The Sun.
London, England, 1851-12-15 00:00:00

APPOINTMENTS.

Lieutenant—H. 3. Grant (1846), to the Devasta-
tion steam-sloop, West Indies.
Second Master—Martin Roberts, from Grand Re-
doubt coast-guard station, to No. 3, Dungeness, vice
Lieutenant Buchanan, resigned.
Clerks—George A. Welch (1848), to the Britannia,
120, Portsmouth; J. J. M. Lyons, to the Ajax, 60,
screw flag-ship, Queenstown.
Masters' Assistants-11 C. Ball, to the Retribution,
steam frigate, Portsmouth ; 11. Miller and S. Creak,
to the Fury.
Boatswain—W. Inglis to the London, 92, eerness.
Carpenter—J. May, to theißritannia.
PORTSMOUTH, Surrnax.—The Cyclops, steam -
transport, Master Commander Hoffmeister, arrived at
Spithead on Saturday morning from the Cape. She
left Table thy the 13th October; touched at St.
Helena, where she took on board some old stores,
left the 28th ; arrived at Ascension the 31 November,
and sailed again on the 6th; and on the 6th made
Porto Prayo, where the following American men-of-
war were at anchor, viz.:—The corvette Gormans-
town, the John Adams, and Porpoise, brigantine.
The Cyclops has made her passage home under sail
principally. She is a slow coach nnder either steam
or sail. She proceeded last night to Sheerness,
where the commander, officers, and crew will be
turned over to the Megrera, iron screw troop-ship.
The Birkenhead has taken in provisions for five
months, and completed her coal and water, and is
now all ready for the conveyance of another regiment
to the Cape, or any other service that may be re-
quired of her to perform. She will probably go to
Spithead.

The Arrow ketch, has been brought down and
docked, and will be commissioned and take the place
of the Sparrow, now surveying on the coast of Ireland.
We much regret to announce the death of a most
worthy and estimable gentleman, 'William Thompson,
Esq., J.P., retired surgeon, R.N., 1796, who died at
his residence, Park-lane, Southsea, on Sunday morn-
ing, aged 74. He practised as a surgeon till his last
illness, making nominal charges only. He did much
good in his immediate neighbourhood, where he was
universally respected. He was also for many years
an active and useful magistrate for the borough of
Portsmouth.

Rear-Admiral J. W. D. Dundas, C. 8., M.P., one
of the Lords of the Admiralty, arrived here on Friday
night, and partook of the hospitality of Rear-Admiral
Superintendent Prescott, C.B. Yesterday morning
at eleven o'clock he went on board the Britannia, 120,
fitting for the flag-ship in the Mediterranean, where
he remained until three r.m. He dined with the
Commander-in• Chief Admiral Sir Thomas Briggs,
G.C.M.G., at the Admiralty-house, in the evening.
The Britannia's complement will be 970 officers and
men, and she is expected to be ready for sailing in
February, in company with the Rodney, 92, Captain
Graham, C.B.
The following Second Masters passed examination
for Masters, at the Royal Naval College last week :
Messrs. W. Smith, J. M. Pridham, R. C. Hutchinson,
and E. J. Kemp.

The following officers (acting lieutenants and mates)
passed in navigation, at the Royal Naval College last
week :—Messrs. H. P. Bance, J. Tuson, J. Forster,
W. H. Hooper, G. J. Dall, J. C. Purvis, J. A. Cary,
and R. B. Forster.

The quarterly examination of officers on subjects
connected with the steam-engine took place last week
at :the Royal Naval College, when the following
officers obtained high certificates :—Captain John
Moore, Captain J. C. D. Hay ; Commanders W. H.
Dobbie, and J. H. Brydges ; Lieutenant J. de C. A.
Agnew, and Mates E. Field and Thomas Crouse.
The Flying Fish, 12, Commander Patey, was paid
off at this port yesterday.
The Sidon steam-frigate, Commander Gardener,
has been put out of commission, and the officers and
crew have returned to the Blenheim.

