The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-08 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

It is reported that the vacant promotion to the rank
of captain has been given to Commander Thomas Chal-
oner (1845). Captain Chaloner is known as a good,
humane, and efficient officer. His last service was in
command of the Siren, 16, on the coast of Africa, when
he was senior officer of a division.

It is stated that Captain Williams Sandom (1828) is to
succeed Rear-Admiral Rich as superintendent of the
Royal Naval Hospital and the Royal William Victual-
ling Yard. Captain Sandom's last employment was in
command on the lakes of Canada.

Rear-Admiral Corry re-hoisted his flag yesterday in
the Prince Regent, 90, in Plymouth Sound, and took
the sea-going ships there under his command. He is
under orders to proceed on a cruise with a squadron,
composed of his flag-ship, the Prince Regent, 90, Capt.
Hutton ; Vengeance, 84, Lord Edward Russell ; Leo-
pard, 16, steam-frigate, Captain Giffard ; Valorous, 16,
steam-frigate, Captain Buckle; Vulture, 6, steam-frigate,
Captain Glasse ; Magicienne, 16, steam-frigate, Captain
Fisher. The Queen, 116, Captain Mitchell, was not
ready to receive the flag as intended, and cannot go to
sea, being nearly 400 short of. complement.

PORTSMOUTH, APRIL 7.
The Arrogant, 46, screw-frigate, Captain Fremantle,
and the Sidon, 22, paddle-frigate, Captain Goldsmith,
returned to Spithead to day from Plymouth ; and the
Basilisk, new paddle-sloop, 6, Commander the Hon. F.
Egerton, from Glasgow, to complete for foreign service.
Low water was selected to bring her into harbour, and
she took the ground and held fast when off the King's-
rooms, and remains a fixture at the time of writing, a
subject for the jeers and jokes of hundreds of seamen,
watermen, and others.

Sir Thomas Cochrane, Commander-in chief, Rear-Ad-
miral Fanshawe, and a party of other official personages
embarked on board the steam-vessel Sprightly, Mr. Geo.
Allen, acting master, commanding, this morning, and
proceeded to Sconce Point to inspect; the new battery
erecting there. They returned in the evening.
The following young officers (midshipmen, R.N.) passed
examinations in seamanship, qualifying for the rank of
lieutenant, on board her Majesty's ship Victory, yester-
day :—Mr. Keith Stewart, of her Majesty's ship Blen-
heim ; Mr. James H. Whitehead, of her Majesty's ship
Victory ; and Mr. George W. Strong, of her Majesty's
ship Hogue.

SHEERNESS, APRIL 7.
The Barracouta, 6, paddle-wheel steam-sloop, Com-
mander George Parker, is ordered to proceed to the
Nore, where the crew will be paid advance on Saturday
next. Her destination is not known at present.
The Amphion, 34, screw Tsteam-frigate, Capt. Charles
G. E. Patey, has made a trial trip down the Swin, and
is reported upon most favourably. Her engines work
admirably, and she bids fair to stand without a rival as a
steam-frigate of her class. She has taken in her powder,
shell, &c:, and was inspected yesterday by Vice-Admiral
the Hon. Josceline Percy, Commander-in-chief. The
crew were put through their gun exercise, &c., and proved
to be fully efficient. Captain Patey and the officers were
highly complimented by the gallant admiral for the dis-
cipline and skill of the crew. The Amphion, saluted the
Admiral, which was returned by the Waterloo, 120, flag
ship. The Amphion is now ready for immediate ser-
vice, having her full complement of men, ammunition,
and stores on board. She will take from here as smart
a ship's crew as we have seen for some time past—many
from the Phaeton, Castor, &c. She has had all her
weather and main deck guns covered with a chemical
preparation of black lead, which gives them the appear-
ance of being highly polished, and is reputed to be im-
pervious to salt water or any weather. Her compasses
have been adjusted.

The Imp6rieuse, 60, screw steam frigate, Captain Run-
dle B. Watson, C. 8., is to proceed to the Nore forth-
with. The crew will be paid in advance, and she is
ordered to sail on Saturday next for Portsmouth. We
were erroneously infermed as to her deficiency of sea-
men ; it is certain that she is not 80 seamen short.
Captain Watson has one-half of his crew of blue jackets
composed of man-of-war's men, all of whom are thoroughly
efficient in gunnery and gun exercise, the remainder of
the crew being principally seamen volunteers from the
merchant's service, who only require to be taught their
gun exercise to qualify them for their present position
in the service. It is gratifying to state that only seven
men have run from their ship during the time she has
been fitting, and, if report be true, they are not worth
finding. Her compasses have been adjusted.
The crew of the Horatio, 24, screw steam guard
ship, Captain the Hon. S. T. Carnegie, are at daily
exercise in gunnery, and aloft reefing, and furling
sails, &c.

WOOLWICH, Aram 7.
The Spiteful, 6. paddlewheel steam- sloop, of 280
horse power, arrived here yesterday, having been brought
round from Devonport by the master-attendant and
riggers of that dockyard, to have some defects in her
machinery made good. Mr. Taplin, second assistant to
the chief engineer, went on board the Spiteful in the
forenoon, and she made a short run down the river to
enable him to report on the state of her engines.
The Medina, the Medusa, and the Jackall steam ves-
sels were taken out of the basin yesterday, and towed by
the Monkey steam-vessel to moorings in the river, as it
is intended to commence operations to-morrow for clear-
ing out the mud in the basin by means of bucket ma-
chines, preparatory to its being made ready to receive
the Royal Albert, 131, screw steam-ship, on that vessel
being launched in the course of the present year.

PLYMOUTH, THURSDAY.
COURT-MARTlAL.—Yesterday morning a court-martial
was held on board the Impregnable, flag-ship at this
port, to try John Newt, a serjeant of the Plymouth di-
vision of Royal Marines, serving on board the Queen, for
paying, on Jan. 31, 1853, the sum of 3s. 6d. to James
Rowe, a private marine, serving on board the Queen,
as part of a sum of money he, by an improper arrange-
ment, had agreed to pay to Rowe out of the strag-
gling money he (Newt) would be entitled to for
capturing him as a straggler, if Rowe remained long
enough on shore ; and for paying to John Rogers, a
private marine, serving on board the same ship, 3s. 6d.
under the same circumstances. The Court having heard
the evidence for the prosecution and the defence, consi-
dered the charges proved against the prisoner, and sen-
tenced him to be reduced to a private, and mulcted of all
pay due to him and time of servitude.

CHATHAM.—The launching of the after part of the
frame of the Orion, 80 guns, building at Chatham-yard,
took place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The whole of the
arrangements were very judiciously managed, and the
launch was admirable, giving every satisfaction to all
present. After they had started it about 10 feet, she
was allowed to be brought up by the tackles again, and
then finally allowed to slide gently to the distance, which
was 24 feet. She is also to be lengthened forward four
feet, and the after part 12 feet ; consequently she will,
on being completed, be in length, from the figure-head to
taffrail, 274 feet, and the difference in her length between
the perpendiculars will be 40 feet, mid the keel for ton-
nage will be an addition of 391 feet. By this alteration
the ship is to carry 90 guns, with an engine of 600-horse
power.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE.