The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-02 00:00:00

looking forward with some degree of professional
pride to the time when she would be ready for sea.
The Galatea, 26, 800 horse power, Muter Com-
mander A. Goldsmith, received the remainder of her
Armstrong and other guns on board at Folly Point,
Chatham, yesterday. She carries the most power-
ful armament of any frigate in the service, consisting
of six 100-pounder Armstrongs and 20 10-inch 95
cwt. smooth-bore guns, with a 20-pounder Arm• ,

strong for boat service. Her boats were forwarded
to her yesterday from the stores at Chatham.

The Meeanee, 81, 2,591 tons, 400 horse power,
has been removed from the great basin at Sheerness
in to the stream, where she now lies awaiting orders.
She has been several months in the first-class steam
reserve, and a short time, therefore, will suffice to
have her ready for sea.
The Revenge, 89, screw, Captain Chas. Fellowes,

at Plymouth, is reported to be ready for sea.
The Devastation, 6, steam sloop, Commander John
D. M'Crea, was taken out of No. 8 dock at Ports-
mouth on Tuesday morning, and will in all proba-
bility sail for North America to-day.
The Vigilant, screw steam-sloop, Commander
Pike, went out of harbour yesterday morning and
anchored at Spithead to receive her powder and
shell. She will try her speed at the measured mile

to-day.
The Coquette, screw steam-sloop, was taken into
No, 1 dock yesterday morning, and the Highflyer,
screw steam-sloop, into No. 3 dock, to be examined
and copper cleaned, &c., preparatory to being com-
missioned.

Yesterday the War Department transport Bo-
marsund was placed alongside the Ordnance wharf,
Chatham, for the purpose of shipping the armament
of the Severn, 51, 500 horse power, consisting of
eight 8-inch 65 cwt. guns, 18 32-pounders, each of
58 cwt., and four 70-pounder Armstrongs, on the
main deck; and one 100-pounder Armstrong pivot
gun, six 40-pounder Armstrongs, and 14 32-poun-
ders on the upper deck.
The Edgar, 90, screw, Capt. Mends, with the flag
of Rear-Admiral S. C. Dacres, C. 8., received her
orders by post yesterday morning to sail immedi-
ately from Spithead for Lisbon, where she will re-
ceive final orders as to her destination. Rear-
Admiral Dacres took leave of his family at Dent's
George Hotel, and embarked at 3 p.m., the ship
sailing immediately afterwards.
The Lyra, 9, screw, Commander Alexander, will
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be put out of commission at Portsmouth to-morrow.
The Terrible, paddle, Capt. Glasse, C. 8., sailed
from Spithead between 2 and 3 p.m. yesterday, for
the eastward, where she will dismantle and be put
out of commission.

The Stromboli, 6, paddle, Commander Henry,
went out of Portsmouth harbour yesterday to Spit-
head, where she will take in powder and shell, prior
to sailing for the Pacific. She takes out two 100.
pounder Armstrong guns for ships on the station.
Four of the gunboats now being brought for-
ward at Portsmouth for the first-class reserve at the
port,—the Foam, Cracker, Swinger, and Pheasant,
—are ordered to be rigged, stored, armed, and com-
plete in every point for sea by Saturday next at
Sunset.

The flag of Rear-Admiral the Hon. Sir George
Grey, Superintendent of Portsmouth Dockyard, was
shifted yesterday, in accordance with instructions
to that effect, from the St. Vincent (now boys' train-
ing ship), to the Asia steam guardship of the port.
Capt. Thomas Wilson is re-appointed to the St.
Vincent, which, under the new regulations, is to
receive 600 boys for training.

The gunboats Porpoise, Partridge, Gleaner,
Ripple, Tilbur4, Nightingale, and Trinculo, prepar-
ing at Plymouth for active service, are to be sup-
pliecrwith smooth-bored guns; the Charon, Clinker,
and Delight will have rifled Armstrong guns.
Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas Pasley, second in com-
mand at Plymouth, struck his flag yesterday
(Wednesday) on board the Royal Adelaide, and
hoisted it on board the guardship of steam ordinary
Indus, Captain Astley C. Key.
Captain Hall, of the Royal Adelaide, Plymouth,
has taken command of the screw steamship Rus-
sell, 60, at Falmouth.

