The Sun.
London, England, 1860-02-27 00:00:00

211 E NAVY.

The Lords of the Admiralty, having had under
their consideration a general return of the rifle
practice of the Royal Marines, between the Ist of
January and the 31st of December, 1859, and the
position in order of merit that each division would
have occupied if classified with the army, have been
pleased to signify, in a general order, dated the 24th
inst., and addressed to the respective colonels-com-
mandant, " their great satisfaction at the profi-
ciency attained by the officers, non-commissioned
officers, and men in this important branch of their
duty, which affords a proof of the zeal and attention
paid in carrying out the system of musketry in-
struction at the several head-quarters."
The Dee, paddlestore-vessel, Master Commander
Pullen, sailed from Portsmouth on Saturday, after
discharging in the steam basin boilers and machi-
nery for ships at that port.
The Flying Fish, screw despatch vessel, Com-
mander Charles W. Hope, will steam out of Ports-
mouth Harbour this morning to Spithead, where
she will take in her powder and shell preparatory
to further service.

The Castor, 36, sailing frigate, one of the vessels
selected by the Admiralty to be fitted as a training
ship for the Naval Coast Volunteers, is to be
commenced to-day at Chatham, directions having
been given that she shall be completed with
all despatch. She is to be supplied with the follow-
ing armament, which will he disposed on her main
deck, viz.:--18 32-pounders, each of 56 cwt., and
9 feet 6 inches long. As soon as the Caster has been
fitted for the service for which she is intended, she
will be navigated round to the Thames, and be sta.
tioned off Greenhithe. A notice has been posted at
the dockyard that seamen and marine pensioners
are required for service on board.
The gunboats Pigeon and Linnet, which are to
be fitted at Chatham Dockyard as soon as they are
finished, are to be furnished with the following
armament each—viz., one 68-pounder, of 95 cwt.,
and 10 feet in length; one 32-pounder, of 56 cwt.,
and 9 feet 6 inches long; and two 24-pounder
howitzers.

The Channel squadron, consisting of eight ships
under all sail, was observed from Plymouth Citadel
at 3 p.m. on Friday, standing down Channel with a
moderate breeze from the south, and steering for
Lisbon.

The screw steamship Conqueror, 101, Captain
Sotheby, shipped her moorings in Hamoaze on
Friday, and went outside the breakwater to try her
machinery. On returning to Plymouth Sound she
saluted the flag of Port Admiral Sir Barrington
Reynolds, K.C.B.
The screw deal... Mr. Copt. Iva-
mot, C. 8., at Plymouth, was swung on Saturday
for the purpose of adjusting her compasses.
The screw steam frigate Diadem, 32, Capt. J. H.
Cockburn, put into Plymouth Sound on Friday,
having been run into by the screw steamship
Queen, 86, Capt. C. F. Hillyar, by which she
lost her bowsprit, figure-head, and part of her
cutwater ; the bowsprit is gone close home to the
gammoning. The collision took place four or five
miles south-east of Portland, on Thursday evening,
shortly after seven o'clock. All the ships in the
Channel Fleet were then tacking in succession.
Wind light, S.S.W. The Queen was on the lee
line, on the port tack, under all plain sails, except
royals, with a single reef in the topsails, steering
E.N.E. The Diadem was on the weather line,
starboard tack, under .single-reefed topsails, top-
gallant sails, foresails, spanker, and jib, steering
about N.W.I W., but on the approach of the ship
was put hard down and brought up in the wind.
It is stated that, according to ordinary rule, instead
of attempting to cross the frigate's bows she should
have gone under her stern. The Queen lost her
quarter-boat, but has gone on with the fleet to
Lisbon. On Saturday the Diadem went into Ha-
moaze to have defects made good at Devonport
Dockyard, where she will be detained more than a
fortnight.
The Nugget has been chartered by the Govern-
ment for the conveyance of the surveying expe-
dition of the Royal Engineers about to be de-
spatched from Chatham to New Zealand. The
detachment, on its arrival at New Zealand, will
relieve the 6th Company of the Royal Engineers,
which has been serving in that island 11 years,
the company having left England in April, 1949.
The paddlewheel steamvessel Firefly, under orders
to relieve the Tartarus in the Mediterranean, has
been removed from the fitting basin at Woolwich
and hauled into the river on completion of repairs.
The screw steamer Hero, 91, Commander Fred.
H. Stirling (Capt. G. H. Seymour being absent on
leave) has arrived at Spithead from Portland,
The screw steamship Aboukir, 93, Capt. Douglas
Curry, left Plymouth Sound under canvas, on
Thursday evening, probably for Lisbon.
The present chief of the Mediterranean Fleet,
Vice-Admiral Fanshawe, C. 8., will, according to a
report at Plymouth, succeed to the naval command
there on the retirement of Vice-Admiral Sir Bar-
rington Reynolds, K.C.8., whose term of service
expires on the 4th of May.
The following appointments have been
.made at
the Admiralty :—Charles H. Houghton, Chief En-
gineer to the Asia, for service in the Nelson ; Joseph
J. Greathead, Chief Engineer to the Cumberland
for service in the,
Waterloo; John Lanksbur ya,eionng.
firmed second-class assistant-engineer in the Cen-
turion ; John R. Harvey and Joseph Tapp, acting
third-class assistant-engineers, to the Wellington,
as supernumeraries. Commander W. J. Pollard, to
the Hawke, additional, for service in the Coast-
guard ' • Lieut. W. Strickland, to the Royal Albert;
Lieut. J. H. Coxon, to the Hero; Lieut. G.
Hale to the Greyhound ; Jesse Bridgeman, Henry
-con-
firmed to the rank of Chief Engineer ; George L.
Thomson, promoted to second-class assistant-engi-
neer, and appointed to the Styx ; Silas W. Parker,
paymaster additional to the Majestic.