The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-04 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The hospital screw steamship Mauritius, Capt. D.
Cruickshank, the arrival of which at Spithead on
Monday evening was briefly reported in The Sun
of yesterday, sailed from Hong Kong on'the Bth of
of January, Cape of Good Hope the 25th February,
and St. Vincent's the 18th March. She has brought
home 132 military and 55 naval invalids, many of
the former having greatly distinguished themselves
during the Indian mutiny and the Chinese war.
One soldier of the 85th Regiment wears the Victoria
Cross for deeds performed before Delhi. The inva-
lids on board are in medical charge of Surg.-Major
M'Donald, principal medical officer, assisted by
Staff •Surg. Daniel and Assist.-Surgs. White, Berne-
well, Kerans, and Murtaugh. The ship's passenger
list comprises Staff-Surg. Cunningham, Surg. Mor-
gan, R.N., Assist.-Surg. Fagan, R.N., Staff Assist.-
Surg. Longmore, Assist.-Surg. Hawkins, RN.,
Lieut. Gilmore, Ist Royals; Messrs. Collier and
Wilson, engineers, R.N. ; Purveyors Knapp and
Robertson, and Messrs. Chapman, Dawson, and
Becker. 31 men of the Army Hospital and Medical
Staff have been in attendance upon the sick during
the voyage. The passage home was fine up to the
Cape and thence to St. Vincent's, but from St. Vin-
cent's to Cape Finisterre strong northerly gales
were experienced, the ship for three days only mak-
ing 120 miles. The sea time of the Mauritius since
leaving Hong Kong has been only 71 days, she
having lain at anchor 10 days at the Cape of Good
Hope and three days at St. Vincent's. Two officers
(military) died on the passage—Lieut. Lawford, Ist
Sikh Cavalry, from dropsy contracted in North
China ; and Captain Cobham, 13th Light Infantry,
from dysentery contracted in British Caffraria.
The Mauritius brings four days' later news from
the Cape than was brought by the regular mail
steamer ; since her sailing thence the following
troopships left for England :—Cressy, Hougou-
mont, Macduff, and York. Her Majesty's steamers
Samson and Magicienne had also arrived from
China, and with her Majesty's ship Inflexible were
ender orders for England. The Sir William Peel
screw steam transport was at the Cape when the
Mauritius left, and would embark a portion of the
troops that were wrecked in the Miles Barton for
England. She was expected to leave in four or five
days after the Mauritius. Her Majesty's ship
Ariel, Commander Alexander, had not arrived out
at the Cape from England. The eleanliness and
admirable order in which the Mauritius arrived at
Spithead from her long voyage was beyond all
all praise. Much of this was due to the careful
manner in which she was specially fitted out under
the superintendence of Dr. Mapleton, Deputy-In-
spector-General of Hospitals, in January, 1860,
with all the equipments and requirements of an
ambulant hospital, and much istwing to the suit-
ableness of the ship herself for such a purpose, she
being aft. bin. in height between decks on the
lower deck, and 7ft. 10in. on her main deck, while
her large side scuttles, which were kept open even
in rough weather, materially assisted the ventila-
tion of the ship as carried out by the windsails and
bonnets through the deck. She has sleeping berths
for 208 invalids in three compartments, each com-
partment more resembling the roomy ward of an
hospital on shore than one on board a steamship,
each man having 300 cubic feet of space. The
roomy and well-stocked dispensary ; the orderly
state of the bedding, with the little luxuries pro-
vided for the men in the wards, such as a well-
assorted library, draughts, and solitaire, &c., with
arm Theirs for such as are enabled to walk about
the wards, to relieve them during the exercise, all
show that a considerable amount of forethought has
been at work, providing for the eomfort of the
invalid. The diet has been equally well attended
to, and a patent kneading-machine, with a baker in
charge, provided fresh bread every morning ; 145
days' salt and fresh provisions were put on board at
Hong Kong, with a plentiful supply of sheep,
fowls, vegetables, wine, &e., these four latter articles
being replenished at the Cape of Good Hope.
The provisioning of the invalids has been carried
out by the Government, the ship receiving so much
per ton per month for her services. Since her en-
gagement in June, 1860, she has had 1,072 sick
soldiers, marines, and seamen treated on board, and
out of this large number only 54 deaths have occurred.
