The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-30 00:00:00

7HE NAVY.

The Channel fleet hove in sight off Portsmouth on
Saturday afternoon, standing in for St. Helen's
Roads, under canvas, on their return from Milford
Haven. The Warrior, 40, iron frigate, Capt. the
Hon. A. Cochrane, and the St. George, 86, screw,
Capt. the Hon. F. Egerton, made their way under
steam into the anchorage at Spithead. The Elfin,
Royal paddle yacht, met the St. George on her
passage up to the roadstead, and his Royal
High-
ness Prince Alfred, embarking on board, proceeded
at once to Osborne. The Revenge, 89, screw, Capt.
C. Fellowes, bearing the flag of the Commander-
in-Chief Rear-Admiral R. Smart, K.H. ; the Tra-
falgar, 86, screw, Capt. J. B. Dickson; the Emerald,
screw frigate, Capt. A. Cumming ; and the Chanti-
cleer, 17, screw, Commander C. Stirling, anchored
in St. Helen's Roads, a strong head wind and lee
tide having prevented their reaching Spithead under
sail alone. The flagship and Chanticleer are re-
ported to have been on the ground.
The Rapid, 11, screw, Commander Jago, arrived
at Spithead from Woolwich on Saturday, and on
anchoring exchanged the usual salutes with the
Victory flagship of the Commander•in-Chief. She
is reported to be destined for the Cape Station.
The Duncan screw liner, in the first class reserve
at Portsmouth, was taken out of Portsmouth har-
bour on Friday, to make the annual test of her
machinery and boilers under steam. Everything
was found to be in perfect working order. In leav-
ing the harbour the Duncan's passage in the mid-
channel was barred by a small craft working into
the harbour,
.and the course of the former was
necessarily altered to avoid a collision. In avoiding
this danger, however, the Duncan fouled the screw
liner Frederick William, and carried away her fore-
yard. The accident was considered to throw no
blame upon those in'charge of the ship.
The Shannon screw frigate, Capt. Oliver I. Jones,
was docked at Portsmouth on Friday, when it was
found, as had boen anticipated, that ono of the
blades of her propeller was broken off. In leaving
the steam basin on Thursday the engines were
turned slowly ahead, and the screw in its revolu-
tions struck a heavy plank floating in the basin,
which is supposed to have done the damage. The
blade, which is of cast-iron being for experimental
purposes only, was broken off at the shoulder of the
pin which ships in the boss. The remaining two
blades were taken out of the boss yesterday, and
three blades which were taken out at the conclu-
sion of the six-bladed trial will be shipped in their
place for the trial which is arranged to take placee
on Tuesday next.

The plan suggested by Mr. Cunningham, patentee
of the reefing topsail system, for the protection of
the screw propeller from fouling, has received its
first official testing at Portsmouth, so far as the
protector applies to underlaying hawsers, &c. For
this purpose Mr. Cunningham's small schooner
yacht, which has been fitted with a screw and a
Protector to illustrate the principle, was placed in
the camber of Portsmouth Dockyard, where haw-
sers were passed under her bottom and round her
stern in different directions, and the screw then set
to work. The protector, however, resisted all at-
tempts at fouling by the hawsers, and so far the ex-
periment was quite successful. It is proposed next
to try the efficiency of the protector outside the
harbour, with floating gear to represent wreckage
and rigging alongside the vessel.
The hired transport Malabar, 1,219 tons, Capt. R
Pearce, belonging to Messrs. Green, of London, with
rice, indigo, seed, &c., arrived in Plymouth Sound
on Saturday evening. She left Calcutta February
24, crossed the line March 18, arrived at St. Helena
May 11, and sailed therefrom on the 14th. She
brings 285 men, 16 women, and 19 children, belong-
ing to the 75th Regiment, under command of Col.
Radcliffe and the following officers—viz., Capt.
Cliffe, Lieuts. Daniell, Dawson, Mausergh, Wade-
stone, and Gledstanes, and Quartermaster Topp.
Dr. Clarke is in medical charge. Since leaving Cal-
cutta 16 deaths have occurred through dysentery
and cholera. The Malabar spoke, April 14, lat.
33 29 S., long. 27 56E., the English schooner Vul-
ture; 28th, lat. 25 34 S., long. 6 1 E., an English
bark showing the 3d-distinguishing pendant 7,413,
from Capetown for London ; 26th, lat. 4 38 N., long.
23 43 W., the American ship Dione, 26 days from
Liverpool for Callao ; 27th, lat. 4 56 N., long. 23 47
W., English ship Alipore ; 28th, lat. 5 33 N., long.
23 53 W., the English ship Kate Kearney
standing south; 29th, lat. 6 19 N., long. 2511
W., the English brig King John, standing south ;
31st, lat. 11 2 N., long. 86 26 W., the American
ship Samuel Russell, 18 days from New York, for
Hongkong ; June 20, lat. 46 45 N., long. 27 48 W.,
the English ship Granite City, 92 days from
Sydney, for London ; and 25th, lat. 47 56 N., long.
17 45 W., the bark Lovenia, 26 days from
Havannah for Falmouth. The following ships
sailed from St. Helena with the Malabar :—The
Trafalgar of London, 1,178 tons, Capt. J. Taylor,
from Madras for London ; the British Empire, of
Liverpool, 2,679 tons; Capt. INl`Donald, from
Shanghai for London ; the Robert Pulsford. Cap'.
J. Rowson, from Calcutta for Liverpool ; the bark
Cape City, Capt. R. Ellis, from Cape Town for
London ; and the ship Westminster, Capt. Picker-
ing, from Cockin for London. The Malabar ex-
perienced light winds generally throughout the

