The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-16 00:00:00

NAVAL MEDICAL OFFICERS,

Six weeks ago Sir John Pakington, in the House
of Commons, pronounced a high eulogium upon the
medical officers of the Royal Navy, and declared it
to be his intention to concede to them, in spirit and
in substance, the advantages which they claimed.
At the time we readily absolved the First Lord
from the imputation of hesitation and doubt in deal-
ing with the question of the extension of the army
medical warrant to the naval service. But we took
leave to warn him of the evil consequences of delay
in carrying his good intentions into execution. The
event proves this warning was not unnecessary.
Week after week has passed without any further
indication of the long-expected and much-desired
" warrant" than a repetition by the First Lord of
his assurance that the subject is still under consi-
deration.

Meanwhile the prospect of recruiting the naval
medical department, so as to maintain it in effici-
ency, becomes every day more remote. The army
and the Indian service have, since the army war-
rant of Oetober 1, 1858, was issued, respectively
admitted 100, and 39 assistant-surgeons, whose at-
tainments may be estimated by the high standard
of examination which in each case they have passed.
In the navy, during the same period, three officers
only of this class have been added to the list. Nor
can it be said that this scant accession to the medi-
cal staff of the navy is due to a less urgent demand
for medical men in that service, for upon the most
certain information we know the very reverse to be
the fact. We find, moreover, in the Navy List, just
published—what we believe to be anomalous and
al, ogether wrong in principle—that in several ships
of the line and frigates surgeons have been appointed
to do the subordinate duty of assistant-surgeons, evi-
dently from inability on the part of Sir John Liddell
to provide the latter class of officers in sufficient num-
ber to meet the fair requiremen ts of the service. In the
medical schools, too, there still exists a firm deter-
mination to keep aloof from the naval service, until
the condition of its medical officers becomes assimi-
lated to that of the medical department of the army
The medical officers of the navy have hitherto
abstained from any manifestation of impatience or
discontent. They have calmly waited for the fulfil-
ment of the promises made by the Government. But
nothing could be more erroneous than to suppose
that dissatisfaction and discontent do not exist
among the officers of the department. To allow
such a state of things to continue is obviously pre-
judicial to the public service, as well as unjust and
cruel to the class immediately concerned.
The case of the medical officers of the navy, and
the questions connected with it, are said to have
more or less occupied the attention of the Admiralty
for upwards of six months. Sir John Pakington and
those of the other Admiralty Lords who aspire to
seats in Parliament may, in the ensuing election,
seek the support of constituencies upon the ground
of fleets equipped, of ships put upon the stocks, of
ships built, and of committees appointed with a
view to the improvement of the navy. Something
also may be urged for the zeal manifested by the
First Lord that the Board should be adequately
represented in Parliament. But we should ear-
nestly„ advise him and his colleagues, in the event
of their being called upon to vindicate their capacity
for " despatch of business," carefully to avoid the
most distant allusion likely to provoke inquiry into
the cause of the tortoise-like progress of the " war-
rant" for the reconstruction of the Medical Depart-
ment of the Navy.—Daily News.

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—An accident of a very
serious nature incurred on the Newport, Abergavenny, and
Hereford Railway on Friday morning. A man named
Robt. Moody was driving an engine to which were attached
trucks laden with iron rails. There is a caution-board
erected at place called " The Summit," 2i miles from Ponty-
pool-road, instructing drivers of goods trains to stop they-
pool-road,
and apply their breaks to each truck ; but disregarding this
injunction, Moody went over the Summit without stopping.
The impetus gained was uncontrollable; the train rolled OR
with fearful speed, and at last the en ran off the line and
tumbled over, seriously injuring its mechanism, smashing
a number of rucks into small fragments, and bending up
the iron rails like willow wands. The traffic was stopped
for several hours, but fortunately no one was hurt. The
loss to the company will amount to several hundred pounds.
Moody, the eng,ine-driver, has absconded, but a warrant
has been issued for his apprehension.
ATTEMPTED MURDER AND SUICIDE.—On Thurs-
day a man named Francis Hopwood, who was formeerl,yanand
engine driver, was taken before the borough magistrateslf at
Ludlow, charged with attempting to murder his
was committed to the next Shropshire Assizes on the capital
charge. It appeaYs that about eight o'clock on Sunday
mormnir cries of murder were heard proceeding from a back
lane in Lower Broad-street. On a man named John Lewis
proceeding to the spot he saw Hopwood stabbing his wife
in the throat. On being pursued, Hopwood ran into his
house and inflicted a dreadful gash on his own throat. He
then ran, all bleeding as he was, to the bank of the river,
into which he jumped, and from which he was with diffi-
culty. rescued. He still lies in a very dangerous state ; but
the woman's wounds are not
end,
serious. It appears that
the pair frequently foil outabout the amount of money,
on this occasion, crrelled
baud brought home ou theiirogious2B.2l%lll.)t.wil-311 r b
u
s"

The following are the principal dimensions of the
Revenge, screw steamship of the line, pierced for
91 guns, ordered to be launched at Pembroke Dock-
yard, viz. :—Length between perpendiculars, 234
feet 3 inches ; length of keel for tonnage, 199 feet
11 inches ; extreme breadth, 55 feet 4 inches ;
depth of hold, 24 feet 5 inches ; burden in tons,
3,146 1-3 d. The Revenge is a good specimen of the
new class of 91's, and appears likely to prove an
efficient man-of-war.

On Thursday evening the French screw steam
vessel of war the Lavergne, commanded by Vis-
count Lavaissiere, arrived at Sheerness from Dun-
kirk.

Capt. Sir G. N. Broke has arrived at Sheerness,
taken up his commission, joined the Hero, and has
proceeded on Admiralty leave for 14 days.
The new screw line-of-battle-ship Edgar, 91
guns, in the fitting basin at Sheerness, has completed
the setting up of her engines, so as to be ready for
a trial of her machinery.

The Comet, paddlewieel steamer, at Portsmouth,
was yesterday moved out of No. 2 Dock and placed
in the fitting basin, where she will complete her
repairs. The Sealark, 8 (exercising brig), Lieu-
tenant Commander M. Lowther; was afterwards
taken into the same dock to clean her bottom, &c.
The Pioneer, screw steam despatch vessel, went
out of Portsmouth harbour yesterday to try her
machinery, in charge of Captain Gordon, command-
ing Steam Reserve. Mr. Murdoch, inspector of
machinery afloat, was on board. Every part worked
in a satisfactory manner.
The Assurance, 4, screw steam despatch vessel,
Commander C. Aynsley, was yesterday warped
from alongside the Sheer Jetty at Portsmouth
dockyard into the fitting basin, ready to go into
dock.

The following is an extract of a letter from her
Majesty's steamer Vixen, dated Panama, March
25 :
" We have discovered now that our after-spon-
sonbeam is broken and otherwise defective. The
hull is rotten in several place near the waterline,
and our stern has fallen three inches, and, in fact,
we are altogether unfit to face anything of a breeze.
The Ganges arrived at Valparaiso from Vancouver
in 71 days. The Tribune arrived at Vancouver
from. India on the 13th of February, and the Pylades
on the following day. The Calypso is at Sandwich
Islands. The Amethyst is expected to arrive on
the tion daily, and we expect the Alert here with
700,000 dols. on board. This will give a nice little
bonus to her captain."
The Vulcan, screw steam troopship was moved
yesterday from the steam basin at Portsmouth into
No. 8 dock.
Lieut. Francis Osburn was yesterday appointed
to the Arrogant.