The Express.
London, England, 1855-01-02 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY.

ADMIRALTY. lAN. I,—APPOINTMENTA,•-CODIMILII.
der J. 0. Bickford (1852), to the Princess Royal, 90, screw
steam ship, et Devosport.

Masters J. W. M. I. Hall (1815), to the Priaeue Royal;
east W. Jeffery (1841), to the limeyslas, 50, screw sterna
ship, of 360 horse power, at Devooport.

The Admiralty will receive tenders to-morrow for
the hire of two or three ships for the conveyance of army
provisions from Deptford and Galion to the Crimea, call-
Log for orders from the senior commissariat °dicer at Con-
stentinople. Tenders will also be received to-day for the
conveyance of 123 tons of navy provisions and 12 tons of
light ordnance stores to Jamaica.

Yesterday afternoon the large number of 180
volunteers and recruits were mustered and inspected at the
Recruiting Department, Duke-street, Westminster, and
having been surgically exansieed were, with few exceptions,
Really approved, and proceeded by the North Kent and
Rath Western Railways to join the provisional battalions.*
Chatham, Brompton, Portsmouth, Winchester, aad Park.
burst Barracks, Isle of Wis'ht. Above 80 of these are volun-
teers from various regiments of militia, bet principally
from the North Devon and the Irish corps recently em-
bodied. The household troops received an secession of 65
men yesterday, chiefly from the northern counties, who
were paraded and attested at the Orderly-room, Horse
Guards. The Royal Artillery is imiefatigable in endea-
vouring to obtain recruits in the metropolis, and the recruit-
ing part:es have been more than ordinarily successful
during:the past week, ao fewer than 120 having been sent
to Woolwich.
Yesterday morning a large number of volunteers
who have entered for general service in the Black flea fleets
proceeded from the receiving-ship, eff the Tower, to join
the flag-ships at the several naval arsenals. Those for
Chatham, Woolwich, and Sheerness were sent by steamers,
and those for Portsmouth and Plymouth by railway to the
I first-mentioned place, from whence the men for Plymouth
will have a sea-pusage. Commander Greer, of H.M.S.
Crocodile, has been very successful during the pest week,
there having been upwards of 150 men entered.
A number of of and soldiers arrived in the
Amato, from the West Indies, for the purpose of proceeding
to the Crimea. For several months past every West India
packet has brought home troops fur the Crimes.
Her Majesty's ship Colossus, now in the West
Indies, is shortly coming home, for the purpose of proceed-
ing to the Baltic. tiler crew consists of nearly 900 souls;
400 of these were a few months ago latedsmen, and have
been undergoing a course of training to prepare them for
ightingthe Russians in the spring.
A letter from Balaklava, dated Dec. 13, states
that there were in that harbour the Sanspareil, Diamond,
Wasp, Curacoa, Sphinx, and Vesuvius, and at Eupatoria
the Bellerophon And Leander. Commander Frere, of the
Bellerophon, has been invalided. Captain Carnegie, of the
Leander, is on leave at Constantinople. Dr. Graham, of
the Tribune, has been sent to Therapia Hospital for medical
treatment. Lieutenant Vesey, of the Britannia, and Lieu-
tenant Coles, of the Agamemnon, have been the fortunate
recipients of the commanders' commissions presented to the
admirals. Surgeons Walsh, Corkin, Derriman, and Elliott,
and Assistant Surgeons Brown, Shone, and Arnett are at-
tached to the Marine Brigade at Belsklava. Assistant-
Surgeon Ryan is doing duty with the marine detachment
before Sebastopol; Surgeons Jenkins sad Duignein, and
Assistant-Surgeons Hamilton, Bremmer, and Mason are
attached to the naval brigade before Sebastopol; and
Assistant-Surgeon Reynolds, of the Niger, is doing duty in
No. 4 battery, near Balaidava.

DENTON PORT, Dze.

