The Sun.
London, England, 1858-08-30 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The screw steamer Mersey, 40, having been masted and
jury-rigged, proceeded from Chatham to Portsmouth on 1
Saturday afternoon, in charge of Mr. C. H. Dillon, master
of the Wellesley, 72. The Mersey was towed as far as Sheer-
ness by the Adder and Lizard eteamvessels.
The screw steam-frigate Valorous, 16, Capt. W. C. Ald-
ham, has had four new cabins built on her main deck. The
Valorous is under orders to proceed to the West Indies.
The paddlewheel steamvessel Porcupine, 3, Capt. Otter,
arrived at Plymouth on Friday feom the west coast of Scot-
land.
His Netherlands Majesty's screw steam-frigate Admiral
van Wassenaer, 45, Capt. De Vaynesvan Brakell, from the
Texel, arrived at Plymouth on Friday, to be docked and
have her propeller examined.
On Saturday the new screw steam corvette C1i0,22 guns,
was launched at Sheerness. Her dimensions are as follows :
—Length over all, 229 fr. lin.; ditto between perpendicu-
lars, 200 ft.; ditto of keel for tonnage, 171 ft. 10/in.; breadth
extreme, 40ft. 51in. ; ditto for tonnage, 40ft. lain. ;
ditto moulded, 39ft. sAin.; depth in hold, 22ft. Bin. ; burden
In tons, 1,471 59.94. The Clio was chris'ened by Mrs. Con-
stantine Read, daughter-in-law of the Master-Shipwright.
She is placed under the factory shears to put in immediately
all her heavy machinery. She is to be completed for the
pendant forthwith.
The Meeanee, 80, has been put out of the fitting basin
at Sheerness and placed to harbour moorings.
The Scylla, new screw steam corvette, has completed her
equipment at Sheerness and is at harbour moorings.
The new screw steamship Mars has been put out of No. 3
dry dock at Sheerness.
The Locust, steamvessel, Lieut. Commander John B.
Field, recently returned from Scotland, has been taken into
No. 1 dry dock at Sheerness to have defects repaired.
The whole of the fortifications on the sea defences at
Sheerness are to be reconstructed and provided with all the
appliances requisite for working guns of the heaviest calibre
(both for shot and shell), which will be mounted as soon as
the works are ready for receiving them. Tenders are to be
sent in to the director of contracts, War-office, Pall-mall,
on Wednesday, the Bth Sept. next.
The following appointments were made on Saturday, at
the Admiralty :—R. S. Kinahan and A. Markham, acting
mates, to the Royal Albert ; E. W. Shirley, H. M. Omma-
ney, J. D. D. Fremantle, F. A. Sergeant, and M. T. D. V.
Butler, midshipmen, to the Royal Albert ; A. G. M'Kech-
nie, naval cadet, to the Cesar; G. King and J. E. Erskine,
midshipmen, to the Caesar; and A. H. Kelly, assistant-
; surgeon, to the Argus.

THE EXTRAORDINARY ROBBERY OF PIANOFORTES.
—At the City Police-court, Manchester, on Friday, a re-
spectably dressed young man, named ohn Dooaer, was
charged with stealing a number of pianofortes, the property
of his employers, Messrs. Hime and Addison, music dealers,
St. Ann's-square. Sergeant Buckley, of the detective police,'
said he received information last Friday, from Mr. Hime,
that on going through his stock he had missed nine piano-
fortes. Inquiries were made for several days, and on
Wednesday night, at a beer-house in Cambridge-
street, Chorlton-upon-Medlock, a piano was found,
which Mr. Hime identified. Mr. Hime said that it
was only within the last fortnight that he had
suspected anything. He missed ten pianos and
a harmonium from his stock. The piano referred to by the
first witness had not been sold ; it was entered is his book,
by himself, as having been returned from hire on the 28th
of April last, and it had not been sent out on hire since.
The prisoner was a French polisher in witness's employ, and
spent the greater part of his time at the warehouse behind
the business premises in St. Ann's-square. The prisoner
and a man named Holt had the care of the keys of the
warehouse. In their dinner -hour the warehouse should
be locked up; but witness did not know what they did
with the keys. Holt had of late been very much out
with the van, and the prisoner had been left alone in
the warehouse. Mr. W. Hay, a warehouseman and beer-
house-keeper in Cambridge-street, who also tunes and
deals in pianos, said a rosewood piano was sent to him about
a month ago, by a Mr. Wright. Witness was to tune it,
and sell it on commission. Mr. Wright, of Cambridge-
street, said the prisoner and a man named Russell, another
French polisher, who is not yet in custod, brought the
y
piano in a van to his house, about three months age. Wit-
ness paid £l5 for it to Russell, in the prisoner's presence.
He did not know where the instrument came from. This
was the piano which Mr. Hime bad identified. Mr. May-
bury said all the pianos either had been or would be reco-
vered. The witness Wright had bought more than one, but
the police were only ready in the one case at present. The
prisoner WM therefore num* to Fridays