Yesterday a detachment, comprising 200 non-
commissioned officers and men of the Royal Artil-
lery, left Warley barracks, near Brentwood, for
Sheerness, for the purpose of augmenting the force
at that garrison. Yesterday 250 men were also
expected to arrive at Warley from Woolwich.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :
Captain W. King Hall, C. 8., to the Russell, vice Wode-
house, whose term of service has expired.
Commanders—F. S. Tremlett, to the Impregnable, com-
missioned as a training ship for boys; R. B. tHarvey, to
the Hibernia, vice Blane, superseded at his own request;
T. M. Jones, to the Sphinx, vice Day, promoted; Charles
John Balfour, to the Trident, vice Nicolls, dismissed the
service.

Master—G. A. Macfarlane, additional, to the Asia, for
he Coquette.

Assistant• Paymasters--Henry F. Alldrich, additional
supernumerary, to the Hogue; R. W. M. Colwell to the
Warrior.
Assistant-clerks--Nicholas L. Gedge and William A.
Kilner, additional supernumeraries, to the Rachorse.

LORD CLARENCE PA GET ON THE
NAVAL RESERVE.

Mr. W. M. Bullivant publishes a letter which
he has received from Lord Clarence Paget, the Se-
cretary of the Admiralty, on the subject of the
Naval Reserve. The letter shOws how anxious
Lord Clarence Paget is to give every facility to
officers joining the Naval Reserve. At the same
time the letter is not put forward with the autho-
rity of her Majesty's Government, but as a simple
expression of his own opinion. He says:—
I understand the scheme to embrace two grand
objects. Firstly, the provision of a well-educated
and practical body of merchant officers trained in
the science of gunnery, as an adjunct to the Royal
Navy in time of war.

Secondly, that these officers shall in peace time
instruct the seamen under their command who be-
long to the Royal Naval Reserve, in the gunnery
exercise, both theoretically and practically.

At the present time the Government have no
machinery by which they can impart to these
officers the important knowledge of the higher
branches of the science so necessary to the adequate
performance of the functions above mentioned. The
most they can offer is a course of drill in the annual
exercise of great guns and small arms on board the
training ships in our parts, such as is now given to
the seamen, but this does not, except in rare cases,
embrace the business of target practice, much less
the higher branches of the theory of projectiles,
amount of changes at various rangee, &c., which are
all essential to the efficient command of gun's crews.
Although, however, the Admiralty will do all in
their power by supplying each officer with works
on the use of great guns and small arms, as issued
for the guidance of officers of the navy, nothing
short of a course of experimental instruction on
board one of the gunnery ships, such as is under-
gone by our own officers, will really fulfil all that
is required. This coarse is, at the present time,
unattainable by the reserve officers, owing to the
limited means at the disposal of the Government
and even if facilities were offered for the instruc-;
tion of officers on board the Excellent at Ports-
mouth, and Cambridge at Dcvonport, it is not pro-
bable that they could devote the time requisite for
the completion of a course of gunnery instruction
without detriment to the duties of their employers;
under the circumstances I would earnestly entreat
the officers of the reserve not only to make them-
selves masters of the rudimentary exercise in the
training
ships, but likewise to study attentively the
works which the Admiralty Will
present to them,
and, if possible, to devote a day or two to a visit to
' the Excellent or Cambridge, where daily target
practice takes place.

_ -
Let us suppose that they have acquired,
as far as
possible, a knowledge of the management of great
guns, it would then bo a question of national policy
deserving the consideration of the Government,
whether they might not entrust one or more guns
to the care of those officers who have under their
command a certain number of seamen of the Royal
Naval Reserve, exactly as they have entrusted guns
to the Artillery Volunteers along the coast. Our
valuable trading ships, particularly those of the
higher class, which bear the precious metals of our
shorzs, would thus not only have their legs to trust
to, but their arms also.

I apprehend that all our largest merchant bhips,