The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-29 00:00:00

THE WAR

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
THE EXPEDITIONARY FORCE.—It is intended to se ;nd
out another detachment of 5000 men, a stpplemisi ital
one, the French undertaking to send the cemplemene of
100,000 men. By Tuesday the whole of the staff of the
army will have gone,
The Penelope, 18, Captain Caffin, took general service
men on Thursday morning to the Downs, to put fi:hem
on board the Portland, after that frigate's crew had been
draughted into the line-of-battle ships, in order to navi-
gate her to Devonport to be paid off.
The Centaur, 11, Captain Harvey, is alongside the
dockyard jetty at Portsmouth discharging her officers'
baggage, &c., preparatory to being paid off. The dock•
yard riggers are dismantling her.
The Echo tug towed into Portsmouth harbour
.71ester-
day the Russian barque captured by Flag-Lieutenant
Hankey on Wednesday, as reported in The Sun. yester-
day. She is a fine prize, 400 tons burdens, six weeks
from Marseilles, with a crew of 15 men.
The Stromboli, 6, paddle sloop, Commander Robert
Hall, was despatched yesterday from Portsmouth to the
Downs to return to the St. George the men lent by her
to navigate the Centaur back to Portsmouth after her
crew had been draughted into the line-of-battle ships.
The Nile, 91 guns, screw steam-ship, Commodoorrse
Henry B. Martin, C. 8., arrived at 2.30 p.m. on Th -
day at Sheerness, under steam power, against a strong
head-wind, from the Downs. tt
being after high water,
be
she could not be taken into the fitting basin to berthed
under the masting sheers for the purpose of getting out
the crank shaft, weighing 16 tons. In consequence the
African and Adder got up steam and proceeded to Chat-
ham to tow the Chatham floating sheer hulk down to
facilitate the getting out of the crank shaft. The sheer
hulk arrived at 7.30 a.m. yesterday, and all was ready
on board the Nile, but, owing to the strong wind blow-
ing, with very severe squalls, the hulk has not been
placed alongside the Nile.
The Tartarus, 4 guns, paddle-wheel steam-vessel, Lieu-
tenant-Commander Richard H. Risk, is to be completed
in her defects with all possible dispatch, and will proceed
to the Channel, on the look-out for Russian vessels
homeward bound.
The Stag revenue cutter, in command of Lieutenant
Frederick L. Cotton, at Sheerness, is ordered to increase
her armament to six guns, and her crew, `39 in number,
able-bodied seamen, are all to be supplied with a mus-
ket, cutlass, and a brace of pistols each. She is forth-
with to proceed to cruise in the Channel on the look out
for Russian vessels homeward bound.
The Miranda, 15 guns, screw steam-ship, Captain Ed-
mund E. Lyons, was put out of the fitting basin at
Sheerness yesterday, and will be ready on Sunday next
to leave for the Baltic.
Her Majety's steam-vessel Sprightly arrived at Ply-
mouth, on Wednesday, from Portsmouth, with seamen
for the Algiers, 91.
The Avon went into the Channel on Wednesday, to
cruise for prizes, and returned again in the evening,
having been unsuccessful ; she reports that a very large
number of ships of various countries were up Channel
yesterday.
The Fearless steam-vessel went up to the London
Docks on Thursday with the Aina, Russian prize, and
returned to Woolwich. She left again yesterday morn-
ing for Gravesend, to tow the other Russian prize to the
London Docks.
Yesterday the Admiralty Commissioners gave notice
at Lloyd's that two or three good coppered ships of from
650 to 800 tons burden are required to be employed as
cavalry transports, for four months certain. In future
all transports tendered to the Admiralty must be cor-
rectly classed, and, to prevent annoyance to the officials,
owners who tender vessels precluded from acceptance by
Admiralty regulations will be liable to the cost incurred
in surveying them.
Yesterday advices were received at the Admiralty that
three more Russian prizes—viz., the John, Industrie, and
Carl Magnus, had left Memel, in Prussia, fur the port of
London. These captures were made by her Majesty's
steamer Conflict. Advices were also received yesterday
at the Admiralty that her Majesty's steamer Hecla had
landed the crews of several Russian prizes at Elsinore,
on the 24th inst., and had proceeded to the Sound in
search of some Russian vessels beating up the Kattegat.
At half-half 6 o'clock on Thursday Capt. P. Fisher,
R.N., Commander of the District No. 2 for the enrolment
of Naval Coast Volunteers, attended in the Town-hall
at Gravesend, the Mayor, Mr. W. F. Dobson, having
given him the use of it, for the purpose of explaining to
the seafaring portion of the population of the town and
district the nature of the service they were invited to
enter into. At half-past 6, the time fixed, the hall was
crowded, chiefly by watermen and their apprentices, and
others engaged in various vocations on the river and its
shores. The Mayor, who was supported by several in-
fluential inhabitants of the borough, introduced to the
meeting Capt. Fisher, who, in addressing the seamen,
said that the Government had no wish to impress men
into the naval service or to have recourse to compulsory
service of any kind. They naturally expected that the
seafaring portion of the population of the country would
willingly come forward when it required their services.
This was successful as far as it went, but now, for the
protection of their coasts, a force of 10,000 men was re-
qnired, and it was proposed to enrol that number of
volunteers for such service. Each man who entered
into the naval coast volunteer service for five years
would receive 61. bounty, with the pay and clothing of
seamen afloat, be exempt from impressment, if such
coercive measure should be resorted to, and from any
