The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-29 00:00:00

TILE NAVY.

A Malta letter dated Valetta, March 23, says :
"We have had no naval movements during the
week, except the return on the 20th inst. of her
Majesty's gunboat Mohawk, Commander Howard,
from Bengazi and Tripoli, and the departure on the
22d of the Dutch corvette Cycloop, Capt. Toewater,
for Port Mahon. The Mohawk, as you are already
informed, had proceeded to the coast of Barbary,
with Messrs. Ford and Laws, telegraph engineers,
for the purpose of selecting landing-places for the
electric cable about to be laid between Malta and
Alexandria. Bombah, which had been proposed
for one of the telegraph stations, has been rejected,
owing to its want of protection from attack by the
natives of the neighbouring country—a predatory
and savage race who not long ago murdered the
crew of a French vessel, which was so unfortunate
as to be cast on its inhospitable shore. The points
at which it has now been determined to land the

cable are Bengazi and Tripoli. At Malta it will be
landed in the Bay of San Giorgi 3, on the south-
east coast of the island. Her Majesty's gunboat
Lapwing, Commander Montagu O'Reilly, which
has been expected here by the naval authorities for
some weeks past from Smyrna and Candia, has not
yet made her appearance, and people are beginning
to wonder what can have detained her. The last
French steamer from Beyrout, which put into Can-
dia in consequence of tempestuous weather, brought
intelligence that some disturbance between the
Turks and Christiars had taken place in that
island, and that a more serious outbreak was appre-
hended. It is reported that on account of this state
of affairs the English Consul at Canea had made
application for the presence of a British man-of-
war. The Lapwing had not arrived at Candia by
the last dates. MD Doris frigate, from Beyrout,
and the Alacrity gunboat, from the Piraeus, are
shortly expected ; and the Amphion frigate,
which has been some time at Palermo,
will probably return to Malta very soon. The
ships in port under sailing orders are :—The Han.
nibal, 91, (bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral Mundy,
C. 8.), for Beyrout ; the James Watt, 91,
for Corfu; and the Firefly surveying vessel, to re-
sume her hydrographical operations in the Levant.
All three vessels will leave early in the week, most
likely oa Monday or Tuesday. The following are
her Majesty's ships now in port :—The Neptune,
90 (bearing the flag of Vice-Admiral W. F. Martin,
Commander-in-Chief in the Mediterranean) ; the
Hannibal, 91 (bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral G.
R. Mundy, C. 8.) ; the Cressy, 80; and the James
Watt, 91 ; the frigate Liffey, 51; the surveying ship
Firefly; the gunboats Assurance, 4, Mohawk, 4,
and Quail, 2; receiving ship F.ibernia (flag of Rear-
Admiral H. J. Codrington, C. 3.), and tug Hearty.
The gunboat Assurance has gone out with a mail
for Corfu, and Capt. Coffin, 21st Regiment, and two
non-commissioned officers, 9th Regiment, as pas-
sengers."

The launch of the Glasgow, 51. gun screw frigate,
was effected yesterday from Portsmouth dockyard
in the most successful manner. The morning had
turned:eut llnc.l-peeteclly fine, aod some thousands
of people surrounded the slipway. When all was
prepared, the bottle of wine, suspended from the
ship's cutwater by its tricoloured silken cord, was
placed by the master-shipwright in the hands of

Mrs, Alexander, the daughter of Vice• Admiral H.
W. Bruce, who &shed it against the ship's bows
with a " Success to the Glasgow," and the frigate

had received her name. Some blocks remained to
split out, which was soon done, when a mallet and
chisel being handed to Mrs. Alexander, she sepa-
rated with them the cord across the vessel's stem,
which held suspended the pigs of ballast, and these
latter, descending in their channels, knocked away
the dogshore, and the ship was free. She was im-
mediately taken in tow by a steam tug and placed
in the steam basin, where she will receive her
machinery, of 600 horse power (nominal), by
Messrs. Ravenhill. Sal keld, and Co. The figure-head
of the Glasgow is the bust of a Highlander, with
Glengarry bonnet and plume. Beneath the figure-
head on either side the cutwater is a shield bear-
ing the arms of the city of Glasgow—the traditional
salmon and tree—and the motto, " Lord, let Glas-
gow flourish." The armament of the Glasgow
will consist of 30 eight-inch guns on the main deck,
of 65 cwt each and 9 feet long. On the upper deck
18 32-pounders, of 56 cwt each and 9 feet 6 inches
in length; and two of Sir W. Armstrong's 100-
pounder guns as pivots. According to present ar-
rangement it will be nearly 12 months before any
other man-of-war will be launched from Portsmouth
Dockyard.
His Danish Majesty's screw frigate Sjvelland,
Captain Ipsen, sailed from Spithead at daylight
yesterday morning for Copenhagen.
In compliance with the orders issued by the Ad-

miralty, the 300 novices on board the Britannia

training ship at Portsmouth will he draughted out
of her, as required, to other ships. When the num-
ber of novices has been reduced on board to 150, the
entry of boys will commence, and will be continued
until their number reaches 150—the maximum—
by which time the whole of the no vices will have
been cleared out of the ship. The entry of boys for
the naval service urgently requires being placed on
a more satisfactory footing, A n office attached to
the Admiral commanding in each dockyard, where
applications should be made, with a revised set of
rules for the admission of boys, would appear to be
the most simple and efficacious remedy. The pre-
sent system of making applications on board the
flagship, independent of the expense of waterage
to the applicants, is attended with many evils.
The Mersey, 40, screw, Capt. H. Caldwell, C. 8.,
at Portsmouth, is ordered to refit. Her crew have
been granted leave of absence in watches, three
weeks to each watch. The construction of this ship
has been rather a costly experiment, as she has, it
is now acknowledged, proved to be too slightly
constructed to carry either her present armament
of 10 inch main deck guns, or to allow of her ma-
chinery being worked up to its full power, without
thoroughly disabling herself as she has during her
last cruise. On her official trial of speed when first
commissioned she made 13; knots, but the vibra-
tion was terrific.

