The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-14 00:00:00

The following appointments have been made:—

Paymnsters.—William Simmonds (1854), recently
servirp, as paymaster and clerk in charge of the Pandora
surveying vessel on the Australian station, to the
Electra, 14, sloop, on the Australian station; John B.
Jackson, (1854), recently serving as paymaster and
clerk of the Mariner, 12, sloop, on the North American
and West Indian station, to the Devonshire paddle.
wheel steam-sloop on the same station.
Clerks in Charge.—Augustus Ovey (1848), recently
serving in the Eurydice, 26, to the Rhadamanthus
paddle-wheel steam store-ship at Woolwich ; William J.
Stephens (1849), to the Dee paddle-wheel steam-ship at
Chatham ; Henry Tucker (1850), from the Fentome,
12, sloop, on the Australian station, to the Pandora,
surveying vessel, on tho,same station, vice Simmonds.
Cicrks—Joseph C. Paine (Paymaster of 1850,) re-
cently serving as clerk in charge of the. Investigator
discovery-ship, to the Royal William, 120, at Devon-
port ; John H. Shirreff (1853), from the Calypso, 18, on
the North America and West India station, to the
Mariner, 12, sloop, on the same station.
Clerk's Assistant James Wortley, to the Hach' paddle.
wiled steam sloop at Portsmouth.

Assistant-Surgeon Edmund Lawless (1845), to the
Conway flagship at Cork.
Lieutenant Henry H. Beansish (1853), from the Ex-
cellent gunnery-ship at Portsmouth, has been appointed
to the Exmouth, 90, screw steam-ship at Devonport.
S trgeons.--Charles Smith (1843), has been appointed
to the William convict ship ; Joseph Caldwell (1842),
from the Waterloo, 120, flag-ship at Sheerness, to the
Stag• convict ship ; James Booth (1838) to the Waterloo,
120, vice Caldwell ; Seaton Wade (1854), to the Geyser
paddle-wheel steam-sloop at Portsmouth ; James K.
Ballard (1835), to the Melampus troop-ship at Sheerness

Rear-Admiral 'Seymour, late captain of the fleet in the
Baltic, struck his flag on board the Princess .Royal, 91,
screw, at Devonport, en Monday evening, and hoisted
it on hoard the Royal William, 120, on Tuesday morning.
The gallant officer has proceeded to town on leave. Rear-
Admiral Eden has struck his flag on board the Royal
William, and will give up the superintendence of the
dockyard and ordinary to Admiral Seymour.
The Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas
Cochrane, accompanied by Sir Thos. Maitland and Capt.
Crispin, went on board the Deliab, timber ship, lying
off the Gosport beach, for the purpose of practically
testing the working of Cunningham's reefing topsails
from the deck. Captain Hay, of the Victory, was also
present, having a party of marines from the Tictory,
guard-ship, to test the principle. The commander-in.
chief will, of course, make his report to the Admiralty,
and we doubt not hut that it will be of the most favour-
able nature. It is due to Mr. Cunningham to state
that everything worked most satisfactorily, and show-
ing that when a ship is short-handed, or when a,sudden
squall comes down on the ship, the topsails can he close-
reefed from the deck in one quarter the time occupied
in sending the hands aloft. It is highly important, and
deserving the highest consideration at the hands of the
Government.

Rear-Admiral Plnmridge hoisted his flag, pro to n.,
on board the Excellent, and has struck it again.

CONDEMNATION OF THE RUSSIAN BLACK

SEA. PRIZES

Yesterday the High Marshal of the Court of Admi-
ralty made public proclamation on the Royal Exchange
that the following vessels, captured in the Black St a
by her Majesty's cruisers, conveying arms and ammu-
nition to the Russians, would, within 20 days, be con-
demned and sold for the benefit of their captors—
namely, the vessel Agos Isannes O'Bododo, of which.
Theofori Vokos was the late master, prize to her Ma-
jesty's steamer Highflyer ; the Klissover Constantine,
of which Ziliasimus Carones wa►s late the master, priza
to her Majesty's steamer Retribution, and the Speri-
dione, of which Carlando Mataza was the master, prize
to her Majesty's steamers Sidon and Fury ; as also the
Russian vessel Pandia, of which Antonio Perbanda
was late the master, seized under simulated papers in
the port of Hull.

The preliminary proceedings having been gone through
with respect to the Leucade, of which Spiridione An-
nonis was late the master, captured in the Black Sea by
her Majesty's steamer Firebrand; the Themis, Lorentzen
late master, prize to her Majesty's steamer Cruizer ; and
the Fortuna, H. C. Thomason late master, prize to her
Majesty'e steamer Archer, both taken in the Baltic ;
and the following seized under simulated papers, viz. :
The Kotka, in London ; the Ceres, at Hull ; and the
Rapide, at Liverpool, the decrees of sale will issue.
The Admiralty are now receiving claims with respect
to the Najaden and Primus at Somerset House.

CAPTAIN CARNEGIE'S EXPEDITION ON THE
COAST OF CIRCASSIA.

We hear from private letters that the escape of Cap-
tain Moore and Lieutenant Smithett from destruction
in the expedition on the coast of Circassia, was almost
miraculous.

It appears that after Captain the Hon. S. T. Carnegie,
in the Tribune, 31, screw; Captain Moore, in the High•
flyer, 21, screw ; and Commander Luce, in the Lynx, 4,
screw, had driven off the Cossacks and Russian infantry
from a martollo tower at a village called Djimetria, a fo
miles N.W. of Anapa, by their fire, Captain Moore an 1
Lieutcriant Smithett landed, and finding the tower full
of gunpowder, shells, &0., they determined to blow
it up. As they fired the train, however, a most
terrific explosion took place, all the powder and
shells having simultaneously ignited. Such was the
unexpected force of the concussion that one entire
arch was entirely blovvx down, and Lieutenant Smithett,
who was close to the tower, was hurled to some distance
from the spot. It was the greatest chalice in the world
that he was not blown to atoms, for thousands of pieces
of thw bursted shells flew around him in all directions.
As it was, however, his face was severely burnt, the
back of his head was seriously damaged, and his hands
were completely skinned. He was of course taken on
board his ship, and his injuries were at.otice attended to,
and by the skill of the surgeon, and the patience and
fortitude •f the sufferer under great agony, it is believed
that he will soon recover and resume his active duty.
All the skin had peeled off his face, without leaving a
mark, but his hands remain raw and very painful.