The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-04 00:00:00

PAYMASTER-GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT.

It is rumoured that all the branch offices at the several
outports are to be abolished, and the clerks recalled to
Somerset House. The now system of payment of seamen's
wages relieves the local branches of this duty, as the men
will now be paid monthly by the paymasters of their re-
spective ships. How the other portion of the duties is to
be performed it is not said, except that the storekeeper's
department will pay the salaried officers and pensioners
from the dockyard, and that the seamen pensioners will be
paid tiegether :with and as the ar.my pensioners are now
paid.
KEYHAm.-17pwards of 30fitters, braziers, boiler-makers,
&c., are at present actively employed under the direction
of Mr. Trickett, the resident engineer, who is authorised
to make such additions to his department as the service
may require. It is expected on the return of the fleet a
large number of men will be employed.
DEVONPORT DOCKYARD.—An addition is to be made to
the boatswains' department, by the entry of a number of
labourers, the present strength being insufficient.

THE MILITIA AND YEOMANRY.
The East Kent Militia are now on garrison at Woolwich.
The regiment takes the entire duty of guarding the arsenal
and the parks of artillery.
The first portion of the Middlesex Militia Regiment of
Edmonton Rifles, Colonel Viscount Enfield, muster at
head-quarters to-day to be trained as instructors for the
rest of the regiment when it meets at Barnet in October.
Major-General Cochrane, commanding the Dublin dis-
trict, made his inspection of tho Northamptonshire Militia
on Friday on the Esplanade facing the Royal barracks.
The regiment assembled on parade in complete marching
order at 11 o'clock a.m., under the command of Lieut.-
Colonel Lord Burghley, when the Majo:-General arrived,
attended by his staff, and made a very minute examina-
tion of the men and their appointments.
The Yorkshire Hussar Yeomanry will assemble at York
on Thursday, September 21, and will be reviewed on the
following Wednesday.
The Royal Glamorganshire Militia will assemble for drill
at Cardiff on Saturday next, the 9th init.
THE WRITE SEA SQUADRON.

here. She
bemenaatet
ewnebrkoaornd
---______
by a ju“vHeneirlemoaffiecsetyr,ssesrhvipinL
The following is an extract from a letter written
"The -- is now aneflored i
off
ithe h
h3itbareWhiteseoa
f, Sea :
"Tier
y: —r6i
v: e r
Dwina. The Russians have been making a great display
of their force for the last two or three clays, such as firing
guns and rowing their gunboats about, and their steamers
getting up their steam, but none of their fine vessels have
yet showed their figureheads on this side of the bar. For
the last one or two days we have kept ourselves in readi-
ness to weigh at an instant's notice ; the two steamers
always keep their fires banked, so that they may be able
to get up their steam quickly and take us in tow, should
it fall calm, and the gun-boats, taking advantage of the
calm, come and attack um. The day before yesterday
was quite calm and oppressively hot. It was as hot as
a summer's day in England, and .
every one was crying
out for duck trousers and white waistcoats, and some
wanted to bathe. To-day the sun is hot, but there is a
evai
lesks rcyayh ;boe
forgetoeonwamueefrnt comfort-
able,
aewfr
ruwt
eel-
ab littlele,
and breezenice
t to
nodp pcoeseel, it,bu twi ha inc ho
Wtnaaykaeesslei
very
lking her afresh.
lb: dltteel.
fwehuentdh eernlttbeel de
eyouast oefnour n
r littlew ay prize_bp
and have almost
are on board the
lookingAlitryingt il
et littlee
caulkers
eto pth bi neegrf,
tl
heae but,leaking
unluckily,hnrgee nowehi
by e: I
snlidould see much
finishedbu board a
as
sd o f
h prisonersehre.r
We
.fore the
eve
have
lgeasosttt threeet fb et
h e days,skipperere v a
service if we continue in this way, standing still, and
doing nothing. July 7.—Last night about ten o'clock,
without any one expecting it, the captain ordered all
Miranda. It does not look as if we
the hands to be turned up, and the ship to be got under
weigh, and the Brisk to take us in tow. Before long
we were going through the water at the rate of five or
six knots an hour, with fore and aft-sails set. At 101
o'clock this morning we cast off from the Brisk and
made sail, and at about 1 p.m. we arrived at. a place
called Cross Island. Our prize, the Volga, is anchored
close alongside of us, and the Brisk a little way ahead.
We have sent the boats away to get some water, but
they have not returned yet, and it is coining on to blow.
It is now 6 o'clock, and the boats have returned, ex-
cept one (the pinnace), and she is a long way off astern
to leeward, on the opposite side of the ship from which
the wind blows, and she is drifting further away. Sa-
turday, July B.—lt is 12 o'clock, And the pinnace has
not yet returned. She has been cruising about all night,
and I should think the crew were very tired and cold,
for it is blowing so hard that we have struck our top-
gallantmasts and yards. 6 o'clock.--The pinnace has
not yet returned, and we have sent the Volga to look
for her. She is now running before the wind with only
her jib set, and she has just loosed her foretopsail.
We have very good fare here. At Hammerfest we laid
up a good stock of reindeer meat, and it is not all gone.
We get hot rolls for breakfast every morning, have
pea soup for dinner every other day, and goose-
berry tart every Thursday and Sunday, with plum-
pudding on Thursday and rice pudding on Sunday. We
have also got lots of wine, but all our ale is gone, and
we cannot get any more. Will you please ask them all
to write a small note if they can hear of any ship leaving
England for the White Sea ? _

" Cross Island, July 19.
"We are still at anchor between Cross Island and
the mainland of Ennis, b 0 we uptNt to hail helm to.