The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-23 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
DISCONTINUANCE OF ADMIRALTY LEVEES COU-
sequence of the break-up of the Russell Ministry, Sir
Francis Baring has discontinued his levees.
THE NEW FIRST Lonn.—We believe there is not
the least doubt that his Grace Rear-Admiral the Deka
of Northumberland will succeed Sir F. Baring as the
First Lord of the Admiralty. The other members of
the new Board have not yet been decided upon, bte it is
generally understood that Commodore Sir Thomas Her-

bert, K.C.8., will be in the new patent.
Rear-Admiral the Hon. M. F. F. Berkeley, C. 8.,
left the Admiralty, on Saturday, for Chichester. The
Gallant Admiral returns to the Admiralty to day.
The Pantaloon, 8, Commander Hyde Parker, arrived
yesterday afternoon at Portsmouth, from St. Augus-
tine's Bay, Madagascar, which .he left on the 18th De-
cember. She was off the Cape on Christmas-day, but
did not touch there; touched at St. Helena the 12th
January, and Ascension, the 18th. There was no ship
lof war at St. Helena. The Penelope steam-frigate,
Commodore Bruce, arrived at Ascension the day the
Pantaloon left. The Athol store-ship was also at that
anchorage. The Pantaloon brings no news. For the
last week she has had bad weather. She has been two
years and eight months in commission, and, after being
inspected to-morrow, will come into Portsmouth Har-
bour to pay off. Mr. Irvine, mate, and Mr. Dtueo,
master's assistant, have come home in the Pantaloon.
Sampson, 6, steam-frigate, Captain L. T. Jones, made
her number, and anchored about five o'clock at Spitheed,

yesterday afternoon.
BRITISH SEAMEN SHIPPING TO AMERICA. AND CALI-
FORNIA.—We are sorry to understand that a number of
our best seamen are proceeding to America, where it
appears they are better paid, and some go on to Cali-
fornia to take their chance at the diggings. A gang
lately paid off from the Southampton, paid their passage
in one of the packet ships from London to New York,
and were on board when the ship touched ut Ports-
mouth. Several of the seamen lately paid off from the
Hecla, also paid their passage and embarked at Ports-
mouth to New York.
DETONPORT DOCKYARD SAVINGS BANK.—At the
recent annual meeting of the savings bank in this esta-
blishment the sum of 25/. waa voted to Mr. Scott, second-

class clerk, the actuary, as a small token of the high
estimation of the masters and managers of his zealous
and efficient services for a period of 34 years. Mr.
Scott, with great delicacy, declined to receive a present
iu money, and the trustees and managers have since
presented him with a handsome silver salver, bearing a
suitable inscription—the product of the sum of money
voted.
Clerk in Charge—William Elliott has been appointed
to the Herald surveying-vessel, fitting at Chatham.
Clerk—Richard Mundey has been appointed to the
Impregnable flag ship, Devonport.
Diligence naval transport, Mitchell, master, sailed
from Devonport on Saturday with stores for the squad-
ron at Cork.
Camel lighter, arrived at Devon port on Friday, with
stores from Deptford at.d Portsmouth.
PLYIIoIITH, FEB. 21.—The crew of her Majesty's
steam-ship Vesuvius bent sails yesterday. To morrow
she will be removed from Hamoaze to Barnpool, when
her compasses will be adjusted and her crew will be paid
advance.
The steam-frigate Vulture, having taken in coals, was
placed on her moorings yesterday.
There being no dock vacant here to receive the Are-
thusa, 50, Captain Symonds, she sailed on Thursday
for Portsmouth. She had previously obtained a clean
bill of health.
The brig Pilot was paid off alongside tho jetty on
Wednesday.
A dock is preparing for the Sampson steam-frigate on
her return from the coast of Africa.
The Commodore-Superintendent has caused a minute
to be published, cautioning all persons employed in the
dockyard from furnishing information to newspapers.
The whole of the clerks were cautioned in presence of
the principals.
On Wednesday a joiner named Hooper, carrying a
plank on his shoulder in the dockyard, was driven by
the wind against the south-west angle of the officers'
department, and unfortunately had his skull fractured,
and died the same evening. On Thursday a man named
Medder, while working on a caisson in the lieigtiam
diedS
teatoonyaErdri,dfay ellinfriohme
saosuttahgeDevon Hospital., fractured his skull, and
Colonel Egerton, of the 77th Regiment, and his sur-
geon, Dr. Prendergast, inspected on Thursday the staff
of the South Devon Militia. The Noble Colonel, the
Earl of Morley, was present, with Captain Fisk, the
adjutant, Dr. Butler, and Captain Ralph, the quarter-
master.
The directors of the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Company have at length entered into an arrangement
with the Electric Telegraph Company for laying down
the electric wires on their line. This will complete the
communication from London to Exeter. It is to be
hoped that a similar arrangement will be made on the
South Devon line, the wires on which at present are
scarcely adequate for its own requirements, and, from
especially in stormy weather,
area frequent management,uentsourceo
of disappointment and vexation.
SLIEEKNEss, FEB. 21.—Her Majesty's ship Waterloo,
120, flag of Vice-Admiral the Hon. Josceline Percy, will
come out of the basin to-day and be moored off the north
end of the dockyard.
Her Majesty's ship Horatio, 24 (screw steam guard-
ship), has shipped and mounted her main-deck guns.
Her ordnance stores arrived on Thursday from Chatham
in the gun boy.
Her Majesty's steam-frigate Cyclops has fitted her new
bowsprit and jibboom. Her lower yards are crossed,
topmasts fidded, and her topmast rigging is being set up.
On examination it is found that the defects will occupy a
longer period than was expected, and her being removed
from the dry dock is deferred until the 3d of March.
The very strong winds from the north-west which
prevailed during Wednesday and the followiag day have
caused some damage to the shipping on the coast. Early
on Thursday morning the brig Polly, from Shields, for
London, laden with coals, grounded on the Mouse Sand,
and as the tide ebbed sank by the head considerably, and
.
lies in a very precarious situation. It is very doubtful
- if she will get off again.
The collier brig Rival, of Sunderland, bound for Lon-
don, came into port yesterday in a leaky state, having
four feet of water in her bold. She struck twice on the
Gunfleet during the gale which came on oa Thursday
morning. Another brig (light), but whose name from
the hazy state of the atmosphere could not be made out,
was observed lying in South-west reach with her main-
-5 mast carried away. On Friday morning the Nore was
completely covered with vessels, there being 200 under
-I. sail.
to%

