The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-05 00:00:00

rHE SAILING OF THE BALTIC FLEET.

potersmouTs, Wednesday. The disappointment
caused
by the non-sailing of the fleet on Tuesday, as ap-
pointed, was amply compensated for to-day in the eyes
of the few whd remained at Portsmouth to see what an-
other day would bring forth. As early as six o'clock in
the morning the Port-Admiral, Sir Thomas Cochrane,
and the Board of Admiralty went to Spithead in the Vi-
vid steam yacht, and gave the last orders to the fleet,
after which the Vivid carried them to Sconce Point, to
inspect the new works of defence at that part of the
Needles Channel. A dense fog shut out the fleet en-
tirely from the shore, and it was not until noon that
even the spectre-like hulls became visible to the anxiouse
eyes gazing seawards. It appeared uncertain in the
early part of the day whether the fleet would move, but
at 9 a.m. the flag-ship, the Duke
of Wellington,
nailed to the Geyser and Driver to get up
seara andsig
made -
prepare to weigh ; at 10 signal was to the fleet to
weigh the small bower anchor and raise screw propel-
lers ; the wind being fair it was then known to be the
Admiral's intention that the ships should put to sea
ed to the paddle-yes-
under sail, and at 11.30 he
signalled
while at the same time
sels to get up steam at elo
• the dinner pennant was Zisstp:end. At ten minutes after 1
signal was made " Prepare to weigh ;" the fleet immedi-
ately hove short, and at half-past 1 signal was made
Weigh and form order of sailing as most convenient,
with Magicienne and Basilisk in front to look out ahead
and the Bulldog and Dragon to take their
of the
theAdmirai,
Admiral's wake. At 2 general signal
places incle
to
" Rendezvous in the Downs in case of
was ;
comPany." The ships got underP way as most
m
( signal), and when standing out to.
~,ivenien.per
Wards-- the Nab, appeared from that spot in the follow.
ing order :
PORT DIVISION. STARBORD DIVISION.
Guns Commanders Guns Commanders.
Magicienne... 16 Fisher Basilisk
Blenheim 60 Hall James Watt 91 Elliot
Colossus
Duke of Wel- Edinburgh 5B Hewlett
lington l3l (Flag) Caesar ...... 91 Robb
Gorgon 6 Crawford Ajax
Cressy ..... 81 Warren Nile 9l Mundy
Bulldog ..... 6 Gordon Exmouth 9l (Flag)
Majestic
The first off was the Blenheim under courses, topsails,
and topgallantsails, the James Watt following closely
in her wake under topsails and topgaliantsails, and evi-
dently having the heels of her ; at a wide interval came
the Colossus and Hogue, the latter carrying fore and
maintopmast and topgallant studding sails, which ex-
ample was followed by the other 60-gun blockships.
Generally, the ships carried royals, which the Blenheim
was first to hoist, and this she did when abreast of the
Pylades. The Duke of Wellington, besides the flag of
the Commander-in-Chief (at the mizen), carried the broad
pendant (blue) of the Captain of the Fleet at her main,
although there were eight senior:captains in sight. This,
we believe, was a novelty, but perhaps a good one in some
respects, as showing an utter disregard of precedent
and "routine" in the " regulations" relating to such mat-
ters. The Port Admiral, Sir Thomas Cochrane, went
out of harbour in the -Vivid while the fleet was under
way, and remained close to the Duke of Wellington for
some time, eventually proceeding some way out with the
ships. Had not the weather been so hazy, the picture
from the shore would have been magnificent ; but the
first of the fleet was out of eight before any movement
was known ashore. About half-past 3, however, the
mist suddenly lifted, and a glimpse was then obtained
of the fleet in full sail about six miles from port, between
the Warner and the Nab. The last signal seen was now
made out, flying from the masthead of the Duke, and
was evidently in consequence of the wind falling light ;
it was for the line-of-battle ships to "Get up steam at
slow speed." During the time these manceuvres were
being performed by the fleet the splendid new two-
decker Orion, 91, under full steam, was cruising about
the roadstead, and trying her speed by the measured
mile ; she is a magnificent ship, and apparently of
great power. The Bellerophon, 78, sailing ship,
afforded a sad contrast to the outgoing fleet as she was
towed into harbour with sick and wounded invalids from
the Crimea. There were but few vessels of any kind
moving about the fleet, owing to the general impression
that-it would not leave before Thursday. Among those
out we noticed the Vivid, the Pigmy, the Bee, the Ar-
gus, and the trim little Dutch war steamer Mercur,
which got under way and stood out abreast of the Com-
mander-in-Chief's ship. The only casualty was with a
schooner yacht, the property of Mr. H. D. P. Cunning-
ham, R.N., the inventor and patentee of the plan for
reefing topsails from the deck, who got under way with
the fleet to exhibit the utility of that important applica-
tion. The yacht got under the bows of the two-decker
Majestic, carried away both her topmasts, and obliged
the line-of-battle-ship to drop anchor. There were 13
sail of the line and five paddle steamers gone to-day.
The latter are the Magicienne, Vulture, Dragon, Bull-
dog, and Gorgon. There are remaining at Spithead the
Neptune, 120 ; St. George, 120 ; Orion (screw), 91 ;
Powerful, 84 ; Calcutta, 84 ; Pylades (screw), 21 ;
Cruiser (screw), 14 ; Ariel (screw), 9 ; Centaur, 6
(paddle) ; Geyser, 6 (paddle) • and Driver, 6 (paddle).
It is reported that the sailing line-of-battle-ships go
shortly to the Downs, to salute the Emperor and Em-
press of the French, on their forthcoming visit to Eng-
land.

