The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-19 00:00:00

NA VAL LI" iTELLIGENCE.

PonTsmouTn, MAncl / 18.—A royal salute was fired
at one P 3t. to-day by tb .o Victory, Illustrious, and Ex-
cellent in the harbour, the Superb at Spithead, and the
Platform Battery, in ho, lour of the birthday of the Prin-
cess Louisa.

Captain Mends, of tl to Agincourt, at Devonport, ob
tains his flag by the dea ;II of Admiral Searle.

The consternation an. 1 distress occasioned among the
working mechanics and , labourers in this yard, as the
details of the Government plan of reduction become de •
veloped, is extreme. 119 :any who have been doing duty
as leading hands over hi red mechanics for years, them-
selve% having been previously entered on the dockyard
establishment, and supp. using themselves on that account
secure from discharge, s re to be suddenly turned adrift
at the close of the finan 6'll year; the only alternative
being the bitter one of I ;aking the berth and pay (12s.
a week) of a labourer, a ad this considered a favour.
The Rifleman, sere\ r steam-schooner, Lieutenant-
Commander S. S. L. Cr( ift,cm, is ordered to be got ready
for service by the beginning of the ensuing month.
The non-arrival of the Stromboli en Friday caused
the men for the Caledonia, intended to have been sent
by her, to be dispateleit by the Myrtle steam tender,
which sailed in charge of. .Mr. Scarlett, master of the
Fanny yacht (her proper master, Mr. Balliston, being
ill), on Friday evening. She returned again this morn-
ing, bringing supernumeraries from Plymouth for the
ships at this port.
The Stromboli steam sloop, Commander Lord A. W.
Beauclerk, arrived hero yesterday morning, and was to
have come into the he rbour, but orders awaited her
here to proceed to Milford, calling at Plymouth; she
accordingly sailed within three hours after her arrival at
this port. She is, it is understood, to tow the Magi-
cienne, a new steam-vess al, from Pembroke to Plymouth,
and thence to return her e.

Wind, S. by E.; light airs, and hazy weather.
PI LOMOTION.
Daniel Fisher, to be a eting-gunner.
APP,JINTMENTS.

Commander—Williatu King Hall, to be inspecting-
consmander of the Scilly- district, in the Coast Guard
Service, vice Charles Steel, Esq., 8.N., deceased.
Lieutenant—John Cawiey, R.N., to command Chi-
chester harbour-station, in the Coast-guard Service, vice
Henry Leigh, Esq., removed.
Assistant-Surgeons—D. .N. Tucker, of the Ocean, to
the Lark schooner at Sheerness; Andrew Coates, to the
Ocean, vice Tucker.

Naval Cadet—W. G. King, to the Rifleman screw
schooner, at Portsmouth.

Acting Gunner—James. Murray, to the Lucifer steam.
vessel.

DEATH OF REAR-ADMMAL THOMAS SEARLE, C.B.—
This veteran fin-officer cued at his residence, near
Portsmouth, on Saturday, aged upwards of 80, after a
short illness. He was a midshipman of the Royal
i George ll Bridport's act ion in 1795, and promoted for
his exertions in saving tb a lives of seven men. Ho was
lieutenant-commander of the hired 12-gun cutter
Courier, engaged in 1799, off Wintorton. a French
16-gun privateer, which. (escaped, and captured the
Ribotteur of six guns. In the same year he commanded a
Schuyt gun-boat at the capture of three vessels on the
coast of Holland, and the Courier at the re-capture of
the Crash British gun-brig, and capture of other vessels
under batteries of Schier 7sloonikoog, which were de-
stroyed, and subsequently captured the 14-gun privateer
cutter Guerriere ; commanded an explosion vessel in
Keith's attack upon the Boulogne flotilla in 1803, and of
the Grasshopper in 1807, 'in action with three Spanish
ships of war, one (the SaaJosef) of 12, a second of 10,
and a third of 8 guns, and. captured the first named. In
command of the same brig, he engaged the batteries of
Rota, and kept in check a division of gun-boats during
the capture of a valuable cot soy off Cadiz, in 1808; and
in the same month, in company with the Rapid, gun•
brig, drove on shore, under the batteries of Faro, two,
and captured two Spanish. gun-boats, also a valuable
ship, on which occasion :he was wounded. He was
gazetted twice in 1799, in 1:307, 1808, and in 1811.
By the decease of Admiral Searle, Rear-Admiral of
the Blue, Philip Browne becomes Rear-Admiral or the
White.

