The Sun.
London, England, 1859-02-11 00:00:00

THE NAVE

The freight ship John Bunyan yesterday com-
pleted shipping 3,000 barrels of ammunition for
Malta, and is to sail to-day for her destinatien.
Tnis large shipment of ammunition is intended for
transport by the overland route for India.
H.M. steam-yachts Black Eagle and Vivid ar-
rived-at Portsmouth yesterday with supernume-
raries from Woolwich and Sheerness.
H.M. screw steam transport Urgent, Commander
J. W. D. M'Donald, sailed from Spithead yester-
day morning at daybreak, the weather having con-
sLderably moderated.
Her Majesty's screw steamship Algiers, 91, Cap-
tain a -W D. O'Callaghan, completed masting
yesterday alongside the Sheer-jetty at Portsmouth
dockyard.
Her Majesty's screw steam-frigate Mersey, 40, in
the steam-basin, Portsmouth, has sent up her lower
and topsail yards, and is otherwise fast progressing
in her equipment.
The Trafalgar, 120, in the dock at Chatham,
being converted into a 90 gun screw steamer, is nearly
completed, and will be ready to be undocked next
month, when it is understood she will be attached
to the Channel fleet.

THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NAVY.—It is
rumoured in naval circles that the navy will be
entirely reconstructed. The old line-of .battle ships
such as the Vanguard, Albion, &c., will be dis-
carded as useless. Even the French Government,
it is said, has been wofully deceived in the con-
struction of some of its ships of war. Thus it was
boasted that such a ship as the Napoleon could
proceed to the West Indies or any other distant
station, and sweep the seas, when it was found that
she could not carry sufficient ammunition, provi-
sions, and coals to keep to sea a week. The truth
is that the stowage of the machinery and coals of
swift-going steamers occupies so much room as to
render such vessels useless unless for a voyage of a
few days. Opinions among even naval authorities
appear to be pretty equally divided as to whether
large war steamers of inferior horse power, and in
which the expenditure of fuel would be small, or
small sized steamers with heavy armaments would
be the better. It is consolatory to think that, owing
to a want of experience in naval warfare since the
introduction of war steamers, other nations are as
much in the dark as ourselves as to what kind of
steamships are the best for fighting. The Yankees
boast that their Merrimac and other ships are so
swift that they could destroy such comparatively
slow vessels as the Duke of Wellington by rapidity
of evolution ; but they forget that the Merrimac
would soon consume the small quantity of fuel that
she can stow away, and then she would become a
helpless log on the ocean.
DOCKYARD APPRENTICEs.—Admiralty orders
have been received at Woolwich Dockyard direct.
ing certain alterations in the regulations as to
the education of apprentices. Those who have at-
tended the dockyard school for three years will be
allowed on the recommendation of the schoolmaster
to remain another year. A periodical examination
is to be made by the Inspector-General of Schools,
who will recommend a proportion of the scholars to
pursue a higher branch of study ; and the last year
of their apprenticeship is to be served in acquiring
a knowledge of ship-building, algebra, equations,
logarithms, trigonometry, mechanics, &c. Their
lordships have also intimated their intention of
taking into consideration the propriety of granting
a scholarship of £2O per annum to those who may
exhibit superior abilities.

THE ARMY.

