THE FLEET.

The review of the fleet at Spithead by Queen VictOria took place on Wednesday—St. George's Day. It had been eagerly anticipated by sight-seers of every degree. The great armament had repeatedly, re- hearsed the evolutions decided on; and thus the public interest was kept alive. Since the review was first announced almost every day added the names of new ships to the list, and had it been deferred the number would have been far greater than it was: The public began to pour into Portsmouth, Southampton, and the' neighbouring towns, on Monday ; far greater masses gathered in the place, from London and from the great provincial towns, on Tuesday, by sea as well as by land. On Wednesday morning, the South-Western Railway carried down an equally large living freight, and many were left behind. The trains began to start at five o'clock for Portsmouth and Southampton : among them were those which conveyed the Mem- bers of both Houses of Parliament, and persons connected with -the public departments.. The Queen and Prince Albert started at half-past eight o'clock from the Vauxhall station of the South-Western Railway, and arrived at Gosport five minutes before twelve—nearly an hour be- hind time.

Meanwhile, crowds had gathered at alrpoints commanding, or supposed to command, a view of the proceedings ; and the scene, even at an early hour, was very picturesque.

" At eight o'clock," writes the reporter of the Times, " the whole fleet, as if by magic, was dressed ' in flags and ensigns from their main-trucks to the water's surface ' • and now the curtain seemed to have risen upon the glorious pageant of the day. But the busiest sight in the national drama about to be enacted was that presented on the land. The myriads of human beings who poured on to the beach from every point and outlet were beyond all precedent, and the heterogeneous commixture of character was not the least remarkable feature of the whole affair. Gradually the walls, ramparts, ravelins, mounds, house-tops, and even church-steeples, entered into bold competition with the water in exhibiting their venturous masses, until sur- rounding objects, even the great fleet itself in the distance, became almost insignificant items in the animated panorama. The scene from Southsea beach was magnificent. A violet sky, pure and unclouded as that of Italy —a rippling, dimpling, flashing, sparkling seaa green elastic award of the freshest verdure—dazzling uniforms, and many-coloured costumes—brilliant equipages, music, flags, laurel wreaths, happy human faces, and' ladies' laugh- ter ringing through the air,' were the accessories of a scene as gay, brilliant, and animated, as any that, with much experience of popular spectacles, we remember to have ever witnessed. Nor should we omit to enumerate among the sources of enjoyment the aromatic sea-breeze, that 'vif et (toreparfum de la mer ' of which Alexandre Dumas descants so eloquently, and which is so delightfully exhilarating to those whose fate it is toe pent up in cities. Tents and pavilions brightlydotted the turf, and waggons, barouches, phae- tons, and all manner of things that run on wheels, were drawn to the mar- gin of the water. Thousands of maple sauntered over the sands or lay on the shingle of the beach watching thugh telescopes and opera-glasses the movements of the fleet. This multitude extended from Fort Monckton on the West to Southsea Castle on. the East, a distance of three 'miles ; and must have comprised something like 100,000 persons. Near Southsea Castle a great stand' had been erected in the cause of sightseeing ; and it, like other smaller structures of the same description, was crowded with visitors The coup d'wil in the foreground was everything brilliant and delightful that fancy could imagine. The sea flashed and sparkled in the morning sun ; and over its waters glided every variety of craft, from the leviathan three-decker of one hundred and thirty guns and twelve hundred men, to the little river steamer, that, by some speculative freak, found itself on the joyous bosom of the Solent. It was interesting to observe the contrast of the picture—to compare the yachts with the frigates, and to watch the tiny craft as they picked their way daintily. among the mighty ships-of-war. The shipping was everywhere decked in the gayest colours, and upon every breeze came the strains of mar- tial music—the commingled melodies of France and England. The order issued by the Admiralty, that steam-vessels, of whatever class, should burn anthracite coal, was rigidly obeyed by all the steamers, except one ; and let

future historians take note of the fact—for it affords an amusing comment- ary on the difference between preaching and practising—that the offending vessel was no other than the Admiralty yacht, the Black Eagle. To the horror of the ingenious Mr. Prideaux, and to the indignation of all behold- ers, on she came in the full insolence of official pride, dimming the atmo- sphere with a volume of black smoke that burst from her funnel as from a factory-chimney." At Gosport the Queen embarked on board the Victoria and Albert. She was accompanied by her naval Aides-de-camp, Sir William Parker and Viscount Townshend, by Sir Edmund Lyons, the French Admiral De la Graviere, and Mr. Secretary Osborne. As she steamed out, the guns of the Platform battery fired a salute, the multitude cheered, and the bands on shore played the national melodies of England and France.

