The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-23 00:00:00

THE MEDITERRANEAN SURVEY.

The Admiralty, it would appear, have determined on
renewing the efficient survey of the Mediterranean, and
have again selected a captain to conduct it. Their lord-
ships have appointed Captain Thomas Saumarez Brock
(1S50), additional to the Britannia, 120, flag-ship in the
Mediterranean, for this special service. Captain Brock
who is well known as a first-rate surveying officer,
entered the navy in 1815, passed his examination in
1822, and served three years and a half in the Forte
with Sir Thomas Cochrane in the West Indies. Whilst
in this ship he saved a man's life at Spithead by jump-
ing overboard after him, and at Puerto Rico saved the
lives of two midshipmen who were attacked by assassins,
by disarming them (although he was himself unarmed)
and severely wounding. them with their own weapons.
Whilst mate of the Britannia, at Plymouth, he frac-
tured a leg and two 'ribs by saving a boat that drove
on shore in a gale. As a lieutenant he served two years
and a half in the Blonde, frigate, with Captain, now
Rear-Admiral Sir E. Lyons, and was with him at the
siege and captUre .of the Morea Castle. He was favour-
ably mentioned in the Gazette for this service, and re-
ceived the cross of the Redeemer of Greece. He was
also in the Blonde during the cruise in the Black Sea in
1829. His next service was in the Beacon, surveying
with Captain Copeland, the Archipelago. He was 54
years in this vessel, and in conjunction with Lieutenant
Hope engaged in the chase and capture of 142 pirates
(out of 200), eight boats;and six pieces of cannon, the
Beacon's force was 40 men and officers. He then com-
manded the Magpie, on the same survey, from 1836 to
1842, was promoted in the latter year, and from 1844
to 1847 commanded the Bonetta, in further surveys in
the Mediterranean. In this last service in the Archi-
pelago, Commander Brock built for the use of the. ser-
vice, at his own expense, a schooner of 20 tons, which
vessel when ordered home he sold at a great loss ;
neither cost nor loss was ever made up to him.,
Captain Brock is the grandson of the late distin-
guished Admiral Lord DeSaumarez, and we think the
service will admit that a better selection at this juncture .
could not have been made for the special services Te-
quired to be performed. We trust that the gallant
officer's work will be in the Black Sea.—Morning

NAVAL IN-TELLIGENCE..

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 22.
The Fairy Royal yacht, Capt..the Hon. Joseph Den-
man, embarked the Queen and pond this morning. at
Cowes, about half-past 10, on their return to Windsor '
for the Christmas. Her Majesty was saluted on enter-
ing this harbour by the flag-ship Victory, • 104, Captain
Sir Thomas Maitland, C. 8.; 'Neptune, 120, Capt. Scott;
and Frolic; 16; Commander Nolloth, all the ships and
vessels under the pennant in port.being dressed in mast-
head flags.' On diseinbarking from the Fairy, her Ma-
jesty was received by Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Coch-
rane, K.C.8., Major-General Simpson,..B6c. The guard
of honour was furnished by the 35th Regiment, and was
commanded by Major English. At a quarter-past 11
tthe Royal train left the Clarence-yard for Windsor, vid
Basingstoke.
Our attention was called on this occasion to the very
faulty and inconvenient accommodation for the Royal
train. It run so close to the reception-rooms, that when
the train is long, as it necessarily is when the Royal
suite is numerous, the carriage doors cannot be opened
unless the train is adjusted to the opening of the facade
with the greatest nicety. On the last occasion Lord
Alfred Paget had a very narrow escape ; as it was, the
door was broken. On another occasion we saw the or-
namental work of the Royal carriage torn off the top
by contact with the edge of the roof of the covered way
Ito the landing-place ; and to-day the steps to the coupe
of the state carriage could not be let down owing to the
wretched construction of the platform. It seems not a
little disreputable that while her Majesty's poorest sub-
jects have in a majority of cases a covered station to
alight or take the train at, the Queen is exposed to cold
and wet for the want of similar accommodation.
A well got up "yarn" about a snake having issued
from a seaman's mouth in the Royal Naval Hospital at
Haslar having obtained extensive circulation, we are
authorised to give it a positive contradiction. The
authorities have been much annoyed by numerous letters
applying for the particulars.
The Princess Charlotte, 104, was removed from the
fitting basin on Wednesday evening, and placed along-
side the dockyard jetty.
The Caesar, 90, screw steam-ship, was undocked this
morning, and placed under the shears in the factory
basin, to further her fitting.
The Russian corvette Navarin has hauled off to reship '
her stores from the Blonde hulk, and will go to Spit-
head, and thence to sea to-morrow, if possible.
The annual bounty of 50/., left by Lieutenant-General
Lord Frederic Fitzelarence (ex-Lieutenant-Governor
of Portsmouth), was distributed yesterday, by a com-
mittee of the Town Council, among 447 applicants, chiefly
widows of seamen, soldiers, and marines. One of the
recipients Was an ld woman who was in the battle of
the battle of the bile, her husband having been a cook
on board one of the ships-
-1

