The Sun.
London, England, 1856-10-25 00:00:00

Vaval and lYlilitary

The death of Vice-Admiral Charles James Johnston,
on the li-t of Flag-,;11.?,ers on reserved half-pay in receipt
of service pensions, was reported at Portsmouth ye-
terday, He was a Captain cf 1806, Rear-Admiral of
1841, and Vice-Admiral of 1850, and placed on the r'."'
served list 1854. The gallant deceased was Lieutenant
of the Ruby, 64, at the capture of the Cape in 1795 ;
Lieutenant of the Arrogant, 74, at the surrender of
Colombo, and the destruction of armed vessels in tho
Jaya Seas in 1796 ; Captain of the Cornwallis, 50, in
company with the Sceptre, 74, and attacked the French
frigate S6inillants and shipping in St. Paul's Bay, Isle
of Biurhon, in 1306 ; he commanded the Powerful, 74,
in the Wa,lcheren expedition. By his death the pension
of 1501. per annum is disposable by the First Lord of
the Admiralty.
A letter from the Tagus states that her Majesty's ship
Centurion, 80, Capt. Edward G. Fanshawe, which left
Plymouth on the 6th inst., experienced very heavy wea-
ther during the passage to Lisbon, and lost a boy from
the head. The ship behaved well. On one occasion,
when she was pitching heavily, the cutter's port davits
gave way in consequence of the bolts to which the fore-
guys were made fast having drawn. The eyes to which
the keel ships were broken, and the boat must have been
lost had she not been speedily secured by lashing, &c.
The day she arrived in the river the starboard davits
served them a similar trick. A man fell overboard, and
in lowering the cutter the fore end touched the water
first and dragged the davit; the bolt drew, the davit flew
aft, she capsized, and all hand fell into the sea, but were
able to swim. Lieut. Bullock, a marine, and a bandsman
jumped overboard immediately, and held the first man
who fell in, and assisted the others; all were rescued.
The Brunswick, 80, Capt. Broadhead, which left BY:
mouth late in Sept., had frightful weather. She pitched
her bowsprit clean under water, and lost both quarter-
boats. The Brunswick left Lisbon on the 11th inst. r,
Her Majesty's ship Hannibal, 91, screw, Capt. J.
D. Hay, bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Sir Souston
Stewart, K.C.8., arrived at Spithead yesterday after'
noon from the Mediterranean. At 5 o'clock, as she Was
standing into Spithead, she saluted the Commander-in"
Chief, which the Victory acknowledged. She will be
forthwith surveyed, with the view to further imraediate
service, as before stated.
A court-martial, comprising Commodore the 11°1,1'
Henry Keppel, C. 8., of her Majesty's ship
President ; Captains G. Eliott, of her Majesty's si,hiP,
St. Vincent ; the Hon. F. T. Pelham, C. 8., °f uef
Majesty's ship Blenheim ; G. H. Seymour, C. 130
her Majesty's ship Victory ; George Giffard, C. 130
Italeigur
of her Majesty's ship Priuceas Royal ; W. Peel, ,C 1,31,4
of her Majesty's ship Shannon ; R. Harris, 01
.Majesty's ship Illustrious ; C. Barker, of her
j.esty's ship Retribution ; H. Stewart, C. 8., of her A-1-14.
jesty's ship Dragon ; and Mr. W. J. Hellier, DePut/
; Judge Advocate of the Fleet, assembled yebterdai
[ morning, at 9 o'clock, on board her Majesty's ship 1r4,,;
, tory, in Portsmouth Harbour, to try Mr. Augur

