The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-23 00:00:00

Minister of the Navy Department, wholly responsi-
ble for the management of the dockyards, which are
to be conducted as much as possible on the model of
an ordinary manufacturing establishment. He is to
appoint a Controller-General practically acquainted
with the business. This latter is to appoint the
Superintendents of the Dockyards, and they in their
turn the subordinate officials, in both cases subject to
the approval of the Minister. The other arrange-
ments proposed are of much the same character, all
tending to concentrate the responsibility on the
Minister himself and alone. It is proposed to place
the employes of the Dockyards under the same
restrictions as to voting at elections as the ser-
vants of the other public departments. In fur-
ther compliance with the demand for entire
responsibility no surplus arising on one vote
for the Navy Estimates is to be applied to make
good a deficiency upon another. With more dis-
tinct Estimates and Returns it is hoped that Par-
liament may be better able to see where and
how the money goes, and " the reason why" things
are not fetter done, or not done at all, The pre-
sent system of accounts appears to be elaborately
devised to elude responsibility, and certainly
answers that purpose. The Commissioners illus-
trate this at a considerable length, and prove their
point. They propose a system aiming at an un-
interrupted chain of subordination, a monthly check,
and complete responsibility to Parliament. One
principal feature is a complete estimate of the
cost of every ship proposed to be built, and any
other work to be done. The Commissioners do
ample justice to the skill and ability of the dock-
yard management, as regards the work done, the
ships built, or altered. They only believe that the
cost has been much more than it need have been.
At least, we have had no check upon it, and have
no means of knowing whether the bill is fair or
a mass of overcharges. The object of the new
system proposed is, that we may at least know
what we are about for the future.

TILE NAVY.

