The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-17 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

From Australian letters and papers which have
just been received at Chatham by the friends of'
officers belonging to her Majesty's missing ship
Sappho, 12, Commander Fairfax Moresby, some
intelligence has been obtained relative to the sup-
posed loss of that vessel. A few days previously to
the departure of the mail for England a letter had
been received at Melbourne by his Excellency the
Governor, from Commodore W. Loring, C. 8., of
her Majesty's ship Iris, 26, dated Sydney, Oct. 16,
1858, in which the Commodore reports that he had
just learnt from a merchant at Sydney that her
Majesty's sloop Sappho, 12, 'as spoken on the 18th
Feb. last, 20 miles south of Calt Nelson. Further
information was promised, but had not been re-
ceived at the date of -the departure of the mail.
Commodore Loring states that he loelie4d the in-
formation to be correot, and that the inference was
that the Sappho had either foUndered at sea,' dr.
that she had been wrecked in the vicinity of King's`
Island, which lies immediately in her track from
the Cape of Good Hope to Bass's Straits. The first
supposition—that the vessel had foundered at sea—
was not entertained by nautical men in Australia,
as none of her Majesty's ships are ever allowed to
go to sea in a sinking state, and from the fact that
the missing ship was spoken so near the Australian
coast there is little doubt that she has been wrecked
on one of the islands, probably the one mentioned.
King's Island lies about 90 miles from Port Philip
Head, off Cape Otway ; it has no lighthouse upon
it, and is not believed to be inhabited. Hopes are
entertained that she might have gone ashore at the
spot indicated, and that some of her officers and
crew, which numbered 140, were saved. The Go-
vernor had given directions for the despatch of a
sloop-of-war from Melbourne to search along the
shore of King's Island and the adjacent coast for
any fragments of the missing ship, and also with
the hope of rescuing any of the crew who might be
found alive.

A letter from Malta, dated Jan. 10, says—" The
Medina surveying steamer, arrived from Cerigo on
the 2d inst. The Coquette steam gun-vessel left for
Candia on the 3d. The Caradoc, steam vessel,
which left for Cagliari on the 30th December, re-
turned on the sth January, and left again for the
same destination on the 10th with the India tele-
grams to be sent from Cagliari. Her Majesty's
steam-frigate Euryalus left for Tunis on the sth of
January, since which we have had no arrivals
thence."

Her Majesty's ship Shannon, 51 guns, Capt.
Francis Marten (acting) was paid off at Portsmouth
Dockyard on Saturday. Capt. George Henry Sey-
mour, C. 8., of the flagship Victory, was the officiat-
ing officer. The crew received £9,000 among them.
The warrant-officers, stewards, and petty officers
received certificates for good conduct.
Mer Majesty's store paddle-vessel Dee, Mr. Thos.
C. Pullen in command, arrived at Portsmouth from
Cork on Saturday, freighted with old stores and
provisions; she left Cork on Tuesday last. The
Racoon screw frigate, Capt. Pay-nter, was nearly
ready to come out of dock ; the Dee touched at
Plymouth on Thursday. The Victor Emmanuel,
91-gun screw, Capt. James Wilcox, was in the
Sound, with royal yards across, awaiting sea orders.
v
The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty, ; Commander Edward H. Shaw to
Victory;be lnspector
and
of
S.
theßar
nCeotat s, tG'r
Actingu a Guard service,A sss Assistant-Surgeon,
a n
t-iSce Scott,urgeon,
whose period of service has expired; Commander
J. W. Vaughan,- additional, Commander to the
additional, to the Impregnable.