The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-08 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The Severn, 50-gun sailing frigate, which has
been taken into dock at Chatham for the purpose of
being converted into a screw steamer, is ordered to
be cut asunder and lengthened 50 feet amidships,
18 feet aft, and 23 feet forward. As soon as the
alterations ordered have been made to this vessel
she will be one of the finest frigates belonging to
the British navy.
The screw steamer Amphion, 36, has been taken
into No. 2 dock at Chatham for the purpose of
having her defects made good, when she will be
attached to the steam reserve.

The screw corvette Cadmus, 21, having com-
pleted her fitments at Chatham dockyard, has been
floated out of the second dock and towed to Sheer-
ness by the African and Adder steamers, and will
be attached to the steam reserve at that port.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel steam-sloop Ardent,
Commander John H. Cave, commissioned Nov. 12,

1857, for service on the west coast of Africa, having
sustained considerable damage, has been docked at
Woolwich for repairs, and was yesterday paid off,
and the officers and crew released from duty.
The following ships were yesterday engaged by
the War Department for the conveyance of stores
from Woolwich—namely, the Royal Rose, for
Colombo ; the Sea Park, for Simon's Town • the
Malabar, for Demerara; and the Hannah Cozier,
for St. Helena.

The Urgent screw steam troop-ship, Commander
E. W. Hire, arrived at Spithead yesterday, after
having conveyed the depot of the 77th Foot from
Jersey, and disembarked them at Cowes. It is ex-
pected she will next proceed to Devonport to load
provisions for the fleet in Bantry Bay.
The Shannon, 21, screw steam frigate at Ports-
mouth, was yesterday moved out of No. 7 dock, at
that port, to the steam basin. The Melpomene, 51,
screw steam frigate, was afterwards placed in the
same dock for the purpose of having a Kingston
valve for the supply of her auxiliary fire engine.
The Grasshopper, 2, screw steam gunboat, at
Portsmouth, yesterday steamed out of the harbour
to try her machinery after her late overhaul and
repair, prior to her being placed in the steam reserve.
The Bullfinch, 2, screw steam gunboat (tender to
the Illustrious), Lieut. I. W. James, was yesterday
taken into the steam basin at Portsmouth to have
her boiler& taken out for examination and repair.
The new steam crane on the east wall of the steam
basin in Portsmouth Dockyard will undergo its
testing trial in the courso of a few days. Steam
was got up yesterday for the first time. Messrs.
Fairbairn, of Manchester,_ are the contractors.

The steam storeship RhadamanthUt, with ma-
chinery from Woolwich, arrived at Devonport on
Monday. She takes jurymasts and gear to Pem-
broke for the Revenge, appointed to be launched
to-morrow.