The Isis, 44, Capt. F. L. Barnard, destined
for the coast of Africa, will, according to orders re-
ceived yesterday, leave Chatham this day, and drop
down to the Nore, where she will be inspected by
Admiral Hope Johnstone, Commander-in-Chief.
She is still a number of seamen short of her proper
complement, but on the vessel arriving at Ports-
mouth, at which port she is to call, she will have
her required number of blue-jackets made up from
the supernumeraries at that station.
Admiralty orders were received at Chatham yes-
terday directing the steam floating battery Trusty,
14, 150 horse power, attached to the steam reserve,
to proceed forthwith to Woolwich, for the purpose
of being fitted with Captain Cole's newly invented
shield for protecting the vessel from the effects of
shot. On receipt of the order a party of 40 seamen
from the Wellesley, 72, guardship at Chatham,
were sent on board the Trusty, to navigate her
round to Woolwich. The Trusty was the floating
battery experimented upon a short time since with
the Armstrong and Whitworth guns at Shoebury-
ness, when the damage she sustained was compara-
tively trifling.
The Etna, 16, 200 horse power, and the Thunder-
bolt, 14, 150 horse power, floating batteries, now
lying at Chatham, have been selected by the Ad-
miralty to be stationed in the Thames, a short dis-
tance from Gravesend, for the protection of the river
during the erection of the proposed forts and de-
fences ordered to be built at Thormsted and Coal-
house-point.
The Mersey, 40, screw steamer, Capt. H. Cald-
well, C. 8., arrived at Spithead yesterday morning
from the West Indies under canvass. The news
brought by the Mersey from the station has been
anticipated by the arrival of the mail steamer at
Southampton. The Mersey is very defective in her
machinery.
The Marlborough, 131, screw, Captain W. H.
Stewart, C. 8., was paid off yesterday at Portsmouth
in an exceedingly quiet and creditable manner.
The whole proceedings only occupied three hours
and a half. The ship's cook, Winter, and Chiver-
ton, one of her boatswain's mates, each received the
medal for long service and gOod conduct, and gra-
tuities. The ship will be recommissioned at once.
She is to be supplied with the rigging and gear
prepared for the Royal Sovereign, a sister vessel
lying in tho steam reuerva at Portemouth.
On Thursday it was rumoured at Devonport that
the screw steamship Princess Royal, 91, Captain
Fellowes, was to be condemned, and that the Re-
venge or Howe was to take her place. Yesterday
orders were issued for transferring her crew to the
hulk Vengeance in Hamoaze. The Princess Royal
was appointed to go into dock in Keyham steam
yard in the afternoon.
The gunboat Porpoise was put in commission at
Plymouth on Thursday as tender to the Princess
Royal.
Steam was got up on Thursday on board the gun
vessel Surprise, 5, lashed to the jetty in Keyham
basin.
The screw steam gun vessel Pantaloon, 11, hav-
ing been masted, was placed yesterday in the basin
of the Devonport Dockyard to be rigged.
The contract-built screw steam vessel Steady, 5,
at Plymouth, is rigged and stored for the first divi-
sion of the steam ordinary. Yesterday she was
hauled out of the basin of the Devonport Dockyard
and taken to the south jetty.
The gunboat Procris, 3, Lieut. the Hon. J. Car-
negie, at Plymouth, is intended for the service of
the Governor of Gibraltar.
The screw steam corvette Jason, 21, Captain
Edward P. B. Von Donop, at Plymouth, will have
an alteration made in the fans of her screw, and
take 'another trial trip before she leaves, and she
will probably first embark a 100-pounder Arm-
strong gun.
The very boisterous weather which has prevailed
more or less during the last two or three weeks has
shown in a marked manner the value of the new
harbour of refuge now approaching completion at
Portland. During this period there has been fre-
quently at anchor, sheltered by the breakwater, a
number of vessels, amounting to about 100, which
have proceeded to sea as the weather has moderated.
Since Saturday last, however, the number of vessels
seeking shelter has largely increased, and there are
now lying at anchor no less than 170, many of
them ships of large tonnage on their outward pas-
sage, and others from foreign ports driven past
Cork and Falmouth during the heavy gales that
have prevailed since Saturday. All these vessels
made the harbour easily, and anchored with perfect
safety, no collisions such as frequently occur in
more confined roadsteads having taken place. This
fact alone is an evidence of the value of Portland
as a harbour of refuge, and shows that in this case
at least the sums of money so liberally granted by
Parliament have not been spent in vain. The ex-
tent of anchorage protected from every wind is
1,500 acres.

On Thursday evening the usual fortnightly lec-
ture was given on board the gunnery ship Cam-
bridge, Capt. Jerningham, R.N., in Hamoaze, by
Lieut. P. Colomb, Flag Lieut. to Rear-Admiral Sir
Thomas Pasley. The subject was the rise and
progress of the British Navy.
The War Department screw steamer Lord Pan-
mure, H. T. Moore, master, left Plymouth on Thurs-
day for Woolwich with returned stores.
The riggers and seamen from the steam reserve,
under Commander Paul, Second Master-Attendant

at Devonport Dockyard, embarked on Thursday at
Plymouth on board the paddlewheel steam-sloop
Geyser, Commander Jackson, and she left for Pem-
broke. In consequence of the boisterous state of
the weather she was compelled to put back, but left

again in the evening.
Mr. Abethell,7the master shipwright of Ports-
mouth Dockyard, is appointed an assistant to the
Controller of the Navy at the Admiralty. Mr.
Moody, late assistant to Mr. Abethell at Ports-

mouth, has received an acting order as master
shipwright of that dockyard. •
A committee have been receiving evidence at the
Admiralty on the present mode of paying the men
in the navy, which was spoken of in our report
of the arrival of Her Majesty's ship Marlborough
at Spithead from Malta in The Sun of the 11th
inst. It is said to be the intention of the Admi-

ralty to give a seaman freer access to his pay in

future. According to the present system a man
allotting half his pay home can receive all the rest
within a balance of about 188, through the year.
On the other side, a non-allotting man, if he wishes
to enjoy the same privilege of drawing his money