The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-13 00:00:00

The Admiralty yacht Vivid, recently arrived at
Woolwich from a survey of the Scotch coast, was
yesterday docked at Woolwich for repairs.
The Cumberland, 70, Captain Henry D. Rogers,
CB. at Sheerness, is ordered to be paid off on
Wednesday next.
The Rhailamanthus steamer sailed from Ports-
mouth,for Wool wich.yesterday.
The Russian ships Gromoboi, 50, and Retzivan,
90, under the command of Admiral Ltomin, and
the frigate Polkane, are expected to leave Spithead
early this morning, the two former for Kiel and
the latter for Havre, and thence to Kiel.
The Cossack, 21 guns, screw steam corvette,
Captain Richard Moorman, at Sheerness, was in-
spected yesterday by the Commander-in-Chief,
Vice-Admiral E. Harvey. The crew were paid two
months' advance before leaving the ship. The Ad-
miral remarked on the very rapid progress made
in manning and fitting this ship, and upon the very
efficient state of the ship's company, though so
short a time entered. The boat-lowering apparatus,
the invention of Capt. Augustus F. Kynaston, R.N.,
C. 8., was also tested, and received the approbation
of the Commander-in-Chief. The time occupied
from the period when the cutter's crew of 12 men
and the coxswain were piped away to the time of
their manning the cutter and her being clear of
the ship was only two minutes. The Cossack will
proceed on a trial trip this day, after which ,she
will return to the Little Nore, and there await her
sailing orders.-
Mr. Ward's newly invented arrangement of flag-
signals, submitted for the approval of the Lords of
the Admiralty, was yesterday tested at Woolwich
on board the Commodore's flagship Fisgard. The
flags arc half a yard wide and three yards long, in
pendant fashion, and, according to the code of in-
structions for corresponding from ship to ship at
sea, the blue flag was run up to the maintop, as a
preparatory pendant, announcing the desire to
communicate, and is also hoisted between each word
so as to divide them into sentences. The coloured
flags appeared at the mizen and foretop masts,
forming the message, which was clearly distin-
guished and understood at the given distance. In
a dead calm, when the flags cannot float, a line is
run across from the mainmast head to the mizen-
mast head, or from one yardarm to another, so
that the flags may hang down and be visible, as in
a breeze. Commodore the Hon. J. R. Drummond,
for whose inspection the trials of the new flags and
also the oc Ain marine telegraph, by the same in-
ventor, have been performed at Woolwich, has
ordered the construction of full-sized instruments
of the last-named invention, which will shortly be
tested at Woolwich, preparatory to a trial at sea
and on the coast.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Capt. W. Edmonstone,
from the Dauntless to the Pearl, commissioned ;
Capt. J. Borlase, to the Dauntless, vice Capt. Ed-
monstone ; C. A. Ducket, surgeon (additional), to
the Algiers ; J. Hudson, assist.-surg. (additional),
to the Victory ; J. W. Dobbins, assist.-surg., to the
Arrogant ' • A. Turnbull, acting assist.-surg., to the
Topaze; A. E. Hutchinson, midshipman, to the Cos-
sack ; W. C. Shuckburgh and H. T. Skeffington,
midshipmen, to the Sidon; Clanchy, mid-
shipman, to the Donegal ; and the Hon. H. H.
Molyneux, midshipman, to the Imperieuse.
The Lords of the Admiralty have permitted Col.
H. W. Parke, commandant of the Chatham division
of Royal Marine Light Infantry, to retire from tho
service on full pay, with the \ honorary rank of
Major-General.