At this moment, the fleet, anchored in two lines, occupied a space of water estimated at six miles. At the Southern end of the lines were the two three-deckers—the St. George 120, bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral Sir George Seymour leading the starboard ; and the Duke of Wellington 131, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Dundee, leading the port line. At the Northern extremity were a small number of gun-boats. In-shore, near Fort Monckton, lay the floating batteries, and in Stokes Bay the mortar-vessels. Viewed from end to end, the whole line was most imposing. Not a rag of canvass was visible. The masts, spars, and lines, stood out gracefully against the clear sky ; and the huge black hulls, out of which they seemed to grow, looked the perfection of order, calmness, and force. Proceeding from the Northern end, the impression of the vast strength of the armament gradually sank more deeply into the mind, as the spectator, passing in a line parallel to the broadside of each ship, saw them increase in size and bulk, from the tiny gun-boat lying low on the green water, to the huge three- decker standing out of the sea like a black rock, checkered with white. Another circumstance that aided in producing this deep impres- sion was the quietude of the war-ships in the midst of the floating pano- rama. Large steamers crept slowly along; a fleet of yachts were to windward, whose white sails contrasted with the skeleton rig of the ships of war ; and to leeward there was an immense variety of every craft gliding about in a haze of vapour blown from the funnels of the steamers. Few persons were visible on the decks of the men-of-war, while the transports were crowded with spectators. Among those trans- ports were the Perseverance' carrying the `r faithful Commons" • the Transit, laden with Peers ; the Vivid, bearing the Foreign Ministers ; and the great steamers Himalaya, Atrato, La Plata, Ripon, Euxine, Ma- nilla, Thames Sultan, and the Queen of the South, bearing various lasses of spectators. When the Queen's yacht came out of the harbour, the ships of the line manned yards, and as her Majesty approached the whole line fired a royal salute—one of the finest effects produced during the day. The hulls of the ships were soon enveloped in a cloud of smoke of immense length, and the flash of the guns alone showed through it. Before it was over, the Royal yacht had arrived at the South end of the line ; the men in the rigging cheered as none but British sailors can cheer; and, passing_ en the port side of the, port line, her Majesty steamed rapidly down the whole length. At the Northern end her yacht took a course between the two lines, and the gun-boat flotilla followed in its wake in beautiful order each squadron, led by its commodore, formed two lines, and steamed, with the intervals beautifully kept, down to the leading ships. Then two squadrons went round the Duke to port, and two round the Royal George to starboard ; returning outside the line-of-battle ships, and bearing up for Southsea Castle. For some time her Majesty remained in a position near the Rodney and London, which acted as pivot-ships, and were anchored about a mile from the Nab Light. The screw line-of-battle ships then steamed up in regular order, turned on the pivot, each line following its leader, and returned into position. This was a pretty spectacle, as some of the great ships were moving up to the Queen's yacht while others were returning ; and the whole swept along and turned short with astonishing ease and rapidity.

Next came the attack on Southsea Castle and Fort Monckton. The Queen took up her position in rear of the gun-boats, and saw and heard a well-sustained cannonade from a line of gun-boats and floating batteries stretching over a great space. The forts replied with equal vigour ; and soon nothing was visible but clouds of white smoke hanging over a line of low black hulls, from which leaped tongues of flame. • As her Majesty was obliged to return to town, the attack was prematurely closed; and the last cannonade was the salute which the men-of-war fired with their largest guns as the Queen steamed to Portsmouth. It was nearly five o'clock. The review had lasted five hours. The weather, which had been brilliant in the morning, and clear but sunless in the afternoon, grewgrey and calk and all who could made their way home. The day was closed by the fleet with an illumination—a novelty in the proceedings. At nine o'clock gun fire, the whole fleet at anchor burst into light as by magic : the jets one above another, main-topmast high aloft, and the ports of each opening at once, showed a vivid glare of blue lights between decks, and caused an unusual roar of cheering from the shore, which was echoed and given back with interest from the boats of the legion afloat.

The French navy was represented at the review by the Imperial frigate Duchayla, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral De la Graviere. On Thursday, the Admirals and Captains of the British Fleet entertained the French officers at a banquet on shore.

The fleet reviewed consisted of 26 screw line-of-battle ships ; nearly 40 frigates,- paddle and steam ; 2 mortar frigates ; 4 wrought-iron float- ing batteries ; 50 13-inch mortar-vessels ; 20 sloops, corvettes, and brigs; and• 164 screw gun-boats ; in all upwards of 300 sail of men-of-war, having an aggregate tonnage of 150,000 tons, manned by 40,000 seamen, carrying 3800 guns, and firing at one discharge a broadside of nearly 90 tone of solid iron.

