The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-22 00:00:00

2HE NAVY.

The following letter is dated Valetta, Nov. 16 :
,4 Our harbour has been the scene of several move-
ments of ships of war during the past week. Her
Majesty's screw sloop Intrepid, 6, Commander J.
H. Marryat, left port on the 9th inst. for Beyrout ;
the screw corvette Pelican, 17, Commander P.
Brock, and the screw gunboat Cockatrice, 3, Licat.
Commander Gibson, took their departure the same
day, the former for Candia, where she is to be sta-
tioned, and the latter for Athens. The screw sloop
Alacrity, 4, Commander J. K. E. Baird, arrived on
the 13th inst. from Smyrna four days, and Cape
Colonna three. The screw sloop Surprise, 4, Com-
mander W. H. Whyte, returned the same day from
Bengazi, whither she had proceeded to bring back
the staff of engineers and electricians who had been
engaged there. The screw gunboat Boxer, 2, Lieut.-
Cora. H, Cleveland, arrived here on the morning of
the 14th from Marsala, where she has been stationed
for some months past, for the protection of the little
English colony at that place. By the last accounts
from Sicily the Scylla, 21, Capt. R. Lambert, was
still at Taranto, on the Calabrian coast ; the Victor
Emmanuel, 91, Capt. J. Clifford, at Messina; and
the James Watt, 91, Capt. E. Codd, at Syracuse.
The Terrible paddlewheel frigate, 21, Capt. F. H.
H. Glasse, C. 8., left this morning for Syracuse
and Palermo. She took provisions for the James
Watt. The chief portion of the Syrian squadron
has not yet returned to Malta. The Caesar, 91,
Capt. T. Mason, was by the last advices at the
Pirmus, waiting to be relieved ; and we have not
yet heard of the departure from Beyrout of the
Algiers, 91, Capt. D. O'Callaghan, and the Aga-
memnon, 91, Capt. T. Hope, although it is most
probable they have left before this. It has already
been announced that several ships have been
ordered home from the Mediterranean—namely,the
Cwsar, 91, the Liffey, 51, the Racoon, 22, and the
Lapwing, 4. The Hannibal, 91, Capt. E. Wilmot,
has since received orders also to proceed to Eng-
land. These vessels, and others which have already
been withdrawn from this station, are to be replaced
by ships from England. The screw line-of-battle
ship Aboukir, 90, left Plymouth on the 7th instant
for the Mediterranean, and it is said she will be
followed shortly by the Conqueror, 101 ; Nile, 90 ;
Centurion, 80; Phaeton, 51 ; and the iron-cased
frigate Warrior, 36 ; and probably one or two other
vessels. The screw frigate Amphion, 36, Capt. T.
F. Birch, at present in this port, has completed her
provisions, and yesterday took in powder, prelimi-
nary to going to sea ; but her destination is not
stated. The screw line-of-battle ship Mars, 80, is
refitting, and has had her engines taken to pieces to
be examined. The screw line-of-battle ship Marl-
borough, 131 (flagship of the Commander-in-Chief),
is expected to go to sea shortly for a cruise. The
screw line-of-battle ship Neptune, 90, Capt. G.
Hornby, is also making ready for sea. The Mars,
it is not expected, will go to the Piraeus. The
screw frigate Melpomene, 51, Capt. Ewart, and the
screw corvette Malacca, 17, Capt. Napier, left port
this afternoon, the former for Athens and Smyrna,
and the latter for Beyrout. The screw cor-
vette Gannet, 11, commander the Hon. H. M.
Nelson, expects to proceed to Beyrout in a few
days. The screw sloop Surprise, 4, is under
orders for Messina and Naples. Dr. Armstrong,
who was summarily superseded in the
post of Deputy Inspector-General of the Naval
Hospital at Bighi, has been summarily reinstated.
The Russian frigate Le Grand Amiral left port this
afternoon. On the 13th inst. the Russian Admiral
visited the Marlborough. Rear-Admiral Schesta-
koff and his wife dined with the Governor at the
Palace on the following day, and in the evening
were present at a soiree dgnsante at the Palace. At
the moment of closing my letter the Algiers and
Agamemnon are entering port."
Tho Black Prince iron frigate steamed into Ports-
mouth harbour yesterday afternoon, under the charge
of Mr. Jones, Queen's pilot of the port. She was
somewhat late upon tide in entering the harbour,
owing to a strong westerly wind, which kept the
shipping for some time after high water swung
athwart the harbour, in which position they re-
mained until the ebb tide became sufficiently strong
to swing them fair at their moorings. The Black
Prince is ordered to be brought forward immediately
for the first class reserve and commission.

The Prince Regent screw liner, fitting at Ports-
mouth, has been removed from the steam basin to
the old ship basin of the dockyard, the former being
about to be pumped out to enable the contractor to
deepen the entrance to the north inlet dock, the
construction:of which is about to be resumed.

The Jumna, 16, attached to the sailing reserve in
ordinary at Chatham, is ordered to be fitted at that
dockyard as a guardship and depot to be stationed
at Lagos, on the west coast of Africa. She is to
have a complement of 50 men, and while fitting she
is to be housed over, and to have cabins fitted for
six officers.

