The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-10 00:00:00

PROMOTIONS.

ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE EXAMINATIONS.—To-day the
monthly examination of officers desirous of qualifying
for additional rank, and nominees for entrance into the
navy, was held at the Royal Naval College in Portsmouth
Dockyard, when the following received certificates :
Mates, Midshipmen, &c., for Lieutenants—J. L. Pear-
son, G. Parsons, W. H. Nurse, F. APIA. Carter, W. C.
Talbot, E. A. T. Stubbs, and A. WI.. Lyons.
Second Master for Master, R.N.--Mr. D. D. Speer.
For Naval Cadets—J. G. Y. Flolbrooke, F. H. H.
Hutchinson, A. R. Gordon, W. E. Fitzgerald, J. Kirk-
land, J. H. Colt, J. W. Dennistoun, G. Hesketh, and
S. R. Streatfield. It is only an act of well-deserved jus-
tice to state, that 5 out of these 11 nominees, viz.,
Messrs. Streatfield, Hesketh, Colt, Dennistoun, and
Kirkland, were prepared and qualified by Mr. Thomas
Eastman, late naval instructor of H.M.S. Excellent, at
his preparatory naval college at Portsea.
For Masters' Assistants—G. E. W. Yates, W. A.
Stone, J. R. Warren, J. H. Tizard.
For Clerks' Assistants—R. K. Harriot, A. D. M`,.kr-
thur, and W. Carter.
The Blenheim Indiaman, reported to have put into St.
Helen's on Tuesday from stress of weather, is not the
fine 1,400 ton ship of the same name belonging to the
fleet of Messrs. F. and W. Smith.
Contracts were taken on behalf of the Crown to-day,
by Captain• Superintendent Courtenay, at the Royal
Clarence Victualling Establishment, Gosport, for 1,500
quarters of wheat, at an average of 88s. 6d. per quarter.
The Clarence-yard is in most active operation, the offi-
cers and men being at work from 6 in the morning till 10
at night. 100 fine bullocks are being slaughtered here
weekly, 30 of which are salted, i.e., the finest parts of
the beasts, for provisions for the navy. Biscuit making,
hammock 'bed making, and storing provisions of every
description for the fleet are going on with unprecedented
speed.

The coast-guardmen draughted for the Neptune, 120,
and Excellent gunnery•ship, mentioned in our yester-
day's report, were put on board to-day, 300 each ship,
and 34 more were brought up from Southampton this
afternoon by the Pigmy tug, and added to those on
board the Neptune.
Fifty men are ordered to be entered at this dockyard
as riggers, the men of that class in the establishment
being wanted for ship duty.
The Ccsar, 91, Capt. Robb, shipped her mizenmast
and bowsprit last night, and will ship her main and fore-
mast to-morrow.

The Dragon, G, paddlewheel frigate, Capt. "Willcox,
was docked to-day to have her copper examined and
cleaned.

The Conway, 26, baS been brought alongside the dock-
yard to be fitted as a temporary flag-ship for the Com-
mander-in-Chief at Queenstown, the Ajar, 58, screw
block ship, being required for the Baltic fleet.

PLYMOUTH, FEB. 9

ROYAL WILLIAM VICTUALLING YARD.—Tenders
were advertised for a few days since, to be delivered
yesterday, for the supply of 1,000 quarters of wheat for
the use of the navy. Orders, however, came down by
telegraph from the Admiralty to take the unprecedented
quantity of 3,000 quarters, which were contracted for
as follows :-1,000 quarters, by Messrs. Hurrell and
Crossing, at 86s. per quarter ; 1,000 by Collier Brothers,
at 87s. 4d. ; 100 by ditto, at 88s. 9d. ; 500 by ditto, at
89s. ; 400 by Mr. Edwards, at 89s. 10d. This indeed
looks warlike.

The Taymouth Castle, chartered by the Emigration
Commissioners, sailed on Tuesday with 286 souls, equal
to 248 statute adults. A number of Welsh as well as
Cornish miners are among the emigrants. She is bound
for Adelaide, and was despatched by Mr. Willcocks,
the agent for emigration at this port.
The Nautilus, apprentices' brig, Lieut.-Commander
Billing, returned to Falmouth, on Tuesday, to enter
volunteers.

The Edinburgh, 58, screw-ship, Captain Hewlett,
steamed out of harbour, yesterday, and took in her
powder, shells, &c. She has sixty-seamen gunners on
board. The Edinburgh sails to-day for Spithead.
The Avon, steam-tender, returned from Portsmouth
yesterday, with about fifty supernumeraries for ships at
this port.

The Magicienne, 16, paddle, Captain Fisher, sailed
yesterday for Ireland, to raise men for the navy.
The Racehorse, 14, Commander Barnard, was in-
spected by Admiral Sir John Ommanney, and paid
wages in advance yesterday. She will receive her final
orders to-day.

The Jasper, steam-vessel, will proceed to the west-
' ward to-day or to-morrow, to receive the Coast-guard
men selected from Falmouth, Fowey, &c., for service on
board ships at this port.
The Pique, 40, Sir F. Nicholson, received 70 volun-
teers yesterday from Bristol. She is progressing in her
complement very well.
In consequence •of a large number of extra riggers
havinc, volunteered for the navy, an entry of labourers
will take place shortly to fill up vacancies.
The St. George, 121, Captain Kingcome, which is
preparing for sea, will in a few days receive 250 Coast-
guarl men.