PLYMOUTH, DEC. 22.
iier Majesty's screw schooner Rifleman, 8, Com-
mander Christian, came into harbour yesterday to make
good defects. She is leaky, and her rigging is slack.
The paddle-wheel steam-vessel Sidon, 22, Captain
Goldsmith,
left last evening for Portsmouth.
The ship Minerva, Johnstone, which left Madras on
the 30th of August, with sugar and indigo for London,
is in the Sound. At St. Helena, on the Ist of Novem-
ber, was the ship Duke, from Calcutta for Liverpool ;
the barques Domitia and Gratitude, from Madras for
London ; the Prince of Wales, from Singapore for Li-
verpool ' • the Countess of Elgin, from Bombay for Lori-
don ; and the Thetis, from Mauritius for London, re-
pairing damages received off the Cape of Good Hope.
The steam-sloop Stromboli, 6, left St. Helena Novem-*
ber 2, for the Cape and China. The Admiral was at
Ascension. Spoke, November 9, lat. 0.29 S., long. 17
W., the steam-ship Australian, 22 days from London for
Sydney, all well ; November 13, lat. 0.22 N., long.
19.50 W., the bark Thomasine, 39 days from London
for Vancouver's Island ; November 23, lat. 21.37 N.,
long. 31.40 W., the ship Otawa, 96 days from Callao for
London ' • December 16, lat. 46.23 N., long. 14.6 W.,
the bark Flora, from Hawk's Bay for Madeira ; and
December 15, lat. 45.50 N., long. 15.38 W., the brig
Skeringvor, 56 days from Buenos Ayres for England.
The merchant brig Heroine, Captain Cox, from Algoa
Bay 18th,of October, and St. Helena Ist of November,
was outside the port yesterday, bound to London. She
spoke, 25th of October, off Cape Agullas, the Trafalgar,
from Colombo for London. Left St. Helena in company
with the ship James Carson, bound to Liverpool. -

WOOLWICH, DEC. 22.
APPOINTMENTS.
Captain.—Thomas S. Brock (1850), additional, to the
Britannia, 120, flagship of Vice-Admiral J. D.
Dundas, C. 8., Commander-in• Chief on the
Mediter-
ranean station, and at present at the mouth of the Black
Sea.
Chief Engineer.—Thomas Bunions, at present in charge of the machinery of the Hannibal, 90, Screw steam-ship, now ready for launching at Deptford dock. yard, to the Cressy, 80, screw Steam-ship, at Sheerness.
Assistant-Engineer.—John W. Carpenter, of the second
class, and William Smiley, of the third class, to the
Cressy.
Assistant-Surgeon. —Richard P. Chapman (1843),
from the Impregnable, 104, flag-ship
at Devonport, to
the Banshee ail-packet, fitting at Woolwich for the
Mediterranean station.
m
Naval Cadets._William M. Latham and H. Freeling,
to the Royal George, 120, screw steam-ship at Devon-
port ; and A. J. French to the Princess Royal, 90,
screw steam-ship at Portsmouth.
)ssteam-frigate,
preparing at Sheerness for service onMediterranean
Gunner--Edward Owen, to the Cyclops,
10l h ,
station.

Boatswain.—. Tames Morris, to the. Cyclops.
Carpenter.--John Whalebone, to th? Cyclops.
PROMOTIONS.

Robert Wyrnses, Assistant-Engineer of the third class,
is promoted to second class, for service in the Banshee.
William Furnell, Assistant-Engineer of the second
crass, is promoted to be acting first class Assistant-En-
gineer, for service in the Pigmy paddle-wheel steam-
vessel, of 100-horse power, at. Woolwich.
Lieutenant Henry Eyre Wyatt Lane, and the usual
number of non-commissioned officers and 40 privates of
the Woolwich division, have been placed under orders
to hold themselves in readiness to proceed to Sheerness,
to embark for service in the Cressy, 80, screw stearip
ship, at that port.

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