The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-30 00:00:00

THE WEATHER IN THE CHANNEL AND

THE CHANNEL MAILS.

The rough weather of last week has occasioned come
fatal loses of men and ships in the Channel, and delays
in the regular departure and arrival of the mail packets.
The wind has not blown furiously, but strong, and when
on Thursday it veered to east-north-east, the heavy seas
in the Channel and swell on the bars produced the mis-
chief and delays. Thursday night was the outward
India mail night at Dover, and most anxious were the
General Post-office authorities to get the 143 boxes
across to Calais in good time. The South-Eastern
Railway train arrived at Dover 2 mio. before 11 o'clock ;
the mail was put on board the Prince Frederick William
(the contractor having specially placed her on this ser-
vice) by the Post-office porters in 40 min., at the west
side of the Admiralty-pier ; but by the time the good
ship got in Calais-roads the wind had shifted adversely,
and there was too little water to enter the har-
bour, and too much swell for the boats to come
out, consequently the Prince could not get in
before half-past four, and the mails did not get away
until nearly 6 o'clock on Friday morning. The Admiralty
engineer, Mr. Walker, was present to witness the embar-
kation of the mails at the Admiralty pier, Dover, at
midnight, and on the very next day, by his orders, such
improvements were commenced as will insure greater
facility and safety in future to passengers and the public
service. When it is considered that the delay of a quarter
of an hour very frequently deranges the mail packet
services to the extent of shutting the packet out of
Calais harbour for many hours and of risking the landing
of the mails in small boats from the Roads, the absolute
necessity of running from London to Dover by rail in
as short a space of time as the express passenger
trains occupy, and of giving every pier and quay
facility at Dover for shipping the mail-T, must be appa-
rent to everybody. The service is a difficult one, and
requires a great deal of management ; but it would
be very much simplified if arrangements were made
to arrive at Calais as nearly at one o'clock as possi-
ble, for the tides always suit at time in ordinary weather
for the vessels to enter and to leave the harbour. This
is, however, impracticable with strong E.N.E. winds
and low water. The same causes that prevented the
Indian mails from arriving at Calais at the usual time
prevented the regular English mail packet from leaving
Calais. The vessel had to remain with the English
mails until . there was sufficient water for her to come
out. On Friday night, the wind blowing very strong
from the same quarter, the mail for Paris that lett Lon-
don at 8.30 p.m. did not leave Dover until 3 o'clock on
Saturday morning, aad Calais at 6 a.m. ; and so with
respect to the mail from Parie, it did not reach London
before noon on Saturday. The English mail packet to
Ostend not only got away on Thursday night from
Dover, but arrived at 0-tend in time to save the mail
train thence to Germany ; but the Belgia❑ Government
mail 'packet did not budge from Dover harbour
with Friday night's mails from London until past 6 on
Saturday morning, and none of the South-Eastern
packets crossed the Channel betwee❑ Dover and Calais
on Friday and Saturday. The packets, however, with
the day French mails, have run across at the regular
times. On Saturday night the English mail packet
started at her usual time for Ostend, but the English
mail packet could not enter Calais before 6 o'clock yes-
terday (Sunday) morning, consequently she did not
leave Dover before 4 o'clock ; and the packet with the
mail from Paris could not leave Calais before 7 o'clock ;
but on arriving at Dover, with 46 passengers, the South
Eastera Railway Company pent them to London by
special train. The above statement of facts will explain
the causes that have produced the irregularity in receipt
of correspondence during the last few days.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

An Admiralty order was received at Chatham on
Saturday by Colonel E. A, Parker, Commandant of the
Royal Marine Light Infantry, directing large detach-
ments of officers and men to ba held inlreadiness for em•
barkation.

The Goliatb, SO, which has been some months in dock,
at Chatham, for the purpose of being converted into a
screw steamer, having completed her repairs, is ordered
to be taken out of deck at spring, tide this day, when
she will be towed to Sheerness for the purpose of being
fitted with her machinery of 400 horse-power, after
which she will return to Chatham to be made ready for
sea.

The Renown, 91, screw, Captain Arthur Forbes, is
fitting for sea in Sheerness basin with all despatch.
Many of the officers and seamen have alrea'ly joined
this splendid ship, and her masts were towed down
from Chat ham on Saturday by the Cuckoo.
The Racoon, 21, Captai❑ J. A. Paynter, is ordered to
be docked at Chatham to be fitted for sea.

A military institute is about being founded .at Wool-
wich, which will provide the private soldier with the
many advantages of a club-house on a most moderate
scale of admission—namely, a single penny per week
from each member. The reading-room will be supplied
with the daily and weekly journals and magaz nes,
together with a library of interesting and amu.•ing
books.

A detachment of Royal Marines was on Saturday told
off for embarkation on board her Majesty's screw steam-
sloop Lyra, one of the squadron ordered to the West
Coast of Africa for the suppression of the slave trade.
To insure every available means of efficiency for each
ship of the squadron, the Lords of the Admiralty have
had their boats fitted with Clifford's gear for instantly
lowering without the necessity of checking in any
degree the speed of the vessel.
Commander Frederick Augustus Maxse (1855), now
commanding the Ariel, 9, screw sloop, at Gibraltar, who
was promoted in the Crimea for his service in con-
veying to Admiral Lyons the intelligence of the march
of Lord Raglin after the battle of the Alma, has been
promoted to the rank of captain, on the nomination
of Vice-Admiral the Right Hon. Sir Maurice Berkeley,
K.C.8., oa his resigning his seat at the Board of
Admiralty. Commander Charles Bromley (1856) has
been appointed to the command of the Ariel, vacant by
the promotion of Commander Maxse.
Artillery—Lieut. Wm. Booth, to be Captain, vice
Captain and Adjutant Boultbee, resigned ; Second
Captain Blackburn, appointed adjutant of the 4th bat-
talion, In the room of Boultbee, resigned ; and Lieut•
Lyle, to the Royal Horse Artillery, vice Booth, pro-
moted.

The Australian Steam Company have received infor-
mation of the arrival in Hobson's Bay on the 20th of
August of the Undaunted, after a good inn of 75 days
from Plymouth.