The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-20 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.
PORTSMOUTH.—The Bellerophon, 78 guns, Captain
Richard L. Baynes, C.B is on her way from the Medi-
terranean to Portsmouth, where she is ordered to com-
plete her crew, take on board her full number of guns,
and otherwise equip as a sea-senice line-of-battle ship..
TIM EAST INDIA COMMAND. Rear-Admiral Sir
Francis A. Collier, C. 8., K C. 11., will proceed to India
on the 20th proximo, in the packet from Southampton,
and by that route overland to the seat of his command.
THE WESTERN COMMAND.—Admiral Sir William 11.
Gage, K.C.8., was officially appointed to the command
in chief of the Plymouth station on Monday night ; he
will hoist his blue flag at the main on board the San
Josef, in Devonport harbour, in a few days.
The steam troop-ship Dee, Mr. Filmer, master, R.N.,
commanding, has not sailed from Portsmouth yet, as
mis-stated last week; she was officially inspected by
Flag-Captain Charles Eden, for the Port Admiral yes-
terday at Spithead, and is expected to sail this day for
the Cape of Good Hope, with mails, on which station it
is intended she shall be employed in the transport of
troops from port to port.

TifE CoAiT AFRICA.—Her Majesty's ship Ran-
ger, 10 guns, Commander Anderson, arrived at the
Motherbank from Sierra Leone on Monday evening.
She was examined by the quarantine officer, and then
she made Spithead. She left Sierra Leone on the 20th
of February last, and reports the slave trade as very
thriving, and herself not lucky enough to make one
prize. She left nGne of her Majesty's ships at Sierra
Leone. The Commodore was among the Bights of
Benin, in his steam-ship the Penelope, accompanied by
the Blazer steamer, dispensing the mails she took out
from England, and provisions. The Ranger put in at
Teneriffe on March 23, and sailed again on the 25th.
She spoke her Majesty's steamer Firefly on the 2d of
March, in lat. 10 56 N., long. 17 25, and on the 28th of
January she communicated with the emigrant ship
Scotia, all well, from Plymouth, bound to the Cape of
Good Hope. The Ranger sailed from Plymouth in
February, 1845; she is now ordered to Chatham to be

paid off.
We regret to state that while a boat was coming from
the Ranger, yesterday afternoon, she upset in the mouth
of the harbour and one man was drowned. The officers
very narrowly escaped. It was blowing very fresh at

_
the time.
The Triton steam-packet, Lieutenant Glinn, RN.,
commanding, embarked the Lisbon and Gibraltar mails
at Southampton yesterday, and sailed to Plymouth to
receive advance wages for her crew and further mails.

PROMOTION.
Lieutenant,Valentine 0. Inglefield, late Flag Lieu-
tenant to the late Rear-Admiral Inglefield (his father)

to the rank of Commander.

APPOINTMENTS.

