The Sun.
London, England, 1862-06-07 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDM, SATURDAY EVE NI ,% CI, JUN E 7, 1.862.

THE NAVY.

Our Malta correspondent, under date of June 2,
states that no movements of men-of-war had taken
place in that port since the 31st ult., except the
departure of her Majesty's screw corvette Gannet,
11, for Cephalonia, with despatches forVice-Admiral
Sir William Martin, who had sailed in the Marl-
borough for that island to meet the Prince of Wales ;
and the return to Malta from Tripoli of the Italian
paddlewheel corvette Tripoli, after an absence of a
few days.
We regret to learn that a fatal accident occurred
on Wednesday afternoon at Portland, while some
of the cadets of her Majesty's ship Britannia were
on shore on a few hours' leave. Four of them went
to search for seagulls' nests among the cliffs in the
vicinity of the lighthouse, end a cadet named Cox,
in stepping across a ledge to get at a nest, lost his
footing and fell to the bottom of the cliffs. The
height was from 150 to 200 ft. The other boys heard
him shriek as he fell, but could render no assistance.
A boat, however, which was lying off the shore at
no great distance from the spot, immediately pulled
in to the rocks. On reaching the spot the body of
the unfortunate young officer was found. Death
had been instantaneous. This sad accident illustrates
one of the greatest wants of the Britannia—a play •
ground on shore for the cadets when released from
their duties on board. Under present circumstances
they can only land from the ship and return at
hours convenient to the steamer engaged to convey
them backwards and forwards. When on shore
the cadets, who have five or six hours to spend,
will stroll among the quarries and cliffs of the island
of Portland, where natural love of adventure con-
stantly exposes them to accident, or stroll through
the streets of- Weymouth, where they are tempted
to spend money foolishly. Two projects were some
time ago entertained to remedy this want of means
of recreation. The Eurydice, sailing frigate, was
partly rigged and fitted as a seagoing training
tender to the Britannia; and the War Department
and the Admiralty were in treaty with each other
for the apportionment of the marine seat lately be-
longing to Lord Ashburton as a college for the
cadets. But both schemes have been abandoned.
Meanwhile the Britannia remains without the
means of supplying recreation for the cadets after
the hours of study possessed by the poorest school.
The vessel lies at an anchorage unusually distant,
and since her stay there has shown a sick list 20
per cent. greater than during any period since her
commission.

Notwithstanding the prevalence of very heavy
weather from the southward, the screw steamship
Warrior, 40, Capt. the Hon, A. A. Cochrane, went
yesterday morning from Hamoaze outside Ply-
mouth Breakwater, for a trial of her engines and
machinery, after which she returned to the Sound,
where she will receive her ammunition preparatory
to going to sea. The Warrior was assisted down
the harbour by the steamtugs Confiance, Prospero,
Zephyr, and Thais.
The Vindictive, old sailing frigate, fitted as a
coal and bread depot ship for service at Fernando
Po, is ordered to be despatched from Portsmouth at
as early a date as possible to her destination. She
is being fitted with accommodation fur a detach-
ment of Royal Marines, whom she will convey out
to Ascension. _ _

The Danish ship Rapid, Capt. A. T. Bohn, hired
as a transport to convey English Government
stores from Hong Kong to England, arrived at
Spithead yesterday morning. She sailed from
Hong Kong on the 14th of Feb., Batavia the 21st,
Algoa Bay April 3, and crossed the line April 27.
The British ship Rubens sailed from Algoa Bay for
London on the same day as the Rapid. There were
spoken during the passage home from the Cape, on
April 27, on the line, and long. 20 48 W., the Eng-
lish bark Hotspur ; and on June 3, in lat. 48, the
English ship James Livesay and bark Vienna, both
outward bound. The Rapid is detained at Spit-
head for orders, which will most probably be to
proceed to Woolwich to discharge her freight.
In consequence of an application from the direc-
tors of the Atlantic Telegraph Company, the Lords
of the Admiralty have ordered the paddlewheel
steam surveying vessel Porcupine, 3, at Plymouth,
to be prepared for taking soundings in the Atlantic.
She will be commanded for this duty by Mr.
Richard Hoskyn and other officers borne on the
books of the Fisgard, 42, at Woolwich, as addi-
tional officers for surveying service. The Porcupine
has been recently employed in surveying the coast
of Scotland, and was paid off at Devonport in
Dec. last, since which she has been thoroughly
repaired. She would have been employed in the
North Sea on a similar duty but for the applica-
tion from the Atlantic Telegraph Company. The
Porcupine will be ready in about ten days.
The crew of the screw steamship Sanspareil, 70,
Captain Le G. Bowyear, were paid off at Plymouth
yesterday. She will be re-commissioned to-day,
and be got ready for the conveyance of Royal
Marines to China.
Capt. Sherard Osborn, C. 8., now commanding
the Donegal, 99, at Plymouth, the crew of which
will be paid off shortly, will command a flotilla of
gunboats for service in the China seas.