At five o'clock the van of the Baltic feet wa3 hull
down from the extreme end of the land on the Ports-
mouth shore.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

Mails for her Majesty's troops in the Crimea, Greece,
Turkey, and Smyrna, and the naval forces and transpoit
service in the Black Sea, will be made up tc-morrow
evening and despatched, via Marseilles, whence they
will be forwarded by French packet to their destination.
Letters for persons attached to the medical staff, or in
the military hospitals at Smyrna or Scutari, should be
specially addressed, "Hospital, Scutari," or "Hospital,
Smyrna," as the case may be. Letters must be pre-
paid.

- The Lords of the Admiralty have decided that the
entry of foreign seamen for a continuous service of ten
years shall for the future be discontinued ; they will,
however, ba permitted to volunteer for short periods of 6
and 12 months, to serve in the gun and mortar vessels
and floating batteries attached to the Baltic and White
Sea fleets.

The Orion, 91, Capt. Erskine tried the measured mile
at Stoke's Bay yesterday; wind light and water smooth;
draught 27 feet ; speed per hour, average, 11 2 nautical
miles, equal to 12 9 statute miles per hour; revolutions
ef engines 60 per minute. This performance is consid-
ered to be not inferior to that of any line-of-battle ship
yet tried at Stoke's Bay. She made 11 4 knots by log
before taking up her station in the fleet on Tuesday, on
her way from Sheerness, at 62 revolutions of her engines.
The Powerful, 84, Captain Massie, is to retain her
crew intact; they will be turned over eventually in a
body—officers and men—to a screw line-of-battle ship.
The repairs of the machinery of the screw-transport
Victory are progressing in Plymouth Sound. One of the
engines broke down shortly after leaving Portsmouth,
and she came on with the aid of a single engine. The
air bucket of the foremost engine is out of order, and the
slides require to be adjusted.
The Government hired transport, Mary Ann, Captain
Fielding, No. 46, with stores from the Black Sea, last
from Gibraltar, arrived in Plymouth Sound on Wed-
nesday morning. She belongs to the estate of Messrs.
Oliver and Co., of Liverpool.