The list of the larger ships will show in detail what is here summed up.

STARBOARD.

Vice-Admiral Sir G. Seymour.

Skips. Captains.

Gana

H. p. men.

Tons.

Royal George Robinson 102 .. 400

..

920 • • 2616 Nile Mundy 91 .. 500 . • 850 • • 2591 Conqueror -

100 .. 800 • • 930 • • 3283 Cressy

Eriondns

80

400 • • 750 • • 2573 Ciesar Robb 91 „ 400 • • 850 • • 3100 Algiers Codrington . 90 450 • • 523 • • 3340 Saiispareil Key 70 _ 850 • • 523

2334

Captains.

Williams Guns.

80

168. '754-

Tenn 2560 Warden 60

.• 450

.. 600 1761 Ommanney 60 • • 200 • • 600 1754 Fanshawe 60 • • 200 • • 600 1763 Watson 51 • • 360 • • 530 2357 Chads 34 • • 300 • • 342 1872 D'Eyncourt 20 • • 350 • • 260 1267 Cockburn 20 • • 250 • • 250 1383

.514 (lure

21 • • 250 • • 240 1153 Pullen 17 • • 100 • • 160 747 Cochran

• . 400 • • 165 1013 Derriman 17 • • 100 • • 160 747 Moorsom 12 . • 200 • • 200 1169 Heath 12 • • 200 • • 200 1168 Chase 6 , • 470 • , 200 1641 Vansittart 16 • • 400 • . 220 1255 Hand 6 • • 467 • • 200 129T More 6 • • 280 • • 160 976.

Crofton 6 . • 400 • • 160 980 Crawford 6 • • 320 • • 160 1111 Otter 4 • • 220 • • 100 550

PORT.

Rear-Admiral Sir R. Dundas.

Caldwell 131 700 1100 • • 3759 Erskine 91 600 850 • • 9281 Elliot 91 600 850 • • 3083 Hope 80 400 750 • • 2566 Eyres 90 400 860 • • 3108 Keppell 80 400 523 • . 2589 Yelverton 80 400 523 • • 2484 Hewlett 60 450 600 • • 1772 Ramsey 60 450 600 • • 1750 Hall Scott 60 60 450 200 600 600

..17711 ..

Ramsay 51 400 530 • • 2371

Rear-Admiral B. L. Baines.

Lyater

Sotheby 41 20 .. 360 .. 400 • • 450 • • 260 1474 Dunlop 20 .. 250 • • 250 1462 Heathcote 14

• • 175 1100 White 8 .. 400 • • 165 1228 Douglas 17 .. 60 • • 160 1322 Fellowes 11

.. 130 973 Lord J. Hay 12

• . 200 750 Cochrane 8 _ 250 • . 200 1090 Fisher 28 .. 900 _ 300 1190 Clifford 6

.. 200 1270 Stewart 6

.. 200 1269 Gordon 6

• • 160 — 1123 Tower 6

.. 160 .. 1054 Sulivan 6 .. 330 .. 110 .. 889 Aplin 6 .. 240 .. 135 .. 817 Morris 6 .. 220 .. 135 .. 817

[Lists of gun-boats are given in the papers, but they cannot be entirely depended on.] [Admirable as were the performances of the Royal Navy, the means provided for facilitating the arrival and departure of the public proved very defective. A huge train of third-class carriages started from the Water- loo station at half-past five in the morning. It was drawn—or rather not drawn, for it soon broke down—by one engine. The train that fol- lowed it about six o'clock soon overtook it, and these two went at almost a walking pace as far as the Andover Road Junction, the first station that afforded a siding long enough to hold the monster nuisance of the day. The consequence was, that all the subsequent trains, including those carrying the Queen and the two Houses of Parliament, were de- layed. Then the cargo of the six a. in. train was kept waiting in the Docks with a crowd of persons, some of whom had been there since six in the morning, because an official thought that the embarkation of the Lords and Commons should precede that of the persons connected with the Government departments ; and thus the tenders, with steam up, were kept doing nothing. The consequence was, that neither the Lords nor the Commons nor the persons connected with the public departments saw the commencement of the review ! Then, again, the break-down of the railway arrangements retarded the review itself, so that it became ne- cessary to bring it to a premature close. But the bad effects did not atop even there. The great steamers were still far from the land when they should have been discharging their passengers to meet the return- trains. Some got back to London at three in the morning, others at half-past six : the former started at nine o'clock, and took six hours to accomplish the eighty miles ; the latter were detained standing outside the station until half-past twelve ; they got off some time after one, and were five hours on the road.]

CentursiohniPs.

Ajax.

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