The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-07 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

THE PAYMASTERS AND THE DOOKYAFS.—Sir
.James
Graham can deal out justice or reinedy4uses as well as
any one if he chooses; as the following will prove :—The
civil service, or more particularly that branch of it con-
sisting of the clerks of the dockyard, will learn with
much satisfaction, that the unjust practice just intro-
duced by a former Board of Admiralty of allowing cap-
tain superintendents to select paymasters to be their
secretaries, to the prejudice of the above-mentioned offi-
cials, who are in every respect better qualified to dis-
charge the duties of such an office, is to be discontinued.
The paymasters will henceforth be confined to their legi-
timate sphere of duties—the Royal Naval Service. It
is hoped now the first lord will go a step further, and
send back the royal military engineer officers in civil
situations in the dockyards to their military duties in
their own corps. They are not only unfit for the duties
for which they were never intended, but they are altoge-
ther out of place, and bar the advancement of expe-
rienced practical officers of the civil dockyard depart-
ment.—Herald.

The Hercules emigrant patients at Haulbowline are
going on very favourably. Four are already discharged,
cured of the small-pox ; but about one or two there are
some doubts of recovery.

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 6.
The Duke of Wellington, screw three-decker, 13
Captain H. B. Martin, C. 8., is progressing rapidly with
her external outfit. She sent here tops over the mast-
heads yesterday ; a portion of her fore and mizen shrouds
are also over, and ready for turning in ; her topmasts
are on board, and ready for swaying aloft as soon as the
caps are on the mast-heads, which are now already in
the tops. A detachment of 200 marines has been
draughted—consisting of 1 captain, 3 subalterns, 4 ser-
geants, 2 corporals, ,3 fifers, and 154 privates of di-
visional companies ; and 1 subaltern, 1 sergeant, 1 cor-
poral, and 30 gunners of the artillery companies.
The Rodney, 92, Captain Charles Graham, C. 8., is
" reported " ready for sea on Tuesday next; but up to
this moment the crew have not been paid the wages due
to them. We believe that no blame attaches to the Ac-
countant-General for the delay in transmitting the pay-
books to this port for payment • in fact, we hear, upon
inquiry, that the clerks in this office are employed every
night until 12 o'clock in meeting the pressure of labour
occasioned by the recent call for an addition of 5,000
men to the navy, 3,000 of whom we are gratified in
enabled in being enabled to announce have already
been entered, and the enployment of so many ships
upon the home station for the purposes of national de-
fence.
The Medea, 6, paddle-wheel steam-sloop, Commander
Bailey, will be paid in advance on Wednesday next.
The articles of war were read to the ship's company of
the flag-ship Victory, on the quarterdeck, this day, after
church service, by Captain Shepherd. They were lis-
tened to with deep attention, especially by the naval
apprentices. Something generally follows this ceremony.
The following young gentlemen from Mr. Vickery's
establishment, Southsea, passed last week the required
examination at the Royal Naval College for cadets in
the Royal Marine corps :—Mr. Robert A. Brutton, Mr.
Charles F. Coppin, and Mr. G., Munro.
The forty boys brought to this port by the Tyne store-
ship, Master-Commander Wellington, from Brazil (into
the naval service of which company they had been en-
tered at Liverpool, but from which they were taken
away by the British Government on account of the im-
proper treatment to which they were subjected), were
ordered yesterday afternoon, per electric telegraph, to
embark from the Victory flag-ship on board her Ma-
jesty's steam-tender Sprightly, Master-Commander
George Allen, for conveyance to Liverpool. The
Sprightly left for the latter port this morning.
The steam-sloop Hecla, (paddle) has been rigged and
prepared for recommission.M
irgg Thomas o
inm as
PortsmouthDowns,boDoatscwkyalad, hasn;R•N.' and late mas-
t e
been committed
to Winchester gaol to await his trial for stealing a
pocket-handkerchief from the shop of Mr. Wilson, out-
fitter, of Gosport.
A rumour is current that six more steam-frigates are
about to be commissioned.
Fury, 6, paddle-wheel steam-sloop, Commander Ed-
ward Tatham, went out of harbour at 8.30 a.m., and
brought up at Spithead. She is quite ready for service,
is in most perfect condition, and awaits orders.
Fairy, steam-yacht, ten der to the Victoria and Al-
bert, Master Commander David N. Welch, went out of
harbour at one p.m., to test her speed at the measured
mile at Stoke's Bay. This was done that the patentee
of the patent propeller may see her exact performance
under the old fan. We shall be rejoiced to see the
slightest improvement by the introduction of Griffith's
patent, for the Fairy, fairy-like, seemed to glide through
the water like magic. We noticed a very large screw-
steamer steaming through Spithead with the Peninsula
and Oriental Company's flag at the fore. The Fairy
came up with her after rounding the Spit Buoy, and
passed her before they got to the Kicker Point. The
Fairy's speed gave the highest satisfaction, several of
our most scientific officers were on board, amongst whom
we noticed Capt. W. H. Henderson, 0.13., of the Blen-
heim, 58, screw-guard-ship; Capt. Charles Graham, C. 8.,
of the Rodney, 92 ; Capt. Edward Goldsmith, of the
Sidon, 22, paddle-wheel steam-frigate ; Mr. Murray,
chief engineer of her Majesty's dockyard; the patentees,
&c, The Fairy will go on the gridiron on Monday, and
on Tuesday she will commence a series of experiments,
under
the direction of Capt. W. Crispin, of her Majesty's
yacht Victoria and Albert.
Elfin, paddle-wheel itemalaclit tender) Master Com-