The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-17 00:00:00

THE PACKETS.

await its
were sent to
" 11.30 r-sr.
" The Riti'en's mails and.the paekets were clattered
at the Lazaretto for fumigation at: a quarter to "eight,
or to an hoar
and were only delivered at the Post-oflice at 25 minutes
its return be-
apaadst:aelleuvar
jen.el.Ti:eitriusi usually relruhi;ezioof
ois
tviTt.
(Unary delay, by which:l-fie- U-stita-suppleiiitet ;-: ii .
voidably rendered impossible, lies in the fact of the ati-
thorities of the'Lazaretto having sent their "1# beat to
htee
the Post-office. To those authorities we
ftohreedtrekyleatrdte'rsanatindwpearpee°rsbliferdt
are indebted
for much courtesy in enabling the forwarding of the
mails in time. .
" Sultan; which arrived last night, having had very
heavy gales, reports having seen a frigate and a line-
of-battle ship (supposed .Albion), standing towards Gib-
raltar."
Powrsmoterit, TUESDAY:J.-The Winchester, 52, has
been this day ordered to be immediately commissioned
for a flag officer.
The Dasher steam-vessel, Commander Le Febvre,
sailed to-day for the Channel Islands.
SHEERNESS MARCH 15.--:-Her Majesty'd screw Steam.
frigate Amphion, 34, is to be full rigged, have her guns
and six months' stores placed on board, and to be cow_
plete in a fortnight:' She'will form one of the first-class
steam squadron of reserve at this port. .
Her Majesty's steam-frigate Horatio, lea Captain the
Hon. S. T. Carnegie,•will'net be ready tove the basin
for another week to come.
Her Majesty's steam-sleep Barracouta, fitting at
Chatham, will be stationed here when complete.
Her Majesty's ship Ganges, 84, it is reported will, be
ready by the end of May.
Her Majesty's ship Waterloo, 120, Captain G. B.
Mundy, Port-Admiral's flag-ship, is complete, the fit-
tings for her guns excepted. She is only a few hands
short of her complement, 200, and is to enter any eligible
seamen who may offer-themselves, to be borne as super-
nnmeraries. • - _
Her Majesty's ship North Star, Commander Pullen;
fitting-fat Chatham, was taken out of dock on the Bth
inst. An apparatus for warming the cabins and decks
is being fitted in her under the superintendence of Mr.
Chester, of the dockyard. She will leave for the Thames
in about ten days.
Her Majesty's surveying vessel Herald, Captain Dur-
ham, lc-progressin -in -her equipment at Chatham, and
o proceed will be ready t down the river by the end of
April. • • k
A number of apprentices in Chatham Dockyard hav-
ing served their time, have recently been entered upon
the establishment., '
• -
The labours of the committee which 'has been sitting
at the Admiralty.on the subject of the lighting of vesels
afloat have been brought to a close, so far as the recep-
tion of evidence is concerned, and their deliberation's
are now earnestly directed to the nature of the report to
be made, suggesting a general system of night lignting.
Many well-qualified gentlemen have given the committee
the advantage of their knowledge and experience in such
matters.

Among those examined was the Duke of Northumber-
land's agent, Ur. Taylor, who is well versed in the col-
lier trade, and Mr. Knight, a large owner in the fruit
line. One of the Trinity-house pilote, 'a person of great
experience, and who is frequeutly honourkl with the
escort of the royal yacht when making sea excursion!, has
-al -teer-gi-iten-tastimouy of some valuable experiments made
by him between the month of the Thameti and the
Downs. The system of showing coloured lights when on
different tacks seems to be favoured by the whole of the
evidence adduced, but they are not to be fixed lights,
like those of sea-going
"ealiiers, for 'the reason that
such would be almost useless as a preventive against col-
lision, from the circumstance of many of the colliers and
coasters being small, and in the water the rolling of the
yessel, and the low position of the lights on the side of
it, would cause them to be more, often, then otherwise,
concealed from view. Small lights, somewhat similar to
the lanterns used by policemen or
guards on the rail-
ways, it is stated, were deemed best adapted for small
vessels, to be in readiness to show the red or green disc,
according to the tack they may happen to be on. No
difference of opinion existed as to vessels at anchor hav-
ing a white, light at their mastheads. The particular
system of lighting that will be adopted cannot be stated
until until the committee have made their report, which they
will do shortly.

