The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-01 00:00:00

We are glad to find that we were in error yesterday
in giving a seat in the new Board of Admiralty to Rear-
Admiral Sir James Stirling, and we cannot help congra-
tulating the naval service of the country, mercantile as
well as Royal, in the exclusion of an officer from the di-
rection of Admiralty matters who was mainly instru-
mental in inflicting that injury on the shipping interest
which has done more to unman the Royal Navy than
any system of "humbugging " experiments or flogging
propensities that have prevailed for the last 20 years.
Captain the Hon. R. S. Dundas, C. 8., is a good u ibsti-
tute for Sir James Stirling, who, by the way, ue must
admit, is an excellent officer and well up to his work as
the commander of a ship. Captain Dundas will give
weight and character to any board, for he has been
educated especially for one of its members. He is suffi-
ciently acquainted with the habits of the old navy to re-
spect, admire, and adopt that which has been proved to
be good, and to reject that which is harsh, tyrannical,
and unjust ; whilst he has had so much experience of
the young navy afloat and ashore, on foreign service and
at Whitehall, that, superior to the prejudices of 1794,
he is at the same time eminently qualified to correct the
abuses which fast young gentlemen Californian sailors
and bad marines have imported into the service.
According to appearances we have some good work-
ing men now at the board, and clever men as secreta-
ries, and without ascribing to them the character of
"all the talents" of the navy and civil service, we may
hope, and we trust we shall not be disappointed, that
the watchword of the, First Lord—"progress" will be
made in such direction that every deserving and active
officer shall have a fair chance of promotion and em-
ployment, whilst the worn-out shall have a liberal re-
tirement—that our seamen shall have good, humane, and
just men to command them, and that they shall be encou-
raged to stick by the service by advancement to positions
which shall make them respectable men, and then by offers
of persons to their widows which shall keep them from
starving at their husbands' decease, by battle, shipwreck,
fever, or the ten thousand casualties to which seamen
alone are subjected. We trust that such "progress "
will be made in the civil service as will reward the in-
dustrious, and secure to them the full advantage of that
portion of their salaries which is now deducted to f0rm...,,
what is termed the
.T.----it11101411"1P'
progress in o—u . ":"1.4 not 6 eon • millions in building' the " - -.s ' and expensive fleet of
ships, of which theTatitalouw, "Pique, Vernon,lMitt
guard, and Albion were the ruinous models ; or-drive
away our best artisans to the _merchant establishments
or to foreign countries. We trust that the general
"progress " in naval affairs. shall be such as to main-
tain a fleet composed of that number and class of ships,
equipped in that superior manner, officered and manned,
with those complements, and commanded by those chiefs
from which the combined forces of any three powers in
the world could not possibly escape utter destruction
should they be disposed at any time to make a hostile
demonstration towards our coasts.—Marring Herald.

