The Express.
London, England, 1864-09-06 00:00:00

(Via Gressock.)

NEW YORK, Amon 26, Evunto.
General Grant maintains his position on the
Weldon Railroad.

A semi-official denial has been given to the ru-
mour that Mr. Lincoln has despatched peace coin
miasioners to Richmond.
The Confederates have sunk a steamer in Mobile
Channel, rendering all access to the city impossible
until removed.
COMMERCIAL ENTELLIOENCE.
NEW YORK, Ammer 26, Evwaa.

Gold 253/ ; rachange on London :—Bankers'
bills, 274. Stocks dulL New York Centrals,
129} ; Illinois Central, 128} ; Erie, 110 ; Five
Twenty United States Bonds, 112 k ; middling
Upland, 188 e. Breadstuff' quiet and unchanged.
Petroleum---crude, 531 ; refined, 871 c.

NEW YORK. AUGUST V, MORNING.

Gold 2501. The decline has been caused by the
probability of M'Clellan's nomination at Chicago.

LIVER.P.3OI., SErr. &

The steamer City of Dublin, hence on the 3rd
inst. for New York, has put back here with her
machinery damaged.

NAVAL AND MILITARY.

A DMIRALTY, Spr. s.—Apron
Ogidet (Dominated)—Williala C. Reid.

—Naval

CHATHAM, Seer. 5.
DISTRIBL-TION OF MEDALS TO THZ HOAHL MUM-
incana.—A peers! parade of the Royal Engineers has been
held at Brampton-barracks for the interesting ceremony of
decorating • large number of the non-commissioned °Moors
and men of the corps with the silver medals, which tore
then with certain gratuities had been awarded them by his
Ral Highness the Field-Marshal Commanding-in-
Chief for long service and good conduct. The following non-
commissioned officers each received a diver medal and 151.
--Quartermaster Sergeant G. Drawls; Colour-Sergeants
B. Godfrey, B. Castledme, J. Porteous, and G. Coleman ; •
silver me&l andkratuity of 101. each were awarded to the
following non-rommiusioned allows :—Colour-Sergeants A.
Croat, J. Lockwood, and T. Cooper, aad flergeanra D.
Mitchell, E. &trail', J. Tonkin, E. Heaney, J. Finch, and
L. A. Rittinann. The following received • silver medial
and the sum of 5/. each :—Corporals J. L. Jarrett end W.
Byford, and Sappers T. Misards, E. Paton, J. Stillwell,
and J. Stephens. Silver medals without gratuities were
also awarded to the following: Bu,tle-Major J. Dawsoe, Ser-
geants J. Adams, R. Waller, D. Mason, R. Lewis, R. Quin,
A. Gardner. and J. Murphy, and Corporals W. Thom, W.
Adams, D. Macpherson, and H. Greenslade. At the close
of the distributioa, Colossi Harness addressed the division,
and expressed tine pleseure it afforded hint to have been the
medium of prorating these rewards.

PORTSMOUTH SEPT. 5.
The Rosamond, 6, steam sloop, is ordered to be
docked to-morrow, to be broken up.
The Sidoo, 22, peddle frigate, lumina been sold out of
the service, was towed out of harbour on Saturday sad
proceeded eastward.
The Sparrowhawk, 5, screw vessel, was removed into the
steam basin today, and is to be brought forward for com-
mission.

The Pearl, 21, screw corvette, was placed ia the slip basin
to-day to be docked for repaint.
The Mersey, 40, werewtrigate, was rereorediato the steam
basin this lambing for repel's.

NAVAL RefiERVIL —The following appointment
ham been made :—To be hooorary lieuteaant, the Marquis
Conyeiham, LP., C.C.S., P.C., &c.
Tan ARMIN—The next examination for direct
000113116301 will anatomies on the 7th of November. _

Hags MAJIRTr; gAVYItT-lissKßtiZaccOrding
to the latest published Admiralty Nary List there are at
the present time 359 vessels belougnig to her Majesty's
navy, steam and sailing, lying at their moorings in the
crowded harbours of our government ports, representing an
enormous amouut of sunken capital that absorbs an almost
unknown sum to maintain red preserve it, while, at the
very lowest computation, 75 par cent. of the whole can
never' coder any circumstaaees, so k /' loo` • it remains the
property of the crown, be made to yield any return what-
ever for the interest of the capital origioslly invested. This
vast war material, three-fourths of which can Dever again
be utilised for the purposes of war, oompriess—two
iron frigates, three frescoed frigates, and three turret
ships, which below to the precast period ; five MOW three.
deckers, 38 screw t wo-deckers, 18 screw frigates, eight screw
corvettes, seven paddle frigates, 25 paddle sloops, 2.2 screw
sloops, two floating factories, four mortar ships, six Booties
batteries, ace screw store vessel (iron), one screw iron yacht
—the Fairy, one screw iron troopship, one doable screw
tug, 58 screw gunboats, eight gaffing two-deckers, 30 sailing
frigates, nine sailing corvettes, 15 sailing brigs, one sailing
hospital two-decker, one Arctic discovery 'hip, and one
I cutter. Here is a long array of vansela, which has •
sufficiently formidable appearance upon paper, but if
Iwe take the ironclad. at tbe. head of the lid from
them there remains then but little that could be deemed
I available for strengthening our iron-clad fleet should the
country dad itself suddenly embroiled in • European war.
I For years have our harbours been crowded with useless ships
of war—nay, ships that have beet' worse than useless,
far, in addition to their forced unproductiveness from the
transitionary phases through which the awry has
daring the past twenty years, they also, as we have a=
stated, entail an immense annual expenditure to keep them
in their inefficient state and occupy epees in our harbour
that should be kept for the service of sea-going ships re-
quiriag repairs or refit at the hands of the authorities of
the dockyards. T incr.