The Sun.
London, England, 1860-04-03 00:00:00

:1 _ti •B IV AI/l' .

At St. Helena, on the 10th of February, a brigan-
tine, name unknown, arrived in charge of Mr.
Hamilton, midshipman, of the screw steam corvette
Archer, 13, Capt. Richard W. Courtenay. She was
seized off Lungo Bonda, January 30, when her crew
were so reduced by fever that they asked to be re-
moved to the Archer for medical treatment. On
the 13th a bark captured by the paddlewheel
steamvessel Triton, 3, Lieut.-Commander Robert H.
Burton, was condemned by the judge as a prize.
When captured she had 453 male and 141 female
negroes on board. When condemned there were
398 men and 114 women ; all the others died in the
interim.

The Siren, 16, sailing sloop, Commander G. M.
Balfour, arrived at Spithead yesterday, shortly
after noon, from Pernambuco, which port she left
on the Ist of March. She brings home two naval
engineers from her Majesty's ships Buzzard and
Oberon, who have been tried by court-martial on
the station, and a few naval invalids. Mr. Graves,
late senior lieutenant of the Siren, has also some
home a prisoner on board her. The Siren has been
in commission four years and eight months on the
Bth inst. ; and during that time has been com-
manded successively by four different officeri—
Commander Otway, by whom she was commis-
sioned; Acting Commander Buckle; Commander
Selwyn, and her present commander, G. M. Balfour.
The funeral of the late Commander James Hunt,
of her Majesty's troop steamer Megmra, took place
yesterday in the burialground attached to the Royal
Navy Hospital at Haslar. During the time the
ceremony was taking place the men of-war in
Portsmouth harbour lowered their ensigns to
" half staff."

Mr. Grant, late paymaster of her Majesty's ship
Britannia, will be attached to the suite of his
Royal Highness the Prince of Wales during the
forthcoming visit of his Royal Highness to Canada.
Rear-Admiral lion. F. T. Pelham, one of the
Lords of the Admiralty, visited the dockyard at
Portsmouth yesterday.

About 150 men from the flagship Impregnable,
in Hamoaze, and an officer and 40 men belonging to
the screw steamship Conqueror, 101, Capt. Sotheby,
C. 8., Plymouth, were sent on Sunday to assist the
hired Government transport Havering, stranded on
Batten Ridge. The paddlewheel steamtug Con-
fiance and a lighter with an anchor were also in
attendance. Ha- yards and topmasts have been
sent down. When the Havering parted her chains
her topgallantmasts were across ; this is usual on
board merchant ships in the Sound, although at
the same time everything is made snug on board
ships of war, and possibly steam is up to meet ap•
parent contingencies. The difference in the coin-
parative strength of the crews may account for the
fact, but there is no doubt that less injury would
arise to merchant shipping if more precaution in
this respect could be observed.
The Vulture, 6, paddle, Capt. G. Parker, is
stripping at the middle harbour buoy in Ports-
mouth harbour, and returning stores, &c., in readi-
ness for•paying off.

In the steam basin at Portsmouth the Victoria,
121, screw three-decker, is complete in her engineer
department, and will get up steam in about six .or
eight days. The Prince of Wales, 131, screw three-
decker, has her boilers and screw-shafting in. The
Durican, 101, screw two-decker, has her engines and
boilers in, and is having her coal bunkers built up.
The Immortalite, 51, screw frigate, has also her en-
gines and boilers on board, and has only to add her
coal bunkers before getting up steam, which she is
expected to do in about three weeks' time. The Sutlej,
51, screw, has her boilers and screw-shafting in, and
hands are employed completing the beds for the re-
ception of her engines. The Nelson, 91, screw two-
decker, has all her machinery on board, and is ex-
pected to be ready for her screw trial about the 17th
inst. The Rinaldo, 17, screw corvette, has her screw
shafting in and screw shipped, and will commence
taking on board her boilers and machinery in a few
days.
The Ariadne, 26, screw, Capt. E. W. Vansittart,
is awaiting orders at Spithead. On her recent
cruise to the westward under canvass she experi-
enced very strong westerly and north-westerly
breezes, reducing the canvass to close-reefed topsails
and reefed courses. The ship behaved remarkably
well throughout the cruise ; was always under per-
fect command of her helm, tacked beautifully in
heavy cross seas, was very easy, and gave every
promise of being fast under her canvass. Three-
fourths of the Ariadne's crew are for the first time
serving on board a man-of-war.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :----Commander S. H. Henderson,
to the Megsera ; Charles R. Forrest, mate, to the
Donegal ; W. B. Walpole, naval cadet, to the Con-
queror; Samuel llarrison, promoted to the rank of
second-class assist.-engineer in the London ; Wm.
Smith, promoted to the rank of second-class assist.-
engineer in the Grappler ; Allen Aitkin, promoted
to the rank of second-class assist.-engineer, to the
Melpomene; Wm. Inglis (a), promoted to the rank
of second-class assist.-engineer in the Hydra; Jas.
Jessop, promoted to the rank of second-class assist.-
engineer in the Magicienne ; .Hervey Benbow, pro-
moted to the rank of acting second-class assist.-
engineer in the Intrepid ; Wm. Henry Croxall, pro-
moted and. appointed second-class assist.-engineer,
to the Asia, for charge of machinery of the Philo -
mel ; Thomas Willmott, acting third-class assist.-
engineer, to the Fisgard, for ker vice in the Widgeon.