The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-06 00:00:00

THE BUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING,' APRIL 0, 1861.

selves) is, it appears, still to be imposed on officers
commanding her Majesty's ships, and their demands I
for improved anchors ignored.
The supply of anchors and cables for the navy is
of no insignificant amount, as will be seen by refer-
ence to Parliamentary papers giving detailed par-
ticulars of the receipt and expenditure for the navy
service for the year ending 31st Mareh, 1856—viz.,
for anchors, £51,553 Bs. 6d.; cables, £49,268 9s. 6d. ;
and the following year, 1857, anchors, £44,856
12s. 6d. ; cables, £57,261 133.—the whole a virtual
monopoly of one favoured firm of contractors. •
Vote 10 of the Navy Estimates provides for the
supply of anchors and cables for the Royal Navy.
It will shortly come before the House of Commons
in Supply, when it is to be hoped something more
than mere official equivocation will be vouchsafed
this " foul anchor" scandal.

211 E FORTIFICATIONS AT PLV AIOUTII.

After inspecting the sites for the proposed bat-
teries at Bovisand and Staddon, on Thursday after-
noon, the Duke of Cambridge went in the steam
tender Avon from the eastern to the western side
of Plymouth Sound. His Royal Highness sur-
veyed Cawsand Bay and Picklecombe Point, and re-
mained for some time under Redding Point, Mount
Edgecumbe. The Avon then skirted the shores of
Drake's Island, and approached Stonehouse Point,
where the Duke landed, but subsequently re-em-
barked in the Port Admiral's barge for conveyance
to Mount Wise, off which he again joined the
tender! And then went through Hamoaze to Salt-
ash, where horses were in attendance to convey the
Commander in-Chief to the Bull Point Powder
Works, and to various inland objects of defence.
Much activity .has been recently exhibited by
the Government engineszlrs in the vicinity of Ply-
mouth and Devonport, and: through rho advertise-
ments which they have issued eome indication has
at length been given of the Carection of the
fortifications.
Hitherto the surveys have been so extensive that
no one could speak decisively of the course of the
works; indeed, it is now apparent that many of
the original plans have been abandoned. Some of
them were given up in consequence of the heavy
claims by the owners of land lying in the line of
the proposed chain of forts.
Tregantle Fort, about four miles west of Devon-
port dockyard, inspected by the Duke on Wednes-
day, is fast approaching completion by the con-
tractors, Messrs. Kirk and Parry. It is erected
on high ground bordering the English Channel,
and while it commands a considerable portion of
the shores of Whitesand Bay cn the south, is
equally protective on the east of the national
shipping in the estuary of Hamoaze, and the public
arsenals on its eastern boundary.
About one mile north of Tregantle is Screasden
Fort, which is, like it, of considerable dimensions,
and will be of great assistance in preventing the
approach from the westward of an enemy who
might land at Fowey. Screasden will be also very
useful in defending the Government property in
Hamoaze, especially the Devonport arsenal,
Keyham steam-yard, and the Bull Point Powder
Works, near the Royal Albert-bridge. Screasden
commands, on the east, St. John's Lake, and, on
the north, St. German's River, two valuable
branches of Hamoaze. The fortress is progressing
rapidly by the contractor, Mr. F. Roach, of Ply-
mouth.
Tregantle and Screasden, both in the county of
Cornwall, are the only forts which are positively
constructing. Several strong works near Saltash
are under consideration.
There is also some expectation of the erection of
a fort at St. Budeaux, on the Devonshire side of
Hamoaze, where about 120 acres of land may be
required from Mr. W. E. Elliott, from whom it
was originally intended to take 160 acres. St.
Budeaux is immediately north of the eastern but-
tresses of the Royal Albert railway bridge. Saltash
forms its western or Cornish support.
A fort to the east of St. Budeaux will probably
be constructed at Burraton farm.
It is understood to be the intention of the engi-
neers to rear at Tor, still further to the east of St.
Budeaux, a citadel something like Tregantle,
mounting 100 guns, and possessing accommodation
for nearly 1,000 men.
On the eastward of Tor Captain Ducane, R.E.,
has been under the necessity of altering the line of
defence. This officer, in compliance with the design
of the Government, intended to have either taken
possession of or obtained control over Mount View,
the property of Mr. W. E. Rendle ; Thornhill,
belonging to Mr. Whiteford, town clerk of Ply-
mouth; Compton Leigh, a country residence just
built by Mr, Luscombe the mayor, and other pro-
perties in the vicinity; but the estimated cost was
so great that the Board of Ordnance was con-
strained to go further north from the town to
' Little Efford, an estate belonging to Mr. G. W.
Soltau.
St. Budeaux, as already stated, lies on the eastern
margin of Hamoaze, and Little Efford on the north-
western side of the estuary of Cat water. Complete
control will be obtained by the Government of a
belt of land half a mile wide, stretching from
the west to the east, and including the pro-
tective works just commenced. The present differ-
ence between the value of this land for building and
for pasture purposes will be paid to the owners, and
hereafter, if required, its pasture value only will be
given. • This belt will, however, be cleared at once
of all buildings, sheds, and trees, including the
woods at Manadon, and, where necessary, the ine-
qualities of the ground will be made good, so that
the range of the guns will be so far permanently free
from obstruction. Crossing Catwater and landing
at Hoe, the visitor hereafter will find a very great
change. For the purpose of facilitating the erec-
tion of fortresses in the vicinity, and of establishing
a suitable approach to them when built, a military
road will be carried through this retired village, its
principal farmstead will be razed, and the small
episcopal church of St. Anne's probably destroyed.
The Rev. H. Birley has received 14 days' notice to
give possession of the Parsonage-house and schools.
Similar notices have been served on Lady Rogers
Lord Morley, Colonel Harris, and the Rev. H. Bul:
tee!. The road just referred to will lead to Staddon
Heights and Bovisand. From the latter place the
Queen's Harbour Maker, Commander Thompson,
has removed, as in front of his residence, on the
water's edge, a double battery of 36 guns is to be
erected to command the eastern approach to the '
Sound. A similar battery of 36 guns in Haxo case- 1
mates is to be built on the rocks on the south-east l

