The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-25 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, WEDNESDAY.—Lieut. Randell Vans
(1811) died this morning at Southsea, having just com-
pleted his 60th year. He was in receipt of a pension for
wounds. _

The Dido, 18, Captain Maxwell, sailed last night for
Sheerness, to be paid off.
Vice-Admiral Dacres finally loft the President, 50,
this day under those gratifying demonstrations of respect
and attachment from officers and men, which every judi-
cious commandant is sure to receive at the hands of his
subordinates, and his flag was struck at sunset. A
new foreyard has been sent out to the ship this after•
noon to replace that carried away on the passage home,
and to-morrow, if possible, she will sail for Chatham to
be paid off.
The steamers for the reserve squadron of Devonport
are not to sail before Monday. Saturday was fixed, but
the Admiralty finding the riggers who will navigate
them would have to be paid double for working their
Sunday, have altered the day of sailing to Monday.
The Fire Queen steam-vessel, Master Commander
Allen, after sundry repairs, &c., went out to-day to try
her engines, &c. She did not equal 12 knots, and sprang
a leak in the after run.

The Myrtle steam-vessel, Acting Master Balliiton
commanding, disembarked the baggage, &c., of Admiral
Dacres this afternoon. The Admiral is residing in this
garrison for the present.
The Kingfisher, 12, Commander Harvey, arrived at
the Cape Verds oa the 24th of November, and found the
Dover steam vessel there; sailed on the 26th, and ar-
rived at Sierra Leone on the 7th of December; whence
she would proceed to Prince's Island in search of the
Commodore. But few prizes have lately been taken.
The smallpox is very prevalent up the Gambia. The
Kingfisher was to proceed to Ascension, after speaking
the Commodore. _

The Juno, on her arrival, is to be paid off at Plymouth
and the Espiegle at Sheerness.
Wind, W.; fresh gales and squally weather.
TUB COAST OF AFRICA.

St. Paul do Loando, Nov. 15.
Since the departure of Commodore Sir Chas. Hotham,
this place has been the head-quarters of the senior
officer, and has had occasional visits from his ship, the
Favourite, 14, Commander Alexander Murray. The
Philomel, 8, Commander Wood, arrived recently on this
division from the North Coast, and has taken heir sta-
tion between this and Benguela. The other vessels
on this division aro the Contest, 12, Commander
M'Murdo, cruising to the south of Benguela ; the
Blazer steamer, Lieutenant Smith, off the Congo ;
the Grappler steamer, Lieutenant Lycaught ; and th©
Dart, 3, Lieutenant Glyn, of Ambrize; the Bittern, 12,
Commander Hope off Kabenda; the Britomart, 3, Com-
mander Chamberlains, off Loando; the Waterwich, 8,
Commander Quin; and the Wanderer, 12, Commander
Montresor, off Cape Lopez. The Dart has taken three,
the Britomart two, and the Pluto one slaver off the
Congo mince the last mail. In the Bight of Benin are
the Amphitrite, 25. Captain Elea (ordered to the Pa-
cific); the Cygnet, 8, Commander Kenyon; the Star, 8,
Commander Riley; the Dolphin, 3, Lieutenant Boyle;
and the Firefly steamer, Lieutenant Ponsonby (since
Commander Tudor). On the Sierra Leone coast are the
Alert, G, Commander Dunlop ; the Sealark, 8, Com•
mender Monypenny; the Pantaloon, 8, Commander
Prevost; and the Ranger, 8, Commander Newland. The
Bonetta, 3, Lieutenant Forbes, arrived here from Sierra
Leone on the 30th ult., with the mails brought out by
the Pantaloon and Ranger. She reports both the
Ranger and Alert as having been on shore
and sustained considerable damage. The slave-
trade is greatly on the increase on the north coast,
and the Pongas, Nunez, Gallina3, and Cape Mount
rivers are swarming with slavers. The Bonetta has
been exceedingly successful on that station, having
taken five or six prizes. The Pluto sailed some weeks
ago to reinforce that division. Lieutenant Joliffe has
the command of her, and Mr. Christopher Albert, addi-
tional second master of the Penelope, has been given the
command of the Adelaide prize tender, vice Joliffe. The
Snap, recently a slaver steamer, but now converted into a
barque, Mr. Raymond second master in charge, arrived
here on the sth inst. with a large quantity of stores and
provisions from St. Helena for the use of the division of
the squadron employed on this station. She sailed for
Ascension on the Bth inst., all well. The Favourite, 14,
Commander Murray, arrived on the 7th inst., and sailed
the following evening on a cruise, all well. The Con-
test, 12, Commander M'Murdo, arrived on the 7th inst.,
and having caulked and refitted returned to her station
off Benguela on the 14th, all well. The Favourite sails
for England on the let of January. The new Go-
vernor of the Portuguese possessions on the west
coast has entered on his duties at this place, and
the fleet of eight or ten cruisers under the orders
of a new naval commander-in-chief are now actively
employed in the suppression of the slave trade;
their sphere of usefulness has, however, been recently
crippled by a new treaty with Brazil, which limits the
capture of slave vessels under that slag to within three
miles of the shores of the Portuguese territories. Tho
captain of the Mandonna brig of war has, however, been
making amends for this restriction by burning to the
ground all the barracoons belonging to the subjects of
that empire, as well as those of his own countrymen
along the coast. This and similar cases evidence a cer-
tain measure of vigilance on the part of the Portuguese
officers to check the enormities of the slave trade, but,
alas! they are mere isolated cases, and are, as well as
the exertions of the British, next to futile in stemming
the virulence of that disease which is drying up the vital
energies of Africa.
WOOLWICH, JAN. 24.—The Janus steam-vessel,
when she went down the river on trial yesterday under
the charge of Lieutenant Robertson, with Mr. Trickett,
assistant to the chief engineer at Woolwich Dock-
yard, and Mr. Casey, chief engineer in Captain Aus-
tin's department, was found to answer very well in the
working of her machinery,
and the speed attained was
about 10i knots per hour, but her steering was not so
satisfactory as could be wished. The difficulty in steer-
ing the vessel may have been owing to her not being in
trine or from her form being equally sharp at the stern
vs at the bows; the original design being to have rud-
ders for and aft, similar to the plan adopted in some of
the river boats, to enable her to start or bring up with
out turning round.
The Niger steam-vessel went clown the river on an
official trial to-day, in charge of Mr. Gosman, master of
the Fisgard, Lieutenant Robertson, whose duty it is
to make these trials being on leave for a day or two.
The Niger left her moorings at half-past ten o'clock,
A.M., having on
board Captain Halstead, R.N. ; Mr.
Lloyd, chief engineer at the Admiralty; Mr. Humphries,
chief engineer at Woolwich Dockyard ; Mr. Casey,
chief engineer in Captain Austin's department; and
Bin F. F. Smith of the BMW propeller department