The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-14 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, APRIL 13.
The Agamemnon, 90 (screw), Captain Sir Thomas
Maitland.—Several additional cases of relapse have
occurred on board this beautiful but neglected ship.
What else was possibly to be expected ? Of what ser-
vice, we ask in the name of common sense, was it to
fumigate the Agamemnon, and then to permit unre-
stricted communication between her and her hospital
hulk, Camperdown ? It becomes a sickening task to be
obliged so often to notice this painful matter, but we
think it high time that some decisive and instant step
should be taken to stay the further progress of an in-
sidious malady that may otherwise offect every ship in
the harbour. It is very evident that the convalescent
were too quickly put on board.
The Illustrious, old 72.—We understand that an order
has come down from the Admiralty Board to fit this ship
up as an hospital afloat, and to have in charge a lieute-
nant, surgeon, assistant-surgeon, a warrant offiver, boat's
crew, &c. She is much better calculated for such use-
ful service than the proposal of turning her into a block-
ship without a screw-propeller. If we are to have
guard-ships for the protection of the East and West
Channel of Isle of Wight, it is worth while to have
efficient ones, capable of turning round.
The Sidon, 22, paddle, Captain Goldsmith, had her
damaged shaft taken out to-day. We understand it is
too faulty to be repaired, and to make a new one will
require a month's work. This unfortunate vessel is
again rendered useless, after a frightful expenditure of
the country's money.
The Basilisk, 6, paddle, Commander the Hon. F.
Egerton.—We had an opportunity of inspecting the bot-
tom of this vessel to-day, and feel a pleasure in stating
that not the slightest damage was sustained in her touch-
ing on the bar in coming into harbour the other evening.
Her copper has as fair a surface as on the first day she
was launched.

The Imperieuse, 60, screw, Captain Rundle B. Matson,
C. 8., got up steam and got several turns at the mea-
sured mile, apparently with great speed. We will give
the result of the trial in our next.

PLYMOUTH, APRIL 13.
Her Majesty's paddle-wheel steam-frigate Odin, 16,
Captain F. Scott, arrived in the Sound yesterday, at 2
p.m., and sailed at 5 p.m., for a cruise in the Channel.
The quarantine flag was ying, and she had no commu-
nication with the shore.
The Sanspareil, 71, Capt. S. C. Dacres, took her powder
and shells onboard yesterday.
The paddle-wheel steam-frigate Magiciene, 16, Captain
Thomas Fisher, sailed on Tuesday for Pembroke with
jurymasts for the James Watt.
The Scorpion, 6, surveying-vessel, arrived yesterday
from Portsmouth, and will come into harbour to-day to
be paid off.
The brig Nautilus, 6, vas taken into dock on Tuesday
to have her copper repaired.

WOOLWICH, APRIL 13.
APPOINTMENTS. .

Clerks.—William H. Chapman (1848), from the Bos.
cawen, 70, guardship of ordinary, at Chatham, to the
Hogue, 60, screw steam-guardship, at Devonport ; Chas.
W. Tuke (1848), to the Tortoise, storeship, at the Island
of Ascension.

Commodore Henry Eden, Superintendent of Wool-
wich Dockyard, having gone on leave, Commander
Edward A. Inglefield, as senior officer, has taken the
duties afloat, and Mr. M'Donald, the master atteudant,
the duties of the dockyard.
_

The Cyclops steam-frigate, having the Melampus, 42,
frigate, in tow, with the machinery and boilers of the
St. Jean D'Acre on board, passed Woolwich at 4 p.m.
yesterday, on their way to Devonport, where the latter
vessel is to be fitted with her engines, of 600-horse
power, by John Penn and Son.

- The. Phoenix screw steam-sloop, Commander Edwaid.
A. Inglefield, is reported to be ready for sea by Satur•
day next, and will be tried down the river on Monday
next, to ascertain the working capabilities of her engines.

- THE COAST OF AFRICA.
By the arrival of the Mail screw-packet Faith at Ply-
mouth, from the west coast of Africa, we have the fol-
lowing from the squadron :
The Commander-in-Chief, Rear-Admiral Bruce, in his
flag-ship Penelope, 16, steam-frigate, Captain Lyster,
was at Lagos, Feb. 28, with the Alecto, 6, steam-sloop,
Commander Crufton ; Cygnet, 8, Commander R. D.
White ; Ferret, Commander Macdonald ; and Britomart;
8, Commander Hesseltine.

The Ferret remained at Lagos on the 11th March, but
the Commander-in-Chief had left for Ascension. Alecto
had proceeded to the eastward, and was passed off
Grand Popo on the 12th.
_ .

Bloodhound, steam-vessel, Lieut. Commander Chris-
tian ; Pluto, steam-vessel, Lieut. Commander Bedding.
field, and two French men-of-war were at Sierra Leone,
March 23.

Firefly, steam-sloop, Commander Seymour, was at
Goree, March 28.

THE VULCAN AND THE LATE COURT-
MARTIAL.

