The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-06 00:00:00

2.HE NAVY.

The Duke of Somerset, as First Lord of the Ad,
miralty, held a levee yesterday at the Admiralty, at
which the following officers were present :—Admi-
ral L Ayscough, Rear-Admiral Studded, Rear•
Admiral Scott; Capts. D. Robertson, C. C. Forsyth,
G. Giffard, W. Woodley, W. H. Haswell, R. J. Ot•
way, G. A. Seymour, T. F. Birch, W. H. Kitchen,
and C. G. E. Patey ; Commanders E. H. Howard,
W. M. J. G. Pasco, J. Sanders, F. H. Smith, M.
R. Pechell, William C. Chapman, and 'l'. H.
M. Martin ; Lieuts. W. Symon, J. B. Scott, and W.
Serymgour ; and Deputy Inspector-General ofHos-
pitals M'Cormick.
Rear-Admiral Sir B. W. Walker, Bart., K.C.8.,
Controller-General of the Navy, yesterday visited
Woolwich dockyard, and, accompanied by the
Commodore Superintendent and the heads of de-
partments, inspected the new screw steam schooner
Ranger, completed for service and about to be
commissioned for the west coast of Africa.
The Vulture, 6, paddle, Capt. G. Parker, was paid
off yesterday, at Portsmouth. The Pigmy steamer
sailed at 4 p.m., with that port ion of the Vulture's
crew belonging to Devonport, for that port.
The Victoria, 121, screw, has been placed in No.
7 dock at Portsmouth. The paddle-yacht Osborne
has been undocked from No. 8 dock.
The Octavia, 50, sailing frigate, has been placed
in No. 9 deck at Portsmouth, for lengthening and
conversion to a screw.
The crews of that portion of the Channel Fleet
anchored at Spithead had leave granted them ashore
in parts of watches, yesterday evening until 7 a.m.
to-morrow. The whole of the vessels have suffered
more or less, both in their hulls and machinery,
from the effects of the late gales during their pas-
sage to and from Lisbon. Of the five ships at Spit-
head, the Edgar has proved the most efficient of the
whole, as well as much the easiest craft in a seaway.
Next to her ranks the Mersey, the Mars taking
next place, with the Algiers and Queen last. The
two last named vessels rolled very heavily; the
Queen to such an extent as to unship the shot from
their racks on the main deck, and send them flying
about, injuring 15 of her crew before they were
stowed down in her after-hold. She has a heavy
sick-list besides. Her funnel casing is torn, waste
steam-pipe carried away, and her machinery re-
quires a thorough overhaul—the effects of her roll-
ing and working. She made a good deal of water,
as may be supposed, during the worst part of the
last gale. The Algiers also, made water during the
gale, and her stern is supposed to be defective.
The Mersey's steam-pipe is defective, from its great
length exposed to the working of the ship ; but,
most important of all, her condensers are
cracked. They will all require considerable
repairs before they can again proceed to sea. All
the officers of the squadron agree in awarding the
superiority on every point at sea—speed under
eanvass, and easy motion in heavy seas especially--
to ships of the Edgar and Donegal class, over those
of the Algiers and Queen's.

The Bacchante, 51, screw, is expected to hoist
the pendant about the 12th inst. She is to have
two of Armstrong's guns included in her armament,
Commander Jo iling, of her Majesty's ship Queen,
has had the honour to become her future commander.

The screw st..frigate Diadem, 32, Capt. H. Cock-
burn, left Plymouth Sound on Wednesday under
canvass for the westward with sealed orders. She
was detained a short time to receive her new com-
mander.

Her Majesty's new steam gun vessel Landrail wa■
yesterday hauled into the fitting basin at Woolwich,
preparatory to being docked and got ready for sea.
The Royal yacht Victoria and Albert arrived at
Portland a little before noon on Wednesday, from
Portsmouth, having accomplished the distance in
three hours. After a few hours' detention she pro-
ceeded on her cruise to the westward.

The screw steamship Conqueror, 101, Captain
Sotheby, C. 8., was placed in Keyham Basin on
Wednesday, and subsequently taken into No. 3
dock, to have her leaks stopped.
The paddle-wheel steam vessel Bann, Master
James S. Wells, employed on the coast of Cornwall,
arrived at Plymouth on Wednesday, and went into
B arn pool.

The Powerful, 84, line-of-battle sailing ship, has
been docked at Chatham, where she will be length-
ened and converted into a screw steamer.

The Arethusa, 50, sailing frigate, has been
brought up to Chatham dockyard, preparatory to
being taken into dock to undergo the necessary
alterations to adapt her for a 51-gun screw frigate.
The Torch, 5, screw gun-vessel, having been com-
pleted at Chatham dockyard, has been undocked,
and is preparing for her trial trip to test her machi-
nery, after which she will join the steam reserve.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Commander A. H. Hoskins, to
the Wrangler, commissioned ; Peter Wood, chief
engineer, to the Asia, for charge of machinery of the
Sutlej ; Edward J. Burnley, chief engineer, to the
Cornwallis; Thomas L. Walker, chief engineer, to
the Asia, for charge of the machinery of the Fre-
derick William ; and Charles Wright, chief en-
gineer, to the Fisgard, for charge of the machinery
of the Devastation.