The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-16 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 15.

The Rattlesnake, 8, Commander Trollope.—Her leak
was occasioned by being so dteply immersed and work-
ing the tiller on the lower deck, the water almost being
in line with the rudder head ; the shipwrights have
stopped that up, well caulked and coppered, and she
will work her tiller on the upper deck. A considerable
quantity of her pig ballast has been landed to-day, and
a lot of sugar and other stores which she can dispense
with ; 50 tons of hamper got rid of will make all the
difference to the comforts of the officers and crew, as
well as the advantage to her sailing. Her rudder will
be reshipped to-morrow, and on Friday she comes out
of dock.

The Rhadamanthus, 4, paddle-wheel steam-transport,
Master Commander John Belam, arrived to-day with
stores from Plymouth, consisting of tanks for Mavell, a
pinnace for the Agamemnon, and she also brought round
a few volunteer seamen.

The Banshee, 2, paddle-wheel steam-packet, Lieut,
Commander James Hosken, having completed her re.
pairs below the water, hauled out of dock into the steam.
basin. She is nearly ready for service as, a dispatch
vessel.

The Barracouta, 6, paddle-wheel steam-sloop, Cora:
mander George Parker, haying landed part of the crew
paid off from the Castor, got under weigh at Spithead
this morning, to take the remainder of the Castor's crew
to Plymouth.
The Sprightly, steam-tender to Victory, Master Com-
mander Allen, returned into harbour this morning,
having conveyed the poor lads to Liverpool brought
home by the Tyne, store-ship, from the Brazils.
The Manceuvrer, lighter, left this port with stores for
Plymouth Dockyard, this morning.
A fine frigate-built Indiaman (Malabar), one of Green's
splendid fleet, left Spithead, with passengers, &e., for
Madras, this day.

SHEERNESS,.FEB. 14.

The Espiegle, 12, Commander George Hancock.—Mr.
John James Weeks, clerk, has taken up his appointment
to this sloop. An example has been set by Commander
Hancock which we hope to see followed by other com-
manders fitting out vessels of her class. Under the pre-
sent Admiralty regulations for the accommodation of
officers, no provision has been made for the assistant
surgeon appointed. Captain Hancock has given up one
of his own cabins for the entire use of the assistant-sur-
geon appointed, otherwise he must have been without
a cabin for his personal comforts.
The Horatio, 24, screw steam-guard-ship, Captain the
Hon. S. T. Carnegie, left her moorings at 2 p.m. to-day'
for a trial cruise in the North Sea. During her trip the
Brew will be put to their target practice, and generally
exercised through all evolutions in seamanship. She will
return again on Wednesday or Thursday next week.
The Amphion, 34, screw steam-frigate, Captain Chas.
G. E. Patey, is to be docked when the tides will permit
the caisson to be lifted, in order to get her bottom cleaned
and make good some slight defects, which can only be
effected when the vessel is placed in a dry dock. In
consequence of the _ severity of the weather, the crew

have lad warm clothing served out to them, which no
doubt will prevent the sickness which has slightly made
its appearance in this vessel ; the seamen generally, as
volunteers, not (under the Admiralty regulations), being
supplied with slops from the paymaster. The volun-
teers for the different ships in port have suffered very
considerably from this cause. Surely the remedy is in
the hands of every commander. No seaman can run "
with a new suit of slop clothing served out, if he is not
permitted leave until he has earned his wages to pay for
them, and there are few who, under such circumstances,
would think they were harshly dealt with.
The Phaeton.—A portion of the lower rigging has
been put to a severe test here, in order to ascertain
whether, from the labour of that ship while in commis-
sion; her rigging had been strained, and thereby ren-
dered useless for further service. One pair of the main
shrouds were this day placed on the testing machine for
cordage, which, to all external appearance, was the
most worn ; and on the graduated strain being put on,
the size of the rope being 11 inches, it stood up to 20
tons' dead purchase strain, and when slacked up not the
slightest distress or strain was perceivable from end to
end. This is certainly a striking proof that the Phae-
ton must have been a very easy ship under all circum-
stances, as far as rolling and pitching goes. It may be
well to remark that the breaking strain of new 11-inch
shroud laid rope would be 24 tons and one-fifth of a ton,
and the usual test it would be put to for general use
would be two-thirds of that strain.

WOOLWICH, FEB. 15.

Commander Edward A. Inglefield visited Woolwich
dockyard, and put the Phoenix, screw steam-sloop, in
commission. The vessel was -taken out of dock yester-
day, and will be taken into the basin this afternoon to
have her boilers put on board, and she will be out of the
hands of the factory engineers on the 16th of April.
Her commander anticipates being ready to leave Wool-
wich in the first week in May for the Arctic regions.
The Monkey, steam-vessel, Second-Master Sallanger,
went up to Deptford this afternoon, to take on board and
convey to Portsmouth the furniture of Vice-Admiral Sir
Thomas Cochrane, appointed to the command at that
port.
The Fearless, steam-vessel, will be out of the hands
of the engineers on the 19th inst.

PRIZI4 MONEY.—Mr. Musptatt has given notice, that
an account of the tonnage bounty and proceeds of a
slave brig, name unknown, captured on the 22d of
August, 1850, by her Majesty's steam-sloop Prometheus,
Henry Rd. Foote, Esq., commander, will be delivered
into the registry of the High Court of Admiralty,
agreeably to act of Parliament, on the Ist day of March
next.