The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-27 00:00:00

ROYAL MARINES.

Colonel M'Callum, Commandant of the Plymouth
Division, has retired, at his own request, on full pay.
The promotions and appointments consequent upon'this
are the following:—
Colonel Ferguson, Second Commandant of the Ply-
mouth Division, to be Commandant of the same, vice
M'Callum.

Lieutenant. Colonel Stevens, of the Chatham Division,
to be Colonel and Second Commandant of the Plymouth
Division, vice Ferguson, promoted.
Brevet Major William Taylor, of the Chatham Divi-
Ilion, to be Lieutenant-Colonel of the same, vice Stevens,
promoted.
First Lieutenant Richard Conolly, of the Portsmouth
Division, to be Captain, vice Taylor, promoted.
Second Lieutenant John Y. Holland, of the Ports-
mouth Divisien, to be First Lieutenant, vice Conolly,
• promoted.
PLYMOUTH, APSUL 25.—Her Majesty's sloop Heroine,
8, Commander J. B. Marsh, was taken to her sailing

moorings. yesterday, and is appointed to sail on the 3d
of May with mails for Madeira and the coast of Africa.
Her Majesty's steam-vessel Fearless sailed on Sunday
for a survey of the coast of Scotland.
The merchant brig Rhodes, 270 tons, Captain Mullen,
of Newcastle, put in here yesterday distrusted. The
Rhodes is from Shields, laden with coal and iron, and
bound to St. John's, New Brunswick. On Good Friday
last, in lat. 50 33 N., long. 23 211 W., she experienced a
tremendous hurricane, and whilst lying-to under close-
reefed main sail, was struck by a tremendous sea, which
carried away her bowsprit. Before the ship could be
brought before the wind the foretopmast, foremast, main-
topmast, and all sails attached thereto, went by the
board, and the crew were obliged to cut away the
wreck for general preservation. They forthwith
rigged a jury foremast, but this, on the
19th of March, was, unfortunately, carried away by a
squall from N.N.W. On the 9;11 of April they spoke
the home bound barque Eliza and Anne, of Glasgow,
which endeavoured, to assist them by throwing over-
board some spare spars; but the boisterous state of the
sea prevented the crew of the Rhodes from getting them
on board, and they were lost. On the 21st they fell in
with the American ship Tuskiana, from Havre, bound
to New York, the captain of which kindly supplied them
with a spare foreyard. This, after considerable toil and
difficulty, was rieged up as a jurymast, and the shattered
vessel, thus fitted a second time with temporary means
of hoisting canvass, after experiencing a continuation of
heavy gales, fell in with a Plymouth pilot at some dis-
tance from the port, and was at length brought into a
place of safety.
The Peruvian brig Arco, Captain W. Clark, from
Guayaquil, with cocoa, for Hamburgh, took shelter here
this morning, in consequence of the Danish blockade.
The Arco is the first ship which has exhibited the Peru-
vian flag in this port.
Wind—S.W., light breeze.
Woo Linen, APRIL 26.—The Magicienne steam-
vessel, recently launched at Pembroke, and brought
round to the river to be fitted with her engines, is to be
taken from Woolwich to Deptford, Messrs. Penn having
contracted to fit her engines, which are to be of 400-
horse power.
Thu Monkey steam-vessel, Muter-Commander Bry
ant, and the Charon steam-vessel, are daily employed in
making secure mooring places opposite the Royal
Arsenal, the convict-ships being now stationed some dis-
tance from the shore.

The Gladiator steam-frigate was removed to-day from
under the shears, and the Sampson taken under them to
have her masts put in.
The Pottinger, East India mail steamer, formerly
employed on the station betwixt Suez and Bombay, was
towed up the river to-day to Black wall to have new
boilers. s, • -4%
The Southampton, a .very fine East Indianian, belong.
ing to Mr. Wigram, was taken inte the East IndiasQom•
pany's dock at Blackwell this afternoon, on her return
from India. She has made an excellent passage out and
home, having only left S,mthampton in August last for
India. The Welfare, East Indianian, belonging to Mr.
Green, was taken into dock at the same time; and a
large concourse of spectators assembled to witness
these splendid vessels deeply laden with the produce of
the East.