other servitude whatever during the period of his enrol-
ment. In time of peace he would be called out upon
duty only for a certain number of days, and for such time
he would be paid seaman's wages as in the Royal Navy.
In time of war—as was now the case—he would be liable
to be called out to serve afloat for one year, and that
not beyond 100 leagues from our coasts. (Hear, hear.)
For every day of such service he would be paid as an
able seaman, and his wife would receive the same propor-
tion of his pay as that paid to the wife of an able seaman
(Cheers.) On the third year of his servitude, having
served one year afloat (as we understood the gallant of-
ficer), he would be entitled to his discharge. The man
who should enter for two years would be equally exempt
from impressment, but, in time of war, would be liable
to serve afloat, if called on, for one year within that
time, with the same advantages as the volunteers of five
years would enjoy. Now, he would not deceive those
whom he addressed, but would plainly tell them that if
volunteers for two years upon the terms he offered could
not be had, impressment must be resorted to, however
repugnant it might be to the Government and the naval
authorities. The question then was would they willingly
enrol themselves for two years, or would they abide the
compulsory process of impressment, which, by their un-
willingness to serve their country in a modified way,
the Government would be driven to resort to? (Hear.)
Capt. Fisher concluded by stating that he would attend
the following day in the Town-hall to enrol the men and
lads who offered themselves and were approved for the
service.
By electric telegraph we learn that orders were received
yesterday at Devonport dockyard to prepare 500 hands
for slinging horses. The transport ship eledora, with
the fourth troop of the Bth Hussars, sailed at 2 p.m. for
the Mediterranean. The Wilson Kennedy, which arrived
from Liverpool on Wednesday, is under repair in the
dockyard, and will not be ready before Monday to re-
ceive the last troop of the 3th Hussars, who arrived at
Plymouth during the day.
An Admiralty order arrived at Sheerness this day for
the retirement, on 951. 14s. per annum, of Mr. George
Pounder, measurer of the yard. Mr. Pounder has served
61 years—from his first entry into the service in 1793.
For the first three years after entry the workmen worked
from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.
The Lady M'Naghten, horse transport-ship, has been
taken into Woolwich basin to prepare for the embarka-
tion of a portion of the second division of the Royal
Artillery, under orders for service in the East.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steam-ship
Himalaya, Captain A.. Kellock, reached Malta on the
18th inst. from Constantinople. One of her two engines
having become disabled, she will have to come home
with the assistance only of the other, and may be ex-
pected at Southampton about the 6th of May. The
transport of troops from Malta to the East having been
effected, there was no further use for this beautiful and
effective ship, and the cargo landed from Alexandria
was accordingly, by the last accounts, being rapidly re-
shipped ; so that the Himalaya will bring home a most
-valuable freight, besides a large number of passengers
from India, who had been detained on the island by the
complete disarrangement of the packet service, caused
by the Himalaya and other steamers having been em-
ployed to accomP halt the movement of the military force
The Colombo,
of the East India
Russell, with the heavy portion.
ia and China mails, will probably arrive
at Southampton,H4thimpalaroy proximo.
to.
Scutari, from Alexandria and Malta, about the
Besidest the 2,000 men conveyed by the
are she had on board 200,000 rounds
of ammunition, and
a vast quantity of camp equipage,
ar:n le
tents, and military stores
The General Screw Staeoare.;lhfbit pagpignagg Company'se. steamer
Harbinger, Captain
Lane, Southampton yesterday
for Woolwich, where she will embark a large quantity of
naval and military stores for conveyances to the East.
The same company s steamer l:lydaaPe Captain Benson,
is to be prepared for sea as quickly as le, to take
a regiment from Portsmouth to Constantino i re_ Both
these vessels are engaged by the Government for four
months certain.
The Prussian frigate Gefion, Commodore Sehrceder,
the transport Merkur, and a corvette, on the 10th of
On the lert)11 they exchanged
April exchanged colours off Cape St. Vincent with the
British transport No. 7.
colours with the Dutch schooner
10 emJinongBed\Valrave,
lat. 45 min. 19 deg. north, g
On the 10th, Scilly bearing 25 miles N. Meg. swpeot
the 0 lat. 48 min.. 55 deg.transport No. 17 ;on
north, long. 6 min. 55 deg. west, the British barqu
Constance, and during the passage from Cape St. Vin-
cent exchanged colours with several English transports,
whose numbers could not be made out.
The barque Panic, 171 days from Shanghai, was off
Plymouth on the 26th.
On Tuesday the Conway, 26 guns, COmnsanded by
Captain Fulford, flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Sir W. F.
Carroll, C. 8., arrived outside Queenstown harbour,
having left Spithead on Sunday. On her arrival outside
the harbour her Majesty's tender Advice, 80-horse
power, proceeded outside to join her, and, having taken
her in tow, brought her into port at 1 o'clock. On pas-
sing the flag of Rear-Admiral Carroll, the Conway fired 1
a salute, which wee answered by six guns from her
Majesty's ship Wizard. The Admiral's flag was on
Wednesday transferred from the Wizard to the Conway,
which then took up her position as the flag-ship of Rear-
Admiral Carroll.
The fourth troop of the Bth Hussars, 52 in all, under

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