The Sun.
London, England, 1850-07-01 00:00:00

PORTSMOUTH, JUNE 29.—The Medea steam sloop,
Commander Lock' er, arrived at Spithead this morn-
ing from Chine, India, and the Care of Good Hope.
The dates of sailing are—from Ilong-Kong, March
10 ; Singapore, March 18, Point de Galle, March
25; B.linbay, April 6 ; Mauritius, April 26 ; Cape of
Good Hope, May 19 ; St. Helena, June 2; Bona
Vista, June 16 ; Madeira, Jane 23.
She has brought to England Colonel Mackeson,
C. 8., PuiiticAl Agent, Hon. East Fidia Company's.
service, and C tptain Ramsay, Military Secretary to
the. GOvernot-General of India, in charge of the
Koh-i-Noor diamond ; Lieutenant M'Gregor, and

Mr. Halloran, Master of the Mariner, 12, invalided,
from China; Mr. Bingham, mate; Mr. Graves, mid-
shipman, from other ships on the China station ; and
Mr. Pope, engineer of the Fury steam-sloop, engineer
of the Tory steam-sloop, invalided.
The Medea has made the fastest passage from the
Cape on record. This vessel is one of.the few perfect
steamers given to the navy by Mr. Oliver Lang,
Master Shipwright of Woolwich Dockyard, is of
350 horse power, with engines by Maudslay and
Field, with tubular boilers, and stows 222 tons of
coal in her bunkers. She started from Hong-Kong
with about 210 tons on board, and sailed for
Singapore at 11 aM. on the 10th of March ;
she arrived at Singapore at 11 A.M. on the follow-
ing Sunday morning, but was hove to for three hours
during the previous night. From Hong-Kong the
wind was not very favourable, and there was a high
sea fur two days, then light winds and calms. She
sailed for about twelve hours after this with light
winds while something was being done to her , en-
gines. , She was part
_of the time
.on three boilers
working expansively, and part- on two boilerA. The
Commodore (with his flag on board the PAtry) wished
her to burry off homewards ; so sbe ‘..enpe4 ze.7
coaling, 00:tough ,shp bad, not.a full tv Azty to:take
in, and was enabled to start on the 19, _ r.st., for
Point de Galle, calling at Maladca to Put:sOme in-
valids on board her Majesty's ship Amazon. She
had a dead calm the whole of the way from Sings-

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coal, and started
at 10 the same night for Bombay with light and
contrary winds and strong northerly gales the last
two days, working occasionally three boilers expan-
sively, and occasionally two; and arrived at Bombay
on the 30th of March, about 10.30 A ar. At Bombay,
having received her instructions from the Governor-
General, she completed with coals, water, and pro-
visions, embarked Colonel Mackeson and Captain Ram-
say, and the diamond, and left on the 6th of April at 2
P.ht. fur the Mauritius ; arrived there on the 21st at one
r at., having only been enabled to sail three days out
of the passage. She started from the Mauritius with
a favourable wind at midnight on the 25th of April
for the Cape of Good Hope, and although the winds
were very variable and enabled her to make pretty
good runs, varying from 79 to 190 miles per day, she
arrived within the distance that her quantity of coal
would have allowed her to steam, when a heavy gals
came on from the westward and washed away her
gig, starboard quarter davits, and a great portion of
her starboard quarter deck bulwarks. The main
(chain) rigging gave out so much that the main mast
was very near going over the side, but it was fortu-
nately secured ; the fore gaff was also carried away
on the same night. After the gale tno lerated and the
wreck was cleared away, the steam was got up and
was put out occasionally, only when the wind
strengthened so much as to impede her progress to
such a degree as to render it uncertain whether the
coals would hold. out, even although used at the
lowest possible quantity ; and on arrival at the
Cape, on the 14th of May at one P.M., she ,had
only ten tons of coal in the bunkers. . Her
recoaling was impeded at the Cape by the
f
Hermes steam-troop-vessel having to coal in a hurryur the transport of four companies of the 6th Re4i-
ment for the Buffalo, although every assistance was
rendered by the Commander of the Hermes and the
dockyard authorities. After starting from the Cape
she experienced two days' strong north-west winds,
then calms all the way to St. Helena, except one day
when there was a moderate breeze, when sails only
were used, allowing her to make only three or four
knots per hour. She arrived at St. Helena on the
30th of May at four P.M., and sailed on the 2d of
June (on Sunday) at one P.M., having completed
coals and water, and started for Bona Vista, where
she arrived on the following Friday, and sailed this
day fortnight, having taken in there 100 tom of
patent fuel; she steamed against the north-east trades
to Madeira, and arrived there yesterday week (the
23d inst.). At Madeira she took in 180 tons of coal,
and left last Sunday (the 23d) for England, steam-
ing all the • way, with smooth water, light winds,
and calms, and made Plymouth yesterday at seven
A.M. • landed her mails and dispatches, and sailed
at three P.M. for Portsmouth, where she anchored
this morning at seven. She found that working
three boilers expansively was the best system of
steaming, even although she carried so few coals,
unless sail could be carried to assist the steam, when
two boilers answered best ; but working one boiler,
either with or without sail, was found to be perfectly
useless. Her passage was made in forty days and
about eleven hours from the Cape, which is given to
us as the quickest on record. Between St. Helena
and Bona Vista she sailed four days with a good
strong trade, and making about 180 miles a-day. The
rest of the time was occupied in steaming only against
a light north-east wind.
At Mauritius, during the stay of the Medea, many
ships came in disabled from the hurricanes ; amongst
others the Gloriana, with loss of mainmast. Five
cases of cholera (two deaths) having occurred in the
Medea just after leaving Bombay, when she arrived at
Mauritius she was put into quarantine. She was not
allowed to enter the harbour, but made to anchor out-
side in the roads and refused all supplies, the people
on shore being in a state of great excitement and alarm.
Commander Lockyer being in want of fuel, provisions,
water, and stores, to enable him to prosecute his voyage
homewards in safety—his coals being very low, water
too bad to give to human beings, and stock nearly ex-
hausted—applied for 200 tons of coals, fresh provisions
for invalids and water, also a little medicine for the
ship's company, through Commander Hawker, of her
Majesty's ship Orestes, but at first all assistance was
refused; ultimately, however, by proper representa-
tions to the authorities, a lighter or some such vessel
was purchased among the people ashore, and a quan-
tity of coals sent out to the Medea—about 150 tons.
She was not given time to tranship the cargo, al-
though she employed even the invalids in the work ;
but after getting in about 130 tons she was com-
manded to leave the place at midnight or she would
be fired on—after being there about two days. The
provisions did not go off to the Medea at all, and the
medicine for the invalids not until the last moment.
In this state, ill-found in every essential for the
health and comfort of her crew, the Medea was driven
off to sea.

