The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-04 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

Rear-Admiral Shepherd, late commodo re of her
Majesty's receiving ship Fisgard, at Woolwich,
yesterday hauled down his flag on receipt of the
official announcement of his promotion. Mr. V.
Williams, senior officer in succession, hoisted his
penant and took up the temporary conunand pend-
ing the arrival of the commodore's successor.
A circular letter was yesterday received from the
Secretary of the Admiralty by Rear-Admiral Shep-
herd, at Woolwich, for publicity throughout the
naval establishments, to the following effect :
" I am commanded by my Lords to inform you that offi-
cers and. others of 70 years of age and upwards, whose
names were forwarded to the Admiralty under the circular
order of Sept. let, are forthwith to be superannuated in
conformity with their Lordships' decision communicated
therein. In communicating these instructions my Lords
desire me to express their satisfaction in informing you that
on their Lordships' representation to the Queen in Council
of the disadvantages under which officers belonging to the
several naval establishments have hitherto laboured on re-
tirement from the service in consequence of age and infir-
mity (from the operation of the scale of fortieths in the cal-
culation of their retiring allowance, inrespect of time served
on salary of less than £2OO a year, and on day-pay as work-
men prier to being placed on salary), her Majesty has been
graciously pleased, by an order m Council of the Ist inst.,
to sanction the abolition after thatdate of the scale of for-
tieths, in all cases alike of officers retiring on salaries of
more or less than £2OO a year. In future, on the superannu-
ation of an officer on salary (including those now about to be
superannuated under the circular order above referred to),
retiring allowances will be calculated upon the scale of twelfths
under the Superannuation Act, for the whole period of an
officer's service, excepting only the time served as an ap-
prentice, whereby the office, both superior and inferior, be-
longing to her Majesty's dockyards, victualling-yards, and
other naval establishments, will henceforth be placed upon
an equality as regards the principle on which their pen-
alone will be calculated with the other civil servants of the
Crown.

" I am further to inform you that her Majesty has more-
over been pleased to direct, by the same order in Council,
that the time served by extra or temporary clerks at a daily
or weekly rate of pay, prior to their being placed upon the
establishment on salary, shall be allowed to reckon for
superannuation in the same manner as time or day pay is
allowed to count for service in the cases of officers of the
naval establishments referred to. " H. CORRY."
A court-martial was held on Thursday on board
the Impregnable, at Devonport, to try Lieut. C. 0.
B. Hall, of the screw steamship Russell, 60, on
charges, preferred by Capt. Storey, of unofficerlike
conduct in unnecessarily inflicting punishment upon
Quartermaster Lin dopp, and for neglecting to enter
the same in the defaulters' book and in the weekly
list of punishments furnished to the captain. Seve-
ral witnesses were called in support of the charge,
and Capt. Storey was called by the prisoner as to
his character. The prosecutor expressed his opi-
nion that the prisoner was " altogether deficient in
tact and temper in the management of ,men," but
considered him a hard-working officer who had
always kept the ship ready for inspection. The
Court found that the charge, as far as it related to
non-entry of the punishments, had been proved ;
and "admonished the prisoner to be more careful in
future."