By direction of the Admiralty, two of the mortar
vessels built during the war with Russia, and since
laid up in Yantlett Creek, Chatham, are to be sent
from that port to Sheerness, to be used as Admiralty
lighters for the service of the dockyard. The two
mortar boats selected are Nos. 16 and 23.
The Swallow, 9, 60-horse power has been commis-
sioned at Sheerness by Mr: H. N. Harris for survey-
ing operation on the coast of japan. She 16 to

„
have a complement of 90 men, includingljna rints„ S
A commodious office has been erected on the quar-
terdeck for the accommodation of the officers em.
ployed on the surveying duties.
The Osborne paddle yacht, Master Commander
George R. Bower,
transp
transport yesterday
double dock at Portsmouth. -
By direction :of the Admiralty, main topmast
studding sails are in future to be disallowed to all
steamvessels in the navy.
The War Department Petrel inwas thpe nowaced
alongside the Ordnance-wharf at Chatham yester-
day, and landed a quantity of shot and other stores
for the vessels lying in the Medway.
Some considerable time has elapsed since the
entrance and 60ft, of the flooring of an intended
new dock leading out of the steam basin were con-
structed at Portsmouth dockyard, and in the last
naval estimates a vote was taken for further carry-
ing on the work, which has been named the North
Inlet Dock, in contradistinction to the one at the
opposite angle of the basin, named the South Inlet
Dock. The invert of the north, like that of the
finished south dock, was flat on the dock floor and
of shallow depth of water, and consequently
utterly useless to any of our new class iron ships ;
besides, it was of an unnecessary height from
the floor of the dock. These faults in the dock
construction at Portsmouth have been pointed out
more than once in The Sun. The deficiency in
the designs seems to have been in only providing
for the present at the time of construction, and not
for the future. The fact has, however, been as
patent to the Government 'authorities doubtless, as
to the public, if we may judge by the steps now
being taken to provide for the errors of the past.
Yesterday the caisson war:removed from the north
dock invert (the one alluded to as unfinished), and
placed in No, 7 dock, where it will umlergo an ex-:
tension of size and alteration of form at the bottom.
The work will be carried out by Messrs. West-
wood and Baillie, of Limehouse, it having been re-
solved by the Admiralty to lower the invert of the
dock three feet, and to increase its length to 400
feet. Messrs. Smith, of Pimlico, who are the con-
tractors for the work, are busily engaged collecting
the plant upon the ground in the immediate vici
nity, and will commence active operations next
week. Plans are under consideration for the con-
struction of several other docks on the mudlands
adjoining the, north corner of the dockyard of even
more extended dimensions than the north inlet will
be, or than the double dock (the one that received
the Warrior, and will receive the Black Prince) is
as now finished. A very comprehensive scheme for
the extension of Portsmouth dockyard and the in-
Krease of its resources in other matters besides its
dkis'is also about being carried out, owing to alte-
iratio-ns which will shortly be effected in the old
fortifications, or ” lines" of Portsmouth and
Portsea. The main line of the Hilsea defences

is being rapidly completed, and this will be
no sooner turned over from the depart-
ment of the Royal Engineers to the hands
of the Royal Artillery than the whole of the
interior of the defences of Portsmouth and Portses,
will be thrown into the moats and the ground
levelled. This will be done in consequence of the
utter uselessness of lines of defence smothered in the
midst of miles of streets and houses, which have been
for numberless years growing up round and about
them. By their removal a large portion of Portsea
lines, on the glacis of which timber for shipbuild-
ing purposes is now stored, will be taken into the
dockyard, an extensive site will become available for
the erection of a naval cadet college.

The amended regulations respecting the employ-
ment of dockyard apprentices on board her Majesty's
ships in commission have been received at Chatham.
from the Admiralty. No apprentice will be allowed
to serve on board any vessel if he has less than 18
months, or more than two years of his time, to serve.
The apprentices are to be borne on the books of the
ship to which they will be attached as supernume-
raries, and will be paid at the rate of £lB ss. per
annum, besides the usual tool money, rations, allow-
ances, &c. They are not to be employed as servants,
but are to be treated in all respects as artificers.
The number of apprentices selected to serve on board
ship has been 28, of whom 20 are shipwrights. The
whole of these proceed to the Mediterranean in the
Firebrand, 6, Commander Bruce, and will be dis-
tributed in the various ships composing the squad-
ron, in such number as the Admiral commanding
may consider most desirable for the general service
of the fleet. Each apprentice is to be allowed to
attend school under the Government schoolmaster.
In their code of instructions for the guidance of the
officers commanding, their lordships express the
belief that under the system now for the first time
adopted her Majesty's ships will ultimately be sup-
plied with well-educated and efficient dockyard
artificers, and that it will eventually be of much
benefit to the service in enabling the several Com-
manders-in-Chief on the different stations to repair,
to a greater extent than at present, damages to spars,
hull, &c., by means of the artificers of the fleet, and
thus relieve the dockyards of much of that class of
work, which now proves such a source of delay in
the building and fitment of ships. The previous
order relative to the pay of the apprentices has been
cancelled.

The following promotions and appointments were
made yesterday at the Admiralty :—William Chase,
in the Fisgard, T. Hodgson, of the Cornwallis for
the Sandfly, H. Hull, in the Queen, William Tot-
tenham, of the Liffey, and George W. Robins, in
the Sanspareil, promoted to first•class assist.-engi-
neers ; G. F. Sutton, in the Nile, T. Gray, in the
Victor Emmanuel, and William B. Cottam, in the
Liffey, promoted to acting first-class assist.-engi-
neers ; William Holloway, engineer, Alfred Waters,
acting first-class assist.-engineer, and William Had-
low, acting second-class assist.-engineer, to the
Swallow, commissioned.