The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-19 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, SUNDAY.-Sir Charles Napier's fleet
of line of battle ships is now at anchor at Spithead, the
Caledonia, 120, Captain Dixon, and the Queen, 110,
Captain Sir H. Leake, having joined yesterday morning.
The vacant seat at the Admiralty, caused by the re-
moval of Vice. Admiral Sir Charles Adam, K.C.8., to
Greenwich, is at length taken by Rear- Admiral Pres-
cott, an eminently distinguished officer, and one
likely to benefit the service much by his counsels and
advocacy.
The appointments to the Command•in-Chief in the
Pacific and the superintendency of this dockyard, vice
Rear-Admiral Sir George Seymour, C. 8., K.C.H., and
Hyde Parker, C. 8., are expected to be conferred on
Rear-Admirals Phipps, Hornby, and Shireff.
The following are the extraordinary particulars re-
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quest taken before Mr. Cooper, the Coroner for the
borough of Portsmouth, on Friday evening, that
the deceased went to the Quebec Hotel on
the previous evening in company with Mr.
Henry Wilson, R.N., Acting-Assistant-Surgeon
of the Victory (newly appointed), and :partook of a
little draught pale'ale about half-past nine in the even-
ing. He had been paid off the same day. Mr. Wilson
had known the deceased about four years ago, before he
went in the Conway. On the occasion under investiga-
tion he did not observe any peculiarity about the
deceased, who appeared in his usual health and spirits,
but spoke vehemently and indignantly of the degrada-
tion his class was suffering under the in navy, in being so
ill provided with proper messmates and-accommodation;
he seemed to consider his class ill-used by being com-
pelled to exist in the midshipmen's berths, and to have
no other associates than that position provided in the
navy. He did not speak of this personally, but gene-
rally, and after the manner of information to Mr. Wil-
son, who was just entering the navy in the first step
(" acting") of the medical branch, and told him (the
witness) that he must be prepared to " rough it." De-
ceased had told him he had lost three 51. notes and a
sovereign, but he believed he had been robbed of it prior
to quitting the Conway after she was paid off. This
witness and another friend of the deceased slept at the
Quebec on Thursday night, and were to have started
together some time early on Friday morning, conse-
quently witness ordered the chambermaid to call de-
ceased at seven o'clock, which was done, and he an-
swered, and asked for a razor to shave with. The
girl said they had not one, and asked if she should said
for a barber, which was done, but when he came deceased
borrowed his razor with the profession of intending to
shave himself. He was subsequently found quite dead,
about half-past 8 o'clock, the razor lying near him. He
had cut the jugular and carotid artery. No explanation
was found in the room or on the person of the deceased,
nor any information as to where his relatives or friends
resided, but two certificates were found lying on the
table, worded as follows—
" These are to certify the Lords Commissioners of the
Admiralty that Mr. Thomas Hart served as Assistant-
Surgeon on board her Majesty's ship Conway, under my
command, from the Ist of September, 1844, to the date
hereof, during which time he has conducted himself with
diligence, sobriety, and attention, and was always obe-
dient to command.

" Given under my hand, on board her Majesty's ship
Conway, at Portsmouth, this 15th day of July, 1847.
" WILLIAM KELLY, Captain."
At the bottom of which, in pencil, was written, appa-
rently very hurriedly—
" I should have been recommended for promotion."
The other certificate was worded in precisely the

same term, only the dates were " from the Ist of July,
1846, to the date hereof, lst of July, 1847," also signed
by the captain, and at the bottom of which was written,
also in pencil—
" Heart broken and disappointed."

