The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-29 00:00:00

THE NAVE

The Duke of Somerset and the Junior Lords of
the Admiralty, with Lord Clarence Paget, the Sec-
retary, and Sir Baldwin Walker, are expected to
leave town to-morrow on their annual visit of in-
spection to Portsmouth. After a thorough inspec-
tion of that extensive naval establishment the First
Lord and colleagues will visit the Channel Islands,
and then further pursue their tour of inspection to
Devonport, and afterwards proceed to Ireland.
The Pioneer, 6, screw, Commander Hugh A.
Reilly, and the Gorgon, 6, paddle, Commander Bed-
ford C. Pim, both sailed from Spithead for the
westward on Saturday.
The Russian screw corvette Baian, 16, Captain
Istomin, left the Motherbank early yesterday
morning for the Baltic. The ships now remaining
in attendance on his Imperial Highness the Grand
Duke Constantine are, the General-Admiral and
the Svetlan. It is stated by the officers of these
vessels that it is the intention of the Grand Duke
to reduce the number of guns on board the General-
Admiral to 50, and to substitute for those she has
on board 60-pounders, 71 in. bore—guns of a much
heavier calibre. The cers of the squadron render
unqualified praise to the Mersey's appearance as a
war frigate.
The members of the National Defence Commis-
sion arrived at the George Hotel, Portsmouth, on
Friday last. On Saturday the commissioners em-
barked on board the Fire Queen, Master-Comman-
der Paul, and proceeded to the Solent to inspect
the western approaches to Spithead.
The screw steamship Edgar, 91, Neptune, 91, and
Imperieuse, 51, returned to Portland harbour last
Friday evening,.
The lighter Aid, Grundy master, sailed from
Plymouth on Friday with stores.
The paddlewheel steamsloop Hydra, 6, Comman-
der R. V. Hamilton, has been overhauled at Devon-
port ; several of her timbers have been found rotten.
The Turkish line-of-battle ship Shadia, 90, got
up steam in Keyham-basin on Friday, and pro-
ceeded into Hamoaze, alongside the sheerhulk,
where she receives her mainmast.
The gunboat Biter (tender to the Blenheim), from
Portland, arrived at Plymouth on Saturday evening.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Gorgon, 6, Com-
mander B. C. T. Pim, from the eastward, arrived
in Plymouth yesterday morning.
The Grand Duchess Maria of Russia and her
husband visited Devonport dockyard on Friday.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Firebrand, 6, Corn.
Denman, having had defects made good, steamed
from Hamoaze into Plymouth Sound on Saturday.
The crew of the screw steamship Donegal, 101,
Capt. Glanville, were paid advance of wages at
Plymouth on Friday, and on Saturday she left the
Sound for Liverpool to enter men, of whom she is
considerably deficient.
All ships in commission at Plymouth were dressed
in flags on Friday, in honour of Prince Albert's
birthday. The customary salutes were fired.
The Trinity steam yacht Argus arrived at Har-
wich from London about half-past 9 p.m. on Satur-
day, and had on board an experimental model of
Maillard's patent mechanical compass for steering
ships without needles or magnets. The instrument
was merely lashed in the rudest manner to the after
part of the paddle-box, and, notwithstanding the
great disturbing force thrown and acting on the
steering shaft of the instrument, which is immersed
in the water, it worked and gave the ship's course
with sufficient accuracy to establish the entire suc-
cess of the principle on which the compass is con-
structed, and to justify the inventor's guaranteeing
the perfect efficiency of his invention. These instru-
ments are meant to be used in the stern of the
vessel, and to stand on the deck, where the ordi-
nary compass stands at present ; but the inventor
selected the position in which his compass was
placed on board the Argus in order to put it to the
severest test, and to see it in operation under every
imaginable disadvantage. This compass can be used
on land, and bids fair to supersede the magnetised
needle wherever true bearings are required.
Mr. J. Flanagan was on Saturday appointed ad-
ditional surgeon to the Victory ; and Mr. G. P.
Rickcord, paymaster, as secretary to Rear-Admiral
Elliott.