The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-09 00:00:00

IHE NAVY.

VALETTA, Dec. I.—The arrivals of English men
of war during the week are the Gannet, 11, Com-
mander the Hon. H. M. Nelson, on the 23d ult.,
from Constantinople and Syra ; the Phoebe, 35, Capt.
the Hon. T. Forteseue, on the 24th, 18 days from
Plymouth and 5 from Gibraltar; and the Scylla, 22,
Capt. R. Lambert, this morning from Corfu. The
Gannet left on the 27th for England to be paid off,
and the Scylla will leave to-morrow evening for
the same destination and for the same purpose. The
Phoebe has come to join the Mediterranean fleet.
The Alacrity, 4, Commander J. Baird, left harbour
on the 24th nit. for gun exercise, and returned on
the 28th. The orders for the Defence, 18, iron-
plated ship, to join the Mediterranean fleet have
been countermanded, and she has joined the Chan-
nel fleet instead. The Meeanee, 60, lately recom-
missioned, has been substituted for her, and will
shortly leave England to relieve the Mars, 80,
Capt. J. N. Strange, daily expected here from the
coast of Syria, cn her way home to be paid off. The
Firebrand, 6, Commander Piers, which has just
come out of dock, is expected to be sent to Gibral-
tar, to be stationed there. Nothing appears to be
as yet decided regarding the destination of the Tra-
falgar, 70, Capt. the Hon. T. Baillie ; the Liffey, 35,
Capt. George Parker ; the Phoebe, 35, Capt. the
Hon. T. Forteseue ; and the Chanticleer, 17, Com-
mander Stirling, which are still in port, as well as
the Marlborough, 131, Capt. W. H. Stewart, C. 8.,
flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, which is likely
to remain here for some time to come. The St.
George, 80, Capt. the Hon. F. Egerton, has left
Gibraltar for Algiers and Malta, and is expected at
this island about the 6th inst. The Trident, 3,
Commander Balfour, which conveyed Sir H. Bulwer
to Alexandria, was still at that place on the 27th
ult., awaiting his excellency's orders. No change
has occurred in the squadron at the Pireens. The
Edgar, 89, Capt. the Hon. F. Foley, bearing the
flag of Rear-Admiral S. C. Dacres; C. 8., has ar-
ived at Corfu from Malta, having relieved the Scylla
at the former island. Besides the ships mentioned
above as being still here, there are the Hibernia,
receiving ship, Commander Harvey, bearing the
flag of Rear-Admiral H. J. Codrington, C. 8., and
her tenders Boxer and Growler in port. By the
Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamship
Euxine, which entered port this morning from
Marseilles, the following military officers have ar-
rived here :—Capt. Ellis, Lient. Galway, Lient.
Cooke, and Ensign Hunter. This morning the
French steam corvette Tanger, Capt. P. de Blanc,
arrived from Tunis and Gibraltar, having on board
the Duke of Brabant and suite. The Scylla, which
happened to he coming into port at the same time,
exchanged salutes with the corvette outside, and
the usual salutes Were fired on the corvette anchor-
ing. The Duke himself, however, wishing to pre-
serve a strict incognito, declined to receive the
honours due to his rank. He accepted the Governor's
invitation of apartments in the palace, where he
will reside during his brief stay in the island, which
is not likely to be prolonged over to-morrow, when
he will continue his route to Alexandria, probably
calling-at Benghazi, on his way, for the purpose of
visiting the ruins of Cyrene. This, however, has
not yet been decided upon. To-morrow night the
spectacle of manning thebatteries will be exhibited,
and in the afternoon there will probably be a re-
view. A telegram was received to-day announcing
the departure of her Majesty's surveying ship Fire-
fly, Commander Mansell, this morning, from Alex-
andria for Malta. Since the 25th ult. communica-
tion by the submarine telegraph between Port Yen-
dres and Algiers has been interrupted. For some-
time past it has been determined by the Admiralty
to construct a naval prison at Malta for the deten-
tion of seamen and marines sentenced to imprison-
ment by the local eourts or their own officers. The
estimated cost is £8,600, which I believe has al-
ready been voted. Orders have recently been re-
ceived to commence the work forthwith, under the
superintendence of Mr. Church ward, civil engineer,
of this dockyard, who sent home a design so con-
ceived as to admit of the building being extended at
any future time, if necessary, for the accommoda-
tion of military as well as naval offenders.

The Sutlej, screw frigate, Captain M. Connolly,
bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Kingeombe,
sailed from Spithead at daylight yesterday morning
for the Pacific, to relieve the Bacchante, screw fri-
gate, flagship of Rear-Admiral Sir Thos. Maitland.
The Sutlej calls in at Plymouth Sound on her way
down Channel to receive final orders, &c.
The Neptune, screw line-of-battle ship, Capt. G.
F. P. Horn by, whose arrival at Spithead from the
Mediterranean was announced in The Sun of Satur-
day, reports having Encountered a succession of
heavy gales from the northward and eastward
since leaving Gibraltar on the 15th of Novem-
ber. On the 20th of November, in latitude
39.50 N., long. 13.25 W., numbers were ex-
changed with her Majesty's ship Barossa, run-
ning before a fine north-west breeze, all well.
On the 23d, she signalled the Morning Star, of
Liverpool, in lat. 40.7 N., long. 15.52 W.
The Neptune is ordered into Portsmouth harbour
to strip, clear out armament and stores, and pay out
of commission.