The Prussian steam-gunboat Nix was. on Friday
placed in the Queen's duck at Keybam, and the Salaman-
der on Saturday in No. 1 dock, preparatory to their being
surveyed next week by the Admiralty officials prior to their
exchange for the frigate Thetis, 33, now in Raminse.
These paddle gunboats were built seine lour years since by
Mr. S. Russell on the becks of the Thames for the l'rus-
sian government. They are about 170 fret long, the decks
being 42 feet broad at the peddles, arid 26 feat at the close
of the sponsons. They are lightly rigged, schooner fashion,
the masts very wide apart, and are fitted with oecilieting
engines, by Russell and Co., of 140 horse power. The
hulls are very time and sheep, and have submerged rudders
at each end, forming the lower parts of the stem and stern
respectively. The item rudder is furnished with a screw,
which will fix it securely when not required for use. This
rudder is worked below the deck, and the one aft by a wheel
on deck, in the ordinary way. The paddle-wheels are
about 1G feet diameter. Each boat is provided with four
large guns, 68 pounders, and two 32-pounders. Whea not in
use the lour large guns arc stowed amidships, two with
their mouths pointed forward and two aft. In ordinary
steam-vessels there is no increased width of r'eck near the
pariahs, but in the gunboats under consideration there is
a sufficient addition to the deck lengthwise, in the front and
rest of each peddle-box, to admit one of tLe large guns.
This increase is sustained by framework in conoexii n with
the eponsons, which Are beanie running acmes the upper
part of the hull, and overhanging the ship's side. Upon
this overhanging portion the large guns will bays to work
when in action. The two 32-pounders point •over each
quarter, but there are ports forward for three, near the
bows, to be used when necessary. Public attention having
been much directed towards the bows, their appearance
at Plymouth has created great interest and a gene-
ral opinion prevails that they will be found of little
service to the nation; while their light and elegant construc-
tion may render their speed most useful in rivers and har-
bours, it will prevent their attempting an oversee voyage. It
isconsidired that, should it be tensible to bring them in a
position to use their heavy metal, the working of the 03-
pounders would soon tear to pieces the stanchions in which
the ringbolts are fixed, and the bulwarks which form the
peep, because the deck, which overhangs eight feet, affords
no sufficient support for either stanchions or bulwarks. As
only two of these guns are likely to be worked at one time
It might have been better to have but two. and to have
placed them amidships. The decks of the Nix and Sala-
mander are perfectly open and unprotected ; there is no
shelter whatever for the artillerymen, who could be casily
swept off bye few well directed shot from the enemas. The
greatest defect, however, of these boats (motets in their
being built of iron, apparently halt-inch plates, a thickness
which would stand no chance of raising a cannon ball,
even of moderate dimensions, for, should one strike the hull
near the water, the vessel must inevitably be disabled. The
Prussians are most polite and attentive to visitors. Port-
Admiral Sir William Parker, accompanied by Capt Robb,
of the Cmsar, 91, made a cursory inspection of the gunboats
on Saturday afternoon. Captain Sund wall and the other
Prussian officers have during their visit to Plymouth been
entertained by the Port-Admiral, by Admiral Superin-
tendent Michael Seymour, and other official personages
connected with the port.

SHEERNESS. Dze. 31.
The A mphion screw steam-frigate go t up her steam on
Saturday, and steamed to the docking begin moorings, pre-
paratory to her being t,ken into the basin. All her masts
am being stripped. Her crew will be hulked oa board the
Nymph frigate during her refitting.
The crew of the Majestic have been hulked on board the
Minotaur during her refitting in dry dock.
It is reported that a portion of the crew of the R. 44
George are to be draughted to the Nankin (fitting at Chat-
ham) on their return from their leave on the itith of
January.
The Libertas, transport, arrived here on Saturd.y, at
about 3 p.m., in tow of the Wildfire and Myvtery, private
tugs, aid prcceeded direct to Chatham about 5 p.m.

DUBLIN, JAN. 1.

Recruits to the 2nd Somerset Militia Regiment,
numbering 100, are expected to arrive in Cork from Eng-
' land this week. The entire regiment, it is believed, will
be ordered to Malta in the ensuing spring. Twenty-hee
recruit. for the line and the county and city Militia, were
attested last week. Recruiting is Cork proceeds :.t an
ge of twenty per week; sonsidersbli numbers of
militia menete joining the tegimentb of tha lime.
Seventy-three volunteers from the Limerick Militia lift
last week to join the depots of re6imiuta serving in the
Crimea.
Lieut.-Colonel N. N. Stack, from rho 71st, nephew of
Lieut.-Colonel Stack, late 2.lth, is to command the Provi-
sional Battalion at Limericks, and the Adjutant, Ca;itain
Gilley, arrived in garrison on Saturday to prepaic the
establishment.

We deeply regmt to announce the death of Major-
General Henry Williams Adams, C 8., whick took plate Co
the 19th, at Scutari, from the effects of the wounds %Lich
be received in the battle of Inkerar.an, on the bth of No-
vember. General Adams had been raised to hie :ink only
en the 12th of Diseenber, for the distinguished go:lentil
which be displayed throughout the operations in the C rimta
while in command of the brigade of the Second Division,
composed of the 41st, 47th. and 49th Regiments, fr,rn the
last-named of which he WAS taken to lilt the loot of Brige-
dier-Gsteral. General Adams entered the service in 18.3,
' sad attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel in 1840; at that
time he was in the 18th Royal Irish, which durtingnisbed
regiment be commanded through the operation. in Chios,
including the first capture of Chosen, the storming of the
heights above Canton, the capture of Amoy, toe sva.aff
ecru" of Chuccwr the atorte.ing of the fondled heights of
Chinhae, and the cepture.. of leingpo. .1 be 49th Regiment,
which Wia "hetet'', eenini in theso operations, woe sle.rtly
• scr• -' •Colenel

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