The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-17 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

ARRIVAL OF THE CHANNEL FLEET.
Rear-Admiral Corry's squadron came up to Spithead.
on Saturday morning in splendid style. Prince Regent
made her number over the Bembridge Light at 8.5 a.m.,
and at about one-third of a mile apart came the rest of
the squadron in succession. They came up to Spithead
under canvas in the following order :

Prince Regent 9O (flag) (sail) Captain Hutton.
Duke of Wellington 131 (screw) Commodore Martin.
London 9O (sail) Captain Clivales Eden.
St. Jean d'Acre lOO (screw) Capt. Hon .H. Keppel.
Arrogant 47 (screw) Capt. S. Fremantle.
Amphion 34 (screw) Capt.A.C. Key (pro tem.)
Highflyer 2l (screw) Captain j.ohn Moore.
Cruiser
As each ship took up her position, it was very manifest
the advantage of the Channel cruise. It certainly was
a gallant sight to see this beautiful line of screw ships of
war, reaching from Spithead to the Nab, preserving
their exact distances ; and the wind at S. NV., blowing a
smart topsail breeze, showed them in a most favourable
point of view. With regard to the sailing qualities of
the respective ships, St. Jean d'Acre appears to have
been the best of the present squadron, having, in a four
hours' trial, on a wind, under all plain sail, beaten the
Duke of Wellington, 1880 yards; Highflyer, 2,145 yards;
Amphion, 4,680 yards ; London, 6,548 j 'arils ; Prince
Regent, 7,462 yards. And on another occasion, off the
wind, the same ship beat the Duke of Wellington 1,020
yards ; London, 1,850 yards ; Prince Regent, 4,770
yards—so that it is proved that the sere w ships have
fairly beaten the sailing ships under cm was on every
occasion. This is highly gratifying to the: country, and
shows that the art of ship-building has improved by in-
creased length and tonnage, notwithstanding the scoffs
and sneers of a prejudiced few, who were always count-
ing the cost of any such improvement as the science of
the present day shows to be so absolutely necessary if
we wish to compete with our jealous neighbours.
All sorts of rumours are afloat respectir ig the destina-
tion of the squadron, although it is pretty generally be-
lieved that the London and Prince Regent will go to the
Mediterranean with troops ; and be further available in
case of need, having each a paddle steamer attached ;
and that the screw squadron will complete for active
service, and be ready to proceed
-up the Baltic. Being
all screw ships they can keep the deep' water in the in-
tricacies of the North Channel, which sailing line-of-
battle ships or heavy frigates could never accomplish.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
The Channel fleet, under Rear-Admiral Corry and
Commander Martin, C. 8., returned to Spithead on
Saturday morning and anchored. The latter officer
struck his pendant on approaching the anchorage, a
senior captain to him being in the port. The several
ships came up under sail according to seniority, thus :
Prince Regent, 90 (flag) ; Duke of Wellington, 131 ;
St. Jean d'Acre, 100 ; London, 90 ; Arrogant, 47 ;
Highflyer, 21 ; Amphion, 34 ; Cruiser, 14. The London
and Highflyer were immediately telegraphed to prepare
for foreign service. Since leaving Queenstown several
trials of sailing and takensteaminc,have place. On the
3d, under all plain sail, of four hours' duration, showed
the following result :

St. Jean d'Acre beat Duke of Wellington 1,880 yards.
If Highflyer 2,145 ,
y) „ Amphion 4,680 „
), „ London
„ Prince Regent 7,462 ,
This trial was on a wind. On the s,th, in a trial off the
wind, in a fresh breeze, heavy weather, starboard
studding-sails set, the

