The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-05 00:00:00

IHE NAVY.

VALETTA, Oct. 30.—At this season of the year
our harbour generally assumes a lively appearance
from the presence of the fleet. During the past
week the ships have begun to collect here from dif-
ferent parts of the Mediterranean for the purpose
of refitting, &c. Her Majesty's screw line-of-battle
ship Neptune, 86, Capt. G. P. Hornby, arrived on
Saturday from Naples, followed on Monday by the
paddlewheel frigate Terrible, 21, Capt. F. H. H.
Glasse, C. 8., from the same place. On Tuesday

the screw line-of-battle ship Marlborough, 131,
Corn. T. Brandreth (bearing the flag of the Com-
mander in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir W. Fanshawe
Martin, K.C.8., and having also on board the Cap-
tain of the Fleet, Rear-Admiral Sydney C, Dacres,
C. 8.), returned to this island, also from Naples.
The screw steamsloop Surprise, 4, Commander W.
H. Whyte, which left port on the 23d inst., re-
turned with the Admiral's ship from Messina. The
Marlborough left at Naples the screw line-of-battle
ship Exmouth, 90, Capt. J. A. Paynter ; at Messina
the screw line-of-battle ship Victor Emmanuel, 91,
Capt. W. J. C. Clifford, C. 8.; and at Syracuse the
screw line-of-battle ship James Watt, 91, Capt. E.
Codd. The screw line-of-battle ship London, 90,
Capt. H. Chads, and the screw frigate Liffey, 51,
Capt. G. W, Preedy, C. 8., which for some time

past formed part of the squadron at Naples, have
been despatched to Corfu, where Capt. Chads, as
senior captain, will take command. The screw
line-of-battle ship Hannibal, 89, Capt. Farquhar,
left Malta on Sunday for Corfu, to relieve the screw
line-of-battle ship Queen, 86, Capt. C. F. Hillyar,
which has been ordered to Malta. The screw gun-
boat Foxhound, 4, Commander the Hon. A. C.
Hobart, is also shortly expected here from Patras.
The screw sloop Pelican, 17, Corn. P. Brock, arrived
on Tuesday from Spithead and Gibraltar. She per-
formed the whole passage, an unusually long one,
under sail. In leaving the British Channel she came
in collision, on a dark and stormy night, with an
unknown craft. It was feared that loss of life was
occasioned, as men's voices were heard in the water.
The Pelican lay to all night and burnt blue lights,
but nothing more was seen of the vessel. As she
showed no lights she was supposed to be a foreigner.
It was announced that the English, French, and
Russian squadrons would leave the coast of Syria
about Oct. Bth, but it appears that their stay, from
some cause or other, has been prolonged, and that
the British ships will not leave until after the arri-
val of the screw frigate Doris, 32, Captain Sir F.
L. M'Clinteck, which took her departure from Malta
on Friday last, to be stationed there as senior ship,
with one or two gunboats. The screw line-of-battle
ship Caesar, 90, Capt. T. Mason, will, it is said, pro-
ceed from Beyrout to the Piraeus of Athens. The
screw frigate Amphion, 36, Capt. T. F. Birch, ar-
rived on Tuesday from the coast of Syria and Suda
Bay (Candia). She left at Beyrout on the 11th the
screw line-of-battle ships Casar, 90 ; Agamemnon,
91; Algiers, 91 ; Mars, 80; and the gunboat Lap-
wing, 4. The Gannet, 11, was at Suda Bay on the
25th. The Russian screw steam frigate Le Grand
Admiral, 64, Capt. Stoffiegen (flagship of Rear-
Admiral Schestakoff), arrived on Monday from
Scanderoon. The screw storeship Supply, 2, Master-
Cora. Ballisten, left on Thursday last for England.
She takes home old stores and sculptures from Cy-
rene. The Rev. R. B. Howe, naval chaplain, took
passage by her. The screw frigate Melpomene, 51,
Capt. Ewart, left this island on Saturday morning
for Tunis, to convey thither the English Consul-Ge-
neral, Mr. R. Wood, who has been absent for some
time past on a mission in Syria. It is rumoured

that a serious disturbance has broken out in Tunis.
The presence of a British frigate in the bay at pre-
sent will be hailed with joy by the Christian popu-
lation. The Liffey, 51 ; Racoon, 22; and Lapwing, 4,
are ordered home. Her Majesty's ships in port are
the Marlborough, 131; the Hibernia, receiving-ship;
the Neptune, 90; the Amphion, 36; the Terrible,
21; the Pelican, 17; the Intrepid, 6; the Surprise,
4 ; and the Hearty tug. The foreign ships are tho
Russian frigate Le Grand Amiral. The Malta and
Alexandria telegraph continues to work admirably.
It has been made over by the contractors to the Go-
vernment engineer, and will be opened to the public
on Friday next, the Ist of November.
The screw steamship Sanspareil, 70, Capt. Arthur
P. E. Wilmot, C. 8., at Plymouth, is spoken of there
as likely to be employed in conveying the contin-
gent to Mexico, and Monday next is named as the
probable day of departure.

Orders wore received yestErday morning at Devon-
port to put into commission the screw steam sloop
Greyhound, 17, with a complement of 170 men.
The officers and crew of the Gladiator, G, will be
turned over to the Greyhound, and will form the
main portion of her crew.

The Geyser, 6, paddle, sailed from Portsmouth
yesterday for the Clyde, with fresh spars for the
Black Prince, to replace those damaged by her re-
cent heeling over.

