The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-10 00:00:00

TEE NAVY.

Vice-Admiral Fanshawe Martin will arrive at
Portsmouth on Saturday, and hoist his flag (blue)
at the fore in the Melpomene, 51, screw, at Spit-
head, Captain J. F. Ewart, and will sail on the
same day for the Mediterranean, to succeed Vice-
Admiral Arthur Fanshawe, C. 8., as commander-in-
chief.

The line-of-battle sailing ship Powerful, 84, was
put out of dock at Chatham on Tuesday afternoon,
her timbers having been found to be so very rot-
ten, and the vessel altogether so unserviceable, that
it was not considered expedient to have her con-
verted into a screw steamship.
The
.shipwrights have commenced preparations
at Chatham for docking the line•of-battle ship
Bombay, 84, in the fourth dock, vacated by the
Powerful, 84, in order that she may be converted
into a screw-steamer. The Bombay, which is now
at Dcvonport, is to be sent to Chatham for that pur-
pose.

The Plover, 5, screw gunvessel, which is being
fitted at Chatham for the first-class steam reserve,
has proceeded., on a trial trip as far as the Mouse,
for the purpose of testing her machinery. During
the run the engines were found to work smoothly,
with little vibration, the vessel making 10,1 knots
against a strong wind. After the trial the Plover
returned to Chatham to complete fitting. The
Plover is sister ship to the Torch, also fitting at
Chatham for the steam reserve.

Her Majesty's paddlewheel steamvessel Medusa,
4, Commander Wm. Bowden, in commission since
the 18th March, 1857, on the West Coast of Africa,
yesterday arrived at Woolwich to be stripped and
paid off. Immediately after her arrival Mr. Taplin,
assistant-inspector of machinery, went on board, and
the Medusa again steamed down the river on a trial
of her engines. On her return to her moorings off
the dockyard Commander Hawker, in the absence
of Commodore the Hon. James Drummond, super-
intendent of the yard, mustered and inspected the
crew. The Medusa is to be paid off on Thursday,
the 17th inst. The Pluto, also fromthe same station,
having returned stores at Woolwich, will be paid
off on Saturday next.
The screw steam gunvessel Cormorant, late from
the East Indies and China, yesterday went down to
Chatham from Woolwich, in command of Mr. Hall,
to be laid up in reserve.
The paddle-wheel steam-sloop Virago, 6, Com-
mander Montagu B. Dunn, left Plymouth yester-
day (Wednesday), having in tow the Bombay, 84,
in charge of Commander Paul, for Chatham dock-
yard, where she will be altered into a screw steam-
ship.

The paddle-wheel steam troop-ship Dee, 4, Mas-
ter-Commander Thomas C. Pullen, left Plymouth
on Tuesday afternoon for Portsmouth. Vice-Ad•-
miral Sir Houston Stewart, K.C.8., Lady Stewart,
and family, took passage in her.
The hired screw steamvessel Prompt, having
shipped a cargo of mixed stores in the Victoria Docks
yesterday, went alongside Woolwich Pier, and, hav-
ing embarked a steam boiler and other gear for
Malta Dockyard, sailed for her destination.
The sailing ship Inkerman, in the service of the
military store department of. Woolwich, yesterday
landed, together with other stores from Edinburgh,
three ancient pieces of cast iron ordnance, which
have been removed to give place to guns of a
more modern and serviceable description. The
three pieces referred to are short carronades,
weighing about two tons each, being respectively
a 68, 100, and 132-pounder, as stamped on
each piece. The 68-pounder simply bears the
name " Andrew Fraser, Esq.," from the Carron
factory, in Latin, while the 100-pounder bears on
the vent-piece the following :—" Seu socius, sen
hostis ;" and the 132 pounder the following inscrip-
tima,—" Navigans oceano imperare, diffingor. Car-
ron, 1781."

Capt. Twining has during the last few days in-
spected the entrance to the harbour of King's
Lynn, with a view to the erection of a fort for the
protection of the port.
The following appointments were mace yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Andrew J. Ken-
nedy, to the Excellent ; Lieut. Charles Lyon, to
the Diadem ; Lieut. Edward P. Morgan, to the
Perseverance ; Jonathan Gee, promoted to the rank
a Ist class assistant-engineer in the Fisgard, as
supernumerary ; and Alfred G. Roberts, assistant-
clerk, to the Mersey.