The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-29 00:00:00

THE SUN,

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

APPor.:.T;:i:NTS

Linuter.an t —A ugustus
ceitent, gunnury-ship, at Purtbmouth.
Master—James Saunders (1838), of the Sidon searn-
frigate, to command the North Star discovery chip, at
Sheerness.

Stroile,

Midshipmen—C. 11. Smith, to the Hydra, steam-sloop,
on the south east coast of America station; William 11.
Liddell, to the Ocean flag-ship at Sheerness.
Naval Cadets—Christopher Borthwicke, to the Im-
pregnable flag-ship, at I)evonport; William R. W.
Hewett, to the Vengeance, 84, in the Mediterranean.
The Brazils squadron was distributed as follows on
the 16th of January:—
At Monte Video—The Raleigh, 50, Commodore Sir
Thomas Herbert, K.C.8.; the Tweed, 18, Commander
Lord Francis Russell; the Lizard, iron steam-vessel,
Lieutenant Hollinworth; and the Harpy, ditto, Lieu-
tenant Tomlinson.

At Buenos Ayres—The Alecto, steam• sloop, Com-
mander Massingberd, in attendance on Mr. Southern, the
British Minister.

At. Rio Grande—The Hydra, steam-sloop, Comman-
der Grey Skipwith.
At Rio de Janeiro on the sth ult.—The Crescent, re-
ceiving ship, Commander Meheux; the Daphne, 18,
Captain Fanshawe; the Amphitrite, 26, Captain Eden,
and the Griffon, brigantine, Lieutenant Thurburn.
Mawr Loan's LEVEE.—The following officers at-
tenced the levee of the Right Hon. Sir Francis T.
Baring, Bart., at the Admiralty, on Tuesday:—Rear-
Admiral Philip Brown; Captains W. Coppage, C. Fre-
dericks, F. Glasse, James Crouch, William Peel, W.
Hood, H. Allen; Commanders J. J. B. Freere, G. Snell,
John Reeve, G. Blane, J. Barnes, W. Grant, R. Doug-
las, D. Wyld; Lieutenants Hon. 0. M. Lambert, John
Sheers, W. G. Hemsworth, J. G. Raymond, Stoddart;
Masters M. Bradshaw, James Tomlin, and A. Mackay;
Paymaster and Purser E. Hooper; Royal Marines Col.
Parke.

The Old San Josef, 110, will be taken into No. 5
dock at Devonport, on the 6th of next month, to be
broken up.
The Apollo troop-ship, Commander,Rawstorne, arrived
at Gibraltar on the 10th inst. This good old ship en-
countered all the force of the late gales in her passage.
She beat all the way down the Channel against bois-
terous headwinds, and just as she was clearing it she
was caught in a heavy gale, which lasted 24 hours. One
of her anchors was washed from her bows by a tremen-
dous sea, carrying with it the cat•head stopper. Fortu-
nately the shank-painter held on, and prevented the
bows from being stove in, and they were enabled, after
great difficulty, to get it up. The sea at the same time
washed away all the starboard side of the head, but did
not effect any serious damage: Again, on the night of
the 10th the Apollo encountered another heavy gale,
with such a strong wind blowing off the rock of
Gibraltar as almost to tear the masts out of the
ship, but she got to an anchorage in safety; not so,
however, an unfortunate American barque, that was
entering the bay at the same time. She was
driven ashore on the other side, and on the British
quarantine boat approaching her to ask what assist-
ance she required, the Spaniards fired at it, but
did not hurt any one. The measles had broken out
amongst the children of the artillerymen on board the
Apollo, but only 5 out of the 25 had taken the disease.
The Apollo was put into quarantine on arrival at Gib-
raltar, but it was expected that she would transfer the
parties she had for Gibraltar to the quarantine vessel,
and would proceed to Malta on the morning of the 15th,
postponing the repairs of her defects until her arrival at
that port.
The Persian, 12, is ordered to be removed from Dept-
ford to Woolwich to be fitted for commissioning.
The Termagant, screw-frigate, is to be brought for-
ward at Portsmouth as a first-class advanced steam-
frigate. . .

The Sampson. steam-frigate, having her cylinder new
bored at Woolwich, will be ready to be taken out of dock
on the 15th of next month.

Thu Confiance, steamer, was ordered to take Captain
Rich, and such of the officers and crow of the Vanguard
as choose to avail themselves of a passage from Devon-
port to Portsmouth.
MORE DOCKYARD REDUCTIONS.-Mr. Spiller, master
shipwright's assistant; Mr. Hosking's, foreman; and
Messrs. Lacey, Fox, Ancell, and Jury, inspectors; with
several leading men, are to be superannuated from De-
vonport Dockyard. The sweeping of the dockyards at
this present time include some of the best and ablest men
in the service.

The electric telegraph working along the the line
of the South-Western Railway will be taken into
Portsmouth dockyard, and to the port admiral's resi-
dence, in the course of this week. As the
endeavour to bring the wires under water across the
harbour was a failure, they have been brought round
by Farebam to the terminus at Landport, whence
they will be brought across the Landport road to the
Ordnance fields, running along the line of the Portsea
fosse for some distance; they will cross the walls into
Portsea a little to north-west of the Unicorn gate, then
crossing the Laboratory field, near Trinity Church, and
in front of Major Travers's house, will enter the north-
east corner of the dockyard, and terminate at the Ad-
miral's house. The officer in charge of the dockyard
semaphore, Lieutenant Williamson, has received notice
that his services will be no longer required; but as the
tower will still be retained as a look-out station, a sema-
phore man and one boy will remain; and it is not im-
probable that, as the semaphore tower commands a good
view (over the low land at the Kicker Point) of Osborne
House, that a telegraphic communication will be estab-
lished between these points. It certainly would be very
useful to haves oommtinioation with Osborne House
during the time the Court was sojourning there.
PORTSMOUTH, WEDNESDAY.—The Planet freight ship
arrived at Spithead this morning with a company of the
Royal Artillery, under Captain Turner, bound for Ber-
muda. She embarks a detachment of the 42d High-
landers on Friday morning at Cowes for the same des-
tination.