St. Jean d'Acre beat Duke of Welliaigton 1,020 yards.
„ London
22 „ Prince Rerient 4,770 ,
The St. Jean d'Acre and the Duke beat all the others,
and the Arrogant was last in a trial o,f the frigates. On
the 6th the Cruiser joined the fleet. On the Bth the
Duke, St. Jean d'Acre, and Arrogant had a trial of
steaming. A worse day in the week (Saturday) could
not have been selected ; all the limber boards and engine
room and stoke-hole hatches (in number upwards of 200)
of the St. Jean d'Acre were up for the purpose of cleans-
ing the bilges, owing to which delay her steam was not
up by the time ordered (8-30). At -nine Rear-Admiral
Corry went on board of her, and hoisted his flag in her
to witness the trial. It was impossible to get steam up
in the St. d'Aore to more than 121bs, in consequence of
which the Duke headed her about 400 yards in a run of
15 miles, light wind on the bow, force 3. On the 12th
the Duke and Acre had another trial of steaming and
sailing by the wind ; average speed 10/ knots. The St.
Jean d'Acre was fast gaining on the Duke, when the
engines of the latter stopped, and the trial was put an
end to. The St. Jean d'Acre was at the time making
59 revolutions, having 201 b pressure on her boilers. We
shall not be surprised to hear of men "running" in num-
bers from the Spithead fleet, for they complain loudly of
being " harassed to death."

PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 15.

Yesterday being the anniversary of the birthday of his
Majesty the King of Prussia, and there being a Prussian
frigate (the Gefion, 48, Commodore Schroeder) refitting
in the harbour, M. Vandenbergh, his Majesty's Vice-
Consul at this port, waited upon the Port• Admiral and
the Lieutenant-Governor to notify the fact. The Gefion
hoisted three Royal standards at her mastheads ; the
Victory hoisted the Prussian standard at the main, St.
George's ensign at the wizen, and the Admiral's red flag
at her fore, but no royal salute was fired by those ships
in honour of the occasion, the Gefion having no powder
on board. The Lieutenant-Governor fired a royal salute
from the Platform Battery. The crew of the Gefion
were regaled on board. The Commodore entertained his
officers in honour of the day, and M. Vandenbergh re-
presented his Majesty on the occasion.
The Russian frigate Aurora, 44, Captain Islamatiff,
and the corvette Navarin, Captain Istomin, arrived at
Spithead yesterday from Christiansand, bound to Kams-
chatka. The customary salutes were exchanged. A
third was expected, the brig Niemen, from Cronstadt,
but she was wrecked off Riga beacon on the sth inst.
In the course of a few days the Russian frigate Diana is
expected. The Aurora and Navarin will come into this
harbour and be docked and refitted as soon as the per-
mission of Government (which has been applied for) is
received.

Commander Sanderson, of the Lily, 12, on the China
station, was tried by court-martial at Hongkong prior
to the 23d of August, on a charge of attacking and sink-
ing a piratical junk on the coast last year. He was
honourably acquitted, and his conduct found not only
far from blameable, but highly praiseworthy.
Captain Hall, promoted from the command of the
Styx steam-sloop, on the China station, has come home
by the mail.
It is reported by letters from Malta that some seamen
belonging to the Retribution, 28, paddle-frigate, Captain
the Hon. J. R. Drummond, were lately on leave at
Constantinople, enjoying themselves in a tavern, when
some seamen of the French fleet came in also, and, on
being asked for payment, after partaking of wine, said
they never paid while there were English sailors to do
so. Upon this a general melee took place, in which
one of the Retribution's men were stabbed in four or five
places, but the wounds were fortunately not of a mortal
nature. The matter was being investigated by the two
Admirals.

Mr. Ozzard, paymaster of the Niger, has been inva-
lided, and Mr. Shanks, clerk of the Britannia (flagship)
has been given the acting order.
Mr. Stuart, Master of the Trafalgar, 120, has been
invalided.

The Magicienne, 16, paddle-frigate, Captain Fisher,
returned to Devonport yesterday.

PLYMOUTH, OCT. 15.
Her Imperial Highness the Grand Duchess of Russia
arrived at Torquay from London yesterday afternoon.
Her Majesty's ship Queen, 116, Capt. F. T. Mitchell,
was towed, on Thursday afternoon, by the Avon and
Confiance steamers, from Hamoaze into the Sound. Her
rigging was sparred for rattling down, and her topgal-
lant-masts were on deck. Yesterday she took in pow-
der and shot, and to-day active exertions have been used
for getting all her crew on board.

