The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-11 00:00:00

NAVAL INT ELLIGENCB.

PORTSMOUTH, JAN. 10.

The Serpent, 12, Commander (acting) Edward H. G.
Lambert, arrived at Spithead at 1 o'clock to-day from
the Pacific station. She was commissioned in 1849 for
service on the East India and China station. During
her sojourn on those waters she shared in the operations
in the Rangoon River. At the close of these she went
on the China station, and thence to Australia, and has
had a lengthened voyage, if not " round the world," at
all events over a most important and extensive portion
of it. She sailed from Hong Kong towards the end of
1852 ; touched at the Bashee Islands on the 18th of
November of that year ; touched at Bonin Islands on
the 15th of December ; Strongo Island on the 12th of
January, 1853 ; Wanderer's Bay, Solomon Islands, on
the Bth of February ; Gery Islands on the 15th of
March ; Delhi, Timour Islands, on the 29th of March ;
Copang, Timour, on the 4th of April ; Port Essington,
Australia, on the 19th of April ; Swan River, on the 2d
of June ; Albany, King George's Sound, on the 9th of
June ; Sydney, July the 26th ; Auckland, New Zea-
land, August the 14th ; Valparaiso, the 13th of Octo-
ber ; and Stanley (Falkland Islands), November the 6th
last. She did not sight land after leaving Stanley until
last night, when she approached the Needle rocks, off
the Isle of Wight. She reports the Thetis, 40, Cap-
-lain Kuper, C. 8., having sailed from Valparaiso,
for Spithead, touching at Rio, on the 11th of Octo-,
ber last, with a freight of $1,000,000 on board on mer
chants' account. Rear-Admiral Moresby, C. 8., Com-
mander-in-chief in the Pacific, in the Portland, 60, Cap-
tain H. Chads, was at "Valparaiso when the Serpent
sailed, and has to-day just received the intelligence of
being succeeded in the command by Rear-Admiral Price,
a the President, 50 (now well on her way to the station).
The Dido, 18, Captain Moorshed, was at Pitcairn's
Island, whence she was to visit the Mexican coast to
collect freight for England. The following are the officers
who have come home in the Serpent :—Lieutenants
Campbell and Gammell, from Australia ; the Rev. Jas.
Moody, colonial chaplain at the Falkland Islands ; and
Mr. Johnstone, a private gentleman from Australia. A
few invalids from her Majesty's ships on the Australian
station have also come home in her. The Serpent went
on a searching expedition at the Solomon Islands in re-
ference to Mr. Boyd, whose loss excited so much public
interest some time since, but she gleaned no tidings of
his fate. The natives of the regions searched appeared
in numbers, armed with spears, and, as no one on board
could interpret between the explorers and the natives,
the result, as may be readily anticipated, was fruitless.
The Serpent, having been so long in commission, will
now be paid off. Lieutenant Hammett (first) was in
command of the Serpent during her voyage among the
Australian Islands, and from the time of Commander
Luard (now of the Boscawen) being invalided until Lieu-
tenant Lambert (son of Commodore Sir George Lambert,
K.C.8., of the Fox) joined her as acting commander.
The Banshee steam despatch-vessel, Lieutenant-Com-
mander Reynolds, arrived at this port this morning from
the eastward, and came into harbour. She will leave
to-morrow evening for the Mediterranean, conveying
despatches to the British admirals in the Dardanelles or
Black Sea. Captain Brock, appointed additional captain
of the flag-ship Britannia, goes out in the Banshee, as
does, we believe, Lieutenant-Colonel Vicars, R.E., and
three other engineer officers, who are to be associated
with him on the "particular service" for which Captain
Brock has been appointed.
The Frolic, 16, Commander Nolloth, is manned, with
the exception of half-a-dozen artificers and a mate. She
awaits the arrival of her consort, the Juno, at Spitbead.
A waterman, named Lane, was convicted at Gosport,
on Saturday, of attempting to vend spirits to the crew of
this vessel, contrary to the stipulations of a recent act of
Parliament, which enables officers commanding her Ma-
jesty's ships to prosecute all persons suspected of intro-
ducing spirits into her Majesty's ships without the per-
mission of the commanding officer.
The Simoom, 18, troop steam-frigate, Captain Smith,
came into harbour this morning from Spithead, to dis-
embark the Ist battalion of the Rifle Brigade, under the
command of Lieutenant-Colonel Bullar, and a detach-
ment of Royal Artillery. The latter landed to-day, and
the Rifles will land to-morrow.

WOOLWICH, JAN. 10.

APPOINTMENTS.

Mate—John Swinburne (1853) to the Boscawen, 70,
at Chatham, fitting to serve as flag-ship to Rear-Admiral
Arthur Fanshawe, C. 8., in the room of the Cumberland,
70, on the North America and West Indies station.
Clerk in Charge Henry W. Death (1850), who went
to the West Coast of Africa station in the Pluto, paddle-
wheel steam-vessel, and is at present acting as paymaster
of the Philomel, 8, sloop, on that station, is confirmed
to be paymaster of the Philomel.
Master's Assistant—Charles Williams, to the Enry-
alus, 50, screw steam-frigate, at Chatham.
The Black Eagle ste`am-vessel, Master-Commander
John Petley, has been taken out of dock, as it was
ascertained, on examining her bottom, that she had not
sustained the slightest injury when she touched a sand-
bank near the Nora.

The Vivid, Dover mail steam-packet, Capt. Smithett,
left Woolwich this morning for Dover, to resume her
duties on that station.

The Banshee steam-vessel, Lieutenant Commander
Louis R. Reynolds, when she went down the river yes-
terday, did not remain at Greenhithe, but held on direct
for Portsmouth, to take on board the officers going to
Constantinople in her. A portion of furniture for Bear-
Admiral Sir Edmund Lyons arrived at Woolwich in the
afternoon of the day she left, put.' being too late, it will
have to wait until another opportunity occurs of sending
it to the gallant officer.
The Turkish war steamer Wasintaj, the Turkish name
of the vessel, went up the river to-day to be taken into
the East India Dock, to have new boilers put in by
Maudslay, Sons, and Field, the firm that originally
fitted her with engines and boilers.
A great number of homeward-bound vessels passed up
the river to-day to discharge their cargoes at the various
docks and landing places. The river is now quite free
of ice, and the navigation is uninterrupted.
The saw-mills at Woolwich Dockyard are actively
employed in converting timber for the Edgar, 90, screw
steam-ship of the same class as the Agamemnon, and
building on the same slip from which the Agamsmnon
was. launched. The Edgar is progressing fast i'n her
construction, a considerable portion of her frame timbers
having been put together in the strongest manner.