The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-08 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

SIR CHARLES SQUADRON.
PORTSMOUTH, FRIDAY.---The Jupiter packet has
put us in possession of letters from our friends in the
squadron, which enable us to continue our details o:
the movements of the ships:—
" December 22.—The St. Vincent, Queen, Ca-
nopus, Albion, Dragon, and Scourge put to sea for a
cruise, the object being a last trial of the Albion, 90,
in competition with the other ships. The Scourge
parted company outside the bar.
" 23d.—The ships shortened all sail, and remained
for an hour to try rolling, when the signal was made,
that the St. Vincent rolled from 14 degrees to lee-
ward to 4 delfrees to windward ; the Albion rolled 15
degreesto leeward and 11 degrees to windward ;
...tueen, 14 degrees to leeward and 11 to windward ;
Canopus, 15 degrees to windward, 9 to leeward. The
Albion rolled 480 times in one hour; Canopus, 212
times in 52 minutes; Queen, 268 times in one hour
and twenty minutes ; St. Vincent, 60 times in one
hour. The Albion took in six 68-pounders from the
Howe before leaving, which were put on her lower
deck. The St. Vincent's upper deck guns are on
shore. After the rolling, the ships were formed in
columns and sailed under double-reefed topsails,
courses, topgallant-sails, jib, and spanker, when the
Canopus, as usual, beat all, sparing topgallantsails ;
Queen was next ; then Albion and St. Vincent. The
Dragon steam. frigate kept her station well.
"24th.—Tried rate of sailing, single reefs, topgal-
lant sails, courses, jib, and spanker, for six hours.
The result was the Albion beat the St. Vincent one
mile ; the Queen beat the St. Vincent three miles ;
the Canopus beat the St. Vincent three and a half
miles; Albion rolling a good deal; when in the
swell her motion is very quick.
"25th.—Light winds ; little done, but the swell
from the late northerly wind gave us another proof of
the Albion's rolling propensities. . _ .

