The Sun.
London, England, 1853-10-20 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 19.
Yesterday morning at nine o'clock, during the per-
formance of that useless harbour manoeuvre of sending
up topgallantmasts, crossing topgallant and royal yards,
and loosing sails, at Spithead, a sad accident happened
on board the Duke of Wellington. The maintopgallant-
mast, which was just on the point of being " fidded,"
came down with a tremendous crash. Fortunately, it
struck no one on deck, having pitched into one of the
boom-boats, where it stuck fast. One of the crew, how-
ever, was hurled like a cricket-ball from the maintopsail
yard into the water, and another, who was attending on
the topmast cap, was so much injured that his life is
despaired of. Both are in Haslar Hospital.
A heavy gale has been blowing all day from the south-
ward and westward, which has prevented many officers
and men of the fleet from going off to their ships, and we
are sorry to say, notwithstanding the disastrous fatality
we recorded some time since to two officers and two
waterman in endeavouring to make Spithead in similar
weather, no steam tender has been appointed to attend
the ships and convey officers and men to and fro. Nearly
400 officers and men were ashore this morning, totally
unable to get off to their ships to their time.
Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Cochrane, the Commander•
in-Chief, paid a private visit of inspection to the St.
Jean d'Acre, Duke of Wellington, and Prince Regent
yesterday forenoon, very minutely examining the Duke
and St. Jean d'Acre.

The finding of the divisional court-martial held on
Colour-Sergeant Mills, of the Royal Marine Artillery,
last week, on the serious charge of attempting to obtain
meat gratis from the contractor, Mr. James Dennison,
of Mile-end Mills, Portsea, was read on Monday in the
head-quarter barracks of the Royal Marine Artillery
corps. The Court-Martial honourably acquitted Ser-
jeant Mills of the attempt, and added that they could
not pass without severe animadversion the gross discre-
pancies in the evidence of Mr. Dennison and his late
clerk, Fletcher.

THE COMMAND OF THE ROYAL YACHT.--It is certain
that Rear-Admiral Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence strikes
his flag on promotion, and retires from the command of
the Royal yacht, and it is reported at the clubs that
Captain the Hon. Joseph Denman (son of the venerable
ex-Lord Chief Justice, and of the seniority of 1841) will
succeed his lordship. Captain Denman has never served
afloat as a captain, but he has studied steam, and has
served as Equerry to his Royal Highness Prince Al-
bert.—Morning Herald.
THE LIEUT.-GOVERNORSHIP OF GREENWICH HMI-.
TAI..—We hear that Rear• Admiral the Hon. Wm. Gor-
don, M.P. for Aberdeenshire, brother of the Premier,
and ex-Lord of the Admiralty, and Rear Admiral Lord
Adolphus Fitzclarence, are the favourite candidates for
the vacant appointment of Lieut.-Governor of Green-
wich Hospital.—lbid.
DEATH OF REAR-ADMIRAL BELL, C.B.—The death
of this officer took place on the 16th inst., at his resi-
dence at Aigburth. This gallant officer was on the re-
tired list of 1846. He served sixteen years afloat during
the war, and with great gallantry :—" He entered the
r navy in June, 1796, as first-class volunteer, on board.
the Clyde, 38, Captain Charles Cunningham. He con-
tinued to serve in that frigate in the Channel, North
Sea, and off the Western Islands, for the space of sir
years, and on the 20th of August, 1799, when off the
Cordovan lighthouse, assisted at the capture, after a
gallant engagement of nearly two hours, of the French.
frigate La Vestale, of 36 guns and 230 men, of whom
10 were killed and 22 wounded—the British losing only
3 killed and 3 wounded. He passed his examination in.
April, 1802 ; sailed in July following for the Jamaica.
station in the Chichester, store-ship, Captain Stevens ;
was there promoted, on the 20th of October, in the same
year, from the Leviathan, 74, bearing the flag of Sir
John Thomas Duckworth, into the Shark, 18, Captain.
J. B. Herring ; and afterwards joined, Oct. 5, 1803,.
and Sept. 16, 1804, the Magnanime, 18, Capt. Edward.
Hawker, and La Pique, 36, Capt. Charles Bayne Hodp
son Ross. In command of the tender belonging to the lat.. ter ship Lieut. Bell, on March 26, 1806, aided in taking
the two French 16-gun brigs Phaeton and Voltigeur; and
on Nov. 1 ensuing, as first of La Pique, with her barge
and two other boats under his orders, he succeeded with-
out the loss of a man, in cutting out from the har-
bour of Cabaret, Porto Rico, a fine new Spanish brig,
pierced for 12 guns, and completely destroying a 3-gun
battery at its entrance. 'While subsequently employed.
ashore on the south side of St. Domingo, he received a
severe wound in an attack made by the natives on his
party, and in consequence, we believe, was presented.
with a gratuity from the patriotic fund. We next find
him appointed, March 13, 1807, to the acting command
of the Shark, receiving-ship at Port Royal, from which
he was confirmed, April 1, 1808, into the 14-gun brig
Phipps. On Nov. 16, 1810, Captain Bell, who had pre-
viouly chased a lugger-privateer close under Calais, fell
in with two others, one of which, Le Barbier de Seville,
of 16 guns and 60 men, on being brought to close action.
was gallantly boarded, and in a few minutes carried, by
Lieutenant Robert Tryon, at the head of a party of sea-
men, one of whom was killed, and the lieutenant himself
dangerously wounded. The enemy lost 6 killed and 11
wounded ; and the prize, from the well-directed fire she
had sustained, sank soon after the engagement.
oc For
this achievement Captain Bell, as were his _ ers and.
crew, was honoured with the approbation
t
bato helotnofeotmime Aanddmoif-
ralty. He removed, June 19, 1811,
ults was 2 asnudp e rnsoetd eadfteor....n
atidleval‘Tll
coesnqlueintto,toa
postfirst-
real asn
ks,
Fsloop,eb. 71:
wards
jeuiliyip4lo,3l-e8d4.0,
and
ids
elevation to flag rank, 0o
hnisomi nation to the C.B. toot
place
tober, 1846."—O'Brne.

