The Sun.
London, England, 1840-01-07 00:00:00

vt-Es-VONDAI •

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(VI'LYM OUR, 7)WN Pr.4O,t,PoNDENT.)
I COLLISIUN.—I ()SS 01;' THE BRlti SKEEN.
AND SEVEN HANDS.
The Mary pilot boat, E. Mitchcli master, last evening
banded the Captain, mate, ar.d one man, l_:elt-aiging to the
ig Skeen, 220 tc.t,s, L
John master, kftit agutta,
wit,. 340 t.,tes of logwouit, tot Lon,:oit which %es el vv..,
ru.. down by the schooner Exile (of 190 tons), of Brix-
Isom, wheat laden, from London for Bristol. It appears
that on the GliP:dt of the 4th inst. the schooner was running
down Chaoticl with a fresh wind from the eastward, the
brig beetle
at 11 30 P.M. they came in contact.
The .1 uP' when
„ ..00ner was seen from the brig, and the Captain of
tcikeen hailed her, and endeavoured to avoid her run-
b.4g on board, but finding she would take them amidships,
iee put the helm down, intending to take her stern on, but
she took them on the starboard bow, and he fears the
brig almost immediately went down: he, with the mate,
one man, and a boy, succeeded in getting on the schooner's
tnainboom, from which the boy unfortunately fell and was
drowned, the others reached the schooner's deck, but saw
110 more of the brig, in which were six hands. The
schooner lost her bowsprit and cutwater ; and the crew '
not knowing the extent of her damage stood for the land,
and at eight A. M. was boarded by the Mary, which
vessel took on board the brig's crew, and went imme-
diately in search of Ow brig, for which she cruised till
one P.M., without success; and as the six men on board
were below at the time the vessels struck, and on coming
on deck called out that the brig was sinking, and begged
for assistance; no doubt she soon went down. The
schooner proceeded for Brixham to repair damages.

On the sth arrived the Dolphin, of Gottenberg, Chas.
Weckberg, master, from Manilla, with a cargo of sugar
to this port for order. She had been sii months on leer
passage, and had lost six of her crew by scurvy, having
but four to work the ship . she came into harbour this
morning to repair damages.
6:h.—Arrived the.Paiemon, Richard Biggs, of London,
from Richebucto, with timber, for London.

ROYAL YACHT SQUADRON INTELLIGENCE.
6th.—Wind N. E., fresh.—Carne out of harbour to fit
out for the season, Mr. John Leveson Gower's yacht the
Albatross, of 75 tons.
W. Lyon, Esq., has sailed from Gibraltar for the West
Indies, in his schooner yacht Merlin.
The Earl of Wilton's schooner yacht Xarifa, 175 tons,
is expected. from the Mediterranean.
The Earl of Desert's cutter yacht Owen Glendwr, 113
tons, is undergoing a thorough overhaul on Mr. J.
White's slip.
The Hon. H. F. Walker's new cutter yacht of 120 tons,
and Captain G. Reane's yawl yacht of 50 tons, are pro-
gressing in the same yard.
Mr. J. Nicl's new schooner Louisa, of 123 tons, is
nearly ready for sea.

THE NAVY.

Our annual retrospect sta'e of Naval Affairs
affords matter for congratulation, so far as regards the
amount and efficiency of force maintained and in re-
serve. The actual increase in the last year has not
been more than two or three ships of the line ; but the
crews of all those in commission have been augmented,
and the ships employed in conveying troops, as well as
the flag-ships on foreign stations, are now placed in con-
dition for active service.
The new armament has been adopted to a consi-
derable extent, and will, we presume, henceforth be uni-
formly so in the ships fitted for commission. In some
cases, we perceive, that heavy guns intended for dis-
charging shells have been despatched to foreign sta-
tions, and no doubt this would be done in all cases were
there any apprehension of hostilities.
Circumstances having rendered it necessary for
France to increase her squadron in the Levant, we have
had the opportunity of witnessing whet she was capable
of under her boasted system of Maritime Conscription.
Not only has there been considerable delay in manning
her ships, but the crews collected, after the most ri-
gorous exercise of their naval conscription, have been
r found, when contrasted, immensely inferior to our own.
Indeed, it is generally admitted, that in point of effi-
ciency, the fleet under Sir Robert Stopford is not in-
ferior to any we ever possessed ; for, notwithstanding
that the French ships have larger crews, at evolutioniz•
kg or at gun-practice they are palpably inferior ; and
this is admitted by their own officers.
Two noble ships---namely, Queen, first-rate, of 110
guns, and Nile, second-rate, of 92 guns (same class as
Rodney)—have been launched in 1839 ; and St. George,
another first-rate of 120 guns, will be put in the water
before midsummer. On the slips of these, and also on
other slips, three first•rates, similar to the Queen,
named Royal Frederick, Victoria, and Algiers, are or-
dered to be built ; also twelve second-rates of the Rod-
ney and Vanguard class ; and some of those latter,
such as Collingwood, Goliah, Superb, Colossus, Ma-
jestic, &c., are already considerably advanced. It is
in Steam Navigation, however, that the chief progress
has been made ; and every day's experience convinces
1,8 of the fact, that to this branch the greatest exer-
tions should be applied. On this point our rulers
appear of the same opinion as ourselves ; for within
the last year, the Cyclops, Stromboli, and Vesuvius, of
300 horse-power—Hecate and Hecla of 250 do.—
Alecto and Ardent of 200 do. with several others of
an inferior degree—have been added to the list, whils,.
the present year will probably produce as many more.
There are now, in fact, under the Queen's pendant up-
wards of seventy steam-vessels, including those employed
as packets ; and if we reckon upon those in the Mer-
cantile Marine, some of which—such as the Peninsular
Steam—are already under contract with Government,
we might calculate on having instantly available such
a force as would suffice to sweep the seas, and seal up
every port on an enemy's coast, so that.not a cock-boat
could enter or depart from it without our permission.
diWe are much gratified to perceive the improved con-
tion of seamen generally, and to bear congratulatory
accounts on all sides respecting this desirable event.
The infusion of young blood of the right quality, in the
persons of upwards of twenty-four thousand appren-
tices, within the last five years, Was bad a marked effect
upon the mass ; for some thousands of these having
completed their apprenticeship, are now become active,
able seamen. The number of apprentices reared in
steam-vessels—(the General Steam Navigation alone
maintain upwards of fifty, principally selected from the
Naval Schools at Greenwich)—will become a most va-
luable class of men ; and we have heard that the highly
respectable firm of Seward and Co., so celebrated for
their sums, ill the manufacture and improvement of
steam-engines, have now upwards of three hundred
youths indentured as apprentices, with the view of their
becoming engineers and assistant-engineers in steam-
vessels, and fully competent to repair any casualty in
the engines that is practicable at sea, without the ne-
cessity for returning to port, or of laying up the vessel.
—Naval and Militant Gazette.