The Sun.
London, England, 1860-03-28 00:00:00

2HE NAVY.

A letter from Gibraltar, dated March 21, says :
—" The squadron under the command of Rear-Ad-
miral Mundy, C. 8., now in these waters, consists of
the Hannibal, 91, bearing the Rear-Admiral's flag;
the Renown, 91 ; the Agamemnon, 91 ; the James
Watt, 91; the Doris, 32 ; the Scylla, 21 ; the
Scourge, 6 ; the Vulture, 6 ; the Mohawk, 4; the
Firefly, 4; the Quail, gunboat, and the Redpole, 1.
The masts of the sailing sloop Arachne, 18, Com,
manderMongomerie, at Devonport, have been taken
out, and she is now at the Dockyard jetty. Her
crew will be paid off to-day, and she will be placed
in ordinary; the internal fittings will not be removed.
Greenheart timber having been used for several
years with advantage in private building establish.
ments, the Lords of the Admiralty some short time
since determined to test its qualities in the naval
dockyards, and, in consequence of its extreme dura-
bility, length, and size, they have now entered into
a contract with Mr. Joseph Scales, of Plymouth,
for the supply of 3,500 loads, the produce only of
the British colony of Guiana, shipped from the
rivers Essequibo and Demerara. The bark Success,
Capt. Thorpe, is now discharging at Devonport the
first cargo under the new contract.
A letter, dated Calcutta, Feb.ls, has been received
at Plymouth from a young officer on board the Lady
Ann, Capt. Sinclair, belonging to Mr. Dunbar of
London. It states that that ship, after a passage
of six weeks from Adelaide, had discharged, with
one exception, safe and healthy, a cargo of horses
on Government account, and was continued in that
employ for the conveyance of 60 horses and 100
Sikhs to Hong Kong, where the troops are to be
mustered. The Minden and Hougoumont, also be-
longing to Mr. Dunbar, are chartered for the same
purpose. A superior, military commander was about
to leave for China in a small double-funnelled screw
steamer, brig rigged. Mr. Green's Agamemnon
was dropping down the river with a full cargo for
London.

The Supply, iron screw storeship, Master-Com-
mander Balliston, arrived at Spithead yesterday
morning from Malta and Gibraltar.
The Howe, ship of the line, launched on the 7th
inst. at Pembroke Dockyard, is in the hinds of the
seamen riggers, who are actively employed in fit-
ting np jury-rigging, preparatory to navigating her
round to Plymouth, where she will receive her
engines, of 1,000-horse power, from the hands of
Penn and Sons, of Greenwich. The Howe will not
be ready for a fortnight, when she will leave under
the charge of Mr. Paul, the Assist.-Master-Attend-
ant of Plymouth, who has 160 seamen landed from
the Sanspareil, 70 guns. The Howe is a very hand-
some ship, built from the designs of Sir Baldwin
Walker, K.C.8., and laid down during the Crimean
war, when she was put in frame by superannuated
shipwrights temporarily called in. She was then
intended as a Bailin vessel, but while in frame was
lengthened and otherwise altered to receive the
screw ; since then she has been pushed forward
with all despatch, the workmen being frequently
employed until 10 o'clock at night upon her. She
is now the largest vessel in the British Navy, and
is larger by 100 tons•than the Victoria, sister ship,
recently launched at Portsmouth. The following
is her armament :—Lower deck, 32 guns, 8-inch,
65 cwt., 9 feet ; middle deck, 30 guns, 8-inch,
65 cwt., 9 feet; main deck, 32 guns, 32-pounders,
58 cwt., 9 feet 6 inches ; quarter deck and fore-
castle, 26 guns, 32-pounders, 42 ewt., 8 feet ; pivot
gun, 68-pounder, 95 cwt., 10 feet. The figure-head
is a three-quarter length figure of Admiral Lord
Howe, in the old naval uniform, standing about 15
feet in height.
The following vessels are now in the steam basin
at Portsmouth, receiving their machinery; Vic-
toria, 1
101, screw;2l,screw;r
Nineclgeoonf, Wales,9 screw;l3l irascinorewr!
Duncan,

:alite, 51, screw; Sutlej, 51, screw; and Rinaldo,

17, screw.
A letter received at Plymouth from as officer
belonging to the Donegal states that she, with
the Royal Albert, the Aboukir, and another, was
appointed to leave Lisbon on the 26th inst. to take
a short cruise, and to arrive at Plymouth about the
sth of April.

In consequence of the reduction in the estimates
voted for the forthcoming year a large number of
the hired artificers and labourers not forming the

permanent establishment of Woolwich Dockyard,
are ordered to be discharged, at the rate of 35 per
week. The permanent establishment, exclusive of
the factory department in the dockyard, consists of
a total of 1,322 men of all classes, and the hired
establitslmvut 950, consisting of shipwrights,
caulkers, millwrights, painters, :sawyers, smiths,
plumbers, labourers, $O., 450 of which are ordered
be discharged. Notwithstanding the reduction,

The following naval cadets passed out from her
Majesty's ship Britannia on the 23d instant for
sea-going ships :—Mr. W. H. Roberts, presented
with a Colt's revolver (first place in mathema-
tics, navigation, and seamanship combined), also
with a telescope (first in seamanship) ; Mr. G.
A. Grey, presented with -A telescope (youngest
cadet passed with first class) ; Messrs. C. A. Nichol-
son, D. Brown, L. L. Bevan, R. B. Evans, J. N.
Mercer, T. G. Powell, E. F. Smith, H. H. Gillum,
R. R. Jaffray, R. Foster, G. C. Young, J. Brown,
K. Garnier, F. R. Kemp, J. E. Sullivan, C. G.
Hunt, G. H. Verner, C. E. Napier, A. Hutchinson,
T. G. Musters, It. F. Meade, F. G. Dundas, J. W.
Jenkins, H. S. Chowne, 0. B. Niven, J. H. Hodg-
son, G. R. Bromley, W. F. Snowden, E. G. Law,
A. W. Brabazon, T. D. Maycock, H. R. Welby, J.
R. Napier, S. A. Johnson, M. H. Smith, J. L.
Smith, F. G. M'Clintock, A. H. Boldero, H. J.
Pugh, H. W. Nowell, F. W. Praed, P. H. Gedge,
J. J. Campbell, J. King, R. F. Castle, G. Stopford,
G. C. St. John, S. J. Wild, H. Smith, A. R. Boa-
dam, W. E. Heathcote, E. J. Calcraft, M. C.
Osborn.