The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-23 00:00:00

TILE NAVY.

The following order has been issued by Vice-
Admiral 11. W. Bruce, Naval Commander-in-Chief
at Portsmouth, dated the 19th inst.:—
"With reference to the 36th and 37th clauses of
the Admiralty Circular No. 438, their lordships
have acquainted me that men serving in the ships
at this port, desirous of remitting money to them-
selves, or of receiving in person the money they
have requested to remit, may be paid in cash, re-
serving at least one month's wages in hand."
In accordance with this order the crew of her
Majesty's ship Victory have been paid to the end
of March, less a month's full wages and odd money,
and the other ships in harbour will follow.

The Cruiser, 17, screw, Commander J.Bythesea,
K.C., arrived at Spithead yesterday from the China
station, last from Falmouth. On anchoring she
exchanged the customary salutes with her Majesty's
ship Victory, the flagship of the Commander-in -
Chief.' Her Majesty's paddlewheel steamer Sampson
was lying at St. Helena when the Cruiser left there
for England, and was to follow the same day. She
may therefore be hourly expected to arrive.
The Marlborough, 131, screw, Captain W. H.
Stewart, fitting out at Portsmouth as flagship for
the Mediterranean, is scraping outside, from her
copper upwards, after caulking, fitting hammock
nettings, &c., and carrying out repairs above the
water-line, preparatory to going into dock.
The Fancy gunboat, which has been nearly re-
built in No. 6 dock at Portsmouth, will be un docked
to-day.

The Duncan, 101, screw two-decker, will, should
there be water sufficient, be placed in No. 8 steam
basin dock at Portsmouth to-day, to ship her three-
bladed experimental iron screw.

The Edgar, 91, screw, Capt. James Raton, flag-
ship of Rear-Admiral J. E. Erskine, second in com-
mand of the Channel fleet, took on board yester-
day at Spithead her apportioned complement of
Armstrong guns, consisting of one 100-pounder
and two 40-pounders. The Trafalgar, 91, screw,
will receive two 40-pounders at Spithead to-day.
The Melbourne, late screw hospital transport, was
discharged from Government service at Portsmouth
on Saturday, and yesterday removed from the har-
bour to Spithead. The Tasmania and Athlete,
sailing transports, lately arrived at the same port
Gin- China, have also been discharged from Go-
vernment service.

The Defiance, 91, from Pembroke, in tow of the
Lightning, arrived at Plymouth yesterday, and re-
ported the capsized derelict ship 14 miles south-
west of the Lizard, on which Port Admiral Sir
Houston Stewart despatched the steam sloop Bull-
dog to remove the dangerous obstruction from the
channel. After coaling, the Lightning followed the
Bulldog, Ever since Friday, 12th inst., the fishing
cutters Falcon and Baron, aided by the merchant
steam vessel Raleigh, have been vainly endeavour-
ing, against strong contrary winds, to tow the
wreck into port. A second derelict, with masts
standing and sails flying, is said to be in the
Channel.

The paddlewheel steamer Adder, Mr. J. Minebin,
master commander, tender to the "Wellesley, 72,
guardship of ordinary at Chatham, left Chatham
harbour yesterday morning for Shoeburyness, hav-
ing in tow one of the dockyard lighters laden with
a new description of copper armour-plates for the
exterior of vessels of war, the Government having
directed some experiments to be made upon them at
Shoeburyness, in order to ascertain the powers of
the new metal plates in resisting the effects of shot.

