The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-09 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PonTsmount, Fan. 7.—The Medea, steam-sloop, Com-
mander Mason, left yesterday morning, with Sir H. Sey- 1
mour and suite, for Lisbon. The Medea also took dispatches
for Vice-Admiral Sir W. Parker, in the Tagus, and letters
for the squadron. Captain Corry, of the Superb, 80, ob-
tained a passage in her to rejoin his ship. From the Tagus
the Medea proceeds to the Last Indies, taking dispatches for
Rear-Admirals Dacres (at the Cape) and Inglefield (China).
The Retribution, steam-frigate, proceeded yesterday to
Cowes, with the dep6t companies of the 91st Regiment, for
Parkhurst Barracks, Isle of Wight, replacing the depbt of
the 71st (two officers, 182 non-commissioned officers, buglers
and privates), 10 women, and 13 children, who were dis-
patched per special train from Gosport to Winchester quar-
ters the same afternoon.
We have the beat authority for stating that the time-ho-
noured Victory, 104, Captain J. Pasco, is not to be put out
of commission.

We understand that her Majesty has lately been in treaty
for the Wonder steam-packet, belonging to the New South-
Western Steam Navigation Company, but who have declined
to dispose of her; and we believe the only reason to be that
the services of the vessel cannot be dispensed with for the
present.
The Tartarus, steam-vassel, 523 tons and 106 horse. power
manned, pro tem., by a crew from the St. Vincent, 120, flag-
ship in this harbour, and under the temporary command of
Lieutenant C. P. Coles, of that ship, arrived at Spithead
yesterday afternoon from Woolwich, and left this morning,
for Cork, taking supernumeraries, Sic.
The Avon steam surveying-vessel, Commander Otter, ar-
rived this morning from Woolwich, and came into harbour.
She is to replace the Sparrow ketch (now laid up), on the
north coast of Scotland, and has got the officers and crew of
that vessel, _ - .

The African steam-tug, Mr. John King, acting master, re- '
turned yesterday morning from the wreck of the Sphynx,
towing up the disabled " camel" and some fiatbottomed ,
boats, and bringing in most of the seamen who have been
employed in the late operations. Four of the dock-yard
riggers.are still there; and we hope the Admiralty will take
the case of these men in particular, and the whole of the ar •
tiaans who have been employed at the wreck generally, into
their consideration, and award them something more ade-
quate for their services and privations than merely their ra-
tions and occasional payment for extra hours. Such pay-
ment is not an adequate reward for men who have been
working night and day for three weeks upon a wreck in the
winter time and away from their families.
A letter from the tape, dated Simon's Bay, December 5,
from an officer of the squadron on that station, says :—" The
President (flag-ship) is here ;we hare had the Columbine,
16, Commander Booth, and the Brilliant, 22, Captain Wat-
son, here also, the latter for this station from England to re
lieve the Cleopatra, 26, Captain Wyvill ; the former for the
East India and China station; Commander Booth, however,
invalided, and Lieutenant Yon Douop, of the President, was
put in as acting-commander of her, and has taken her on to
her station. She sailed only a few days ago. The Dido, 20,
Captain Maxwell, arrived hire on the 26th of November
from the River Plate, en route to India and China. We
t` expect the Vernon, 050, with the flag of Rear-Admiral
Inglaileld, on hie way to take the chief command on the
' East India and China station, vice Sir Thomas Cochrane,
' daily. The Nimrod, 20, Commander Dacres (son of our
; Commander-in-Chief), is also daily expected from the
coast of Africai she is to take the place of the Blaine, 12,
on this station. On the 27th of November a very fine
1 barque, under Brazilian colours, arrived here as prize
to the Cleopatra, 26, fitted with slave decks, coppers and
shackles on board, but no slaves; she had just arrived
_...