The foremast of the Desperate, 8, screw-corvette,
Captain W. W. Chambers, having been repaired, was
sent on board yesterday.
The Lucifer, 2, steam-vessel, arrived from Portsmouth
on Friday with those riggers and seamen riggers who
left this port to navigate the Caesar from Pembroke.
A two-decked man-of-war, under single reefed top-
sails, was observed at 10 p.m. on Friday, two leagues
inside the Eddystone, going up Channel.
The General Screw Steam Shipping Company'spacket,
Lady Jocelyn, Captain Bird, sailed this afternoon with
mails for the Cape, Mauritius, and Calcutta.
A large screw-steamer, all black, barque rigged, was
observed at half-past 7 this (Saturday) morning, under
single reefed topsails, strong wind from south-west,
going up Channel inside the Eddystone. Subsequently
reported from New York for Bremen.

WOOLWICH, OCT. 15.

APPOINTMENT.

Lieut. Nelson G. Spencer (1847), formerly serving in
;he Cygnet, 8, sloop, on the West Coast of Africa sta-
tion, to the Hogue, 60, screw steam-ship, at Portsmouth.

PROMOTIONS.

Commander Robert John Le Mesurier M'Clure (1849),
in command of the Investigator discovery ship since
December 18, 1849, to the rank of Captain for services
performed in the Arctic Regions in search of Rear-
Admiral Sir Jobn Franklin and the officers and crews
of the Erebus and Terror discovery ships, and the dis-
covery of the certainty of a north-west passage.
Commander Edward Augustus Inglefield (1845), in
command of the Phoenix screw steam-sloop, to the rank
of Captain for services performed in that vessel in con-
veying stores for the relief of Sir Edward Belcher's ex-
pedition, and depositing them at Beechey Island, and
returning the same season, bringing to this country
Lieutenant Cresswell, of the Investigator, with the in-
telligence of the discovery of the north-west passage ;
and for his previous exertions, at his own expense,
during his voyage in the Isabel screw-steamer up Smith's
Sound to the open water of the Polar basin.
The Tyne store-ship, Master-Commander Peter Wel-
lington, is to be paid off here on Monday, the 17th inst.,
instead of to-day.
The Rhadamanthus steam store-vessel, Master-Com-
mander Belam, passed through the Downs on Friday
evening on her way to Devonport with the machinery
of the Nile, 90, screw steam-ship.
The Cyclops steam-frigate, in charge of Mr. Alexander
Pope, assistant master-attendant at Sheerness dockyard,
is in the basin here taking on board machinery for con-
veyance to Portsmouth.

THE MEDITERRANEAN.
Galignani states the French commander-in-chief
" Vice-Admiral Hamelin, on his arrival in Besika Bay,
caused the officers of the fleet to occupy themselves in
making hydrographic plane of the bay and the iroree,

diate environs." The British commander-in-chief, Rear-
Admiral Dundas, had, we believe, previously employed
the officers of his squadron in making and completing
surveys of the neighbourhood of his long anchorage.
By the last accounts the fleet at Besika is far healthier
than it was a month ago, but sickness still prevails.
On board the Vengeance two fatal cases had occurred,
and she had been sent to Tenedos to recruit the health
of her crew. Lord W. Russell, who had been seriously
ill, and on leave at Therapia, had rejoined, having fortu-
nately recovered. The launch of the French ship
Bayard, with a crew of 30 men on board, had foundered
on the Ist inst., when within a short distance of her
ship. She had been watering ; five men perished, 13
had been saved by the Rodney, and the remainder by
other boats. The crews of both fleets exerted them-
selves nobly on the painful occasion.
The Leander, 50, Captain King, on her way to Malta,
arrived at Lisbon, from Devonport, on the 9th, and re-
mained on the 10th, with the Odin, 16, steam-frigate,
Captain Scott.

The Vesuvius, 6, steam-sloop, Commander Powell,
was at Gibraltar on the Bth.

THE BRAZILS.

The following of her Majesty's ships were lying at
Rio Janeiro, Sept. 14 :—Centaur, 6, steam-frigate, flag
of Rear-Admiral Henderson, C.B. ; Bonetta, 3, Lieut.-
Commander Parish ; and Crescent. Sept. 10.—Sailed,
the Express and, 11, Trident, steam-vessel. Cruising
at Bahia, Sept. 19, the Star, 8.
The French frigate Galathea sailed from Rio Sept. 12
for River Plate, The French corvette Le President, at
Bahia Sept. 19, from the Pacific, bound to France. The
United States brig Perry was at St. Vincent Sept. 30.