The gunboat Hind, with stores saved from the
wreck of the Czar, arrived at Plymouth on Friday,
and returned to Falmouth on Monday.
The stead). tender Avon, Second Master J. Pal-
mer, from Scilly and Penzance, arrived at Plymouth
on Wednesday with boys for the service.
The steam tender Advice, from Queenstown, ar-
rived at Plymouth on Wednesday.
The gunboat Forward made a trial trip outside
Plymouth Sound on Wednesday.
The screw steamship Nile, Captain A. P. E.
Wilmot, was taken out of the basin at Keyham,
Plymouth, on Wednesday.
It has been found necessary to take out the
boilers of the screw steamship James Watt, 91,
Captain E. Codd, under repair at Keyham.
The screw steam frigate Topaz, at Devonport,
was taken to the new north jetty on Tuesday, to
give place to the screw steamship Algiers, 91, Capt.
D. O'Callaghan, which is to be docked on arrival.
The new screw steam frigate Forte, 51 guns, of
400 horse power (nominal), left Sheerness on Tues-
day on a final trial of her engines. In six times
running the measured mile in the S win she ave-
raged 111 knots ; she made from 58 to 60 revolu-
tions, with a vacuum of 251 b. and 201 b. steam pres-
sure. After running for a trial of speed she pro-
ceeded towards Harwich, and returned to her moor-
ings at 530 p.m. The authorities, on the part of
the Admiralty and Engineer Department, ex-
pressed themselves highly satisfied with the work-
ing of the engines.
A letter received at Plymouth, written from the
screw steamship Caesar, 90, Captain C. Frederick,
dated off Greytown, March 3, states that all on
board were healthy. For nearly three months they
had not started "tack or sheet," and there were no
signs of moving from the place. Some of the officers
had not been over the ship's side for several weeks.
In consequence of the increasing shallowness of the
harbour, which prevents the Caesar from entering,
it has been suggested that vessels of lighter draught
such as gunboats, might be employed more advan-
tageously on this duty.
Letters received at Plymouth, written from the
screw steamship Orion, 91, Capt. W. Houston, dated
Gibraltar, March 27, state that they, with the screw
steamship Victor Emmanuel, 9, Capt. J. Wilcox,
were awaiting orders. They do not expect to be
sent further up the Mediterranean.
It is reported among naval officers at Plymouth
that the Diadem and Ctesar will be ordered home
from the West Indies, aid the Orion and Victor
Emmanuel from the Mediterranean, for the purpose
of attending the approaching naval review at Spit-
head. _ _

Lieutenant A. G. E. Murray has been appointed
to the Jackal, and Lieutenant S. F. Studdart to the
Excellent.

THE ARMY.

His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, as
General Commandipg-in-Chief, held a levee yester-
day at the Horse Guards, which was very nume-
rously attended.
Colonel Second Commandant A. Anderson, of the
Portsmouth Division of Royal Marines, has assumed
the command of the garrison of Gosport, during the
absence on leave of Colonel Hurdle, commandant
C. 8., Aids-de-Camp to the Queen.
The Royal Marines are ordered to receive volun-
teers from all militia regiments.
Mr. F. A. Abel, the chemist to the War Depart-
ment, has been engaged at Chatham in making
some further experiments for the purpose of demon-
strating the manner in which charges of gunpowder
may be fired by means of magnetic agency. The
experiments took place at St. Mary's Creek, ad-
joining the practising ground of the Royal Engi-
neers, where several charges of powder were fired
by the new agency discovered by Mr. Abel, which
is likely to supersede the voltaic battery at present
used for submarine and other explosions.
The South -Eastern Railway Company have made
rapid progress in marking out and forwarding the
works recently commenced under contract with the
junction
railway Department for the formation of the
railway from Woolwich Arsenal to their main line,
for the speedy transport of guns and war stores to
the coast stations. Embankments have been levelled,
ezcreseent buildings razed, and bridges commenced,

so as to make the transit available with the greatest
possible expedition. The Royal gun factories yes-
terday engaged 70 extra hands, and the Royal Car-
riage Department operatives are daily engaged
over hours in the preparation and fitment of guns
and other war stores for the coast defences and our
foreign possessions. A couple of sample gun car-
riages and slides are in course of construction in
the Royal Carriage Department on a perfectly new
principle, from designs submitted to Col. Tulloh,
the superintendent, by Sir Wm. Armstrong, C. 8.,
Government engineer for rifled ordnance. One of
the carriages is intended for a 40-pounder Arm-
strong siege gun, for land service, and the other to
work a 32-pounder ship's gun. The slope of the
carriage for the reception of the gun is on an accli-
vity of 22 deg., which will considerably counteract
the heavy recoil usually experienced with so much
inconvenience, especially on board ship, where in
sundry instances it has been expedient to erect an
exterior scaffolding for the purpose of loading and
cleaning out the gun, so as to afford space for the re-
coil under the confined dimensions of a ship's decks.
The breech-loading principle, together with the
improved gun carriage, it is suggested, will obviate
the abovenamed inconvenience.