The Sun.
London, England, 1852-06-30 00:00:00

NAVAL IN TELLIGEN CE.

THE DUKE OF NORTHUMBERLAND'S LEVEE.—.HIS
Grace the Duke of Northumberland had a levee yes-
ilerday at the Adthiralty. The followiiii; officers were
present :--Commander • T.- .Green, Lieutenant A.
Kortright, Captain R. H. Stopford, C.Ttain J. Hey,
Commander E. Dixon, C.ipt4%in A. Murray, Lieu-
tenant J. jeayem Captain E. J. Parry, Lieutenant
W. H. Dixon, Lieutenant W. N. Bayce,' Commander
S. C. Umfreville, Lieutenant T. S. Coppiager, Cap-
' tain SirW. Dicks Dr), Commander B. Seymour Captain
W. Allen, Captain S. P. Pritchard, Commander A.
Cumming, Captain E. J. Car,?enter, Commander J.
T. Warren, Rev. D. Carson, Lieutenant E. Antridge,
Commander H. Corymn Commander D. %Veld
Lieutenant J. G. Raymond. ,
The following officers were present at Admiral H.
Parker's levee yeste:d4 :—Captain Sir W. Dickson,
Captain S. Be Pritchard, Captain Alex. Murray, •
Captain Sir Cornwallis Ricketts, Captain E. J. Parry,
Commander Thomas Wilson, Commander W. Carr,
Commander L. S. Tindal, Lieutenant, H. Sr. John
Mildmay, Lieutenant A. Parks, Lieutenant C. An-
tridge, Lieutenant L. S.I Coppinger, Lieutenant H.
I.• Grant, Lieutenant C. W. Hallett,' M. F.. T.
`Jamison.

Subjoined is a list of the officers who attended
Admiral Hornby's levee yesterday ;—Mr. 11. Woolley
Commander G. Hewett, Captain Sir W. Dickson,
Lieut. L. A. WinaiDer, Lieut. E. Hardy, •Captain
W. B. Oliver, Mr. F. R. Child, Mr. F. J. Jameson,
Lieut. N. S. Grant, Commander F. Green Captain
A. Murray, Commander Hurafreville, Lieut. C.
Antridge.
THE ADMIRALTY.—Neither the Duke of Nor-
thumberland nor Rear-Adthiral Hornby will hold
any more levees until further notice.

PORTSMOUTH, TUESDAY.—The HOD, Captain
Drummond joined the Retribution on Sunday last.
We hear he has given one watch 48 hours' leave.

The Simoon, iron steam-ship, Captain Kingcombe,
has had her steam up alongside the yard jetty ;
and Mr. Murray with the factory men are examin-
ing and testing her engines; It is stated that they
are not of sufficient strength for this large powerful
vessel.

A court-martial, consisting of Rear-Admiral H.
Prescott, C. 8., President ; Captain Chads, C. 8., of
the Excellent ; E. H. Scott, of the Neptune ; W. H.
Henderson, C. 8., of the Blenheim ; J. Kingcombe, of
the Simoom ; L. T. Jones, of the Sampson ; W. H.
Giffard of the Tiger ; the Hon. J. R. Drummond, of
the Retribution ; and Mr. G. L. Greetham, Deputy
Judge Advocate of the Fleet, assembled this morning
on board the Victory to try James Reed, a private
marine of the detachment'serving on board the Vic-
tory; for having deserted from that ship on the 22d
of October last. Captain Martin, C. 8., of the Vic-
tory was the prosecutor, under orders from the
Lords of the Admiralty. It appeared by the testi-
mony of Mr. George Mason, of the Victory (the
Senior Lieutenant of the Fleet), that the prisoner
was "reported" to him on the 23d of October last
as having .left the ship without leave ; that he
had not seen him since until brought on board as a
deserter a few days ago by the police. Lieutenant
John B. Seymour, in command of the Royal Marine
detachment serving on board the Victory, deposed to
the prisoner being one of the said detachment, and
" reported" to him on the 22d of October last, as ab-
sent without leave, being then under sentence of con-
finement for a former offence ; witness had not seen
the prisoner since until within the past few days, a
prisoner on board the Victory. Sergeant Morris, of
the Royal Marines, deposed to missing the prisoner
on the 22d of October, and to having made diligent
search for him without success. He had not seen him