passage.
The hired transport Salamanca, Capt. Livesay,
belonging to Messrs. Dunbar, of London, arrived in
Plymouth Sound on Saturday night. She left Cal-
cutta with a full cargo of rice, indigo, shellac, &c.,
February 25, crossed the line March 19, arrived at
the Cape of Good Hope April 26, sailed there-
from May 1, and sighted St. Helena May 17.
The Salamanca brings 115 non-commissioned offi-
cers and men, 7 women, and 10 children, belonging
to the 75th Regiment, in command of Capt. Barker,
Lieut. Allfrey, and Ensigns Leathem and Chambers.
Five deaths occurred before arriving at the Cape,
where eight men were left in hospital. She spoke,
April 25th, lat. 34 50 S., long. 18 25 E., the ship
Ariel, 43 days from Calcutta for London ; 27th, off
the Cape of Good Hope, the ship Marlborough,
from Calcutta for London ; May 7th, lat. 28 31 S.,
long. 9 16 E., the American barque Alert, 10 days
from the Cape of Good Hope ; 17th, lat. 16
"from
long. 5 14 W., the barque Recorder, 74 day
sl5
Bombay for Liverpool; 29th, lat. 6 S., lo
the Dutch brigantine St. Peter, 19 days from
City of
for Table om
for Montevideo; and the British barque Cadiz
Bay. The
Peterborough, from London
Salamanca experienced veryH troops t e weather
a nd those
during all the passage heme• moderate
d era
of the Malabar, will be landeds tho-a da
ve been made at
y at Plymouth.
The following appointmeent W. Mould to the Pre-
the Admiralty :
sident, vice Lacy,C;mriodniaedr
oted ; Commander Richard
Lieut. G. D. Clayhills to
Carter to the Emera
the Royal Adelaide; Sub-Lieuts. E. L. Trafford,
h
Compton E. Domvile, and Thorn augh FF. Gordon,
to the Victoria and Albert ;
Duthy, midship-
man, to the Orestes ; E. C. Abbs, Astley R. Cooper,
and Herbert F. Gye, midshipmen, to the Black
Prince ; Henry H. Dyke, naval cadet, to the Eury-
alus; Dr. J. Ternan, surgeon, to the Brilliant; F.
p. Dickins, J. May, and J. W. Arnott, acting assist:
slug., to the Euryalus; Wm. Lowther, chief engi-
neer, to theFisgard, for the Prometheus ; P. Butler,
engineer, to the Cumberland, for the Columbine ;
C. C. Hyde, in the Asia, promoted first-class assist.
engineer ; and Thomas M. Moffatt, master's assis-
tant, to the Geyser.
The following appointments have been made in
the Royal Naval Reserve :—To be Lieuts.—James
B. Atkins and John Tierney; to be honorary lieut.
—Charles Granger Weller.

SHIP ON FIRE.—A letter under date Port Eliza-
beth, I9th May, says :—Her Majesty's ship Penguin, from
Simon's Bay, reports that on the 29th April, off Pletten-
burg Bay, she sighted a light, and supposed it to be a ship
on fire. Came up with her on the evening of the 30th. She
was then one sheet of flame from taffrail to foremast, and
sufficiently close to ascertain there was no living soul on
board. Remained in sight during the night. Fired a gun
and bur at a long blue light, and kept two blue lights burn
ing at tb .0 main truck to attract the attention of any
boats.
At daylight not a sign of a boat or a raft was to bo seeli.
Made sail, intending to pass close to the burning vessel in
hopes of ascertaining her name, when she suddenly isapn,
peared. She was a black ship, of about 800 tons bu.
riggingrd
e
white cotton canvas sails ; a pole aboTe the royal
truck, not close to tits rigging. Trucks either gilded or
cowed wt tb. brass.