The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-26 00:00:00

PROMOTIONS.

Mites—George A. Pidcoek (1847), and R. Dawkins
'1247), to the rank of Lieutenant.
d PPOINTMENTS.

Master's-Attendant—John Macdonald, master (1839)
lato of her Majesty's steam-yacht, to Portsmouth Dock
yard.
Mates—C. Fairholme, to the Victory flagship at
Portsmouth; E. M. W. Carrington, to the Penelope,
Commodore llotham's ship, on the coast of Africa; J.
W. D. .M4Donald, to the Excellent gunnery ship al
Portsmouth.

COURT•NARTIAL.—A Court-martial is ordered to Si

to-morrow on board her Majesty's ship Victory, in
Portsmouth harbour, for the trial of John Crashaw
Bailey, Esq., Lieutenant R.N., commanding her Ma-
jesty's steam-vessel Sharpshooter, for having run that
ship on shore on the Brighton coast, on Thursday, the
14th instant.

ROYAL MARINES.—Messrs. Ambrose Wolrige and
Douse to be second-lieutenants, and appointed to the
Chatham division. The following cadets, in the Excel-
lent, have passed for commissions in the corps:—Mr. T.
G. J. Meheux, M. H. Graham, W. T. Savary, George
Gill, George Brydges. The following officers, studying
in the Naval College, have qualified to join the Marine
Artillery Companies:—Lieutenants 11. B. Roberts, E. R.
Horsey, N. Macnamara, and E. H. Cox.

Letters from China mention the deaths of Lieutenant
Quin, of the Medusa steam sloop, and John Beal, Esq.,
paymaster and purser of her Majesty's ship Cambrian.
PORTSMOUTH, DEC. 25.—1 t appears that some of the
worst cases in the Hashemy convict-ship were not re-
moved to the Menelaus before to-day. A small party of
shipwrights, and another of sailmakers, were ordered
into the dockyard this morning to fit a temporary awn-
ing to one of the spare boats for their accommodation, and
she has been towed to the Motherbaak since by the Echo
steam-tug. Three deaths have taken place among the
cholera patients since yesterday.
The Bloodhound steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Command-
ing Robert Phillips, which arrived yesterday from Ire-
land, came into harbour this morning. She is to be paid
off all standing, and will be perfectly prepared for that
process as soon as her pay-books, which have been
transmitted to the Admiralty, are returned from London.
The Doterel, one of the steam mail-boats recently
employed at Holyhead, Lieutenant-Commander E.
Wylde, arrived to-day on her way to the eastward, to
be paid off, and came into harbour to obtain fuel.

Wind, south ; fresh breezes and hazy weather, with
rain.

PLYMOUTH, DF,C. 23. —Her Majesty's ship Penguin,
6, Lieutenant-Commander William Swainson, was towed
down harbour to-day by the Confiance steam-tug, and
sailed for Falmouth.

At two o'clock this afternoon the general quarterly
muster of the officers and artizans of the dockyard took
place under the- inspection of Admiral-Superintendent
Sir John Louis.

This morning the surgeon of the yard examined the
following man preparatory for superannuation, viz., 16
shipwrights, 2 joiners, 3 ropemakers, 1 locksmith, 1
millwright, and 1 labourer.
The merchant vessel Olgar, Captain Reay, fifty days
from Quebec, with timber from Sunderland, came in
to-day.
Wind, S.E., blowing strong.

