The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-27 00:00:00

FOREIGN SHIPS OF WAR AND PACKETS IN PORT•

The yachts Peterel, Nautilus, Firaiy, and Sapphire;
.he lonian Government steamer Eptanisos.
THE COAST OF AFRICA.

PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 26 —The Dolphin brigantine,
Lieutenant the Hon. B. F. Boyle, commander, arrived in
the night from the above station. Having experienced
calms, light airs, and other drawbacks, she has not made
a quick passage. She left Ascension on the 3d ult.,
and Sierra Leone on the 15th. Both places were
remarkably healthy. The Commodore was between
Loando and St. Helena, in the Centaur steam-!rigate.
The slave trade was us brisk as ever. The Dolphin
has made five prizes during the time she has
been on the station, mostly well freighted with
slaves, of whom she has liberated 1,500 in about
18 months. The trade appears very active in the Por-
tuguese dominions between Benguela and Loando, off
wltch place the Cygnet had captured two vessels in
July last. The Spy brigantine had taken a small felucca,
which had made two successful runs lately. Tho
Dolphin's boats chased a large three-masted steam slaver,
on the 20th of August, between Loando and Benguela,
on the south coast, but unsuccessfully. The Britomart
captured a fine fore-and-aft schooner off Mayumba, in
July. The trade appears rather slack in the Bights of
Benin, no captures having been made there lately. The
chiefs at the Geniuses were going to give up 3,000 slaves
to Commander Dunlop, of the Alert sloop. The Pluto
steamer, and Waterwitch brig, had gone rrow the au!.
to the south coast—the latter taking Mr. Duncan, Vice.
Consul, to Whydah. She had driven ashore a fine slaver in
July last off the Gellinas. The Britomart was at Loando
on the 20th of September, superintending the repairs
of the Snap tender. The Firefly steamer was also
there at the same date. The Britomart will be the
next ship home from the station. The Sealark had
taken an empty schooner in July, close to the place
where the Cygnet made her prizes. The Phosnix screw-
schooner, on her passage from England to the station,
had made prize of a Portuguese schooner off the Cape
Verds, bound from Trieste to Pernambuco, on suspicion
of being intended for, or engaged in, the slave trade,
which has made a great stir, and is expected to lead to
troublesome consequences. Commander Wodehouse
sent her to the Cape of Good Hope for adjudication.
The Cyclops steam, frigate was going to the south coast
as senior officer's ship. The piratical slaver which beat
off the boats of the Ale: and killed their officer and
some of the crew, some time since, had not been cap-
tured by the Commodore, as has been reported from the
coast by previous ad vices. There was not a single slave
in the slave-yard at Sierra Leone, where emigrants were
very much wished for. The Dolphin is ordered to the
enstA rad, to be paid off. She is in admirable order, and
has proved herself of the best class of sailing-vessels for
the slave-cruhing service.
Wind—W., fresh breezes, with showers.
The accounts yesterday of the health of the Admiral
of the Fleet are still unfavourable, and little hopes are
entertained of the venerable and gallant officer's recovery.
The LeLnder, 50, Captain Dacres, received a portion
of her heavy armament at Portsmouth this morning,
namely, her main deck guns; their weight, exclusive of
their carriages, is about 85 tons; it only brought this
lice ship down three inches deeper in the water. She has
a magnificent main deck, and her guns appear to occupy
a very small space on it, although of such heavy calibre.
The following will be her armament:—
Main deck... 8 guns 68 pounders or 8 inch. 9 ft. 65 cwt.
/2 20 guns 32 pounders 9 ft. 6 inch. 56 cwt.
Quarterdeck 4 guns 68 pounders 8 ft. 6 inch. 65 cwt.
12 guns 32 pounders 8 ft. 45 cwt.
22
Forecastle ... 6 guns 32 pounders 8 ft. 45 cwt.

Total 5O guns 12 68 pounders.
91 38 32 pounders.
Exclusive of boats' howitzers. With these guns she
has still plenty of spare room for a heavy pivot abaft,
though the four 68-pounder guns on the quarter-deck
can be shifted if required, two to the stern and two to
the bow, and fired in a line with the keel.
PLYMOUTH, OCT. 25.—Her Majesty's brig Wolverine
arrived from Portsmonth on Monday. She will require
to be caulked before sailing with the November mails for
the coast of Africa.
Her Majesty's steam-frigate Stromboli came in on
Tuesday, from Portsmouth.
The Devon lighter is ordered to take in stores for
Portsmouth.
Her Majesty's steam-vessel Spiteful went on Tuesday
from Hanioaze into Barnpool, to have her compasses
adjusted.
The jurymasts of the Octavio frigate have been taken
out, and she is now alongside the jetty for the purpose
of being fitted as an advance ship.
The masts of the St. George, 120, are ordered to be
taken out and sent into the yard.
Orders have been received from the Admiralty that
all seamen riggers employed not inore than eighteen
months in the Deveaport yard are to be discharged on
Saturday.
The Constance, 50, Captain G. W. C, Courtenay,
from the Pacific station, which is to be paid off hero on
her aarival, is to have none of her fitments removed.
The Sccut, 14, is to be taken into dock, to have her
defects made good.
The Octavia, 50, is to be.put into ordinary.
The Salamander, 6, sloop, is to be a first-class steamer.
The Ganges, 84, Capt. Smith, C. 8., and the Conflict,
8, steam-sloop, now refitting, will be complete by the
27th inst.
The Spiteful; 6, Commander Carmichael, has com-
pleted her fitment, and so has the Seagull, 6, steamer,
Lieut. J. Srnail.
CHATHAM, OCT. 26.—The Magicienne steam-sloop,
ordered for this port to be fitted for commission, is to
have a complement of 200 officers and men, including
marines.
The Tiger steam-vessel, building, and the Horatio,
fitting for a screw guard-ship of 350-horse power, are
both being basted, in order that when finished they may
be undocked and taken to the engineers to have their
machinery fitted. The Tiger is to have. a complement
of 200 men including officers.
The Pigmy stem vessel, which has been for some
time doing harbour duty at this port, is ordered to be
sent to Woolwich, and the Adder steamer at that port is
to be transferred to Chatham for harbour duty.
A general court-martial was held at Sheerness, on
board the Ocean, en the 24th instant, of which Captain D.
Price, of the Wellington, was president; and Captain P.
Richards, Poictiers; Captain Elliot, Ocean; Commander
Gordon, Wellington; and Commander Cammiiieri, of the
Poiciers, were members, for the trial of Daniel Donovan,
a gunner, from the ship Latona, 42, lying at Chatham.
The charge, which was for being drunk on board on the
sth inst., was preferred by Lieutenant James Carter.
There were twe witnesses exiimiried, The pris9uer