" 26th.—The Scourge steam-sloop joined with the
mail, and the Albion was dispatched to England.
P.n.—Squadron made sail towards Lisbon.
" 27th.—The Scourge took the St. Vincent in
tow, and the Dragon took the Queen, but cast off
outside the bar, when the ship made sail for the
night.
" 28th.—At daylight off the rock of Lisbon; at
noon the Dragon took the St. Vincent in tow, the
Scourge took the Queen. Just as the St. Vincent
was nearing the bar both hawsers parted, when she
made sail with the wind N.E , and worked up the
river ; one of the Queen's hawsers parted, but the
Scourge took her up to the anchorage.
" 29th.—The squadron all in their former places.
The Amphion screw frigate is here with the step of
her mainmast adrift, &c. The Alert brig is refitting
prior to going to the coast of Africa.
" 30th.—Weather very unsettled; the packet which
ought to have been here from Gibraltar on the 27th
only arrived to-day.
"31st.—The packet sails to-day for England.
Squadron all well. "
Our letters again speak of the insufficiency of the
anchors supplied to her Majesty's ships now in the
Tagus. it was about a month or six weeks since our
attention was called to the fact of most of the ships
comprising the squadron under Sir Charles Napier
having carried away or broken their anchors, owing
to faulty construction or some other cause, and that,
too, comparatively, during the fair weather season ;
and now that we may reasonably expect squalls and
foul weather it is hoped we may not have to record
some serious calamity, arising either from the want
of strength or holding powers in the anchors usually
supplied to our ships of war, though occasionally other
and improved anchors than that of the Admiralty plan
find their way on board a flag-ship, as in the case of
the St. Vincent, which the following fact will illus-
trate :—On the 18th ult. the St. Vincent was
moored with an Admiralty anchor to the E N.E.,
and to the W.S.W. by an anchor known as
Porter's ; this latter held the three-decker
during violent squalls from the westward and a
rapid flood-tide, but, strange to say, on the ebb tide
making, the strain necessarily came then on the
anchor to the eastward, and the ship continued to
drag until checked by Porter's anchor to the west-
ward, which continued to hold her again in saftety.
The crew of this fine ship was consequently em-
ployed the whole of Sunday to get her into a berth,
or moor her according to the regulations of the ser-
vice; or otherwise we do not see the necessity of
" mooring" if one anchor will hold mere effectually
than two, as proved in the above instance, against a
rapid flood-tide running six or seven knots, and
violent squalls of wind at the same time.
The Earl of Auckland, First Lord of the Admi-
ralty, left his official seat this day for a week's ab-
sence, it is reported on a visit to her Majesty.
Captain the Hon. M. F. F. Berkeley, M.P., Second
Naval Lord of the Admiralty, also left the board
this afternoon, on a visit to his son-in-law, Lord
Giffard, residing near this port. Captain Berkeley
will resume his official duties on Monday.
Captain Herringham (not Sherringham) is ap-
pointed to the Havannab heavy corvette of 22 guns
at Sheerness for service at New Zealand.
The Bonetta brigantine, Lieutenant-Commander
Forbes, arrived this morning from Chatham. She is
bound to the coast of Africa.
The Terrible steam-frigate, Captain Ramsay, is
under orders to leave Spithead to-morrow morning as
soon as possible after daylight for Lisbon, with dis-
patches and supernumeraries. She proceeds first to
Cork to embark Mrs. and Miss Napier. The following
personages and officers go out in her :—Mr. Norton,
as Attache to Sir Hamilton Seymour, the British
Minister at Lisbon ; Lieutenant J. B. Rowles, Mr.
Tucker, master; Messrs. R. Mansell, N. F. Ruxton,
and F. P. Staples, midshipmen ; and H. J. Marshall,
' naval cadet, to join the Queen ; Lieutenant J. H.
Howard and Mr. W. W. Evans, clerk, to join the
Howe; Messrs. John Irving and T. D. Pratt,
navalcadets, join the St. Vincent; Richard
,to join the flag-ship
Mr. Capron Bridges, naval
cSteuocrgodesile a t second
Ctoork ;
master,
cadet, to join he Amphion ; Mr. Charles
°Terrell, second master, to join the Avenger ; also
Captain Elliot, I corporal, 11 privates, and 2 gunners
of the Royal Marine Artillery, and 20 second class
boys for the disposal of Sir Charles Napier in his
squadron. The Terrible is only six men short of her
complement. It is expected she will, although start-
ing a day later, and having to put into Cork, beat the
packet which left Southampton this morning.
The Fire Queen ateam-yacht, under the temporary
command of Mr. Allen, with the crew of the Undine
t alongside the dockyard) sails this evening
(the latter being under repair, with her masts and
fournnnPerlotinuth with two deserters belonging to the
Efdamlyuon, 44, Captain Lambert, for trial by court-
martialHecht steam-sloop, Commander Starmer, left
for Sheerness
at that port.
The
to be paid off.
appointment of the Earl of Dundonald to the
command-in-chief on the West India and North
is the ship chosen by the Admiralty to
station has given universal satisfaction in
naval circles at this port. The Wellesley, 72, at
ship Victoria and Albert, royal yacht;
flag of the noble and gallant Admiral.
In Harbour—The Victory, flag-ship; Excellent,
The Terrible, steam-frigate; the 1
irefly, Fairy, Undine, and Echo steam-
vessels. carrytAh American
ehreitc ha en morning
guAnntersyp
Mountstuart Elphinstone, convict ship ; the Bonetta,
brigantine; and the Parsee, Inc:Haman.
rnibutiAon,jaxC,uLckeaorto
Birkenhead,DevnPrt' I
—The Prince Regent, 92 ; Blenheim,
, Swallow, and Rocket
steamers.
Leander, Avon, Orestes, and
variable), i
hazy,a b le)
wfirtehs h
rain
(very
vrANes.t7.—Her Majesty's ship Asia, 84,
Captain Robert F. Stopford, with the flag of Rear-
Admiral Phipps Hornby, having
hail lVoi nc
occasionally
in:it:lls. •
PI.YMOUTII,
repaired defects
caused by the late storm, sailed from the Sound this
morning, at eight o'clock, for South America and the
Pacific.
Wind northerly, light.
Skipwith, sailed from this port yester-
day.CUATllA Ikl, JAN. 7.—The Hydra steam-sloop, COM,.
rnarl d
.-
S%Gerheays on board nine months' provisions. Her
destination is Rio Janeiro. This vessel is very much
down at the head, in consequence ~f her stores and
heavy guns forward, whilst her stern is six inches
glove ware: -nark.
The Sealark, 10 guns, Commander W. B. Money-
penny, has her topmasts on end, and is completed,
' with the exception of some trifling jobs connected
1

