The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-22 00:00:00

NAVAL APPOINTMENTS.

Captain Edward Augustus Inglefield (1853), who made
two previous voyages to the Arctic regions—the first in
the Isabel, screw steamer, in which he proceeded up
Smith's Sound to the entrance of the great Polar Sea ;
and the second, in which he succeeded, in the Phoenix
screw steam-sloop, in conveying stores and provisions to
Beechey Island, for the relief of Captain Sir Edward
Belcher's expedition, and returned the same season,
bringing home Lieutenant Cresswell, of the Investigator,
the first European who accomplished the North-west
passage, having entered through Behring's Straits and
returned to England by Davis' Straits—is appointed to
command the Plicenix screw steam-sloop, Woolwich,
commissioned yesterday, for the purpose of conveying
further relief, during the approaching season, for Sir
Edward Belcher's expedition, at the rendezvous at
Beechey Island.

Lieutenant Samuel Guerny Cresewell (1849), who has
been borne on the books of the Investigator, which he
left last year in Mercy Bay in the Arctic regions, on his
return to England with despatches from Captain M'Clure,
is appointed to be lieutenant-commander of the Talbot,
22, commissioned yesterday, at Deptford, to convey
stores to Beechey Island, and to accompany the Phoenix
in her next voyage to the Arctic regions.
Lieutenant Col.n C. A. Kane (1841), from the coast-
guard, to be lieutenant-commander of the Janus, sta-
tioned as a gunnery ship at Sheerness, for exercising the
Royal Naval Coaat Volunteers.
Clerks—norms Watarfield (1851), recently serving
in the Volcano paddle-wheel steam-vessel, on the West
coast of Africa station, to the Simoom, 18, iron screw
steam-ship, at Portsmouth ; John G. Whiffin (paymaster
of 1851), to the Royal William, 120, guard-ship of ordi-
nary, at Devonport.
Clerks' Assistants—Henry S. R. Giles, to the Hogue,
58, screw steam-ship ; Arthur M. Garrington, to the
Monarch, 84, at Sheerness ; William H. Allen, to the
St. George, 121, at Devonport ; Piercy Ellis, to the
Caesar, 91, screw steam-ship, at Portsmouth.

WOOLWICH, FEB. 21.
Orders have been received at Woolwich dockyard to
prepare for launching the Royal Albert, 131, screw
steam-ship, on Saturday, the 13th of April next. Her
Majesty, Prince Albert, and several of the junior mem-
bers of the Royal Family, will be present on the occa-
sion, and the ceremony of christening that splendid spe-
cimen of naval architecture will be performed by the
Princess Royal. The Royal Albert is now in so ad-
vanced a state as to be an object of great attraction to
the visitorsto Woolwich Dockyard.

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 21.
The Edinburgh, 58, screw steam-ship, Captain Hew-
lett, flag of Rear-Admiral Chads, will be ready to go to
Spithead on Wednesday.
The Dauntless, 24, screw frigate, Captain Ryder,
sailed from Spithead this afternoon on ten days' cruise,
to exercise her crew in seamanship and gunnery.
The Zephyr, steam-vessel, sailed to-day on her return
to Woolwich ; she brought round Mr. King, of the
Neptune, and party, who took the Talbot round from
this port.
The Northumberland packet-ship sailed from Spithead
last evening for New York.
The Blenheim, 60, steam-ship, Captain the Hon.
F. T. Pelham, will haul out of the fitting-basin on
Friday.
The Princess Royal, 91, screw ship, Captain Lord
C. Paget, took her powder and shells this morning at
Spithead, and commenced swinging this afternoon to
adjust her compasses.
The Caesar, 91, screw ship, Captain Robb, is being
hastened with all possible despatch ; every available
hand has been placed in her. A very serious accident
occurred on board yesterday to a coastguard-man of the
Hastings district, named William Cook, who fell from
the chains into the dock, and very severely fractured
his skull ; he was removed to Haslar Hospital in a very
perilous state. This is the third accident that has taken
place on board the Caesar ; on a former occasion the
chief boatswain fell down the main hold, and had his
head very much fractured.
Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane, K.C.8., went
off to Spithead this morning, and mustered the ships'
companies of the Princess Royal and Dauntless.
The Resistance, troop-ship, Master Commander Brad-
shaw, came into harbour this afternoon to land stores
and fit for further use.

The Dragon, 6, paddle frigate, Capt. Wilcox, com-
pleted the adjustment of her compasses, and steamed out
to Spithead this afternoon.
The Mercury, cutter, Lieut. Commander Jackson,
sailed on Monday evening to resume her station on the
Channel Islands.

The Vulcan, 6, screw troop.ship, Commander Van
Donop, re-bent sails to-day.

PLYMOUTH, FEB. 21.