Yesterday the workmen at Chatham dockyard
commenced the removal of the temporary shed
erected over the stern portion of the line-of-battle
ship Bombay, Si, in the fourth dock, preparatory
to that vessel being undocked. She is to be fitted
with a pair of 200-horse power trunk engines, by
Messrs. Humphreys, Tennent, and Co., a portion of
the machinery of which has already arrived at the
dockyard. The after-piece of the shaft has been
fixed in its place, as well as some other portion of
the gear connected with the working of her screw.
The shaft itself weighs 5 tons 1 cwt.
The screw corvette Rattlesnake, 21 guns, build-
ing under the first shed in Chatham dockyard, is
being rapidly brought forward for launching, and
an extra number of hands have been put upon her
to expedite her completion.
his Netherlands Majesty's screw steam corvette
Medusa, 6, Capt. Nos, from Batavia, which has been
several days windbound in Plymouth Sound, sailed
on Sunday afternoon for Flushing.
Her Majesty's floating steam battery Trusty, one
of the six enormous contract vessels of that class,
built during the Crimean war, and. recently for-
warded from Chatham to Woolwich to be fitted with
Capt. Coles's method of protection from the enemy's
guns, was yesterday officially inspected in basin at
-Woolwich dockyard, by Capt. Eden, C. 8., one of
the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, for the
purpose of examining the timbers, which have been
cut through the upper deck, for the reception of
the monster shield and its appurtenances. The six-
inch planking and portions of the supporting beams,
which have been cut through to form a circle for
the reception and base of the huge platform about
to be erected, were found covered with fungus, and
were eaten through with dry rot, each piece pre-
senting that soft spongy appearance already de-
seribed in other vessels, and rendering the timbers
totally unfit for use. The decision of the Admiralty
relative to the fate of the Trusty is awaited with
considerable interest.

A brutal attack was yesterday morning made by
a party of convicts employed in the Chain-cable
store of Portsmouth dockyard on the two warders
who had them in charge, and but for the prompt
assistance which arrived to the warders there is
every reason to believe it would have ended in their
murder. It appears that it is the custom to station
the worse characters among the convicts at their
work in the Chain-cable store, the work of remov-
ing the chains from one portion of the store to the
other being heavier than the average dockyard
convict labour. A gang of 26 were thus employed
yesterday morning, in charge of two warders named
Lawrence and Edson. The latter hearing an un-
usual noise behind him looked round, and saw that
the convicts were rushing at Lawrence, and strik-
ing him with the iron hooks, which are about three
feet long, with which they had been moving the
chain cables. Edson at once rushed to the assis-
tance of Lawrence, but found Lawrence down on
his back and was himself overpowered; he, however,
made his escape from the midst of his assailants,
and, getting out by the south door of the building,
shouted for help. This door opens directly on the
south quay. alongside which is the gridiron for the
reception of small craft, and on which at the time
was luckily her Majesty's screw revenue schooner
Argus, with her crew employed in scrubbing
her copper. The warder was seen and his
cries heard and understood from the schooner's
deck, and in a few moments a party of some 25
seamen arrived with their cutlasses, headed by two
officers of the vessel, dashed into the store, and
confronted the convicts, who were completely
alarmed by the sudden appearance of so large a
body of armed men. Three of them, however, left
the building before they could be got hold of, while
one hardened ruffian, who stood in advance of his
wretched companions, jeered at the seamen as they
entered, and dared them to do their worst. This
extremity Was, hoymer, Ayvided by the covict4

surrendering themselves in time to save life, for the
seamen were getting exasperated. • Lawrence, the
warder, was found on his back on some chain cable,
and much injured. He was at once taken to the
surgery, where he was examined, and found to have
received a revere wound in ►he centre of the fore-
head from the point of one of the chain hooks, with
several other severe bruises on the face and different
parts of his body, but happily none are likely to
prove dangerous. His life may be said to have
been saved solely by the prompt and unexpected
arrival of the armed crew of the Argus. A gang
of prisoners were employed in the testing-;rouse
adjoining the cable store, and these, under their
warders, marched into the store and assisted the
men from the Argus in convoying the gang who
had committed the outrage to the convict prison at
the north part of the yard. Three of the convicts
who left the store on the first appearance of men
from the Argus were still absent, and Kirby, a
labourer in the store, with one of the seamen,
started off in search of tl em, and found them a
short distance off, two having chain hooks in their
hands, and the other one a hammer. They at first
refused to listen to any one, but at length one, who
appeared to be their leader, handed his chain hook
to Kirby, and the other two, throwing their wea-
pons on the ground, they all expressed these '•
ness to accompany Kirby and the seamen to the
convict prison, which they did, when they were
taken charge of by the authorities. In addition to
the four ringleaders who were thus secured before
the gang's arrival at the prison, three others were
afterwards recognised by Edson as having taken a
prominent part in the outrage. The name of the
supposed ringleader is stated to be Simpson.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Peter Erskine, acting
third-class assistant engineer, to the Cumberland as
supernumerary ; John T. Wells, paymaster, to the
Renown ; William G. McKnight, paymaster, to
the Amphion ;. and Alfred H. Riddell, clerk to the
Victory, as secretary's clerk.