The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-12 00:00:00

The following is an extra et from a letter received
from the Espoir, 5, screw., Commander Douglas,
dated at Lagos, Nov. 5 We have, ust arrived
on our return from the expli )ring expedition up the
Niger. The Prometheus is 1 jing here, inside where
she got with some difficulty.. Bedingfield is senior
officer protecting Lagos, wh ere we have hoisted our
flag, making it a British poi session. We are ordered
to Ascension to recruit health, having now 20 sick
out of our crew of GO. We had a dispute in the
Niger with five villages or towns, situate on each
side of the stream, and known by the name of the
Kjetoma. We destroyed them in about an hour,
with the loss of two men on our side killed in the
commander's gig. Our victory had an excellent
effect on many other hostile places near the river,
and rendered their chiefs and occupants exceedingly
civil, except at a large town about 140 miles from
the sea, sometimes termed Eboe. Here they were
excessively insolent; but as the town mustered over
10,000 iahabitants, it was deemed advisable to allow
their insolence to pass without notice for the pre-
sent. The highest point we reached in the river was
a place called Onitcha. We remained there for a
month. Our convoy in the meantime (the trading
ship Sunbeam) went on to the confluence of the
rivers, and communicated with Dr. Baikie, the Af-
rican explorer, who has been in this part of Africa
for some years. On the.return of the Sunbeam we
came down the river again as quickly as possible,
and are very glad to find ourselves here, and _under
orders for Ascension. We were in the Niger alto-
gether 81 days. Our commander is about knocked
up by his cruise, and for the past week has lived,
as, indeed, some others of us have done, upon a cup
of arrowroot and a bit of dry toast daily."
The Himalaya, screw troopship, Commander J.
Seccombe, will embark to-day, at Portsmouth, the
troops for Halifax and the West Indies, as already
detailed in The Sun.

The Firebrand, 6, paddle, Commander James M.
Bruce, sailed from Spithead yesterday afternoon
for the westward. The Phaeton, 50, screw, Capt.
E. Tatham, remained at anchor last evening. Mr.
Bonner, chief engineer, is ordered to join the ves-
sel prior to her departure.

The Stromboli, 6, paddle, and the Vigilant, 6,
screw, in the first class of the reserve at Portsmouth,
are both completing their sea store of fuel for com-
mission. The Stromboli is reported as about to be
commissioned by Capt. Wilmot, late of the Ship
Ventilating Committee, for special service on the
coast of Africa.

Yesterday Admiral Johnstone minutely examined
the Wellesley, 74, guardship at Chatham, and all
the alterations in progress for adapting her to the
purpose for which she is intended—that of a training
ship. The number of boys now on board is 96, but
as soon as the alterations are completed that num-
ber will be increased to 250. After inspecting the
vessel the whole of the boys were assembled on the
quarter-deck, where they went through the cutlass
drill in presence of the Admiral. After spending
nearly two hours on board the Wellesley, Admiral
Johnstone proceeded to the dockyard, where he
transacted business with Capt.Fanshawe,the super-
intendent.

Orders have been received at the Convict Esta-
blishment, Chatham, for a party of 140 convicts to
'embark at the Nore, on board the hired convict trans-
port Lord Dalhousie, for Gibraltar, where they will
be employed on the Government works, which are
being executed at that station. A military guard,
selected from the 6th Regiment, will proceed in
charge of them.

Yesterday, the Admiralty transport Sinbad arrived
at Chatham Dockyard, from Woolwich, and landed
the funnel and a portion of the machinery for the
paddlewheel steamer Salamis, 4, building at Chat-
ham.

The repairs of the screw steam frigate Emerald,
Capt. A. Cumming,, at Plymouth, are ordered to
be completed forthwith. She would have been
placed in the basin at Keyham Steamyard yester-
day, but for the boisterous state of the weather.

The crew of the Centurion, 80, at Plymouth, are
ordered to be paid off. The ship will be placed all
standing in the first division of,:the steam reserve.
She is fully stored for foreign service, and will, no
doubt, be recommissioned with a picked crew.
Admiralty orders have been received at Chatham,
directing none of the gunboats belonging to the
steam reserve at that port are to be reported fit for
foreign service unless they have been fitted with a
condenser and air pumps.