The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-09 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

rOATSMOUTII, SUNDAY.—Yesterday morning the Lords
of the Admiralty, accompanied by Sir Charles Ogle, Col.
Jones, and a distinguished party of officers, left the
George Hotel, in carriages provided for them, and pro-
-I..eeded to Cumberland-fort to inspect in field exercise,
&c., the Royal Marine Artillery Corps, under the com-
mand ,of Lieut.-Colonel D. A. Gisbsone.
. _

Their Lt,rdships first proceeciecilo-ilie fort, and wit-
nessed practice from an 8-inch howitzer and a 12-
pounder medium gun with common shell, at a floating
target, range 1,350 yards; practice from a 24-pounder
howitzer and two 12-pounder howitzers, with spherical
case, at a floating target, range 900 yards; practice from
four 6-pounder guns with round shot, at a floating target,
range 900 yards. The whole of this was most perfect
practice, the targets being riddled at every discharge,
and highly creditable to the officers attached—Major
Castieau, Captains Westley, Logan, and Holloway; and
Second-Lieutenants Davies, Meade, and Baynes.
After the above their Lordships witnessed practice
from a 32-pounder sea service gun, mounted within the
fort, with common shell at a floating target, range 1,500
yards, which also elicited their warmest approbation.
Captain Dwyerwasthe officer attached.

Their Lordships then proceederFtWtbe usual place of
exercise adjacent to the Coast-Guard station, and wit-
nessed practice from three ten-inch land service mortars,
in rear of an epaulement, at the flag-staff ; range 560
yards. In nearly every case the shells pursued an
astonishingly accurate direction, much to the gratifica •
Lion of the gallant and distinguished officers assembled.
Officers attached—Captain Westley and Second Lieute-
nant Meade.

Practice from a 68-pounder, three 32-pounders, a 24-
pounder Congreve, and 32-pounder carronade, Nvith
round shot, at a target ranged at 450 yards, concluded
the inspection. Officers attached—Major Castieu, Cap-
tains Parke, Logan, and Holloway, and Second Lieute-
nants Davies and Baynes. This was undoubtedly as per-
fect shot practice as could be at the present day wit-
nessed. The target was blown away at every discharge.
with one or two exceptions.

The whole must have been highly gratifying to the
assembled spectators, and was we know especially so to
the Earl of Auckland, who, as did his hon. and gallant
colleagues, expressed the warmest satisfaction at the
highly efficient state th's important and invaluable arm
of the naval service has attained, and complimented Col.
Gibsone thereon prior to leaving the ground, which was
about half-past twelve.
On leaving, Sir Charles Ogle inspected the coast-
guard force under the command of Lieutenant Robert
Taylor, of the Langston-harbour station. At 1 p.m.
they embarked at Sallyport, with the Port-Admiral and
Rear-Admiral Parker, in the Lightning, and proceeded
to Calshot Castle, with the Dasher, surveying steamer,
Commander W. Sheringham, to select a spot for a
steamers' coal &pot. The two Admirals here took a
final leave of their Lordships, going from the Lightning
to the Dasher. Their Lordships left Calshot in the
Ligtning at 3 P.M. for Southampton, the Dasher return-
ing with the Admirals into the Harbour.
The Lightning, after landing the Lords of the Admi-
ralty, returned to the harbour in the evening.
The Scourge, steam bomb-vessel, Commander J. C.
Caffin, arrived yesterday from Woolwich, and came into
the harbour.

The Orestes, 18, Commander R. St. Leger Cannon,
completed stripping last evening, and will be paid off on
Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Nautilus, 8, Lieutenant-Commanding J. Mac-
donell, sailed on Friday evening to resume her station
off Brighton for the protection of the fishery.
The Manceuvrer lighter arrived with stores from Ply-
mouth yesterday.
Captain Alexander Milne, son of the late Admiral Sir
David Milne, late Commander-in-Chief at Devenport, is
appointed to succeed Captain Sir Richard Grant, as flag
captain to Admiral Sir Charles Ogle, Bart., the Com-
mander in-Chief at this port.
A system of punishment similar to that pursued in
military prisons in the cases of bad soldiers is under
consideration by the First Lord of the Admiralty for
adoption in the cases of refractory seamen, to supersede
in a great measure flogging in the navy. The sugges-
tion emanated from a gallant and humane Admiral, and
we trust will be carried out, to his lasting honour.