GENERAL ORDERS OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF
EXCISE FOR THE REGULATION OF THE SERVICE.—
The following orders by the Commissioners of Excise
were issued on Saturday:—" With the view of ensuring
educated men for the surveying branch of the depart-
ment, it is ordered—That the candidate be required to
write well, to understand the first four rules of vulgar
and decimal arithmetic, and book-keeping by double
entry. That he write fluently and correctly from dic-
tation, so that his handwriting, spelling, punctuation,
and general fitness may thus be subjected to an addi-
tional test. That the age of the candidate must not
exceed 25, nor be less than 19 years, and he must at
the period of his entering the service be unmarried and
without family. That the examination may be impar-
tial and uniform, it shall be conducted by persons of
experience ; and the candidates, if more than
one, shall go through the examination in each
other's presence. Previously to examination, the
age and handwriting and qualifications of the
candidate shall be reported on by a supervisor. On
these being approved, an order shall issue, directing
him to attend at the chief office, or on the collector, :at
such time and place as shall be appointed. The examin-
ing committee in London shall consist of two surveying
general examiners, the Accountant-General, and one of
the secretaries or c3rrespondents, as may from time to
time be decided on by the Board. The examining com-
mittee in the country shall consist of the collector, a
supervisor, and the collector's clerk. The candidates
shah be required to write a sentence from dictation, and
to set down, also from dictation, and work out sums in
common arithmetic, in decimals, and in vulgar fractions,
and shall be examined in book-keeping. The identical
papers so written shall be transmitted to the Board,
signed by every one present at the performance; and
annexed to them a report, by the examining committee
in London or collector in the country, stating their
opinion of the talents and attainments of each can-
didate. On his performances being approved by the
Board he shall be placed under the instructions
of an officer selected for this duty ; and after
ho has surveyed for a period of at least six
weeks, and the instructing officer considers him
qualified, the supervisor shall survey with and
examine the pupil ; and, if deemed competent,
he and the officer shall certify the same to the committee
or the collector, who, on being satisfied as to the quali-
fications of the pupil, shall forthwith endorse and trans-
mit the certificate to the Board. Should he not be so
qualified, or be deficient in any other respect, the collec-
tor shall direct him to be further instructed, or shall
report special)y to the Board. One or more officers of
intelligence ard general good conduct shall be selected,
under the sanction of the Board, by the surveying general
examiners in London, and by the collectors in the
country, for the very important duty of instructing
pupils, and, if practicable, one such officer shall be in
the residence of the collector. Supervisors, on each
visit to stations wherein a pupil is under instructions,
shall examine his performances, and observe his general
conduct, for the purpose of ascertaining his progress, and
giving him any needful assistance, aceounting for his
duty in their diaries, and adding their remarks. The
surveying gs neral, examiners, and collectors shall also
avail themselves of every opportunity of examining the
performance of the pupils, so as to make themselves ac-
quainted with their conduct and proficiency, reporting to
the Board as occasion requires.—By order of the Board,
George Ballard, Excise-office, London."

We have prepared, but are forced by the pressure
of advertisements to defer, a report of the meeting, con-
sisting of Jaumerous most respectable inhabitants of the
populous Plymouth neighbourhood, which on Tuesday
last, at the Royal Hotel, adopted unanimous in their
earnestness. a resolute protest against the Tractarian
superstitition which, under the patronage of Bishop
Phillpotts, corrupts the religion of the people, paralyses
the efforts of the friends of true education, and tends to
make the Church an instrument of debasing and en-
slaving men, instead of the organ of public instruction,
which it is in theory designed to be. This meeting is
of great importance; it must be a precursor of a move-
ment for ecclesiastical reform, now for the first time
taking its definite aim and attitude, such as England bas
not seen for centuries—not since the reformation,
which incomplete and interrupted as it was by the
retrograde influence of the Stuart dynasty, has done but
half its work; leaving the foul remnants of fraudulent
abuse and mystical absurdities to bo cleared away by
the daylight of the ninteenth century. We cannot now
pursue the subject, but will enter into it next week. The
meeting was presided over by Colonel Duusterville; it was
addressed by Mr. J. N. Bennett (who admirably re-
viewed the recent history of Tractarianism), by Dr.
Bellamy, Mr. Little, Mr. Soltau, Mr. Greaves, Mr. El-
worthy, Admiral Thomas, and others. A memorial to
the Archbishop was adopted; and a resolution passed,
to the effect that the Tractarian evil " receives encou-
ragement from the Lord Bishop." The cases of the
Rev. James Shore and the Rev. Mr. Gorham were re-
ferred to; the meeting had a comprehensive scope, and
was not confined to any personal or local transactions.—
Western Times.

A SEA-SERPENT ON A SMALL SCALE.-4 monster
eel was caught on Friday lest at liersock Ferry. It was
seen by one oC the me,. winuning slowly- in the
water at tilt: wuotioi ict.ty. A. boathook Ivai imme

cliff/0y pro,. .!, mnd r: lui,ky blow on rbe head stunr;l
the rutaibter. it was then transfixed and hauled ashore,
when it was found to measure five feet in length and four-
teen inches round the thickest part.—lnverness Courier.