The Sun.
London, England, 1863-03-25 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MARCH 25, 1863.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.

Rear-Admiral Horatio T. Austin, C,8., will, we
understand, succeed Rear-Admiral H. J. Codrington,
C. 8., as Admiral Superintendent at Malta, when the
latter officer's period of service expires in July next.
Her Majesty's steam vessel Kite, Master Coin•
mender Bowden, was paid off on Saturday at Wool-
wich. The Kite arrived in England on the 11th
inst., with machinery disabled. The boilers had
given way six times during the voyage home, and
the entire structure of the vessel was rotten and
leaky to such an extent that officers and men de-
spaired of making the shore in safety. She left
Bermuda on the 30th of January, in tow of the

Spitfire, and on clearing the reef made sail and
got up steam. Forty minutes afterwards it was
found that both boilers had given way, and that
the sudden rush of water from them rendered it
necessary to draw the fires. Three of the stokers
were scalded, one very severely. On Feb. Ist, the
engineers having made good the defects, steam was
got up a second time, working on the second grade.
On the 3d the port boiler gave way, and the fires
were again drawn. On the sth a heavy gale set in
from N.N.E. to E,N.E., and the ship making much
water, the pumps were constantly going. Up to this
time the vessel encountered northerly, north-west
and south-westerly winds, and made from three to
four knots with the wind favourable, and six in a
heavy gale, running under close reefed topsail and
reefed forscourse. On the llth,l2th,l3th,and 14th,
there were heavy gales S.W. to N.W., and back to
SW., with high seas, the wind constantly shifting.
On the latter date the ship was in lat. 35 3, long.
43 W., distant 715 miles from the Azores, having
only made 1,015 miles in 15 days. On Feb. 16th,
for the third time, she commenced steaming with
both boilers at very low pressure. In lib. 30m.
after starting it became necessary to draw the fires
on account of the port boiler giving way. On the
19th there was a heavy gale from W.S.W. to N.W.
and on the 20th strong winds from N.W. The vessel
ran 72 miles in 24 hours. On the 22d, at 10.45 p.m.,
fires were lighted under both boilers, but it took
two hours to get steam up. At 215 p.m. on the
24th both boilers again gave way, the ship then
being near the south side of Pico(one of the Azores)
and the fires were again drawn . There was a heavy
swell setting on the land, and the ship was be-
calmed and unmanageable. At midnight, after 12
hours' calm, a light air sprung up from S.E., and
the vessel had to retrace her course and stand for
the N.W. end of Fayal. She finally lost sight of
those islands on the morning of Feb. 26th, and on
ethonet2inBud
heavytheewncitohunvtaerrieadtions days. On sth winds, which
over
manyN.W.
March there was a N.W. to S.W. gale, and she
again got up steam; in five minutes the starboard
boiler gave way, and the fires wore again
drawn, the port boiler being of no use
alone. On the 6th and 7th there were heavy
gales and stormy winds and squalls from w.s.w.
to N.W., with heavy hailstorms. The Lizard
was distent 209 miles. On the Bth she got up steam
in her boiler, and proceeded on the third grade ;
the same evening the Bishop's light (Scilly Islands)
was sighted, and the land was made in ten days
from the time of leaving Garcioaa, the north-eastern
island of the Azores. On the afternoon of the 10th
inst. she bore up for Portland Roads, the weather
being very stormy. She arrived at Spithead at 11
p.m. on the 11th, and fell in with the Medusa
steamer off the North Foreland, and was taken in
tow off the Nore. She then broke down for the
sixth time. She expended 75 tons of coals during
a most perilous voyage, the pumps going every
watch, as she frequently shipped large quantities
of water ; the bedding and clothes were saturated
from leaks in the seams. From injuries by the
escape of boiling water, the effective number of the
crew was much reduced, and when under steam
the watch were obliged to cake their turn in stock-
ing. It was remarked on her arrival at Woolwich
that not a sail, spar, or even rope yarn had been
lost, although the ship was obliged to be driven or
carried through the water with each mast and rig-
ging supported with extra gear. The mainmast,
which was made in 1857, is rotten. The Kite was
first employed at Bermuda, in 1838, and left Eng-
land for the last time in 1856. Her boilers were
condemned at Bermuda last year.
Scarlet fever (has appeared among the boys on
board the training
ships Impregnable, 78, Com-
mander F. S. Tremlett, and the Implacable, 24,
Commander Samuel B. Dolling, in Hamoaze,
Devonport. There are about 22 cases on board the
Implacable. Her compliment of boys is 400, but
she has at present 450; of these 225 have been sent
to a sanitary hulk.

The Bermuda Royal Gazette of the 3d inst. states
that the determination of the Government to con•
tinne Admiral Alexander Milne one year longer as
chief of the North American and West India station
has given great satisfaction in all the places under
his command. The screw steam frigate Galatea,
Capt. R. Maguire, from Nassau, arrived in Grassy
Bay on the 28th of February. The screw steam
sloop Rinaldo, 17, Commander J. A. R. Dunlop,
continued at Ports Island; and the Nimble, 5, Lieut.
D'Arcy, in Grassy Bay. The French steamship of
war, Albatross, Capt. Maudet, from Mexico, which
has been repaired in the Royal Arsenal at Bermuda,
sailed on the 25th of February for Brest. This ship
and the Vauban landed several military and naval
invalids, who were sent to the Royal Naval Hospi-
tal. Many of these cases were hopeless; five have
died, and were buried in the French cemetery at
Ports Island. The most assiduous attention has
been paid to all these invalids by Deputy-Inspector
Smart and Dr. Dornville, R.N.
The French Government transport Ferriere, Capt.
Pichot, with military stores from Havre for Mexico,
was off Plymouth ou Monday.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty ;—Commander the Hon. E.
G. L. Cochrane, to the Sparrow ; Commander W.
F. Ruxton, to the Pandora; Commander J. Murray,
to be Inspecting-Commander of the Coastguard,
vice Commander Jolliffe, whose period of service
has expired ; Lieut. Alex. Buller; to be flag lieut.
to Vice-Admiral Sir William F. Martin, K.C.8.,
Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean; George
L. Carr, master, additional, to the Britannia; the
Marquis of Queensberry, midshipman, to the Vic-
tory; Frederick Gransmore, paymaster, to the Cam-
bridge; Thomas I.Giles, assist.-paymaster in charge,
to the Rhadamanthus ; Francis P. Lyne, assist.-
paymaster, to the Cambridge ; R. Ir win and R. J.
P. Jones, acting assist.-engineers, to the Fisgard,
as supernumeraries; M. Whyham, acting assist.-
engineer, to the Asia, as supernumerary; Ceoil C.
Gordon has been nominated to a naval cadetship;
Augustus R. Ring and juhn Turner, master's assis-
tants, to the Rattlesnake; J. F. Atkinson, master's
assistant, to the Virago; William B. Inman, clerk,
to the Majestic; Richard M. Rees, assist.-clerk, to
the Blenheim ; and Thomas Robinson, assist.-clerk,
to the Ajax,