It therefore appeared to the jury- that on the ship's
arrival at Spithead the deceased had asked for the last
quoted certificate to memoralise the Admiralty with for
his promotion, as he appears on the Navy List as an
Assistant• Surgeon of 1839; but what appears most in-
comprehensible is the fact, proved by the above certifi-
cates, of the deceased's having been on the books and
done the duty of assistant-surgeon of the Conway from
the Ist of September, 1844, unt►l Thursday last, nearly
three years, without his name appearing in the list of
officers' names appointed to the ship shown in the official
Navy List. The jury returned a verdict in accordance
with the evidence—viz., " That the deceased died from
wounds inflicted on himself, but what the state of his
mind was at the time he committed the act there was no
evidence to prove.
In the absence of any relative or friends to claim
the body, the preparations for interment were, with
the sanction of the coroner, immediately made by Mr.
Forbes, of Portsmouth, undertaker and united service
outfitter.

The Comet steam-vessel, of 238 tons and 80-horse
power, commanded by Lieutenant C. R. Johnson, which
has been employed in all kinds of service, from a royal
yacht to a meal barge, has again worn out her boilers,
and consequently her officers are turned over to another
ship, we believe named the Fire King, at Greenock.
This little Comet was built in 1822, by Mr. Oliver Lang,
and has never had any breaking down in machinery or
jobbery in hull since she was built. We stated a few
weeks since, in commenting upon the paramount supe-
riority of the work and design of this vessel, in compari-
son with some (and very many) of the steamers of
modern build in the royal service, that she would wear
well to the last timber, and her engines would wear out
all. We were, it seems, closely correct in that judgment
of the nature of the materials with which the first
steamer that ever carried a pennant was constructed.
We hope the new commissioners about to be appoint d
for executing the office of surveyor of the navy will take
a lesson from the vast amount of instruction she so
palpably offers, and that the navy may have more
Comets, and fewer Jackals, Bloodhounds, and Tridents
in its list for the future.

The Vindictive, 50, Captain Seymour, flag of Vice-
Admiral Sir F. W. Austen, K.C.8., arrived at Halifax
on the 15th ult., from Bermuda.
The Alarm, 26, Captain Loch, was at Halifax on the
24th ult., having arrived from Vera Cruz to recruit the
health of her crew, who were very sickly, and dying fast
by the last advice'.
The Constance, 50, Captain Sir Baldwin Walker, was
at Mazatlan on the 30th of April, having relieved the
Fisgard, 42, Captain Duntze, which is daily expected at
Spithead with a large freight of specie on merchants'
account.

The Calypso, 20, Captain Worth, arrived at Callao on
the 3d of May from Valparaiso.
The Herald, 26, Captain Kellett, and the Pandora,
6, Lieutenant-Commander Wood, her tender, were at
Porto Praga on the 14th of May, about to proceed to
Quibo, to continue her surveying operations, whither
the former was to be towed by the Samson steam-
frigate.

The Helena, 16, Commander Sir C. Ricketts, was paid
off at this port yesterday.

ROYAL MARINES.

Should there be, as is anticipated, and addition to the
corps of Royal Marines of two field-officers and six
divisional companies, the establishment will then be as
follows, viz.:
5 Colonels Commandant.
4 Colonels Second Commandants.
16 Lieutenant-Colonels.
10 Artillery Captains.
112 1 Supernum. Captain (director at Laboratory).
100 Divisional Captains.
1 Supernum. Captain (Assist.-Adj.-General).
153 20 Artillery First Lieutenants.
133 Divisional First Lieutenants.
87 5 20 Artillery Second Lieutenants.
67 Divisional Second Lieutenants.
To complete the establishment to which num-
ber'it will be necessary to promote-
-2 Captains to Lieutenant-Colonels.
9 First Lieutenants to Captains (one for the
vacant Artillery Company).
27 Second Lieutenants to First Lieutenants
(viz., 10 Artillery short at present, 9 Divi-
sional vice 9 promoted, 6 Divisional pro-
portion by augmentation).
38 New Commissions (viz., 7 Artillery short at
present, 27 Divisional vice 27 promoted, 4
Divisional proportion by augmentation).
The above is authentic, and consequently differs from
the statement in the United Service Gazette.
The following are the promotions and appointments of
the past week:—