The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-07 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

The following letter, dated Valetta, Dec. 31, is
from a Malta correspondent :

" Her Majesty's gunboat Assurance came in yes-
terday from Corfu. By her I have received the
follow ing in a letter from that island :--

" ' Corfu, Dec. 27.
,g The Orion sailed into harbour this morning
from Meats., and will probably be the cause of the
Caesar proceeding to Naples ; the commander of this
vessel has been invalided. The Mars and the London
are still absent from this place ; the former is at
Zante, and the latter at Cephalonia, and probably
will remain there some time. There have been two
deaths in the fleet within the last few days, but on
the whole the health of both the troops and navy is
very good indeed. On Christmas-day the ships in
port—namely, the Marlborough, the Neptune, the
Caesar, and the James Watt—were decorated with
flags, evergreens, &c., and presented a very gay
spectacle ; and as for good cheer, the sailors had it
in abundance.' "

A court-martial assembled on Saturday morning
on board her Majesty's ship Victory, at Portsmouth,
to try Augustus Bell, one of the carpenter's crew on
board her Majesty's ship Castor, training-ship for
the naval reserve at North Shields, on the following
charges—viz., first, for having, between the 7th of
Oetober and 14th of December, 1860, feloniously
taken sundry sheets of copper, the property of her
Majesty ; secondly, for neglect of duty when placed
in charge of the carpenter's store-room of that ship,
whereby the copper was lost and stolen. The court
consisted of Rear-Admiral J. E. Erskine, President,
and the captains of vessels in commission at the
port, with Mr. W. J. llellyer as Deputy-Judge
Advocate. After hearing the evidence, the Court
decided that the first charge was not proved; and
with regard to the second charge, that there was
zo proof that the copper was lost or stolen daring
the time the prisoner had charge of the store-room;
and the Court therefore adjudged him to be
acquitted.

The Immortalite, 51, screw frigate, Capt. George
Hancock, steamed out of Portsmouth harbour on
Saturday and anchored with the fleet at Spithead,
exchanging the usual honorary salutes with the Vic-
tory, flagship of the Commander-in-Chief, Vice-
Admiral IL W. Bruce.

The Desperate, 7, screw, Commander J. F. Ross,
joined the ships at Spithead on Saturday morning
from Portland.

The leave of absence of the crew of the steamship
Donegal, 101, Capt. Henry Broadhead, at Ply-
mouth, will expire on the 13th inst.

The screw steamship Hero, 90, at Plymouth, is
not to be supplied with wire rigging, but only stays
and bobstays of wire; her rigging is rattled down.
The artizans of Keyham Sceamyard are over-
hauling the valves of the 'crew steam frigate
Phoebe, which will probably be coppered to her
deep water line.

Naval officers and seamen belonging to the ships
of war at Plymouth are daily instructed in the use
of the Armstrong gun, on beard the Foudroyant,
which has four of those pieces mounted. The in-
structors are supplied by the gunnery ship Cam-
bridge, 42, Capt. Arthur Jerningham, in Hamoaze.
Excavations are being made at the Mount Wise
Redoubts, Devonport, for constructing the founda-
tions for platforms for heavy pivot guns, three of
which are to be mounted, one at each angle.
The screw steamship Howe, 121, at Plymouth, is
receiving a coating of paint, stone colour, like that
used for ships laid up in ordinary, by which it ap-
pears that there is no intention on the part of the
Lords of the Admiralty to put her into commission
immediately.

The screw steam sloop Flying Fish, 6, Comman-
der Hope, in Plymouth Sound, has taken on board
her powder.

In consequence of the whole of the docks at Cha-
tham being atipreseut occupied and none likely to
be vacant for some time to come, Admiralty orders
were received at the dockyard yesterday, directing
the screw frigate Undaunted, 51 guns, which was
launched on the Ist lust., to be navigated round to
the Thames, and placed in the Victoria dock, where
she will be at once fitted with her engines and
machinery by Messrs. Ravenhill and Co.

Mr. Frederick Cleave, C. 8., paymaster, R.N.,
late secretary to Rear-Admiral Charles. Talbot, in
command at Queenstown, is appointed Steward of
Greenwich Hospital, in the room of Mr. John
Elliott, R.N.

The following appointments were made on Satur-
day at the Admiralty :—Commander B. G. W.
Nicolas to the Trident, commissioned ; Lieut. Henry
Waller to the St. Jean d'Acre ; Lieut. R. Forrest
to the Arrogant, additional for disposal; William
Buchan, chief engineer, to the Fisgard, for service
in the Warrior; John Oliver, chief engineer, to the
Indus, for service in the Orlando; Wm. M. Biden,
chief engineer, to the Fisgard, for service in the
Undaunted; Conrad L. W. Lagrange, assist.-clerk,
to the Cumberland ; Charles Langley, assist.•clerk,
to the Hogue ; and Edward L. Bisson, waist-clerk,
to the Majestic.