The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-22 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 21.
The Sprightly steam tender, Mr. George Allen, Acting
Master, conveyed a Queen's messenger to Osborne, on
his arrival from London after dark last night.
The Dauntless, 31, screw frigate, having been rigged
ready for commission by the officers and men of the steam
reserve, was taken out of harbour to Stokes-bay to-day
to try her engines and speed, which are reported as very
satisfactory.
The convict ship Sea Park, Captain Spedding, sailed
last night from Spithead to Portland, Plymouth, and
Swan River.

The Russian corvette Navarin, 22, after a thorough
refit, was got out of dock this afternoon. She is now
shipping her sea stores again, and will be at sea within
24 hours, While the public eye has been kept upon this
vessel and the frigate Aurora, another Russian appari-
tion on the Gosport side has hitherto escaped notice.
The Russian yacht Rogn4cla (well known in English
waters as once the Earl of Wilton's Circassian, a schooner
of the Royal Yacht Squadron), now the property of
Prince Nicolas Labanoff de Rostoff, sailed a few days
since from this harbour, but so quietly that no remark
has been made about her. She sailed with sealed orders it
frota' the Russian Government. This fine fast sailing
schooner has been heavily and well armed in all respects. '1"
She was bound ostensibly for the Pacific, but more truly
her commission is a roving one. The Prince has lately
rebeived a commission appointing him a Lieutenant-'
Commandant in the Imperial navy. Among other im-
provements fitted to this craft is Cunningham's patent „Ai
self-reefing topsail, which renders a less number of hands ' bait
necessary for workingtnhseevlesuzlly" a than would
opo
wouplrdrtin of
otherwiseo 'IP
' be required, leaving, consequently,
.fighting men.

PLYMOUTH, DEC. 21.
The merchant ship Minerva, Captain Johnstone, from
Madras, Aug. 30, and St. Helena, Nov. 1, now in the
Sound, spoke Nov. 9, the screw steam-ship Australian,
22 days from London for Sydney, all well.
The Royal George, 120, screw, Captain Courington,
and Sidon, 22, screw-steamer,Captain Goldsmith, ar-
rived in the Sound last evening from Sheerness. The
Royal George will be manned at this port. She saluted
the flag of Admiral Sir John Ommanney, which was re-
turned by the Impregnable flag-ship.
The Hecla, Dutch steamer, arrived in the Sound yes-
terday from Batavia, bound to Holland. She had her
starboard paddle-box carried away in a gale, and has
other defects.

The Algiers, 90, screw-ship, will be launched from this
dockyard on the 26th January.
The Rifleman, 8, screw-sloop, Lieutenant Christian,
arrived in the Sound from Portsmouth yesterday. She
has drawn a whale boat from this dockyard. The Rifle-
man is bound for the Brazils station;and has despatches
for the Commander-in-Chief, and letters for the officers
and crew of the squadron. She will sail probably to-day.

SHEERNESS, Disc. 21.
The Melampus, late 42 guns, in charge, pro tem., of
Mr. Jackson, Assistant Master Attendant at this yard,
arrived here from Woolwich yesterday, at 1.15 p.m.,
with the whole of the machinery, boilers, &c., belonging
to the new screw steam-ship Majestic, 80 guns. The
Melampus was taken into the fitting basin, and berthed
alongside the Majestic, under the masting-shears yester-
day's tide. The engineers and millwrights are all ready
to commence setting up the engines, affixing machinery,
&c., with all possible despatch, agreeable to an Admi-
ralty order issued to the contractors. In consequence of
the tide not serving to put the Melampus out of the
basin at Woolwich, the steam tug-vessels Monkey and
Zephyr did not succeed in towing the Melampus beyond
Greenhithe on Wednesday evening, where she remained,
and was got under weigh in tow at daylight yesterday
morning.

The dressy, new screw, steam-ship, of 80 guns, has
this day been commissioned here by Captain Richard
Laird Warren. She is to have a complement of 850
officers and men, including marines, marine artillery,
seamen, gunners, &c. An extra number of mechanics of
every description have been put on to facilitate her early
fitment.

The paddle-wheel steam yacht Black Eagle, Master-
Commander John E. Petley, on passing up Sea Reach,
on her return from Grimsby to Woolwich, took the
ground on the Nore Sand, a short distance above the
white buoy off the Nere, and remained for the tide. The '
Spit to the west-north-west of the white buoy has, for
some time past, been gathering up very considerably,
and of late several loaded ships, upward and downward
bound, have grounded thereon, at a time when not ex-
pected to do so by the depth of water shown on the
charts. Assistance was promptly sent from here by the
authorities, but fortunately not required. At tide time
she floated off and proceeded for Woolwich, without any
apparent damage- eitherto hull or machinery.
The paddle-wheel steam-sloop Driver, 6 guns, in
charge of Mr. Cornelius Fox, Master, R.N. (borne out
on the Horatio), got up steam this morning, and pro-
ceeded out on her usual trial of machinery. She had not
•
returned up to the time of forwarding this report.
The Diamond, 28 guns, Captain William Peel, has had
her compasses adjusted, and her crew are now engaged
bending sails. This ship, both intide and outside her
hull, is a perfect yacht, all extra decorations having been
done at the expense of her highly esteemed captain in
command, and as regards her rigging she is a perfect
model in every respect, although in strict accordance
with the Admiralty instructions.