Nearly two thirds of the men were suffering
from chronic tropical diseases—many of them in an
almost hopeless state. The mean range of the
thermometer between decks during the hottest
weather has been 82 deg. ; but this was only for a
very short time. Eight soldiers and five marines
and seamen died on the passage home from Hong
Kong, a much smaller proportion than had been
anticipated by the medical men in charge, on leav
ing for England. The military invalids requiring
hospital treatment were landed from the ship at the
dockyard yesterday, and conveyed to the mili-
tary hospital ; the remainder of the military
will disembark this morning. The naval invalids
were disembarked yesterday, 20 being sent to Has•
lar Hospital, and 32 to H.M.S. Victory.
The following vessels have been chartered by the
Government and the Hon. Council for India, for the
conveyance of stores to India and the colonies—
viz., the Accrington, 1,931 tons, the Maria Hay,
924 tons, the Mahratta, 773 tons, and the Thomas
Sparks, 497 tons, for Calcutta ; the Howden, 1,018
tons, for Bombay ; the Edmund Graham, 887 tons,
for Madras ; the Avon, 645 tons, for Ceylon ; the
Earl of Mar, 422 tons, for Wellington ; the Hero
of the Nile, 356 tons, for Algoa. Bay ; the Rosana,
274 tons, for the Cape of Good Hope ; and the
Esmeralda, 144 tons, for St. Helena. The Manger-
ton, 964 tons, has been taken up for the convey-
ance of emigrants to Moreton Bay.
No further discharge of hired smiths will, it is
understood, be made at Chatham dockyard, but
those now working at that establishment who have.
received notice to leave the dockyard will be trans-
ferred to the Achilles, iron-cased steamer, about
being commenced. The number of smiths who will
be employed on the Achilles will be upwards of
1,000.

The whole of the shipwrights and artificers em-
ployed on the Royal Oak, 91, and Bulwark, 91,
line of battle screw steamers building at Chatham
dockyard, have been taken off those vessels and dis-
persed among the other ships now founding and
converting, in order to expedite their completion;
The screw steamers ordered to be launched from
Chatham dockyard during the next financial year
are the Rattlestake, 22, 400 horse power ; the
Reindeer, 17, 200-horse power, and the Myrmidon,
4,250-horse power.
The following steamvessels are now in the steam
basin at Sheerness, fitting for the steam reserve :
The Anson, 91a, 800-horse power ; the Barossa, 22,
400-horse power ; the Leander, 51, 400. horse
power ; and the Lizard, 1, iron paddlewheel
steamer, making good defects. It is expected that
the Lizard will required to be supplied with new
boilers.

The Wildfire, paddlewheel steamer, has been
placed in the fourth deck at Sheerness, to have her
defects made good.
The Newcastle, 51, 600-horse power, in the third
dock at' Sheerness, is ordered to be fitted for the
third division of the steam reserve on the Medway.
The screw steam gunboat Procris, 3, Lieut. the
lion. J. Carnegie,
t was removed on Monday from
liaraeooazepaisn o Plymouth Sound. She will have
her
her
powder
sladjusted there, and after receiving
for a tender toi will proceed to her station, Gibraltar,
the
ehGovernor there.
The LoLds of
separate report of teh Admiralty have called for a
of the
expense at Devonport of fit-
ting up the cabin,
the Narcissus, 51, Capt. Risk,
for the reception of Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker.
Her bridge
was removed at the admiral's request.
The screw steamship Conqueror 101 101, Capt. E. S.
Shebtoy, at Plymouth, so
P
lower yards and
topmasts, and crossed topgallantu and royal yards
yesterday, Tuesday.
The leakage of the screw steamship Princess
Royal, 91, Capt. C. Feilowes, is to be
stopped' and
all necessary defects made good, so that sue
after may h
not require to be redocked at Keyham
er
trial should the working of the shaft prove satis.
factory.
Letters received at Plymouth from the paddle.
wheel steam sloop Hydra, 6, Commander Richard
V. Hamilton, state that on the 11th of March she
was at Port Royal, Jamaica, where she was ap-

pointed to wait the arrival of Rear-Admiral of the
Blue Sir A. Milne, K.C.8., who was expected there
on the 15th or 18th, in the screw steamship Nice,
90, Capt. E. K. Barnard. The screw steamship St.
