The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-21 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, SUNDAY.—The Winchester, 50, Capt.
Eden, flag of Rear-Admiral the Hon. J. Percy, late
Commander-in-Chief on the Cape of Good Hope Sta-
tion, arrived this morning at Spithead. She left Simon's
Bay on the Ist of March, leaving behind the Thunder-
bolt steam sloop, Commander Broke ; the President, 50,
Captain Stanley, flag of Rear-Admiral Dacres, Com-
mander-in-Chief ; and the Serpent, 16, Commander
Vevill, which latter had arrived a few days previously
from China, with the last instalment of the Chinese
ransom on board, and was to sail on the 2d or 3d of
March for England.
When the Winchester left the Cape the Caffres were
quiet, but had assembled in great force, and the inhabi-
tants continue to patrol the town for self protection.
The Thunderbolt had taken all the disposable troops
from Cape Town to Graham's Town to quell disturb-
ances, but when the Winchester had left the Caffres had

come to terms
The Winchester touched at Sr. Helena on the 16th of
March, and found there the Star, 16, Commander Dun-
lop ; and called at Ascension on Sunday, the 22d of
March, where the Star had previously arrived. The
" rollers" had subsided, The Winchester bas brought
a mail from the Cape, and invalids from the squadron.
I Rear-Admiral Percy landed this afternoon in Rear-Ad-
miral Parker's yacht.
The following vessels were spoken with by the Win-
chester on her passage home:—March 7, lat. 24 45 S.,
long. 3 10 E., the Unity, from the Cape, for Guernsey ;
11th lat. 16 48 S., long. 4 31 W., the ship Charlotte, from
Calcutta for Liverpool, 71 days out, at the same time
exchanged numbers with the Dutch ship Alciope ;
on the 17th, in lat. 14 39, long. 7 20, spoke the
Dutch ship Claudius Civeles, from Batavia for Am-
sterdam, 61 days out; on the 19th in lat. 10 41,
long. 11 13, spoke the English ship Earl of Lons-
dale ; 23d, in lat. 6.20, long. 16 15, spoke the Volusia ;
24th, in Ist. 4 32, long. 18 32, the brig Zuleeska, from
the coast of Patagonia ;on the 27th,-in lat. 0 5 N.,
long. 20 51 W., spoke the Prussian ship Frederica
bound to Bahia, same day the English brig Two Friends,
from Liverpool bound to Paita ; on the 29th, in lat.
3 34, long. 22 1, exchanged numbers with bark City of
London, same day spoke the Devonshire, from Bor-
deaux for Mauritius ; on the 30th, in lat. 5 3, long.
23 32, exchanged numbers with the ship Lancaster,
same day and time the ship Trafalgar, from Calcutta for
London ; April 15, in lat. 45 32, long. 17 15, the ship
Bloorenge, 112 days, from Calcutta to London.
The Eurydice 26, was docked on Friday to be over-
hauled prior to recommission.
Admiral Sir Charles Ogle, Bart., Commander-in-
Chief, entertained a distinguished select circle at the
Admiralty-house on Friday evening.
A tablet, subscribed for by the surviving officers of
the ill-fated ship, and the friends of the deceased, was
yesterday placed in the chapel of this dockyard to the
memory of the late Commander W. B. Estcourt, of the
Eclair steam sloop. We hope the Admiralty will not
forget the brave Sidney Bernard, but perpetuate his
heroic self-sacrifice in the cause of saffering humanity by
erecting a suitable monument to his memory.
By the Manilla, merchant bark, arrived at Cowes, we
have intelligence from the coast of Africa to the 25th of
February, Commander Hornby, of the Styx steam-sloop,
came home passenger in her, having invalided in conse-
quence of nearly losing his sight from the effects of the
climate. He is now convalescent. When the Manilla

