The Sun.
London, England, 1861-12-17 00:00:00

lITE NAVY.

The Hannibal, 91, screw, Capt. Farquhar, will go
into Portsmouth harbour this morning from Spit-
head to dismantle, and be put out of commission.
The Sutlej, 51, screw, in No. 7 dock at Ports-
mouth, fitting for the American waters, has com-
pleted coppering to her load water line, 'caulking
externally, and coaling to 320 tons. The riggers of
the dockyard and part of the Trafalgar's crew at
work on her rigging are crossing lower and topsail
yards, and placing battens on her rigging, in readi-
ness for rattling down and blacking. It will be three
weeks before she can be ready for sea.
The Warrior, 40, iron frigate, Capt. Hon. A. A.
Cochrane, C. 8., has had her date for being out of
the hands of the dockyard authorities put off to the
23d inst., but if the work taken in hand is to be
completed she cannot be made ready many hours
before the end of the present year. In case of Emer-
gency she could be sent to sea at once, as we before
stated, but in that event the work now going on
must bo put aside until a more favourable opportu-
nity. The huge erection on her after deck, origi-
nally intended as a "rifle tower," has been fitted
for far more important uses when the ship is in
close action. By the new arrangements, which are
the suggestions of Capt. Cochran© and Commander
Tryon, the interior of the tower has been fitted with
an engine room telegraph, tubes communicating
with the magazines and fighting deck, &c., all of
which in ordinary ships are placed on the bridge,
which would he the spot most likely to insure
their speedy destruction in a ship like the Warrior,
intended to fight at close quarters. In addition to
this, a small hatchway in the fore part of the
tower, or rather the deck on which the tower
stands, opens directly behind the men at the wheel
on the protected deck, and will enable the master,
whose quarters the rifle tower is supposed to be, to
direct the ship's course under the heaviest batteries,
the loopholes giving him a clear view all round,
with a certainty of his orders being carried out to
the end under his ownimmediate supervision, know-
ing, as he does, that he cannot be reached in the
midst of his duties while ensconced in the tower.
The tower also forms a protected means of commu-
nication between the fighting and upper decks.
Altogether, it is certainly the best adaptation that
could have been made, under the circumstances, of a
hideous looking mass, the outer iron case of which,
weighing 35 tons,• defaces the deck of our noblest
ships.

The Black Prince iron frigate, in the steam basin
at Portsmouth, has her deck swarming with dock-
yard artisans, contractor's men, and labourers, and
promises before she is ready for sea to absorb the
entire resources of Portsmouth yard, following in
this the recent example of her companion ship the
Warrior at Woolwich. An energetic captain ap-
pointed to her might expedite her outfit, which
otherwise may not be completed before May, 1862.
The ship is again to be placed in dock on the re-
moval of the Sutlej, which is expected to take place
to-day. The Black Prince was undocked a few
days since to enable the authorities to dock the
Sutlej, and now that the Sutlej is coming out the
Black Prince will resume her place ; hence an im-
mense amount of delay, which is only partially felt
at present, but which if we entered upon a naval
war would be felt to a very different degree, and
would bring matters to nearly a dead lock in our
chief naval arsenal. The cause is of course the want
of docks.