on the coast from Rio; they took her at the end of the
Mozambique Channel, and, the day after, the Cleopatra
arrived herself, very sickly, more than 40 men on the sick
list, and had lost two ; two more died on the 30th, and
several others cannot get over it : their malady is dysentery,
which they got at Zanzibar. She will start for England
very soon now, but as the Brilliant has one of her Beate-
nants,remaimatter,
until and two
return. Theboard,wopnzeorewsoanrivant was to
Isupposecaushme
will
Algoa Bay, where she would find orders to return here im•
mediamissiotnelnowy toureliearrivethyeae Cleopatra,i;l catheswhich hasare been
quietcom-
now, and want to treat for peace in most eases. We have A
very strong force up there, but there are doubts as to what
the Governor will do."
Mr. White's new 12-gun brig Contest " surpasses by far
any vend of her class I have ever seen," says an officer on
board of her, in a letter dated Cape Mount, West Coast of
Africa, December 5. 1846. She " has every good quality a
man-of-war ought to poems in stowing and in accommoda-
tion she is perfect. In sailing on a wind within five points
with a head sea she has frequently gone 9i knots, and is
particularly easy; going free, yards nearly square, in mo-
derate weather, without studding sails, we have got twelve
knots, which the log will prove. She has not as yet been
pressed with sail; we do not know what she may yet do;
she is quite tight, and does not strain. The only trial we
have as yet had wes with the Favourite, 18, and Nimrod,
20, both of whom we beat very much; the latter three miles
dead to windward, in one hour and a quarter, although she
is considered to sail well. We have much improved the
Contest, by raking her masts nine inches in ten feet ; and
what we have found to be her best draught is fifteen feet se-
ven inches aft, twelve feet live inches forward, or
_about two
feet seven inches difference; in that immersion we think no-
thing-will touch her. We are all very proud of her, and she
is much admired."
The,Actmon, 26, Captain Manse', and the Devastation
steam-sloop, bearing, the broad pendant of Commodere Sir C,
Hotham, K.C.8., Commander-in-Chief on the west coast of
Africa, were at Ascension on the 19th December.
CHATHAM, Fes.. 6.
The Semarang, 26 guns, in Dock, owing to the number of
defects to be made good, will not be ready for service till the
end of the month ; she is to have an entire new false keel.
The Dockyard riggers commenced rigging her on Friday
the ith.
The Birkenhead steam-frigate, Commander A. H. Ingram,
arrived here on Friday afternoon, the sth inst., from Wool-
wich, and moored alongside the Tartar frigate, when she
commenced shipping the baggage and clothes stores of the
reserve battalion of the 56th Regiment. This morning a 1
detachment of 12 rank and file, forming a guard, with the
soldiers' wives, about 44) women, and 100 children, embarked
from the dockyard stairs on board. The Birkenhead sailed I
this day for Portsmouth, where she will transfer her passen-
gers and luggage on board the troop -ship Belleisle, Captain
Kingcome, which is to convey the 56th to Gibraltar • the
Birkenhead being pronounced unfit for the conveyance of the
troops. To meet the Belleisle the reserve battalion, con-
sisting of nearly 800, including officers, march in three equal
divisions en nnste for Portsmouth. The first division march
on Monday neat to Maidstone, thence by railroad to Ports-
mouth ; the second division goes on Tuesday, and the third
on Wednesday.
The Elk, 16 guns, building, is fast progressing; the ship-
wrights are employed working the Wales.
The Fearless steam-vessel, attached to this port, Wells
master, is making good defects at Sheerness; when ready,
she will receive an addition of men to her crew, with a party
of marines, as she is to accompany the Enryalus convict
ship; with convicts, to Gibraltar, for the purpose of bringing
back the seamen who navigate the Euryaltis.
The Rochester, with stores from Pembroke and Ports-
mouth, remains discharging her cargo.
The Poictiers, ordinary guard-ship, was paid wages on the
2d instant.

TUE GOVERNMENT WORKS, MORICE TOWN. I
excavating at the north-west side of the engine-house, at then
above works, the men have discovered part of the hunof
a
ship—apparently as large as a frigate, embedded in sand and
rubble, about eight or ten feet beneath the surface. Various
conjectures have been the consequence, the fact of "digging
up" anything out of the ordinary course being always -re-
garded with wonder, and always exciting speculation. Some
people have talked of a ship in the days of yore being
" missed" one morning, and the probability of her having
sunk at this identical spot 1 The most likely story is this,
that many years ago there lay two frigates off this place
which were perfectly unserviceable, and were therefore or-
dered to be broken up. The Admiralty, or the Dock-yard
authorities were not so economical then as now, and having
taken as many timbers as they pleased, they made the resi•
due a present to Neptune. Rubble from the dock-yard used
at that time to be cast there, and this, together with the
usual action of the tide, gave the old ship a covered grave.—.
Deronport Independent.
VALUE or LAND. —An extraordinary sale by
auction took place in Lincolnshire a few days ago by Mr.
Medland, of St. Neot's, when a farm of 420 acres, in the oc-
cupation of Mr. Nunueley (nearly the whole of it being
under the plough), in the pariah of Spalding, being in the
Fen, and seven miles from the town, and a very heavy
drainage tax upon it, made 22,000/. ; and 73 acres of dis-
persed lands, in the adjoining parish, averaged 7til. per acre.
ot
We confess, that, with free trade, and the present state
the money market, these facts have surprised us.—Cambridge
Indtpenditnt Press.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.—The following
gentlemen, having undergone the necessary examination,
iusl ; s
iiY rdwere admitted members of this college at the last meeting of
the Court of Examiners :—Meesrs. Robert Alexander Wm.
William Strongßriggs,iortli3Oe H
yiii ;e, dward
Weatley, Bombay; Johson Kaye Baines, Burwell, Cam -
brtg e
Govett, London ; John Linton Palmer, Soberton, emp-
alidre; h
Julius
ru
r •Morris
Morrie, Bar ITIOUt 13 am, wrks
North Derbyrbs E
Wales ; and Charles Downes,
Builth, Breconshire.