The Meander, 44 guns, Captain Hon. Henry
Keppel, is completed. The cabins for the Raja, Mr.
Brooke, and suite, are fitted up in a very superior
style. There are three on each side erected on the
main deck. Her barge is 34 feet in length, her
pinnace 37 feet, and her launch 42 feet in length, and
8 feet 4 inches in width, and it is built of teak ; the
barge and pinnace of Mahogany ; and the three are
coppered, and are considered to be very superior built
boats. The launch proceeds to-day to Messrs. Sea-
ard and Caple's factory, at Limehouse, to be fitted
with the high pressure engine of three horse power,
which has been constructed for her in such a manner
that it can be lifted out and in when required. The
whole of its works form a square of 7 teet 6 inches,
and 3 feet six inches deep, and it is to work with a
fan screw.

The Hercules store-ship, Master• Commander Ful-
ton, fitting in dock, will be ready for service at the
end of this month. On Tue3day last, during the time
that a number of men were employed in stripping off
her old copper, a large anchor, weighing several tons,
fell from the bow of this ship into the dock, precipi•
tating one man into the dock. Fortunately, he came
off with a slight injury on the head. For the crew
of this ship the Hussar hulk is appropriated.

AMERICAN NEWS.

LIVERPOOL, JAN. 7.

By the packet ship Yorkshire, Captain Furber, we
have received accounts from New York to the 18th
ult. inclusive.

45,0001. were received on freight by the Yorkshire.
The proceedings of Congress had become more
interesting. In a lengthy document the President
had vetoed the River and Harbour Improvement Bill
passed last session.
In relation to the more prominent questions of ter-
ritorial aggrandisement and of the Mexican war, the
following had been the movements the Senate,
on the 14th, Mr. Dickenson submitted the following
resolutions for consideration, which were read and
ordered to be printed.
" That true policy requires the Government of the
United States to strengthen its political and com-
mercial relations upon this continent by the annexa-
tion of such contiguous territory as may conduce to
that end and can be justly obtained ; and that neither
in such acquisition nor in the territorial organization
thereof can any conditions be constitutionally im-
posed, or institutions be provided for or established
inconsistent with the right of the people thereof to
form a free sovereign state, with the powers and pri-
vileges of the original members of the confederacy.
" That in organizing a territorial government for
territory belonging to the United States, the princi-
ples of self-government upon which our federative
system rests will be best promoted, the true spirit and
measures of the constitution be observed, and the
confederacy strengthened by leaving all questions
concerning the domestic policy therein to the Legis-
latures chosen by the people thereof."
On the 15th Mr. Calhoun offered the following
resolutions to the Senate :

" That to conquer Mexico, and to hold it either as
a province or to incorporate it into our Union, would
be inconsistent with the avowed object for which the
war has been prosecuted, and a departure from the
settled policy of the Government, in conflict with its
character and genius, and in the end subversive of
our free and popular institutions.
" That no line of policy in the further prosecution
of the war should be adopted which may lead to con-
sequences so disastrous."
They were laid over for further action.
The papersitoptft—r great flood on the Ohio, re-
sulting in great destruction of property. The river
was in height within six inches of the great freshet of
1832.

A telegraphic report from Philadelphia, dated on
the 15th ult., says—" There were two heavy fail-
ures here to-day in the grocery trade. Some five
or six country banks are reported broken." We
do not find in later papers any confirmation of this
statement.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
NEW YORK, DEC. 18.

Business, owing to the lateness of the season and
continued unfavourable weather, is going forward on
a very moderate scale, the markets generally being
characterised by nothing but quietude and great dul-
ness. In the money market there is some alleviation
of the previous depression, the banks discounting with
more freedom, and the amount of paper offered for
discount considerably lessened.