The Avenger, steam-frigate, Captain Williams, was at
Malta in quarantine, on the 28th of August. A private
letter dated the 26th states, " We left Alexandria on
the 20th. During our stay there the officers and shipl
company were supplied with every luxury by the orders
of Ibrahim, who, prior to our departure, presented the
following officers of the Avenger with a valuable Turkish
sabre:—Captain Williams (and also a splendid shawl);
Lieutenants Crawley, Sibbald, Rowles, Hawkins, and
Tate (R.M.A.); Mr. Tucker, master; Mr. Mackay,
surgeon ; Mr. Brickwood, paymaster and purser ; Mr.
Speed, naval instructor ; Mr. Robinson, assistant-sur-
geon ; Mr. Moore and Mr. Yound, midshipmen ; Mr.
Cleveland, master's-assistant ; Mr. A. W. Chimmo.
clerk; Mr. Rowe, clerk; Mr. Phillips, naval cadet; and
Mr. Brooker, clerk's-assistant. His Highness also pre-
sented the ship's company with 5001., besides an
immense quantity of sugar, rice, coffee, and other
articles of consumption. His Highness invited all
the officers of the ship to a sumptuous banquet
given at his palace, placing at their disposal
carriages and horses and attendants. Altogether,
no prince or potentate could have been more splendidly
feted than we have bern. His Highness appeared to
feel that he could not seem too grateful for the attention
shown him in England. We expect to sail about the
20th of September, and to arrive at Portsmouth about,
the latter end of that month; when there the defective
state of our boilers, &c., will detain us two months at
least before we can proced on any further service."
By an extract from a private letter we have learned
that her Majesty's ship Inflexible arrived at Madeira
in six days and 19 hours. The distance by the patent
log is 1,240 miles. This extraordinary run was accom-
plished, notwithstanding delays occasioned by being
compelled to stop more than once to arrange the bear-
ings and expansion valves, during which time they were
compelled to disconnect, and were forced to run under
sail fir some hours. The gross quantity of fuel con-
sumed has been only 86 tons, which is rather more than
I lcwt. per hour. The Inflexible was worked on the 6th
or last grade of the expansion nearly the whole way, and
yet, with this small consumption of fuel, and the wind a-
head a great part of the way, she averaged 7 knots
7-10ths per hour. At the time this letter left the In-
flexible, she had just fallen in with the trade winds
blowing fresh from E.N.E. It was expected she would
sail direct for the Cape, and would arrive in 35 days.
APPOINTMENT.
Lieutenant Robert Willcox, to Recruit.

PUNISHMENTS IN TEIE FRENCH ARMY.—AII
official report on punishments in the French army, during
1845, contains the following:—Of 334,091 men, com-
prising the municipal guard and the fire-brigade, such
being the effective force of the army, 4,100 men had
rendered themselves ameanable to punishment, or
a proportion of 1 in 84. Of this number 2,987
were sentenced, which gives a proportion of 1 to 112.
The number of condemnations to peines afilic-
tives et infamantes, that is to say, death, imprison-
ment, herd labour, solitary confinement, was 420. Con-
demnations to peines correctionnelles were 2,567. The
peines infamantes inflicted were as Ito 795. The peines
correctionnelles, 1 in 130. Of 90 capital sentences, 85
were commuted by the royal mercy. Of the five
who suffered death, one was for the assassination of a
Frenchman in France, one for the murder of a French-
man in Algeria, one for insubordination, in Algeria,
and two for acting as spies against the French in Algeria.
Among the volunteers the proportion is 1 accused in 27,
and 1 condemnation in 35. Among the recruits the pro-
portion is 1 accused in 103, and 1 condemned in 148.
Substitutes, 1 accused in 51, and 1 condemnation in 68.
In the cavalry, 1 condemnation in 134 ; in the infantry,
lin 108. Artillery, '1 in 104; in the engineers lin 231.
Among the veterans 1 in 177. Among the staff and
scholars from military schools not a single case of repri-
mand. In the firc•brigade at Paris 4 condemnations in
653 men. The municipal guard only had 3 condemna-
tions in an effective corps of 3,158 men. Among the
gendarmerie, in 15,000 men there was only one case of
reprimand and ono condemnation. '
ANECDOTES OF BARRINGTON, THE FAMOUS PICK-
POCKET.—At one of the music meetings in St. Mar-
tin's Church, for the benefit of the Leicester Infirmary,
I noticed a tall, handsome man, in a scarlet coat, with a
gold button-hole in a black collar, the fashion of the day,
moving with a gentleman-like air. This person proved
to be the notorious Barrington, the pickpocket. In
going up the middle aisle he was invited into the Mayor's
pew, and sat between Miss St. John and Mr. Ashby, of
Queenby, our late Member of Parliament. One of the
plates was held at the door by this lady and gentleman,
and when Mr. Barrington laid his guinea upon the plate
he was kindly thanked by his new acquaintance, and
passed on with a graceful bow. The gentry who held
the plates retired into the vestry to add their contri-
butions, and when Mr. Ashby would have placed his ten
guineas on the plate, to his utter astonishment they had
sown from his pocket. After considerable amazement,
the mystery was explained by one of the company re-
marking that Miss St. John's pocket was turned inside
oat, and that the gentleman who sat between them
had helped himself to the subscription he had put on
the plate, and something besides. It is said that Bar-
rington facilitated his operations by instruments which
he had made for the purpose. I recollect a circumstance
of this kind. He waited on a surgical instrument maker
and ordered a pair of scissors of a curious form. A few
M sch"N'vhat use they were for. Ho
days afterwards he called forprtehl
eesamas lid
ked
hityh theee
emas,re:
he had
scissors,
rpsta,hi d
two guineas which the maker charged. After
Ie
lehi
much
leftvgmnig
hthtlhet
we
eca
nschohomsapedm, e
mtehaneesddk ceusudos t.
Do run after him." The cutler
scampered out of the shop, and overtaking the gentle-
man, hoped he would excuse him, but would he tell him,
what use he intended to make of the scissors? " Why
my friend," said Barrington, catching him by the button
of his coat, and staring him in the face, " I don't know
whether I can tell you; its a great secret." " Oh, pray
do, Sir ; it may be something in our way." -Upon which
Barrington, pressing hard upon bis shoulder, whispered
in his ear, " They are for picking of pockets." In the
utmost consternation the scissors maker ran back, and
the moment he got into the shop, " My dear," he cried,
" will you believe it, they are for picking of pockets."
" Yes, my dear," cried the wife, " what is the matter
with your clothes?" The cutler looked, and presently
discovered that the scissors had extracted the two
, guineas he had just received for them.— Gardiner's Music
and Friends.