The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-24 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The Defence, 18, iron frigate, Capt. R. A. Powell,
C. 8., got up steam at Spithead early on Saturday
morning, in readiness to make her official trial cf
speed at the measured mile in Stokes Bay. 1 p.m.
was the time named for the ship to get under way,
and everything was prepared accordingly. Just
before the time of starting, however, an officer ar-
rived on shore bearing a mes3age that the Defence
was disabled at Spithead from a collision with a
40 horse power gunboat. This proved to be lite-
rally correct, for it appears that the Fenella gun-
boat, doing duty between the harbour and Spithead,
had, as will happen with vessels of this class, got
under the Defence's bows as she lay at Spithead,
and fouling the ship's anchor, had by some means
gz.it adrift the tumbler and shank painter, and the
anchor, falling from off the bill board and being
brought up suddenly by its stock suspended from
the cathead, had swung with its flukes towards the
:ship's bow and delivered a blow at that portion of
the vessel's bow immediately under the cathead,
about four inches above the water line and some
14 or 15 feet from the projecting stem at the water
line, making a hole through the plate which ren-
dered the vessel's stay at Spithead impossible, even
at anchor, and therefore putting an end to the trial
for the present. The hole was temporarily stopped,
and the ship was soon afterwards taken into Ports-
mouth harbour to examine and repair the injury.
It is expected that the whole of the injured plate
will have to be taken out and replaced with a new
one.

Orders have been recently received at Portsmouth
to fit the Black Prince, 40, iron frigate, with Ren-
ton's hydraulic steering apparatus, at a cost of
£1,270, conditionally on its acting efficiently when
completed. The apparatus will be inclosed in an
iron box, made from 31 to 41 inch plate, and will
be fixed under the iron beams of the upper deck,
after the screw well, in the captain's after cabin.
The power will be brought to bear upon the rudder
head with a screw of a similar nature to the one
fitted to the rudder-head of the American frigate
Niagara.
A naval court-martial is ordered to assemble to-
day on board H.M.S. Victory, at Portsmouth, for
the trial of Captain Cranford, commanding H.M.S.
Sidon, on six charges arising out of certain circum-
stances that occurred during the Sidon's recent ser-
vice on the Mozambique coast.
Accounts received from her Majesty's ship Bri-
tannia, at Portland, state that considerable sickness
among the naval cadets has manifested itself since
the ship has been stationed in that roadstead, no
less than 30 of them now being on the sick list.
The situation is also stated to be entirely unsuitable
for the ship owing to several other reasons, one of
which is that the important exercise of boat pulling
and sailing cannot be carried on there, owing to the
sudden gusts of wind to which the waters of Port-
land are subject from the peculiar conformation of
the land, B.:e. If the waters at Portland are so de-
cidedly unsuitable, why not place the ship at the
Motherbank, in the vicinity of Osborne, which is
now no longer required as a quarantine ground ?
There the cadets would be as entirely and effectu-
ally isolated from the temptations of a seaport
town as they can possibly be at Portland, and would
besides have the use of capital playgrounds on shore
in the Isle of Wight, in the vicinity of Binstead,
and the advantage of being in proximity to our chief
naval yard.

Her Majesty's troopship Simoom arrived at St.
Vincent from the Cape on the 6th, with 699 of the
Oth Rifles, under command of Col. Muter. She left
the Cape on her way from India on the 9rh January,
calling at St. Helena; where she found H.M.S.
Torch, and a Spanish ship, the second prize to the
Ranger, with 650 slaves on board. Mr. Warren, the
second master of the Ranger, who was in charge of
her, was taken ill during the passage from the coast,
w. 1,1 died the day after her arrival, the Spanish cap-
tain navigating the vessel.

The recent regulations issued from the Admiralty
increase the number of first-class boys on board
Her Majesty's ships in the following ratio :—First,
second, and third class ships, ten each ; fourth, fifth,
and sixth class ships, eight each ; sloops of 170
men and upwards, six each ; sloops of smaller class,
four each ; smaller vessels, two each. The total
number on board each class under the new regula-
tions will in future be as fellows :—First class, 49;
second class, 45 ; third class, 39 ; fourth class, 33 ;
fifth class, 31 ; sixth class, 28. Sloops with 170
men and upward, 20; with 180 to 195 men, 22;
with 135 to 125 men, 13; with 130, 125, 110, and
100 men, 10 ; with 90 men, 8 ; smaller vessels, 6.
This increase is in lieu of the same number of sea-
men. Second-class boys are not to be employed as
mesa servants, but only as personal servants to
ward-room officers.

-Another circular directs that in future sixth-rate
vessels and sloops, with 125 men and upwards, are
to be increased by five seamen and bear a chief
boatswain's mate and a chief carpenter's mate, in
lieu of a boatswain and carpenter.
The following appointments were made on Friday
at the Admiralty :—John Richards, master, to the
Peterel ; James Jeffrey, master, to the Orpheus,
additional, for surveying duties ; Andrew M'Far-
lane, promoted to chief engineer ; Albert Martell,
promOted to first class assist. engineer; William
Head, promoted to Ist class assist. engineer in the
Grasshopper; W. J. Symons, master's assistant, to
the Peterel; Henry Tengelley, paymaster, to the
Peterel ; and John Watts, clerk, to the Peterel.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. P. J. Murray, to the
Espoir ; T. C. Pullen, master commanding, to the
Fox; C. Hertzel, acting master, to the Fox; J. J.
Corry, second master, to the Fox ; A. Stevenson,
surgeon, to the Peterel ; P. W. Rolston, assist.
surg., to the Fox ; D. A. Jemison, acting assist.
surg., to the Peterel ; and G. M. Blyth, assist. pay-
master in charge, to the Fox.