At the Cape all was quiet. The Governor was at
Cape Town.

The Apollo troop-ship, Commander Rawatorne, had
arrived at the Cape from China, en route to England,
with the 95th Regiment, whom she had been com-
pelled to land at Simon's Town and billet in the naval
yard, dysentery having broken out amongst them and
carried off 45 of the number; many more were then
suffering from it and were in hospital.
Commodore Wyvil, the Commander-in-Chief on
the Cape station, was in the Mozambique with the
Pantaloon, 10, Commander Parker.
The Dart brigantine sailed on the 17th of May to
join the Commodore and look after slavers.

The Geyser steam-sloop, Commander Browne,
had become so useless in consequence of her machi-
nery breaking down, that the Commodore has sent
her home under sail. She sailed from the Cape
about a fortnight before the Medea, and passed St.
Helena the day before she arrived there.
At St. Helena numerous slavers, prizes to Com-
modore Fanshawe's 'quadron, were lying; one came
in on the day the Medea lefc—a prize to the Hecate
steam-sloop, Commander Beauchamp—a fine schooner.
Commodore Fanshawe was at St. Helena in the
Centaur steam-frigate, whither the Gladiator steam-
frigate, Captain Adams, had followed him.
The Star, 6, Commander Selwyn, sailed from St.
Helena for Ascension and Sierra Leone en route to
England, to be paid oif on the 2d of June.
Commander, 'Lockyer' of the Medea, went overland
to India with Admiral Collier as flag-lieutenant, and
on the appointment of Commander Mason to take
home the Melampus he was appointed to the Medea,
and was confirmed as Commander of her on the 20th
of December, 1649. Commander Lockyer's active
services in the suppression of piracy in China will be
fresh in the recollection of the public.

APPOINTMENTS.
WOOLWICH' JUNE 28.—Surgeon--J. W. Bowler
(1837), to be Superintendent of the Hasherny convict
ship, about to convey convicts to Australia.
Paymaster and Purser—James Lyall (1833) to
the Imaum, 72, receiving ship at Jamaica.
Assistant-Surgeons--George Clarke, M.D. (1846),
to the Cuckoo, at Portsmouth ; Charles Harper, to
the Impregnable, 104. flag-ship at Devonport.
Midshipman—W. 11. Blake, to the Albion, 90, at
Devonport.'
JUNE 29.—Chief Engineer--Samtiel B. Meridith,
to the Cuckoo.