The Sun.
London, England, 1849-02-19 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, SUNDAY.—Mr. William Penfold, one
of the first-class clerks in the Storekeeper's-office in this
dockyard, has been selected by Rear-Admiral Superin-
tendent Prescott, C. 8., to check the accounts and pre-
pare them for the Rear-Admiral's weekly audit, in con-
formity with the Admiralty minute. A more competent
selection could not have been made.

The Driver steam-sloop, Commander C. R. Johnson,
was ordered yesterday by telegraph to prepare for fo-
reign service, and this morning she has received her
destination officially from the Admiralty. She will go
to the Pacific, but not quite so quickly as a local paper
has announced.

The Juno, 26, Captain Blake, just from the Pacific,
hoisted the pennant at Sheerness on the 6th of Septem-
ber, 1845, and left England on the 11th November fol-
lowing. She has traversed the Pacific in almost every
direction, visiting Chili, Peru, California, Mexico, the
Sandwich Islands, the Society's Islands, Navigators'
Islands, &c. She has been at sea during her commission
679 days, and has run the amazing distance of 106,750
miles, which is more than any other ship in her Ma-
jesty's serviee has done in the same time. She is a
vessel of Sir Wm. Symonds's construction, and has made
some of the quickest passages ever made on the Pacific
station. She left Valparaiso for Rio de Janeiro on the
Ist of November, six hours after the United States fri-
gate Congress, 60 guns, had sailed, and was baffled by
head winds between the Main and Juan Fernandez for
several days. During the night of the 9th, whilst the
Juno was in stays, John Smith (A. B.) was knocked,
overboard from the bowsprit cap by the jib pennant';
being a good swimmer, although encumbered by a
monkey-jacket and other heavy clothing, he succeeded
in keeping himself up until picked up by tire•: cutter,
which was lowered for that purpose. Mr. E. W. Shaw,
mate, who voluntarily jumped into the cutter, acted with
great presence of mind. When he left the•ship he was
ordered to pull for the port bow, where it was reported
the man had been heard; the ship being in stays and
paying off to starboard, Mr. Shaw considered if he pulled
for the port bow by the time that he would have arrived
there he would have formed a curve, and actually be
where the ship's starboard bow had been when he left the
ship; he, therefore, pulled out abeam and was fortunate
enough to fall in with the man at the very moment he
was sinking; and the bowman in the cutter had to thrust
his arm under the water to catch hold of him. It being
a cold and windy night, Smith was brought on board ap-
parentiy insensible, but recovered in a few days.
The Juno passed Cape Horn on the 17th, scudding
under double-reefed topsails. On the 28th she made
out the American frigate. Congress astern, coming down
under a heavy press of canvass, and the Juno allowed her
to pass her. On the 30th of November, during the first
watch, it came on to blow hard from the S.S.E., when
the Juno scudded under close-reefed topsails with per-
fect ease, On the let of December the wind moderated,
when the Juno proceeded, and kept the lead of the
American frigate into Rio, where she arrived on the 3d
of December.

The Congress brought to in Rio de Janeiro harbour
during the night of the 3d December. She had waited
in the bay of Valparaiso several days in order to sail
with the Juno. She lost a man overboard during the
night of 30th of November. He was a good swimmer,
and was heard calling for assistance, but the skipper
kept his craft on her course, as she was making
such bad weather of it, that her captain was
afraid to heave her to, as he said he thought
she would pitch her bows out. American men•of-
war are more buoyant than English men-of war, being
built of lighter materials, which, although it gives them
a greater height from the water line to the port, causes
them to make worse weather of a gale of wind than our
men-of-war. On the 4th, whilst the Congress was firing
a salute, she had a man blown to pieces in the act of
loading a gun, which accidentally went off.