The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-06 00:00:00

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NAVAL INTELLIGENCE
PORTSMOUTH, MA am s.—The Sphynx steam-si
towed into this harbour at ten o'clock this :morning . the( -
Echo tug, and was followed by the African and BR Atebr , N:
tugs, each laden with the gear used in this memorable opera-
tion. The vessel was not finally extricated from her stranded
position until ten o'clock yesterday morning.
The following is a description of the means which have
proved successful in saving this fine vessel :—The plan de-
vised for this object was by means of " camels"—the project
of Comniander Caffin, of the Scourge steam-sloop, and Mr.
Watts, the senior assistant-master shipwright of this dock-
yard—the buoyant power of which amounted to above 130
tons, brought under a strong frame-work constructed under
her paddle-boxes; to this was added by Mr. Watts, subse-
quently to Commander Caffin's leaving, another camel, which
was brought under the head of the vessel, on which, at the
extreme foremost end was erected a high framework for
supporting the chain cables, hawsers, &c., used in heaving
the vessel off; and to obviate or counteract this downward
' pressure, at the end of the camel, next the stem, was fixed a
fork formed by means of two stout pieces of fir timber placed
a little more than the breadth of the stein ' asunder, and
bolted firmly to the deck of the camel. This fork came un-
derneath two stout cleats fastened to the stein of the vessel,
so that the downward pressure of the cables when hove upon
constituted a power, at one end, of a lever to lift the bow of
the ship at the other end. This was found to render most
important aid in getting the vessel over the bank or reef of
rocks. up to which she had been brought on the two former
occasions, but could not then be got over. This ledge has
not more than six feet of water on it at high tide, whereas
the Sphynx When lightened of everthing except her engines,
drew 10 fact of water. The feat. therefore, of getting her
over the reef is one of the most retrial kuble incidents ever re-
coiled in naval science.
The vessel appears very sound, and came into harbour
with flags flying and the bands of the St. Vincent and Vic-
tory playing " Rule Britannia" as she passed up to the jetty.
She does not appear much damaged, but her defects cannot
be easily ascertained until she is docked, which will be done,
if possible, to-morrow. The camels and raft of casks were
attached to her sides and bottom when she came in. Vast
numbers of officers have been into the dockyard to-day to
witness this signal triumph of industry and perseverance over
circumstances the most unpromising. It is gratifying to add
that everything connected with this event was conducted so
skilfully that no accident occurred. It is anticipated the
vessel will not entail any considerable expenditure in her refit
for service.

The Emerald tender sailed to-day for Plymouth with
supernumeranes.

The new Admiralty " Instructions for Dockyards" em-
bodied in Mr. Ward's (the Secretary to the Admiralty) ex-
planation to the House of Commons, on Friday night last, in
the debate on the navy estimates, were read in this dock-
yard by the Rear-Admiral Superintendent to the heads of
the various departments embraced in the regulations, and
appeared to give general satisfaction.
MARCH s.—The Charon steam-vessel, which
arrived from Wo,,lwich for the duties of this port, instead of
the Fearless, proceeded yesterday, with the of:neutron:l. the.
Pay-office, to Sheerness, and paid off the Dolphin three-gun
brigantine, Lieutenant Miller, and returned to Chatham the
same day. The marines from the Dolphin, seven in number,
were put on board the Ocean, to be transferred to their
division at Portsmouth.

The Aid, Smal!man master, sailed on the 3d inst., with
stores for Plymouth.
The Goodwill, Pledge master, sailed on the 4th inst., with
stores for Sheerness. Remains—the Rochester, Sedgwick
master, loading for Deptford and Woolwich.
Private James Seath, of the 37th company of the Royal
Marines of this division, was tried by a general court-
martial on Monday, the Ist inst., for having, before being
relieved, left his post when sentry over the commandant's
door at the Royal Marine barracks, Chatham, between the
hours of nine and ten o'clock on or about the night of the
6th of February, 1847,:and remaining absent until the morn-
ing of the 13tli of the same month. The finding of sentence
of the Court has been approved by the Lords Commissioners
of the Admiralty, and the prisoner sentenced to twelve
months' imprisonment with hard labour at the District Mili-
tary Prison, Fort Clarence, to which place the prisoner was
removed yesterday.

