The Sun.
London, England, 1848-09-21 00:00:00

21',*- 1848.

A vacancy having occurred in the Marine Hospital at
Plymouth, 1)r. Andrew Millar, of the Hibernia, was ap-
pointed to the vacancy, and Dr. Vaughan, of the Sidon,
was appointed to the Hibernia, vice Millar, by the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty. Before the news of
the promotion reached this place, Dr. Watts, of the Naval
Hospital here, died, and again Dr. Millar had the good
fortune to receive the vacant appointment by Sir Wil-
liam Parker. The latter is certainly the best, but it re-
mains to be seen to which of the two Dr. Millar will ul-
timately be appointed.
POILTSMOUTII, SEPT. 20.—The Driver steam-sloop,
1,050 tons and 280-horse power, Commander C. R.
Johnson, left last night after sunset for Cork. When
Sir Charles Napier inspected this vessel at Waterford,
he expressed himself in terms of high approval of the
manner in which she is fitted, and said that she was the
most efficient steamer in the service afloat on account of
the arrangement of her armament and the protection af-
forded to her crew by the high gunwales built up all
round her quarters—an improvement, for which we be-
lieve the service is indebted to Lieut. Julius Roberts,
R.M.A. This vessel was refitted in the construction of
her pivot gun carriages, quarters, at Woolwich last
autumn, and after the Admiralty had inspected them
their Lordships so highly approved of them that all ad-
vanced steamers were ordered to be similarly fitted for
the protection of the men when firing. The revolving
guns, instead of fighting over gunwales as low as the
knee, by which the crew were exposed to every kind of
projectile, grape, canister, musketry, or what not, are
now protected by a stout gunwale nearly six feet high,
with hammocks all around, and the gun revolving
(though not fighting on the midship pivot) as before, is
brought into action through ports, one on each side, and
one on each quarter, by which a very direct range is
obtained. The above officer has earned much credit for
the advantage these gun carriages possess over the old
ones, ho having succeeded in lowering the heavy guns
bodily to the height of three feet only from the deck,
thereby considerably reducing the top hamper, and
giving many mechanical improvements in addition. The
Admiralty has also ordered the adoption of the sockets
invented by Colonel Colquhoun, of the Royal Artillery,
generally in the service, as removing many of the delays
attending the old system of pivoting these guns, and
which we have before had occasion, when the experi-
ment was made on board the Odin steam-frigate, to
notice.
The Dwarf screw steam-boat, Lieutenant Osborne, to-
gether with the Sprightly, Lieutenant-Commander Ber-
nard, has been most expeditiously prepared for sea by
the officers of the steam squadron and the employls of
this dockyard since Sunday, will leave this evening for
Ireland with stores and supernumeraries. She was taken
out of the basin at three o'clock this afternoon. An ac-
cident happened this morning to a boy named Francis
Nuttall, aged 14, one of her crew, which, but for the
prompt gallantry of Lieutenant-Commander Osborne,
would have terminated fatally. The boy was getting
from the vessel on to a stage alongside when his foot
slipped, and he fell into the basin; the cry of "a man
overboard" being instantly raised, Lieutenant Osborne,
seeing the boy struggling in the water, immediately
jumped after him, encumbered as he was with his
uniform, sword, &c., and after a few seconds' groping
about seized the boy and brought him to the surface
insensible; he soon afterwards recovered, however, and
was quite well at three o'clock in the afternoon. An
act of this kind would not be enhanced by eulogy.
The Devastation steam-sloop, 1,100 tons, and 400-
horse-power, Commander R. C. Michell, was paid off
this afternoon. This fine steamer since the Ist of March
last has gone over a distance of 15,000 miles, partly by
steam and partly by sail, having only coaled three times
and worked her steam expansively. During this time
she has met with several gales, one of which lasted many
days, off the Cape of Good Hope, where she was laying
to under storm sails ; during its continuance she laboured
so in the tremendous sea, that her seams opened, she
started her water-ways, and made so much water that
the pumps could hardly keep her free ; her quarter boats
were washed away, and the seas swept the "galley" from
her deck, carrying away with it all the planking of the
paddle-boxes and upper works. The ship's company had
nowhere to cook their provisions except in the stoke
hole, doing it by turns. She is shorthanded, 30 of her
men having been sent away in prizes, and her present
crew are weak from the effect of serving in the most
deadly and fatal climate in the world. Notwithstand-
ing all these drawbacks, the Commander-in-Chief,
on inspecting the ship, found her i❑ perfect order as
to cleanliness, discipline, and the exercise of the great
guns, and made the remark to Captain Michell, that he
never saw sailors better trained to the musket and sword
exercises. Commander Michell has been a commissioned
officer since 1829, has been constantly serving in every
part of the world since that period, and has the reputa-
tion of being an active and -intelligent officer. He has
commanded the Devastation the last year; her two former
commanders (Crouch and Levinge), younger men than
himself, having perished in the prime of life from the
effects of the pestilential climate to which she had been
see

The Adelaide steam tug, for Australia, Master Com-
mander Forbes, was towed out of the harbour this morn-
ing by the Echo, and was afterwards taken in tow by
the Dover steam-vessel, who is to convoy her to
Madeira, whither, it is reported, she conveys Sir James
Bremer for the renovation of his health, Lady Bremer
accompanying him.
The Cormorant steam sloop, after an extensive refit,
has removed from the old into the new basin to-day to
receive new boilers, which will be put into her by the
new crane on the margin of the basin, and constitute the
first work done by the staff of the new basin factory,
under the superintendence of Mr. Murray, its directing
chief.

