The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-24 00:00:00

PREPATIA.T.i6I.4.

~~~.

WMI

The employment of the electric telegraph in connec-
tion with the military operations of the allied armies in
the East is said to have been suggested by the Electric
Telegraph Company, and to be under the serious consi-
deration of the authorities both here and in France. It
cannot be doubted that most important advantages
would be gained by the use of such an agent, where time
and the earliest intelligence and the facilities for rapid3y
concentrating troops upon particular points are all el
such immense consequence. We should be indeed in-
excusable if we did not supplement the bravery and dis-
cipline of our soldiers by all the aids that modern science
and the resources of the country place within our reach.
Of these the electric telegraph is certainly one of the
most powerful, and, if turned to full account, it may ex-
ercise almost as decisive an influence over the fortunes
of a campaign as the screw steamer in our fleets.

The Blues are included in the division of cavalry to
be placed under the Earl of Lucan's command. His
lordship has appointed the. Hon. Mr. Charteris, of the
92d Highlanders, Captain Walker, of the 7th Dragoon
Guards, and Lord Bingham, of the Coldstream Guards,
his Aides•de•Camp.

PORTSMOUTH, MARca 23.

Now that the greater portion of the fleet for the
North Sea has been sent on its mission there is but little
doing here to need remark. The Caesar, 91 ; Prince
Regent, 90 ; St. George, 120 ; Desperate, 8 ; and
Gorgon, 6, are at Spithead • the two latter only wait-
ing orders to proceed, and the former awaiting men for
sea service. In the harbour and docks we have only
the Recta, 6, completing her crew, and the Penelope,
16, refitting. These are all the movements now- in
progress. The crew of the Penelope will be paid off
to-morrow ; but, although we have not heard of any
stress being laid upon them, as was the case with the'
crew of the Thetis, we believe the whole of her fine and
highly efficient company are reserved for further servile
after they have had a fortnight's run. No one would
think this the•chief naval arsenal in the country on the
eve of war, to look upon the placid inanition which ap-
pears everywhere to reign. We have no continual
booming of great guns from Spithead, no van-loads of
seamen pouring into the town by every train, or brought
in by steam tenders—no continual stream of victualling
lighters, powder and gun-hoys, watering vessels, and
such like now, keeping up
a night and day traffic be•
tween the harbour and the roadstead—all is quiet, not
to say doll, after our late excitement.

PLYMOUTH, Ma.uca 23.
The officers and craw of her Majesty's screw steam-
vessel Conflict, 8, Captain J. Foote, were paid wages
yesterday, and she is appointed to leave to-day for Spit-
head.

The crew of the screw steam-ship James Watt, 9],
Captain the Hon. George Elliot, were yesterday turned
over to her from the hulk, and got up topgallant yards,
and bent sails. On Saturday, the 25th, she will proceed
to the Eddystone to try her engines and rate of speed
at the measured mile. .

The frigate Phoebe, 50, sister ship to the Indefati-
gable, will be launched from this dockyard on the 12th
of April, after which sue will be fitted with a screw-
propeller:

At 3 o'clock this morning t large screw steam-ship,
supposed to be a man-of-war, with painted ports, having
her three topgaliantmasts struct, and a red light on the
bowsprithead, was seen off the Bolt, under steam only,
proceeding slowly up Channel against a strong e...vt
wind.

The Royal William, 120, Captain John Kingcome ix
to be equipped for sea.

WOOLWICH, 'MARCH 23.
APPOINTMENTS.
Commander Oliver J. Jones (1849), to the Hannibal,
91, screw steam-ship, at Woolwich.
Clerk-in-Charge John Tomkins (1848), from the Saturn,
at Pembroke, to the Janus steam-sloop at Woolwich:

Assistant-Surgeon A. R. R. Preston (1846), recently
serving in the London. 90, to the • Hannibal, 91, screw
steam-ship at Woolwich. -
Second-Master Graham IL Hills (1848), from the St.
Vincent guard-ship in ordinary, to the James Watt, 91,
screw steam-ship, at Devonport.
Master's-Assistant John T. Gowland, to the Archer,
14, screw steam-corvette, at Woolwich.
The Palmerston horse transport•ship, carrying the
pendant of Lieutenant and Agent Thomas James, R.N..
and the Alipore and John Masterman horse transport-
ships, having Captain Paynter's field battery on board,
were taken out of the basin at Woolwich yesterday
evening, and moored down the river, opposite the Royal
Arsenal. The band of the Royal Artillery arrived in the
dockyard in the afternoon, and played while the ships
were getting out of the basin. The wives of the soldiers
and thousands of the inhabitants of the town were in the
dockyard, and the cheering and counter-cheering kept
up was most enthusiastic. The vessels left the Royal
Arsenal this evening for Malta.