Yesterday some experiments took place near the
field-works of the Royal Engineers at Chatham, for
the purpose of testing some new descriptions of
missiles which have been invented by Captain J.
Norton, an officer who has already made some
valuable inventions in connection with the rifle.
The afternoon was exceedingly wet and unfavour-
able for carrying on the operations, but notwith-
standing this drawback a number of officers of the
Royal Engineers were present. The experiments
first made were with a new description of rifle
shell, called, by Captain Norton, the liquid-fire
rifle shell. The object of this new missile is to set
on fire the sails, rigging, and even the hull of any
vessel against which the shell is thrown, and cer-
tainly the results of the experiments yesterday
proved that the shell in question is one of the most
extraordinary projectiles ever introduced into the
art of warfare. The shell is about three or four
times the size of an ordinary conical rifle bullet,
but is hollow, the interior being filled with glass in
which is contained the " liquid fire." This chemical
substance is prepared from a secret in the posses-
sion of Captain Norton, but the chief ingredients
are phosphorus dissolved in bi-sulphate of carbon,
and hermetically. sealed. Immediately on this shell
striking any ignitable matter the glass is broken,
and so powerful is the liquid that it almost instan-
taneously sets the objects in a blaze. During the
experiments yesterday afternoon a number of large
sacks were suspended on poles, to represent the
sails of a ship, and these were soon soaked through
with rain, so as to become completely saturated.
Captain Norton then took a heavy three-groved
rifle, which he loaded with one of his shells and
fired at the canvas. Notwithstanding that the sack-
ing was very wet the effect was exceedingly sur-
prising, the liquid spreading through the canvas,
which in a short time began to smoulder, and after
another interval burst forth into flames, entirely
consuming the whole. Had the sacking been dry
the effect would have been instantaneous. Captain
Norton can undertake, with the same description
of shells, but of larger size, to set fire to any
line-of-battle ship in the navy. The next experi-
ments undertaken were with a new description
of rifle shot, which has been named the " Spinster."
This bullet, which can be fired by Captain Noion
at a distance of no less than 1,800 yards, is intended
for blowing up ammunition waggons, bags of gun-
powder, or setting fire to the camp of an enemy.
The bullet, which in shape and size resembles the
Enfield rifle ball, has a chemical substance attached
to its base, which becomes ignited the instant it is
fired, remaining burning long enough to do the
execution for which it is intended. A bag, con-
taining about two pounds' weight of gunpowder,
mixed with a great quantity of sawdust, was placed
upon the ground, the powder being soon wetted
through by the rain. One of the " spinster" shots
was fired at the mass by means of Capt. Norton's
gossamer seamless cartridges, but owing to the
powder being so wet no immediate result followed,
as the gunpowder was so mixed up with the saw-
dust. After a short time, however, the powder was
ignited and blown up. Captain Norton afterwards
exhibited some of his " frictional igniters," which
are a kind of hand grenade, and can be made to
explode when thrown from a glacis in the face of
assailants. The engineer officers present expressed
themselves in satisfactory terms at the result of the
experiments made with Capt. Norton's inventions.
Large detachments of the Royal Artillery, En-
gineers, the Marine Light Infantry, and the Antrim
l
Rifle Militia were paraded n front of the Artillery
Barracks, Woolwich, yesterday, pursuance of
garrison orders circulated on
ing, to form a funeral party pre.ceding even-
in readiness to issue
from the garrison at 2 o'clock._ _ A . Lightfoot, the
deceased, had recently undertaken the temporary
office of Acting Assistant-Surgeon at the Royal
ArtilleryFridaylast,
Infirmary, and on
ing the sick wards of the hospital,
he was about to
sign the register, required on such occasions, when
he complained of sudden indisposition. The' medi-
cal officers of the establishment on duty
in-
stantly summoned, but the deceased had were
al
which he expireddry
fallen into a state of lethargy, in
in the course of an hour. Although not enrolled
as a permanent officer in the service of her Ma-
jesty, and consequently not strictly entitled to a
military funeral, the routine of the service was
in this instance relaxed in favour of the deceased,
who was interred with full military honours. A
long column of troops, resting on their reversed
arms, guarded the entire line of march from the in-
, firmary to the extremity of the parade, between
which the body was conveyed on a gun carriage
drawn by six artillery horses, headed by the regi-
mental band performing the slow and solemn dirge
of the " Dead March in Saul." Six of the medical
officers, friends of the deceased, acted as pall-bearers,
and some of his nearest relatives followed as chief
mourners. The troops then filed into line four
abreast, and accompanied the corpse to St. Thomas's
Church at New Charlton, the place of interment.
The funeral train was closed by Col. Bloomfield,
A.D.C. to her Majesty, and the second com-
mandant of the garrison ; Lient.-Col. Congdon, _
Brigade Major Shaw, and Dr. Pratt, deputy
"Vector-general of hospitals.
A detachment of 90 drivers, ordered to be distri-
buted as
a reinforcement to the 12 field batteries of
Royal Artillery
despatched
orders for service in India,
were yesterda
atched from Woolwich, to join
their respective companies
r
prior to embarkation.
The whole of
meatytipe
oecterfu ldraught will leave Eng-
land in the p state of military efficiency,
maximum
reinforced to the
war strength, viz., 120
gunners, 100 drivers, and
110X-COMMiSSiOried offi-
cers, forming a total of 3,000 men.
Surgeon-Major C. C. J. Delm
ege, M•D.,
Depart-
has been
appointed by the authorities at the iffar
ment to serve as principal medical officer
Western
Eden district, under the command e: in the
of Major-
General .
It is stated that Mr. Armstrong, the inventor of
i
the wrought-iron rifle cannon, has entered nto a
contract with her Majesty's Government, and that
la considerable number of the guns are to be forth-
with supplied fer the 1140 et the Artillery.