The Pandora, 5, screw, receiving her copper
and fitting valves in dock at Portsmouth, is
being fitted with machinery of horse power
(nominal), by Messrs. Summers and Day, of
Northam. She has nearly the whole of her copper
on.

The boilers and machinery of the Chanticleer, 17,
screw, in the steam basin, and recently launched at
Portsmouth, are from the manufactory of Messrs.
Inglis, of Glasgow.
The Cossack, 20, screw, Capt. R. Moorman, at
Portsmouth, is reported as ready to proceed to
Spithead on the Bth of April next.
The Pincher gunboat has been placed in the
steam basin at Portsmouth to fit with new boilers
and condensing engines.
The steam reserve at Portsmouth, exclusive of
gunboats under slips, comprises the following ves-
sels, according to a return ending the March quar-
ter :

First Division—The Duke of Wellington, 131,
screw, 700 horse power; the Shannon, 51, screw,
600 horse power; the Euryalus, 51, screw, 400
horse power; the Volcano, 6, paddle, 140 horse
power ; the Rinaldo, 17, screw, 200 horse power ;
the Cygnet, 5, screw, 80 horse power; the Brazen,
2, screw, 60 horse power; the Rose, 2, screw, 60
horse power; the Snapper, 2, screw, 60 horse
power ; the Traveller, 2, screw, 60 horse power ;
the Grinder, 2 screw, 60 horse power; the Blazer,
2, screw, 60 horse power; and the Leveret, 2, screw,
60 horse power. Totals—first division, 275 guns ;
2,540 horse power.
Second Division—The Royal Sovereign, 131,
screw, 800 horse power ; the Victoria, 131, screw,
1,000 horse power ; the Prince of Wales, 131, screw,
800 horse power ; the Duncan, 91, screw, 800 horse
power; the Nelson, 91, screw, 500 horsepower; the
Frederick William, 86, screw, 500 horse power; the
Sutlej, 51, screw, J)00 horse power ; the Medea, 6,
paddle, 350 horse power ; the Stromboli, 6, paddle,
280 horse power; the Coquette, 4, screw, 200 horse
power ; the Pelican, 17, screw, 200 horse power ;
the Cracker, 2, screw, 60 horse power; the Fancy,
2, screw, 60 horse power; the Swinger, 2 screw,
60 horse power; the Pincher, 2, screw, 60 horse
power ; the Savage, 2, screw, 60 horse power.
Totals, second division, 775 guns, 6,230 horse
power. . _

Third Division—The Tribune, 31, screw, 300
horse power; the Rosamond, 6, paddle, 280 horse
power ; the Vigilant, 6, screw, 200 horse power ;
the Vulture, 6, paddle, 470 horse power ; Cheerful,
2, screw, 20 horse power ; the Rambler, 2, screw,
20 horse power ; the Pet, 2, screw, 20 horse power ;
the Daisy, 2, screw, 20 horse power ; the Angler,
2, screw, 20 horse power ; the Chub, 2, screw, 20
horse power ; the Ant, 2, screw, 20 horse power ;
the Pert, 2, screw, 20 horse power ; the Decoy, 2,
screw, 20 horse power ; the Hunter, 2, screw, 20
horse power; and the Fen ells, 2, screw, 20 horse
power—total, 71 guns and 1,740 horse power.
Fourth Division.—The Fox, 42, screw, 200 horse
power ; the Penelope, 16, paddle, 650 horse power ;
the Retribution, 28, paddle, 400 horse power; the
Erebus, 16, screw floating, battery, 200 horse power;
the Meteor, 16, screw floating battery, 200 horse
power; the Glatton, 16, screw floating battery, 200
horse power. Total, 131 guns and 1,850 horse
power, giving a grand total in the four divisions of
1,235 guns, propelled by 10,768 horse power, nomi-
nal. This return does not include such vessels as
have not yet received their machinery, as the Prince
Regent, Octavia, &c.
The Isis, 44, Capt. F. L. Barnard, left Chatham
harbour at 11 a.m. yesterday, in tow of the paddle-
wheel steamer Adder, Mr. J. Mincin master com-
mander, and proceeded as far as the Nore, where
she saluted the flag of Admiral Hope Johnstone,
the Commander in Chief at that station. The Isis
will call at Portsmouth, where she will take on
board the remainder of her crew, and will also put
in at Plymouth to receive the Royal Marines from
that division, who proceed in her to Ascension, to
join the detachment of Marines now doing duty at
that island, under the command of Captain Webb.
Capt. Barnard's wife and family accompany him in
the Isis to Ascension, at which island Capt. Bar-
nard will remain as Governor. The Isis, before
leaving Chatham yesterday, took on board two
complete sets of Heinke's diving apparatus whichlthe
Admiralty have directed to be sent to Ascension.
The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—J. Thompson, master, to the
Indus, for the Himalaya ; S. E. Derrick, 2d class
assist-engineer. to the `Weser; and J. Taplin, 2d
class assist.-engineer, to the Cumberland, for service
in the Griper: