The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-08 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

The United Service Gazette states that Admiral Giffard
is seriously ill at his residence. at Southampton. The
gallant veteran has been ii--cominissioned. officer for 63
years, and is above•Bo years of age. He is on the ser-
vice pension list:, , .

, .
Sunday was the anniversary of Sir John Duckworth's
action' off St. 'Domingo. We perceive from Allen's new
and comprehensive Navy List, just issued, that there
are 40. officers surviving who shared in the glories of the
day, among whom are Admirals Sir F. Austen, K.C.8.,
and Sir Samuel Pym, K.C.B.
Commander J. 31. Stothei (1846), on the retired list
011830, died on the 286- ult., aged 68. •
Surgeon Frederick Le Grand {1839) formerly in the
Cyclops, steam-frigate, on the coast of Syria, and latterly
in charge Of a, convict ship, has been [appointed to the
screw three.decker -Duke of Wellington, at Portsmouth.

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 7.
ViCtoria and Albert, royal yacht, Capt. W. Crispin,
was brought down from her moorings this morning at
nine o'clock, .and' !placed in the fitting basin. She has
had her• ma,sts,taken out, preparatory to going into dock.
Asia, 84,7--The weather covering of her deck was re-
moved thia`morning, and other preparations made for
getting her out on Friday next. Many hands are also
engaged in laying on Peacock's composition on her part
side, the starboard side having already been payed over
with Hay's, ,
The Fire QUeen, steam-tender to Victory, Master-
Commander W. F. Paul, was lying' at her moorings off
the Royal Clarence Yard, when' a collier named the
Apollo, belonging to the Messrs. Burrell, of Fareham,
in endeavouring to round the vessel to, got caught by
the tide, and set her foul of the Fire Queen. We are
happy to-say there was but little damgge done, although
it looked ugly enough at the time, a trifling part of the
shrouds being, carried away.. The master of the Apollo
very properly waited upon the admiral superintendent of
the dockyard, expressing his regret, and offering to pay
whatever damage may have been' sustained. -
Rodney, 02, -Captain Charles Graham, C. 8., leaves
Spithead for, Malta on Thursday next.
Fairy, steam-tender to the Victoria and Albert, Mas-
ter-Comniiinder David N. Welch, was placed: on the
gridiron this morning, to have Griffiths' patent propeller
shipped. She will come off to-night about 8.30, and go
to her buoy up, the harbour to-morrew at 10. She will
proceed to the measured-mile at Stokes Bay to test the
advantages of this "new principle. The trial will be an-
der the direction:of Captain Crispin, of the Royal yacht
Victoria and Albert.

Frolic, 16, sloop, was removed from the basin this
morning, and towed up the harbour by the Echo, steam-
tug.

i'rince Regent, 90, Captain Hutton, will go into the
angle dock to-morrow, to clean and examine her copper,
and to repair some trifling defects.
A Dutch ship, apparently 500 tons, brought up at the
Motherbafik this morning, having run over a Dutch
galliot during the night. The crew got on board the
ship ; and pilot vessels have left the port to ascertain
whether she is afloat, as she was laden with timber, and
might have righted herself after the collision.

PLYMOUTH, FRB. 6.
. .
Letters frpm Lisbon, dated the 27th of January, on
board her Majesty's steam block-ship Sanspareil, 81,
Captain Sidney C. Dacres, state that she will return to
England early in March.

Letters from • Port Royal, Jamaica, on board her
Majesty's ship Persian, say—" We arrived here on the
28th of last month, with our commander (Mitchell) and
50 of the cre*'orilhe sielc list, suffering from fever and
ague, :•contracted during our stay at Greytown. The
commander and•,2l of. the crew were at once sent to the
hospital, but, foritunately, no deaths have resulted from
the disease.. We haVereated here, and as soon as the
patients 'can be rebno'•Ved on' board *e proceed to Eng-
land, where we hope• to arrive during the month of
February."