MILITA.RY.
Orders have been forwarded to the depots of the Bth
Regiment of Foot, serving in Bombay ; 24th ditto, Ben-
gal ; 25th King's Own Borderers ditto, Madras ; 27th
Enniskillen's, ditto, Bengal ; 43$1,111onmouthshire Light
infantry, ditto, Madras ; 52d Light Infantry, ditto,
Bengal ; 60th Royal Rifle Regiment, let battalion, ditto,
Bengal ; 86th Royal County Down, ditto, and 87th
Royal Irish Fusiliers (Faugh-a-ballaghs), ditto, under
orders for marching, not to tell off any draughts for the
service companies for the present; the draught for the
12th Lancers from Maidstone will not proceed to India,
the service of the regiment being required in the Crimea.
The detachment of the 10th Hussars, numbering 200
sabres' will proceed from the cavalry depot barracks at
Maidstone to Southampton, at which pert they will em-
bark for the Crimea. •

Yesterday morning, at a quarter past ten o'clock,
400 of the Grenadier Guards, 300 of the Coldstreams,
and 300 of the Scots Fusiliers, marched into the parade
in front of the Wellington Barracks, in order to be in-
*Pected 'oy his Royal Highness Prince Albert, &c.,
rrms to departing to the seat of war in the East.
t`4° Albert and the Duke of Cambridge arrived shortly
"'et tqftteolock Prince Albert wearing the tunic or new
Thereess at they regiment of which he is the colonel.
van
able the Parade-ground Colonel Wood,
the second i on
Payne, .coaltatmand of the regiment, Quartermaster
adjutant, J,lbt7 Thornton, Captain Hutton, brigade
Grenadier F-Cet, adjutant of the first battalion of
talion of Gr .-40tain Keppel, of the second bat-
Grenadier Guardstre% Itenant H. Parnell, of the
Colonel Lewis, doknirßn Quin2, Lieutenant Mallett,
Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce—Y
Ine Hon. G. Cadogan,
A. F. Egerton, Lielitenan'-ajl)tain Thesiger, the Hon.
3ilari of Carrick, Lieutenant the
many other distinguished ofao Viscount Stormont, and
nigbYD Lieutenant the
received by the troops with efrtBiii prince Albert was
playing " God Save the Queen." i.9niTg: honours
thet
rhaen
kbsaanuddil
accompanied by his suite, walked throe Highness,
minutely inspected the_ men, and
bation of their apparent efficiency.elPpres: e(lo.Plis appro.
Highness's inspection he suddenly perceinin• his Royal
valided soldiers, and, having inquired whovetdh 'lave
rat
in-
was
informed that they had met with their the
werde:h;e
the East. His Royal Highness then condoled ounh—thal
poor fellows and expressed his gratitude at themseeiwngit--e
back again. By desire of the Prince the troops were
at
the close of the inspection ordered to march to Buckinet
bam Palace, in order to be reviewed by the Queen,
having passed under the front archway of the Palace
they marched round the bands stationed in the centre of
the court-yard in front of a window occupied by her
tjesty.
Ten officers and 473 men of the 96th Regiment arrived
in Dublin on Tuesday from England, is route for Tern.
plemore. They are quartered during their stay in Dub-
lin in the Richmond and Isiand-bridge barracks.
Yesterday great activity prevailed in the Tower in
shipping saddlery, sabres, lances, pistols, accoutre-
ments, picket-posts, halters, and nosebags, to the seat of
war ; large quantities of the above-mentioned stores were
also- sent to Plymouth and Southampton, at which ports
they will be taken charge of by the cavalry detachments
about to proceed to the Crimea.

THE MILITIA.
The Royal North Gloucester Militia, under the com-
mand of Colonel Singscote, has been stationed at Ciren-
cester for three months since its embodiment. It has
sent to the regulars upwards of 170 men since the 20th