The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-12 00:00:00

Naval and Blilitary Intelligence.

The Colossus, screw, 81, Captain the Hon. Henry
Keppel, C. 8., hauled alongside her hulk i❑ Portsmouth
harbour yesterday to " paint sbi2" and receive her crew,
before dropping out to Spithead and joining the fleet
there.

The Harrier, 15, screw sloop, Commander Derriman,
left Portsmouth harbour yesterday and joined the fleet
at Spithead.

The Plover, 4, screw gun-boat, Lieutenant Com-
mander Stewart, went to the Motherbank yesterday,
with liberty men from the gun-boat flotilla.
The Pioneer; 6, new screw despatch vessel, was taken
into dock yesterday to be fitted for commission.
The Lapwing, 6, new screw gun-vessel, was towed up
to Portsmouth from Cowes yesterday to be fitted ,for
commission.

The schooner John Williams is embarking a number
of heavy mortars and guns of various tizea from the
Arsenal-wharf, at Woolwich, and will sail to-day for
Portsmouth.

The paddle-vrheol steamer Kite, for some time under
repair in Woolwich dockyard, is now in a forwa'rd state,
and has received her engine gear. The repairs and
alte-ations•of the Princess Alice are likewise advancing
rapidly.
Yesterday two substantially-built and finely•modelled
wooden gun-boats, the Be ►con and the Brave, of about
223 tons each, were launched from the building-yard of
Mr. John Laird, on the border of the Great Float, at
Birkenhead. Both vessels had their engines and boilers
on board, and their entrance into the water ward greeted
with aloha chart by a large assemblage_of ‘spectritatv.
The launches were very successful, the christening of
the Beacon being performed by Mrs. Bevis, wife of Cap-
taiti,Bevis, R.N., Admiralty agent at Liverpool; and
that of the Brave by Miss Agnes 'Laird, daughter of the
builder. Two similar vessels will be launched from Mr.
Laird's Liverpool yard next week, besides which there
are two others nearly completed, with engines, boilers,
and machinery on board. Each of the boats will carry
two guns of heavy calibre, which may be worked at will
from any portion of the vessel. Mr. Laird is also
building, at his Birkenhead and Liverpool yards, 15 iron
mortar-boats of 100 tons measurement each, of a pre-
cisely similar description to the one recently constructed,
and already noticed in The Sun. Two of these are ex-
pected to be launched in 10 or 14 days, the rest to follow
in quick succession.

The second pier, which was commenced about three
months ago at the arsenal-wharf, Woolwich, will be
ready for service in about three weeks. This will con-
siderably augment the capabilities of landing and ship-
ping, and, as vessels of heavy tonnage will be enabled
to moor alongside in any tide, the use of barges will be
vupersedel. A spacious platform branches off on either
side of the pier, provided with a double line of tramway,
and extends a sufficient length to admit the loading of
four ships at the same tine. Four cranes are to be
erected on the platform, and are to be served by hydrau-
lic pressure. The apparatus for this purpose is in the
course of erection, under the supervision of Colonel
Beatson, commanding Royal Engineers. This will be
applied for the joint purposes of working the whole of
the numerous cranes along the Arsenal-wharf side.
The Edendale sailing-transport, No. 10, Captain Lash,
arrived on Saturday morning at Woolwich from the
East. She has hitherto been engaged in transporting
cavalry horses, and is expected to embark a similar
cargo.
Mr. H. R. Rch, master of the merchant ship Hooghly,
recently returned from Australia, has transmitted to the
treasurer of the Royal Naval and Military Free Schools,
Devonport, the sum of 51. 55., collected from his pas-
sengers during the ship's absence from England. The
treasurer of those sckools requests us to acknowledge
that he has received the above sum.

The following appointments were made yeqterday
at the Admiralty:—
Lieut. F. W. Pym, to the Esk ; John Stokes, master,
to the Medina ; Benjamin Wooley, acting master, to the
Prospero ; Richard H. Blainey, master's assistant, to
the Tartarus ; Fienry Grey, midshipman, to the Rodney;
IL B. Hammersley, midshipman, to the Colossus ; G.
F. A. Drew, surgeon (confirmed) ; Robert Wilcox, to
the Medina.

Lieut. Mould, Royal Engieeerx, stationed at London-
derry, has been ordeted to proceed to New Zealand,
where his father, Lieutenant• Colonel Meuld, of the Royal
Engineer., is in command.