A codeof new regulations has been sent to each of the
royal dockyards, to take effect on the Ist of April, respecting
the future selections of officers and men for the service. The
pay of inspectors is to be raised from 1001. to 1251. per annum,
and from April, 1t348, one-fourth of the inspectors are to act
as measurers, and allowed a salary of 1501. per annum. A
new. officer is to be appointed, to be termed " Survey-or2f.
Timber." at a salary of 4001. per annum; and promotionia
future is to depend principally on the scholastic attainments
of the candidate. These new regulations are drawn up
professedly to do away with political intrigue, which has
been carried on by political committees to the prejudice of
the service.

SAVINGS' BANKS.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sin,—From an observation recently made by Mr. Baron
Alderson, relative to deposits in savings' banks (and which
first appeared in a public print through the Savings' Bank
Circ.:car), a good deal of misunderstanding prevails. The
Baron has, by many, been understood to say that if a
savings' bank depositor neglected to withdraw any part of
his deposit for more than six years, he would be debarred by
the Statute of Limitations from recovering what might be
then invested. Since what the Baron let drop upon the sub-
ject it has been contended that, as interest is added yearly
to a depositor's account in the bank ledger, that is a regular
renewal of the whole account. On the other hand, it is
argued that, adding interest annually is not a payment, and,
therefore, no renewal of the account.
Now, Sir, as every body knows there is the glorious uncer-
tainty of the law, the most prudent and safe plan will be for a
depositor (either in person, or by the requisite written dele-
gation,) to withdraw something within six years, if even a
shilling, and thereby set all doubting on this head at rest.—
Your obedient servant,
March 3, 1847.

CERTAINTY.

- -
COURT CIRCULAR.
The Queen and Prince Albert walked yesterday morning in the
walks a.ld plantations of Osborne House.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, Prince Alfred, the
Princess Royal, and the Princess A'ice, took their accustomed walks
and rides yesterday in the vicinity of Osborne House.
His Serene Ilightie.•s Prince Frederick of Hesse took leave of their
Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge last night.
and proceeded from Cambridge House to embark in the Triton steam
packet for Ostend. Ills Serene Highness visited and took leave of
her Royal Highness the Duchess or Gloucester at Gloucester House
on Thursday evening. Yesterday, his Excellency Chevalier Bunsen,
the Prussian allulster. and his Serene Highness Prince Loewenstein,
visited Prince Frederick of Hesse at Cambridge House, to take leave
of his Serene Highness.

A Cabinet Council was held at three o'clock yesterday afternoon.
at the Foreign Office. It was attended by Lord John Russell, this
Lord Chancellor, the Marquis of Lansdowne, the Earl of Malta.
Sir George Grey, Viscount Palmerston, Earl Grey, the Earl of
Auckland, Sir John Hobhouse, Lord Campbell, Viscount Morpeth,
the Earl of Clarendon, the Marquis of Clanricarde, the Right
Hon. T. B. Macaulay, and the Right Hon. H. Labouchere.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer was prevented by indisposition
from attending the meeting.
The Council sat one hour.

FRENCH PLAYS.
ST. JAMES'S THEATRE.
M. Alcide Tousez made his first appearance before an English
audience last evening, and M. Alcide Tousez will become, no doubt,
a great favourite with the English public. He is by far the most
humorous French! actor we have ever seen. There is a
breadth and an unctionsness about him that is quite Listo-
nian. The piece chosen for his debut was Le Roi des Frontins
in which he sustains the part of Thomas. Frontin, be it remembered,
is the generic name ef the intriguing valet ef the French vaudeville,
and the Frontin of the piece (M. Dumery) tired of serving a
young, dashing, intriguing, but poor French nobleman, seeks
for a successor, and finds one in Thomas, an itinerant
vendor of poultry a country gawky. He drills him
into the hat exercise and waiting exercise, &c., of a valet
(this drill scene is exceedingly rich), and giving him a written cha-
racter, leaves him as his successor, His master's disgusted with his
gaucherie, but relying on the written testimonial of his abilities, em.
ploys him in all sorts of Intrigues. His stupidity favours him,
and as luck will have it, Thomas, more to his owie
surprise than to that of any body else, succeeds d merveille
in everything lie undertakes ; his stupidity Is put down to the ac-
count of calculation and intrigue, and he, the stupid country dolt, is
at length acknowledged to be Le Roi des Frontins, the prince of
clever intriguers, merely by acting on the theory of laissez faire.
The acting of Tousez was rich in the extreme. Nature has
bountifully bestowed on him a face and figure such as have
not been seen since the days ef Liston. hi. Alcide Tousez has
im-
proved these natural advantages to the highest pitch of perfec-
tion. The house was in a roar from the moment of his appearanca
to the falling of the curtain; and to all hypochondriacs we should
recommend as an infallible cure an evening with M. Alcide Tousea
at the St. James's Theatre.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN INSTITUTE.—The fourth
soiree of the season was held at this establishment last
evening, and was attended by a very large and fashionable
assemblage. Among the musical professors who assisted at
the concert of the evening were, Mr. Muhlenfeldt, Mr.
Cooke, and Mr. Hancock, Mr. Lindsay Sloper, Mr. Frederick
Chatterton, Signor Piatti, the Misses Williams, Mr. and Miss
Ransford, Miss Sabilla T ovello, Miss Mordan, Miss A.
Romer, Miss Steele, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Hobbs, and Mr.
Machin. In the course of the soiree, Signor Jannetti, from
Rome, gave an eloquent recitation in Italian from Dante,
and Mr. Buckingham wound up the proceeding of the
evening by an animated description of the rains of the great
temple of Persepolis, destroyed by Alexander of Macedon on
his return from his Indian conquests. The company did not
separate till a late hour.

