The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-03 00:00:00

THE NAVE

Commodore John Shepherd, Superintendent of
Woolwich Docks, yesterday received his official
notice of promotion as Rear-Admiral of the Blue,
consequent on the death of Admiral Lord Lyons,
and is expected to be succeeded at Woolwich by
Captain the Hon. J. R. Drummond, C. 8., Aide-de-
Camp to the Queen.
On Tuesday last the Locust steamvessel, Lieut.
Commander Field, proceeded to Southend, and
brought over Capt. Forbes's company of Royal Ar-
tillery, for garrison duty at Sheerness. In returning
from this service, and when off the Garrison-point,
they observed a boat capsise, but notwithstanding
every attempt to be the first boat to render assist-
ance, Capt. H. Harvey, Flag Captain of the Wa-
terloo (whose six-oared gig was returning from in-
specting the brig Childers, Commander W. S win-
burn), succeeded in rescuing the capsised boat,
when it was found that four Artillery officers were
struggling in the water. Captain Harvey picked
them all up and delivered them safely over to the
Artillery boat's crew, who it appears were watch-
ing the little yacht managed by landsmen.
The Right Hon. Sir John Pakington, the First
Lord of the Admiralty, accompanied by Admirals
Martin, Sir Richard Dundas, and Milne, paid an
official visit to Woolwich Dockyard yesterday.
The sea 'defences at Sheerness, which include five
bastions, to enclose and protect the dockyard, bar-
racks, and stores, are undergoing extensive altera-
tions and improvements, and although scarcely two
months have passed since their commencement
rapid progress has been made. In the centre bas-
tion there are already built four extensive maga-
zines and two large buildings, with walls of im-
mense thickness, so placed as to act as traverses
to cover the men and guns from the fire of an
enemy. Twenty-one guns of large calibre are to
take the place of smaller guns removed. The other
bastions are in a forward state also. Within the
last fortnight buildings, earthworks, and walls have
grown up with much rapidity.
Several incorrect statements having recently ap-
peared relative to the alleged loss of her Majesty's
ship Sappho, 12, Commander Fairfax Moresby, the
Lords of the Admiralty, in order to allay the fears
of the relatives and friends of the officers and men
in that vessel, have directed Captain G. Goldsmith,
C. 8., the Superintendent of Chatham Dockyard, to
investigate the accuracy or otherwise of statements
which have been made public, and which have
caused a great deal of uneasiness. The Sappho was
commissioned in January, 1856, and immediately
proceeded to the coast of Africa, where, after re-
maining for a short time, she was sent to join the
squadron at the Cape of Good Hope. In the month
of January, in the present year, she was directed to
proceed from the Cape of Good Hope to the Aus-
tralian station, and, in obedience to orders, imme-
diately sailed for that destination, since which
nothing whatever has been heard of her. From
inquiries made at Chatham it has been ascertained
that a letter has been stated to have been received
by a person at Stonehouse, to the alleged effect
that the Sappho had been wrecked "on an
island at some distance from the coast of Aus-
tralia," that a portion of the crew were lost,
and that others had died on the island. The
Lords of the Admiralty have caused the most search-
ing inquiries to be instituted relative to the
alleged statements contained in this letter, but
without any satisfactory result. The name of the
person at Stonehouse who is stated to have re-
ceived the information has not been obtained, and
from the fact that no name is given to the island
on which the Sappho is alleged to have been
-wrecked, and that no confirmatory evidence has
been received by any other persons, the Admiralty
have written to say that they place no faith what-
ever in the existence of any such letter as that
which is alleged to have been received. Captain
Goldsmith has also written to the Secretary of the
Admiralty, expressing his opinion that no reliance
is to be placed on the statements which have been
made public relative to the supposed wreck of the
Sappho. It is, however, of no use disguising the
fact that from the circumstance of the Sappho not
having been heard of since January last very grave
doubts are entertained as to the safety of that ship.
The following were the officers who sailed from the'
Cape of Good Hope in the Sappho—viz., Com-
mander F. Moresby ; Lieutenant F. P. Staples ;
master, Mr. F. Wills ; surgeon, Mr. Wm. Evans •
and paymaster, Mr. T. J. Ley.
The Childers, 12, Commander W. Swinburn, has
arrived in harbour at Chatham, and is now lashed
alongside the Hussar receiving hulk. The crew
have commenced stripping her, removing her fit- ,
tings, and returning her stores into the dockyard
previously to the vessel being paid off into the ordi-
nary. The Childers has been in commission nearly
four years.

• The Cressy, Captain E. P. Halsted, will be put
out of Ne. 1 dry dock at Sheerness on Monday, her
leak having been discovered. Her officers and crew
are transferred to the dockyard barracks.
Her Majesty's steam troopship Himalaya, Cora.
J. Seccombe, steamed from Spithead into Ports-
mouth harbour yesterday, and lashed alongside the
dockyard jetty to land the invalids and troops she
brought from the Mediterranean, as reported yes-
terday. The men (military) all landed in admirable
order under the . inspection of Col. Conolly, Assist-
ant-Quartermaster-General of the south-west dis-
trict, and marched into temporary quarters at Cam-
bridge barracks. The women and children (350) of
the 28th and 48th Regiments will land to-day, and
be sent to their respective homes.
Her Majesty's steam despatch gun vessel Pioneer
6, was taken into the old basin from the south jetty
at Portsmouth dockyard yesterday to await her
commission.

Her Majesty's steam yacht Fairy, Mr. D. N.
Welch, master, R.N., in charge, was undocked yes-
terday at Portsmouth, and is ready for the embar-
kation of the Queen and Court on 'Monday next.
The Government steam mud-dredger, employed
in clearing a space for moorings near the beach at
Portsmouth, burst one of her boilers yesterday, and
seriously injured several of the men at work in her
one of whom was so badly hurt as to necessitate
his immediate removal to the hospital; at the same
time it is reported that the leading man or master
is missing. An accident occurred on the night pre-
vious to a rigger in the dockyard, named Burnett,
who fell into one of the docks and sustained severe
injuries.
The Fiery Cross freight-ship, Capt. Duncan, from
the Thames for Hong Kong and Canton, and the
Suffolk, Capt. Martin, from Port-Phillip, put in at
St. Helen's Roads, Spithead, windbound, on Wed-
nesday (wind in the Channel, W.N.W., strong
breezes and heavy cross seal).
Her Majesty's iron screw steam storeship Supply,
late from the Mediterranean, was yesterday hauled
into basin at Woolwich, and commenced discharg-
ing her cargo, consisting of 100 tons of marble an-
tiquities from Boudroun-bay, and naval stores from
Malta and Gibraltar. In addition she has brought
50 tons of relics from the ruins of Carthage. The
most interesting portion of the relics from Boudroun
is probably a wheel of the chariot and four horses
said to have adorned the pyramid erected by Arte-
misia over the monument of Mausolus, in the capi-
tal city of Halicarnassus, one of the horses of which
was brought home in the Gorgon. The Supply, in
being towed into harbour by the Bustler, expe-
rienced considerable damage to her bulwarks from
a head wind having caught her stern,and suddenly
shifted her on to the side of the wharf. Several.
hawsers were broken, as well as her iron channels
and chain plates; and the Bustler has lost her
figurehead and bowsprit, &c.
Mr. W. H. Leeck has been appointed midship-
Man to the Liffey.