The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-02 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

The Meeanee, screw line-of-battle-ship, 60 guns,
2,591 tons, 400 horse-power, Capt. G. Wodehouse,
which has recently recently returned from the Medi-
terranean, was yesterday paid out of commission by
Capt. W. K. Hall, C. 8., Captain Superintendent
of Sheerness dockyard. This ship was launched at
Bombay on April 10, 1848, receiving her name in
commemoration of the decisive victory which, but a
short time previously, had been obtained by Sir C.
Napier over the Beloochees. Built of teak, it is a
pity that the fittings of this ship, both externally
and within, belong to the past ; the hempen rigging
gives the vessel an appearance of top-heaviness
aloft, which contrasts unfavourably with the neat
wire shrouds of modern ships ; and, although she is
what may well be termed a good sailing craft, yet
her limited length (120 feet betweenperpendiculars)
and small horse-power precludes the possibility of
her being again brought forward for active service.
Of the 1,196 days that the Meeanee has been in
commission the greater part has been spent on the
Mediterranean station, and a brief extract from a
very careful analysis made by Sub-Lieut. Challice of
her performances may not be uninstructive. Of the
above period, but 219 days have been employed under
way ; during this time the Meeanee has made
19,341 knots, of which number 9,523 have been made
while under sail, 8,252 under steam, and the re-
mainder, 1,566 knots, under the two motive powers
combined. The most favourable averages per hour
ever shown during any one cruise are as follows :
Sail, 9i knots ; steam, 7.3 knots ; and under the
two combined, 10.6 knots. The 977 days that this
ship has lain in harbour have been distributed as
follows :—At Sheerness and the Nore, 41f days ; at
the Downs, 3f ; at Plymouth, 61 days ; at Gib-
raltar, 15 days ; at Malta, 390+ days ; at Syracuse,
1 day ; at Naples and Baim, 83} days ; at Messina,
8 days ; at the Piraeus of Athens and Salamis Bay,
368 days ; at Kalamata, 1- day ; at Corfu, 19
days ; at Tunis, 22 days ; at Egina, 4 days ; at
Poros, 41 days ; at Zante, 4 day ; at Syra, 71 days ;
and at Spithead, 1 day. Though in commission for
so long a period, she has lost but few men, princi-
pally from accidents aloft. The Meeanee will be
placed in the third division of the Steam Reserve
at Sheerness.

The flag of Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas S. Pasley,
as the successor of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour,
G.C•B., as Port Admiral and Naval Commander-
in- Chief at Portsmouth, was hoistedyesterday morn-
ing on board her Majesty's ship Excellent, Capt. A
C. Key, C. 8., at Portsmouth, under the customary
salute from the guns of the Excellent. Yesterday
the flags of both admirals flew at Portsmouth until
sunset—Sir Michael Seymour's flag on board her
Majesty's ship Victory, and Sir Thomas Pasley's
flag on board the Excellent. At sunset Sir Michael's
was hauled down on board the Victory, and this
morning at sunrise Sir Thomas Pasley's will be
hoisted on board the same ship as that of the future
Naval Commander-in-Chief at Portsmouth. Sir
Michael Seymour, with his flag captain, F. A. Scott,
C. 8., aide-de-camp to the Queen, disembarked from
the Victory yesterday. The officers and crew man-
ned the bulwarks and rigging and gave rounds of
ringing cheers in token of farewell.
At Portsmouth, on Wednesday, a silver claret
jug was presented by the captains of her Majesty's
ships at Portsmouth to Capt. Francis Scott, on his
resigning the command of the Victory as the flag-
captain of Sir Michael Seymour.
The Tamar, screw troopship, Capt. Stirling, em-
barked yesterday at Portsmouth the luggage of the
75th Regiment, and to-day will embark the regi-
ment and sail immediately afterwards for Dublin.
A new and powerful steam fire engine, built by
Messrs. Merry weather and Sons, London, added to
the fire brigade of Portsmouth dockyard, under-
went its official trial yesterday in that dockyard in
the presence of Rear-Admiral Superintendent G. G.
Wellesley, Mr. A. Murray, chief of the engineering
department of the yard, Mr. Cradock, master ship-
wright, and other officials. The engine is of the
same dimensions as the engine, by the same makers,
which gained the first prize at the Crystal Palace
competition in 1863, and which now forms part of
the fire brigade apparatus of her Majesty's dock-
yard at Devonport. Having successfully passed its
trial yesterday, it will now be handed over to Mr.
Superintendent Grey, as part of the establishment
of the dockyard Metropolitan Police Fire Brigade.
The 92d Regiment (Gordon Highlanders), under
the command of Col. Hamilton, arrived at Ports-
mouth yesterday at 1 p.m., by special train from
Aldershot. The regiment alighted from the railway
cars on the jetty of the dockyard, alongside which
her Majesty's screw troopship Simoom, Capt. T. B.
Lethbridge, lay moored, in readiness to convey the
regiment to Dublin, in the midst of a heavy snow-
storm. The regiment was drawn up in columns of
companies, which was no sooner accomplished than
the captain of the Simoom at once personally under-
took the embarkation of the troops, and, dividing
the men into sections of 18 men in each section,
gave the order—" No. Mess, right face, quick
march." Each section thus marched off from the
jetty on board the Simoom was met by an officer of
the ship at the gangway, and conducted direct to the
mess on the troop deck provided for their accommo-
dation. By this very excellent and decisivemanage-
ment on the part of Capt. Lethbridge all the men of
the 92d were in an astonishingly short time snugly
seated at their mess tables after their cold journey,
and out of further harm from the inclemency of the
weather. The 92d embarked in the following
strength :-25 officers, 47 sergeants, 28 pipers and
drummers, 587 rank and file, 126 women, and 160
children. The Simoom remained alongside Ports-
mouth dockyard during last night, and was to sail
for Dublin at 7 o'clock this morning.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Capt. P. F. Shortland to the
Hydra, vice Mansell ; E. R. Brietycke, midshipman
to the Gladiator ; R. L. Mayne, naval cadet, to the
Achilles ; and F. E. Strickland, naval cadet, to the
Victoria. •

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