The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-02 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

Her Majesty's steam frigate Dragon, 6, Captain
Houston Stewart, C. 8., left Portsmouth yesterday at
noon for Woolwich, with the Resolute discovery ship in
tow. She goes round to discharge her stores.

Her Majsty's steam blockship Pembroke, GO, Capt.
Fraser, left Portsmouth harbour for Spithead yesterday,
and took up moorings at the anchorage. She saluted the
Port Admiral on going out.
The Simoom steam troopship, Commander Cooke, was
taken down to Portsmouth harbour yesterday to sailing
moorings off Gosport. It is reported she will soon em-
bark troops for foreign servica.
The Transit steam troopship was taken into dock yes-
terday at Portsmouth for repairs. She, too, is, believed
as likely to convey troops to the East.
The Resolute steam troopship was undocked yes-
terday at Portsmouth after refit. It is believed she
will speedily be required to convey troops on foreign
service.

Captain Milne, one of the Lords of the Admiralty, and
Lieutenant-Colonel Greene, director of engineering and
architectural works to the Boar I, arrived at the George
Hotel, Portsmouth, on Wednesday night, and yesterday
morning proceeded to Gosport to witness the working
of the patent hauling-up slip and railways for the berth-
ing of the gun and mortar boat flotilla, &c.
Her Majesty's ship Antelope, ordered to be ready for
sea on the 30th ult., has had her sailing instructions
countermanded by direction of Commodore Shepherd,
superintendent of Woolwich dockyard, with the sanc-
tion of the Lords of the Admiralty, by reason of the
repairs and internal arrangements being still incomplete.
She is ordered to be fitted with Clifford's apparatus for
lowering the ship's boats. Directions have likewise
been issued from the Admiralty, orlering the 120-gun
flagship Waterloo, the 78-gun ship Indus, the padd;e-
wheel steamer Locust, and the Rhadamanthus to be
appointed with the same apparatus. •
The steam yacht Imperador, about to be presented to
the Emperor of Japan, is removed to the river, off
Woolwich dockyard, and is now under the hands of
Mr. Wakeling, the Admiralty upholsterer, who has been
granted an unlimited order to supply the cabin furniture.

PORTSMOUTH, J. 1.
The Commander-in-Chief, Vice-Admiral Sir George
Seymour, accompanied by Flag-Lieutenant Malcombe,
and Rear-Admiral Superintendent Martin, proceeded to
the new slip-way at Hasler, for the purpose of inspecting
the interesting operation of hauling up the screw gun-
boat Gnat, she being the first gun-boat to be placed
under cover of the ❑ew shed of protection from sun and
weather. We also observed Captain Superintendent
Dacree, of Hasler Hospital, who was exceedingly active
in giving able assistance and advice; as well as Mr. James
Underwood, master attendant of the Portsmouth Dock-
yard; Mr. Andrew Murray, engineer in chief; Mr. Wm.
Miller, assistant engineer; Mr. Wm. Moody, assistant
master shipwright, with a host of scientific persons, who
were present on the occasion. At 10.30. a.m. the land
engine was set in motion--(we should state the immense
wheel which had originally bees ordered at Manchester,
but which could not be brought down, was abandoned,
and a London firm manufactured a new wheel, which
was constructed in halves, and when placed in position
performed its duties admirably)—and the Gnat gun
boat, was cleverly hauled up the slip-way. This having
been accomplished in a most satisfactory manner
the gun boat was placed on a cradle athwart ship
of the several tramways laid down to receive the
vessel. In a few minutes a locomotive was attached,
and freely moved with her burden the distance
of some 300 feet from the slip to the shed. We
observed that the locomotive was heavily ballasted to
make it equal to the stupendous weight of gunboat and
cradle. Having arrived opposite the shed a portable
donkey-engine was attached to the cradle to clear the
vessel up the tramway, and tackle-falls were also intro-
duced to assist the donkey-engine in getting the gun-
boat under the shed. Some little time elapsed during
this performance, but by the energy and tact of the
Master Attendant Underwood at the "fails," and the
determination and skill of Mr. Humphries, the civil
engineer, supported by Mr. Thomas White, shipbuilder
and inventor of the slip-way, all difficulties were over-
come, and the gunboat, amidst hearty cheering and
congratulations, was placed on her blocks in safety.
From what we observed we do not hesitate to say, that
this operation has consummated a triumph over engi-
neering difficulties which insures success for the future.
The following appointments were made at the Admi-
ralty yesterday
Masters—'Henry A. Martin, t 3 the Cyclops ; John
H. Allard, to the Sitnoorn.

