The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-21 00:00:00

2HE NAVY.

The Duke of Somerset, First Lord, together with
Rear-Admiral the Hon. Sir Frederick W. Grey,
K.C.8., Rear-Admiral Chas. Eden, C. 8., and Capt.
tho Hon. James R. Drummond, C. 8., Lords of the
Admiralty, accompanied by Rear-Admiral Robin-
son, Capt. Moore, leave the Admiralty, White-
hall, early this morning, for Shoebnryness, to per-
sonally witness some interesting experiments to be
carried on by the Armstrong guns of different calibre
against the new Warrior targets. The Lords of
the Admiralty dine and sleep on board the Osborne,
Admiralty yacht, and return to town to-morrow
evening.
The Warrior, 40, screw, Capt. the Hen. A. A.
Cochrane, C. 8., awaits orders at Spithead. Up to
Saturday no orders had been received at Ports-
mouth relative to her half-power trial, nor was the
date known when she would leave Spithead on her
experimental sea trip.
The extraordinary success which attended the
recent trial trip of the mail-clad frigate Warrior has
had the effect of reviving the interest of the public
in the Achilles, one of the same class of vessels, the
building of which has been commenced in No. 2
dock in Chatham yard ; but considerable inconveni-
ence is experienced by the authorities of that esta-
blishment in consequence of the very tardy manner
in which the iron to be used in her construction is
supplied by the contractors, notwithstanding that
the orders have been in many cases several months
on hand. The do?kyard officers are very vigilant
in seeing that the metal supplied for this purpoo
is of the best description and of first-class manufac-
ture, and immediately it is received it is subjected
to the severest tests to prove its quality ; by this
means several cargoes have been found deficient,
and have accordingly been rejected as unfit for the
use to which it was intended to apply it. The whole
of the new machinery in the factory, recently
erected for the purpose of fitting and preparing the

different portions of this vessel, has now been. got
into perfect working order, and already upwards of
300 hands have been entered to work upon her.
Had it not been, however, for the untoward circum.

stance mentioned above, it is extremely probable

that nearly double that number would have been
by this time engaged upon her ; but as it is, suffi-
cient employment cannot be found for the hands
already engaged, and a portion of them have been
placed upon the Defence, iron ram, fitting in No. 3
dock. The work of building the Achilles, however,
is being pushed forward as vigorously as the limited
means at hand tigill allow ; the greater portion of
her keel-plates have been riveted together, and her
lower floors are rising into position.

The Trafalgar, 86, screw, Capt. J. B. Dickson,
has a large number of shipwrights employed upon
her in dock at Portsmouth, her required repairs
being of a very extensive character.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel steamsloop Firebrand,
Commandqr Bruce, from the West Indies, having
undergone the necessary caulking, &c., in basin, at
'Woolwich, will sail on the 27th inst. for Spithead.
The Devastation and Rapid, under fitting at Wool-
wich, will be despatched in a few days, the former
for Sheerness and the latter for Portsmouth, to be
laid up in reserve.
An order has been issued by the Admiralty that

all pensioners now serving in the navy are to be
discharged from their ships on 30th Nov. next.
They will,be allowed to re-enter as shipkeepers, or
in coastguard ships, with the understanding that
their pension ceases while serving, but that the
extra time served will count for increase of pension.
Unless some clause has been provided by the Admi-
ralty to meet this emergency, this order will pro-
duce a most disastrous effect on board the training
ships, and particularly on board the Britannia naval
cadet training ship atPortsmouth, where the greater
number of instructors in seamanship are pensioners,
and a class of men who cannot be replaced.
The Medea, 6, paddle, Cora. D'Arcy Preston, went

out of Portsmouth harbour to Spithead on Saturday.
She is expected to sail for Halifax and the West
Indies.

The following appointments were made on Sa-
turday at the Admiralty :—Com. P. Sanmarez, to
the Wellesley, additional, for service in the Defence;
Lieut. B. L. Lefroy, to the Fisgard, for service in
the Investigator ; Lieut. W. F. Irwin, to the Do-
terel ; W. Mayes, master, to the Wellesley, for the
Defence ; J. T. Sullivan, master, to the Corn wallis
for the Coastguard ; Sir L. H. Campbell and C. A.
Woodroffe, midshipman, to the Medea; John
Pakenham Pipon, nominated to a naval cadetship ;
George F. Bell, acting engineer, additional, to the
Cumberland, for the Zebra, confirmed ; W. H. Bam-
bury, first-class assist.-engineer, transferred from
Plymouth to Portsmouth ordinary; S. Grundy,
acting second-class assist.-engineer, additional, to
the Asia for the Myrtle; R. Hall, acting second-
class assist.-engineer, to the Asia for the Stork.
The following officers now borne additional of the
Blenheim, for •service in the Violet tender, have
been appointed additional of the Blenheim for ser-
vice in the Hyaena tender:—W. Roberts, first-class
engineer; G. W. Hancock, second•class engineer;
and J. W. Hornbrook, third-class gunner.