The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-27 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

, JAN. 26.
The Marion, hired troop-ship, hasPORTSMOUTH shipped a portion
of the baggage of the 85th Regiment to-day. The first
division of three companies will embark to-morrow, and
the second on Friday. The head-quarters go in the
Roman Emperor.
Rear-Admiral M. F. F. Berkeley, C. 8., M.P., one of
the
.Lords of the Admiralty, arrived at this port this
morning from Chichester, and visited the dockyard.
Rear-Admiral Fanshawe, C. 8., superintendent of this
dockyard, and Captain W. H. Henderson, C. 8., of the
Blenheim, accompanied him in his inspection' going on
board the Duke of Wellington, 131, &c. He
embarked
with Captain Chads, C. 8., at half-past one, and went on
board the Excellent to witness shot and shell experi-
ments.
The ship yacht Sylphide, which came into this port
last week, went out this afternoon and made for the
eastward.
We understand that a mate and the clerk of the Bar-
racouta, 6, steam-ship, at Sheerness, Commander G.
Parker, have left her Majesty's service.
We have now another reserve steam-squadron formed
at Portsmouth, the old reserve having been put into
commission—Bull-dog, Vesuvius, Stromboli, and Hecla
paddle-wheel steamers, and Conflict screw-sloop.
The screw three-decker hne-of-battle ship Duke of
Wellington, 130, is progressing fast in her engine-room,
which will have the advantage of all modern improve-
ments, her boilers and machinery will be amply protected
from the shot or shell of an enemy, by the whole extent
of the length of the engine-room (some 70 feet
in length), being so arranged that a 12-foot thick-
ness of coals on either side must prevent any shot, how-
ever short the range, from taking effect ; and as the
whole of the engine work as well as the boilers are at
least 5 feet below the water-line, we deem this important
part of her vulnerable points to be effectually secured.
She will be undocked on Saturday, and brought round
to the sheer jetty to be masted, after which she will be
redocked and fitted and rigged for commission.
We believe that the Agamemnon, 91, screw-ship,
Captain Sir Thomas Maitland, was reported as complete
at Sheerness, yesterday, and that she has now no leak in
her " water-tight" bulkheads: We have already stated
that she will be ready to go to the Nore on the Ist, and
will be ready to proceed to Spithead on the sth
proximo.
Fantome, 12, Commander Gennys, left Sydney, Nov.
2, for Wellington, New Zealand.
Simoom, screw-frigate, Captain Kingcome, left Queens.
town on Monday, with the 31st Regiment, for Corfu.
The Leopard, 12, Captain George Giffard, has been
placed in the steam basin to-day, ready for docking, to
have her copper cleaned.
The Rodney, 92, Captain Graham,'C.B., is partially
refitting her rigging, and will be out of the dockyard
hands by the 2d proximo, it is reported, when the Prince
Regent will be docked to have a slight refit, the Rodney
relieving her at Spithead.
The Fury, 6, paddle steam-sloop, Commander Tatham,
is reported to be complete after the repair of her defects,
by the Ist prox.
The Barracouta, 6, paddle steam-sloop, Commander
George Parker, is expected here this evening from
Sheerness, with seamen and marines belonging to this
port, paid off from the Phaeton, 50.

SHEERNESS, JAN. 25.
The Archer, 14, screw steam-sloop, Commander James
N. Strange, arrived here at about 8.30 a.m., this day,
from Falmouth, with volunteers for this navy, &c. She
saluted the flag while passing through the harbour; and,
after sending volunteers on boird the flag-ship Waterloo,
proceeded up to Saltpan-reach, to the coal depot Forti-
tude, to coal. The destination of the Archer, on her
departure, will be the North Sea.
The Barracouta, 6, paddle-wheel steam-sloop, Com-
mander George Parker, left here to-day with the Ports-
- mouth division of marines and seamen from the Phaeton,
for Portsmouth and Devonport. The Barracouta will
return here again immediately to finish her equipment.
The Phaeton, 50,, gun-frigate, has this day been paid
off in the basin, and, to the credit of the discipline of this
ship, they were paid off in the highest order and sobriety.
Among the entire ship's company there was not a single
case of drunkenness, or even what might be construed
"half-seas over." Each man made his remittance for his
place of residence for the next six weeks or two months,
previous to again joining the navy. On paying off this
frigate, Captain Charles Hope, R.N., Superintendent of
her Majesty's Dockyard here, highly complimented Cap-
tain George Elliot and First-Lieutenant Matthew Con-
nelly, on the high state of discipline attained in the ship,
and most particularly on the good feeling exhibited by
the crew on paying off towards their officers, which clearly,
showed, on the part of the ship's company, on their de-
paz ture, that they were leaving officers under whom they
would be ready to serve again, should the country re-
quire their services afloat.
The Rattlesnake sloop, Commander Henry Trollope.
—The fixed apparatus for diffusing the hot air through
the maindeck of this sloop is nearly completed. The
space to be acted upon by the apparatus is nearly 24,000
cubit feet, and such is its power that the temperature
can be raised from 15 to 20 below zero to 52 deg. Fah-
renheit. All the Arctic ships, including Sir John Frank-
lin's expedition, have been supplied by the same firm,
Messrs. Sylvester and Co. The apparatus will be tested
previous to her leaving the basin.

CHATHAM, JAN. 2G.
The Imperieuse, 50, screw steam-frigate, Captain R.
B. Watson, C. 8., is daily increasing the number of men
required to man the ship, and has now more than half
her complement on board. The weather for the
last few days having been more favourable her
main hold has been partially stowed and her cables
taken on board and stowed, and her store-rooms
have been fitted. The bowsprit has been rigged and
the jibboom pointed, and the main and mizen masts
will be rigged this evening. The construction of the
ship has given great satisfaction to all on board ; her
" limbers" are commodious, and ample space has been
allowed for thoroughly cleaning them—a matter of vast
consequence in a sanitary point of view. The easy access
which can be had to every part of the bilges affords the
means of having them perfectly cleaned out when neces-
sary. Captain Watson and the officers of the Imps-
rieuse are constant in their personal superintendence of
the fittings of the frigate, and pay the greatest attention
to having every chip of wood and particle of waste ma-
terial removed previous to storing the tanks and other
things.

WOOLWICH, JAN. 26.
The Resistance troop-ship, Master-Commander Brad-
shaw, embarked detachments of the Royal Artillery and
of the 16th Regiment of Foot to-day for a passage to
Jamaica, to fill up the companies of Royal Artillery and
the head-quarters of the 16th Regiment at that station.
The crew of the Dover steam-vessel, brought to this
country by natives of Africa—the black seamen being
engaged at 21. 10s. per month,---were paid four months'
wages on Tuesday, and most of them had to take from
101. to 121. each. The Rev. J. C. Connolly, Chaplain
of the Fisgard, the Rev. Mr. Petrie, and Mr. M. Gold-
smith, who have taken so much interest in the crew of
the Dover, met them yesterday evening in the school-
room, and the Rev. Mr. Petrie, who had been many
years on the coast of Africa, delivered a lecture to them
on the Christian religion. The natives of Africa will
embark at Woolwich to-morrow on board the Faith
screw steamer, and proceed in her to Plymouth, where
they are to embark in the African mail steamer and pro-
ceed direct to the Gambia. Mr. Sydencombe, Master's
Assistant in the Black Eagle, will return to that vessel
after having been in charge of the Africans, who were
accommodated on board the Lucifer steam-vessel since
the 15th of November last.