LORD pALMERSTON AND THE SOUTHANP.
TON ELECTION.

SOUTHAMPTON, JAN. 1.

Seldom has an election contest been to pregnant with
events of an exciting and irritating character as that in
which this town is at the present moment involved. Every
day some new incident arises to foment the angry feeling
whcih'prevails, and even the Premier of England has been
drawn into the vortex. His Lordship, in a moment of
friendly forgetfulness, expresses an opinion upon the
merits of the two Liberal candidates ; this opinion is
mmediately made use of as public property in the
interest of one of those gentlemen ; his rival writes to the
noble Premier on the matter, and receives a reply from
him ; which letter the candidate, in turn, requests permis-
sion from his lordship to publish,together with the oth erpor-
lions of the correspondence. At this stage the whole
question now rests, Lord Palmerston not having as
yet replied to the last letter. We have been waiting,
day by day, in the hope that the correspondence would
be coulleted, before touching this piquant little piece
of election gossip ;
but, as it would appear that his
lordship is taking time to consider we now proceed to
a narration of the facts of the case, as far as they are
at present before the public.
About 10 days since one of the Premier's tradesmen,
Mr. W.Lankester, a partner in an extensive ironmongery
firm in Southampton, was sent to Broadlands, to see his
lordship on business matters, and this arranged, his
lordship referred to the pending election, and asked
how matters stood. Mr. Lankester replied to the
effect that they were in a great bustle ; that they had
thought Mr. Weanelin would have united the Liberals
in his favour when Mr. James had left the field,
but that Mr. Andrews bad split the Liberal party
by the course he bad pursued in coming forward as a
candidate three weeks afterwards. On this (according
to Mr. Lankester's narrative, from which these facts are
gathered) Lord Palmerston remarked, " Very impolitic ;
he is not fit for it," and said that though Mr. Andrews
was a good fellow enough he was uneducated. Mr.
Lankester then informs his lordship that Mr. Weguelin
had come down to Southampton with the highest intro-
ductions, and his lordship is reported to have replied—
" Oh, be is quite the right man ; he has position, influ-
ence, education, and a high character ; he is quite a fit
and proper man for such a town as Southampton, and
the other is not fit." Mr. Lankester expressed his fears
that the result of Mr. Andrews coming forward would
be the return of the Conservative candidate, and that
Mr. Wilcox would then resign his seat, ending in South-
ampton being represented by two Tories ; and his lord-
ship observed—" Very sad; he (Mr. Andrews) is not fit."
The interview ends, and the curtain falls on the first act
of the drama. _ _

On the following evening (Tuesday) we are introduced
to act the second. A Public meeting of Mr. Weguelin's
friends had been convened at the Victoria Rooms, and
forthwith Mr. Lankester, who is the chairman of
Mr. Weguelin's committee, unfolds a document and
reads from it his notes of the above conversation. As
may be imagined such a revelation produced no little
consternation and surprise, and great was the storm it
evoked.

As soon as Mr. Andrews heard of the matter ho wrote
a letter to Lord Pahnerston enclosing a copy from the
reporter's notes of Mr. Lankester's statement, and re-
questing to be informed whether the conversation had
been correctly stated. Three gentlemen of his committee
went over to Broadlands on Wednesday with their letter,
but the Premier bad gone to London, and so an inter-
view with the noble lord was Frustrated. The deputation
returned to Southampton, and the third act was over.
Christmas day and boxing-day pass away, and on the
Saturday morning Mr. Andrews receives a letter by
post from Lord Palmerston, wherein he compliments
Mr. Andrews on the high position he has attained in
the municipality, which he views as his proper and
legitimate sphere of duty, and admits having used the
expressions attributed to him. His lordship, however,
deprecates the idea of intending to interfere in the
election in any way, and says that he has written to
Mr. Lankester, who had committed " a gross viola-
was merely a private conversation. After consulting
withtion ofhis
friends, Mr.
in making public that which
r'.
Andrews
again wrote to his Lord.
ship on Monday, requesting permission to publish the
correspondence. To this letter no reply has yet been
received from his Lordship. The fourth act concluded,
people are now awaiting with interest the rising of the
curtain for the grand denouement, as the playgoers have
it, which will, it is hoped, introduce the letters of his
Lordship upon the scene, everybody being anxious to
read for himself the Premier's opinion.
This nice little episode in election matters has, as
might naturally be expected, created great interest in all
quarters, and has had the effect of increasing the fury of
the raging flames.