The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-03 00:00:00

111 E NA V 17.

The Victoria, 121, in Portsmouth Dockyard, is
now receiving her last coat of paint prior to being
launched. Her temporary anchors have been brought
down and placed under her bows ready for hoisting
to her catheads.

The Odin, 16,paddle, Captain Lord John Hay, at
Portsmouth, is being fitted with Mr. Normanby's
mrated distilling apparatus on the application of
Lord John alter witnessing the results of the recent
trials. The Odin and Sphinx have taken on board
the armaments of the four gunboats, which they
will convey to China (Flamer, Grasshopper, Hardy,
aid Havoc), and have each had their shell rooms
and magazines enlarged to receive their ammuni-
tion. The Odin is excessively deep in the water
from the large quantity of stores she has taken on
board for China, and we understand that her gallant
captain, in consequence of the deep immersion of
the ship, has declined to receive any more.
The Ringdove, 6, screw, Commander Craigie,
steamed out of Portsmouth Harbour to Shithead
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Mohawk,
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screw, Commander T. M'Dongal,
was undocked at Portsmouth yesterday, and placed
in the steam basin to complete for sea.
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out of Portsmouth Harbour yesterday to test her
machinery. 'At the conclusion of the trial she took
up her berth in the harbour to complete her stores,
&c., for China. ofe the troopship,steam bas .Commander
o and sntdeearm ejd

The Dasher paddle, Commander 'fore, tested
machinery yesterday at Portsmouth. Everything
worked satisfactorily.

The Arrogant, 47;screw, Capt. IV. Edmonstone,
and a despatch vessel, reported to be the Beagle, 6,
Commander E. Hay, the former for the coz,st of
Africa, and the latter for China, put back to Spit-
head yesterday.
The Himalaya, screw, Commander S. Seccombe,
is still detained at Spithead coaling, having been
unable to complete before, owing to the boisterous
state of the weather. It was expected she would
proceed at daylight this morning. She returns to
Spithead from Kingstown with a regiment of
militia.

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towed alongside the wharf at Woolwich, under
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orders to be stripped and paid off. The Commo-
dore Superintendent, the Hon. James R. Drummond,
inspected the ship and mustered the crew, who
went through the usual course of sword exercise
previous to being paid off. The engines of the
ship were examined, and found to be still in good
working condition. The iron hull of the vessel is
still considered good, but the waterways and some
of the beams are found rotten and decayed
The new screw steam sloop,Mutine, appointed to
carry 17 guns, yesterday had her mas:s in and top-
masts on end in basin at Woolwich.

The military store steamship Lord Panmure, H.
T. Moore, master commanding, has arrived at Wool-
wich from Dublin and Pembroke, and yesterday
discharged at the arsenal some curious specimenssof
Chinese ordnance, captured and brought home from
that country, amounting to '240 tons, among which
are 30 brass and metal guns, corresponding with
our 12-pounders, mostly in a damaged state. There
is also one iron cylinder, which has been used as a
gun, of about the same calibre, having a number of
thick rings or hoops down the length of the barrel.
It has the appearance of having laid some time im-
mersed in water, and is thoroughly eaten into with
rust and corrosion. There are likewise two metal
siege guns, weighing about five tons each. At no
time since the Riassian war has a greater activity
been perceptible than at the present moment in
Woolwich arsensal in the preparation and export
of ammunition and war materials for the defence
of our coasts and for China. Shot and shell of
the largest size in use are seen rolling from
the factories to the water's edge by means of the
Boxer slides, and are shipped with great rapidity on
board various light schooners for the west, whence
those destined for China are transhipped. for their
destination. Upwards of 1,000 tons are now ready
for departure.
The weathe: at Portsmouth yesterday morning
was bright and clear, with rather a fresh breeze at
W.S.W. After noon, however, it became more
overcast, and several sharp rain squalls passed
over, the wind freshening each squall. The baro-
meter had risen 61 tenths from the same time the
day previous, and had evidently jumped up too
quickly to denote any long continuance of the fine
weather which showed itself during the fore part of
the day. At sunset it looked wild and threatening
away to windward. It is reported that a sloop,
with her crew of four hands on board, went down
of her anchors off the "Norman" yesterday, but no
particulars have come to hand. From information
received from Bracklesome Bay we learn that a
French brig, the Olinda, Capt. Dupost, from Havre
for Pernambuco, drove ashore off Witterin, in the
bay, at 1 a.m. yesterday. The captain and one
man had been washed overboard and lost. The pilot
of the brig had been brought ashore since she had
stranded, dead. Hopes were entertained of saving
the vessel and cargo, if the weather moderated. M.
Van Den Burgh, the French Vice-Consul, had pro-
ceeded to the scene of the disaster, 'to take charge
of the vessel and her crew. The whole details had
not come to hand when our parcel left last evening.
The schooner Merlin, Capt. Coplin, from London
for Terceira, was yesterday, 11 miles south of the
Needles, thrown on her beam-ends by a squall, and
totally dismasted. The wreck was eat away to save
the vessel, and a try-sail set abaft the stump
of the foremast. By dint of great exertion, the
schooner was anchored outside the Dean Sand,
when a steamer was despatched to her assistance
and she was towed into Portsmouth harbour yester-
day. The steamer which was brought up in St.
Helen's Roads yesterday, during the gale, proved
to be-the Sultan, from Vigo, &c., for Southampton ;
she proceeded yesterday morning. NV e understand
that she received considerable damage from the gale.
A letter received at Plymouth from an officer on
board a merchant ship, dated at Shanghai, August
14, says—" For upwards of a month past we have
been in a very unsettled state here. From July 29
to August 1 every ship that had guns and small
arms . kept them loaded, hourly expecting the
Chinese to descend on the town and ship. On
Saturday night, July 30, the French Consul had
four fieldpieces and above 200 men to guard his
resilience. As for ourselves, we were walking the
decks from 8 p.m to 2 A.M. fully armed. Our alarm
was increased as the morning advanced, for about
9 o'clock we heard the command pass from ship to
ship Tell the men of war to be prepared as the
junks are getting ready to run down the river and
set fire to our shipping.' At this time the Chinese
were shouting with all their might, and discharging
their heavy ordnance. I think there must have
been 10,000 of these noisy rascals in the junks.
However they showed more d'scretion than valour,
and did not attack us. Our leave to go ashore is,
however, suspended."
Nearly the whole of the required number of ad-
' ditional labourers ordered to be entered in Chatham
Dockyard have been received, but there are still
vacancies for first-class shipwrights and joiners.
The classification of the riggers employed in the
dockyard has been made, the whole of that body
receiving the increase of pay ordered by the Ad-
miralty.
Thefollowing appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Commander George Darbin, to
the Coastguard ; John S. Adams, assistant-surgeon
to the Chatham division of Marines ; J. M. Bateson,
assistant-surgeon to the Diadem; E. J. Butler,
assistant-surgeon to the Muting; and James Clark-
son, assistant-surgeon to the Fawn.