they on the following charges :
" 1. For that he, the said Mr. Augustus Ovey, 1)1
in actual service and full pay of her Majesty's fleet, fr,
Paymaster of and belonging to her Majesty's ohiP Sur,
prise, did, on board the said ship, on or about the 21 0
day of Sept., 1856, falsely represent to Mr. Cbairtheo
Egerton Harcourt, then and now the commander of
en
said ship, that he, the said Augustus Ovey, Wag t'tie- •
entitled to draw, as such Paymaster, 3001. for 00-00
gencies, whereas he, as such Paymaster, was net their
entitled to draw so large an amount as 300/. for 00n
gencies, as he, the said Paymaster, at the time of In"
jog such statement as aforesaid well knew. gab
"2. For that he, the said 11
Paymaster, and when in such actual service 0P- {till
pay, as aforesaid, was on board the said ship, on ore bOl
the 13th day of Oct., 1856, deficient in the stun °f :t to
of the amount belonging to her Majesty, which nog
have been then in his possession. vibe°
"3. For that he, the said Mr. Augustus Ovey! and
such Paymaster, and when in such actual servi of
full pay as aforesaid, did, on or about the 13th a
tin
October, 1856, neglect his duty in not having e°°o
the muster-books of the said ship Surprise for the
oti
quarter, and the victualling and clothing ac ter of
of the said ship since he was appointed Payouts"—
her." of
The prisoner was assisted by Mr. J. liositin°%,o.
Gosport, solicitor. Evidence having been heard ingress
port of the charges, the prisoner put in a written aci
in reply, in wnich he disclaimed any intention to ealo,
the Government, stating that he was unaware of the
1400,
ficiency in the accounts until requested by the en it
der to produce them, and that he could only neclw.,bbo
to his having unintentionally drawn upon the Poo
money for his own use through having placed hie
then P 1.0.
money in the Government chest for safety. He qr
duced several certificates of his previous good charaolia
and service. The Court, after due deliberation, f 0 be
the charges proved, and sentenced the prisoner to
dismissed from her Majesty's service. Seat'
Seven of the despatch gunvessels (Ringdovet at
rowhawk, Cormorant, Flying Fish, &c.)--thre° be
Plymouth, and four at Portsmouth—are ordered to he
paid off until she has finished her present trials ;,_Bco
was taken into dock at Portsmouth yesterday to u.t'.A
her experimental false bow taken off. She has reallgv"
12. i knots under her beet trial. ej‘itio
Her Majesty's steamsloop Fury, 6, ConsmanderLe ,„1
with the Bustard gunboat, left Spithead on Thar
evening for the East Indies.
Her Majesty's ship Raleigh, 50, Commodore the in .
H. Keppel, C. 13., is complete in her rigging, and Will;
ready to leave the fitting basin at Portsmouth in a )"
days.
Her Majesty's ship Shannon, 51, Capt. W. Peel, C 75fc
15
is taking on board her provisions and stores. She 'i"
soon be ready to go to Spithead.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Inflexible, 6, Comma
J. Corbett, sailed from Plymouth on Thursday for
Cape of Good Hope and the East Indies. nm
The Meander, 44, Capt. T. Baillie, was towed f
Plymouth Sound into Hamoaze on Thursday ria,e
crew unbent sails the same day, preparatory to
being paid off. ,-,eih
The merchant ship City of Tanjore, Captain unD-11,11.
with sugars, hides, silks, indigo, &c., 120 days from -g-be
cutta, fa. London, was off Plymouth on ThursdaY. the
left St. Helena on the 19th September, and rePerfl
prevalence of very heavy weather in the latitude 49'.A-0
Cape of Good Hope, where four ships—the Sbetwo
Knowles, Sunny Soutb, Monsoon, and another--h.,%$
foundered ; crews saved. The Alexander Baring I'o
into St. Helena leaky, on the 25th of August, nni.(l,.-fr
on the 17th of September, with a double crew, 'l3' de
verpool. The Panola was discharging part of hruerrrio
and getting a new rudder. The American ship the
for London, was detained in consequence et
sickness of the master. The English ships •Pci:a
Ranger and Winterthur and the French bark AlieQ;p°t.
Raymond,
homeward bound, sailed about the 18th 'dot
The screw steamship Cleopatra, with troops, C 0
the island, and sailed for her destination, the
.1",.70
„„6$
Good Hope ; all well. The Tan'orespoke,o r,
of Sept., the John Bertram, from Calcutta for n
o„ ,
and off Cape Verd, the Marlborough from Locdent
18 days, for Calcutta, with assen era ier
The Daring, 12, sloop, Copmmangder. Gerard
(1852), was paid off at Chatham yesterday, after ti
been in commission for upwards of four years. pacer°
Yesterday a body of 210 non-commissioned
and men belonging to the Provisional Batts °OO
Chatham, with one field officer, two captainet.oor
lieutenants, and six ensigns, proceeded to the for ti„ of
tions near Prince Henry's bastion, for the purp°l-00
going through a rehearsal of the movement:,lb 04
operations to be performed on the occasion of the shiot'
night attack which is shortly to take place et die
hate, in which the corps of Royal Engineers an io•
troops of the line will take part. The troops w-
,.,
-tructed in their principal movements by Col. PL. Send'
ham.
Eighty non-commissioned officers and men Were
mre iv

terday placed under the direction oitheinstructer"tho
musketry at Chatham Garrison, to be instructed I°oo,
use of the rifles previously to joining the service
panies of their respective regiments. roid
The freight.ship Nautilus sailed yesterday tc,° 011'
from Woolwich, with powder and ball cartridge sj".
nition for Bermuda. talte°
The steam sloop Ardent was yesterday morniegivool•
iron
wich, of basin, and transferred to No. 3 dock, at "•roe
wich, for a continuation of repairs. Some of thetioit
mortar floats at Woolwich have been divested Of for
fittings and are being converted into lighter bargeftsob
the conveyance of steam machinery from Woo
factory to Sheerness and Chatham.
The following appointments were made yesterdef
the Admd
Bopiraltyo°°;
Alfre, assistant paymaster, to the liiusvri
Chas. Skills, clerk, to the Satellite.