The Galatea, 26, 800 horse power, fitting at Chat-
ham for commission, is to be supplied with the fol-
lowing powerful armament :—Main deck, 20 10-
inch guns, each of 84 cwt., and four 100-pounder
Armstrong guns; upper deck, two 100-pounder
Armstrong pivot guns. In order to expedite her
fitments and complete her for sea, upwards of 200
hands are employed on her, consisting of riggers,
caulkers, shipwrights, and marines—including the
whole of the seamen and marines belonging to the
Defence, 22, Capt. Powell, C.B.
The Lords of the Admiralty having approved a
scale of charges for the towage of her Majesty's
ships, transports, and other vessels to and from
London, Woolwich, Gravesend, the Nore, and the
Downs, it has been promulgated for general infor-
don. The scale of charges from London to the
Downs varies frem £3B to £lO7, according to the
tonnage of the different classes of ships from 600
tons to 1,500 tons and upwards. Two tugs are only
to be used when absolutely necessary.
The sailing transport Plover, at Woolwich Ar-
senal yesterday landed the remainder of her cargo
of returned war stores from Bermuda, and will most
probably be re-engaged for North America. The
sailing transport Hope, at Woolwich, has shipped
a portion of her cargo for Malta, to consist of 11,000
Armstrong segment and other shells, packed in
separate cases, gun-carriages, platforms, &c. ; in
addition to which she will carry 200 tons of pre-
pared cartridges and ammunition.
lin accordance with orders received at Chatham,
the War Department transport Bomarsund has
shipped a number of camp equipages and tents, to-
gether with 2,000 blankets, from the stores at Chat-
ham, with which she proceeds to Woolwich, for the
use of the troops now being despatched to Canada.
A War-office telegram was yesterday received at
Woolwich Arsenal ordering the preparation for
shipment of 10 Armstrong 100-pounder guns to
be embarked with the earliest despatch for the sea
and land defences of Halifax, and a report was or-
dered to be transmitted by the authorities of the
dockyard to the Lords Commissioners of the Admi-
ralty, stating what ships would be available for
their transport. A measurement having been made
of the vacant storeage room on board her Majesty's
steam sloop Devastation, Commander M'Crea, under
orders for British North America, an answer was
returned to the effect that the Devastation could
stow away six of the guns, together with their
slides, carriages, shot, &c., and the fore hold, now
appropriated for the ship's provisions, would secure
the ammunition. The Devastation yesterday bent
sails, and was to leave the basin at Woolwich this
morning for the river to await the decision of the
Admiralty. Orders have been transmitted to the
laboratory for the manufacture of 10,000,000 rounds
of small arms cartridges and 100,000 charges of
Armstrong 100-pounder ammunition for sea service.
The preparation of the various descriptions of gun
carriages, principally 100-pounders, is likewise or-
dered to be increased. The work is consequently to
be continued night and day until further orders.
Rear Admiral Dacres, C. 8., was appointed yes-
terday as second in command to Admiral Sir Alex-
ander Milne, K.C.8., the Commander-in-Chief on
the North American Station. Admiral Dacres is to
hoist his flag on board the Edgar, at Portsmouth.
The undermentioned gentlemen have been nomi-
nated to naval cadetships :—Claude Henry Shute
Buckle, George C. L. Barnard Townsend, Coventry
Proctor Milnes Patmore, Frederick Streatfield
Pelly, Charles James Barlow, the Hon. John Scott
Napier, John Jekyll, Charles Edmund Lister, John
E. A. Dick Lauder, John Deane Deane, Thomas L.
Fletcher, Edward GOldney, Anthony Gwyn, Walter
Hailstone, Frederick Hutchinson, and Henry B. B.
Beresford,

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Capt. F. Scott, C. 8., to the
Orlando, commissioned : Commander James A. R.
Dunlop, to the Orlando ; Lieut. Henry L. C. Ro-
binson, to the Madagascar ; Lieut. James B. Grove,
Lieut. Charles H. Stirling, _Lieut. Archibald C. S.
Blackett, and Lieut. Edward J. Church to the Or-
lando ; James H. Ryan, Master, to the Orlando ;
Sub.-Lieut. Wm. Otter, to the Orlando; Francis
Hayter, George W. Hill, Barnard H. Dunn, and
George I. B. Elphinstone, midshipmen, to the Or-
lando; Claude H. Millett, Arthur C. Bromley,
William B. Rennell, Sydney S. H. Dickens, and
Cunningham V. Bridgeman, naval cadets, to
the Orlando ; Daniel B. Thomas, Alexander
Scott, Benjamin T. Lowne, Francis H.
Browne, William J. Inman, and Jeremiah E. Hatch,
acting assist.-surg., to the Victory, for Haslar
Hospital ; Dunbar A. Jennison, Thomas T. Ricor-
dan, James Hutchinson, Archibald C. Colquhoun,
and George Robertson, acting assist.-surgs., to the
Impregnable, for Plymouth Hospital; William E.
Sanders, paymaster, to the Orlando; B. Stratford,
assist.-paymaster, to the Orlando; William J. S.
Cannon, clerk, to the Orlando; William W. Gilbard,
assist.-clerk, to the Orlando ; and Edward Hocken,
acting second class assist.-engineer, to the Indus,
for the Phoebe.