The Sun.
London, England, 1848-11-23 00:00:00

G-, NOVEMBER 23, 1848.

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, Nov. 2t.—Admiral the Hon. Sir
Bladen Capel, K.C.8., the Commander-in, Chi,f, gave a
grand entertainment at the Admiraity-h,use lait even-
ing to celebrate the birthday of the Princess Ro) al.
There were among the guests Captain, Mrs., and Miss
Chads ; Captain the Hon. R. S. Dandas, C. 8.; Captain
Corry, Captain Yates ; Captain and Mrs. Savage; the
Hon. H. T. L. Corry, M.P.; Major and Mrs. Harvey;
Captain Dickson, 77th ; the Rev.; W.' Dickson; Flag-
Captain and Mrs. F. Blackwood, Captain and Mrs.
Dacies, Mr. and Mrs. Haig, Flag-Lieutenant Coehran,&c.
In reference to the court-martial held some months
since upon Macdonald, a marine of the Bellerophon, for
striking the captain of that ship—the sentence on whom
has caused divers strictures to be directed towards the

members of the Court—we are empowered to state, that
the Court had a doubt, in the first instance, as to the
legality of a senteNee of transportation fur life
fur a crime upon conviction for which the punish-
ment prescribed by the naval code is nothing short of
death, and consequently whilst the Court was sitting on
board the Victory an rxpres messenger was seri t to London
to represent the doubt of the Court to the Lords of the
Admiralty, in order that their Lordships might take the
opinion of the Crown lawyers upon the point; which was
d,ne, and the legality of a sentence of transportation for
life affirmed. That sentence was accordingly passed,
but the Admiralty afterwards discovered, or their advisers
did for them, that such a sentence was not legal, and so
the criminal was set at large. The Act empowering
courts-Martial to award punishments of a light nature
for trivial offinices, which came into operation at the be-
ginning of the present year, did not comprise within its
provisions so serious a case as Macdonald's—so we are
informed. It is in order that the public may thoroughly
understand the position of the members of the court-
martial on the trial in question that we make this expla-
natory statement of their finding and its result.
The Nautilus transport, Lieutenant Saunders, agent,
arrived to-day from the Cape and Ascension, but she
brought no news from either place, later dates having
been received by other ships. She brought military in-
valids from Ascension.

The Superb, 80. Captain A. L. Corry, pissed an ex-
cellent muster on Monday, and came into the harbour in
most beautiful style at a quarter past nine this morning.
As soon as she was moored she got up topgallant masts,
and crossed topgallant yards, preparatory to receiving
her Majesty, on whose arrival she manned yards and
saluted. She was not full dressed, but hoisted an ensign
at each masthsad. After dinner she again got down
topgallant yards and masts, and has since struck lower
yards and topmasts,

- The Netley tender arrived to-day from Plymouth
with newly entered men for the ships at this port.
Those she brought for the Powerful, 84, Captain the
Hon. H. S. Dundas, C. 8., complute the complement of
that ship.

The Prince Regent very unexpectedly wants hinds
now at the point of sailing, Desertion is alleged as the