'J t f ~

WOOLWICH Fgn. 7.,

'Surgeon.--Tredetiek' W. Le''Grand- (1839); to the
Duke, of, Wellington,: 131,i. screw. steam-ship; at Ports-
.;
Aesist'ant-Surgeons.—Stephen Bowden (184), from
the Inipregnable flag-ship at 'D'eviinport, to the Duke of
Welli'ngton'; George F: Banks .0848), to the Duke of
Wellington. , • , • • . • .
. • - •

. Clerks—George N,Warreu (VW), to the Ajax, .58,
screw steam lag-ship, at Coiki Robert T. Mason (1848),
from the Ajax, dt• COrk; tb• the linpregnable flag-ship, at
Devonport. .) •

The. Janus stea,m-sloop was taken out of dock to-day
and into the basin, to be fitted as a tug; for service at
Portsmouth.

The Cormorarit ' steam-sloop' is having' her• bottom
again made tight' to a little above the water line, for
the purpose ,of haying, her taKen out of the east dock
and into the basin, for the better convenience of having
her engines taken out at the factory. She will then
be towed -up to Deptford, to be broken up at that dock-
yard.

.•
The Dover iron steam-vessel from the Gambia, the
Lucifer, the Merlin, and Prospero steam-vessels are to
be taken up the river from Woolwich to DpPtford Dock-
yard on Wednesday next.
The Cruiser steam-sloop, Commander Hon. George
H. Douglas, was tried again at the measured mile at
Sea Reach,' and her speed with steam alone found to be
on an average of four runs, two down and two up,
6.608 knots, which was considered very satisfactory, as
her engines, by the Messrs. Rennie, are of only 60-horse
power. She left Greenhithe yesterday in charge of her
first Lieutenant William Lombard, for Portsmouth,
where Commander Hon. G. H. Douglas will join her
during the week.
Lieutenant W. M. Walker, of the United States' navy,
visited the dockyard to-day by permission of the Lords
of the Admiralty.

THE - SCREW-PROPELLER FOR WAR
- PURPOSES. -
. TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING HERALD.
Sir,L--.-For war' purposes it has always been a sine qua
non with Captain .Carpenter, that there should be an
auxiliary screw" propeller always ready to propel a vessel
in case the screw in the- dead-wood should be entangled
by wreck, or otherwise :become. fouled by stratagems
usually practised in war. • •For example, he says,. we are
at the present crisis about to trust our defence entirely
to a fleet pf ships, which are to be prepelled'by means of
a single screw plaCed in the- dead-wood, • and if' these
vegselashould fail to defend us the chances are that we
,may fall into the hands of an invading army, as we have
not an army at home that could compete with a force of
150,000 disciplined troops.
Now, amongst the artifices of war-which he has always
been apprehensive would puzzle' a fleet of screw-ships,
and which has been the cause of his urging the Admi-
ralty to adopt small quarter propellers as auxiliaries 10
the large screw in the dead-wood, is -the following °
Nets may be made-interwoven with wire, and suspendedo :
btyheratradacnsk ooff. acc'prlcsurs, pursuing en
iinntoththee weeaateirn
fleet, which would effectually stop them enemy's screw
pro-
ceeding in their course ; to the miaiinnearopethfreroenEl would
in"Allerent lines, also so that
suspended
baranntlehminbegrouotf
wibethatetacorkhede,
when the ship came abreast of them
round the screw propeller it they would wind
, as resolves in the water.
To the net there would
be chains
connected with small anchors, also attached, and
provided, of course, they
were laid out in soundings • then the'
round, the.
he chain 2 as screw wound
with it. The consequence would be that the ship would
enemy's hands, or, andat probably she would fall into the
any rate, the opponents might
proceed in their course unmolested, and commit devas-
tation wherever
sailing-ship,s' pleased.
it must be remembered, would pass
over the net, and would not be entrapped like a screw-
• vessel.

- A paddle-wheel steamer would twist the net round
the wheel, which could be got at and cleared.
Hence we see the necessity of providing all single-
scre'w vessels with an auxiliary, for it is clear such ships
will bedomo very inefficient safeguards to our coast.
Our, screw.vessels have not yet been proved in war ;