1 down three years sinoe on the fourth slip, but for
the past two years not a single hand has '.- cen em-
-1 ployed on her. She is completely in frame, but no
portion of her planking has yet been affixed. In
order to convert her into the armour ( ased vessel
' intended it will be necessary to take her to pieces
and reconstruct her on No. 7 slip, on which the
Royal Oak was built, the shed under which the
Belvidere at present lies not being sufficiently com-
modious to permit of her proposed alterations; in
addition to which the new slip is fitted with the
requisite machinery, travellers, cranes, &c.,employed
in iron shipbuilding. In converting the Belvidere
into an iron clad frigate it will be necessary to
lengthen her amidships about 40ft., in addition to
which her breadth of beam will be increased 6ft.
In the reconstruction of the Belvidera it is not in-
tended to follow the plans and models on which the
Royal Oak and other armour plated frigates have
been built, until the sailing and other qualities of
our squadron of wooden iron cased steamers have
been tested by practical experience at sea.
The Hood, 89, screw steam line•of-battle ship,
3,308 tons, 600-horse power, has been taken into the
fitting basin at Sheerness, to be brought forward
for the first division of the Sheerness steam reserve.
fhe Meeanee, 60, screw steamship, 2,951 tons,
400-horse power, Capt. George Wodehouse (Oct. 19,
1854), has been removed from the fitting basin to
moorings in the harbour at Sheerness, and is re-
ceiving her provisions, stores, &c. She will be
out of the hands of the dockyard authorities
about the 12th, and be ready for sea on the 16th,
when she will proceed to the Mediterranean to re-
lieve the London, 86, screw steamship, Captain
Chads, which is to be paid off.
The Conqueror (late Waterloo), 86, screw steam
ship, 2,845 tons, 500-horse power, is being fitted at
her moorings in the harbour for the first-class
steam reserve at Sheerness, and is to take the place
of the Meanee, 60, recently commissioned by Capt.
G. Wodehouse.
Orders have been received by the authorities at
Sheerness dockyard that the greatest despatch is to
be used in repairing and refitting her Majesty's
ship Vigilant, 4, screw steam gunvessel, for re-
commission.

In accordance with instructions from the Admi-
ralty, Captain C. Wise, Captain Superintendent of
Sheerness dockyard, accompanied by several offi-
cers of the yard, had inspected the Ganges, 84,
sailing ship, and other vessels in the harbour, to
ascertain their fitness for the reception of dispos-
sable seamen on their return from leave after hav-
ing been paid off. The reason is that the flagship
Formidable and the steam reserve gaardship Cum-
berland are not capable of accommodating the num-
ber of men who will shortly be for disposal.
The report of the Registrar-General of Seamen
and Shipping on the Royal Naval Reserve for the
month of November last states that 16,091 appli-
cations had been received, and 14,166 volunteers
enrolled on the 29th ult.
The following appointments were made yes-
terday at the Admiralty :—Commander R. G.
Douglas, to the Shearwater; Lieut. J. H. Vidal, to
the Excellent; Lieut. E. L. Trafford, and Lieut. Sir
F. Blackwood, to the Shearwater: J. D. Switzer,
master, to the Russell, for the Satellite ; E. H.
Evans, Burg., to the Shearwater; Mark A. Harte,
assist.-surg., confirmed in the Satellite; Dr. A.
Yule, acting assist.-surg., to the Shearwater; A.
Grenfell, midshipman, to the Majestic ; T. T.
Hodgson and Enstice Rooke, midshipmen, to the
Pylades ; C. E. Stewart and Arthur W. Massy,
midshipmen, to the Meeanee ; Harry C. Owen,
master's assist. supernumerary, to the Pylades ; J.
M'Farlane, master's assist. supernumerary, to the
Meeanee ; and Arthur Hodson, clerk, to Formidable
for secretary's clerk. Commander E. Scott to be
inspecting commander of the Coastguard ; Lieut.
P. H. Colomb, of the Indus, to be flag-lieut. to Rear
Admiral Symonds, C. 8.; G. Raymond, master in
command, to the Rhadamanthus ; Edward C. T.
Youel, master in command, to the Fox; J. Lang-
lands, engineer, to the Shearwater ; J. B. Liddell,
first-class assist.-engineer, to the Shearwater ; T.
Murray, acting first-class assist.-engineer, to the
Indus for the Clinker; and J. Connolly, second-
class assist.-engineer, to the Shearwater.