WOOLWICH, DEc. 21.
APPOINTMENTS.
Commander John W. Dorville (1853), recently pro-
moted from First-Lieutenant of the Rattler screw steam-
sloop, on the East • Indies and China station, to the
Cressy, 80, screw steam-ship at Sheerness.
Lieutenants.—Henry H. Beamish (1853), recently
promoted from Mate of the Excellent gunnery-ship, at
eonfry the Clvavicetrionryg
fl
Portsmouth, is appointed one of the Lieutenants of
ethelaittly borneship,viceoTautzoubro;okHa
(algB-4s7h)i,p, raet-
Portsmouth, for particular service, to the Hogue, 60,
screw steam guard-ship at Queenstown ; Nicholas Ed-
ward Brook Turnout- (1849), from the Excellent to the
Cressy ; Arthur B. Warre (1847), to the Cressy ; Louis
H. Versturme (1853), promoted from
mate of the Hogue
to the Cressy.
Masters.— Henry A. Martin (1853 )
promoted from
Second-Master of the Cumberland, 70, 'flag-s 11.13 on the
North America and West Indies station,
to flag-ship
the
charge of the Rosamond, 6, paddle-wheel steam-sloop,
of 280-hurse power, stationed as an advanced war steamer
at Sheerness ; Robert Studwell (1840), to the Cressy.
Second-Masters.— Robeit Smith (1846), to the Cyclops
steam-frigate at Sheerness - Robert E. Jones (1852),
from the Vulture paddle-wheel steam frigate to the Bos-
cawen, 70, fitting- at Chatham for the flag-ship. on the
North America and West Indies station ; Samuel Win-
necott (1850), from the Waterloo, 120, flag-ship at
Sheerness, to the Lizard, iron paddle-wheel steam-vessel,
of 150-horse power, at Sheerness.
Masters-Assistants. —John J. Covey, to the Saracen
brig at Devonport, for surveying service ; Henry Sutton,
to the Sidon paddle-wheel steam-frigate at Devonport.
Clerk. —Henry
11{. Moore (1847), Clerk-in-Charge of
,
the Crescent,
42 receiving-ship at Rio Janeiro, to the
Centaur paddle-wheel steam-frigate flag-ship on the
south-east coast of America station.
Gunner—Henry Williams, to the Cressy.
Boatswain—Isaac Poole, to the Cressy.
Carpenter—John Harvey, to the Cressy.
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY AT WOOLWICH—An order has
been received here from the Admiralty that the whole
of the workmen, in the dockyard will be allowed a holy-
day on Monday the 26th inst., in consequence of Christ-
leas- day falling on a Sunday this year. The Board of
Ordnance, by an order dated the 9th inst., have an-
nounced their intention of granting a holyday on the
26th inst. to all the workmen in the Royal Arsenal.
The Onyx Dover mail steam packet, Second Master
Commander E. C. Rutter, will be ready by the end of
the week to return to Dover to resume her duties as a
mail packet on that station.
The Monkey and Zephyr steam-vessels have returned
to Woolwich, after towing the Melampus, 42, frigate,,
to Sheerness, with the machinery of the Majestic, 80,
on board.

hsstehaemer-nshesips, bfeerint
eshvoonrt,
port, a number of seamen-riggers were lent. to her front
of Theer e itemoypallein Geehotrgwe, hen 120,s h
Sheerness Dockyard to assist in navigating her to De-
secrelewft
yonport. The patent trunk engines, of 400-horse power,
by John Penn and Son, worked to the entire satisfaction
of all on board, and the engineers who worked them,
and stokers who attended to getting up the steam, state
that they never served in a ship so well ventilated and
cool before. The great breadth of the ship has allowed
of the furnaces being constructed so as to give a space of
12 feet between the six furnaces on each side, and they
are so arranged that an ample supply of pure air is ex-
perienced, although the mouths of the furnaces are nearl
60 feet below the upper deck. The average speed
attained, as near as possible, 10i knots per hour, ha it
fully sustained the result given of her trial between th e-
Nore and Mouse lights before she left for Devonport.

ACCIDENT ON THE LONDON AND SOUTH-WESTERN
RAlLWAY.—Yesterday morning a fatal accident occurred
on the Windsor branch of the London and South-
Western Railway, by which a person, named Allen, in
the employ of the company, unfortunately lost his life.
It appeared that the unfortunate man had charge of a
waggon filled with timber, and, in order to get it pa at
the platform, it was necessary to employ a horse to
draw the same along the metals, and in so doing he w as
either knocked down or slipped, owing to the wet sta to
of the rails. He was found lying across the rails, with
the waggon upon his abdomen. Upon assistance arriv-
ing, the man was still alive, and a powerful jack crane
having been procured, the ponderous vehicle was lifted , •
off the deceased, when he was found bleeding most pro-
fusely from various parts of the body. He was at once
placed in a carriage, and conveyed to London, and from
thence to St. Thomas's Hospital, but life was extinc
before he had arrived there.

CAPTAIN WARNER.—The reported death of Captain
Warner, which has been going round the papora,
believed to have been a gross fabrication,