cause.
The Fairy Royal yacht, Captain Lord Adolphus Fitz-
clarence, G.C.H., &c., was taken alongside the jetty at
the Clarence-yard this morning to receive the Court.
She looked remarkably well. When last docked she
had a new varnish put on, representing copper sheath-
ing, between wind and water; also a new black varnish,
applied at the same time, for testing its merits for the
bends of iron vessels generally, in lieu of paint, which
is daubed on coat after coat. The composition (Hay's)
which was renewed, aed which caused us to remark
upon the frequency of that " re-touching" somewhat
severely, but not unjustly, was consequent upon the
friction of the cable,_ we are told.
Captain Stephen Lushington, of the Vengeance, 84,
in the Mediterranean, who has been appointed Com-
modore Superintendent of the Indian navy, will not re-
turn to England, but will proceed to Alexandria, en
route to Bombay. Captain Lushington, as we have be.
fore stated, is of the seniority of 1829. He entered the
Royal Navy, October, 1816, and served seven years as
volunteer first-class midshipman in the Mediterranean
and South American stations, in the Tagus, 33; Gany-
mode, 20; Owen Glendower, 36; and Ilinde, 20. 11e
was promoted to the milk of lieutenant, July, 1824, and
was appointed to the Zebra, 16, Feb. 15, 1825; served in
succession on the Mediterranean station in the Zebra,
Cambrian, 40; Asia, 84; and /Etna, bomb vessel, Octo-
ber, 1829. During this time he was three-and-a-half
years lieutenant, first cruising against pirates, and then,
as lieutenant of the Cambrian, was at the battle of
Navarin. From the Asia he was promoted into the
/Etna, about flay, 1828, and in the course of the 18
months he was in this vessel,, he commanded her at
the attack of Morea Castle, under Captain Sir Edmund
Lyons, Bart., of the Blonde, who highly commended the
zeal and professional talent exhibited by Captain Lush-
ington and his ship's company, which, on this occasion,
excited the admiration of all who were witnesses of
it. The /Etna was worked up in the night, under reefed
courses and close-reefed topsails, when she anchored
with springs, with much precision, within 800 yards of
the Castle, so that Lieutenant Logan, Royal Marine
Artillery, was enabled to throw above 100 shells into
the eaitle. Captain Lushington was recommended by
Sir Pultney Malcolm, the commander-in-chief, for this
service, and was promoted at the anniversary, and he
also received the Order of St. Louis and the Gold Cross
Redeemer of Greece. Captain Lushington commanded
the Cleopatra, 26. for three years, from June, 1839, on
the North American and West India stations, and was
chiefly
.employed in protecting the fisheries at New-
foundland. He was there during the great fire at St.
John's, and received a letter of thanks from the Cham-
ber of Commerce and one from the Governor of New-
foundland, for services rendered on that disastrous occa-
sion. Captain Lushington was appointed to the Retri-
bution, steam-frigate, October, 1845; and from her was
appointed to his present command the Vengeance, 84.
Captain Lushington is an associate of the Society of
Civil Engineers, and is now in the forty-fifth year of
his age.
SIR CHARLES NAPIER'S SQUADRON.—PORTSMOUTII,
WEDNESDAY, FIVE P.m.—The squadron under the or-
ders of Rear-Admiral Sir Charles Napier will not move
until a shift of wind will enable them to go down Chan-
nel. It now blows hard from the S.W.; no probability
of a change at present. The St. Vincent has her quar-
terdeck and forecastle guns in the hold; no bad precau-
tion for a three-decker at this season of the year. The
wear and tear of line-of-battle ships at this boisterous
period is enormous, and the chance of exercising as a
squadron, or in making and shortening sail, is small.
The probability, is lhat five days out of six the squadron
may be at see, the ships will be either under close-reefed
topsails or storm-staysails.
CONVICTS FOR PORTLAND.—The Driver steam sloop,
6 guns, Commander C. R. Johnston, went into Ports-
mouth Harbour on Tuesday afternoon from Spithead, to
prepare for the reception of 64 convicts, whom she will
embark this morning, and proceed with them, under
strong guard, for Portland, where they will be employed
on the works in prooTess there. They will be de.patched
from London by the South-Western Railway, in car-
riages which will be taken direct into the Victualling-
yard, Gosport, whence the gang will be embarked and
transhipped to the steamer in the harbour.
William H. Rush Brooke, Esq., R.N., Second Lieutenant
of her Majesty's ship St. Vincent, at Portsmouth, has
just been bequeathed the magnificent fortune of 10,0004
per annum, most unexpectedly. The gallant and fortu-
nate gentleman is resolved, notwithstanding, to remain
in the service.
WOOLWICH, Nov. 22.—The Phaeton frigate, of 60
guns, building at Deptford dock-yard, is to be launched
on Saturday next, between one and two o'clock P.M.
The Teazer steam-vessel left Woolwich yesterday, on
an experimental trip of four days in the North Sea,
under her Commander, Lieutenant Selwyn, with Lieut:
Robertson, assistant to Captain Austen, C.B. The
Teazer remained at Greenhithe yesterday evening, to
have her compasses adjusted by Captain Johnson, and
left this morning on her trial.
The members of the Dockyard Revision Committee,
amongst others, examined the Superintendent, Mr.
Voules, yesterday afternoon, relative to the employment
of convicts in the dockyard, and to-day personally in-
spected the saw-mills, with which they appeared to be
highly satisfied, and stated their intention of having
tramways constructed, to convey the timber to the
various saws, so as to reduce the manual labour, chiefly
performed at present by the convicts. The committee
afterwards visited the Nasmyth hammers at work for
forging the old iron, so as to render it again serviceable,
and then enterecfthe extensive storehouses for the fittings
of ships and war-steamers, which occupied their atten
tion for a considerable time.

The trial of Mr. Morgan's wrought•iron gun, of only
5 cwt. 181bs., two-thirds of a hundred weight lighter
than the lightest six- pounder field-gun, was made for
the purpose of testing the strength of the metal for r«-
siatance, as well as its power of enduring heat, to obtain
data for the proportions required for guns of malleable
iron, and the result of that part of the experiment ex-
ceeded the most sanguine expectations of the inventor.
The recoil was naturally enormous, with the heavy
charges it was tested with ; but, by a different adapta-
tio❑ of the metal, so requisite in light guns, compared
with those formerly used, and now adopted by Colonel
Dundas, C.B , and Mr. Monk, on their principles, to
give the greatest body of metal at the breech, the great
recoil in Mr. Morgan's may be obviated. Mr. Morgan's
wrought-iron gun, although so much less in weight than
the light six-pounders, was bored to the calibre of the
olcl nine-pounder gun-4.125 inches.

STORM.—The weather has been of the most bois-
terous description during the last two days. On Sunday
night, and during the whole of Monday and part of yes-
terday, the wind was very high, accompanied with fre-
quent and heavy showers of rain. The wind blew with
such fury on Monday forenoon, that slates were driven
from the houses, and chimney-cans were dashed to pieces
in various parts of the city. In the High- street a large
signboard was forced from the wall, and as it fell wilt
great violence on the pavement beneath several indivi-
who were passing at the time made a most narrow
T- a house in the new town, a large stone was
escape. . the chimney, which, in addition to
precipitated down .. "-unlace, was within a point
breaking the grate in the-,.._ to the inmates who
of doing some grievous bodily init.., 'r Wednesday.
sat clustered around the fire.—Scotsman t..
We have advices from Labuan to the 24th oi" gen-
tember, but they contain nothing of importance. The
Meander, with the Governor, Sir James Brooke, from
Sarawak, was expected in the course of a few days. The
Lieutenant-Governor had arrived on the 18th of Sep-
tember in the Auckland. A Spanish steamer on the
route from Manila to Singapore was likely to call at
the island every month for the purpose of coaling. The
health of the place had not been altogether favourable.
It is now certain that in its present state there is a fever
incident to it, which, although not violent or dangerous,
is extremely debilitating. During three months about
40 or 50 cases had occurred, with 11 deaths (two Euro-
peans, masters of vessels, seven Chinese, and two Ma-
lays), but the great mortality is attributed to want of
early attention. No case that had received due care had
proved fatal,