APPOINTMENTS.
WOOLWICH, MARCH 15.—Captain Henry J. Matson
(1849) to command the High flyer steam-sloop, com-
missioned this day at Woolwich. Captain Matson for-
merly commanded the Waterwiteh, 8, sloop, when
serving on the west coast 'of Africa. The Hightiyer is
fitted with a screw-propeller and engines of 400-horse
power, by Maudslay, Sons, and Field, and she will pro-
ceed down the river 'ou Friday nest for two or three
days' trial of her steaming capabilities in'the North Sea.
Paymaster and Parser William Wile; (1846) to the
Highflyer.
Clerks--Peler Curgenven (1850
M' ) and S.
Kerr (1852), to the Highfiyer
;C. E. Phillips to the
Simoom steam troop-ship at rortsmouth.
The Duke of Northumberland will receive officers on
Tuesday at one o'clock, commencing
on Tuesday. the
23d inst., at the Admiralty, Whitehall. Those officers
wishing to see the Duke of Northumberland will have
the goodness to enter their names in a .book kept for
in the hall, stating that purpose , their Christian name
and rank.
I There is no foundation for the report that officers
attending the First Lord's levee are to appear in
uniform.

APPOINTMENTS.
MARCH 16.—Captain Granville' Gower Loch, C.B.
(1841), to command the Winchester, 50, commissioned
this day at Portsmouth.
Lieutenants—W. Armytage (1845), Henry S. Hamil-
ton (1847), and Henry Hawkey (1852). to the Highflyer
Ca steam-sloop, commissioned by
, sptain Henry J. Matson,
at Woolwich.
Master—Benjamin J. Hooper (1849) to the Highflyer.
(1849) to the Highflyer.
gighflyer.
PROMOTION.
Mate—Hugh
Gunner—Henry
H. Knocker
Warner to the Highflyer.
B tin Miller to the Hi hflyer.
Carpenter--William Babb to the ll
Charles Swinton, acting gunner, confirmed.
Toachkaevte,
heearpdte.feSemtsitmhaedtte,
-packet, Lieutenant-
Commander Vivid Dover mail steam-packet,
aCrorTimvhemeda taidt W
Violeter Ho oelDnwroiycvhePr. yesterday
Jmoani ie
s ,ste wasat takensteam-packet,
out of the basin
yesterday, and is now ready to return to Dover to re-
sume her duties at that station.

and the consequent
of
(From the Morning Advertiser;)as
CAPTAIN PENNY.
furthert in the celled on
The attention of the House of Commons
FArriedtainy
Expedition,evening to tthoe
tshuebject allegedof -
cotemporary
tothe
claims Victoria
of t h
that Channel
genbt
lye
mCaptainan Penny,upp
pilot it deems
Queen
ex-
pedition which is preparing to start fooirn
pur-
suit of Sir John Franklin and his company.
ttniheen
We observe that a distinguished literary
of 'Nis orthum-
has powerfully urged that the .cause • which the Ad •
ralty prbfesses to have at heart is injured by passingl:lll
over Captain Peany,.viliose services' as a
of the
unknown seas
necessary to conduct the expedition to the
for which it is about to start. The Duke
"ton seasberland is appealed to to take this view
ease, and is reminded that if his Grae
which
so deem it ?desirable there is yet time to
se-
cure the services of this officer. It
that though, the ships which are to be
Sir Edward Belcher's orders are in a state of forward
penreopuagrhattioODAuttpos inlaterrgveenainudg ,
steamer,ppnewrieordfaiWill
might be placed under the charge of Captain Penny. It
is not our object to urge the claims of this or any other
gentleman in the naval service to employment or pro-
motion, but simply to express our hope that the Duke
of Northumberland, as long as he may be in Office, Will
do something with a view of removing the just grounds
of complaint (continually made' by the navy against the
nepotism • which has given such bad odour to the Whig
Ministry.. The course which bad been followed by the
late reigning families has had the effect of producing the
greatest dissatisfaction and disgust in the minds
alike
of officers tind men, and alienating the enthusiasm and
the confidence -of great numbers of most deserving
officers, who find themselves constantly disappointed,
or their just expectations of employment and promotion
delayed, in consequence of the gross jobbery to which
the ex-Ministers have' been lending themselves. The
papers specially devoted to naval affairs, es well as
1 those printed in sea-port towns, of all creeds and prin-
ciples, have of late been constantly occupied with cora-
Plaints of the nepotism carried on by the Edens and