THE POTATO DISEASE.—At the meeting of the
Botanical Society, held last evening, at the Society's Rooms,
20, Bedford-street, Strand; J. E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S., Pre-
sident, in the chair. Mr. Monro communicated a paper "On
the Potato Disease." The author was of opinion that the
disease originated in our neglecting to secure thoroughly
ripened tubers from which to produce our future crops, and
he thought that the most probable means of restoring the
plant to its pristine vitality, would be to commence with the
practice of a mode of cultivation more consistent with its
nature and habit, than that which has been followed for a
series of years. At the latter end of November last, the
author commenced raising a portion of his crop, and found
that, among potatoes grown from sets taken from tubers
which had undergone what he called the sedative process for
two years successively, only about half a dozen in a bushel
were affected. A crop raised from sets, which were left in
the ground last winter, taken up and replanted early in
April last, exhibited tainted tubers to the amount of one in
fifteen ; while another crop, raised from tubers, which ware
taken up early in November, 1845, and secured in a pit, after
the usual manner, until the planting season of 1846, showed
the taint in a moat inveterate form, fully two thirds of the
entire crop being diseased.
[ADVERTISEMENT.]—The Registered Paletot of
Llama cloth, the most fashionable coat for both the present
and approaching seasons, still retains the same moderate
price, which, with its usefulness and gentlemanly appear-
ance, has secured such general popularity. It has been made
by special command for their Royal Highnesses prince
Awl
eibemrt, ar,P rhi
his
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rGaecoergtheeopf Cuakme bofrilvdgele,liPurgitnoene, Eandwdatrhdeosef
vSeaarde
royal visitors to the British Court. In London it can only
be purchased of the patentees, H. J. and D. Nicoll, Court
tailors, 114, Regent-street, and 22, Cornhil Agents for
Liverpool, Dawbarn and Son, Bold-street ; for Dublin, Geo.
Macdona, Alolesworth-street ; for Birmingham, Wareing and
Son, New-street; and the principal tailors in other large
owns.

ESCAPE OF A LADY DEBTOR..—MP. Felton, the
sheriff's officer, after being in search of a Miss Crossingham,
of Ongar, during the last four months, last Thursday suc-
ceeded by stratagem in arresting her at her own house. - Ile
then left her in charge of his assistant while he went for a
chaise, but Miss Crossingham having obtained permission of
the officer to go to her bed-room, immediately jumped out of
the window, and alighted upon the roof of an out-house.
thence descended upon a water-butt in the adjoining yard,
and made her escape. A pursuit was immediately com-
menced across the fields, but without recapturing the fugi-
tive.--Essex Standard.
Mn. O'CONNELL'S HEALTH.—We feel most happy
in having it in our power to inform our readers that the ac-
counts received last night from London give a most favour-
able account of the progress of amendment of the health of
Mr. O'Connell.—Dublin Evening Post of Thursday.
CHINESE CANES.—The vessel Royal Albert, which
has arrived in the East India Docks" from Canton and Hong-
' Kong, has brought from the former port the very large qua-
, tity of 30,200 canes.