The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-05 00:00:00

LP Rica 4D. STAMPED 5D

l Russia, and stationed off Blockhouse Fort in Porte_
mouth harbour, where she was ultimately employed
. as a temporary barrack for the British Foreign
Legions, &c., but some time since removed up to
I the ordinary out of the way,
is again in requisition,
orders having been issued to fit her up for a float-
ing barrack in case she may be needed for berthing
invalids from India and China. It is also ordered
that the Milldam Barracks at Portsea, at present
' tenanted by the Royal Engineer companies guar-
' tered at Portsmouth, be converted is a hospital for
invalids from the same places.
The men-of-war fitting out at Portsmouth have
entered hardly any hands for the last few weeks ;
at all events, they have not averaged 10 men each.
The Marlborough, 131, Vice-Admiral ,Fan-
shawe's flag-ship, for the Mediterranean, did not
muster on Saturday more than about 573 of all
hands—seamen, marines, and boys—out of 1,100,
while the Renown, which will in a few days have
been five months in commission, has only about
760 out of 840. The Curacoa, Diadem, and Racoon,
22 and 21 gun corve tea, are about complete ; the
Diadem wants, perhaps a score. The men who
have entered for these ships lately have been volun-
teers from others, not new men front the shore.
The ship Indiana, • Captain E'son, arrived at
Portsmouth yesterday from Moulmein, with a
cargo of timber for her M•Ljesty's dockyard.
The Dragon, 6, steamer, has been docked at
Chatham for thecxgrp,use of h!eitilapapaired., - -
- Plie'Aict an'aireTubk freight -MIA are ordered
to have defects made good at Chatham.
A telegraphic order from the Admiralty arrived
at Sheerness en Thursday evening last to get the
Benbow line of battle ship prepared with all pos-
sible speed to receive invalids fr m China and India.
A number of artificers have been employed, com-
mencing on the morning of Good Friday last, for
that purpose, and the African steam-tug' has also
been employed, conveying stores, provisions, itc.,
on board. The Benbow is at present moored near
Standgate Creek. A number of the invalids are, it
is reported, suffering from a contagious disease,
and every precaution is being taken by the port
authorities to prevent it spreading.
The Cressy, 80 guns, screw steam guardship of
ordinary at Sheerness, Captain E. P. Halsted, re•
mains all ataut in No.. dry dock at Sheerness.
The Lwisa gunboat, tender to the Edinburgh,
and the Ruby gunboat, tender to the Cornwallis,
have completed their fitment at Sheerness, and
were put out of No. 1 dry dock on Saturday last.
T-
;e Fly and the Carnation steam gunboats have
be-n taken into No. 1 dry dock at Sheerness, to
be fitted for the Ist division of the steam reserve.

The Majestic, 80 guns, sorew steamship, and the
Meanee, 80 guns, screw steamship, are both being
br.mght forward for commission inthe fitting basin
at Sheerness.

The Terrible, 21 guns, paddlewheel k team frigate,
has her ma .hinery completed, and is ordered to be
ready by the latter end of the prest•nt month.
The Magnet steam gunboat, tender to the Pem-
broke, is being fitted in No. 5 dry dock at Sheer-
ness. The Alacrity steam gunvessel is undergoing
repairs (making good damage r, c-ived while on
shore), in No. 4 dry dock, at Sheerness.
The Eiinburgh, 60 guns, screw steam guardship
of Coast-guard, Cipt. the Hon. Swynfeß Carnegie
at S'ieerness, is reported to be ready to leave that
place for Leith on the 10th inst.
The new screw steam corvette Clio, of 21 guns,
being built at Sheerness, will shortly be ready for
launching.
The new screw steam corvette Scout, 21 guns,
recently ordered to be prepared for the pendant, is
rigged all-ataut in the fitting basin at Sheerness.
An Admiralty order has arrived at Sheerness
yard for the pay of all tbe.estAblished riggers to be
permanently increased Bd. per day, to commence
on the Ist inst., and their superannuation in future
is to rate with ropemakers and sailmakera'—viz.,
from 201. to 241. per annum.

The following new war steamers are ordered to
be laid down at Ch4thani Dockyal as soon as those
vessels which are now on the stocks and nearly
completed are launched viz.—Bulwark, 91 ; Un-
daunted, 50; Orpheus, 22 ; Rattlesnake, 22 ; and
Reindeer, 16. In addition to the Hero, 91, the
Hood, 80, the Mersey, 40, and the Charybdis, 22,
will 4EI, *ached at Chatham during the present
summer.