The Stork gunboat, tender to the Excellent,
gunnery ship at Portsmouth, yesterday steamed out
of Portsmouth harbour with a flotilla of ships' boats
under sail, and each carrying an Armstrong in its
bows, with which a variety of evolutions were gone
through at Spithead,

The Edgar, 89, screw, Capt. George P. Mends,
refitting at Portsmouth, is reported for service in
the Mediterranean.

The Admiralty yacht Black Eagle yesterday left
Woolwich by an Admiralty order on special service.
Commander Lysaght, in charge of the flagship Fis-
gard, at Woolwich, on Saturday despatched 112 able-
bodied seamen to Sheerness, to assist in manning the
51 screw steam frigate Phaeton, and yesterday he
forwarded an equal number for the same purpose.
Yesterday the shipwrights at Chatham dockyar
commenced removing the launching cleats from the
Rattlesnake, 21, screw steamer, in the fourth dock at
Chatham, and also made preparations for coppering
her. During the time she has been lying in the har-
bour since she was launched, her engines and ma-
chinery have been fitted on board by the contractors,
Messrs. Ravenhill, Salkeld, and Co., and from the
preliminary trial already made a very high rate of
speed is anticipated when the steamer proceeds on
her trial trip.
The Rosario, 11, screw steam sloop, 150-horse
power, was placed alongside the coal-ship in the
Medway yesterday and commenced taking in her
coals preparatory to going on her trial trip for the
purpose of testing her machinery.
The Dutch East Indiaman Constance, which came
into collision with an American liner in the Channel
while proceeding to Batai'ia with Dutch troops, and
which necessitated her being docked at Sheerness,
has had a thorough refit and the injuries she sus-
tained made good. She has been removed from the
basin to the harbour in order to re-embark her
officers and troops, who have been accommodated
on board one of the vessels of war attached to the
reserve during the time the vessel has been under
repair.

The Firebrand, 6, Commander J. Bruce, has re-
ceived orders to remain at Sheerness until the Orion,
90, line-of-battle screw steamer, Capt. J. B. E. Frere,
is paid off, when she will embark that portion of
the crew belonging to the western ports, and pro-
ceed to Portsmouth and Plymouth with them.
Directions have been received at Chatham for the
iron-plated steamer Resistance, 22, to be furnished
with the following armament, in lieu of that previ-
eoauoshlyofordered -a
n 1
a 2
968 f
e- pe
to
6u ni dn ec rh
es
smlooont
gh bore; f
o u
rg
on
os
pounder Armstrongs ; four 40-pounder Armstrongs,
each of 32 cwt. ; and two 100-pounder Armstrong
pivot guns.

The screw steamships Conqueror and Donegal,
preparing at Plymouth for a distant voyage, are
ordered to
wtohasrhfiipn
guns, probably Armstrongs, from
Hamoaze.
The screw steam corvette Satellite, 21, was put
into No. 3 dirk at heyham steam-yard yesterday
morning to have her bottom cleaned before making
a trial at sea, and being placed in the first division
of the steam reserve; she is rigged, stored, &c.
The screw steamship Aboukir, 86, Capt. F. A.
Shadwell, C. 8., at Plymouth, takes on board super-
numerary seamen to fill vacancies in the fleet in the
Mediterranean, where her stay will be short.
Admiralty orders were yesterday received at Chat
ham for the Severn, 51, screw steamer, 500-horse-
power, now attached to the second division of
tie
steam reserve, to be brought forward for thofirs t

division, to replace the Phaeton, 51, commissioned
by Captain E. Tatham. The Newcastle, 51, 600
horse power, now belonging to thethird-class steam
reserve, is to be brought forward to take the place
of the Severn, 51, in the second division.
The following appointments have beeit made at
the Admiralty:—.George A. MaCfarlaue,. master,
additional, to the Asia, for the Vigilant ; William
'laths, master, additional, to the Indus, for
the Princess Royal ; James M, Shane, mas-
ter, to the Conqueror ; Dr. John T. Caddy,
tshuergc,,atdomtuhse;Poheaoertgone
Porcupine;ll
Thomas Rocke, assist.-surg., to the
;VW. Ai Di a omn hA, aSaUn .2,lltrog. ht
Phaeton ; George H. Maunsell, assist.-surg., con-
firmed to the Hornet ; Edward P. Forrest, assist.-
surg., to the Conqueror; Charles J. Devonshire,
assist.-surg., to the Colossus; W. N. Cooer, chief
engineer, to the Cumberland, for charge of the ma-
chinery of the Orion when paid off; L. P. Williams,
midshipman, to the Donegal ; Abraham J. Bolton,
acting assist.-surg., to the Phaeton ; William P.
Clapp, acting assist•surg., to the Aboukir; J. Tur-
ner, second-class assist.-engineer, confirmed to the
Ariadne ; J. Wootton, second-class assist-engineer,
to the Immortalite ; J. Boulton, second-class assist.-
engineer, confirmed in the Doris ; E. H. Willey,
second-class assist.-engineer, confirmed in the Re-
venge; M. J. Shannon, acting second-class assist.-
engineer, borne in the Indus for the Avon ; C. F.
Gregory, acting secdhd-class assist.-engincer in
the Ajax, allowed to changed ships; W. T.
Wheeler, A. S. De Riddler, and W. T. R. Gow,
master's assistants, additional, to the Orpheus;
Cecil P. Walker, clerk, to the Sanspareil; and T.
W. Cleave, clerk, to the Blenheim. First Lieut. J.
M. Hamilton, R.M., to be Adjt. ; First Lieut. J. D.
Broughton, R.M., quartermaster; and Captain J.
Huskisson, R.M., paymaster, of the Staff of the
battalion of the Marines under orders for particular
service. .