The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-26 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

INCREASE OF OUR ACTIVE NAVAL FORCES.
In addition to the ships enumerated last week—Juno,
26, Diamond, 28—the Admiralty have commissioned
two of the four screw line-of-battle ships we announced
some days since as intended for active service. These
are the St. George, 120, screw, at Sheerness, and Prin-
cess Royal, 91, screw, at Portsmouth—the former to
be commanded by Capt. Codrington, C. 8., and the
latter by Lord Clarence Paget. The reinforcements
that have proceeded, or are under orders for the Medi-
terranean, are Queen, 116 ; Agamemnon, 91 ; Leander,
50 ; Highflyer, 21, screw; Terrible, 21 ; paddle; Leo•
pard, 18, paddle.

It was inadvertentlAy statedPPOINTMENTS yesterday that Captain
Fremantle was appointed to the Victoria and Albert ;
it should have been to the Juno, 26, at Chatham.
Captain Henry J. Codrington, C.B. (1836), has been
appointed to the command of the St. George, 120, at
Sheerness; and Commander J. M`Neil Boyd (1850),
has been appointed commander to that ship. Captain
Codrington, son of the late Admiral Sir Edward Cod-
rington, G.C.8., is one of the youngest officers of his
standing in the navy, being only 45 years of age. He
entered the service in 1823, and has been afloat about
twenty years. He wax with his father at Navarino,
and was severely wounded in the battle ; was made
a lieutenant in 1829 ; was made a commander in
1831 ; commanded the Orestes, 18, in the Mediter-
ranean ; and was promoted in 1836. As captain he
commanded the Talbot, 26, at Acre ; the Queen, 116,
and St. Vincent, 120, as flag-captain to his father ; and
lastly the Thetis, 36, in the Mediterranean, and during
the late convulsions in the Italian States, where, by his
firm and discreet conduct, he prevented a great deal of
bloodshed. Commander Boyd entered the navy in
1825, and has served more than twenty years afloat. He
was in the Niger expedition, served with Captain Cod-
rington in the St. Vincent and Queen, was made a lieu-
tenant in 1841, served as first of the Winchester, 50,
then flag-ship at the Cape, and as first of the Thetis, 36,
again with Captain Codrington, from which ship he was
promoted. The Royal George is one of the old-class of
three-deckers that have never been to sea, or, we believe,
in commission. She has been most inexpensively fitted
with screw engines of 400-horse power, without half re-
building her, as they did the Blenheim, Hogue, &c., and
thus she is converted into a heavily-armed serviceable
coast defence ship, with a speed perhaps of between
eight and nine knots. Captain Codrington is senior to
Sir Thomas Maitland, Hon. H. Keppel, W. H. Hender-
son, Hon. F. T. Pelham, S. C. Dacres, John Shepherd,
L. T. Jones, who have been, and now are, in command
of line of battle-ships,
Captain the Right Hon. Lord Clarence Paget (1839),
, son of the Marquis of Anglesey, whose last service was
in the Belvidera, 38, has commissioned the Princess Royal,
191, screw ship, at Portsmouth. The gallant officer was
M.P. for Sandwich, before the last general election, and
was private secretary to his father, when Master Gene-
ral of the Ordnance. The ship will be ready to take her
trial at the measured mile on Monday.
Captain Nicholas Lefebvre, who has been just pro-
moted from the command of the Dasher, steam-
vessel has been re-appointed to that vessel, as cap-
tain, for further service at the Channel Islands. This
officer, who was the senior of the four commanders
promoted, and has served about 22 years afloat,
entered the navy Jan. 18, 1811, as a volunteer, on
board the Victory, 100 Captain Philip Dumaresq, bear-
ing the flag of Sir James Saumarez, in the Baltic ; and
in the following December was on his passage home, in
company with the St. George and Defence, when those
ships were lost. Becoming midshipman, in July, 1812,
of the Ethalion, 36, Captains Edmund Heywood and
William Hugh Cobie, he was, for some time prior to
December, 1814, employed on the North American and
Irish stations. He then removed, as master's mate, to
the Zenobia, sloop, Captain Nicholas Charles Dobree,
and while in that vessel had the misfortune, during the
war of 100 days, to be taken prisoner by the French.
Contriving soon to effect his escape, he rejoined the
Zenobia, and was in her when she escorted Napoleon to
St. Helena. Previously to the return of the latter
vessel to England he landed, it appears, at Ascension,
with a party of marines, from the flag-ship, and was for
some length of time employed on shore. On Jan. 8,
1826, nearly nine years after he had passed his examina-
tion, Mr. Lefebvre was promoted to the rank of lieu-
tenant. In the course of the ensuing montk he obtained
an appointment to the Britannia, 120, flag-ship of Sir
James Saumaraz, at Plymouth, where he remained until
April, 1827 ; and he was lastly, from June 9, 1834,
until paid off, in October, 1838, employed as first lieu-
tenant, in the Zebra, 16, commanded by Captain Robert
Contort M'Crea, on the East India and South Sea
stations. For his gallant conduct during that period,
and more especially for the zealous perseverance he
exhibited in the boats when in quest of pirates, Mr.
Lefebvre, on the earnest recommendation of the com-
mander in chief, Sir Thomas Bladen Capel, was pro-
moted to the rank of commander, by commission, dated
Dec. 27, 1838. Commander Lefebvre has been pre-
sented by the Royal Humane Society with a medal, as a
reward for his conduct, in having frequently saved the
lives of seamen.
Commander John B. Cragg has been appointed to
Devonport ordinary, vice Edmonstone, promoted. This
officer entered the navy in 1809, was 12 years a mate,
and was made a lieutenant in 1828. As a lieutenant,
he served long in all climates, and commanded several
steamers, in one of which, the Hecla, he suffered much
from a devastating fever. He was promoted in 1842,
and in 1846 was appointed to the command of the
Sphynx, 6, steam sloop. Whilst this vessel was running
from Devonport to Portsmouth, she went ashore on the
Isle of Wight, and on investigation of the circumstances
by court-martial, Commander Cragg was placed at the
bottom of the list. It was the opinion of most naval
men at the time, that Commander Cragg was severely
dealt with, and no one will now begrudge his re-appoint-
ment to active service.
Commander Matthew S. Nolloth (1846), who some
time
since paid off the Plumper, 12, screw, from the
Brazils and the West Indies, has been appointed to the
oni land of the Frolic, at Portsmouth. He entered
the navy in 1824, passed his examination in 1830, was
promoted in 1838. As a lieutenant, he served in the
Childers, 12, in the operations in China of 1342, and in
the Bittern, 16.
Lieutenant E. F. Dent (1846), to the Sybille, 40,
East Indies, vice Coles.
Mate-B. S. De R. Hall (1852), from the Excellent,
gunnery-ship, to the Diamond, 26, Sheerness.
Cadets-John S. Gregory, to the Imperieuse, 51,
screw, Devonport ; A. M. Byam and J. R. Carr, to the
Juno, 26, Chatham.

PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 25.
The St. Jean d'Acre, 101, Captain the Hon. H.
Keppel, is coining into harbour to have Mr. Grant's
distilling galley, now on board the Duke of Wellington,
fitted to her ; the Duke to have a new one. This galley,
it is calculated, will produce 1,200 gallons of twice dis-
tilled water daily, during the period the galley is neces-
sarily in operation in cooking the ship's company's pro-
visions. The St. Jean d'Acre's chain lockers are also to
be shifted forward. She steamed into harbour minus
powder, provisions, &c., this afternoon.
The Amphion, 34, screw-frigate, Captain Key, sailed
into harbour yesterday, from Spithead, to have her de-
fects made good.
The Cesar, 90, new ship, was taken into the steam
factory basin yesterday, to ship and fit her machinery ;
she went into dock to-day.
The Tribune, 30, Captain the Hon. S. T. Carnegie,
steamed out of harbour yesterday afternoon, and anchored
at Spithead ; to-day, at 2 o'clock, she proceeded to try
her machinery and speed at the measured mile in Stokes-
bay.

The Lizard, iron steam-vessel, came into harbour yes-
terday morning from the eastward, having on board a
large number of supernumeraries and general service
men for the ships at this port and Plymouth.
The Arab, 12, Commander Ogle, shipped supernu-
meraries, &c., yesterday, and sailed to-day for the coast
of Africa station.

The Medea steam-sloop, 0, Commander Bailey, was at
Halifax on the 13th inst., and may be expected at Spit'
head early next month.
Mr. Grant, the Controller of Victualling,
was at this
port yesterday. The baking for the fleet at the Royal
Clarenoe Victualling Establishment, Gosport, under the
direction of Captain Superintendent Courtenay, R.N.,
is at present stopped, a sufficient supply for any emer-
gency being in store, although the resources of the es-
tablishment are victualling 8,000 men per day now.
Captain Mends and Secretary Cleeve Joined the
Agamemnon at Devonport yesterday.
The Dolphin, 5, brigantine, Lieutenant Commander
Webber, sailed to-day for the coast of Africa.
The Terrible, 21, paddle-frigate, Captain If Tleverty,
arrived to-day from Queenstown, but is ordered to
Devonport, vve believe to carry out Rear-Admiral Sir
E. Lyons, as second in command, to the Mediterranean.
The Sprightly steam-tender, Mr. George Allen
Acting-Master commanding, leaves this evening for
ships with supernumeraries and volu t
ships fitting at that port. n eera for the
The
the fittin Russi
basinan fr
t o-igad ate A
ur
anora, 44, has been placed in
will be docked to-morrow,
y, d
to have her copper and false keel repaired.

WOOLWICH, Ocr. 25.
Lieutenant Christian arrived at Woolwich to-day, and
hoisted the pendant on board the Rifleman screw steam-
sloop,
Mar Captain Ramsay, of the Woolwich Division of Royal
and a detachment of the same division, have
been named for embarcation for service in the Royal
George, commissioned to-day, at Sheerness.
The Phoenix screw screw steam-sloop, Captain Edward
A. Inglefield, was paid off to-day, at Woolwich. Pre-
vious to the crew being paid off, the officers, petty
officers, and men all assembled in front of the pay-office,
when Captairk laglefield read a ;etter, of which tho fol.