The Sidon steam-frigate, Captain W. H. Henderson,
C. 8., is, it is understood, to be paid off on Friday.
The Edinburgh, 58, steam guardship, was undocked
to-day. Her bottom was covered with weeds, from not
being coppered.
The Phoenix steam-sloop, with a screw propeller, was
docked to-day as soon as the Edinburgh was out.
Wind, E.S.E.; strong breezes and cloudy weather.
PLYMOUTH, MARCH 27.—A court martial was yester-
day assembled on board her Majesty's ship Impregnable,
104, Captain Sir Thomas Maitland, to inquire into the
conduct of Commander Charles Frankland Newland
and others, the officers and crew of her Majesty's brig
Ranger, in allowing that vessel to ground at Port-a-
Grande on the 22d of July, 1848, through an alleged
want of care on their part.
The court consisted of Admiral-Superintendent Sir J.
Louis, president; Admiral W. B. Mends; Captain Rich,
her Majesty's ship Vanguard; Captain Sir T. Maitland,
her Majesty's ship Impregnable, and Commander
Charles ,Hall. Mr. W. Eastlake officiated as Judge-
Advocate.

The Court having learnt from Commander Newland
that he had no complaint to urge against any of his crew,
and that the crew had none to make against their com-
mander, proceeded to hear so much of Commander
Newland's narrative as related to the grounding of the
brig. From this and from the corroborative evidence of
Mr. E. N. Harrison, purser; First Lieutenant B. S.
Pickard, Mr. John Thomas, acting master, Second
Lieutenant H. H. M. Page, Mr. Thomas Davey, boat-
swain, and G. J. Cocks, coxswain, it appeared that the
Ranger left Plymouth on the 2d of July last for service
on the west coast of Africa, taking mails for Madeira
and the Cape Verde Islands. She arrived at Madeira
on the 15th of July, and as the commander considered
the Ranger for the time being as a packet, he rigidly
complied with the Admiralty instructions to that class of
vessels, and sailed again within 24 hours. At noon on
the 22d of July land was reported; the brig was then
61 miles distant from the N.E. point of St. Antonio, and
the commander being very anxious to make the anchor-
age before dark, they pressed on under all canvass,
and left Bird Island on the starboard hand, the
wind on the port side, N.E., squally. Sail was
shortened to jib and boom mainsail, with the intention
of anchoring in about nine or ten fathoms; they were,
however, prevented from doing so by a report of breakers
ahead. The jibs were hoisted, and the ship bore up
S.W. by S., and Commander Tudor, of her Majesty's
steamer Firefly, a passenger in the Ranger, and a senior
officer, professing a knowledge of the harbour, volun-
teered to pilot the brig. By his command the best bower
was ordered to be let go, but fouled; the small bower
was then let go, by which the best bower had cleared,
but before she could be brought up by either anchor she
took the ground at about 815 P.M. Sails were then
furled, and an anchor got out at the stern, and four guns
thrown overboard.

The subsequent arduous and successful exertions of
Commander Newland in heaving the Ranger off after
she had been pronounced irrecoverable by his senior
officer, Captain Prevost, of the Pantaloon, were not pub-
licly detailed, but were handed in for the optional peru-
sal of the Court.

The sentence of the Court was, that the charge was
proved as against Commander Newland, but in consi-
deration of the circumstances of the case, he was only
adjudged to be severely reprimanded. All the other
officers and the crew were acquitted.
Her Majesty's ship Vanguard, Captain Rich, has been
unmasted ; her masts are sent to the yard for examina-
tion. She will be paid off on the 28th, and then go into
dock for survey.

Her Majesty's sloop Racehorse is ordered to be brought
forward for commission.

The merchant brig Dart, from Madeira for London
landed a mail here this morning.
Wind, southerly—stiff breeze, veering from the east-
ward to the westward.

WOOLWICH, MARCH 28.—The Widgeon steam-♦essel,
fitted for the surveying service, left Woolwich this
morning, to resume her duties, under the charge of Capt.
Bullock.

The Monkey steam-vessel, Master-Commander W.
Bryant, proceeded to Deptford to-day, to tow the Per-
sian, 12-gun brig, from that port to Woolwich, prepara-
tory to her being brought forward for commission.
The Archer steam-vessel, when fitted with the engines
of the Rifleman and a screw propeller, is to be commis•
sioned at this port.
The arrangements for the sale of the Torch and
Myrmidon iron vessels, and the Adder, Doterel, Otter,
and Zephyr wooden steam-vessels, to a Harwich com-
pany have not been ctrried into effect, and the whole of
time vessels, with the Flamer steam-vessel, are to be
taken and kept in ordinary in the basin at Deptford.
The Torch and Flamer went up the river for that pur-
pose to-day.
The Vulcan troop-ship was taken into. the basin to-
day, preparatory to being docked.
The Royal Albert, 120 guns, is now progressing ra-
pidly, upwards of forty shipwrights being kept con-
stantly employed upon her. The whole of her lower
gun-deck is finished, with the exception of laying the
planking, and the work appears of the strongest de-
scription.