The Sun.
London, England, 1849-04-07 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

Most of the members of the Board of Admiralty have
left town for the Easter holidays, and only Lord John
Hay, Captain Milne, the Honoure.ble W. Cowper, Mr.
Ward, and Captain Eden, the private s:cretary, are in
town. The First Lord has proceeded to Hampshire,
Admiral Dundas to Somersetshire, Captain Berkeley to
Wales.
Commander James Pickard (June, 1814) died at his
residence, Stoke, Dcvonport, on the 4th instant. This
officer entered the navy in 1796, and from that time
until 1814 (with the exception of ten days' leave) was
never absent from duty in sea-going ships. Serving
nearly nine years as midshipman and lieutenant with
one captain, Sir Richard Keats, being made a lieute-
nant from the Superb by Lord Nelson ; afterwards
with Sir Thomas Louis in the Canopus, and lastly as
first-lieutenant of the Tenedos, Captain (the present ad-
miral) Hyde Parker, on the coast of America during the
ar, from which ship he was promoted to the rank of
commander. He was engaged in acti,n in the Cano-
pus at the battle of St. Domingo, 1806, in the same
ship at forcing the passage of the- Dardanelles and the
destruction of the Turkish squadron lying there; second
lieutenant of the Naiad, when engaged with the French
fl )tilla before Boulogne, in the presence of Napoleon
Bonaparte, when they were beaten back ; served with
the army in Egypt, 1807, at the siege of Rosetta, under
Brigadier the Hon. Sir W. Stewart and Captain Hallo-
well, of her Majesty's ship Tigre (late Sir Benjamin 11.
Carew), by the latter of whom he was appointed to the
command of the gun-boats on the lakes of Aboukir and
Marietis. In the performance of the above services, he
was present at and engaged in the capture and destruc-
tion of six line of-battle ships, five frigates, one praam,
20 privateers, and a considerable number of merchant
vessels. The several officers under whom he served
bear sufficient testimony to his merits ; but like many
others, from want of sufficient interest at the Admiralty,
ho was never further tested, his oft repeated applica-
tions for employment being of no avail.
Commanders Otter and Smith have taken up their
CAnmissions, at Portsmouth, appointing them to the
Comet, steam-vessel, for surveying service.
Orders have been received at Woolwich for the Black
Eagle, Admiralty steam-yacht, Master-Commander
Cook, to bo in readiness, on the 13th instant, to convey
a Board of Admiralty to Sheerness and Chatham.
APPOINTMENTS.— Surgeon—Dr. Edward li. Derri-
man (1845) to the Plumper, screw-sloop, at Portsmouth,
vice Pritchard. Assistant Surgeon—Francis Anderson,
to the Southampton, 50, flag-ship, at the Cape.
PRIZE MONEY FOR TUE CAPTURE OF SLATERS.-- Mr.
Chippendale has given notice to Captain Mansell and
the officers and crew formerly of the Actmon, 26, that a
distribution of the net proceeds of the Esperanza, cap-
tured on the 26th December, 1845, will be made at the
office of the agent, No. 10, John-street, Adelphi, on the
13th of April, 1648, and that the same will be recalled
every Tuesday and Friday, for three months to come:—
Captain, 68L 19s. 2d.; first class, 151. 9s. Id.•, second,
9155. 5d.; third, 41. 12s. 81•, fourth, 31. Is. 9d.; fifth,
11. 10s. 10d. ; sixth, 1/. Os. 7d.; seventh, 103. 3d.
SALVAGE.—Ommanney, Son, and Co., have given no-
tice to Lieutenant Craig, and the officers and crew late
of the Volcano, steam-vessel, in the Mediterranean, that
an account of a sum of money received in lieu of sal-
vage for services rendered by the Volcano to the barque
Niagara, on the 22d July, 1848, will be delivered into
the registry of the High Court of Admiralty on the 15th
instant.
Leander, 50, will be undocked at Portsmouth this day.
The Cleopatra, 26, has been taken up opposite Chat-
ham Dockyard, for the purpose of being prepared for
commission. She has her masts in and will soon be
ready. Captain Peel will not command her, as stated.
The Castor, 36, ordered to be brought forward for
commission at Chatham, as we have before stated, is to
be sent to Sheerness, to be taken .into dock (there not
being one vacant at Chatham) to bo coppered to the
load-line, and have her bottom cleaned, after which she
will return to Chatham to be rigged, &c. She will be
docked at Sheerness about the 15th inst., when the Am-
phion' screw frigate, is taken out.
hvoe vessel el
t a
o t Woolwich, o olw
stripped,ich ,
hero
t
The Sparrow, 6, ketch, has been commissioned for sur-
veying service at Portsmouth, by the master, Mr. Hoskyns,
for Commander Fraser.
The Mastiff, 2, surveying
to be further employed. S
stores are to be returned, and her masts are to be taken
out. The second master in charge is to be paid off.
The Blenheim, 60, screw-steam guard ship, Captain
11. Austin, C. 8., will not be completed by the engineers
at Portsmouth before the end of the month.
The Arrogant, 46, screw-frigate, Captain Robert
Fitzroy, is not yet complete at Portsmouth, and the time
is postponed. She will be out of the hands of
the engineers on the 11th, will be ready to go out of
harbour on the 12th, and will be ready to sail from Spit-
head on the 15th inst.
The Amphion, 36, screw-frigate, will be undocked at
Sheerness on the 15th instant, and will be completed in
about a fortnight after that period.
The Termagant, screw-frigate, will be completed at
Portsmouth by the engineers, as a first-class advancea
steamer, by the 21st inst.
The Gladiator, steam-frigate, will be completed at
Woolwich, in machinery and hull on the 14th, to pro-
ceed to Devonport to be brought forward as a first-class
advanced steam-vessel.
The Plumper, 12, screw-sloop, Commander Nollotb, is
ordered to have a new screw cast for her; she will be in
the hands of the engineers and shipwrights at Ports-
muuth for a month.