The Hope transport arrived at Spitbead on Satur-
day, from the Thames, to embark troops for Malta.
The Echo tug, Mr. Harding in charge, took out
about thirty convicts from the Stirling Castle hulk on
Saturday, and a similar number from the York, to
the Aboukir freight ship at Spitbead, which, after
shipping them, dropped down to Cowes, to embark
others from Parkhurst, thence proceeding to Portland
to take in others for transportation.
Rear. Admiral Dundas remains the guest of Rear-
Admiral Prescott until Tuesday.
PLYMOUTH, 14.—Captains Pixley and Stickle-
bank, two of the Elder Brethren of the Trinity-
house, paid an official visit to this port during the
week, in consequence of representations made by
.the
Chamber of Commerce here in reference to an im-
provement in the system of pilotage. The Earl of
Morley, cbairman, and Mr. W. Hawker, deputy-
chairman, and several influential members of the
chamber, had an interview at Elliott's Royal Hotel
on Friday, where Mr. Stewart, Collector of Customs,
Captain Walker, R.N., and Mr. W. B. Cuming, the
three Sub-Commissioners of Pilotage, were also in
attendance. The objections to the present mode
arise chiefly from the fact that many of the pilots
possess trawling boats and other property, which
withdraws their attention from the merchant ship-
ping resorting to the harbour. We understand
that it is proposed to establish six bond fide pilot
cutters, each to have two first-class and two second-
class pilots on board. One of these is always to be
stationed off the Dodman, to the westward of the
port, one near the Eddystone, and one to the east-
ward, near Startpoint; the other three will be in har-
bour, refitting or otherwise. The distance money
which has always been a subject of dispute, is to be
reduced, and it is said that ships belonging to the port
are hereafter to employ and pay pilots. The present
revenue of the pilots is about 1,6001. per annum. The
number now on the roll is 35.

Her Majesty's ship Nile was placed in the dock on
Friday to have her copper examined.
The steam-vessel Avon arrived the same day from
Portsmouth.

The frigate Havannah is at the rubble bank moor-
ing. She will probably be paid off on Tuesday.
The Inconstant is in dock preparatory to being
fitted for commission.

The Britannia will be paid advance of wages hero
previous to sailing for the Mediterranean.
Ascendant convict-ship sailed on Friday with male
convicts for Bermuda. _

Lieutenants Evans and Walton, with a detachment
from the Woolwich division, are under orders to pro-
ceed to join the London, 90, at Sheernesss ; the rest
of the detachment will be supplied from the Chatham
division.

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8-
g DEATH OF MAJOR PATauatcaz.---The death of
Major Philip Patriarche, R.M., brother of the late
Capt. C. Patriarche, R.N., of Worcester-street, Glou-
cester, has recently taken place. Major Patriarche was
first lieutenant of marines in the Lion, of 64-guns, com-
manded by the late Sir Manley Dixon, in her action
withcuonms 80-guns, nndd and
er
Penelope
wSapsanciasphtufrriedgat;es, 1798, one of which, the
gate, he was at
the capture of the Guilliaume Tell (French), 14-gun
ship, in 1800. He was captain of the marines of the
Superb, of 74-guns, in Sir John Duckworth's action
ships of the latter line were captured, and two off St. Domingo, in 1806, when three sails of French
de-
stroyed.

TIIE FOREIGN AND COLONIAL MAlLS.—Notice
was issued on Saturday at the General Post-office, that the
mails fur the Cape of Good Hope, Port Natal, tz
esterdac., will be
made up this evening, the 15th instant (yy being
Sunday ), via Plymouth. Letters must be prepaid (news-
papers free) for the British and foreign colonies in the West
Indies on the morning of the 17th inst., via Southampton ;
for Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira, via Lisbon, Cadiz and
Gibraltar, on the morning of the 17th inst., via Southampton;
letters must be prepaid for Vigo and Cad z. For British
North America, United States, ,on the morning of the
19th inst., v:a Southampton, to New York; on the evening
of the 19th inst. to ditto, via Liverpool ; and on the 21th
inst. to Halifax and Boston (newspapers to the United States
must be prepaid ld. each); for Gibraltar, Malta, Greece, the
lonian Islands, Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, Mauritius, India,
viaH o Hong-Kong,
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rirnaonrenai
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evening of the 24th inst., by the fortnightly overland closed
mails, via Marseilles (letters and newspapers to India, &c
via France, must be prepaid). .;