employed in the
building and repairs of the gunboats at Haslar-53
shipwrights and seven apprentices.
The Cygnet, 5, screw gun vessel, commenced
masting yesterday in the steam basin at Ports
mouth, for the first class reserve and probable com
mission.

A paddlewheel despatch steamer, to be named
the Helicon, is ordered to be laid down in Ports-
mouth dockyard. She will be high-powered and
of fine forth, designed to attain the greatest possible
rate of speed. Such vessels would be an invaluable
addition to the resources of an Admiral in command
of a fleet in the Channel in time of war, and such
is, doubtless, their intended use, should their ser-

vices ever be required.
The Osborne, Royal paddle yacht, Master-Com-
mander George K. Bower, receives her crew on
board this morning from her hulk in Portsmouth
harbour, and is expected to sail for Madeira on
Friday.

His Netherlands Majesty's ships Evertsen, 50
guns, screw, Capt. Vreeland, and Zeeland, 50 guns,
screw, Capt. Fabius, the former bearing the flag of
Rear-Admiral H. Wipff, arrived at Spithead at 1.30
p.m. yesterday from the Mediterranean, last from
Port Mahon, from which place they sailed on the
17th of March. Immediately on anchoring, the
frigates exchanged the usual honorary salutes with
the Victory, flagship of the Commander-in-Chief at
the port, Vice-Admiral H. W. Bruce, and with the
saluting bastion of the fortress. Chevalier Van•

denbergh, the Netherlands Consul at the port, paid
an official visit to Admiral Wiiiff, on board his
flagship at Spithead, and on leaving the frigate
was saluted with seven guns. Capt. R. Conte, flag
captain to Vice-Admiral Bruce, also waited upon
Admiral Wiprf at Spithead. The ships will remain
a day or two at Spithead to fill up coal, and then
proceed on to the Texel. The passage to Spithead
from Port Mahon was accompanied with strong
westerly winds and thick fogs until making sound
ings, when easterly 'winds were fallen in with and con-
tinued to Spithead. On the Ist of April, in lat. 38.8
N., long. 14.30 W., the following vessels were seen
and spoken with :—The English bark Cornelia,
from Sunderland; the English ship Pegasus, the
French barks Manuel, of Bordeaux, and the Pro-
vidence, and the cchoonf?r Java Packet. On the Pith
inst., the Lizard bearing north, signalled a Dutch
ship, showing the Amsterdam College flag.
Four of Martin's cupola furnaces, of a similar
character to those on board her Majesty's ship
Colossus, 80, screw, and the gunboat, Stork, have
been received at Portsmouth, and will be placed in
the batteries for the uurpose of supplying the guns
with molten iron shells, the destructive character

of which fearful missiles was fully demonstrated
during the late experiments at Portsmouth, from
the guns of the Excellent, on the Undaunted, target