The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-06 00:00:00

PLYMOUTH, JAN. 5.
A letter written on board the hospital ship at Ber-
muda, dated December 5, states that the island had been
for eight days visited by a severe gale, during which no
new case of yellow fever had occurred. Those ill were
recovering,

Her Majesty's frigate Pique, 40, having been commis-
sioned, was this morning warped alongside the jetty at
the Devonport dockyard to receive stores.
The Turkish paddle-wheel war-steamer Vassati Tidga-
rots, 2 guns, 350 tons, 300 horse power, Capt. Beanchi,
came in this afternoon. She left Constantinople Dec.
5 ; Malta, 11 ; Vigo, 29 ; and Fahnouth, Jan. 4 ; and
is bound for London to be refitted. She was launched
at Cowes about five years ago.
Arrived to-day.—The bark Meteor, of London, Capt.
Brodie, from the Mauritius and the Cape of Good Hope ;
the bark Champion, of London, Capt. Hatley, from
Madras ; the bark Griasville Bray, of Newcastle, Capt.
Hoskinson, from Quebec ; the schooner Centaur Beriam,
from Leghorn, for London ; the ship Maranham Clark,
from Quebec for Newcastle ; and the brigantine Han-
deeps, Bickford, from St. Michael's, for Hull.

SHEERNESS, JAN. 4.
The Cyclops, 6 guns, paddle-wheel steam-frigate,
Master-Commander Robert W. Roberts, has been taken
into No. 3 dock for the purpose of examining feed pipes,
copper, &e., and will be put out of dock immediately
after survey. The Cyclops is to be fitted to receive
troops (artillery) for passage to Malta and Gibraltar ;
she will then proceed on, for general service for the
fleet in the Mediterranean, with shot, shell, ammunition,
arms, &c.

Lieutenant Grant, R.N., has this day taken up his
commission, and joined the Cressy, 80 guns, newittcrew
steam line of battle ship, Capt. Richard L. Warren.
Immediately the Melampus frigate storeship has
trans-shipped the boilers of the Majestic, she is to pro-
ceed to Woolwich to take in machinery, &c., for the
western ports, for steam-ships fitting at Portsmouth,
Devonport, and Milford.

The -Lady Flora, revenue-cutter, Charles Bones in
command, arrived here yesterday from Dover with
volunteers for the navy (obtained at Ramsgate), princi•
pally first class boys, who have been received on board
the flagship Waterloo for general and continuous ser-
vice.

in conformity with an Admiralty order, the Captain-
Superintendent Charles Hope has issued instructions to
the respective officers of the yard, which instructions
have been promulgated to the respective classes of me-
chanics, labourers, Sic., through their proper officers,
that in future, until further orders from their lordships,
all persons employed on new works shall be employed
on task and job, in order to facilitate the internal and
external fitment of all ships brought forward for com-
mission, as well as for ships commissioned, building, &c.
This is considered a forerunner for the entire staff of
mechanics and labourers to be put on task and job in
the dockyards, in consequence of the great difficulty in
experienced in obtaining men to enter the Government
yard on the low rate of wages they receive compared
with the wages earned at private building and repairing
yards in the River Thames and elsewhere ; all or most
of such persons being on task and job, unlimited

earnings.
The Medea, 6 guns, paddle-wheel steam-sloop, Com-
mander Augustus Phi Elmore, is daily expected here
from Portsmouth, for the purpose of being taken into
dry dock for making good defects, &c.

WOOLWICH, JAN. 5.

