The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-31 00:00:00

?HE NATI'.

Yesterday the Lords Commissioners of the Ad-
miralty paid their first official visit to Portsmouth
Dockyard, for the purpose of making the customary
annual inspection of that arsenal. The members of
the Board comprised the Duke of Somerset, First
Lord, Vice-Admiral the Hon. Sir R. S. Dundas,
Rear Admiral the Hon. F. T. Pelham, C. 8., Capt.
Eden, Rear-Admiral Lord Clarence Paget, Secre-

tary, Capt. Moore, Private Secretary to the First
Lord, Rear-Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker, K.C.8.,
Surveyor to the Navy, and Lieut.-Col. G. T. Greene,
Director of the Admiralty Engineering Works.
Their lordships arrived at the Dockyard at 2.30
p.m., and at once entered on their duties, visiting
first the. Rear-Admiral Superintendent's office,
where they remained for some time. From
the Superintendent's office their lordships pro-•
ceeded to make a tour of the yard, accom-
panied by -Rear-Admiral Superintendent Hon.
George Grey, Mr. Abethell, Master Shipwright.
with his assistants, Mr. Toukin, Master Atten-
dant, Commander Gardner, steam reserve, and other
officials of the yard. Their lordships first visited
the iron shed at the rear of, the mahogany store,
where they inspected the remnants of the iron and
steel plates lately experimented upon from the
Stork gunboat. They next visited the saw-pits,
and proceeded round the. steam basin and to the
north corner of the yard to the building sheds,
going on board the Victoria, 131, screw, now nearly
ready for launching. They next visited the smiths'
shop, whence, after staying a short time, their
lordships-proceeded, by the side of the slip from
which the. Bacchante was lately lahnehed,. to -the
mouth of the new dock now in the course of for-
mation, and intended for the new entrance to the
steam basin. On the new caisson at the entrance
of the dock their lordships were engaged for some
-time inspecting the progress of the works. The
next visit was to the Pearl, 20, screw corvette,
Capt. John Borlase, C. 8., which their lordships in-
spected both'on the upper and tower decis. Cross-
ing the caisson at.the mouth of the old ship basin,
and taking a:short:view of the preparations being.
made for' lengthening the Britannia Dock, their
lordships next proceeded on boar.l the Pitt coal
depot, alongside the north jetty, and fitting out as
a coal depot for the use of the fleet at Portland.
The further inspection of- the different establish-
' ments at the Dockyard will be resumed this morti-..
ing. Theiraordethips slept on board the Osborne.
last evening, where proper provision had been made
for their accoMihodati6n. Mr. C. Richards, the con-
troller of the victualling and transport depart-
ments, had Eirrive4kilkthe4tbyal Clarence yard from
London the preti64744". On the Admiralty
.flag being hoisted at the Dockyard gates on their
lordship's arrival it received the customary salute of
19 guns from H.M.S. Victory.
On Monday afternoon her Majesty's screw line-
of-battle ship Donegal, 101 guns, 'Captain W. F.
Glanville, arrived in the Mersey, from Plymouth,
which port she left on Saturday afternoon. She is
anchored in the Sloyne. The object of her visit,
which will be only for a short time, is to obtain
seamen. She is at present considerably short of
her number, her complement when full being about
1,000. The Donegal is by far the noblest-looking
vessel of war that we have yet had in the Mersey,
being considerably larger than any of herpredeces-
sors. She is one of the new class of line-of-battle
ships, and is a perfectly new vessel, having only
been launched towards the end of last year: . Her
engines are of great power (800 horse),- and she
steams very fast, being able to go from 10 to 12
knots per hour. By the kind permission of -Ca-PC
Glanville, the public will have an opportunity of
going on board for the first time on Thursday
next.

The Harrier, 17, screw, was officially inspected at
Spithead yesterday by Flag Capt. Farquhar, and
afterwards steamed into harbour for paying off.
The Himalaya, screw troopship, has completed
coaling at Portsmouth for further service.
Lieut. F. H. Blair, R.N., accompanied by the 23
seamen who miraculously escaped the lot of their
unfortunate companions on board her Majesty's 12-
gun sloop Heron, capsized off the coast of Africa,
and who have been berthed on board her Majesty's
receiving-ship Fisgard since Sundaylast, left Wool-
wich yesterday morning, in pursuance of Admi-
ralty directions, and proceeded to Portsmouth to
join the flagship Victory, where they will assist a
second court of inquiry, ordered to be instituted
with a view to elicit any additional evidence from
Lieut. Blair (who is the senior surviving officer of
the Heron) and, his rescued companions. Lieut.
Blair (then a mate) displayed great courage and
presence of mind on the occasion, as well as admi-
rable promptitude in obedience to orders, in cutting
lashings of booms to form a raft, clearing away
boats, &c., and remained by the ship when all hopes
of saving her were lost; and by his skill and abi-
lity he succeeded in saving a portion of the ship's
crew. They were fortunately observed by a distant
sail, and were eventually picked up and received on
board ship.
The crew of the Alarm, 26, Capt. Douglas Curry,
from the Pacific, were inspected in Plymouth Sound
yesterday. On Tuesday she will go up Hamoaze
to be paid off. The invalids she brought home were
chiefly from the Amethyst and Ganges.
The paddlewheel steam-sloop Gorgon, 6, Com-
mander Bedford C. T. Pim, is coaling at Plymouth,
whence she sails for the West India and North
American station.

The screw steam-sloop Pioneer, 6, Commander
May, is coaling in Plymouth, preparatory to sailing
for the coast of Africa. She touches at Ascension.

It was erroneously stated on Monday last that
the poor man Hales, a stoker employed in her Ma-
jesty's dockyard at Woolwich, who met with an
accident on Friday on board the new frigate Ariadne
had died immediately on his admission to the infir-
mary. His friends desire it may be stated that he
is in a fair way of recovery.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—J. Bright, assist.-paymaster to
the Donegal ; James T. Syme, secretary's clerk to
the Queen Charlotte ; and C. Aylen, clerk to the
Mars.