THE OLD WAR LIEUTENANTS.
We have observed with great satisfaction the pro-
motion of Lieutenant Edward Herrick (first of the
Victory flag-ship at Portsmouth) to the rank of Com-
mander. This was an act of justice to a meritorious
officer, and augurs well for other veterans of equal,
standing and similar claims. The Right lion.
Baronet at the head of the Admiralty, we feel assured,
will follow out this generous bearing towards other
senior Lieutenants, and though representing Ports-
mouth in Parliament will not forget Devonport at the
Admira'ty. We have a highly deserving senior
Lieutenant in our flag-ship, the Impregnable, of
40 years' standing, whose promotion would be
hailed with great delight, not only by his brother
officers, but by a numerous class of civilians, who
can appreciate his kindness of heart, and high cha-
racter in private life—we allude to Lieut. William
Keigwin Nicolas (brother of Captain-Superintendent
at
To
t.
this port).
N
poroic.olaLs,jeC.ut.B of
N.,
icolatha e
enteredrto
yal Ntahveaalelo
service
eital
on
the 16th March, 1803; was Midshipman in the Malta
in Sir Robert Calder's action in 1805 ; and of De-
fiance at the destruction of three French frigates
under the batteries of Sables d'Olonne in 1809 ; was
promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in April of that
year ; served throughout the war, and was First
Lieutenant of the Ville de Paris, flagship of Sir
Harry Burrard Neale, when paid off in 1814 ; was
First Lieutenant of Pilot brig, and wounded in action
with the French national ship La Legere of
28 guns, on 17th June, 1815 —for which action his
brother, Commander J. Toup Nicolas, was promoted
to the rank of Captain. Lieutenant Nicolas has
sought in vain for employment, and in 1847 he ap-
plied for the Dolphin, bound to the coast of Africa,
but was appointed to the Ocean, flag-ship at Sheer-
ness, from which ship in 1848 he was removed to the
San Josef, and recently to the Impregnable, the
present flag-ship at this port, of which ship he is now
First Lieutenant and senior of that rank afloat ! We
cannot doubt but that Sir Francis Baring will take
these long and meritorious services into his earliest
consideration, and grant that promotion to Lieutenant
Nicolas which we regret to say has been so long and
unjustly deferred by his predecessors.—Devonport
Independent.

THE SPANISII WAR STEAMER COLON.—A very
fine steam-frigate, built by Messrs. Wigrarn, for the
Spanish Government, and fitted with engines of 350-
horse power, by Messrs. Penn, of Greenwich, was tried
down the river on Wednesday, to ascertain her
speed, and the working of her engines. She left Black-
wall at twelve o'clock noon, having on board General
Viogdet, of the Spanish army, Messrs. de Zulueta,
Captain Halstead, of her Britannic Majesty's Royal
Navy, Mr. Wigram, and the Messrs. Penn, and proceeded
down the river to Long Reach, where the measured mile
was tried once down and once up the river, and the
speed against the tide found to be 8,238, and 13.438 with
the tide, making an average of 10.835 knots per hour,
a very excellent result considering the size of the vessel
and the power of her engines, which made from 23 to
234 revolutions per minute with a five sheet stroke,
and the common paddle wheels, which were preferred,
as a serviceable description of works not liable to
become deranged during service. Tke length of the
vessel is 190 feet, with a breadth of beam of 31 feet 11
inches, and a fine sweeping deck, admirably constructed
for the facility of working her guns. Her depth of hold
is 20 feet, with ample room for the engines; the whole
space around them is very clear, and every person con-
nected with them and with the boilers is under the
immediate superintendence of the engineer in charge
of the working of the engines. The engines work re
re-
markably steadily, and during the trial gave the
greatestof a
satisfaction, as there was not tho least
fwhatever.appearance6S-pounder
. p ound Theer
hot bearing, or delay on any account
armament of the Colon is to consist twoo.
guns on traversing platforms, and four
32 pounders. She
and
months'
will carry 16 days' fuel at full speed, or
shells for400 tons of coal,
provisions, and shot
with three
service. Her principal cabins are neatly fitted up, and
thewhole arrangements are highly creditable to Messrs.
produced a war steamer of a really
DUTCH CATTLE AND PROVISIONS.—The Steam-
sWe rivgircasmadescription. have
vessel Lion, arrived at one of the quays adjoining the
Tower, from Harlingen, has brought 173 oxen, Be., 8
sheep, 9 horses, 53 cows, and 4 calves, being one of the 4
most important and extensive supplies of horned stock
which have taken place from Holland on any occasion,
besides 465 barrels of sugar, 1,624 casks of butter,
465 barrels of refined sugar, 258 quarters of wheat, 120
quarters of oats, and a quantity of cheese, poultry, and
eggs. The vessel Adonis arrived on the same day from
Rotterdam, brought 865 casks of butter, 2,227 of cheese,
917 baskets ofßainbow, from
and Potatoes,
a variety of other articles;
Rotterdam,f,.elaos9t,cla7 packages
ofk butter,3lo
bags of potatoes, 69 baskets o
10 oxen and cows, 30 sheep, and 20
calves;acag e s of
and
fish,
Magnet, also from Rotterdam, brought 112 head theo
of
horned cattle, and 339 sheep—the whole the produce of
Holland.
Sir William Morison paired off with Mr. R.
I Vernon Smith against the second restliug of the Dill for
Sunda)! trpollin I,4ollffsp.