Captain William Bowen Mends (1814), of the depot
ship Agincourt, 72, at Devonport, is promoted to the
rank of Rear-Admiral. Captain Mends was midshipman
of the Pomone, in Bridport's action, and in the expedi-
tion to Quiberon; and of the Canada, at the defeat of
Bompart's squadron in Donegal Bay, in 1798. Was mate
of the Renown, and served. in the boats cutting out the
French corvette Guepe, in, 1100. Whilst commanding
the Ferreter brig, served. in her boats at the attack on
the Boulogne flotilla in 18-0/; Lieutenant of the Goliah,
at Copenhagen, in 1807.
By the promotion of Captain Mends, the command of
the Ordinary at Devonport becomes vacant, and a cap-
tain's pension of 1501. per annum for good and merito-
rious services reverts to the gift of the First Lord of the
Admiralty.
Captain the Right Honourable Charles Lord Colchester
(1826) succeeds to the half-pay of 14s. 6d. per diem;
and Captain Patrick Duff Henry Hay (1833) to the
half-pay of 12s. 6d. per diem.
WOOLWICH, MARCH 17.—The Atholl troop-ship,
Master- Commander Pearn, embarked three companies
of the Royal Artillery for et. passage to North America,
and proceeded down the river yesterday afternoon, towed
by the Monkey steam-vessel. The companies, consist-
ing of Captain M'Coy'is sth battalion, Captain Tuite's
company 4th battalion, and Major Ilennis's company 2d
battalion, assembled on the guard, mounting parade at
six o'clock A.M., and marched to the dockyard at half-
past six o'clock, headed by the band of the regiment,
and were taken to the Atholl at her moorings in the
river by the gun boats of the dockyard battalion. Cap-
tain M'Coy commands the company during the voyage,
Major Hennis and Captain Tuite being on sick leave.
Captain Clifford proceeded with the companies, having
exchanged with Captain J. Travers, of the 4th battalion.
In the event of the Atholl arriving at Halifax before the
navigation of the St. Lawrence is open, she will remain
at that port until the ice is cleared away. It is also in-
tended that she should call at St. John's, New Bruns-
wick, to embark Captain Ormsby's company, 6th bat-
talion, ordered home, having been at that station since
May, 1843.
On the medical examination of the men of Woolwich
Dockyard taking place, it has been ascertained that only
about a dozen of them will be superannuated. The
others who are to be discharged have been generally
offered permission to remain as labourers. The pay of
the labourers is about 12s. per week.

FIELD OPERATIONS AT CHATHAM, MARCH 13.--
The officers and men of the Royal Engineer establish-
ment, under Colonel Sir Frederick Smith, com-
menced yesterday morning field-work operations for the
season on their usual ground, the Lower Lines at Chat-
ham. In commencing the siege, they have formed a
parallel line, extending south to St. Mary's Barracks,
and north to St. Mary's Creek, being a cover for troops
and baggage. There were also some experiments in
the breaking of a stockade, and blasting brick walls, and
to witness these explosions was, among other gentlemen,
Captain William Peel, R.N.,:son of Sir Robert Peel, whu
is here for the purpose of gaining information in en-
gineering. The first part of the operations was that
of the stockade, which has been erected for the
last twelvemonths, built with bulks of oak
firmly fixed in the ground, and ribboned together top
and bottom, as firm as possible. To effect an open-
ing in this barrier, two bags of powder were placed
on the surface of the ground, close against the erection:
each bag contained 501bs. of powder, and was well
clamped up with sand bags. Upon firing them an effec-
tive breach was made of upwards of 8 feet, the timber
being shattered into fragments; and so violent was the
shock, that 52 panes of glass were broken in the case-
mate barracks. The doors shook from their hinges, and
the roofs literally trembled. The effect of the explosion
was felt for some distance. The experiments upon the
walls then commenced. The first was that of a 14-inch
wall, 6 feet by 6, without counterfort, with one charge
of 101ba. of powder, without being clamped. The ex-
plosion had not the least effect on it. The next was
No. 2, same size wall, with 101bs. of powder placed
against it, and was clamped up with one sand hag of
901bs. The explosion well cracked it, and it could
easily have been pushed down by six men. Then
followed a 14 inch wall, 6 by 6 inches, with two 14
inch counterforts, distance between 3 feet 9 inches; the
charge placed against it was 151bs. of powder, weighted
by three sand bags; being fired, the violence was such
as entirely demolished the erection. The next experi-
ment was against a 9 inch wall, 6 by 6 inches, with 9
inch countertorts, 4 feet 6 inches apart, and the explo-
sion completely destroyed it. Some interesting experi-
ments with hand grenades were witnessed this afternoon,
by Captain Peel and other gentlemen. Sir Frederick
Smith had two square places erected—into one the gre-
nades, made of iron, filled with powder, were thrown,
and they did much execution; and into the other gre-
nades of glass, they are, however, not so destructive—
the only effect would be to troops, that the glass would
cut severely; the others are sure to produce instant death.
The whole of the operations gave the greatest satisfac-
tion to Sir Frederick Smith and all the officers present.
Edward Thornton and Daniel Brenan, Esqrs., are
appointed Executive Councillors, and David Kaye,
Esq., a Legislative Councillor, for Prince Edward's
Island.