The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-12 00:00:00

Naval and Military intelligence.

The Royal Sovereign, 131, tow screw three-
decker, was taken into dock on Wednesday, at
Portsmouth, to complete her fittings for trial of her
engines, which are expezted to be compeletei iu
about six weeks.
The Hastings, 60, screw ship, Captain Mends,
C. 8., bent sails yesterday at Portsmouth, and will
go to Spithead about Monday.
The Melville, 72, hospital-ship, Commander
TroPope, having remedied her leakage will haul
alongside Portsmouth dockyard this day to embark
the head-quarters of the 23d Royal Weigh Fusiliers
for China.

A court-martial will commence sitting this morn-
ing on board the flagship Victory, in Portsmouth
harbour, for the trial of Mr. Spear, Pa.ymas'er of
her Majesty's ship Childers, on charges of embezzle-
ment of her Majesty's stores, fraudu'ent conduct,
drunkenness, and neglect of duty. The charges
embrace acts covering a period of nearly ten years.
The Megmra, 6, screw troopship, Commander
Purvis, arrived at the Cape of Good Hope on the
15th of February from England, and left Table Bay
on the 17th for the Mauritius, with troops.
The Vulcan, iron steam troopship, Commander
Furneaux, arrived at Simon's Bay on the 25th of
March, and left on the 15,h of April with troops.
She is expected at Spithead. daily.
Mr. G. B. Hoffmeister, R.N. (1828), is promoted
to be retired Commander, vice Woods deceased.
The paddlewheel steam vessel Vesuvius, 6, Capt.
C. Wise, with the Brune tender, were paid advance
of wages at Plymouth on Tueday, and they sailel
on Wednesday for the West Coast of Africa.
•The paddlewheel steam vessel Volcano, 3, Mas-
ter-Commhnder J. M. Hockley, having been re-
paired at Plymouth, sailed on Wednesday for China.
The paddlewheel steam vessel Leopard, 18, Capt.
Wainwright, steamed from Plymouth round the
Eddystone on Wednesday to test her machinery
and boilers.

The Turkish screw line-of-battle ship Peiki Zafir,
104, Capt. Ismael Bey, had her compasses adjusted
on Wednesday in Plymouth Sound, and she was
appointed to leave yesterday afternoon for Constan-
tinople, calling at Gibraltar, and, if necessary, at
Malta.

The depot of the 80th Regiment, consisting of 10
officers and 204 non-commissioned officers and rank
and file, has replaced the depot of the 7th Regiment
at Pembroke.: The construction of the new boat
basin has been commenced, and the workmen ara
engaged in excavating for the foundation. The
granite coping is now being placed on the slips,
which thus far are c mnplete, and have been finished
in a masterly manner. The iron for the erection of
the roofs has arrived. Tile various other contracts
are being pushed on ; the new stores are nearly
completed, and th 3 sawmills are making progress.
:A The steam vessel Pluto, Lieut.-Commander S win-
burn, which left Sierra Leone April 28, touched at
St. Vincent's and Teneriffe, and left Corunna June
8, arrived at Plymouth yesterday evening. On the
27th of January she was driven by a current on the
Cooper's Rock, and knociked away her false keel
and main keel ; she was beached at Sierra Leone,
and is come home for repairs.
The repairs to General Sir Charles Parley's
newly-invented demi-canoe-decked pontoons hav-
ing been completed, some experiments took place
at Chatham yesterday, under the superintendence
of General Pasley, fur the purpose of further test-
ing the merits of the invention.
Yesterday Major-General T. Blanchard, C. 8.,
R.E., arrived at the head-quarters of the Royal
Engineers establishment for the purpose of making
an inspection of the field-works and other engineer-
ing operations now in progress by the officers and
men of the Royal Engineers at Chatham.
A numerously-attended meeting was held at the
Town-ball, Woolwich, yesterday evening, Mr.
Georgo Hall Graham in the chair, for the purpose
of passing a resolution to. be presented to Govern-
meet expressive of their opinion that, as the Govern-
ment establishments at Woolwich occupy
a major portion of the area constituting the town-
ship, the Government property should be taxed in
a similar ratio to that of private persons. Mr. J.
Townsend, M.P. for Greenwich, Dr. Carlisle, Mr.
Jolly, Mr. Tuffield, and .a number of other gentle-
men, addressed the meeting in favour of the propo-
sition, and the resolution wascarried unanimously.
It was also agreed tit-it a petition should be pre-
sented to the house by Mr, Townsend, embodying
a resolution to the effect that the remuneration
given to the lsbeurers employed in her Majrsty's
uockyards and Royal arsenals—namely, 12s. 6d.
per week—is insufficient to support themselves and
their families, and suggesting that their pay should
b 3 increased to 16s. per week. After some remarks.
front the chairman, illustrating numerous instances
of widows and orphans of men employed by her
Majesty's Government having, through casualties,
become but dens on the ratepayers of Woolwich,
and demonstrating the propriety of petitioning Go-
vernment as extensive occupiers of property (which
if in the hands of her Majesty's subjects, would
pay a taxation for the relief of the poor of upwards
of 7,0001. per annum) to bear a proportionate share
in the taxation of the parish, the assembly sepa-
rated. _

Sir C Wood, as First Lord of the Admiralty,
held his first levee this sea-on yekerday ac the A'l-
- when the fol!owing officers attended :
Adm;rals Lord Aylmer, Greville, Ra tray, Sir J.
Hindmarsh, Sir S. LuFhington, M'Quin, and G 1-
lier ; Cap•ans F. B. Craufurd, T. Miller, F. B.
Montreror, E. PeirsP, C. 0. Hayes, G. B. Hornby,
H. J.. Lacon, C. R. Johnson. C. Mellersh, J.
Stoddar-, J. Borlase, J. Moore, Robb, and E. H.
G. Lanabart ; Commanders N. B. Bed n;,field, W.
Morrii, E. E. Morgan, W. H. Triscott, T. L.
Gaussen, J. J. S. Goslin, and D. Spain ; Lieats.
W. H. Pyin, the Hon. W. B. Blaquiere, E. Web-
ber, and Lillingston ; and Mr. J. N. De Vries.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—L;eul-,. E. J. Brooks (addi-
tional), to the Cumberland ; H. D. Sarratt, second
master, to the Ajax ; D. Bayne, assistant clerk, to
the Conway.