We regret to hear that some serious differences be-
tween the officers of the Vulcan, screw steam-ship and
the officers of the regiment Commander Van Donop con-
veyed to Australia, took place on the voyage, and that it
is not at all improbable that some correspondence will
pass between the Horse Guards and the Admiralty on
the subject. We are also sorry to find that there has
been so much misunderstanding between the commander
of the Vulcan and his officers, which will lead, it is said,
to further courts-martial. The case of the mate, tried on
Tuesday, is looked upon as a very hard one, and although
it was impossible for the court to have overlooked the
admitted fact of direct disobedience of orders, yet the
circumstances which led the mate (a commissioned officer)
respectfully to commit a breach of discipline, demand, on
the part of the Admiralty, further inquiry. It is sub-
mitted that the court, which was composed of 11 cap-
tains, did not go far enough into the " whys and where-
fores" of the case, and that they stop short of their duty
if, in upholding stern discipline, they do not satisfy the
service that justice has been done to all grades. ThereTs no 'excuse for ilisobedience'd Orders that are not un-
lawful, but to fulfil the requirements of justice, this case
should not terminate witheut an inquiry into the whole
of the facts that led to the'commission of ;the offence.
'These facts must, have been of a very extraordinary cha-
racter, or the. court would not have so pointedly alluded
to it in their sentence. '

If we are rightly informed,
,the mate:net only appealed
to his captain against his ordering him to do inferior duty
to that of a midshipman, but previously to his offence,
he .actually wrote to Coinmander Von Donop for a court
of inquiry or court-martial ;,.but of which application no
notice was taken by the commander, .
Another " extraordinary". fact his reached" us from
Portsmouth, which we trust to see fully explaiped. It
is reported that after the eourt-inartial was,oYer, Mr.
Hartwell went on board the Vulcan to get his things,
when be was again placed under arrest. He •expostu-
lated in vain, and at length managed to get a note to
the, commander-in-chief, when Sir Thomas Cochrane
instantly ordered his release, and accompanied his
peremptory order with a sharp. rebuke. We sincerely
hope that there is no foundation for this statement..—
.Herald.

NAVAL DISCIPLINE.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE MORNING HERALD.

--------
Sir,—Our naval discipline is a subject that cannot be
too often discussed or too often brought under public
notice. It is one of vital importance, because on it de•
pends the efficiency of our navy, and, in a great measure,
the safety of the country. Everything that has a ten-
dency to weaken our maritime superiority ought to be
exposed, and (without taking into consideration either
professional prejudice or antiquated opinions) inquired
into and remedied.

The great question of manning the navy has at length
attracted public attention, and the present state of the
fleet imperatively demands a searching investigation into
the causes that have driven 20,000 seamen to place
themselves under the protection of the flag of the United
States of America. Sir James Graham, who, as a
landsman, must be as ignorant of naval discipline as
he is of naval tactics, stated to the House of Commons,
that the cause was the unusually high rate of wages
offered by the mercantile service, and said "To that
cause, and that cause alone, I ascribe that desertion,"
Now, every one in this free country has a right to give
his opinion on any subject connected with its prosperity
for many
on
foreign years
been a sealed letter, and if Sir James G
and safety, and I believe that all who are acquainted
with naval discipline, and have no interest in concealing
its enormities, will be unanimous in attributing deser-
tion to other more serious causes than that so plausibly
and confidently proclaimed by the First Lord of the
avabloadridscip ourline ships,has
Admiralty. The English people are kept in ignorance
of what
whatstiastipoansss. passing
on
in
Graham could be
prevailed upon to break the seal and disclose
its con.
tents he would render a great service
Po those who presume to to the country.
s
cre-
dulity of Englishmen, think that they can prevail on
peculate on the
the public to believe in the
one m inflicting
an the power of necessity of vesting in
man ? Why do not the torture on his fellow-
our seamen across the advocates of a system that drives
necessity ? Atlantic produce proof of that
Because they'
are fully aware they cannot.
Because they know in their hearts that it was and is the
cause that forces our seamen to take refuge under the
flag of a foreign government. In the merchant service
i,
the seaman en' ys much greater advantages than the
man-of-war's man. If treated with brutality, he can
, n
appeal to the civil power for redress the i f '
man cannot. The merchant seaman' can leaavne- roan-of-war's-
man as rhis-
p
at the end of his engagement ; the man-of-war's-man
cannot, and the latter is at the mercy of the cap-
tain, who, if the sailor incurs his displeasure, is em-
powered by the Articles of War to punish him " ac-
cording to the customs and usages observed at
sea." Now, every ship has its customs, and every
captain his usages, for what they ought to be
are not defined by the Articles of War • and the
seamen under his command are the victims dhis caprice
and his cruelty. It is to these, causes, and to these
causes alone, that I ascribe these desertions. And what
are the remedies proposed by my lords of the Admiralty!
Not courts-martial, but the very liberal allowance of
sixpence per diem to the worn-out seaman He will be
permitted to return to his native village with, in all pro-
bability, a lacerated back and his splendid sixpence, to
be pointed at as "the man who was flogged on board a
man of war !"
There is a law for the protection of animals against
cruelty, but the seaman is not included in it. Is the
biped called a sailor an inferior animal to the quadruped
called a dog? And is he considered by our legislators
as of less value than the donkey that draws the cart of
the costermonger ? For the present, "I shall pause for
a reply."—l am, Sir, your obedient servant,
BLUE PIiTIR.