The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-05 00:00:00

Her Majesty's paddlewheel steamship Scourge,
Commander the Hon. Wm. J. Ward, in basin at
Woolwich, from the Mediterranean, has discharged

stores, and is under orders to pay off on Saturday

next.

The steam storeship Dee, Master-Com. Thomas
Pullen, has been taken into the basin at Woolwich
for a thorough overhaul and repairs. Her engines

and boilers are to be removed, the former to be re-

paired and the latter to be replaced by a pair of

new ones.

Private letters received from Japan state that
her Majesty's paddle steamer Odin, 16, Commodore
Lord J. Hay, C. 8., was to sail from Japan the lat-
ter part of December, with the Japanese Embassy

on board, for Suez, where she was expected to ar-

rive early this month.

The Britannia cadet naval training ship at Ports-
mouth, Capt. R. Harris, yesterday received her com-
plement of naval cadets on their return from (ex-
tended) Christmas leave. Steam tugs are under
orders to convey her to Portland so soon as she is
out of the shipwright's hands, which is expected to
be on Thursday. Great alterations have been effec-
ted in the internal arrangement of the ship during
the recess. The baths have been removed to the
upper deck; the sick bays have been removed from
the lower to the main deck—one for officers and
one for seamen. The upper deck class-rooms have
been divided, and the number of cabins and the
means of ventilation increased by removing par-
titions on the lower and orlop decks. All these
preparations and expenses are not gone into for
nothing, and we believe we are right in predicting
that no sum will be found in the Naval Estimates
appropriated for building a "naval college" to
supersede the Britannia. It is wonderful that the
outcry against the Britannia and in favour of the
erection of a "college" should take place at a time
when all the European maritime Powers have actu-
ally sent their naval officers to this country to per-
sonally inspect the Britannia, as they have deter-
mined upon adopting the same system, but with
the important addition of sea-going tenders.
The Vindictive sailing frigate, recently converted
at Messrs. White's building yard at Cowes into a
bread and coal depot ship for Fernando Po, was
taken into the old basin at Portsmouth yesterday
to fit for her outward voyage,
The Sultan, old line-of-battle ship, was taken.
into No. 9 dock at Portsmouth yesterday to be
broken up.
No. 148, iron mortar-boat, one of the flotilla built
by Mr. Laird for Government during the Baltic
campaign, is being ingeniously converted in No, 6
dock at Portsmouth into a " dirt" boat for the use
of the ships in harbour:
The Magdalena, West India Royal mail steamer,
Lieut. Hodgkinson, R.N., Admiralty agent, sailed
from Spithead yesterday morning for Southampton.
She has sustained considerable damage from the
violent weather she experienced on her passage
from St. John's, Newfoundland, to Spithead.
The Megsera, screw troopship, Commander S. H.
Henderson, in dock at Portsmouth, had her bottom
yesterday officially examined, in the presence of
Rear-Admiral Superintendent Hon. G. Grey. A
special report was prepared and forwarded to the
Admiralty upon the subject. The Megsera has now-
been afloat some eight months with her bottom'
coated with M'lnnes's metallic composition. An
examination of the ship's bottom yesterday cer-
tainly was favourable to the use of this particular
kind of coating for the bottoms of iron ships.
Tenders have been issued by the Board of Admi-
ralty for the erection of the new shed contiguous
to the building slip in Woolwich Dockyard on which
her Majesty's M-gun ship Caledonia is now being
constructed. Several powerful engines are in course
of manufacture intended to be used for arranging
and applying armour slabs to the sides of the ship,
which, it is expected, will be commenced about the
beginning of March, so as to prepare her for launch-
ing in the autumn of the present year.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty
Master George Stanley to -the Fisgard for surveying
service.

Paymaster Charles G. Smith (additional) to the Russell.
Master's Assistant William F. Maxwell to the Fisgard
for surveying service.
Assistant-Paymaster—Melville Maxwell (in charge) to
the Espoir.

Engineers—J. Ross to the Hawke, for the Lark; D.
Leitch (first-class assistant) to ditto., for the Advice ; T.
M. Thompson (second-class assistant) to the Blenheim, for
the Charon, vice Wood ; G. R. Beer (Lcting second-class
assistant) to the Hawke, for the Advice.