The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-04 00:00:00

Letters received from Buenos Ayres and Monte-
video state that her Majesty's ships Ardent and
Oberon sailed from the former port to Rosario on
November 16. The Admiral, Sir Stephen Lushing-
ton, and Mr. Thornton, the British Minister, were
on board the Ardent: The Spanish brig of war
General Valdez sailed for Montevideo November
18. Her Majesty's ship Leopard and the French
gunboat Fulmnante were at Buenos Ayres on the
27th of November. There was a light pampero on
the 25th, which only lasted 12 hours. The follow-
ing men-of-war were at Montevideo on the 30th of
November :—Her Majesty's ship Buzzard, Brazilian
corvette Imperial Marinheiro, 18 guns, and two
Brazilian gunboats ; Spanish brig General Valdez,
20 guns, and Spanish gunboat Concordia ; French
brig Beaumauoir, 14 guns ; American despatch-
boat Pulawski. The French mail steamer Sain-
tonge arrived at Montevideo from Rio de Janeiro
at 4 p.m. on the 29th. A very strong wind was
blowing at Montevideo on the morning of the 28th,
which moderated towards noon, and was followed
by a light south-easterly breeze and fine weather
on the 29th and 30th. A letter from Rio reports
that about five hours after the mail steamer Mersey
left Montevideo, at noon on the 30th of November,
she passed the French brig Rocher de St. Mato steer-
ing for that port: The Mersey had calms and fine
weather between Montevideo and Rio de Janeiro.

The Edgar, 91, screw, Capt. James Katon, bear-
ing the flag of Rear-Admiral J. E. Erskine, is fill-
ing up provisions in Portsmouth Harbour, and as
soon as complete will, it is expected, proceed to
Spithead. The Immortalite, 51, screw, Capt. G.
Hancock, is expected to proceed out of harbour
to Spithead to-morrow. The St. George, 91, screw,
Capt. Hon. Francis Egerton, is hourly expected at
Spithead, where his Royal Highness Prince Alfred
will join on appointment and return from leave. It

is stated to be the intention of her Majesty to hon-
our Captain Egerton with a visit on board his
noble ship at Spithead prior to her departure, on
the embarcation of his Royal Highness Prince Al-
fred for the North America and West India stations.
The following ships are in the steam basin at
Portsmouth :—The Bulldog, 6, paddle, Commander
H. F. MEillop. refitting for Channel service ; the
Philomel, 5, screw, Commander Wildman, fitting
out for service on the West Coast of Africa; the
Sutlej, 51, screw, in the hands of steam reserve;
the Osborne, paddle yacht, Master-Commander
Bower, making good defects ; the Rinaldo, 17,
screw, and the Cockatrice, 2, gunboat, fitting out
for first-class steam reserve and expected com-
mission ; the Volcano, paddle,:completing outfit
as a floating factory ; and the Coquette, com-
pleting at the hands of the shipwright depart-
ment. In the steam basin dock, the Euryalus, 51,
screw, is in the hands of the shipwrights. In the
ship basin are the Duke of Wellington, 131, screw,
overhauling and refitting at the hands of the steam
reserve ; the Camperdown, three-decked coal depot,
completing her steam machinery at the hands of
the factory department. In the ship basin docks
are the Meteor, iron-cased floating battery, stripped
of her iron shell, and repairing beams, timbers, &c.;
the Prince Regent, 91, converting from a sailing
ship to what will be a very slow screw ; the Rosa-
mond, 6, paddle, and the Tribune, screw frigate,
both undergoing very extensive repairs.

The screw steamship St. George, 90, Capt. the
lion. F. Egerton, left Plymouth Sound on IVednes-
day evening, at 8 o'clock, for Spithead.

The screw steam frigate Ariadne, 26, Capt. Van.
aittart, went yesterday from Hamoaze into Ply.
mouth Sound.

Topgallant masts have been pointed on board the
screw steam frigate Narcissus, 51, Capt. Risk, at
Plymouth.

The Cygnet, 5, screw, yesterday made a second
experimental trial with the common screw at the
measured mile in Stokes Bay.
Her Majesty's gunboats Britomart and Wizard,
built at Newcastle-on-Tyne, and fitted out at Wool-
wich, sailed yesterday, in charge of Mr. Hail, com-
manding the steam reserve at Woolwich, for Sheer-
ness, to be laid up in ordinary at that station.

The iron paddle -wheel steamvessel Trident, having
been completely renovated at Woolwich, and masted
and rigged for service, is under orders for the steam
reserve at Portsmouth:

The paddle-wheel steamsloop Driver, having been
thoroughly overhauled at Woolwich, and having
undergone considerable repuirs, was yesterday con-
signed to the master rigger to be completed for tha
steam reserve.

The steam sloop Devastation, in basin at Wool-
wich, having assumed the appearance of an entirely
new vessel, is ordered to be masted and rigged for

service.
The Albatros, No. 56 hired sailing transport, Cap-
tain Pearson, arrived at Spitheadyesterclay with 165
naval invalids, seamen and marines, from Hong-
kong, from which port she sailed on the 19th July
last, calling in at the Mauritius and the Cape of
Good Hope, and sailing from Simon's Bay finally
for England on November 5. Fine weather was
experienced throughout the passage until near-
ing the -Western Islands, since which time the
ship has had a full share of the late
tempestuous weather. The naval invalids were
yesterday transferred from the ship at Spithead to
the Pigmy steam tender, and by her conveyed into
the harbour to the Victory flagship, whence all
cases requiring such treatment were forwarded to
Hasler Hospital. 15 deaths have occurred on the
passage home. The ship has 200 tons of Govern-
ment stores on board, and will be towed into the
harbour this morning from Spithead for their dis-
charge. Many sailing transports have been en-
gaged at so much per ton per month by the autho-
rities in India to meet the exigencies of the late
China war.
Admiralty instructions were yesterday received
at 'Woolwich dockyard for an official trial of Mr.
D. K. Clark's patent apparatus for the prevention
of smoke. The apparatus is ordered to be applied
for experiments on board her Majesty's ship Vivid.
The merits of the invention consist in its peculiar
method of introducing a regulated supply of air
into the furnaces above the fuel by means of jets
of steam, and the thorough admixture of the air
with the gases for combustion, by which means the
absorption of the smoke and the destruction of the
nuisance are in no way regulated by the negli-
gence or attention and care of the stokers, but are
governed solely by the power and utility of the
apparatus.
The following appcintments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. H. T. Marsden, to
the Nile, additional, for disposal; J. I'. Bedford,
midshipman to the Ariadne ; J. F. Loney, master
to the Narcissus; and Augustus Mills is promoted
to the rank of the first class assist.-engineer in the
Arrogant.