The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-12 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

Admiralty orders have been received at Chatham
Dockyard directing a 16-gun screw corvette, to be
called the Reindeer, to be immediately laid down
on No. 1 slip.
The Orpheus, 22, screw steam corvette, being
built at Chatham, has had a large number of ship-
wrights placed on board to expedite her comple-
tion, in order that she may be launched as early as
possible.
Her Majesty's steam storeship Dee, paid off at
Woolwich on Thursday, was yesterday recommis-
sioned by Mr. Thomas Pullen, her late commander.
The whole of the officers were likewise reappointed,
and a number of the seamen also joined. A cor-
poral and seven privates of the Royal Marines were
likewise appointed for service. The Dee is under-
going considerable repairs in dock.
Her Majesty's ship Rhadamanthus, Master-Com-
mander Sturdee, yesterday left Woolwich for Ports-
mouth, laden with 300 tons of boilers and steam
gear for the Neptune and Vulcan.
The following ships were yesterday taken up by
Government for the transport of war stores from
Woolwich Arsenal—namely, the Red Jacket, for
Malta; the Matilda, for Algoa Bay; the Princess
Royal, for Malta ; the Whirlwind, for Auckland,
New Zealand ; the Cairngorum, for Hong Kong ;
and the Admiral, for East London, Cape.
The paddlewheel steamsloop Ardent, 5, Com-
mander John H. Cave—from Sierra Leone, January
22 ; Teneriffe, February 26 ; and Lisbon, March 5
—arrived in Plymouth Sound on Thursday morn-
ing. She has been about a year on the Coast, and
came home in consequenee of having gone ashore
at Great Popo, in the Bights of Benin, on the 24th
December last, during a dense fog, notwithstanding
every precaution was taken. The Ardent remained
four days and three nights ashore, and was only got
off, with the loss of her guns, ammunition, stores,
and provisions by the united efforts of the steamships
Archer, Capt. John Sanderson ; Hydra, Commander
Hamilton ; and Sharpshooter, Commander Charles
Gibbons. Commander Hamilton and Mr. Hitch-
field, of the Hydra, were very energetic in this
service. The grounding of the Ardent will of course
form the subject of an official inquiry. Both hull
and machinery require repair. When the Ardent
left Sierra Leone there were on the south coast the
Conflict, Viper, and Pluto, and probably the Spit-
fire, which was ordered on that station to take the
place of the Ardent. Commander Wise in the
Vesuvius was in port preparing to leave for a
month's cruise. The Coast was healthy. The
Ardent was detained 22 days repairing her machi-
nery at Teneriffe, where the vine is so much im-
proved that the produce this year is expected to be
five times more than in 1858. The cultivation of
tobacco is engrossing much attention in the island.
A Dutch squadron consisting of three screw frigates
and two screw corvettes at Lisbon intend coming
to Plymouth in the course of two or three weeks.
The paddle-wheel steam vessel Pigmy, 3, arrived
at Plymouth on Thursday with marine Artillery-
men for the screw steamship Doris, 32, Captain
Heathcott, and some seamen. She left the same
day with supernumeraries for Portsmouth and
Portland.
The gun-boat Skipjack, Lieutenant-Commander
Murray, went from Plymouth Sound on Thursday
to Devonport to refit.
The screw steam-ship James Watt, 91, got up
steam in Hamoazo on Thursday, but as her machi-
nery did not work satisfactorily, she will be taken
again into Keyham Steamyark The Sanspareil,
70, was taken in on Thursday. The boilers of the
Nile, 90, are in course of removal there.
The London, 90, was placed alongside the shear
hulk in Hamoaze on Thursday, and received her
mizen RI ast.
The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty :—Mr. Charles N. Streatfield, mate,
to the Hero; Francis B. Christian, second-master,
to the Tartarus ; George Hickman, paymaster
(additional), to the Fisgard ; and "Eneas Barkly
Reid, lieutenant to her Majesty's ship James Watt,
at Devonport.