The Sun.
London, England, 1855-12-22 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The weather was so bad yesterday at Portsmouth
that small vessels could not " fetch" the ships at anchor
there, some of which were pitching bows under by the
force of the gale and the swell prevailing. The fleet
dressed ship and prepared to salute the Queen on her
Majesty's passage from Osborne to Gosport, on the re-
turn of the Court to Windsor, and all the naval and

military staff were on duty as usual at the Clarence.
yard, but the Fairy was not trusted across the usua
oourse to Portsmouth, and ran to Southampton instead,

The coil at the game time wag more severe than has

been remembered on that coast for many years. The
Queen of the South steam:transport, Capt. Beale, put
to sea with draughts for Malta, before sunrise yester-

day morning, in F pita of the heavy sea and fierce gale.
The llydaspes steam•transport, Capt. Baker, went into
Portsmouth harbour yesterday morning, to land invalids

and ,tores. The Blenheim, 60, screw, Capt. W. H. Hall,
was docked yesterday at Portsmouth, to have defects
repaired.
The Duke of Wellington, 131, screw, Captain Cald-

well, has paid down today upwards of 16,006/., and the
crew granted a three wee& run. The system adopted
by the Admiralty of employing the paymasters of the
Royal service, instead of pay clerks of Somerset House,
has been productive of the greatest possible benefit to
the navy. A thousand men are now paid down in less
than one-third of the time, besides a considerable saving
of expense in travelling and want of knowledge afloat.
The following appointments, made at the Admiralty,
appeared in our late edition of last night :
Capt. E. S. Sotheby, to the Pearl ; Capt. L. G. Heath,
to the Seahorse.

Captain the Hon. Fredk. Pelham is appointed a Naval
Aide-de-Camp to her Majesty.
The following officers are now decided to take the
command of the 4 divisions of gun-boats intended for

the Baltic next year .
Capt. C )drington, C. 8., Capt. the Hon. H. Keppel,
Capt. H. R. Yelverton, C. 8., and Capt. A. Cooper,

Key, C.B.
Six hundred of the 3,1 Light Infantry of the German
Legion, now stationed at Bristol, will embark for tho
seat of war on Monday next.
The Monkey, steam tug-vessel, second master Synder-
combs, proceeded from Wool wich to Northfleet yesterday
morning to the building-yard of Messrs. Pitcher, for the
purpose of bringing up more gun-boats to be masted and
rigged and finished in the shipwrights' department, in
which rely great activity at present exists. The last
gun boat which arrived, named the Charger, was this
morning taken into No. 1 dry dock to be coppered, &c.
Two of the patent collapsing life-boats have been re-
ceived at Woolwich, one of which was forwarded yester-
day morning to Sheerness, to servo as a pinnace to the
flag-ship Waterloo. The length of these boats is 32 feet.
They have undergone some experiments successfully,
carrying a 121 h. howitzer, from which 12 rounds were
fired to test the substance of the material, which it
was feared was of too slight a texture for the requisite
purposes. Contrary, however, to expectation, they
stood the trial well.
The iron mortar-boat which was towed to Woolwich
two days ago to discharge her split mortar has returned
to Shochuryness with a fresh piece of ordnance and a
further supply of ammunition, so as to put the boat (it
being the first of that series) through a thorough proof.
The gun-boats Bustard and Banterer, having been
coppered and masted, have been taken out of dock and
received into the Woolwich basin to complete their fit-

tings. The riggers are consequently employed in extra
hours, so as to expedite the arrangements in fitting out
for service the accumulating number of this useful class
of vessels, which arrive in rapid succession in fulfilment
of the Government contracts.

The Merlin and the Dee were yesterday morning re-
ceived into the basin in Woolwich dockyard. The latter
vessel is being laden with machinery to supply the Fury
and the Shannon, at Portsmouth. The Inflexible is like-
wise taking in machinery and boilers for Devonport, and
will sail about Monday week.
Capt. Dudley C Hill, late of the 75th Regiment, and
recently exchanged to the 40th, is to be appointed in-
structor of musketry of the Depot Battalion, Temple-
more, Ireland.
The Government ground wit'ain the fortifications of
Brompton, opposite Mansion row, has been measured,
with a view, it is supposed, of constructing some addi-
tional huts, the two companies which have just arrived
occupying 12 of the 24ephich have been already built.
Although the Land Transport Corps has been draughted
off in large numbers, there are still many hundreds bil-
leted in Bristol and quartered at the Horfield Barracks.
A selected body of 300 of the best men will remain at
the barracks after their comrades have been sent off, for
the purpose of raising a large additional body of men.
These men are to be dressed in high cavalry boots,
glazed caps, and showy uniform ; and the men so raised
will be employed as drivers to the Royal Artillery, it
having been determined to keep the gunners to their
more immediate duties.
Fifty-five non-commissioned officers and privates of
various regiments, sent home as invalids from the Cri-
mea, having been found unfit for any further service by
a medioal board, passed yesterday for discharge on pen-
sions by the Commissioners of Chelsea Hospital.
Lieut. Henry C. Maine, 86th, has obtained from the
Horse Guards leave from Chatham garrison until he re-
tires from the service.
A party of Crimean invalids from the camp before Se-
bastopol arrived at Chatham yesterday afternoon, from
Portsmouth, from the steam-ship Thames, in charge of
Captain Henry Heberden, Royal Artillery, and Staff
Medical Officer Dr. Hawkins, the total number of all
ranks being 39, with one woman and one child. The
invalids were medically inspected in the Supplemental
Hospital by the chief medical officer, Mr. 11. Cooper
Read o.
The Royal Marines for the floating battery, 16 guns,
at Blackstakes, consisting of one serjeant, one bugler,
and 18 privates, under the command of First Lieutenant
Knight, left the Chatham Division, and embarked yes-
terday afternoon from the dockyard on board the Adder
for the Thunder ; and a party of 16 Royal Matinee for
the Majestic, 80, to replace those who have volunteered
into the Royal Marine Artillery. The Deputy-Adju
tant-General, S. R. Wesley, paid an official visit to Col.
Phillips, the Commandant of the Division, yesterday.
The object of the General's visit is supposed to relate to
the volunteering into the Royal Marine Artillery, as 56
are immediately required.

THE MILITIA.
The Hon. John Fortescue has resigned the Colonelcy
of the Ist Devon Militia. It is said that the regiment,
which is at present stationed at Newport, has volun-
teered for foreign service.
The North Durham Militia left Sunderland on Wed-
nesday, nnder the command of Major Cockburn, and
proceeded to Burnley, Lancashire.
The steam-ship Niagara arrived at Liverpool yesterdayifa
from Dublin, having on board the Roscommon Militia,
about 700 strong, under the command ofCtolfotnefsl
D'Arcy. Their destination is not yet known,otf bu
believed they will not proceed to Alder,l , but will be
placed on one of the North British stations.

TESTIMONIAL FROM A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT TO A
BRITIESII MERCHANT CAPTAIN.—The Government of the
United States recently forwarded to this country, to the
Earl of Clarendon, a silver speaking-trumpet for pre-
sentation to Captain Bosdet, of the British barqu€
Helen, in acknowledgment of his services in rescuing
the master end crew of the American ship Pilgrim.