George, 91, Capt. the Hon. F. Egerton, with his
Royal Highness Prince Alfred, was looked for at
Port Royal on the Ist of April. Should Admiral
Milne determine to send the Hydra home, she will
probably be supplied with a convoy. The screw
steam corvette Cadmus, Capt. H. S. Hillyar, C. 8.,
left Jamaica on the 12th of March for Greytown,
but was appointed to return in ten days to meet
the Commander-in-Chief of the station.
The paddlewheel steam sloop Buzzard, 6, at
Devonport, is stripped, and is ready to have her
masts taken out. Report says that she is to be put
out of commission to-morrow.
Rear-Admiral Mundy, C. 8., sailed on the 28th
ult. from Malta in the Hannibal, 91, Capt. Farquhar,
for Beyrout, to take command of the division of the
fleet assembling on the coast of Syria.
In order to afford still greater protection to the
important dockyards at Chatham and Sheerness an
additional line of fortifications is to be effected at
the entrance to the Medway, the preparations for
which have commenced. The new line of defences
will consist of casemated batteries, bomb proof, and
all armed with 68-pounders and 10-inch guns of
the heaviest calibre. It is also proposed to mount
guns, en barbette, above the casemates, which will
materially add to the strength of the works, and,
with the present extensive system of fortifications,
render the entrance to the Medway almost impas-
sable.

Yesterday the floating battery Thunderbolt, 16,
200-horse power, was towed into Chatham harbour,
by two steamers, and placed alongside the sheer-
hulk, for the purpose of receiving her guns on
board and ;being fitted for service in the Thames.
She commenced shipping her guns yesterday from
the gunwharf, her armament consisting of 16 68-
pounders, each of 95 cwt. complete. It is expected
that she will be placed at Thornshead Point on the
Kent coast ; and the Etna will be stationed at Coal
house Point on the Essex coast, which is a few
miles below Gravesend, to protect the River Thames.
The Admiralty transport Aid has been placed in
the second dock at Chatham, where she is making
good the injuries she sustained on the recent occa-
sion of her running ashore in the neighbourhood of
Beechy Head during her voyage from Chatham to
the western ports.
Mr. W. H. Ward, of Auburn, United States of
America, inventor of the new system of Admiralty
signals, yesterday attended at the Dockyard,Wool-
wich, and superintended the stringing and attach-
ing the working lines to the sets of lanterns already
received for the fleet, which will be forthwith de-
spatched to the Channel division in coirmand of
Rear-Admiral Stuart, K.H. In directing the
Fisgard's signalmen as to the method of operating,
Mr. Ward remarked that the one hoist signals
would be quite sufficient for all practical naval
purposes for any fleet, however large, while the
working lines would be used for promiscuous tele-
graphing generally. An official trial having been
made by order of the Board of Admiralty to ascer-
tain the relative consumption of the old and new
systems, it was proved that a saving of 145 per
cent. was effected by the introduction of the new
system, at the same time affording a more distant
and comprehensive- signal, a report of which has
been accordingly forwarded for their lordships'
satisfaction. A number of double-burner signal
lanterns are in course of manufacture for special
purposes upon the same principle, the present ones
being supplied with single burners only.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Dr. J. A. Yule, assist.-surg.,
confirmed, in the Meander ; Francis E. Julian,
promoted to the rank of acting third-class assist.-
engineer, in the Centaur ; G. L. D. P. Keeling,
promoted to the rank of acting first-class assist.-
engineer, in the Jason ; W. C. Brewer, promoted to
the rank of acting second-class assist.-engineer, to
the Asia, as supernumerary ; S. G. Hill, third-class
assist.-engineer, to the Hornet ; J. Lyon, paymas-
ter, to the Hawk ; W. W. Blayney, assist.-pay-
master, to the Conqueror ; W. H. Whichelo, assist.-
paymaster, to the Sanepareil ; E. A, Burmiston,
assiss.-paymaster, to the Ajax ; J. D. Harvey, clerk,
to the Impregnable, as supernumerary; and E. P.
Williams, assist.-clerk, to the Conqueror.