till the 25th of June, when he recognised him in the
prison cell. The prisoner in defence had nothing to
allege, but called his commanding officer to give him
a character. Lieutenant Seymour deposed to his
being a good soldier when en duty, but his general
character otherwise was bad. The Court declared
the charge fully proved, and adjudged the prisoner to
twelve months' confinement in Winchester Gaol, and
to be mulcted of all pay, wages, and services in the
Royal Marine corps.
The Inflexible, steam-sloop, Commander P. H.
Dyke, arrived at Spithead from Lisbon this morning
with a mail. She left the Tagus on the 24th inst.
The Archer screw-sloop, Commander Strange, was
the only British man-of-war at anchor there at that
date. Rate of exchange, 54i. Mr. G. Barnes, mate
of the Britomart, and five invalids have come home
supernumeraries in the Inflexible, which was very
unhealthy during the first part of her commission on
the West Indian station, but has been healthy since.
The Inflexible is reported very leaky.
The .Sprightly steam•tender, Mr. George , Allen,
Acting Master Commanding, will. proceed
,to-morrow
to Plymouth with supernumeraries, and also men for
Rear-Admiral Corry's squadron at Queenstown.
The Basilisk new paddle steam-sloop, Commander
the Hon. G. Egerton, has received her crew from
the hulk, bent sails, and is ready to go to Spithead,
with the exception of adjusting her compasses.
The Barham, a fine frigate-looking Indiaman, ar-
rived at Spithead this morning from the Thames to
embark passengers and stock for Calcutta.
The Devonshire New York line-of-packet ship
sailed from Spithead this morning for the United
States. _ _

DEVONP6ILT JIINE 28.—This morning, although
gloomy, the ships were decorated with flagp and
every appearance of a grand holiday. At eleven
o'clock the troops were assembling on Mount Wise,
when a pouring rain came on, which lasted nearly
two: hours. The troops were sent to their barracks,
and the sight-seers took shelter at the nearest cover.
At noon all the ships in commission prepared fired
salutes, the bells at the different towers rang merrily,
and the day seemed to pass off quite as well as could
be expected, considering the weather.
No vessels arrived or sailed.

The Triton will coal to-morrow, after which she
will be paid advance.
Wonwicu, JUNE 29.—The Megeara steam-frigate,
Master Commander John Barlow, left Woolwich this
morning for Sheerness. The result of the committee
of inquiry into her recent voyages to and from the
Cape of Good Hope is not yet known.