Wind—S.S.E., moderate breezes, and fine weather.
PLYMOUTH, SEPT. 19.—Her Majesty's steam-frigate
Cyclops came in last night from Portsmouth and sailed
this morning for Cork. ,
The Madagascar, 44, tore-ship, employed for the last
two years as a pr.vkion depot at Tarbert in the Shan-
non, carne in here ht.d
Orders were received yesterday fur the following au-
perannuations at the Devonport Dockyard :—Leading
men of shipwrights, Thomas Ankers, and John Dens-
ham, 34/. each per annum; shipwrights, John Parrot,
Phillip Batten, and William Peters, 24/.; joiner, Henry
Treheny, 241.; sailmaker, Henry Harris. 241.; smiths,
Thomas Sheener and John Broad, 34/.; Henry Verco,
William Hannaford, Daniel Marsh, and Nicholas Fre-
deric, 281.; William Roberts, Thomas Williams, John
Geake, John James, and John West, 241.; sawyers,
Richards Curtis, 30/.; and William Hicks, 241.; police-
man, John Stroud, 12/., compensation.
Considerable reductions are making in the establish-
ment of the Royal Naval Hospital here. One lieutenant
(2301. per annum), one acting-lieutenant-surgeon (1271.
Bs.), one clerk, and three labourers (Bs. per week, with
rations), are to retire. This, it is said, is but a prelude
to further reductions, which may include the entire re-
tirement of naval officers, and cause the establishment to
become an exclusively civil department. The hospital
can accommodate 1,200 patients; the number now in the
wards is under 100, the larger half of which are
Marines.

DEVONPORT, TUESDAY. -- The Cyclops, 6, steam-
frigate, Captain Hastings, came into the Sound yester-
day, and left again at six o'clock in the evening, for
Cork.
The Madagascar, temporary provision-ship, and Tri-
dent, steam-sloop, arrived from Ireland and came up har-
bour this morning.
The squadron of Sir C. Napier is hourly expected
her
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT. -- A private of the 28th
Regiment, quartered in the Citadel, Plymouth, received
fifty lashes on Friday last, by sentence of a regimental
court-martial, for absenting himself without leave and
making away with some of his necessaries.

An invention of importance to merchants, bankers,
solicitors, and others, with whom it is customary to carry
upon the person large amounts of cash, documents, and
other valuable securities, &c., has been patented for
Messrs. Nicoll, of 114, 116, 120, Regent-street, and 22,
Cornhill, who are also the inventors of Nicoll's Regis-
tered PatelOt, Nicoll's Manus Nieto% &C., to all of
which garments it is applied free of additional expense.
Tun POTATO CROP.—From a careful inquiry
throughout the Isle of Ely, it appears that at least three-
fifths of the crop are entirely unfit for use. In some
places the diseased potatoes are selling at Is. per sack.
Some parties have offered their crops at 20s. per acre,
without obtaining a buyer; even those that appear at
present sound, it is feared will, after a time, be found to
be diseased.—Cambridge Advertiser.
SUICIDE OP A FEMALE.—Yesterday morning, about nine o'clock, a laundre s named Mack, who for some time past resided in Aberdeen-place, Maida-hill,
was found drowned in the Regent's canal; she had par-
taken too freely of drink on the previous night, and on-
her husband being about to get up he missed her from
the bed,

• NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
MALTA, SEPT. 12.—A gallant thing was recently done
at Castellamare, by Lieutenant G. S. Boys, of her
Majesty's ship Vanguard. A sailor, who, in a fit of
drunkenness, had fallen or thrown himself overboard,
was on the point of sinking, when Mr. Boys throw him-
self overboard, and, at great personal risk, succeeded in
bringing the poor sailor to his ship. Acts of this kind
are well deserving of public notice. Mr. Boys received
his promotion to a lieutenancy in 1845, after being up-
wards of ten years a mate and fifteen in the service.
Her Majesty's steamer Meteor has finally arrived here
from Athens, and is at present purging her quarantine
of observation, seven days. This vessel, having been in
commission since 1845, is about to return to England,
where she will be paid off.
On Friday last her Majesty's steamer Oberon was
towed into port (having broken down at sea) by her
Majesty's steamer Merlin, sent out to bring her in. On
her arrival her commander, Lieutenant Gardiner, sent in
letters to the Admiral, charging the engineer with re-
porting her in a worse condition than she really was, and
with refusing to disconnect the paddle-floats, which he
alleged could not be done.
On Saturday an inquiry was math: on board, and her
steam was got up, but it was found impossible, notwith-
standing all the endeavours of Mr. Harnsh aw, engineer
of the dockyard, to move her. As to the floats, it is
thought they might have been disconected, The
Oberon and the Antelope arc both required at
Corfu by the Lord High Commissioner. The latter
has been docked; the Oberon will also require to be
docked.
In the meanwhile the Merlin carried on the mails to
the lonian Islands, and will, it is thought, be continued
on that line.
Her Majesty's steamer Ardent, it is thought, will go
into dock to have shells, coral, &c., which so much im-
pede her celerity, removed, after her return with the
next India mail from Alexandria.
Officers sometimes complain of the slowness of their
promotion—seldom have we to record, that it comes
too heavily on them. Yet the following is a case in
point:—