APPOINTMENTS.

WOOLWICH, FEB. 21.—Lieutenants—Sir James A
Dunbar, of Boath (1842), to be flag lieutenant to Ad,
miral Sir John Ackworth Ommanney, KGB., Com-
mander-in-Chief at Devonport; Hugh M. Elliott (1847)
to study steam at the factory at Woolwich dockyard.
Surgeon—Frederick M. Rayner (1851), to the He-
rald, 28, at Chatham, fitting for surveying service in the
South Seas.
Assistant-Surgeon—John D. Macdonald (1849), from
rO the Royal Navy Hospital at Plymouth, to the Torch
% 111. steam vessel at Woolwich, fitting as tender to the
'u Herald.
I Clerk's Assistant—T. S. Chanter, to the Herald.
It Surgeon—Robert Mc'Cormick (1827), to the North
Star.

1%% THE HOLMFIRTH CATASTROPHE.
HOLNFIRTII, FRIDAY NIGHT.—Ou the re-assembling
i%
i% of the jury. alter a brief adjournment, this afternoon, a
i% most important witness was called, whose testimony ex-
-6cl plains ins few words the immediate cause of the accident.
6,, This was Mr. James Armytage, surveyor to the Hud-
%
1 dersfield Improvement Commission, who deposed to
[ having made an examination of the waste pit and swallow,
N by direction of the Government Commissioner, Captain
51
od Moody. Mr. Armytage said that, in pursuance of his
) instructions, he first lowered the water in the
i6,,d reservoir sufficiently to enable him to exaniin:
'Pt the shuttle. On proceeding to do thoisi, h
the
found a very large stone in fronte
passage of
shuttle, which almost completely stopped n
and, as it
(es. smaller stones lying against the laorgheere
- the water into the waste pit. There werreotlithe,ree or four
produced the
were, supporting it. (Mr. Armlocyktag
1 100 pounds.)
larger stone—an immense
.b_
.ng
1% inches by twenty, and weighing
the coroner, Mr. Armytage
un3eesarryt iu g seventeen
;;4 On being questioned by
whether th stone had been
tentionally or not. It might
spalaidee it was wagaasinimstptchsesibahleuttdteiesainy
the waters been very low in the
- have been so placed had
b belief that it must have
carried to the place where it was found by the
been
1
- reservoir, but he inclined to t e .
% force of the current.
1% After the production of some further evidence, chiefly
1 corroborative of the previous testimony, the inquiry
' was adjourned until Friday next, when it is understood
;5‘ Captain Moody will give his opinion, which will no
doubt have considerable weight in enabling the jury to
come to a conclusion.

VENTILATION OF THE NEIL' HOUSE OF
COMMONS.
The tone of Dr. Reid's remarks was moat unjustifiable.
We are informed
tion he made,with(litiheg
paint on the floor, which the oexodee authority. that every requisi-
Conomotmtisliseiorneemrsovoafl
Works
f
complained of by him were
would not sanction, was attended to; and that the drains.orSkhse
from his own put in by his own men
drawings. There have been many Dais-
tesekleinsgmshsdoswinn
this matter, much misnagement
and bad
f
OH one side or the other, and it is quite
time that further waste of money should be stopped.
We are unable to recognise the difficulty said to exist in
ventilating such a chamber, when money is no object,
and provision for it contemplated ab initio. It will
scarcely b© believed when we say, that 58,000/, have
already been spent on the ventilation of the new House
coits. ting
vv, we are told,
We must, at the
of Commons, ande
engaged
e d towork
a stuff,
1,3001. a year, is g
same time, take the liberty of begging Members of the
a
House to be a little patient and reasonable, and to give
new arrangements a fair trial. The inconsiderate way
(if it be not a breach of privilege to say so), in which
they rushed into an expenditure of thousands last ses-
sion for the alteration of an untried House, might lead
some to doubt gravely both their sagacity and -
prudence.
We may add here in parenthesis, that on the 11th her
es
Majesty was pleased to confer the h
honour of knighthood
on Mr. Barry.—Builder.

DIE LAW OF ETIDENCE IN SCOTLAND,—The Bill
to amend the law of evidence in Scotland, brought forward
by the Lord Advocate, was issued on Wednesday, containing
five sections. It provides that witnesses are not to be ex-
cluded by reason of crime, agency, partial counsel, ap-
pearance without citation, or precognition after citation,
but may be examined as to credibility. A party to an
action may be adduced as a witness, unless it is shown that
he has a substantial interest. A witness may be examined
as to having made a different statement. All laws and
practice inconsistent with the provisions of this Bill are to be
repealed.