The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-23 00:00:00

Naval Intelligence.

With the exception of the arrival of the Megtera,
on the 7th inst. from Plymouth, with some 190
supernumeraries for the squadron and stores for the
War Department and dockyard, there have been no
arrivals or departures of her Majesty's ships since
the departure of the last mail. The Gibraltar, 81,
has been outside for 24 hours, for the purpose of
gunner exercise. One or two inspections have been
made by the Commander-in-Chief, and the ships
generally are employed refitting after their sum-
mer's cruise. The assembling of the squadron has
afforded the opportunity of holding several courts-
martial. Mr. Alfred R. Wroot, supernumerary
clerk of the Cossack, found guilty of embezzling
mess money and making false entries in the gun-
room mess accounts, has been dismissed from the
service ; and Mr. Robert H. C. Hebden, second
master of the Victoria, found guilty of erunkenness,
has been dismissed his ship, placed at the bottom of
the list of second masters, and severely reprimanded.
James 11. Burrell, ordinary seaman of the Cossack,
for using threatening and obscene language to and
attempting to stab Daniel Denny, master-at-arms,
has been sentenced to receive 48 lashes, to be
imprisoned for two years, and dismissed the
service with disgrace. William Lovelass,
able seaman of the Cossack, having pre-
varicated in his evidence and behaved with
contempt to the Court was sentenced to 84 days'
imprisonment, with alternate weeks of solitary con-
finement. Ginseppe Schembri, ward-room officers'
servant of the Enterprise, found guilty of theft, has
been sentenced to be reduced to the second class for
misconduct, imprisoned for six calendar months,
and dismissed her Majesty's service. The Magaara.
after performing five days' quarantine, obtained
practique on the 12th inst., and was then towed up
the Dockyard-creek from Bighi bay for the purpose
of unloading. Depatch is being used to prepare
her for sea, and it is expected she will leave for
Spithead about the 26th inst., with a large cumber
of naval and military invalids and time-expired
men. According to the latest advices from Alex-
andria, her Majesty's despatch vessel Psyche, hav-
ing on board Capt. W. R. Mends, R.N., C. 8., di-
rector of transport services, may be looked for at
Malta to-day. Lord Clarence Paget, C. 8., and
Lady C. Paget, accompanied by his Excellency
Major-Gen. Ridley and Rear-Admiral Kellet, paid
a visit to Gozo on Friday in the steam tender
Hearty, returning to Malta harbour on the same
afternoon. Another American man of-war has
visited our port during the week, the screw corvette
Canandaigna, commanded by Capt. R. N. Stembel,
a veteran of the late American civil war, who was
was wounded while serving in the Northern navy.
She arrived on the Bth inst. from Jaffa, and left on
the 13th for Port Mahon. Some idea of the übi-
quitous nature of the services required of her may
be formed from the fact of the limits of her station
extending from Iceland in the north to the Equator,
including the whole of the costs of Europe and the
Mediterranean. The captain and officers were hos-
pitably entertained during their stay here by the
naval and military authorities."
The screw sloop Blanche, 4, 1,268 tons, 350-
horse power, one of the squadron of wooden sloop
corvettes, building from the designs of Mr. E. J.
Reed, is getting well forward at Chatham dockyard
and should the hands at present employed on her
not be withdrawn to complete the ironclad ships
Hercules and Monarch, she will be ready for leav-
ing the stocks early in the ensuing yeaf. Now
that the whole of the exterior planking has been
completed, the fine lines, from the midship section,
on which the Blanche is built are seen to striking
advantage, while her stern, as designed by Mr. Reed,
gives every reason to believe that she will prove a
rapid sailer under both sail and steam. She is pierced
to carry 6i-ton 7-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns,
besides the usual complement of smaller guns, and
in order to impart additional strength to her frame
and at the same time to overcome the concussion
from firing guns of sa heavy a description from a
vessel of her class, angle iron has been freely worked
into the hull whenever found to be practicable
Her deck beams are of wrought-iron, manufactured
at the Butterfly Works, which, together with the
additional knees and supports, render her more than
usually strong. The Blanche is a sister ship to the
Danae, building at Portsmouth, and the Sappho,
just commenced at Sheerness dockyard. In the
manufacture of the engines for these vessels it is
stipulated that the mean speed to be attained shall
be 13 knots an hour. The Amazon, which was lost
in the Channel, was constructed from the same de-
signs as the Blanche, Danae, and Sappho, but in
building these vessels several important improve-
ments, suggested sin :e the completion of the
Amazon, will be adopted.
Her Majesty's screw corvette Reindeer, 7, 200-
horse power, Commander E. Nares, left Chatham
harbour yesterday for the Pacific, in charge of Mr.
W. Blakey, Queen's pilot, who navigated her to the
Nore. On getting abreast of Upper Castle she re-
ceived her powder and shell from the Government
magazines, and afterwards proceeded down the
Medway in tow of the paddle-wheel steamers Adder
and Sheerness. She will be swung at the Nore,
where sbe will be inspected by Vice-Admiral Sir
Baldwin W. Walker, and afterwards proceed to
Spithead.
Rear-Admiral the Hon. G. Fowler Hastings, C. 8.,
who has been appointed to succeed Vice-Admiral
the Hon. J. Denman as Commander-in-Chief of
the Pacific station, was born in November, 1813,
and entered the navy in September, 1824. Ife ob-
tained the rank of Lieutenant, January 7, 1833,
and, after serving at Portsmouth and the Mediter-
ranean, became Commander June 30, 1838. He
commanded the Harlequin, 16, from August, 1841,
to January, 1845, and while serving in that ship,
besides sharing the closing operations of the Chinese
War, obtained the public thanks of the Comman-
der-in-Chief for his conduct in landing her boats
in conjunction with those of the Wanderer and the
Diana in an attack upon the piratical towns of Mur-
doo and Quallo Batto, and was promoted to post
rank, January 31, 1845. He commanded the En-
dymion, 44, from August, 1847, to January, 1848 ;
the Cyclops, from July, 1848, to the spring of
1851 ; the Curnoa, from August, 1854, to April,
1857, in the Mediterranean ; the Meander, 41, in
Portland roads, May to November, 1857 ; the Blen-
heim, 60, and the Hannibal, 91, at Portsmouth,
November, 1857, to June 5, 1858, when he was ap-
pointed Captain-Superintendent of Haslar Hos-
pital, which post he held until he attained flag
rank, April 27, 1863. Ile went down to Woolwich
on Wednesday afternoon and hoisted his flag on
board the Fisgard, on his appointment as Com-
mander-in-Chief in the Pacific, in succession to
Vice-Admiral llon. Joseph Denman.

Her Majesty's paddle-wheel steam storeship Dee,
Commander George Raymond, having undergone a
thorough adjustment of defects, yesterday sailed
from Woolwich laden with a full cargo of steam
gear for Devonport, for the supply of the steam sloop
Daphne, 4 guns, built at Pembroke. The Dee is
ordered to be swung at Greenhithe to-day to ar-
range the deviation of her compasses, and takes her
anal departure on Saturday.
Capt. Montagu B. Dunn (23d June, 18G2), now
in command of the iron steam storeship Megaara,
which vessel recently sailed from Deptford and
Woolwich with stores for the Mediterranean, has
received instructions from the Admiralty to return
to England and take the command of the Euphrates,