The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-24 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

A .eonlrt '-martial assembled on board the flagship
Waterloo. at Sheerness on Wednesday, to try Mr.
Stevens, third-class carpenter, lent from the For-
midable for duty on board the steam sloop Malacca,
in the s team reserve. The charges against Mr.
Stevens /ere for absenting himself from his ship
without I cave, and for drunkenness. Captain E.
F. Heist ed, in command of the steam reserve,
prosecute d. The Commander-in-Chief presided. The
charges were fully proved, and the sentence of the
Court w as that Mr. Stevens be deprived of his war-
rant fo- c two years, during which period he is to
serve :is an able seaman for duty in the carpenter's
crew.
Her Majesty's screw steam frigate Liffey, 51,
Capt. W. Preedy, C.B. anchored in St. Helen's-
road',s, off Portsmouth, from Portland, at 3 p.m. on
Friday, and sailed again for Portland on Saturday
inone ing.
111. x. Majesty's steam sloop Argus, 6, Commander
Ingram, sailed from Spithead at 6 p.m. on Satur-
day for Devonport, with supernumeraries for the
Me. literranean squadron.
The new steam line-of-battle ship Edgar will in
short time be ready for a trial of her engines.
The Locust steam vessel, Lieut.-Commander Field,
arrived at Sheerness from Portsmouth on Friday
night last. The Locust was run into by a brig
-while she was riding by the fair buoy of the chan-
nel into Portsmouth harbour. She has received so
much damage that she will have to undergo repairs
forthwith.
The paddlewheel steam frigate Leopard, 18, Capt.
J. F. B. Wainwright, is being caulked and repaired
at Keyham.
Mr. Paul, Assistant Master Attendant at the
Devonport Dockyard, with 11 riggers, 11 seamen
riggers, and some seamen from the ordinary, is ap-
pointed to navigate the school ship Conway to the
Mersey. The steam sloop Virago accompanies her,
and will probably bring back Mr. Paul and his
party. The Conway conveys her own moorings.
The -Mersey, 40, screw, in the Portsmouth Dock-
yard steam basin, is progressing as fast as engineers
and riggers can work upon her. The screw, from
the Messrs. Maudslay, the makers of her engines,
has arrived, and presents as fine a metal casting as
can be conceived. There is another feature worthy
of consideration. Owing to the enormous size and
weight (about 14 tons) the screw has been divided
into three portions. The two blades are cast with
flanges, and screw on to the centre boss with nuts
an d screws, rendering it so portable as to be easily
taken apart in the event of accident, and also a
gl-eat advantage in stowing spare blades. The
Mersey is the most powerful frigate in the world
at present; her broadside will throw solid shot or
ten-inch shell ; her " fighting quarters" are 18
feet between the ports. She can carry eight days'
co:tling at full speed, and if she realises what is
confidently expected of her—namely, the average
speed of 14 knots an hour—she will accomplish the
-voyage from Portsmouth to Malta in seven days.
Her tonnage is very little short of 4,000, and her
cast may be calculated at £200,000. She is being
fitted with Clifford's patent boat-lowering gear on
both sides. She will be ready for her sea trial in
the month of February.
DEATH OF COMMANDER JOHN BARCLAY, R.N.
—We have to record the death of Commander John
arclay, which occured on the 11th inst. at Albury,
S urrey, aged 77. This gallant officer was midship-
man of the Hydra, and served in her boats at the
capture of an armed lugger under a fire of musketry,
r 4, ear the river Tongue, in 1803. He was acting
lieutenant of the Britannia at the battle of
I Trafalgar, for which service he was promoted to be
lieutenant on the 20th November, 1805 ; was lieu-
tenant of the Latona at the capture of Curacoa in
1807, and retired with the rank of commander on
the 23d January, 1853. He had received the silver
naval medal with two clasps for his valuable
services.
DEATH OF LIEUTENANT ALEXANDER 0. MAC-
FARLANE, R.N.—Advices from Malta, of the 19th
inst., announce the death of Lieutenant Alexander
0. lacfarlane, -which occurred on board the
Hibernia, 104, flag ship, on the 11th. Lieutenant
Macfarlane served as acting mate of the Valorous,
16, paddle frigate, in the Black Sea fleet, and of the
Indus, 78, flag ship of Rear Admiral Sir Houston
Stewart, K.C.8., on the North American and West
India station; mate of the Brilliant, 20, on the
North American and West India station ; for a few
months was mate of the Racoon, 21, screw corvette;
and had served as lieutenant of the Recruit, 6,
paddle, in the Mediterranean since October last.