The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-11 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

Letters have been received at Plymouth, written
from her Majesty's screw steamship Orion, 91, Capt.
W. Houston, dated Genoa, May 3. They state that
when at Gibraltar, on the 25th of April, orders were
received at 4 o'clock in the afternoon for the ship's
departure, and that at 9 the same evening she left.
This sudden movement was caused by the declara-
ration of war between France and Austria. A large
fleet of British merchant ships are at Genoa, and
it is probable that for their protection the Orion
will continue for some time in port.
The screw corvette Cadmus, 21, belonging to the
steam reserve at Chatham, is ordered to be commis-
sioned at that port, and to have a complement of 260
seamen and marines.

The screw steamsloop wasp, 13, has arrived in
harbour at Chatham, from the Nore, for the purpose
of being taken into dock and refitted for sea.
The Amphion, 36, steam-frigate, being fitted at
Chatham, has a large number of shipwrights work-
ing on board her from 5 o'clock in the morning
until 8 at night, in order that the utmost despatch
may be used in getting this vessel ready for sea.
At no former period has there been more activity
perceptible in the shipbuilding department at Chat-
ham dockyard than at present. The shipwrights,
sawyers, and other artisans are employed extra
hours, in order to push forward the fitting of those
screw steamers which are to be made ready for sea,
and in completing the alterations in those sailing
vessels in dock to adapt them for screw steamers.
In order to meet the requirements of the service,
nearly 300 additional artisans and labourers are to
be entered, including 100 shipwrights, 50 of whom
arrived at the dockyard yesterday from the ship-
building yards on the Clyde.
The Melbourne, screw steam transport, will em-
bark the following officers and troops at Portsmouth
for Corfu and Gibraltar, about the 12th and 13th
inst. .For Corfu :-2d battalion 9th Foot-3 officers,
20 men, 1 officer's wife, 4 children, 2 soldiers' wives
and 3 children ; Ist battalion 14th Foot-4 officers,
40 men, 1 soldier's wife, 1 child ; 2d battalion 4th
Foot-7 officers, 265 men, 3 officers' wives, 1 child,
2 servants, 11 soldiers' wives, 14 children ; Royal
Artillery-3 officers, 117 men, 9 soldiers' wives, 16
children; Royal Engineers-3 officers, 119 men, 1
officer's wife, 1 child, 1 servant, 8 soldiers' wives,
10 children. For Gibraltar—Royal Engineers-1
officer and 14 men ; 2d battalion 7th Foot-31 men
and 1 woman ; giving a total of 21 officers, 606
men, 5 officers' wives, 6 children, 3 servants, 32 sol-
diers' wives, and 44 children.
The Etna, screw steam transport, Capt. Hockley,
was yesterday inspected alongside Portsmouth
dockyard, by Colonel Somerset, C. 8., M.P.,Assis-
tant-Quartermaster-General, and Staff urgeon
Moore, the principal medical officer of the south-
western district. Captain Smythe, 40 men, 4
women, and 3 children of the 2d battalion 15th
Regiment, from Pembroke, embarked on board the
Etna yesterday. The remainder of the troops will
embark this morning.
The Mersey, 40, screw steam frigate, Captain H.
Caldwell, C. 8., weighed anchor from Spithead yes-
terday at 4 p.m., and proceeded, under canvas,
through the West Channel, for Portland.
In accordance with orders received from the Ad-
miralty, a number of hands are engaged preparing
the whole of the gunboats at Haslar for immediate
launching, should their services be required for any
sudden emergency.
The Hannibal, 91, screw steamship, Capt. M.
Conolly, at Portsmouth, has completed coaling from
the Malabar depot, and again berthed alongside the
Prince Regent to complete for sea.
The Pioneer screw steam despatch vessel yester-
day received her masts under the sheers in the ship
basin at Portsmouth Dockyard.
The Flying Fish, screw steam despatch vessel, at
Portsmouth, was yesterday taken out to Spithead
from Portsmouth harbour to test her machinery,
&c., by Commander Gardner, of the steam reserve,
and Mr. Murdock, inspector of machinery afloat.
Everything working. satisfactorily, she was at the
conclusion of the trial turned over from the steam
reserve to her future commander.
The screw steamship Revenge,charge
91, in of
Mr. Biddlecombe, master attendant at Keyham,
left Milford at 6 o'clock on Sunday morning for
Plymouth.
The paddlewheel steam frigate Centaur, 6, chief
engineer Thomas Duncanson in charge, was docked
at Keyham on Monday afternoon.
His Netherlands Majesty's frigate Wolvisch,
Capt. F. Schut, from Bongowangde for Amsterdam,
was off Plymouth on the 6th inst. All well.
The steam storeship Industry 2, Master Com-
mander Hodges, from the Cape of Good Hope, is
ordered to leave Plymouth for Deptford.
The screw steam sloop Brisk, Capt. de Horsey,
was towed down Hamoaze on Monday, and moored
off the Devonport Dockyard, to be more convenient
for drawing stores, and shipping men.
The James Watt, 91, screw steamship, Capt.. E.
Codd, arrived in Portland harbour on Monday even-
ing, from Plymouth. The Liffey, Termagant, Algiers,
and Blenheim, are still at anchor in the roads.
The measures adopted for manning the navy are