The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-25 00:00:00

TILE NA V.V.
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The Narcissus, M, screw, Captain Risk, arrived
at Spithead yesterday morning, under steam, from
%)evonport, and on anchoring exchanged the custo-
mary salutes with the Victory, flagship of the Com-
mader•ir.- Chief, Vice-Admiral H. W. Bruce. Rear-
Admirv.l Sir B. W. Walker, K.C.8., will join the
Narcissus at Spithead, prior to her sailing for the
tape of Good Hope, on which station she will be
employed as his flagship. It is expected that she
will make a further official trial of speed at the
mer.sured mile in Stokes bay before sailing.

The Sutlej, 51, screw, in the steam basin of Ports-
mouth Dockyard, is being fitted with Dr. Nor-
.ronndy's patent water-distilling apparatus.

The Euryalus, 51, screw, in the steam basin at
the aa mc port, and fitted with a poop for duty as a
future flagship, has commenced masting, and will be
shortly ready for commission,

The Pelican,.l7, screw, on her second screw trial
at, the measured mile at Potk•mouth, reali:-.ed a
speed, with the common screw, of it-685 knots.
The pitch of the quell- was 14 feet 1 inch, with en-
gin!,•B making a mean of 901 revolutions, as corn-
pared with the Griffith's on her previous trial at a
pitch of 14 feet 5 inches, and engine revolutions at
110; diameter of both screws the same. On the
last trial, however, the Pelican drew 10 inches more
water astern and two less ahead than on her trial
with the Griffith.
The contract-built screw steam gun vessel Steady,
5, was towed on Saturday alongside the coal depot
Jupiter, to complete with fuel, prior to her being
rigged and fitted for the port division of the steam
ordinary.
The screw steam gun vessel Philomel, 5, made
sail on Saturday in Plymouth Sound, and proceeded
for her destination.
Her Majesty's paddlewheel steamer Spitfire, from
West Coast of Africa, having returned stores and
dismantled inWoolwich basin,was on Saturday paid
off. Shelvas commissioned from that port in Oc-
tober, 1857, by Commander Campbell, who was
succeeded by Commander Chapman, both of whom
have been appointed to the Coast Guard service on
the north coast of Scotland and the South Sea. The
present Commander, Allingham, has been in com-
mand since 1859 only. Mr. Francis Durrant and
Mr. Richards; mate and master's assistant, were
also promoted, the former to the gunnery-ship Ex-
cellent at Portsmouth and the latter to the Brune,
tender to the Arrogant, senior officer's ship, Com-
modore Edmonstone, on the West Coast of Africk.
Two deaths only occurred during the term of her
commission among the ship's company, and those
took place on board the Surprise, belonging to
the prize crew in command of Second-master
William Long, while awaiting a passage. With
the above-named exceptions the health of the ship
has been very good. The Spitfire has succeeded in
capturing two slavers, one loaded with a human
cargo, and the second proceeding to ship her cargo.
The Navy Estimates for 1861-2 contain no pro.
vision for the outfit of the sailing frigate Eurydice,
at Portsmouth, 'as a seagoing cadet training-ship
and tender to the Britannia. It must therefore be
presumed that the Admiralty has again changed its
mind on this subject, and that the proposed "sea-
training" of naval cadets, concerning which so much
has been said and written, will still remain a ques-
tion for the future.
A naval court martial assembled on Saturday on
board the line-of-battle ship Formidable, 84, in the
Medway, for the trial of Mr. Wm. Grunsell, third-
class carpenter serving on board the iron screw
steam storeship Supply, 2, at Woolwich, on the
following charge :—" For that be, the said Mr. Wm.
Grunsell, being in actual service and full pay in her
Majesty's fleet, of and belonging to the storeship
Supply, did absent himself from the said ship with-
out leave from the forenoon of the 11th Dec., 1860,
until the 2d of Jan., 1861." On the charge being
read over to the prisoner, ho pleaded guilty, and
threw himself on the mercy of the court, at the
same time handing in a written statement to the
effect that at the time of the occurrence he was
labouring under illness. The prisoner, however,
called no witnesses, nor handed in any certificates.
The court, after deliberating fo: a short time, sen-
tenced the prisoner to be dismissed her Majesty's
service.

The members for Harwich—Capt. Jervis, M.P.,
and the lion. Col. Rowley, M.P.—have had an in-
terview with the First Lord of the Admiralty in
reference to the present state of that harbour. The
sea has rapidly encroached north and south of
Landgnard Fort, while to the westward the sand
has accumulated hundreds of yards in the direction
of the entrance of the harbour. In 1848 the Ad-
miralty engineer recommended the erection of a
breakwater to.the east of Landguard Fort, which
would protect the Ordnance lands and cause the
sands;to shift to the eastward ; but the recommen-
dation has hitherto not been acted upon.
The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. the Hon. George
Fitzclarence to be Flag Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral
Smart ; and Richard Crosbie Massil has been nomi-
nated to a naval cadetship.