Admiral—Sir W. 11. Gage, to be Commander-in-Chien
of Plymouth station, vice Sir John West, term of office
expired.
Lieutenants—Mr. F. Brownrigg (1822), to be Flag-
Lieutenant to Sir William Gage; M. Lowther, late of
the Champion, to the Gorgon steam-sloop, at Ports-
mouth; H. B. Eurist, to the Hastings, flag-ship of Sir
Thomas Collier, at Portsmouth.
Secretary to Sir W. Gage—Paymaster and Purser
John Irving (1815).
Surgeon—J. T. Jenkins, to the Waterwitch, 8, fitting
at Chatham.
Mate—G. Serocold, to the Hastings.
Assistant-Surgeons—J. D. Cronin, to the Victory
flag-ship. at Portsmouth; 11. French, confirmed to the
President flag-ship, at the Cape of Good Hope.
Clerk—B. W. White, to the Hastings,
Chief Engineer—A. Leys (2d class), to the Blenheim
steam guard-ship, at Portsmouth.
Masters' Assistants—A- Howe, to the Hastings; R.
IL Groussell, to the Enterprise discovery-ship, fitting at
Woolwich; R. L. Tracy, to the Investigator discovery-
ship, fitting at Woolwich; P. P. Parks, to the Gorgon
steam-sloop, at Portsmouth; T. E. Milne, to the Sharp-
shooter iron screw sloop, at Portsmouth.
Midshipmen—T. Parley, to the Hastings ; H. 11.
Beamish, to the Ringdove brig, in the East Indies.
Clocks' Assistants—A. Gordon, to the Waterwitch;
P. E. P. Thompson, to the Asia flag-ship, in the Pacific.
PLYMOUTH, APRIL 17. The Apollo troop-ship,
Commander Radcliffe, came in here this morning from
Jersey, having on board the deteit of the 35th Royal
Sussex Regiment, to join their comrades, who have just
returned from the Mauritius. They will be landed to-
day and march into the garrison. Some of the men
who have returned from the Mauritius are now in the
hospital, suffering from " the shakes," the result of a
change of climate.
SIR CHARLES NAPIER'S SQUADRON.
The following letter, touching the Cobden attack
upon the above squadron, is from a friend on board one
of the ships, and will be read with interest by all lovers
of matter of tact controversy:—
"Thinking it but fair that the public should not be
entirely guided by Mr. Cobden's report of the dolce far
nienie manner in which the Squadron of Evolution spent
their time—' loitering under the orange groves of Lis-
bon,' I beg leave to send you an account of the proceed-
ings of that part of the squadron now lying at Cork, as
I think it will tend to show that the exercises which
have beeti so much ridiculed by some portions of the
press have been the means of enabling men to be ready
wken actual service was required, as they were last
night, or rather this morning. At one o'clock a.m.
the Dragon, Captain Hall, arrived at Cove, with
dispatches for Captain Moresby, the senior officer, in
Sir Charles Napier's absence at Dublin, which place
the steamer had left twenty-four hours before. These
dispatches proved to be an order from the Admiral to
embark a watch of marines from each ship of the aqua-
iron on board the Dragon immediately, as she has to
return with them without delay. The other watch and
supernumerary Marines (the latter of whom were already
on board the Medusa) were to ercceed in that vessel to
Waterford. In one hoar and a half every man was on
board the Dragon, and in two hours the whole were
embarked, and the vessels steaming out of the harbour,
with 120 rounds of ammunition, heavy marching order,
and their hammocks, out of which they had turned so
short a time before. Now, what can have a more bene-
ficial effect than this plan of Sir Charles Napier's? It
was only the day before that this fine body of men
(close upon seven hundred) were exercising upon Spike
Island, and the Dragon lying quietly in Kingstown
Harbour; in forty hours from her departure she will
have returned with this powerful reinforcement, and
men neither have suffered the slightest exposure to
weather or discomfort of any kind. Thus the whole coast,
or any part of it, may be strengthened with equal ease
and rapidity whenever it may be required. it is not a
fortnight ago that every man and tirst-class boy was
landed from the St. Vincent and Canopus, two of this
enervated squadron, in one hour and forty minutes,
though the launches and boom- boats were hoisted out in
the time; and if playing soldiers is not very congenial to
our taste as sailors, still every man should be able to use
a musket, and to act a little in concert for mutual de-
fence. Now from no one being in the least aware at
what time or what sort of exercise Sir Charles Napier
may order, the ships prepare for everything, and there
are few things that would take by surprise these `idle'
people from the Tagus. The Amphion gave a fair proof
of this, in stripping her mainmast of a set of chain rig-
ging, unarming the mast-head, beginning at daylight,
getting a new set of rope rigging, which they had
failed themselves, over the mast-beads, being all
and sending down topgallant and royal yards with the
rest
_oof the squadron at sunset."—Trues.
WEDNESDAY —ller Majesty's steam-
yacht Victoria and Albert, Captain. theßight Honourable
Lord Adolphus Firttasclarince, &c., was taken
out of dock at Portsmouth yard yesterday, after beiag
thoroughly refitted in
be the master ship% right's depart-
ment. She will now re-embellished by the painters
and gliders, and brought forward for the service of her
Majesty.
The Cormorant steam-sloop was taken into dock yes-
terday at Portsmouth, in the room of the royal yacht,
to be advanced for commission.
The Ranger brig, 10 guns, Commander Anderson,
sailed yesterday morning from PortemouthforTVihatham,
where she will be put out of conamission:
and the boat's crew who were rescued from drowning;purser
Tuesday were sufficiently restored to health to o'n
the brig. The body of the unfortunate seaman, Smith,
had not been found up to last night. The tide was ehhin:
• fast at the time of the upsetting of the boat, and has, it
is supposed, carried the body out to sea.
A fine schooner of 106 tons, called the Sybil, was
launched from the celebrated yacht building establish-
ment of Messrs. White, East Cowes, on Monday. She
has been built for the Royal Yacht Squadron, and is the
property of Sir William Oglander, Bart.
.
PLyMOUTH, APRIL 18.--Trer Majesty's troop-ship
y.ester-
Apollo, Commander William Radcliffe, came in
day from Jersey with the depot of the 35th Regiment,
which has joined the head-quarters in Plymouth citadel.
A court-martial is appointed to be held to-morrow
morning on board her Majesty's ship San Josef, 1.10,
Commander Charles Hall, for the purpose of trying
Lieutenant John James Winne, Royal Marines, for re-
peated drunkenness, between the 25th of January and
the 4th of March, 1848; Mr. James Gordon, A3SiStallt-
tllgeon, for repeated drunkenness between the same
•°ds; and Mr. George Dowell, Paymaster and Purser,
for disobedience of orders, false reports of amount of
sugar and biscuits and contempt to Commander Rad-
cliffe, of the Apollo,
mallast a
gale, with 11.0.1te.4-1
showers.
WOOLWICH, blowing half a
WOOLWICH, APRIL
kaving been refitted
wich to- 19--The Dwarf steam-vessel
andin made ready for sea, left Wool-
at the latter po day forrt. Port outh, to be employed as a tender
The Falmouth, under the charge of Mr. Baker, left
yesterday for Portsmouth.
The Enterprise, Captain Sir James Clarke Ross, has
had her masts put in, and a number of workmen are
employed upon her, to have herr at the earliest
possible period to proceed to the Arctic regions in search
of Captain Sir John Franklin, and the officers and crew
of the Erebus and Terror.
The Investigator, Captain Bird,istobebetarkeetnnredeopwunt
the river to Woolwich to-morrow, to have
on board, and be made ready to proceed with the Enter-
ewrielaldy leave
forprise on the same expedition.
The Onyx Dover mail packetsatesaump.plynfcools, is n
sea, and after taking in
Woolwich for Dover, to resume her duties at that station.
The masts of the Niger steam-vessel have been pre-
pared, and that vessel is now under the shears at the
basin to have them to be put in, to be made ready for
service.
CHATHAM, APRIL 19.--The Waterwitch, 10 guns,
Commander Richard R. Quin, was put out Of dock
yesterday afternoon, and immediately taken alongside
the shears, when her masts were put in their place.
This vessel is to be thoroughly,completed for proceeding
to sea by the 27th of this month, as she is to take the
mail out on the Ist of the month. She is for service on
the Coast of Africa. One sergeant, one corporal, and
ten privates of the Royal Marines have embarked on
board her.
Yesterday ofternoou thirty seamen riggers from this