The slip on which the Pearl, new screw steam-cor-
vette, of 20 guns, is to be built is now all cleared out at
this dockyard, and a number of workmen have com-
menced forming the timbers of her keel into their required
proportions previous to its being laid down. The Pearl
will be a description of war steamer, fitted with the
screw propeller, much required since the introduction of
that mode of propulsion to the vessels of ,the Royal
navy, and her dimensions will be as follows :

Feet Inches.
Length between the perpendiculars 2OO ... 0
• Breadth, extrenie. . 4O ... 4
Ditto moulded
Ditto for tonnage 4O ... 0
Depth of hold 23 ... II
Tormage, 1,48tL To carry 20 guns.
The Pearl will be only 12 tons less than theAmphion,
131, screw steam-frigate, and within 34 tons of the di-
mensions of filo Dauntless steam-frigate. The High-
flyer, 21, screw steam-frigate, is 308 tons less than the
Pearl will be ; consequently, the latter will be able to
carry 20 guns of the largest calibre, and, if fitted with
engines of a suitable power, will prove a forinklable war
steamer. It is intended to construct othir'r idhr. itearn-
ers of the same class, and they will shortly bo com-
menced at the other dockyards, as slips become vacant
suitable to build them on, _ _ _

A number of casks were brought down from Dept-
ford yesterday to aid in floating the Firefly steam-vessel
into dock again, as at the time the ice lifted the caisson,
and allowed her to get out,' her bottom had been stripped
and repairs were going on, which allowed the water to
~.enter when the tide rose, and she was imbedded in the
mud alongside the , wharf wall of the river. The
caisson has been restored to its proper place at the
entrance of the dock without any difficulty, as it
had not sustained the least injury by its voyage
among the floating ice on the river. The scene
yesterday on the river, opposite the dockyard, had a
strange effect, the wind blowing bitterly cold from
the north-cast. Some perilous adventurers were eve-
rienced in boats during the day. In the foremen, a
waterman got entangled among the floes of the ice, arid,
when a short distance below the Fisgard, his boat be-
came frozen in. Mr. Osborn, recently boatswain of the
Phcenix, and who went with her in her last voyage to
the Arctic regions, volunteered, with three other persons,
to proceed from the landing-place, which was kept open,
to the rescue of the watermen, but the great quantity
of floes coming down with the ebbing tide carried them
some distance down the river beyond the waterman,
and theirinitiu
iin o a
tboa t became hemmed in among the ice and
vneliuychshoerntvetriimnge,
aanndd
ntohesyhehlatedr,ofrremain
a.m. to 1 o'clocktfrhoezreen
w
p.m., when the tide began to flow,
and carried them up the river, in the centre of a large
mass of pieces of ice of various thicknesses. Fortunately,
when they passed Charlton-pier, they approached within
a short distance of the Marine Society's ship Venus,
and, a rope beiiig thrown to them, they succeeded in
getting on bard that vessel, where every attention was
paid to their comfort by the Lieutenant Commander.
The waterman, after being two hours in his perilous po-
sition, with no person to aid him, was relieved by a con-
vict, who succeeded in throwing a line with a plumb of
lead attached to him, and, by the united exertions of
ten men, both himself and,boat were drawn over the ice
to the shore.

CHATHAM, JAN. 5.
The Isis, 44 guns, was taken into dock on Wednesday
to be immediately tted for sea. She is to have a poop
put in her, as she is to be made an admiral's ship.
The Boscawen, 70 guns, Captain Glanville, was put
out of dock on Tuesday. She will be out of the hands
of the dockyard this month.
The Euryalus, screw steam frigate, 50 guns, Captain
Ramsay, was put out of dock yesterday. The Marines
and Marine Artillery are expected to go on board on
Friday next.
The Orion, 90 guns, building, is to be completed with
all dispatch ; every available hand is put on her at task
work, with unlimited wages. This ship was cut asun-
der, and lengthened for a screw-ship.
The Chesapeake, 60 guns, is ordered to be built,
thereby adding another screw-ship to our fleet. The
frame for her is cut, and the keel is to be laid down in
the (lock that the Euryalus was floated out from on the
sth of October last.

, OXFORD, WORCESTER, AND WoLVERHAMPON RAIL-
WAY.—A civil engineer has just succeeded in recovering
the sum of 6/. from this company,one of whose trains,
in consequence of its late arrival at Stourbridge, and
of railway workmen, stopping to take in a gang 'failed
to catch the London express at Dudley, and so pre-
a meeting in Loudon ou the 14th ult.
vented the plaintiff from attending, in his professional
capacity,