left Ascension, the Tortoise store and coal ship, Com-
mander Morrell ; the Larne,lB, Commander Brisbane ;
the Albatross, 16, Commander Yorke ; the Cacique
steamer (prize to the Penelope), and the Nautilus
transport, were at that island; the Lame, about to pro-
' ceed to St. Helena. The Albatross was to sail on the
28th of February to the Gallinas, to take the command
of a division. The Cacique was taking in provisions,
prior to returning to the Bights. The Nautilus was
loaded with obsolete stores, and was to sail in a fort-
night for this port, with invalids from the squadron,
among whom was the Rev. G. Bellamy, chaplain of the
Tortoise. The Penelope steam-frigate, with Commodore
Jones, was expected at Ascension on the sth ult., for a
few days, and to be at the Gallinas on the 15th. He
had been at Fernando Po with the French squadron,
and had tried the sea-going qualities of the Pene-
lope, against the French Admiral's steam-frigate
Caraibe, of 450-horse power (Penelope is 650), when
the latter beat Penelope by more than a knot
an hour. The Waterwitch, 12, Commander Birch,
left Ascension for Canada on the 2d of February, to re-
lieve the Cygnet, expected at Ascension en route to the
Bights. The Kingfisher, 12, Commander Brown ; the
Lily, 16, Commander Newton ; and the Styx steam-
sloop, were at the Gallinas on the 25th of February.
The latter's three prizes, Regenerador, Isabel, and Es-
piza, had been condemned at Sierra Leone ; also a beau-
tiful brig captured by the Hecate steam-sloop, Com-
mander West, on the 3d of February. The " rollers"
set in at Ascension with unprecedented violence on the
15th of February, and increased to a terrific extent on
the 18th. They happily abated on the 23d, but not until
very considerable damage had been done. The pier,
wharf, crane, boathouse, port of the fort, turtle ponds,
and turtle, were entirely washed away, boats stove in,
&c. Great alarm was manifested respecting a scarcity
of water, and it was expected the Penelope would have
to tow a vessel to St. Helena and back for a supply.
Great activity prevailed among the cruisers, and many
prizes had been taken in consequence. The squadron
was healthy.
The Terrible steam-frigate, Captain Ramsay, having
finished coaling, went out to Spithead yesterday, to
await sailing orders. In mentioning this ship in con-
nexion with the Comet (the first war-steamer built for
the royal navy) on Saturday, the 11th inst., we made a
slight mistake. We are informed the Comet was not
built by Mr. Oliver Lang, of Woolwich, as we then
stated, but by the late Mr. John Gill, " foreman of the
New Works" at Deptford, in 1822, at which time Mr.
Oliver Lang was the Assistant-Surveyor of the Navy,
and the shipbuilding department in Deptford dockyard
was, at that time, uuder the immediate direction of Mr.
John Gill. who built, in the depth of winter, during the
last war, the only British frigate (St. Lawrence) that
ever swam on the lakes of Canada ; he also originated
the fitting of our dockyard lighters as bomb-vessels, on
the score of economy and efficiency, and presenting " the
minimum object" for repelling attack, which were sue-
eessfully used by us in the last expedition against
Algiers. Mr. Gill also suggested to the Navy Board
the mode of fitting our war- steamers as bomb-vessels,
which has been adopted.

APPOINTMENTS.
Commodore—Sir Francis Collier, C. 8., K.C.H., to
the command in chief of the experimental squadron.
Captain—Sir J. J. G. Bremer, K.C.8., K.C.H., to
command the steam squadron, with a Commodore's
broad pendant.
Lieutenants—G. Oldmixon, of the Hecate, to the Styx;
Wood, of the Styx, to the Penelope ; C. Hawkey, to
the Retribution ; W. Rowlett, of the Penelope, and W.
G. Mansfield, of the Tortoise, to the Waterwitch ' • G.
C. E. Wright, of the Tortoise, to the Espoir; S. Apthorp,
of the Waterwitch, to the acting command of the Cacique
(prize slave steamer); C. E. Wilmot, to the Griffon ; H.
L. Griffiths and T. Sibbald, to the Wanderer; J. Secomb
and F. P. Porteus (additional), to the Vernon ; T. E. L.
Moore, J. Shairp, and J. B. Cator, to the Bellisle ; W.
Hoseason, to command the Torch steamer.
Masters—Charles Gahan to the Imaum • T. Hart, of
the Penelope, to the Styx, vice R. S. Rundle, deceased ;
H. Harris (second), to the Belleisle ; W. C. Pyper
(second), to the Torch ; W. Imrie (Assistant), to the
Rhadamanthus ; G. A. M'Fallane (Assistant), to the
Torch.

Assistant-Surgeons—F. W. Blake (additional), to the
Caledonia, for service of Plymouth Hospital ; W. R.
E. Smart, to the Trafalgar ; A. Elmslie, to Melville
Hospital ; A. Brown, to the William and Mary ; A.
,Jackson (additional), to the Victory.
Mate—C. Vesey, to the Ferret.
Clerks—W. B. Pearse (as acting Purser), to the Fer-
ret ; H. K. Conquer, in charge, to the Torch.
Midshipmen—C. Fairholme, to the Superb ; H. Eden,
J. Berkeley, C. F. Palmer, H. A. V. Royse, and G. St.
John Biggs, to the St. Vincent,
Naval Cadets.—H. R. Stewart, A Malone, and W. C.
Annesley, to the Belleisle ; W. Bingham. to the St. Vin-
cent.