DEPARTURE OF THE ARCTIC. —Yesterday, shortly be
fore noon, the United States Mail steam-ship Arctic,
Captain James C. Luce, sailed from the Mersey, for
New York, with the usual mails for the United States,
California, Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, New.
foundland, &c.,
sei
ume
seer c he
of
nt thee
21 passengers, and a large cargo of
valuable merchandise on freight.
ABOLITION OF THE MERGHANTS' ROOM AT LLOYD'S.
—At a meeting of the committee of management at
ei ti o g was
requiredagreed
btuh
TOM,
underwriters, pi conjunction with the existing “
Lloyd'tshtehsisomdaeyb,
under-
writers' room. ' The change is fixed for the
1 Afarcb.—Sh ipping Gazette of last night. 3lst of next
i THE NATIONAL GALLERY.—:yesterday
of the National Gallery, Trafalgar-square, i
to the public, stating that, in con
exten-
sive alterations and repairs which
the gallery would not be o
day next, the 24th inst , the authorities
issued a notice
sequence of the tch are now proceeding,
aspened to the public on Mon-
hibition would positivel heretofore ~ but that the ex-.
7th of November next. Y be re-opened on Monday, the
be several valuable addit is expected that there will
its re-opening, ions made to the gallery before
THE SULTAN OF T
tan is URKEY'S NEW PALACE.—The Sul.
now build'
with front to the Bosphorus.
a new palace at Dolma Baktche,
nian, the son e Bosphorus. The architect is an Arnie..
of the Sultan's builder : he studied in.
France for a short sime. The
marble :the workmanship. palace is of stone and
•is very common ;the frontage
extends along the
Bosphorus from Dolma Baktche to
Beshik Tash,
and must have a facade of upwards of
1,000 feet : the situation is ex' if le The
palace is
more like a town in extent, covering!some-
thing in the rear
exorbitantly great. It was here that Mr.
W. J. Smith erected for his Imperial Majesty a winter"
garden and kiosk, and furnished it in the European.
style, with crystal fountain, candelabra, and chan-
deliers lighted with gas. The chimneypieces are of
crimson-coloured crystal and painted china ; the floor
is of china ; and the basin of fountain enamelled
slate, exquisitely painted with flowers. The furniture
was made by Messrs. Holland, of Mount-street.
The principal floor comprises vast halls and apart-
ments fitted up in a most costly manner in gilding
and painting, executed by Italians and natives. The
taste of some of the interior finishing is questionable.
The baths are fitted up with Egyptian alabaster The
roof is covered with lead ; all the Sultan's palaces, and
only these are covered with that metal. The palace is
built on piles. The great staircase is lighted by a large
skylight of crimson-coloured glass. The ceilings are
generally low. The harem of the palace contains apart-
ments for 300 or 400 women. The palace is approached.
through a costly triumphal gateway,—The Builder.