Rear-Admiral Berkeley, one of the Lords of the Ad-
miralty, accompanied by his son, and by Captain Hen-
derson, C. 8., Controller-General of the Coast-guard,
arrived by the Great Western express train yesterday
afternoon, at the Plymouth station of the South Devon
Railway, where he was received by Port-Admiral Sir J.
Ommanney, with whom they dined, in company with
Captain Kennedy and other naval officers.
This morning, at 10 o'clock, they will inspect the
riggers at the dockyard, and at 11 the seamen and ma-
rine pensioners are to be examined at the Long-room,
Stonehouse. The selected dockyard riggers will be
appointed to ships in commission, and so will the seamen
pensioners fit for such se,rvice. The marine pensioners
will be placed on Coast-guard duty in the room of Coast-
guard men sent to ships afloat.
Admiral Berkeley is spoken of here as the Comman-
der-in• Chief of the Baltic fleet.

The Melampus was taken out of dock at Keyham
yesterday. The Desperate will go in on Thursday.
The Hogue commenced coaling yesterday. The Ma-
gicienne will commence to-day. A court-martial will be
held this week on her master for neglect of duty and
drunkenness.
A letter has been received here from Lieut. F. A.
Bowen, RN., writtenlon board the schooner yacht Pro-
serpine, which left Southampton on the 25th of Oct. for
Melbourne and New Zealand, and dated 30th Nov., itt
St. Jago, Cape Verde. It states that off Madeira, on
the 7th Nov., they exchanged colours with two Russian
frigates, and tried sailing with them and beat them both.
The Russians were bound out ; they carried a press of
sail and rolled heavily.
Tam ACCIDENT TO THE PIQUE.—The narrow escape of
one of the finest frigates in her Majesty's navy, while
quietly moored in the safe harbour of Hamoaze, has
created a great sensation among the naval and dockyard
authorities in this port. It has vividly recalled to me-
mory the fatal loss of the Royal George, 108, which sunk
at Spithead, while undergoing the operation of what is
technically termed " the Parliament heel ." this occur-
rence took place on the 29th August, 1782,' when Admi-
ral Kempenfeldt and near 1,000 men unhappily perished.
The Pique, 40, Capt. Sir F. Nicolson, is almost ready
for,sea, and is now lying off the ballast pond at the foot
of St. John's Lake, near Terpoint, on the western shore
of Hamoaze. Her crew is, however, what is termed hulked
on board the Argo, a dismantled ship in ordinary, lying
half-a-mile distant, south-south-east, close to the Devon-
port dockyard on the eastern shore. All the frigate's
guns are on board, and every arrangement would have
been completed this week for the transfer of the crew,
which is only about 50 short of the complement. In
the meantime she is chiefly guarded by marines. The
discovery of her sinking condition appears to have been
made simultaneously by three different persons about 2
o'clock on Sunday afternoon. The warrant officers of
one of the ships in ordinary lying near observed that
her main deck scuppers and the flukes of her anchors
(suspended from the bow) were nearer the water's edge
than on the previous day. The position of the anchors
was seen by the sergeant of marines on duty, and the
wife of one of the marines heard strange noises in the
hold, caused by its contents being floated about against
each other. lOn opening the lower hatches the dangerous
condition of the ship was apparent, and a distress signal
was immediately hoisted at the peak. Capt. Nicolson,
First Lieutenant Bland, and the crew of the Pique, with
the crew of the St. George and other ships in commis-
sion, hastened on board. They found that the ship had
sunk three streaks, that the water was up to her plat-
form beams, from 10 to 14 feet deep, and was by compu-
tation about 340 tons. It suddenly occurred to the car-
penter that the cock of the wash-deck pipe, or fire-
pipe, had not been turned after washing decks on
Saturday, and he quickly jumped below and turned
it. After six hours' pumping, using the wash-deck
and all other engines, the ship was happily relieved.
Her stock of bread is spoilt and the flour injured.
The slops, consisting of blankets, beds, cloth, duck,
thread, &c. are saturated, and are to be sent to the Royal
William Victualling-yard ; the coal is to be discharged.
Only one of the fresh-water tanks is flooded. The ac-
cident will cause the ship's detention for two or three
weeks. The wash-deck cook is cased over with " rab-
betted " board, in the orlop deck, above the shelf-piece
which takes the orlop deck beams. When not in use it
is protected with a padlock, the key of which is in the
custody of the ship's carpenter, and is ordinarily brought
to him by the ship's caulker. Between them this act of
gross negligence was committed. A similar accident
could not occur on board a ship in full commission, it
being the duty of a lieutenant, accompanied by a ser-
geant of marines, the master-at-arms, the ship's corporal,
and others, to go the round every night at 8 or at 9
o'clock, when the lights are extinguished, and every
morning when divisions are beat.

MALTA, FEB. 12.

For the last few days the authorities have beenac-
tively engaged in making inquiry as to the amount of
barrack accommodation available in any part of the
island, since a large body of troops is expected to arrive
here from England to await the turn of events in the
East.

The large stores in the Lazaretto, capable of contain-
ing 1,500 men, and the lofts in the dockyard, where 800
may be accommodated, are ordered to be got ready.
The Fencibles, it is possible, may be ordered to Civita
Vecchia, and their present barracks turned over ; the
new fort of Verdalah will contain, perhaps, some 1,500
men over and above the 47th, there stationed ; and room
in various positions will be found for the accommodation