•

PORTSMOUTH, DEC.-31.
Vice-Admiral Sir - Thomas Cochrane, K.C.8., the
Commander-in-Chief, gave a brilliant entertainment
..fhi'S- evening at the George Hotel,. to inaugurate his
-',entry-upon his appointment to the chief command of
this port and station, and to greet the officers undefhis
command. There were present Rear-Admiral Fanshawe,
C. 8., superintehdent of Portsmouth Dockyard ; Rear-
Admiral . CdraT, commanding the western squadron ;
Colonel Menzies, 'K.H., Commandant of the Portsmouth
Division of Ur Royal Marines,• and now Acting-Lieu-
tenant-GoVernbi of the garrison, and staff; Captain.- —-;
Superintendent J. H. Johnston, of Haslar, andall the
captains of the fleet,at the port, and the Corovf.nder-irr-
4.
Chief's staff. Captain S ppard, the flag-caprain, is on
10.days' lea,v ; Mr. Yak secs barn to the late
Port-Aeliniral,-is retained nxifice by Sir iibmas Coch-
rane ; and Mr. E. b'ij. DA: -1.1,1411ig.wh0-was flag-lieu-
tenant 4 to Rear dmiral Preseot.B., late superin-
tendent of.the." . yard, is appoint6ducee.ssor to Lieu-
tenant Paslev a ..fla.g',to Sir Thomki-:C4clirane. The
gallant Portadinflig.gaes,on leave next \V*.
The rEncounter, 'l4, screw corv-Ate,' GaPtain O'C*
laghau, was inspgcted. ht kithearthis morning (priqr.kr.
proceeding to WoolWich*r new boilers), by Vice4l.'s.V miral Sir ThomiS Cochrane, .K.C.B, 0:
who also inspected ' '
A the Plumper screw sloop, Commander Nolloth, Justre-:c- :1.
turned from foreign:service. Her crew was exercised in -.7. ,_
gunnery by Commander Sir William Wiseman, 'Bart., of the Excellent (Captain Chads being. Prc;leave), after
wish she came into this harbour to be paid off. The
vessel exhibited an admirable state Pfidiscipline.
The Blenheim, 60, screw guard-ship, .CaPtaiii W. H.
Henderson, C.B. was doeited to-day in the room of the
London, to complete tke Apair-of her ilefects
The Simoom, 18, screw troop-ship, Captain Kin;cpine,
has unshipped all the machinery she brought from the
Clyde for the Screw line-of-battle-ship Duke of Wellilig-
ton, 131, and is completing coals for further service.
The Vengeance, 84, Captain Lord Edward Russell, it
is reported, 'is in need of new main and upper decks, and
will be ordered into dock to receive them.
Duke of' Wellington, 131, screw-three-decker—as
many hands are at work as can be placed upon her both
in the engineering and shipwright departments. She is
expediting -with all possible zeal and dispatch.
Spithead still preserVes a most interesting view with
men-of-war and merchant vessels there, upwards of 150
sail_

iiiironieter.look".-- 4

Termagant, 24, screw steam-frigate, Captain Gifford,
is still returning stores.
It is deemed probable that Captain Charles Graham,
C.B. (brother of the First Lord of the Admiralty), of
the Rodney, 92, may be appointed the successor of
Captain the Hon. R. S. Dundas, in the superintendent-
ship of Deptford victualling-yard. The gallant cap_
thin left Portsmouth for the Admiralty last night.

PLYMOUTH, DEC. 31.
Her Majesty's steam-frigate Valorous, having had her
copper cleaned, was taken out of dock yesterday.
The Dido, 18, Captain Moreshead, received her shot
and shell yesterday.
The merchant barque Dockenhuden, of and from Ham-
burgh for Adelaide and Melbourne, with 80 emigrants,
has experienced tremendous weather in the Channel for
the last 21 days. On Wednesday morning, at 5 o'clock,
when between the Dedman and the Lizard, about 2 5
miles from the land, on the starboard tack, under double-
reefed topsails, courses, jib, and mizen, with strong breeze
and misty weather, she suddenly perceived a large ship
to windward, which shortly after struck the barque at
the fore-rigging, carrying away mainmast, mizen top-
mast, and bulwarks and stanchions on the starboard side.
After the vessels were disentangled, five of the emi-
grants were missing. The barque arrived in Plymouth
Sound at two o'clock yesterday morning, and about nine
o'clock the ship Eliza, belonging to Mr. Restariek, of
Devonport, entered the harbour with loss of bowsprit
and other damage. She proved to be the vessel with
which the barque had been in contact, and had on board
the five missing passengers, all well.
Four additional bodies have been washed ashore at
Wernbury Bay from the wreck of the Ocean Queen—
viz., a woman and three children.
Last night, in consequence of fouling under the stern
of a ship at anchor, a boat belonging to the Prussian
brig Columbus, of Barth, was upset in the Sound, and
the master, H. N. Suhr, was unfortunately drowned The altered rudder of the Adelaide was hung this
afternoon ; she takes the trial trip to-morrow at two,
and will probably sail for Australia on Sunday morning
after the arrival of the London mail. That part of the
cliff' opposite Breeches Rock which fell on the South-
Devon Railway on Tuesday has been nearly removed.
There is now very little inconvenience to passengers-
and on Sunday the line will be entirely clear. Tele
graph communication is restored.

