The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-10 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

Rear-Admiral the Hon. M. F. F. Berkeley, C. 8.; re=
turned to the Admiralty yesterday; and the secretary,
Mr. Bernal Osborne, M.P. is expected at Whitehall
this day, when all the members of the new board will be
at their posts.

The Manning the navy committee re-assembled yester-
day at the Admiralty, Captain Shepherd having come
up from Portsmouth, and Captain Richards, C. 8., from
Chatham.

Admiral Sir William Parker, G.C.8., who has been
indisposed, is now better.

APPOINTMENTS.
Master.—Thomas Wallis (1846), from charge of the
Vesuvius, reserved steam-sloop, to the Furious, 16,
steam-frigate, vice Taylor.
Assistant-Surgeon. William Richardson (1848),
stated in the Navg List to be additional of the Britannia,
120, flag-ship, Mediterranean, "for services in Janus,"
which Janus has been paid off for some months.
Second Master.—Francis Taylor (1848), to the Duke
of Wellington, screw three-decker, Portsmouth.
Clerk.—John T. Weeks, to the Espiegle, 12, Sheer-
ness.

EXAGGERATED SPEED OF SCREW-STEAMERS. —The
same authority that gave the Peninsular and Oriental
Company's large screw-steamer, the Bengal, just built in
the Clyde, a speed of 12 knots in her trial on Saturday,
has made her steam 131 knots on her second trip, on
Tuesday, and promises for her 16 knots with a strong
wind. We are told in the same paragraph that the
Royal yacht screw-tender Fairy came out to race with
the Bengal, and beat her, " having attained the prodigi-
ous speed of 151 knots." Now, if the Fairy's speed was
21 knots more than the Bengal, we fear that our great
ship, so far from "attaining a higher rate of speed con-
siderably than she did on Saturday," has not done so
well ; for, instead of the Fairy achieving a speed of 151
knots, she only ran a mean rate of 121. Taking off,
therefore, 21 from this 121, the speed of the Bengal
must be rated at 101, instead of 121 knots—the exagge-
rated rate given to her by a contemporary. It is only
doing an injury to good ships to give them a character
for a fictitious speed ; for the facts must come out in the
first long sea trip. As to getting 16 knots "with a
strong favourable wind," we can promise a great deal
more than that for the Bengal, if the wind should only
be strong enough, and she can carry her canvas.—.
Herald.

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 9.
•
The Duke of Wellington, 131, Captain H. B. Martin,
screw line-of-battle ship, was towed round to the steam
basin this morning, and was hauled over to the south
landing, and placed under the new shears, after which
she received on board two immense cog-wheels connected
with her machinery.
The Prince Regent, 90, Captoin Hutton.—On examin-
ing the copper of this powerful ship it has been found
necessary to strip off about four streaks from the water-
line downwards, and to chalk and re-copper the same,
besides various patches in her bottom.

The Fairy, yacht-tender to the Royal yacht Victoria
and Albert, Master-Commander David N. Welch, went
out of harbour at 11 a.m., and proceeded to the mea-
sured mile at Stokes Bay. The results of this day's
trial are confirmatory of the manifest advantages of
Griffith's patent propellers over all others, although
everything was against them; there was a very strong
wind from S.E. and a tremendous sea running through
Spithead.

The Echo, steam-tug, took a party of men from the
depot of the 13th Regiment—viz., 2 officers, 1 serjeant,
and 20 men, as a convict guard on board the Sibelli, at
Spithead, for Gibraltar. On getting to Spithead, there
was so much sea on, that they were compelled to bring
them back again and landed at the dockyard.
The Medea is under orders for the West Indies. She
will be employed in the suppression of the Cuban slave
trade.

The Fury, 6, steam-sloop, Commander Tatham, is
under orders to proceed to the Mediterranean and re-
join Vice-Admiral Dundas's fleet.

The Manceuverer, lighter, arrived this morning from
Woolwich, and landed stores at this dockyard.
The Leopard, 16, paddle-frigate, Capt. Geo. Giffard,
has bent sails, and is taking in her sea stores, prepara-
tory to going to Spithead.
The Megmra iron troop-steamer, Commander Johnson,
arrived at Spithead this afternoon from the eastward,'
en route to Queenstown to embark troops.
The Rolla, 6, naval apprentices' instruction brig,
Lieutenant-Commander Fenwick, has commenced fitting
out for her summer cruises ; she has sent up and fidded
her topmasts this afternoon.

H oßs ankesoh, e
hase, shtzad naib- paouctktehtr
e, e
L i e u
streakst e n a
on
ft -
oCoopmp
emr atnadkeero
oJff.
from her water-line downwards, and they are engaged
in caulking and re-coppering the same.
Rear-Admiral Fanshawe, C. 8., Superintendent of this
dockyard, and Acting Port-Admiral, the clerks of
the Treasury department of the establishment, embarked
on board the Fire Queen steam-yacht, Master-Comman-
der Paul, this morning, and proceeded to Spithead, to
pay wages to the crew of the Rodney, 92, Captain Gra-
ham, CI., and the Medea, 6, paddle-sloop, Commander
Bailey, the former being ordered to the Mediterranean to
join the squadron under Vice-Admiral Dundas, C. 8.,
and the latter to the West Indies, to join that under
Vice-Admiral Sir George Seymour, K.C.B.

PLYMOUTH, FEB. 9.

The crew of her Majesty's ship Vengeance, 84, Ottp-
tain Lord E. Russell, were paid wages down to one
month yesterday. The starboard watch, and the first
part of the port watch, have had 14 days' leave ; on their
return the others have a holyday.

„...._
The Rhadamanthus, 4, steam-transport, Commander
Belam, will sail to-morrow (Thursday) with seamen for
Portsmouth ; thence she proceeds to Woolwich.

The Desperate, 8, screw, Captain W. W. Chambers,
will go out of harbour on Friday.

SHEERNESS, FEB. 8.
A court-martial was held on board the Waterloo, 120,
yesterday, Captain the Hon. Montagu Stopford, presi-
dent, to try a seaman belonging to the Boscawen. He
had repeatedly deserted his ships, and entered the army,
from which he had also deserted several times. The
Court sentenced him to four dozen lashes and 12 months'
imprisonment. _

The Agamemnon, 91, Captain Sir Thomas Maitland.
—Vice-Admiral the Hon. Josceline Percy proceeded out
to this ship this morning, and inspected the crew, pre-
vious to her departure for Portsmouth, which is to be on
Thursday next. On the gallant Admiral leaving he was
saluted, and the salute was returned by the Waterloo.
The Rattlesnake, Commander Henry Trollope, left
the Nore this day, at nine a.m., for Portsmouth, assisted
by the steam-vessel African. The Rattlesnake, it is ex-
pected, will remain at Portsmouth for a few days.
Commander Josiah Thompson took up his commission
to the Monarch, 84, guard-ship of ordinary, yesterday.
The Espiegle, 12-gun Sloop.—Mr. T. S. Vinall, clerk,
has taken up his commission to this sloop, and not the
Barracouta, as formerly reported.
The Barracouta, paddle-wheel steam-sloop.—Mr. J. T.
Bignall, clerk, has this day taken up his commission to
this sloop.
afternoon,
nt'he
young man, the captain's joiner, fell overboard
from
Chatham,C
ar
on Saturday Commander next Wyvill, will
Saturday be paid off
wizen chains, and was drowned.