The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-28 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The vessels forming the Anglo-Chinese fleet, re-
cently in command of Captain Sherard Osborn,
0.8., are, by order of the Admiralty, to be removed
from Woolwich and placed under the charge of
Capt. W. K. Hall, C. 8., of the Cumberland, 24,
gnardship of Sheerness Steam Reserve. The
Tien- tsin, the Petein, and the China arrived at
Sheerness yesterday.
The Medusa, paddlewheel vessel, 889 tons, 312
horse power, Master in Command John H. Allard,
sailed from Sheerness for Portsmouth on Thurs-
day last to convey from that port two mortar ves-
sels, which are to be employed as coastguard
watch vessels, one at Gravesend and the other on
the coast of Essex. Previous to the Medusa leav-
ing Sheerness, and while taking on board her
liberty-men, one of the crew fell into the water,
and was with difficulty saved from drowning by
the boatswain of the ship, W. Donaghue, jumping
after him. This is the third person that Donaghue
has saved from droving by risking his own life
since he joined the ship in 1863.
The double screw launch No, 4, one of the
number ordered by the Admiralty to be :supplied
to each flagship in commission, and in the pre-
sent instance fitted out for service with the Edgar,
screw line-of-battle ship, flagship of the Comman-
der-in-Chief of the Channel Fleet, was tried offi-
cially at the measured mile in Stokes bay, near
Portsmouth, on Thursday, under the superin-
tendence of the officials of the steam factory and
reserve of the Portsmouth Dockyard, No. 4is
fitted with engines of a nominal power of four
horses, by Messrs. Y. Penn and Son, which drive
two four-bladed screws, having each a diameter
of two feet and a pitch of 3 feet 41- inches.
She carried her masts and sails, with one tone of
coals, and the number of men she would have as her
regular crew, but without her gun and ammunition.
The mean speed of her runs over the mile wa56.282
knots, which was considered highly satisfactory.
The Orontes, screw troopship, 500 horse power,
Capt. H. W. Hire, was ordered to make her official
trial of machinery yesterday at Portsmouth, on the
completion of alterations and repairs to her boilers
and engines, the pressure of steam having been re•
duced from 251b.t0121b. Steam was accordingly got
up in the boilers by 1 p.m., and Capt. H. Caldwell,
C. 8., accompanied by his staff, went on board to
conduct the trial; bat on preparing to cast the ship's
lashings off iron:. the dock and transport jetty it was
found that one of her boilers was leaking, notwith-
standing the reduced pressure of steam, and the
trial was therefore postponed until to day. It is
certainly somewhat remarkable that the Orontes
should, as a rule, fail under steam, being, as she is,
an Admiralty "improved" Himalaya, and consider-
ing that the latter vessel has succeeded in every+
thing she has undertaken.
The Admiralty paddle yacht Enchantress, Master
Commander Petley, has been docked at Portsmouth
to clean copper, examine valves, &c.
Communications have passed between the Admi-
ralty and naval authorities at Portsmouth dockyard
relative to a proposed embarkation of troops at that
port on board three of her Majesty's ships, for ser-
vice out of England. The ships named are the Aurora
screw frigate, 35, 400 horse power, Capt. Sir F. L.
APCiintock ; the Gladiator, 6, paddle, 430 horse
power, Capt. F. H. Short, and the Geyser, 6, paddle,
280 horse power, Commander A. T. Thrupp. It is
stated that the 69th Rifles, now stationed at the
Tower, is the regiment which is to embark, and that
it will leave about the 6th prox.
The whole of the officers and men of the Royal.
Engineers now at headquarters, Chatham, were yes-
terday drawn up on the parade-ground at Brompton

barracks, for the purpose of hearing promulgated
the finding and sentence of a,distriot court-martial,
. .

which recently terminated its sitting, for the trial
of Sapper William Watkins, of the Royal Elie.
nears, on a series of offences. The prisoner, who is
ectopnofisnseesds,joanndo,fotnh
ebeing
da rorfe sotne
ed , oef ntdheea veos
ctorretd,
incorrigible, broke out of the barracks in which he
wtaonadgs actually succeeded in disarming him. On being
secured he destroyed every pane of glass in the
guard-room. When brought out before the corps
to hear his sentence read he presented a disgraceful
appearance, most of the uniform being in tatters,
from his attempts to tear his clothes to pieces.
Although he has been but a comparatively short
time in the Royal Engineers, he has been several
times tried by court-martialtand he has scarcely ever
done a day's duty, his object being to be dismissed
from the service. The Court sentenced him to three
months' imprisonment in Fort Clarence military
prison, Rochester, and to be placed under stoppages
until the cost of the property he destroyed
made good. From the general good character of
the the men composing the corps of Royal Engineers
the trial of such a determined character as the prig
soner is exceedingly rare.
Under the new regulations laid down by the
Admiralty for the retirement, Lisa been
excepting under
special circumstances, of the officials and workmen
at the Royalom b
have attained the age
o f
Gm en and other junior
officers have been
isuperannuated from Chatham
I 0 ,
andockyardsonumber
of
the
foremen who
ore
dockyard, by direction of the Admiralty, on
super-
annuation allowances, according to their rank and
length of service.
The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—David Batt, master, to the Cum-
berland, for the Clio; Charles Prickett, master, to
the Asia, for the Highflyer ; -
William B. V. Farror,
Paymaster, additional, to the Hawke ; William E.
Chown, paymaster, to the Aurora ; William Drury,
paymaster, additional, to the Dauntless ; Charles
w. Sturgees, paymaster, to the Terror ; Charles H.
Slaughter, assist,-surgeon, to the Royal Adelaide ;
George Shield, a • t
SSIS .- pas mast er, to the Majestic;
Edward A. M. Chaffers, assist.-paymaster, to the
Victory ; John
Ashley, chief engineer, to the
Orontes, vice Roberts, superseded; F. H. Herrmann
engineer, to the Asia, for hospital treatment; Geo.
Wyhqll, engineer, to the Orontes; P. R3bertson, of
the Eiger, cotfirroed as engineer; T. Wilmott, of
0 e 1),:ilb:olKe, promoted to first class assist engi-
neer; and A. G. Roberts, clerk, to the Blenheim.

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E W THEATRE-RO YAL, ADELPHI.--
'_l Proprietor and Manager. AI:. B. Webster.
Last Week but two of the Guat Tragediene, Miss Bateman,

In the character of f.EALt.

THIS EVENING,an apropos Sketch, SHAKESPEARE'S
HOUSE: Messrs. J. L. Toole, It. Phillips, Stephenson.
Af er which, at 8, LE AR : Miss Bateman, supported by
Messrs. A. Stirling, It. Phillips, Biilington, Stuart, Eburne,
Stephenson; mrs.
To conclude with TK F AREA BELLE : Messrs. J. L. Toole,
P. Bedford, It. Romer, Miss Woolgar, and Mrs. H. Lewis.