The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-11 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLwCENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, THURSDAY.—The Lords of the Admiralty
have cancelled the appointment of Mr. James Chimmo, the
paymaster and purser of the Alarm, 26, Captain Frankland, '
hating doubtless considered the impropriety of returning him
to a ship where he has received such unprecedented ill-treat-
ment ; and given him notice, through the Commander. in-
Chief at this port, that he is to hold himself in readiness to
receive another appointment. We cannot too highly eulo-
gize such an exhibition of noble and prompt justice as this
act of the Elleuborough Admiralty; and, we doubt 'not, but
that the appointment about to be conferred upon Mr.Chimmo
will be one which will repay him for all the expense and
agony of mind he has been so wantonly subjected to under
the late disgraceful circumstances at Bermuda. A larger
ship and a better station than his last is clk a-lv but just to
expect, and will convey a practical lesson to flag and other
officers to respect and not to abuse the power vested in them,
when from under the eye of the powers at home.
The Avenger steam-frigate, Captain Williams, arrived at
Spithead this morning from Cork, to fit and prepare for the
reception of Ibrahim Pacha and suite, whom she will convey
from this port, en route to Egypt, en his Highness's departure
from this country.
The Pembroke, 72, one of the advanced ships, has had her
foremast taken out this morning, it being rotten. It has been
in her neatly two years., and was made in 1838. The Pem-
broke was docked immediately afterwards to have her copper
examined.
The Nautilus, 8, Lieutenant-Commanding John J.
M‘Donell, arrived this morning from off Brighton, to recruit
water and provisions.
A board, comprising rGeneral Webber Smith, Director-
General of Royal Artillery ; Colonel Cardew, Commandant
of the Royal Engineers in this garrison ; and Coloael Cock-
burn, Royal Artillery, arrived here yesterday to select a pro-
per she for a new laboratory, in case the present one (adja-
cent to the works of the new steam basin, in course of con-
struction in this dockyard) should be required to be removed
to extend the said works. _ _

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We were in hopes that amongst the number of officers
Lord Ellenborough has been pleased to consider as deserving
of promotion, would have been found the First Lieutenant of
her Majesty's ship Vanguard—an officer who has been almost
uninterruptedly employed since his promotion to the rank of
Lieutenant, which bears date November, 1826. In addition
to this officer's length of service, is to be mentioned the fact
of his having been First Lieutenant of three line-of-battle
ships, viz., the Talavera, Pembroke, and Vanguard, twice
in the last-named ship. We still hope these facts may draw
his Lordship's attention, and that his last signature to a
commander's commission, ere he leaves office, will be the
promoting to that rank of the above most-esteemed and de-
serving officer.

INTERESTING TO NATURALISTS.
Lately a pair of birds, somewhat like the thrush, or
Travis, but larger and evidently of a different species,
were observed building their nest near the top of one of
the loftiest trees in the small plantation at the back of
Pitcullen, in this neighbourhood ; and were allowed to
proceed with their work, with no other interruption
than occasionally an attempt by two jackdaws to rob
them, as was supposed, of their building materials,
but who were always beaten off. About a fortnight
after, two birds were observed carrying provision to
their young ; and believing them to be starlings, a gen-
tleman in Perth was desirous of having the young ones
for the purpose of training them up, and with that
view had them taken from the tree on the evening
of Friday week, being four in number and pretty
well fledged, but having a good deal of the
cat's-hair on them. On taking them to Perth,
however, it was found on examinat'on that they
were fieldfares, a species of bird that appear in this
Michaelmas,coun-
only _e.,,,snoduniteian2.ve
tit; February atrayteohrinMgahrcerhe,
17, about
tne
v...
this season may be the mildness; of last wmter.
Finding they were not starlings they were returned
to Pitcullen on the day after bang taken from the tree,
but by this time the parent birds had left the place,
and in order to bring the young brood to take
wing and provide for themselves, the family of Mr.
Kilgour, at Pitcullen, undertook the charge of them,
and led them all Saturday and Sunday, placing them
in a basket, and suspending them from a nail in the
shade of the house in the open air during the day,
and taking them into the house during the night,
to protect them from the cold and dew. On Monday
morning, after feeding them, and placing the basket in
its usual place for the day, the family were astonished
(and it is the following facts that chiefly deserve notice)
to find that they were superseded in their affectionate
duty by a hedge-sparrow, who commenced to feed the
young brood with unremitting diligence, and continued
to do so, although each of them was more than double
its own sire. On Tuesday, the two largest took wing,
and went on the plantation where they were
hatched; but one of them finding, perhaps, that it
was better cared for by its little friend than hopping
about on the branches, soon returned to the basket.
That day being very rainy, the three (the other one not
having returned) were put in a cage and put in a room a
little above where they were suspended in the basket
near to the window, which was left open to admit their
provision-carrier; and this with the view of keeping
them dry, and preventing them leaving till sufficiently
strong. Here the little sparrow joined them by the
window, santinuing its labour of love by feeding them
between the wire of the cage with the greatest perseve-
rance, and occasionally hopping about on the table be-
side the cage. The above sparrow sets a beautiful ex-
ample to man, and it would be well did he profit thereby.
—Perthshire Courier.

CHINESE GEOGRAPHY.—Among the Chinese articles
exhibited in Paris at the Hotel of the Minister ofCommerce,
is one which offers a peculiar interest as showing the state
of science in the Celestial empire; it is a map of the world,
presented by the grand mandarin of Canton, who appeared
to prize it very highly. The Chinese geographer has ar-
ranged the earth after his fashion ; for him there are no
peninsulas nor isthmuses; the isthmus of Suez is replaced by
a magnificent arm of the sea, which detaches itself from the
Mediterranean in order to throw itself into the Red Sea; the
isthmus of Panama is likewise wanting, and the two seas in
this direction are joined together by the same process. There
is also no question either of the Pyrenees nor of the Alps,
and the great mountains of America are scarcely delineated.
As a compensation, China occupies nearly three-fourths of
,the globe, and the other parts of the world appear to be
OQUZitrit4 of uo impel-tango. , . _