The Reynard, 10, screw-sloop, Commander Craeroft,
at Poi tmouth, is also to have a new screw, and will have
her def, cts made good by the end of the month.
The Culqmbine steam-vessel was commissioned M
Chatham on Thursday afternoon by Commander Short-
land. She is to have a complement of 70 men, and to be
fitted for surveying service.

The conyiet:ship-s at Woolwich are to be moored off
the Arsenal, and the marine guard is ordered to be
withdrawn.

r
THE EARL OF HARDWICKE AND HEE MAJESTY'S
SHIP VENGEANCE.---The followin is an extract of a
letter from an officer on board he g Majesty's ship
Van •
geance, 84, at Genoa. The whole affair is eminently
characteristic of the Noble Earl who has lately suc •
ceeded to the command, and is well worthy of being made
public:—" On the iilth March her Majesty's ship Ven-
geance was moored in the Mole of Genoa, it being the
intention of the gallant captain, the Earl f Hardwicke,
to have sailed that day for Spezzia, but the wind being
right in, and blowing fresh, could not start her.
Next morning (Friday) unnsoored, pilot came on
board, wind being much lighter than usual off the land.
The pilot did not wish to start the ship, but the captain
being very anxious to proceed in the execution of his
orders, said, ' I must go.' She then weighed and made
all possible sail before the wind right out of the har-
bour. On opening the Molehead a
tremendous heavy
swell setting in, wind gradually going down, in fact,
nearly a calm, ship lost steerage way, and driving right
for the North east Molehead, let go the best bower, but
not bringing her up, let'go small bower, and veered away
upon both ; ship then brought up in a very dangerous
position. Laid out a kedge with four hawsers right an
end, intending to try, if
possible, to warp her out. The
French steamer Tonnerre, sent on board and offered her
services. Lord Hardwicke politely thanked them, but
in case he should want her he would send, and begged
the captain to light his fires. The United States screw-
steamer
Princeston also offered services and boats
(quite calm). At 9.30 the wind set in with
a light breeze from the southward, the sails being
loose at the time, furled them, hove up small bower, and
hove short on best bower, setting taut the hawser at the
same time; the pilot wished the captain to drop into his
old berth, but the latter was determined on getting out.
And now was displayed the finest piece of seamanship I
ever witnessed. Braced the yards sharp up on port tack,
sail loosen aloft, ready to let fall, weighed the best bower,
hauling taut the kedge (noose), ship falling round off,
set the jib and driver and the courses. Being then close
to the rocks, but deep water alongside, made all plain
sail, ship closing the rocks, and not feeling the sail. The
pilot wished to throw all aback, braces all manned; but
at this moment his Lordship, who was watchingi her
l
ver..
Majesty y
narrowly, in the coolest manner possible. said,
s ',sheship
d
gathering way, and is all right.' Her
Vengeance at this moment passed the rocks in less than
four yards off. The people who were looking at us on
the Point ran back, afraid of the ship falling on them,
tou
naturally concluding she must Nothing but the
firmness and decision of bigLor
• Lordship saved her Majes-
ty's ship this day from
being a total wreck. After get-
ting out we proceeded in execution of our orders." The
Vengeance, we are happy to hear, is now quite free from
fever, and we trust this ship will no longer suffer, having
been so well cleaned out down to the kelson at Malta.
PORTSMOUTH, FRIDAY.—The Leander, 50, new fri-
gateo on the design of Mr. Blake, late master. shipwright
of this dockyard, will be commissioned in a few days at
this port by Captain Charles Eden, private secretary to
the First Lord of the Admiralty.
The Stromboli steam-sloop, Lieutenant T. Davies,
Acting Commander, arrived this morning from Jersey
and Guernsey, whence she brought the depots of the
16th and 54th Regiments, the latter being from Jersey.
The ships and vessels in the old basin will be removed
next week for the purpose of clearing out that receptacle.
Yesterday being the last day of the financial year, it
was expected several commissions for vessels would
have been issued last night. The expectations of the
service were, however, not realised.