The Sun.
London, England, 1849-06-14 00:00:00

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NAVAL pZELLIGEN

THE CG AST OF AFRICA STATION.
PORTSMOUTH, WEDNESDAY.--The Grt
:earn-vessel, Commander Lysaght, whose
inounced yesterday, left this afternoon at
ir Woolwich to be paid off. She left Loando on the
st of_April, and Ascension on the 20th, and brought 80
supernumeraries from that place. She arrived-at Sierra
Leone on the 29th of April, finding tbe Sealark, 8, Com-
mander Monypenny, and the Pluto steam-vessel, Lieu-.
tenant-Commander Joliffe, there. Shortly before there
had been an engagement up one of the rivers near Sierra
Leone with the natives ; the engagement was led by
Commander Monypenny. There was some rough skir-
mishing, in which the Pluto had one officer (Mr. Moor-
man, mate) and five men wounded. The Grappler left
.Sierra Leone on the 3d of May, and arrived at Bathurst
(River Gambia) on the 7th. The Governor Dfactienald
had left, with all his forces, on board, the
Dover and Albert steam vessels to settle a
" war palaver" up the river with his chiefs, .
who had some time before attacked and assaulted his
Excellency and his secretary; he was now going to seek
satisfaction and make terms. The residents requested
that the Grappler might be allowed to remain to pro-
tect the colonists, but her commander declined, hav-
ing so great a number of supernumeraries on board.
end the smallpox being very prevalent ashore, added to
which the occasion did not stem to warrant the hazard
of the probable consequences. She accordingly staled
from Bathurst on the Bth, and anchored at Goree on the
9th, where she found. the French Commodore and two
French corvettes, a brig, and a steam-sloop lying; took
in coals and left on the 12th; went into Gomore on the
22d, being short of coal, having, indeed, exhausted her
stock and been reduced to the expedient of burning the
coal-sacks, spars, and other woode, to keep the fires in
and steam up, which was a vital neceSeity, 'a large leak
having sprung in her bottom, from the fact of the mouth
of the hose, which is of copper, having corroded through
the iron bottom of the ship; she made a great deal of
water, so much as on one night to have forced up she .
hatches. She was compelled to fend a schooner to Te-
neriffe for coals, a supply of which arrived from the
Consul of that place on the 27th. She got away imam-
dietely, and anchored next morning at Teneriffe, where
she replenished again, and left on the 30th; arrived at
Madeira on the Ist of June. At Madeira the mercantile
residents were suffering great hardships from the long
and highly detrimental quarantine regulations, which
had but just been taken off; the Grappler replenished
coal again, and left Madeira on the 2d for England.
Commodore Fanshawe, C. 8., in the Cr ntaur steam-
frigate, was at Ascension when the Grer left and was
about going to the Bights and south c, to finish the
introductory inspection of the station.
We regret to state that there was every probability of
a very unhealthy season cn the coast, from the threaten•
ing way in which the tornados were coming on.
The slave-trade was as brisk as ever. The Tenzer
steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander Selwyn, had taken
a large full prize, but she had got ashore upon the mid-
dle ground at Sierra Leone. The prize was, however,
hove off by the Sealark, and the slaves saved.
Commander Dunlap, in the Alert, 6, was going to take
the commend on the south coast as senior officer.
Mr. Boulton, Master in command of the Dover steam-
vessel, lent to the Colonial Government of the Gambia,
invalided at Ascension, and died at sea, on his passage
home, in the Grappler. Lieutenant Harward, of the
Alert, had been given the command of the Dover.
The following officers came home passengers in the
Grappler:—The Rev. William Bell, 8.A., late Chaplain
of the Tortoise, to join the Superb, 80; Mr. Wickham,
Paymaster and Purser, late of the Tortoise, term of ap-
pointment expired ; Mr. Morgan, Assistant-Surgeon,
invalided ; Mr. Legh, mate of the Pluto; Mr. Norman,
First Lieutenant of the Alert.; Lieutenant Morris, of
the Tortoise, to join the Favourite (paid off); and Mr.
Raymond, Second Master, late in command of the Snap
tender.
The Contest, 12, Commander M`Murdo, will be the
next ship home from the coast.
The Rattler screw-sloop. Commander Cumming, ar-
rived at Ascension, from England, on the 6th of April.
The Cyclops steam-frigate, Captain the Hon. G. F.
Hastings, arrived at Ascension from the Bights as the
Grappler was leaving. She had taken two slavers. The
Firefly steam-sloop, Commander Tudor, had taken two
full slavers since the last accounts. The Grappler took
one on her way up to Ascension, making thirteen total
as her portion of captures, by which she had liberated
up wards of 2,000 slaves.
A court-martial assembled this morning on board the
Victory (Rear-Admiral Prescott, C. 8., President), to
try Mr. John Rattray, gunner of the Blenheim steam
guardship, acting Captain J. R. Stevens, for having on
the Ist instant been found so drunk as to be incapable of
performing his duty on board the said ship. The Court
naving heard the case for the prosecution, and what the
prisoner had to allege in defence, declared the charge
fully proved, but in consequence of his previous good
conduct did not dismiss him the service, but adjudged him
to bo dismissed his present appointment, and reduced
from the first to the third class of gunners in the Royal
Navy.
Wind—S. by W. (very variable) light airs, and cleudy
weather.
PLYMOUTH, JUNE 12.—Early this mornirg her Ma-
jesty's flae-ship Hibernia, 104, Captain Charles Wise,
hove in sight to the westward, under all plain canvass.
Inside Pelee she clewed up royals, and entered the
Sound under her topgallant sails, at 5 o'clock. Inside
