The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-09 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, DEC. B.—The Superb, SO, Captain Pur-
cell, has entered 350 out of her complement of 466.
Rear-Admiral Deans Dundas, C. 8., M.P., will not
return to the Admiralty, from Barton Court, until the
end of next week.
Commander Richard Wilbraham (1814), died at Clif-
ton Tale, in the 92d year of his age. He was a lieute-
nant of 1801. By hia death Commander F. Y. Pugson
(1819) succeeds to the senior halt-pay of 10s. per diem.
PRIZE MONEY FOR THE CURLEW.—Mr. Petty Mus-
pratt has given notice, that an account of the tonnage
bounty received for the slave schooner San Antonio,
captured and destroyed on the 29th of May, 1842, by
her Majesty's brig Curlew, John Foote, Esq., lieutenant
commander (now Commander of the Rosamond, steam-
sloop), will be delivered into the registry of the High
Court of Admiralty, on the 26th instant, agreeably to
Act of Parliament. We expect that there aro;,vcry few
of the " Curlews" to claim in propria persona.
The Centaur steamer, of 1,269 tons, and 540 horse
power, to be fitted immediately, at Portsmouth, for the
broad pendant of Commodore Fanshawe, C.B, to suc-
ceed Commodore Sir C. Hotham, K.C.8., on the coast
of Africa, is having her spars got ready; her after-pivot
gun will be displaced, .and a poop is to be built. She is
to be ready by the Ist of February. We understand
the Termagant was to have been the vessel for the corn-
modore's broad pendant, but she is having some new
wheels made to her machinery, to prevent the excessive
noise the engines made when at work, and which will
not be completed for the next three months. Tho present
armament of the Centaur is six heavy pivot guns and
two carronades. The pivot guns at the bow and stern
are eight-inch guns, of 95 cwt., ten feet long; the four
broadside pivot guns, are t(n-inch guns, 84 cwt. each,
and nine feet long, and the carronades are 32-pounders,
on shifting carriages. One of the pivot guns will be dis-
placed by the building of the poop, and some of the
other pivot large guns, as they can be of little use on
the coast of Africa, will no doubt be exchanged fur long
guns of less calibre. She has ports on her main deck,
but mounts no guns; however, these ports will do good
service on the coast, by improving the ventilation of the
ship. The Centaur's engines are by Button and Watt,
and have been sufficiently tested during her services on
the Irish relief business.

The Cyclops, 6, steam-frigate, Captain the Hon. IL
F. Hastings, made the voyage out from Plymouth to
Sierra Leone:in.twenty days, of which she was at anchor
two days at Madeira, and three days at the Cape Verd's
Islands, so that she made the run in fifteen days. It is
probable, on the Cyclops joining the Penelope, Commo-
dore Sir C. Hotham may leave Captain Hastings in tem-
porary command-in-chief of the African squadron, and
return to England; if so, the Penelope may be expected
about the first week in January. The Siren, on her
voyage home after leaving Sierra Leone, met the Ranger,
6, Commander Newland, proceeding to join Commodore
Sir Charles Hotham. The officers and crew of the
Ranger having succeeded in recovering that vessel after
her sinking at the Cape Verds, they managed to get the
hatches battened down and secured, and on pumping her
out she floated, without being much injured.
As we have before stated, Sir C. Hotham has inti-
mated his desire to be relieved in March; but he had
not then received his dispatches by the Cyclops.
It was reported atjPortsmouth yesterday, that the
Prince Regent, 92, Captain W. F. Jllartin, at Spithead,
will, when the wind permits, sail direct for the Medi-
terranean.

DEVONPORT THURSDAY AFTERNOON.—The weather
is still foul, the wind blowing from S.W. Nothing dare
go out, and we have nothing come in before this evening,
about four o'clock, when the Llewellyn, Holyhead steam-
packet, Master Commander Gray, from the Thames,
arrived. She is come into harbour. She must have
caught it coming round. The Confiance steam-tug, Mr.
Martin, master, that arrived on Tuesday evening, from
Woolwich, took shelter at Dartmouth for a day or two,
on her way down.
The Ajax, 56, screw guard-ship at Portsmouth, having
had her pistons repaired and completed, was to have
been out of the steam-basin yesterday, but the weather
would not allow of her removal. She will be brought
out on Monday next, when the Centaur will also be taken
round to the old basin, to be fitted and rigged for service.
The Sharpshooter, screw gun-vessel, Lieutenant-Cora-
mender Bailey, has had her new water-pipes completed
at Porstsmouth. She is now receiving nnother coating
of Mr. Hay's composition, and will be taken out of dock
on Monday next.
The Fairy, royal yacht, went to Southampton, to
convey a Queen's messenger to Osborne. She afterwards
took over to Portsmouth the Countess of Gainsborough,
from Osborne House, who landed at Gosport, and pro-
ceeded to Anglesey.
The Fire Queen went to Osborne, yesterday, with the
letters and dispatches.
The Garland, Dover steam-packet, Lieutenant Com-
mander Aplin, is ordered to Woolwich for new boilers.
APPRENTICES IN THE DOCKYARDS.--The Admiralty
have issued an order to all the dockyards to the effect
that those apprentices of the establishment who may
during the period of their apprenticeship, and against
the express terms of their indentures, contract matri-
monial engagements, are not to be entered upon the
establishment when their term of apprenticeship has
expired.
THE WEATHER AT PORTSMOUTH.—For the last six
days, with but little intermission, we have had a violent
gale of wind, at times accompanied with heavy squalls of
rain and occasionally with lightning, the wind veering
from the W.N.W. to the S.W. points of the compass.
The squadron at Spithead have ridden securely with
topgallantmasts on deck. On Wednesday morning there
secured by
was so much sea in the harbour that the Encounter
steam-frigate, from her violent motion, carried away her
timber-heads
alongsidethe h
straine hulk.
on the lashings
Sheh
asbeen
by which she
was
brought
alongside the pitchhous jetty have •
e to new timber-
heads put in.
westwardE O'CL
the to-day Ocwit, blows hard from
some dockyard boats, 'w*thh much rain. This morning
Vin
Spithead to the St. artificers, attempted to go to
Vincent, but could not get out on
account of the sea ; they returned
nto harbour, and
afterwards went in tow of the c i
be, steamer.
CHATHAM, DEC. 8, The Da • ring, 12-gun brig, is or-
dered to be sent from Sheerness to Chatham, to be re-
paired, and to be fitted for service.
The ship Hercules, Mr. Lightfoot master, arrived
ye§terdtly tram Qtiebec,ivitil Umber for the
4

and the Goodwill, Pledge, master, arrived from Ply-
mouth with stores; and the Rochester, Sicleveeks, master,
sailed with stores for Plymouth; and the Aid, Small-
man, master, remains loading stores for Portsmouth.
The Poictiers, 72 guns, Captain Sir Thomas Bour-
ehier. —David Westmeat, an able seaman, had
been sentenced to twenty-eight days' imprisonment in
the county gaol at Maidstone, ten days of which term is
to be solitary, and the remainder with hard labour, for
having absented himself from the ship one day. The
prisoner descended into the river from the bow of the
ship unobserved, and swam to the new stairs.