The Sun.
London, England, 1862-09-23 00:00:00

2HE NATTY.

The screw steam corvette Rattlesnake, 21, Capt.
A. E. Wilmot, C. 8., left Plymouth Sound on Satur-
day evening for her station, the West Coast of
Africa.

A letter, dated Aug. 13, has been received in
Plymouth from the Topaze. She was then at Callao,
all well. It was expected that she would be sent
to Savannah.

The screw steam frigate Phoebe, 51, just commis-
sioned at Devonport byCapt. Thos. D. A. Fortescue,
was towed on Friday from her moorings in Ha-
moue into No. 1 dock in the d7ckyard, to have her
bottom clean and valves overhauled. She will be
ready for sea about the lst October.
The iron steam troopship Adventure yesterday
commenced coaling at Woolwich Arsenal, under
orders to leave for Portsmouth, to be docked for
repairs. The injuries, it should be stated, were sus-
tained in the Bay of Fundy, at St. John's, N. 8.,
by striking on a rock during a heavy and passing
fog. The fact of the ship having been built in water
tight compartments is doubtless the cause of her
safety, as the compartment damaged instantly be-
gan to fill with water, at the rate of one inch per
minute. The shock was terrific.

The Revenge, screw line-of-battle ship, Captain
Charles Fellowes, flag ship of Rear-Admiral R.
Smart, K.H., Commanding-in-Chief the Channel
fleet, and the Defence, 18, screw, iron frigate,Capt.
R. A. Powell, C. 8., both steamed into Portsmouth
harbour yesterday morning from Spithead, for
docking and refit. Capt. Powell leaves the Defence
and assumes the command of the Britannia, cadet
training ship at Portland, on the 4th proximo. No.
10 dock of Portsmouth yard is now occupied by the
Resistance, 18, screw, iron frigate, Capt. Chamber-
lain, which is receiving coats of patent compositions
on the surface of her bottom plates preparatory to
making her trial trip at the measured mile and at
sea. After the Resistance has vacated the dock it
will be used in turn by the Edgar, Defence, and
Revenge, no other dock being available at present
at Portsmouth for the reception of such large
vessels.

The Argus, 6 guns, paddlewheel steam sloop, 981
tons, 300-horse power, recently fitted at Sheerness,
and commissioned by Commander Moore for ser-
vice on the China station, was inspected on Satur-
day last by Vice-Admiral W. J. Hope Johnstone,
Commander-in-Chief at Sheerness. Immediately
after the inspection the vessel proceeded to the
measured mile off Maplin Sands, in charge of
Capt. T. P. Thompson, of the steam reserve, for
the trial of her machinery. The force of wind was
from 6to 7, and the sea rough. Draught of water
forward, 13ft. gin. ; aft, 15ft. Gin. Average speed
per hour, 8.459 knots; revolution of engines, 16.20 ;
pressure of steam, 15; vacuum, 25. The vessel
went round the circle in 5 min. 37 sec., the diameter
of circle being 350 yards. She was on the mile
three hours, the whole of which the engines were
worked at full speed, and there were no hot bear-
ings. The proper officers expressed their satisfac-
tion both with the ship and with the machinery.
At the conclusion of the trial the Argus proceeded
direct for Spithead, en route to China.
The Argus, 6, paddle, Commander 1,. Moore,
arrived at Spithead early yesterday morning from
the Nore en route for Japan and China. She takes
out a detachment of Royal Marine Light Infantry
for the service of the British Legation in Japan.
The Sutlej, 36, screw frigate, Capt. Matthew
Connolly (1858), fitting at Portsmouth for service
in the Pacific, to relieve the Topaze, whose period
of service has expired, was docked yesterday in No.
7 dock. As a proof of the indecision of the official
mind, four times since she has been in the first-class
reserve was the armament of this fine frigate
altered, so that, in fact, at no period during the
past six months was she in a less complete state for
commission than at the time of her hoisting the
pennant on Friday last.

Orders have been received at Chatham dockyard
for several additional men and boys to be entered at
that establishment, to be employed on the Achilles,
50, iron steamer.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty:—Commander W. B. Grant, to
the Phcebe ; Lieut. E. C. Hall, to the Sutlej ; Lieut.
Clayton Mitchell, to the Cambridge; Lieut. John
C. Purvis and Lieut. Robert S. Chisholme, to the
Phoebe ; Lieut. A. R. Tinklar (for gunnery duties),
to the Phcebe ; J. A. Clifton, L. B. Crosbie, J.
Hazel, S. C. Darwin, and St. Vinct. Nepean, mid-
shipmen, to the Phoebe; S. P. H. Dacres, naval cadet,
to the Marlborough ; E. H. Rolfe and W. Wilson,
naval cadets, to the Edgar ; J. B. Richards, sur-
geon, to the Galatea; J. C. Robinson, chief dngi-
neer, to the Phoebe; A. Gillies, engineer, to the
Sprightly ; D. M‘Farlane, engineer, to the Severn ;
W. Crosbie, to the Phathe ; T. D. Martin, acting-
engineer, to the Dasher; T. Edgar, first-class
assistant-engineer, to the Phcebe ; C. F. Gregory,
H. Rider, and E. Hocken, second-class assistant-
engineers, to the Phoebe; A. B. Gutteridge and F.
Earnshaw, acting second-class assistant-engineers,
to the Asia, as supernumeraries; S. H. Trenham
and I. Lewthwaite, acting second-class assistant-
engineers, to the Cumberland, as supernumeraries;
and 3. Allen, clerk, to the Phoebe.