The Sun.
London, England, 1847-10-15 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 14.—Extract of a letter from
a friend in Sir Charles Napier's squadron :
"Lisbon, Oct. 4.
* * * The Admiral's inspections are not
mere matters of form, I can tell you. He looks into
and inquires into all himself, and puts some rather
unexpected questions to the Captains. The other day
he inspected the Vengeance, because he thought there
was a screw loose there, but she came out of the
ordeal with 'flying colours,' notwithstanding her first
and third lieutenants were reported in the sick list ;
the latter has since invalided—a gallant fellow, but
afflicted with deafness. The Queen did not come off
in her inspection so well as the Vengeance, the effi-
ciency and good order of the latter being, in the
emphatic words of the old Commodore, a d—d sight
better than the Queen.' The Sidon, to the astonish-
ment of everybody, has proved to be, without excep-
tion, the finest steamerin the navy. She beats them
all in steaming, sailing, stowing, and carrying her
guns. . . . When the Amphion sailed round the
squadron the ships were hove to. She is a tub, and not
so well handled as she might be. The Admiral in-
tended, on the 12th, to have put to sea and taken a
cruize down to Cadiz, but the British Minister ashore
requested him to keep his squadron here for fifteen
days at least, owing to the distracted state of the
country. . . . . I think the following gallant
act of a fine young fellow belonging to the Avenger's
gun-room mess, Frederick Marryatt, her second
lieutenant, ought to be published for his advantage
and the credit of the cloth :—One evening, about
sunset he (Marryatt) was walking the quarter-deck,
one of the crew fell overboard, I cannot tell how, but
over he went, and in far less time than I have taken
to write it, over went Marryatt after him and saved
him from drowning. On the following night, about
ten o'clock, another fellow fell overboard; Marryatt
was at the time walking the deck with Captain
Dacres ; in an instant over he jumped, but his gallant
bravery nearly cost him his life. Just as he reached
the lost man (going under from exhaustion) he was
seized by him with the tenacity of despair round the
neck by both arms, and so dragged under with him.
Both would inevitably have been drowned but for the
prompt assistance rendered by Lieutenant Kinsman
(First of the Avenger), who also jumped overboard,
and unlocked the arms of the drowning man from the
neck of his brother officer, who has suffered somewhat
since, from the pressure from without ' caused by his
two cold baths. Frederick laughs at,
theaffairbut
it had well nigh turned out anything but a joke He
is the son of the celebrated novelist,
and was in the
Sphynx, when she was wrecked in v our neighbour-
hood last year, and nearly killed himself then from
his exertions to extricate her, for which he was after-
wards thanked, if I recollect rightly, by the Admi-
ralty."

We accidentally omitted the following " N. 8." to
the letter received yesterday :
" The Caledonia has been mentioned as generally
last in performing the various evolutions, &c. Quite
the contrary are the facts ; she is more frequently first
in every movement.
" The Dragon, during the last cruize, beat the
Sidon under sail—both fore- reaching and to wind-
ward—all to nothing."
The officers and crew of the Fire Queen steam-
vessel, 120 horse power, returned to their own craft,
the Comet, this day, which vessel will be paid off