The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-26 00:00:00

APPOINTNENTd.

Lieutenants—William Swinhurne, to the Wellesley,
72, flag-ship in the West Indies; Dennis Hicklay, from
the Hastings, 72, flag-ship in the East Indies, to the
[ Cambrian, 40, on the same station, vice Moresby; G. E.
Serocald, from the Hastings to the Columbine sloop,
on the same station; Edward Nares from the Hastings
to the Arab sloop, on the same station.
Surgeon—Putrick Digan, M.D., to the Columbine
(acting).
Second Master—James Rusden, to the Queen, 116
guns, at Davenport.
Assistant Surgeon—John Murphy, from the Inflexible
steam-sloop, on the East India station, to the Fury steam •
sloop, ditto.

Engineers—James Downey (?d class), and Charles
Bidder (3d class), to La Rogue steam guard-ship at
Sheerness.

Gunner—Charles Ball, to the Phoenix steam-sloop at
Portsmouth.

Midshipmen—J. Forest, from the Mariner sloop to the
Hastings flag-ship; W. li. Malone, to the Queen.
Naval Cadets—C, D. Sanders, to the Queen; Alex-
ander 0. M'Fariane, to the Victory flag-ship, at
Portsmonth; George Worsfold, to the Persian, 16, at
Woolwich.

Master's Assistant—G. P. Heather, to the Crane
packet, at Falmouth.
The Stromboli steam-sloop, Commander Lord A. W.
Beauclerk, sailed from Sheerness on Monday afternoon
for Portsmouth, to augment the flotilla to give eclat
to the ceremony of laying the foundation-stone of the
Portland Breakwater. She returned to Portsmouth
last night.

The Victoria and Albert royal yacht went from Cowes
to Weymouth yesterday morning, at half-past six, to be
in attendance upon Prince Albert.
The Fire Queen steam-yacht embarked Sir Bladen
Capel, Port-Admiral of Portsmouth, Lady Capel, and
suite, on Tuesday, for Weymouth.
The Growler steam sloop, Commander Stoddart, will
sail tc-dsy for Tangier direct, weather permitting.
The Lords of the Admiralty will commence their
annual inspection of the ports and dockyards on Mon-
day next.
Captain Ellice, the controller of steam machinery to
the fleet, proceeded to Portsmouth from London on
Monday, and in conjunction with Captain Stevens, of
her Majesty's ship Blenheim, made a survey of the steam
machinery of that port. Amongst other matters which
resulted from the survey, we are informed a suggestion
was resolved upon to recommend the reduction of the
steam power of the Retribution frigate from 800 to 400
horse, and that she be sent to Woolwich to undergo the
alteration.

WOOLWICH. JULY 25.—The Plainer steam-vessel,
Lieutenant-Commander Jones, is to leave this port for
Holyhead, to remain at that station, where she will be
employed as a mail packet when any of the regular mail
steam-packets are laid up for repairs.
The Vulcan steam troop-ship had her steam up yes-
terday, and both she and the Vulture steam-frigate were
taken out of the basin to-day preparatory to going down
the river on trial.

The Hobe and Wye convict ships and the Unite con-
vict hospital ship have been removed from nearly oppo-
site the Royal Arsenal to moorings opposite the dock-
yard. At this date there is only one case of cholera
amongst the convicts.

011 e of the riggers, named Butcher, who was em-
ployed in taking the Dr( adnought hospital-ship to
Woolwich, died yesterday of cholera. The deceased
was very much afraid of the cholera, and was attacked
shortly after eating some cold potatoes.

ACCIDENT TO THE NASSAU BALLOON.
Last evening the feelings of several hundreds, who
had, notwithstanding the unfavourable state of the
weather, assembled iu Vauxhall-gardens to witness the
ascent of the Nca au Balloon, as well as those of the
vast numbers of persons on the outside of the gardens,
who had been on the lookout for the balloon, were for
some time kept in a state of painful excitement for the
safety of no less than 11 individuals, who had accom-
pacied the immense machine. At seven o'clock, the
balloon having been sufficiently inflated, Mr. Charles
Green, the veteran aeronaut; Mrs. Green, his wife;
Mr. and Mrs. Green, his nephew and his wife ; Miss
Green, and Miss Gascoyne, of Vauxhall-gardens; Mr.
Crashaw, the iron-master; Mr. Stephens, Mr. Feunce,
Csptain Ondre, and Mr. Pierce, making altogether 11
individuals, got into the car„and the word "all right"
having been given, the ropes were unfastened, and the
balloon mounted into the air in very good style, and
the ascent was considered a very beautiful and
successful one. The balloon proceeded in a north-
eastern course, but it was soon observed that it
was descending so rapidly that it was generally thought
that a considerable leakage of the gas must have taken
place, and that an accident of a serious character was
inevitable. Mr. Green, who was seated in the car, per-
ceiving the extreme danger in which he was placed,
commenced emptying the sand bags or ballast as quickly
as he possibly could, but even this did not prevent the
gradual sinking of the balloon. On passing over the
St. George's-read, near West-square, it was painfully
evident to the thousands that were looking on that the
balloon must come in contact with some of the buildings,
and in an instant it struck the roofs of the houses 94
and 95 on the north side of the London-road, and 'only
one house removed from the Nunnery which had been
formerly the Roman Catholic chapel. The car, in
which seven of the aeronauts were seated, struck the
front of the house with considerable force, so much so
that three of the persons who were standing on the
hoop were thrown forward on the roof, which fortu-
nately happened to be a flat one; but the fourth clung
to the net-work of the balloon. The machine being
thus relieved from the weight of three of its occupants,
and having fortunately escaped damage, instantly rose
into the air to a considerable altitude, when a brisk
current of air carried it in a southerly direction, ap-
parently towards Croydon. The three individuals who
had thus fortunately escaped descended through the
trap-door of an adjoining beer-shop from the roof,
reached the street, and having procured a cab drove as
fast as they could- to the gardens to relieve their friends
and the visitors from their painful anxiety.
A good deal of injury is done to two houses in the
London-road—one of which is occupied by Mr. Cross,
who is a marine store dealer, and the other by Mr.
Hammond, a hairdresser. The coping-stone, for about
ten or twelve feet, has been carried on to the roofs, and
the chimneys are much damaged, so that it will take 10/.
or 121. to repair. The friends of the parties who had
escaped with the balloon continued in a state of much
anxiety for their ultimate safety, and the return of Mr.
Green or some of the party to the "Royal property" was
looked for with much interest.