Commander Victor G. Hickley has been pro-
moted to the rank of captain; Lieut. W. Swinburn,
Lieut. W. H. Whyte, and Lieut. Jawei Carter
Campbell have been promoted to the rank of
commander.

In our "Military and Naval Intelligence" of
Wednesday's date the sailing of 'he Abeona, with
draughts for our troops in the East, is reported as
"under the msdical charge of S aff Assistant-
Surge-'n Sla'ter." It should have been " Arthur
Salter," 61st Regi nent.

EXECUTION OF JOSEPH ,SHEPHERD,

AT YHRK.

Jo9eph Shepherd, the murderer of Bethel Pa!k-
inson' on Wadsworth Moor, near Halifax' under-
went the extreme penalty of the law on Saturday
at neon.

The culprit was visited on Friday night by the
Rev. J. Parkes. who arrived at the condemned
cell at 11 o'clock, and remained with the wretched
man until 5 o'clock on Saturday morning. Shep-
herd, if it be possible, was more hardened than over,
for when the rev. gentleman conversed with him
upon the concerns of his soul, and offered up prayer
in his 'behalf, he laughed aloud. Mr. Parkes re-
m,mstrated with the culprit, but all his efforts were
of no avail. He told the prisoner that he could not
expect happiness and rest in the next world if he
acted in that manner, upon which he remarked,
with a smile, " If there's no rest for me in the next
world, I might as well have as much rest here while
I stop," and then laid himself down on his bed.
Several times during the night he re-asserted his
innocence. He slept at intervals, and at four
o'clock he went into a sounder sleep than usual.
Mr. Noble, the governor, also visited the un-
hapyy man, and in the course of conversation he
told him that if he died in his present state, and
did not, repent cf his sins, he would surely go to
hell. The culprit answered, "Never, I shall be
all right in the snowy weather ; 1 shall be right
during one half-year, when the weather's cold."
The culprit also made a similar observation to Mr.
Green, the deputy-governor.
Shepherd was removed from the condemned cell
to a room on the opposite side of the Castle-yard,
and adjoining the scaffold, at about six o'clock iu
the morning. When the offic-rs were ready to con-
duct him, the culprit walked away quietly, his
nerves were unshaken, and he appeared determined
to meet his fate with perfect coolness, and to retain
his self-possession and fortitude to the last. On
coming through the office, in which there is a
clock, Shepherd looked at it, and observed the
li tle pointer at six, remarked, " When that gets
to toe top I shall be done for ; it will be all over
then." On dressing himself he was full of joke
and fun. When the officers of the prison were
conducting him across the castle yard he was in
high glee, and laughed as before. He looked at
Clifford's Tower, and said, " That's the old tower,
I suppose."
Since his trial the culprit had never been heard
to utter a word of prayer, and his conduct through-
out had been of the most callous character. When
he arrived in the apartment adjoining the scaffold,
he threatened that when he was on the drop, if he
had the chance, he would "knock Jack Ketch
over." The culprit, since his condemnation, had
expressed a wish that he could obtain arsenic and
poison himself, and had said that he deserved to
be hanged, although he did not murder Parkinson,
still maintaining his asseveration of innocence.
During the 25 years that Mr. Noble has been at
York Castle, he has known about 20 men suogear
I death on the scaffold, but in all his experieuecnalj,
never met with a m Ike Shepherd, so 1!3,1V
so callous, and so lost to alt sense of relig,
arrived
The Under-Sheriff (William Gra%E:iiril;l 12 he
at the Castle at a quarter to 12;n 0,4 scaffold,
Mr. Parkes
procession made its appearauc© ftev,
bY
,tis bold by Mr. Gre,n,
Shepherd being attended
and the gaol officials.
trereveseeutioner complete, t
the under-keeper, undtil
opested two or three times,
his arrangements, and me,,, after which the bolt
inerqt
the unhappy man was launched
" Lord, have
was withdrawv, ando
btru,gled very much for a short
into eternity.
no confession. The weather was
finee. 11°
1133C:teiining• brilliantly,
and there were
fin, the sun
froro
10,000 to 15,000
persons present, many of
whom were the country and from the neigh-
' boorhood of Halifax.

GREAT CONDESIENBION, IP TRUE.—On Sunday last,
the Emperor and Empres4 of the French were fak:og ac
airing, their carriage stopped at the door of a tm,ll wins
shop, near Suresne ; a k,ervant was sent to say that the
Emprese was hungry, a:1(i wanted a piec3 of b ead; a
iing loaf of dry bread was brought out to the carriage.
and after each of their MP.j.!stie,, had broken cff a t-rnal!
iti•e': a IlDpotecak vial given in payment.—Lecto. from
Paris.