The Sun.
London, England, 1864-07-16 00:00:00

Naval and lilitary Intelligence

The Immortalite, 35, screw frigate, Captain George Han-
cock, was paid out of cemmiEsion at Portsmouth yesterday
under the superintendence of Captain H. Caldwell, C. 8.,
commanding the stean reserve at that port. George
Hassell, boatswain's mete, received a gratuity of £lO and a
silver medal for long service, and a pension of £22. Wil-
liam Smith, boatswains mate, received a gratuity of
£l5 and a silver medal, and a pension of £36. The
Immortalite was commissioned at Portsmouth on the
16th of November, 1860, and sailed from Spithead on the
7th February, 1861, for the Mediterranean. After serving
at the island of Majorca as escort to the Empress of Austria,
the Immortalite left Palma for Gibraltar and England on
the 6th of May, 1861, and arrived at Plymouth on the 29th.
On the 10th of August, 1861, she sailed from Plymouth for
Halifax, Nova Scotia, to join the British squadron under
Admiral Milne on the North American and West India
station. There she remained until ordered to England to
pay out of commission on the 15th of June, DM, when she
sailed from Bermuda, arriving at Spithead on the 2d July.
During the time the Immortalite was attached to the North
American and West India station she performed very im-
portant duties. Among those may be noticed her despatch
to Annapolis by the British Admiral on the arrest by Com-
modore Wilkes of Messrs. Slidell and Mason, to communi-
cate with Lord Lyons, and her subsequent cruise and con-
voy of British shipping off the island of Bermuda. On the
ship receiving orders at Portsmouth to pay out of commis-
sion, a few days after her arrival in England from the West
Indies, it was stated that her crew called for and gave three
cheers for the captain. We understand this is nut literally
correct, as such a public expression of feeling on the part of
the crew of one of her Majesty's ships would bo contrary to
Admiralty regulations, and further, that whatever expres-
sion of feeling was exhibited by the crew on their receiving
the news that the ship was to be paid out of commission in
lieu of being refitted to join the Channel fleet, which had
been her first orders, was manifested in the absence of Capt.
Hancock.

The Geyser, paddle,
weitobnanimeantadfreormTthnroupipm,
maanirlteadlitfero. m
the crew of her Majesty's ship Ra-
il
creoeTrntb:
emc
encampmenteonu nt yesterday,htGieheuof ,
on the island of Inchcolm, Firth of
upunto-day. The Racoon arrived in
rhoortFho,rith3 toonbetbbero2k9etbn j
cruise on the coast of e to coal before going out on a
Norwaymalignant cases
with Prince Alfred. On ar-
riving there two
tcoatseh e s of
Royal
m after four days' illness, and
wearr ey reported,and in two tither cases the disease seemed to be threatened.
The invalids were removeci
wbubregrhe,twbehaecrecoonndesotfitihrz died
ai
118 l
the two suspected cases did
not prove to be smallpox, and
they have recovered. The
proposal was immediately made to encamp the crew on shore
and thoroughly cleanse the
ship.
Inch-
colm was selected as the camping ground, and tents were
procured from Edinburgh Castle,
The small island of
anchorage in the sound between e
the
setnie:The Racoon selected an
island and the Fifeshire
coast, and about 30 men
left on board to purify and
fumigate the ship, Tee crew
were specially inspected by
subjected
did not show satisfactory
the medical officers, and thos
marks of vaccination were to the operation. The
health of the men on shore has been excellent, and the
but almost to a
k y steps
severe taken
general ordinary sick list has daily been
diminishing until it has
been reduced not only below the
haverage,
epTroaye not only put a stop to
whatbut
tn return.
greatlyt
brteu threatened
d thae b e
doa the
outbreak
improved of epidemic disease,
health of the crew. On
the re-embarcation of the men, and
paration have been made for sailing, the Racoon will leave
after the necesskry pre-
the Firth of Forth and Proceed to
Fr ayen in Norway, where
Prince Alfred, who has meantime gone out in the Aurora,
will rejoin his ship.
In order to encourage the mechanics and other hands
'
employed on the Achilles, 20, 6,, 2
1 tons 1 250 h
fitting for sea at Chatham, to use e , .horse power,
very possible exertion in
fitments hastening forward the internal of that frigate, Capt.
W. 11. Stewart, C. 8,, superintend
igAtie.a .. m inutc to the officers and went of the dockyard, has
o stating that it will
rkmen directing that
every possible exertion may be used,
and
afford him great pleasure to bring
under the special notice
of the Lords of the Admiralty any et.
the officials or work-
men who may distinguish themselves by extraordinary zeal
or exertions on board the ironclad frigate
for sea. A special order has also bean
in completing her
e
received from the
Admiralty directing that additional gangs
mechanics are to be placed on the 4.eives )
who are to be
of workmen and
employed until 9 p.m. each evening l
until further orders.
No exertions are to be spared to cow
for sea by the end of the present month. the Achilles,
Notwithstand-
ing the extraordinary efforts which are
xto
Chatham to get the Achilles out of hand,
being made at
that some considerable time Will elapse
after, now
it is probable
before her guns, which are non, specially
manufactured
her completion
for
her at the Royal gun factory, are ready to b
According to existing orders received at Chatham—which,
however, are liable to important alterations—the
will be armed exclusively with the new 100-pounder
Achilles
der smooth
bore wrought iron gun, throwing
sphericalate!l shot, with
a minimum charge of powder of 25th. The Minotaur, iron
frigate, now fitting in the Victoria Docks, will
of 22 of the same description of guns, iu addition earrYabattery
however, she will be furnished with four or
the n
to which,
Armstrong guns. It is not yet decided e 300-Pounder
whether the
Achilles will carry any of the 300-pounders, but it is probable
that a couple of those guns will be furnished to her before
she proceeds on active service,
On Thursday a numerous party of convicts arrived at
Chatham, by express train, from Millbank, for the purpose
of being employed on the works for the extension of
Chatham Dockyard and the formation of the docks
and basins, on which about 1,000 convicts are new
ployed. They
were conveyed from the railway daily em-
station at
Stroud to St, Mary's Prison in a number of omnibuses and
vans, in charge of several warders.
The following appointments have been ma de at the Ad-
miralty;—Capt. J. P. Luce, to the Esk, vice
Hamilton—
Commander W. 11. Fenwick, to the Har •
Harrier, vice Hay--
Commander Edward Field, from the Trincomalee to the
Dmdulu
8,
vice
Fenwick—Sub.Lieut. Chas. J. Scholefield
and Sub.-Lieut. Edward S. Evans, to the c
uracoa—t he
Rev R. N. Jackson, Chaplain and Naval Instructor, to the
Challenger—
Frank Buckley, Naval Instructor, additional,
to the Victory—Dr James Henry, surgcon
—and W. E. O'Brien, surgeon, to the Wa: to the Aboukir
P—Commander
W, J. Pollard to the Trincomalee, vice Field--Lieut.
Albert Dent, to the Curacoa—Lieut. Henry F. Crohan, to