The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-05 00:00:00

311 E NAVY.

The Duke of Somerset, Vice-Admiral the Hon.
Sir F. W. Grey, K.C.8., Rear-Admiral Charles
Eden, C. 8., Capt. the Hon. I. R. Drummond, C. 8.,
Lords of the Admiralty, and Rear-Admiral Lord
Clarence Paget, M.P., together with the heads of
several departments, leave London to-day for Ports-
mouth, to commence the usual annual tour of in-
spection of the different naval stations. After visit-
ing Portsmouth, the Board will visit Portland, the
Channel Islands, Plymouth and Devonport, Peru -
broke, and then go to Holyhead or Queenstown.
They are expected to be absent about a fortnight.
Letters received yesterday by our Chatham cor-
respondent, dated Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 24,
announce the departure from that port of a portion
of the North American squadron. The Aboukir,
86, 400-horse power, Capt. C. F. A. Shadwell,C.B.,
left -Jrt. the 23d ult. for Bermuda. The Vesuvius,
6; 280-horse power, left on the same day for New-
foundland ; and the Challenger, 22, 400-horse
power, Capt. J. J. Kennedy,C.B., for the Wind ward
station, West Indies. The Cygnet,s,Bo-horse power,
Commander A. T. Thrupp, had proceeded to S.
John's, Newfoundland. The Hydra, 6, 220-horse
power, Commander P.. V. Hamilton, left Halifax
on the 23d nit, for England, having on board Capt.
H. S. Hillyard, C. 8., of the Cadmus, 21, who re-
turns in her. The Cadmus left Halifax on the date
of the departure of the mail for St. John's, New-
foundland, to meet her Majesty's screw steamer
Desperate, 7, 400-horse power, and receive Com-
mander F. Ross, who is appointed Acting-Capt. of
the Cadmus. Commander A. T. Thrupp, of the
Cygnet, 5, is appointed to the command of the
Desperate ; and Lieut. W. S. De Kantzow, Senior-
Lieut. of the flagship Nile, 90, 500-horse power, to
the command of the Cygnet, vice Thrupp.
It is reported at Devonport that Rear-Admiral
Sir Robert F. Stopford will be appointed in Decem-
ber next to succeed Rear-Admiral Sir Thomas
Pasley, Bart., as Admiral Superintendent of the
dockyard there.
The Spanish war steamship Isabella 11., which
left Southampton on Saturday morning, went down
channel, and in the evening landed her pilot at
Plymouth.

The Himalaya screw troopship, Capt. Lacey, is
ordered to embark at Portsmouth,for conveyance to
Canada 460 women and 640 children, families of
soldiers belonging to regiments sent out to the
colony.

The Racehorse, 5, screw gun-vessel, Commander
Boxer, sailed from Spithead yesterday morning for
the East India and China station.
The Royal paddle yacht Osborne, Master Com-
mander G. K. Bower, arrived at Portsmouth, from
the eastward, on Saturday, and has moored off the
dockyard in readiness to receive on board the Lords
of the Admiralty during their annual inspection of
the port, which commences to-day.

The Mersey, 40, screw, Capt. H. Caldwell, C. 8.,
steamed into Portsmouth harbour yesterday from
Spithead, and commenced stripping and clearing
oat before being paid out of commission.
Mr. Romaine, C. 8., second Secretary of the Ad-
miralty, resumed his official duties on Saturday last
at Whitehall, after an absence of two months on the
Continent for the benefit of his health, which is now
completely re-established.

We understand that Capt. Cole, R,N„ is retained
by the Admiralty to superintend the fitting of the
shield ships, upon a pay of three guineas a day, as
it 'civil engineer, irrespective of his position as an
officer in her Majesty's navy, with two draughtsmen
under his orders, paid by the Admiralty. Captain
Cole also receives the sum of £5,000, in payment of
all expenses hitherto incurred by him in bringing
our knowledge of the shield principle to its present
state, and will receive a further sum of £lOO for each
shield fitted on board her Majesty's ships.
Her Majesty's ship Spitfire, in basin at Woolwich,
in charge of Mr. Jones, chief engineer, yesterday
got up steam to test her machinery, which was
found to work satisfactorily after repairs. She is
expected to be again ready for sea at the end of the
present month. In addition to the repairs she has
been fitted with improved " clutch-gear" for work-
ing one engine ahead and the other astern, at the
same time when required, so as to turn the vessel on
her own length. She is intended to be despatched to
Bermuda, where the clutch-gear will be found most
essential in steaming clear of the numerous coral
reefs in those waters.

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—W. S. Fisher, assist.-surg., to the
Severn; T. H. Atkinson, G. Maclean, E. Meade,
and G. R. Pickthorn, acting assist-surge., to the
Victory, for Haslar Hospital ; F. A. Curran, S.
M‘Bean, G. R. Lawrenson, H. D. Stanistreet, act-
ing assist-surgs., to the Royal Adelaide, for Ply-
mouth Hospital ; and W. T. Dixon paymaster ad-
ditional, to the Severn..