The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-19 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

COURTS MARTIAL.
PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 18.— We are enabled to an-
nounce, upon as hat we consider the most substantial
authority, that in the ensuing session of Parliament
a strenuous effort will be made to alter the constitu-
tion of naval and military courts-martial, so as to
render them more courts of equity than, as hitherto,
courts of honour. In this movement the lead will be
taken by Lord Brougham.
The Actaeon, 26, was removed out of the basin
yesterday, after a thorough refit.
First-Lieutenant M'Carthy, of the Royal Marines,
serving on board the Illustrious, 72, Captain Yates,
who had oxalic acid administered to him by mistake
On Friday lase, is recovering at Haslar hospital.
Strong gales have been blowing from the south west
all night and day, accompanied by sharp rain.
APPOINTMENTS.
WOOLVICII, DEC. 18.—Midshipman—Charles J.
Bullock, to the Phaeton, at Sheerness.
Naval Cadet—William L. Bridges, to the Impreg-
nable, flagship, at Devonport.
AsqiAant.Engineers—Richard E. Percival, to the
Fire Queen, at Portsmouth, fitting for service on the
fialyhead station ; and II J. Sergeant, to the Ter-
rible, at Woolwich.
Commander Robert J. Le M. M'Clure, recently
promoted from First-Lieutenant of the Enterprise, on
the return of that vessel from the searching expedition,
is to have the command of the Investigator, fitting at
NVoolwich for another searching expedition, and
commissioned by Stephen Court, Second Muster, to
accelerate her being made ready for sea.
PLYMOUTH, DEC. 17.—The merchant barque
Chebar, of Cumberland, 405 tons register, Captain
Grayson, came in this morning with loss of figure-
head, cutwater, jibboom, bobstays, shrouds, and all
head gear, and with damage to her starboard guard
boards and quarter, having been in contact, off Cape
Fini'terre, with a Swedish brig, the crew of which
(,sith the exception of the master) she had on board.
The accident occurred in lat. 46 20 N. long. 10 37
W., on Friday morning, 14th of December instant,
at half- past five o'clock. The Chebar was from
London, with a general cargo, bound to Bombay,
and had
18 hands in all, and one passenger. She
was on the port tack, under single-reefed maintopsail
and double-reefed foretopsail; her jib was hauled
down at four o'clock. The wind was blowing
strong from west-south-west, the sea running high,
and the weather very thick. It was the mate's
watch on deck, and he saw the unfortunate brig
just in time to prevent striking her amidships,
when she would undoubtedly have gone down and
all on board must have perished. The brig was
called the Hilde de Charlotte, 250 tons, Captain
Jacobson, of and from Stockholm, for Rio Janeiro
and Pernambuco, with planks and iron; had a deck
load, and was on the starboard tack, under foresail,
mainsail, and closereefed topsails. She received the
barque on the starboard bow and fell disabled alongside.
The Swedish mate and eight men succeeded in jump-
ing from their brig. Captain Jacobson attempted to
follow, but the vessels rolling off he fell between, and
on their nearing again is supposed to have been
crushed to death, as he was no more seen. The brig,
with loss of both masts, then swung off, but Captain
Grayson immediately lowered his canvas, and exhi-
bited lights to catch the sight of the second mate and
three hands unfortunately left on board. Shortly
after eight o'clock the brig was seen again, and a hole
was observed in her hull on the larboard side, under-
neath the fore chain. The barque's boat was got out,
and midway between the two vessels met the brig's
boat in charge of the remainder of her crew, who were
at once taken to the Chebar. The vessels had spoken
each other in the Channel three days before the fatal
collision. Captain Jacobson, who was 42 years of
age, has left a widow and two children. It is a sin-
gular fact that he came out of his state room at eleven
o'clock the previous evening and told one of the mates
that he had just dreamed he had fallen overboard, and
was up to his armpits in water.
Both crews complain of the apparent apathy exhi-
bited on board a barque of 400 to 500 tons, showing
Dutch colours, which they fell in with just after the
second mate boarded the Chebar. The Dutch ship
looked like a Government transport; she was under
close-reefed foretopsail, doubled reefed maintopsail,
and reefed foretopsail. There were 100 people on
her deck, many of whom wore red clothes, having
the appearance of soldiers, and aft were several officers
in naval uniform. The boats belonging to the Chebar
were scarcely stout enough to live in the sea then
running, and her master hailed the Dutchman, which
had plenty of large boats, and a sufficiency of spare
bands to send to the dismasted Swec'e and ascertain
her condition, or at least to bring off the chests be-
longing to the crew ; but the people on board the trans-
port either could not or would not understand their
application. It is supposed they visited her after the
Chebar left. The Dutchman was outward bound,
probably from Holland for Batavia.