The paddlewheel steamer Vivid, lately in the ser-
vice of their Royal Highnesses the young Princes
_ _ . _ _

Arthur and Leopold, having returned to Woolwich,
is ordered to be held in readiness to proceed to the
Continent to embark his Royal Highness the Prince
of Wales on his return from the Levant.

and men of the Royal Marines, as well as those of
the Royal Engineers and the Line, are to be in-
structed in escalading.

By direction of Majot-General Tulloh, Di-
rector-General of Ordnance, Captain Dyer,
Assistant-Inspector of Artillery, commenced an
examination yesterday of the whole of the wrought
and cast iron ordnance mounted on the towers,
forts, and batteries throughout, the Chatham dis-
trict. The examination will include an inspection
of the 10-inch and other heavy guns mounted on
the works commanding the entrance to the Med•
way, the object of the examination being to pre-
vent the occurrence of accidents from the bursting
of iron guns by the withdrawal of those which
gave the slightest indication of unsoundness. A
similar inspection is to be made of all the ordnance
now in use throughout the United Kingdom. The
various description of guns in store at Chatham
have all been inspected by Capt. Dyer, and the few
faulty pieces of ordnance detected removed to Wool-
wich, where they will be broken up.
The Woolwich division of Royal Marines yester-
day assembled on the review ground on Woolwich
Common, and went through a eourse of field day
movements in command of Col. Marriott. They
had deployed from square and formed line, ground-
ing arms, when the rifle of one of the front rank
men suddenly went off. The man, in disregard of the
standing regulations, was holding his rifle across the
muzzle with the fingers of his left hand, one of
which was completely carried away below the
second joint; he was taken at once to the infir-
mary. The finger was picked up a short way from
the spot.
Lieut.-Col. Clavell, late gunnery instructor to
the Royal Marines at Woolwich, is to leave Wool-
wich this morning on his appointment to the Ply-
mouth division, and is succeeded at Woolwich by
Capt. Carrington.
A volunteer detachment of 34 non-commissioned
officers and privates, experts in various trades—
such as engineers, masons, carpenters, &c., are
under orders to embark on board the new steam
storeship Dromedary, lately commissioned at Wool-
wich, for the Island of Ascension, to relieve an
equal number whose term has expired.
The Megmra, screw troopship, Commander Hen-
derson, sailed from Portsmouth on Thursday even-
ing with the following troops on board for the
Channel Islands :—For Guernsey, two batteries of
the 13th Brigade, Royal Artillery, comprising
Major Talbot, Capt. Denna, Lieuts. Roberts, Lowry,
Logan, and Robinson, 11 sergeants, 4 buglers, 14
corporals, 177 gunners, 29 women, and 26 children;
for Jersey, one battery, 2d Brigade,Royal Artillery,
comprising Capt. Taswell, Lieuts. Inge and Lane,
Noblett and 98 gunners, 11
5w
os emrge
ne natns ,dllb7ucghlielrd, r
e7n c;o rLpioeruatl.s ,
ser-
vant, of the 2d battalion, 11th Regiment, were left
behind sick. The Megmra returns to Portsmouth
with two batteries of the 6th Brigade, Royal
Artillery, from Guernsey, and one battery of the
2d Brigade, Royal Artillery, from jersey, the for-
mer remaining in Portsmouth garrison, and the
latter proceeding by railway to Dover.

sumo service in the two army corps of which they
compose the reserve, and a considerable amount
of expense gone to in preparations for doing nothing.
Although a tithe of the troops actually under arms
in Prussia would suffice to overrun Hesse, the pecu-
liar military organisation of the Prussian army and
rules of the Bei lin War-office rendered it necessary
to call out the reserves, instead of using the forces
at once disposable. This demonstration, if such it
may be called, in fact consisUd in that summoning
of the men who had already served their allotted
term under the colours, but were liable to be called
out on an emergency, and few believe that it will
be carried any further. Whether it be or not, the
sword has certainly not been drawn, and M. von
Vincke's expression is, therefore, inappropriate.
There is no chance of his address obtaining much
support, although, as a reply to the speech, it is
decidedly more comprehensive and to the purpose
than that of the advanced Liberals, with which
there is reason to believe that some of the deputies
of the Left Centre are dissatisfied, on account of the
meagreness and repetitions they impute to it. As
a concession to the Bockum-Dolffs party, it has
been agreed to introduce a paragraph relating to
the Hessian question. As to anything that comes
from Vincke, there is evidently no disposition to
show it favour on the part of the Left of the Cham-
ber, one of whose organs last night spoke of him
and his " constitutional fraction" as a general and
his staff without soldiers. This may be very true,
but it suggests the inquiry of how the advanced
Liberals are off for officers, and whether they do
not, to some extent, resemble an army without tried
generals, and consisting in great part of raw re-
cruits. They muster very strong, but it remains to
be seen whether they will know how to derive the
full advantage from their numerical strength.