The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-03 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 2.

The Sidon, 22, paddle-wheel steam-frigate, Captain
Goldsmith, is under orders for the eastward. The Echo
tug has just put on board her at Spithead 50 seamen
riggers from this dockyard, who are to be conveyed to
Sheerness, to assist in navigating the Royal George,
120, screw-ship, from that port to Devonport, with the
view of her getting manned quicker.
A_ screw-frigate of GO guns is ordered to be built in
this dockyard, on the slip from which the Princess
Royal, 91, was launched.. She will be 20 feet longer
than the Princess Royal. She will be constructed on
the lines, or nearly so, of the Agamemnon, with a still
sharper entrance, and to achieve a speed of 12 or 13
knots an hour. She will be named after the old Shan-
non, which fought and captured the Chesapeake.
The Fairy Royal yacht under the command of Cap-
tain the Hon. Joseph Denman, is ordered to be in the
Southampton Docks to-morrow at half-past 1, to embark
the Duchess of Kent and suite, and convey her Royal
Highness to Osborne to visit her Majesty.
Rear-Admiral Fanshawe Martin hoisted his flag (blue
at the mizen) on board the Neptune, 120, ordinary
guardship, in this harbour, at 9 o'clock, and exchanged
salutes with the Commander-in-Chief.

WOOLWICH, DEC. 2.
APPOINTMENTS.

Second• Class Assistant-Engineer Charles Tucker to
the Edinburgh, 58, screw steam-ship at Devonport.
Clerk—Josiah Y. Messum (1846), recently serving as
clerk in charge of the Banshee, paddle-wheel steam-vessel,
to the Excellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, vice John
Pittiss, to the Boscawen, 70, at Chatham.
James W. Dennistoun and Robert Kemmis have been
nominated naval cadets.

PLYMOUTH, DEO. 2.
The African Mail Company's screw steam-ship Hope,
Captain Bowen, took her departure at 5 o'clock yester-
day afternoon with the usual mails for Bathurst, Ma-
deira, Teneriffe, Sierre Leone, &c., under the charge of
Lieut. Ward, R.N. She takes out a full general cargo,
and several passengers.
The Charity, which arrived yesterday morning with
the mails from the west coast of Africa, sailed in the
afternoon for London.

The Avon Veitch, master, arrived on Wednesday from
Cork, and sailed this morning for Portsmouth, with
supernumeraries.
A large man-of-war frigate passed down Channel yes-
terday afternoon.
The Sir Thomas Gresham, 700 tons, chartered by
her Majesty's Emigration Commissioners, left this port
yesterday for Adelaide, with 252 emigrants.

THE EFFECTIVE FORCE OF THE BRITISH NAVY.—
From a careful calculation of the force of the Royal
navy at the present time, we find that there are 217
ships in actual commission. If fully manned according to
the established scale of complements, each for the ser-
vice for which she is employed, the aggregate comple-
ments of these 217 ships would be above 44,000, of
which number 30,300 may be called seamen, .7,200
marines, and 6,500 boys. But from the great scarcity
of seamen, and the numerous desertions that have taken
place, probably the effective force of the navy does not
amount to above 41,000 of all classes.
THE COAST VOLUNTEERS.—.If there are no volunteer
seamen, there is, at least, no lack of volunteer officers.
We hear that the Admiralty have been literally pressed
with applications from officers for appointments in the
coast volunteer force. We have already stated that a
Captain, and not Rear-Admiral Berkeley, is to be the
superintendent, and that Captain Smart, K.H., has re-
ceived his appointment to the office, the head-quarters
of which, for the present, is at an office in Admiralty-
square. We believe the following captains have been
appointed under him :—Captain H. W. L. Sherringham
(1847), who has been employed for many years in the
surveying service ; Captain Jerningham (1851), an
officer who has been most fortunate in receiving shore
berths and emoluments ; and Captain Peter Fisher, pro-
moted this year from the coast guard service.
THE RATES OP EXCHANGE.—We are glad to hear
that the Treasury have under consideration a proposi-
tion on the part of the Admiralty, to provide against the
serious losses to which naval officers serving on foreign
stations are subjected from the commercial fluctuations
of the rates of exchange. In China and the East Indies
the fleet have had to make great pecuniary sacrifices on
account of the high rates of exchange against England.
When the exchanges are in our favour the inconvenience
of cashing bills on foreign stations is most disagreeable,
and frequently expensive to the Admiralty ; but when
the rates are so high as they are and have been in China,
it is some privation, great pecuniary loss, and in some
cases absolute ruin to officers requiring the current coin
of the country or locality. The justice of this proposi-
tion of the Admiralty will be a grateful boon to the
service.

PRIZE-MONEY FOR THE DESTIMEDA.— Messrs. Stilwell
have given notice that an account of the balance of pro-
ceeds and tonnage bounties for the Destimeda, seized by
her Majesty's sloop Ranger, on the 15th of March,
1850, will be deposited in the registry of the High Court
of Admiralty on the 30th inst., agreeably to act of Par-
liament. As by the decision of the Judicial Committee
of her Majesty's Privy Council, the sentence of condem-
nation passed on the Levin Lank, detained by the above-
named sloop has been reversed, it is intended to appro-
priate the net proceeds of the abovs bounties in part
liquidation of the legal expenses incurred in the proceed-
ings, by virtue of an agreement between the officers and
company of her Majesty's sloop Ranger, to bear mutu-
ally the expenses of restored vessels ; consequently no
distribution can take place.
PRIZE-MONEY FOR A SLAVER.—Notice has been given
by Messrs. Chard to the officers and crew of her Ma-
jesty's ship Cygnet, Henry Layton, Esq., commander,
that an account of the bounty-money on the tonnage of
the pollacre slave-brig, name unknown, captured on the
17th of November, 1845, will be deposited in the regis-
try of the High Court of Admiralty on or before the
29th of December next, agreeable to act of Parliament.