The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-20 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH' WRDNESDAY.—There are a great I
many vacancies for apprentices to the Royal Navy on
board the flag-ship Victory, at this port, and as it is
desirable they should be filled up as soon as possible,
we are requested to state that any boys of fourteen
years of age, who can read and write, having 50s. to
clothe themselves with, and who are found on exami-
nation to be physically and otherwise qualified for the
service, will be received on board the Victory flag-
ship of Sir Charles Ogle, as naval apprentices, for
seven years ; but those boys presenting themselves
who are found unfit, from bodily or other causes, will
not be received.
Commander Hugh Goold having suffered too
severely by an accident befalling him on board the
Victory some weeks since, whilst in the discharge of
his duty, to admit of his return to his ship (as we
stated some days ago), he was recommended by his
medical adviser to resign the arduous post of Com-
mander of the Ordinary at this port ; Commander
Sidney Grenfell (1840), who was Lieutenant of the
Cyclops steam-frigate at the attack upon Gebail and
the storming of Sidon, has been appointed to suc-
ceed him.
Rear-Admiral J. W. D. Dundas, C. 8., M.P., First
Naval Lord of the Admiralty, and Captain Alexander
Milne, Junior Naval Lord, are expected here this
week, to make some new arrangements respecting the
ordinary, and en other business.
We regret to state that the superintendent of this
dock-yard, Rear-Admiral Prescott, C. 8., is laid up
with influenza.
Retired Rear-Admiral Spelman Swaine died at
Wisbech, on the 14th instant, aged 80. The gallant
deceased was midshipman of the Recovery in Howe's
relief of Gibraltar, and mate on a voyage of discovery
with Vancouver, and saved the life of his captain in
an affair with the natives on the north-west coast of
America ; he was also high bailiff of the Isle of Ely
The whole of .the ships and vessels fitting out at
this port have been obliged to have gangs of riggers
from the trigging-house to assist in fitting them in
consequence of the very
.indifferent qualifications of
the seamen who have as yet entered for them, and
their paucity of numbers.
The Penelope steam-frigate, bearing the broad
pendant of Commodore Sir Charles Hotham, K.C.8.,
Commander-in-Chief on the west coast of Africa
station, was at St. Helena on the 17th of November,
all well, but was about leaving on that day for
Ascension.
The Blazer steam-sloop, Lieutenant-Commander
G. C. T. Smith, arrived at Madeira, en route to the
coast of Africa, from England, ell well, on the
20th ult.
As we anticipated, we had a very squally night,
the weather, though at present fine, looks very
threatening from the N.E.
Wind E.N.E., fresh breezes, and fine weather.-
5 r.m.
WOOLWICH, JAL 19.—The Banshee, Holyhead
mail steam-packet, Captain William Smithett, left
Deptford on Monday morning, and arrived at Wool-
wich at 9 30, and having taken on board spare gear,
and other stores, with ten tons of coals, proceeded at
10 45 P.M. for Chatham, under the charge of Lieut.
Robertson, assistant to Captain H. T. Austin, C. 8.,
with the other officers and men composing that es-
tablishment. The distance from Woolwich to Chat-
ham was accomplished in three hours and a quarter,
including a stoppage of half an hour, and going at
half speed about half the way—the quickest passage
by a considerable period of any on record.
The Dee steam-transport vessel, Master Comman
der Thomas Driver, is in the inner basin, having her
boilers put in and a number of men at work to get her
ready for sea, which will now be longer in accom-
plishing than was anticipated, owing to a fire which
broke out on board to-day, and completely destroyed
the poop, which was about 30 feet. It is not known
how the fire originated, but it appears police-constable
85 R., W. Butcher, when going round his beat, at a
quarter before one o'clock—the workmen having gone
to dinner at twelve—discovered smoke escaping from
the upper part of the deck, and on opening the door
of the poop the flames burst out with great fury. The
alarm was immediately given, and Inspectors Field,
M'Gill, and Budd, with a number of the constables of
the dockyard police force, were promptly at the basin,
with a powerful fire-engine, and the principal main
having been opened on the alarm being given, the
ho'e was applied, and a great stream of water directed
on the vessel, which extinguished the fire and pre-
vented any further chance of danger in about twenty
minutes after the fire was discovered. Commodore
Sir Gordon Bremer, K.C.B. and K.C.H., Mr. Laing,
Master-shipwright, and several of the authorities of
the dockyard, were promptly on the spot, and encou-
raged the men in persevering to extinguish the
flames. All the workmen collected at the gate after
' dinner hastened in, and by tearing down the wood-
work and partitions of the poop, throwing the burning
pieces into the basin, aided greatly in preventing fur-
ther damage. The Spiteful, Prometheus, Driver,
Minx, Rifleman, and Dover mail-packet, were in the
basin at the time, but they are all perfectly safe.