THE REPRESENTATION OF WINDSOR.—Within the last
few days Lord Charles Wellesley, one of the members
for this borough, has intimated to his leading supporters
that he is about to resign his seat, on the ground of ill
health. It is understood that his lordship's eyesight is
seriously affected, and that it has been deemed desirable
that he should undergo an operation for cataract. To
supply the vacancy, the Liberals look to Mr. Samson
Ricardo, of Titness Park, who unsuccessfully contested
the borough at the general election. On the other hand,
the Conservatives are anxious to return Mr. Arthur
Vansittart, who is connected by property with the
borough, and was beaten at the election for a single
member by Mr. Grenfell in May, 1852.
PROPOSED POSTAL ARRANGEMENT. Government
propose that letters whose postage is a shilling, as in the
case of Australian letters, shall be charged twopence to
the Post-office, on the principle, we presume, of a penny
for the collection here, and the same for delivery in the
colony, and that the remaining tenpence shall go to the
ship conveying the letter 15,000 miles.—Liverpool Al.
bion.

Clerks—Thomas W. W. Spear (1842), serving in the
Horatio, 24, screw steam guard-ship, at Sheerness ; A.
S. Bennett (1846), clerk in charge of the Locust, paddle-
wheel steam-vessel on the south-east coast of America
station ; George Hickman (1846), clerk in charge of the
Comet, on the west coast of Scotland, for the protection
of the fisheries; ; Joseph Singleton (1846), clerk in charge
of the Trident steam-vessel, on the south-east coast of
America station ; Wm. M. Shanks (1846),krst clerk in
the Britannia, 120, flag-ship of Vice-Admiral J. W. D.
Dundas, C. 8,, commanding the British fleet in the
Black Sea ; and Josiah Y. Messum (1846), first clerk of
the Excellent, gunnery-ship, at Portsmouth, to'the rank
of paymasters.

WOOLWICH, FEB. 9.
The Sinbad and Manceuvrer were taken into the east
dock to-day, having both been on shore on their recent
voyages from the eastern ports to this port, owing to the
heavy gales that have prevailed for some time past.
The Zephyr steam-vessel, in charge of Master Com-
mander Henry William Allen, of the Lightning, left
Woolwich to-day for Orfordness, and some of the north-
ern ports, to bripg round seamen to Sheerness and
Chatham.

PORTSMOUTH, FEB. 9.
THE ROYAL YACHT VICTORIA AND ALBERT.—We
understand that, in the event of war being declared, her
most gracious Majesty the Queen, with that considera-
tion that has ever characterised her, will dispense with
the yacht's services, for the purpose of enabling
more than 100 of the finest sailors in the world to enter
a war-ship in defence of the country.
THE COAST DEFENCE VOLUNTEERS.—Captain Sher-
ringham, of Southsea, who has the command of the first
division of England, extending from Gosport round by
the Land's-end to Weston-super-Mare, commenced en-
rolling men at Gosport yesterday (Wednesday), on which
evening he met the seafaring men of Gosport at the
Town-hall at seven o'clock, and addressed them on the
nature of the service they were called upon to join, at
the same time explaining the great advantages to be de-
rived from it by the seafaring population resident on the
coast, who would be protected from the compulsory ser-
vice in the royal navy, militia, &c,, and could only be
called on to defend their hearths and homes when the
country was declared by royal proclamation to be in a
state of imminent danger. The hall was crowded to
excess, and the gallant officer was heard with great at-
tention. Three hearty cheers were given at the conclu-
sion of the address. A very great number of fine young
watermen immediately came forward and enrolled their
names, and a galley's crew of picked hands has been
formed among them to convey their worthy captain from
Portsmouth to the place of enrolment at Gosport, and
back, daily ; and if we may judge from the specimen of
those already enrolled, none but such as will be a credit
to the corps and the port of Gosport will be accepted.
Captain Sherringham was accompanied by Commander
Massingberd, Inspecting Commander of the Coast
Guard, Gosport district ; Mr. Harvey, the surgeon, and
Mr. Henry Neale Scaife, paymaster of the division.
Next week Captain Sherringham enrolls at South-
ampton.
ACTIVE PREPARATIONS IN THE FLEET.—The whole et
the ships now fitting out at the several naval ports are
ordered to be hastened towards completion with all pos-
sible despatch, in order that they may assemble in the
Downs by the 6th proximo. The captains of the several
ships are enjoined to use every exertion to obtain men,
and the authorities of the various dockyards are also
pressed to complete them in the several departments as
quickly as possible. In order to effect-this despatch the
plane is not to be used in fining the boards to the same
extent (a drawing room extent, we regret to say) as
usual; the ships, in fact, are not to be turned out of hand
quite so much like a piece of fine cabinet work as is to-
lerated nowadays, and all work that can be accom-
plished by the carpenters' crews of the ships themselves,
and the artificers on the ships' books, is not to be done
by the dockyard labourers. By this order being enforced
a great saving of time in fitting out as well as skilled
labour will be effected.