SHEERNESS, DEC. 31.
Her Majesty's screw steam-frigate Amphion, 34 guns
and 300-horse power.—The following commissions were
taken up yesterday for this ship—viz., Lieutenant Be-
vine G. W. Nicolas, October 23, 1849 ; and Charles S.
Giles, Paymaster, Nov. 9, 1846.
Her Majesty's screw steam-guard-ship Horatio, 24
guns, Captain the Hon. S. Carnegie.—Mr. J. Yeatman,
his
additional second master,
y appointed to this ship, took up
Her Majesty's paddle-wheel steam-sloop Barracouta,
6 guns.—Lieutenant Robert Gibson, January 16, 1849,
has taken up his commission for this ship. Arthur W.
W. Babington, surgeon, March 31, 1851, appointed to
this ship, vice Patterson, resigned, has taken up his com-
mission also.
Several seamen volunteers have entered for the Rattle-
snake, Commander H. Trollope. Up to the present
time there have not been any volunteers for the Amphion
or Barracouta, except stokers.
Her Majesty's
,paddle-wheel steam-sloop Driver, of
guns and 280-horse pover.— A full supply of ammuniti G
on
from Woolwich and
and small arms has been sent down here for this ship,
Upnor.
APPOINTMENTS.
Master.—George Williams (1851), to the Miranda, 14
screw-sloop, Sheerness.
Surgeons.—Arthur W.
Barracouta, steam-sloo W. Babington (1851), to the
the screw guard-ship, Sheerness Dr. John Sloan, to
Paymasters.—p Ajax, Queenstown.
frigate, ortsmoutC. h
W. Boone, to the Odin, 12, steam-
the Saturn, Pembroke Frederick Gransmore (1844), to
Assistant Surgeons.—W. J. Baird,
Impregnable, flag-ship acting, to the
the Desperate , Devonport ; W. J. Duigan, to
screw-sloop, Devonport.
Second Masters.—W. H. Moore 1852
' brand, steam-frigate, ( ), to the Fire-
Woolwich ; A. F. Boxer, to the
A B Fire-
Amphion 34, screw-frigate, Sheerness ; Christopher
R. . Wilkinson (1849), from the Victory, Portsmouth,
to the Rattlesnake, 8, Sheerness ; Henry P. Ward
(1850), late of the Dolphin, coast of Africa, to the Vic-
tory, vice Wilkinson.
Clerks.- -Christopher J. Martin (1847), late in the
Alarm, 26, to Imperieuse, 50, screw-frigate, at Wool-
wich ; Edward A. Amphlett (1847), late acting pay-
master of the Sappho, 12, to the Odin ; Arthur G.
Thomas (1849), to the Desperate.
Masters' Assistants.—James T. Boulton, to the Sidon,
steam-frigate, Portsmouth ; J. A. R. Petch, to the Arro-
gant, steam-frigate ; William Pead, to the Firebrand.

PRIZE-MONEY FOR THE HECLA, STEAM-SLOOP.—Messrs.
Woodhead and Co. have given notice to Commander
E. H. Beauchamp and the officers and crew of her Ma-
jesty's ship Hecla, who are entitled to share in the pro-
ceeds arising from the capture of the slaver, name un-
known, on the 25th day of June, 1851, that the distri-
bution thereof will be made on the 28th day of Jatuary,
1853, at No. 1, James-street, Adelphi, and where the
list will be re-called every Wednesday and Friday for
three months : Flag, 891. 14s. 11d. ; commander,
1681. ss. sd. ; third class, 421. 13s. 4d. ; fourth, 251. 120.;
fifth, 141. 18s. Bd. ; sixth, 121. 16s. ; seventh, 8/. 10s. Bd.;
eighth, 41. ss. 4d. ninth, 21. 13s. 4d. ; tenth. 1/. 12s.