The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-28 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, OCT. 27.—8 y the following order, just
issued to the commanding officers of the fleet, it appears
that naval men are to enjoy an immunity from arrest for
debt, which none other of her Majesty's lieges are suffered
to felicitate themselves upon. The order is altogether a
most extraordinary one, and so general in its application
as to include the enf re service, on full pay and half-pay,
for officers and men in " actual service and full pay of
her Majesty's fleet" are not exclusively specified, which
will certainly lead to the abuse of the privilege, as it will
be no difficult matter for an officer on half-pay- to get his
friend in commission to put him under temporary arrest
the moment the debtor has a suspicion he is being looked
out for by his creditor. That the Lords of the Admi-
ralty should deem suck an order necessary is a cutting
reflection upon the honour of naval men generally,
which we cannot but think they would rather have been
freed from:—

" St. Vincent, in Portsmouth Harbour, Oct. 23.
" The Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty baying
acquainted me that their solicito is of opinion that when
any officer or seaman in her Majesty's service is under
arrest on board ship, the commanding officer of that ship
is justified in not allowing him to be arrested under civil
process for debt, and in using as much force as may be
necessary to prevent the prisoner from being taken from
his custody, the same is hereby made known for the in-
formation of the commanding officers of her Majesty's
ships and vessels. _

" CHARLES OGLE, Admiral.
" To the respective Captains, Commanders, &c."
The following order, issued yesterday, is to a far more
beneficial efixt than the above, and one which has been,
very naturally, anxiously looked for since the investiga-
tion by courts of inquiry and martial into the cause of
the death of Edward Redpath in a coal bunker:—
" St. Vincent, in Portsmouth Harbour, Oct. 26.
" The report of an inquiry into the circumstances at-
tending the death of a seaman of her Majesty's ship
Retribution having brought to the knowledge of the
Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that punishment
of confinement in the bunkers (and which in the above
instance has been attended with loss of life) exists on
board some of her Majesty's steam-vessels, their Lord-
ships issue their most possitive orders that on no account
shall such punishment be inflicted in the fleet; and their
Lordships take this occasion to call the attention of the
officers in command of her Majesty's steam-vessels to
the necessity of a frequent and careful inspection of the
coal bunkers, more particularly when under steam, and
if the pressure of carbonic acid gas be detected, that
immediate measures be adopted to insure a due ventila
tion, and for the introduction of pure air.
" CHARLES OGLE, Admiral.
"To the respective Captains, Commanders, &c."
Shell practice from the Excellent at the Leviathan
hulk (74t), moored at 2,400 yards range, was resumed
this morning. We gave the practice on Friday week
(the first day's fire), which exhibited but a beggarly
amount of proficiency in the art of naval gunnery, only
one shell out of twenty-two fired having struck the
hulk, and that one so feebly as not to explode. This
caused the "mysterious" committee alluded to upon the
occasion to turn their thoughts to the cause ot such a
signal failure, and having put their heads together, they
thought :they had found out their philosopher's stone
in the shape of a chemical agent, which they fancied
would insure success in their missiles. The new agent
was accordingly tried to-day. The following is the
result :7--