The Sun.
London, England, 1861-08-31 00:00:00

THE NA VT.

The Duke of Somerset, First Lord of the Admi-
ralty, with Rear-Admiral the Hon. Sir F. Grey,
K.C.8., Rear-Admiral C. Eden, C. 8., 'and Mr. S.
Whitbread, M.P., Junior Lords, and Rear-Admiral
Lord C. Paget, First Secretary. leave on Monday
or Tuesday next for Holyhead, on an official visit
of inspection, at the conclusion of which the Admi- •
ratty Board proceed to Kingstown, Cork, Szc., on
their annual tour of inspection.
The Furious, 16, paddle, Captain 0.. J. Jones,
after an official inspection by Captain H. Broad-
head, commanding her Majesty's ship Asia and the
Reserve at Portsmouth, was paid off yesterday
alongside the dockyard, under the superintendence
of Capt. R. Cook, of her Majesty's ship Victory.
Medals and gratuities for good conduct were given
to Sergeant Stephen Palmer, Royal Marine Artil-
lery ; John Furlong, chief petty officer, and Charles
Murphy, quartermaster. The Furious, although
many of her crew have been at times invalided, has
had but four deaths on board during her commission,
and while in the China seas generally showed a
lighter sick-list than other vessels on the station.
She was commissioned in March, 1857, by Captain
Sherard Osborn, C. 8., now commanding the Done-
gal, and sailed from Plymouth Sound on the 4th of
May following for Hongkong, with a convoy of 13
gunboats, two despatch boats, and the Hesper screw
store-ship. The Furious arrived at Hongkong on
the 4th November. Her after career in Chinese
and Japanese waters with Lord Elgin on board is
familiar to all who recall the events of the mission
to China and Japan in the years 1857, '5B and '59.
On Lord Elgin finally leaving the Furious at Suez,
she proceeded to the Abyssynian coast, and after-
wards to the wreck of the Peninsular and Oriental
Company's steamer Alma, recovering a great por-
tion
of the Alma's cargo, and conveying it to Aden,
where Capt. Sherard Osborn left the ship. On his
return to England he was succeeded in command
by Capt. O. J. Jones. The ship proceeded to Trin-
comalee: After refitting, the next port of destina-
tion was Hongkong, which was reached after en-
countering a gale and typhoon, in which one of the
heavy guns had to be thrown overboard, and the
mizenmast cut away. After refitting at Hongkong
the ship conveyed Marines to Shanghai, where she
remained for some time as senior officer's ship. She
afterwards proceeded to Talianwhan Bay,where she
joined the allied fleets bound to the Peiho, off which
river she remained during the subsequent opera-
tions. After the capture of Pekin the Furious
returned to Shanghai, and conveyed Mr. Bruce to
the Peiho. This service performed, the Furious,
in company with the Watchful gunboat, was
frozen up in the Pee-chee-lee Gulf, some 30 miles
from the land, but got into rather close proxi-
mity to the Sha-lin-tien bank, steam was got up
and a passage made through the ice after three days

spent in charging the ice ahead at full speed, and

backing astern alternately. On the Furious' arrival
• at Shangai, after her escape from the ice off the
Peiho, she received her final orders for England,
calling in at Hong Kong to refit for the voyage,
and taking in a number of large cases containing
-valuable presents from the Emperor of Japan to
her Majesty the Queen, which were landed from the
ship at Portsmouth and forwarded to Buckingham
Palace unopened, under a special Treasury order to
that effect. The boilers and coal-bunkers of the
Furious, as a natural result of her long service un-
der steam, are completely worn out, while her
engines require a thorough overhaul and repair.
Letters received by our Portsmouth correspon-
dent from China, dated Hong Kong, July 10, state
that the Scout, 18, screw, was to sail thence to
Shanghai on the 13th July. Mr. W. H. Worsfold,
second :raster of the Janas gunboat, had been ap•
pointed by Admiral Sir J. Hope, K.C.8., acting
master to the Pioneer, 6, screw, and ordered to take
passage in the Scout to join the Pioneer at Shanghai.
On the Sout's arrival at the latter port the Pioneer
was to proceed to the North Pacific in search of a
shipwrecked crew, stated to be on one of the Caro-
line Islands.
Letters received from Vera Cruz stated that the
Jason, 20, screw, Commander Von Donop, arrived
there on the 31st July, bringing orders for theDes-
ifierate, 8, screw, Commander Ross, to cruise off New
rleans and the adjacent coasts.
iones's oblique faced target is being placed in a
verti=l position on its bed, at Portsmouth dockyard,
for future experiments with the 100-pounder Arm-

strong gun.
Ordcrs were yesterday issued at Chatham dock-
yard announcing that the Lords of the Admiralty
have consented to allow the whole of the mechanics
and artisans employed on the Achilles, 50, to leave
work on this and succeeding Saturday afternoons
at 4 o'clock, on the understanding that the work-
men make up the time thus granted during the
week.

In consequence of the increased activity which
now prevails in all the departments at Chatham
dockyard, notice was yesterday given that 50 more
labourers are required at that establishment, in ad-
dition to the same number entered a short time since.
The following appointments were made yesterday
:it the Admiralty :—Lieut. Thos. Stackhouse, to the
Centurion ; Lieut. David Boyle, to the Revenge;
Lieut. Thomas S. Gooch, to the Impregnable; Sub-
Lieut. Rowland M. Sperling, to the Trafalgar;
Sub-Lieut. Arthur L. Trevor, to the Edgar; Chas.
Hobart, midshipman, to the Arrogant ; Valentine
P. Joiluson, master, to the Orestes; Albert Lew,
'Paymaster, to the Orestes ; William Shott, assist.-
Paymaster to the Formidable ; John Hefferman,
promoted to engineer, and appointed to the Warrior;
Jaiian Taplin, first-class assist.-engineer, to the
Warrior; Thomas G. Punnett, second-class assist.-
engineer, to the Warrior ; Jeremiah Murphy, acting
second-class assist.-engineer to the 'Warrior, to com-
plete complement.