the Breakwater she saluted the Port Admiral, and took
her mooring ground to the eastward of the Camber. She
Taft Malta on the 26th of April, arrived at Gibraltar on
the 17th of May, sailed on the 18th, and experienced
light northerly and north-easterly winds during the
passage home.
Her Majesty's steam-vessel Janus, 2, Lieutenant-
Commander It. W. Powell, was at Gibraltar, having on
board the daughters of Admiral Parker.
Her Majesty's frigate Spartan, 26, Captain Thomas
M. C. Symonds, was this morning reported off the har-
bour, near the Eddystone.
The trial steamers Niger, screw, 12, and Basilisk,
paddle, 6, returned on Saturday' evening, at 8 o'clock.
The competition is said to have been iu favour of
the screw, especially the first day, when she was able
to get full power out of her machinery. On
the second day, in consequence of defective power,
her fires were let out, and some ashes were discovered in
the tubes of the boilers. Under canvass only, where the
Basilisk went two miles to windward the Niger went
three. While in harbour both ships' boilers are, to be
filled with water, the fires lit, and the time taken in eva-
poration is to be carefully recorded. On the next trial
neither machine is to work at a higher pressure than
tour, that being a point which the Niger's engines can at
all times obtain.
Her Majesty's steam-sloop Plumper, 8, Commander
M. S. Noloth, sailed on Sunday for the West Indies.
Her Majesty's steam-sloop Sphynx, 6, called on Satur-
day and sailed again on a cruise.
The steam-vessel Shearwater, Lieutenant-Commander
Edmund E. Turnout., arrived on Sunday from Ireland,
and sailed on Monday for Portsmouth.
The Cleopatra was paid wages yesterday.
THE PACKET-SHIP ADIERICAN EAGLE.
Yesterday the steam-vessel Conhance towed the store-
ship Andromeda, 44. from Hann ase into the Sound,
where she is to receive the stores of the packet, and all the
healthy and conveh scent passengers and crew of the
American Eagle from her, and from her Majesty's ship
Tyne. I\ o deaths have occurred since Thursday last.
This day's report from the sin gfons, Messrs. Francis
Fox and W. Brown, says,—" Diarrheas subsiding; the
two severe cases first reported convalescent. The case
of the German, reported on the 10th, will most probably
prove fatal. The two remaining cases (one that of the
man nurse from the shore, attacked yesterday afternoon)
in some respe eta better."
The merchant barque Colonist, Captain Headley,
from Van Diemen's Land, 9th February, with oil, wool,
potatoes, and grain, for London, was off this port, and
landed a mail yesterday.
The schooner Majestic, Reeves, from Palermo, for
London, was outside this morning; all well.
THE ROYAL WILLIAM VICTUALLING YARD.
alwehHicthhwaveerereueseendtlytobretehneerme:
pi leoty Theoedf. imt nheepn eleL
Irish.it ill. gi s t
2hestablishment have recently been em-
nloyed in packing the toarbo cloikos hs
are to go to Deptford, where
they will be sold, and 20,000 are to be sent to the gun
auctir n here some three or four months since 50,000
wharf at Devonport for the use as forage sacks. At an
were sold at an average price of 9d. each; they cost
about Is. 3d. each.
Light northerly winds and fine weather.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
SIR,—I perceive, with considerable surprise, from the
reports of the proceedings at the Drury-lane Theatrical
Fund dinner, that allusion was made thereat by his
Grace the Duke of Beaufort, and by Mr. Harley, the
treasurer of the fund, to Mr. Anderson, as the future
lessee of Drury-lane Theatre from Christmas next, to
which Mr. Anderson is reported to have responded " in
a very eloquent address." As this statement, which. as-
sunsess Mr. Anderson to be the future lessee, made in so
dramatic and musical profession with
members of the
and others
.with
whom I have concluded eingag.ments,
public a manner, might, if uncontradicted, lead those.
whom It i at
the
Ii
medium
t treaty,s ke t 1 0 f
to imagine that I have been trifling
with them,
your columns that the terms of
e earliest opportunity of stating,
were settled in writing between the lessee,
'aiid myself, on the bah inst., at M. Jullien's
arley -street, in the presence of my sOlicitor
house,ij,iat hs.roj agreementuigi
nienil
and of M. Jullien's solicitor (F. P. Chappell, Esq., of
25, Golden-square); and that on Friday last, the Bth
instant, Mr. Chappell received the requisite iLatructions
to prepare the necessary legal documents to carry out
the same. By this agreement I become the lessee of
Drury•lane Theatre from the 13th of December, 1849, to
the 30th of April, 1850, and for a similar term in the
years 1850-51 and 1851-52.
.._.

- The theatre will be opened under my management for
dramatic and operatic performance. on the 26th of De•
comber have the honour to be, Sir,
Your most 0-,edient servant,
JOSEPH STAMMERS.
33, Duke-street, Bedford-sq iftre, June 12, 1849.

THE CHELSEA PENSIONERS.—AIIIOI7gSt the old
/Adieu' who received medals in Hyde Patk on the Ist
of June was a brave wt,:ran, Sergeant-Major James
Stride, formerly of the 23d Dragoons, who was present
at the battle of Waterloo, and who, on the Marquis of
Anglesey's horse being shot under him, came up and
gave the gallant Field. Mar>hal his horse. Major Forbes.
at the close of the review, introduced the Sergeant-
Major to the Muquis, who recollected the circumstance
well, although he had lost sight of the person who had
aided hits. Major F..rbes also introduced Sergeant-
Major Stride to several of the ladies present, who cordially
sho k hands with him, and they: then vied with each
other in obtaining his content to be allowed to pin the
ribands of his medals to the breast of the veteran pen-
sioner. Sergeant-Msior Stride can now boast of three
medals—one for the Peninsula, with four clasps, one for
1 Egypt, aid one for W,Aterloo.
1