of Drake's Island, commanding the anchorage.
Tenders for the construction of this battery were
sent in on the 19th of February. Several addi-
tional guns are to be mounted on Staddon Point
and on Staddon Heights. Some of these will face to
the eastward, to prevent the approach of an enemy
landing at Torbay or in the river Yealm.
The War Department is receiving tenders for
" Staddon Heights, consisting of a battery at Stad-
don Point, two small batteries, an escarp, Brownhill
Battery, Staddon Fort, and Fort Turnchape!.”
The most costly expenditure will, however, take
place just inside Plymouth Breakwater. Here, if
we are correctly informed, an artificial foundation,
extending to three or four acres, is to be built in
the sea, for the purpose of sustaining a fortress
mounting 90 guns and possessing barrack accom-
modation for 1,000 men, and, in order to avoid the
use of floating hulks, an extensive store for supply-
ing war steamers with fuel. The military engineers
took 'soundings early in February. The fort will
present an angle to the south, and show one range
of guns towards the western, the other towards the
eastern entrance of the harbour. The embrasures
will be as high as the lantern on the Breakwater
Lighthouse. It is stated that the foundation is to
be composed of blocks of stone fastened together
and weighing not less than 30 tons each. There will
be a channel between the new fort and the break-

water. Some objections have been raised in the
Plymouth Chamber of Commerce to the contem-

plated diminution of valuable anchorage ground in

the Sound, while the water space outside the break-
water is comparatively of no use. The answer given
is, that unless protected from the sea by the break-
water, the guns in the new fort would be ineffective
in heavy weather, besides which the rubble founda-
tion of the breakwater would not bear the concus-
sion of heavy ordnance supposing it were necessary
to use a portion of the existing foundation for the
new works, and further that a coal depot outside
would be less valuable for shipping.
The Government would probably find it economi-
cal to establish commodious landing places at once
under Plymouth Hoe, at Fisher's Nose (Citadel
Point), Cawsand Bay, Turnchapel, &c. A perma-
nent convenience would be thus obtained, and it is
very possible that the construction of these steps
would tend to decrease the cost of erecting the vari-
ous water-side defences.

In connection with the superior forts referred to
there will he many auxiliary works, some of which
are around Cawsand and Mount Edgecumbe. Close
to the water's edge a battery is to be constructed
under the recently erected fort at Pick lecornbe Point
and another in Sand way-valley below the old fort
on Maker-heights. A platform for one gun is spoken
of on Clay-piece, a meadow. between the old fort
and Cawsand, and it is also said that the houses

occupied by the coastguard men at. Crane-cove are
to be removed for defence purposes, and that on the
site of Coombe Farm, between Forder and Rame,

several guns are to be placed. A double tier will be
mounted on Wilderness-point, Mount Edgecumbe,
to command the entrance to Ha►noaze. The works

on the lines round Devonport, commenced many