THE SEARCH for SIR JOHN FRANKLIN.
In consequence of the promising expedition of
Captain Beatson to Behriog Straits having, from
Various causes, been frustrated, the Isabel screw-
schooner, destined for that service, has been made
over to Lady Franklin, at a cost which was incurred
by her in order . to prevent a wholly fruitless sacri-
fice of the large sums which had been already
contributed and laid out in the equipment. It is
understood that Lady Franklin offered to place the
Isabel at the disposal of any one willing and com-
petent to carry her out to the Arctic seas, in any
quarter deemed.most desirable for the search of the
missing expedition under her husband; and it is
to Captain Inglefield that 'the navy owe it that the
noble work is, retained in their own hands ; for
though she would have been far from grudging
the Isabel to one of our stout-hearted whaling cap-
tains, yet, for the honour of the navy, it is bast
as it is. We congratulate Captain Inglefield upon
the opportunity for distinction he has secured. Un-
fettered by instructions, and his own master, with a
vessel under him more fitted for the Arctic service
than any which has preceded him—such is the opinion
formed of the' Isabel by competent authorities—we
expect very much 'from him ; and not the less so that
the primary object he is said to have in view is the
solution of a question that does not fully enlist, our
own anxieties.
Captain Inglefield, it is said, starts with the inten-
tion of clearing up the doubts awakened by the story
of the two ships supposed to have been seen on an
iceberg near Newfoundland. That these vessels, if
seen at all, were the Erebus and Terror, we do not
believe'; and we may point to the reasonings re-
cently brought forward by Dr. Scoresby, as well
as to the general opinions of the whaling
captains, in support of our conviction. But it is
nevertheless very desirable to make an effort to
overturn once more, or set at rest, the speculations
of some who are ever ready to receive a tale of
disaster., These croakers are too eager to be con-
sistent; and although Franklin's people and his ships
were, according to them, engnlphed in the ice
of Baffin's Bay on his way home in 1846, or else
burnt by the natives in the same year, yet neither
mode of destruction interfere, in their apprehension,
with the re-appearance of the said ships in 1851
lying high and dry upon an ice-field off Newfound-
land. Yet, for the sake of those who, with some fair
argument on their side, conceive the ships in ques-
tion to have been the Erebus and Terror, we are
glad that Captain Inglefield will once for all set the
question at rest, by a thorough search for the crews
of the ships alluded to on the west coast of Davis strait,
and northward into that unknown region—the north-
west part of Baffin's Bay, including Jones Sound and
Smith Souud—whicla has never yet been penetrated.
Itia well, known that the late expedition could perceive
no land forming the north-west boundary of Baffin's
Bay, and that there are strong doubts if the so-called
bay be indeed a cul de-sac. An investigation of this
question seems to be important upon other than geo-
graphical grounds ; since, assuming for the moment
that the ships seen were the Erebus and the Terror,
it is possible they may have dratted out of the Polar
basin by this very opening, if such indeed it prove.
All authorities, we believe, are convinced that the
supposed ships in question must have come down the
west side of the bay, en which coast the crews there-
fore must be looked for and rescued—the identity of
'the vessels nowise presuming disaster to the people
belonging to them.
It is understood that the Admiralty are disposed
to give Captain Inglefield all the assistance he re-
quires, and that the dockyard authorities are using
every' exertion to complete some few alterations in
the rigging of the Isabel, so as to enable her to
start on the let of July. She was already fully

equipped, and had proviiions for the necessary crew
for five years, when she came into Lady Franklin's
I hands; but i is to be hoped thit, if not completely
stores plat into her, of cods
espec.iallY"... .lier..engin.es,
.of 01rorse ppwer, were
tried in takin,, h€r down .the
.river,, and found to.
answer er.t.r...n;ly w 741; Ina her size (of 170 tons,
us well as her build and strengthenings, renders
her, in . the opinion of those befit qualified to
judge, among whom are the officers of the expedition
which has lately_ left us, admirably fitted for Arctic
service. Indeed, it is generally known that Sir
Edward Belcher and Captain Kellett used every effort ;
with. the Admiralty to get her ktdded to their squadron
by purchasing her from Lady Franklin, and 'we
heartily wish that such an arrangement had been
_ .
carried out.

^Though Captain
Inglefield is late in starting, it
may happen, as it has happened before, that he
arrives at the very point of time best calculated
for rapid and effective action, when the sea is
clearest •of ice, and the weather the 'nest genial.
It may even • happen that he overtakes, or at least
falls in
when he will have the advantage of learning the
with, some part of the naval squadron,
intentions
.of. Sir E. Belcher, and will shape his
movements accordingly, so that no double search
may be wasted in ` the same quarter, but that each
part may have its share. Captain Inglefield 'takes
with him the late surgeon
of the Sophia, who eo
ably took bis part in the exploring excursions of
Captain Penny in Wellington
Channel; and also
Mr. Abernethy, the experienced ice-master of Sir
James Ross in the Enterprise, and since of Sir John
Ross, in the Frolic, in the late expedition. The
greater part of the crew of the Isabel will consist of
whalers, or • settlers from Aberdeen or Peterhead,
where', 'choice of such men may be expected to be
found at this keason.—Chronicle.

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