The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-18 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, Fin. 17.
The Rear-Admiral Superintendent, acting Port-Admiral,
with the clerks of the Pay-office, proceeded to Spithead this
morning in the Fire Queen steam-vessel, Master-C9ra-
mander Pane, to pay wages in advance to the Furious
steam-frigate, Captain Loring, and returned in the after-
noon.

The Barracouta, 6, paddle steam-sloop, Commander
George Parker, arrived at Spithead to-day from Plymouth,
on her return to Sheerness, for which place she sailed, after
discharging and taking in supernumeraries.
The Agamemnon, 91, Captain Sir Thomas Maitland,
sent a number of sick to the hospital this morning by the
Echo steam-tug. She is ordered to remain at Spithead for
the present. _

Vice-Admiral Sir Thos. Cochrane, K.C.8., Commander-
in-Chief, is expected to return from leave on Friday. Th.°
gallant Admiral will reside at the Portland Hotel till hi
residence in the dockyard is ready.

PLYMOT/TH, FEB. 17.
The crew of her Majesty's steam-ship Desperate, £3',. were
paid two months' advance of wages, and she is now in the
Sound ready for service.
The steam-ship Argus is reported entering the. Saila
from Queenstown.
The Ger eral Screw Steam Shipping Company's 11331
packet green of the South, Captain Norman, sailed 03
Tuesday evening with letters for St. Vincent, the Cale,
Mauritius, and the East Indies.

SHEERNESS, FEB.
The Horatio, 24, screw steam gnardship, Captain tue
Hon. S. T. Carnegie, returned into harbour this afternoc*
and proceeded alongside the coal depot to replenish h©r
stock of coals.

The Espiegle, 12, Commander George Hancock, has tit
day been put out of dock. 20 volunteers Art.'s 'and pet"
ty officers, late of the Phmton, have joined Commander
Hancock, and he is only 17 short of his complement, W'l
aro daily expected to join him from Portsmouth- lir'
W. H. Annisley, mate, has joined the Espiegle to-clay
The Amphion, 34, Captain C. E. Patey.—,Lieidensa
B. C. W. Nicolas, of this frigate, has been sent round to
Devonshire to raise volunteers. Letters have boon ra;
ceived here from Portsea, stating that many men-of-vat:li
men are finishing off their pay at Portsmouth anal
soon be ready for other ships.
A move at last appears to be making in the right dires
tion to reduce the immense weight of spars, rigging, an
sails to be fitted to ships in the navy.
The Royal George, 120 guns, now being prepared for:.
screw line-of-battle ship, is a three-decker of the secottl
class. She will be fitted with the spars, rigging, and 6.11
of a two-decker of the third-class ; consequently,
very considerable reduction in the weight aloft will be
made, and her spread of canvas will only be reduced abort
7 per cent. from that of the Agamemnon. It has been
strongly recommended to put all screw vessels, large
small, under fore and aft sails—say, only courses and top-
sails for the larger class ships of the line ; this would brill
them, comparatively, under jury rig—a rig acknowledgec`
by all seamen, from the best practical experience, to be t"
best for all general purposes. It is a well-known ill"
when men-of-war have been dismastod and sent home under
jury masts, their logs will tell their own tale as to sali-,7„,
qualities—the Daphne, to wit. Our present Admirt
begin to think this worth a trial, as will appear in ':"e
order given for the Royal George.

WOOLWICH, FEB. 17'
APPOINTMENTS.
Masters' Assistant.--Alexander M. Mould, to the Vii'.
tory flag-ship at Portsmouth.
fier
Clerks' Assistants.—Corbet Edwards to the Victory
ship, at Portsmouth ; and A. C. Archdeacon, to the
perieuse, 50, screw steam-frigate, at Chatham.

,
PROMOTIONs. •
Acting Assistant-Surgeon Richard Evans (1851) is °°n.
firmed as assistant-surgeon in the Blenheim, 60, sereo.
steam guard-ship, at Portsmouth.
Commander Augustus S. Booth (1848) and John
Cooke (1852) have been appointed to study steam at the
Factory at Woolwich Dockyard, in the room of Captain
T. P. Hornby, passed out, and a Lieutenant, supersededby
his own request on account of ill health.
le"
The Phoenix steam-sloop, Commander Edward A. T gt.
field, has had her two boilers put in, and will be taken °u
of the basin and put into dock on Saturday.