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
PDonald, principal medical officer, assisted by
Staff :Surg. Daniel and Assist.-Surgs. White, Barne-
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, R.N.,
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
under 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 is owing to the suit-
ableness of the ship herself for such a purpose, she
being Mt. 6in, 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 •chairs 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 comfort 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, &c., 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-
ler 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 Roxana,
274 tons, for the Cape of Good Hope ; and the
Esmeralda, 144 tons, for St. Helena. The Manger-
ton, 964 tons, has Leen 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 01
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 building 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 Rattlesnake, 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, 91, 800-horsepower ; 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 td be supplied with new
boilers.

The Wildfire, paddlewheel steamer, has been
placed in the fourth dock 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
Roo. J. Carnegie, was removed on Monday from
Ratnoaze into Plymouth Sound. She will have
her Compasses adjusted there, and after receiving
her Powder will proceed to her station, Gibraltar,
for a tender to the Governor there.
The Lords of the Admiralty have called for a
-separate report of the expense at Devonport of fit-
ting up the cabins of the Narcissus, 51, Capt. Risk,
for the reception of Admiral Sir Baldwin Walker.
]pier bridge Wee removed at. the admiral's request.
The screw steamship Conqueror, 101, Capt. E. S.
Sibebtoy, at Plytam,th
, sent up lower yards and
topmasts, and cro
.opgallant and royal yards
,ye,terdfly,Tuesday.,

The leakage of the screw
Princess
itooti,? boot stopped, and
I loyal, 91, Capt. C. . Vellowes, is tom
Itt.ti,4thaat she may
ail necessary defects made
al m after her
not requiru to be r edocked at
trial should the won't log of the sh r Prove Blois.
fa, story.
Letters received at Nymouth from the Paddle.
wl ieel steam sloop J aydra, 6, Commander Riatut,a
V. Hamilton, state t teat on the 11th of March-she
was at Port Royal, 4,Jamaica, where she was ap.