The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-28 00:00:00

111 E NAVY.

VALETTA, Nov. 22.—The fleet, which was joined
on Saturday last by the Algiers, 91, Capt, E. B.
Rice, and the Agamemnon, 91, Capt. T. Hcpe,
both from Boyrout, and on Tuesday by the Han-
nibal, 91, Capt. A. Farquhar, from Corfu, has
almost completed refitting and receiving the new
Armstrong guns, of which the line-of-battle ships
aro each to be furnished with four, i.e., two
100-pounders and two 40-pounders, the former,
in lieu of the 68-pounders, 95 cwt., previously
carried on the forecastle, and the latter in place of
an equal number of 32-pounders, 42cwt., on the
quarterdeck. The ships had previously undergone
a strict survey of their ordnance, the result of which
was that many gnus had been sent on shore to be
revented. The Algiers and Agamemnon are refit-
ting, and the latter vessel received her Armstrong
guns on WednEsday. The Hannibal is preparing
to return to England, although she has been only
two years and a half in commission. She has been
since her arrival lauding serviceable guns and spare
stores for the use of the fleet. She is expected to
sail on Monday next. The Mars, 80, Capt. N.
Strange, is being caulked. Tho rest of the men-of-
war in port—namely, the Marlborough, 131; the
Queen, 86, Capt. C. F. Ilillyar ; the Neptune, 80,
Capt. G. T. P. Hornby ; the Firefly, 4, surveying
vessel, Commander A. L. Mansell ; and the Sur-
prise, 4, Commander W. H. Whyte, are ready for
sea. A melancholy accident occurred on Tuesday
morning on board the Marlborough, which un-
happily resulted in the death of a promising young
officer. While the Marlborough was exercising at
stations, Mr. W. B. Inman, midshipman, aged 19,
fell from the maintop, striking the rigging and a
lower deck port in his descent, and finally falling
into the sea. He was promptly picked up and
taken on board, but was found to be so seriously

,njured as to render his immediate conveyance to

the Naval Hospital at Bighi necessary. There,
however, every assistance was unavailing, and the
unfortunate young gentleman expired in the course
of the afternoon. A court-martial assembled on the
20th inst. on board her Majesty's ship Hibernia, at
which Capt, G. T. P. Hornby, presided, to try
Lieut. Denny, of her Majesty's ship Marlborough,
upon the charge of drunkenness, The court found
the prisoner guilty, and sentenced him to be dis-
missed the ship, and placed at the bottom of the list,
there to remain for two years. Her Majesty's ship
Amphion, 36, Capt. T. F. Birch, was inspected on
Wednesday last by the Capt. of the Fleet, Rear-Ad-
miral S. C. Dacres, and left port this morning for
Syracuse, with money for her Majesty's ship James
Watt, 91, Capt. E. Codd. From Syracuse, it is
said, the Amphion will proceed to Messina to re-
lieve the Victor Emmanuel, 91, Captain W. J. C.
Clifford, C. 8., which vessel :will probably re-
turn to Malta. Her Majesty's gunboat Fox-
hound, 4, Commander the Hon. A. C. Hobart,
arrived from Corfu last night. She left at anchor
there on the 19th inst. her Majesty's ship London,
90, Capt. H. Chads, the Liffey, 51, Capt. G. W.
Preedy, C. 8., and the Wanderer, 4, Commander W.
C. Seymour, as also the Scylla, 21, Capt. R. Lam-
bert, which had arrived from Taranto.
The Warrior, 40, iron frigate, Captain the Hon.
A. A. Cochrane, C. 8., commenced taking out her
powder and shell yesterday at Spithead. She will
go into Portsmouth harbour at high water to-mor-
row for the purpose of making good defects and
also to carry out what alterations in her fitting may
be determined upon by the Admiralty.
The Edgar, 89, screw, Capt. Mends, at Spithead,
is expected to sail about the 30th inst. for the Medi-
terranean, where it is said she will hoist the flag of
Rear-Admiral Dacres, as second in command of the
Mediterranean squadron.
The Shannon, 51, screw, first-class reserve at

Portsmouth, is taking on board as additional arma-
ment, four 40-pounder Armstrongs, and two 12-
pounders. The Stromboli, 6, paddle, also in the
first-class reserve at the port, is ordered to receive
one 100-pounder Armstrong, for her after pivot.
The transport C. B. Lemon, Captain Campbell,
arrived at Spithead last evening with naval and
military invalids from China in 152 days. Her
dates are Hong Kong, June 20 ; Anjer Point,
August 9; the Cape of Good Hope, September 21;
and St. Helena, October 16,

The operation of pumping the water out of the
steam basin of Portsmouth Dockyard has been
commenced and will be concluded by Friday. The
depth of the basin is ordered to be increased four
feet, the excavation commencing at that depth 25
feet from the foundations of the walls. The work
is contracted for by Messrs. Smith, of Pimlico,
the contractors for the new North Inlet, or No. 11
Dock, who have also contracted to lengthen by 70
feet the South Inlet, or No. 8 Dock, in which the
Glasgow frigate now lies.
Yesterday a new description of rivet-•making
machine for manufacturing the rivets required in
the construction of the iron frigate Achilles, 50,
arrived from Manchester at Chatham dockyard.
The saving in labour by the use of:this machine
is something extraordinary, the apparatus being
capable of turning out the rivets complete at the
rate of 40 to 60 per minute, with only two men to
attend to it.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. Henry Cardale to
the Satellite; R. P. Hiffernan, assistant-surgeon
to the Wellesley, for Melville Hospital ; John Hill,
paymaster, to the Dauntless, in lieu of clerk ; W.
B. Mainpriso, paymaster, to the Royal Adelaide,
in lieu of clerk; Arthur S. Ramsey, clerk, to the
Icarus.