The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-21 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

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STROMBOLI STEAM-SLOOP.—The Stromboli steam-
sloop, Commander lion E. Plunkett has been taken into
dock at Devonport, and her defects. examined. It has
been ascertained that she had lost a few sheets of copper
only, and about ten feet of her false keel had been
rubbed on the larboard side, which defect was to have
been repaired yesterday. Tier other defects in the
master shipwright's department will be completed by a,
division of shipwrights, in about ten days. Hee engines
are in good order, and the trifling repairs which they
require can be done by her own engineer.
Mr. Wrotten, second class engineer, In charge of the
Confiance steam tug-vessel, at Devonport, has been ap-
pointed to the Victoria and Albert yacht ; and Mr
David Kerr, from the William and Mary, has been ap-
pointed to the Confiance, vice Wrotten.

VISIT OF THE PRINCE OF PRUS-

SIA TO PORTSMOUTH:

Monday his Royal Highness•the Prince of Prussia,
accompanied by Several of his suite and by his Grace
the Duke of Wellington, arrived at the Gosport ter-
Minus by the first train from London. Here they
'were received by Admiral Parker and by Major-
General Sir Hercules Pakenham, the IN aval and Mi-
litary Commanders in Chief of the district (Admiral
Sir Charles Rowley being absent on leave), attended
by several other naval and military officers. A guard
of honour from the 47th Regiment was also in atten-
dance, with the excel'ent band of that regiment, From
the terminus the Prince proceeded to the Royal
Clarence-yard, where the party embarked in the, Ad-
miral's barges and crossed over to the King's-stairs
at the Dock-yard. The Prussian standard was
hoisted in the barge which conveyed the Prince, and
was saluted by the Victory,' Queen, and Excellent.
After inspecting various departments of the Dock-
yard his Royal Highness the Prince, the Duke of
Wellington, with a numerous suite of naval and mili-
tary officers, embarked on board the Comet steamer,
for the purpose of going to Spithead to visit the
,Collingwood. Upon leaving the harbour the Prince
was saluted from the parade battery while passing.
A number of the yachts belonging to the Royal Yacht
Squadron, the [lames Yacht Club, the Royal
Southern, and the Royal Western Clubs, ac-
companied the steamer to Spithead. When the
Comet neared the Collingwood the yards of
the latter were manned. She had royal as
well as topgallant-yards across, and looked re-
markably well when viewed from the approaching
steamer. His Royal Highness took great notice of
her, and expressed himself highly gratified at her ap-
pearance. When close under the Collingwood's stern
the barges where hauled alongside the steamer, and
the Prince and party were conveyed in them to the
Collingwood, where they were received by the gallant
Admiral whose flag she carries, Rear-Admiral Sir
George Seymour.
Immediately the Prince arrived on board, the
Prussian standard was hoisted at the Collingwood's
mast-head, and a royal salute fired from her guns.
His Royal Highness was conducted through every
part of this splendid ship by the gallant Admiral, and
examined everything most minutely. Ile frequently
spoke in terms of great admiration of what he wit-
nessed, and left the ship by no means disappointed in
his previous anticipations of what he should find a
British man-of-war to be. His Grace the Duke of
Wellington appeared to be an object of as much at-
traction and interest to the blue jackets on board the
Collingwood as the ship was to the visitors, all were
anxious to get a sight of the hero of a hundred battles.
The Collingwood again saluted and manned her yards
upon the Prince leaving her. When the Comet re-
turned to the harbour, she hove-fo close to the Vic-
tory, and the Prince and party went on board to view
the ship, which forms so prominent a feature in -the
naval history of the country. The spot where the
immortal Nelson fell mortally wounded, in the 'hour
of victory, was pointed out to his Royal Highness.
After having inspected the ship, his Royal Highness
went up the harbour, and on board her Majesty's
yacht Victoria and Albert. Upon going on board,
and leaving the Victory, the Prince was saluted, and
the yards manned. At five o'clock, the royal party
returned to the Royal Clarence-yard, and proceeded
to the terminus, where a special train was in readi-
ness to convey the Prince to Basingstoke.

FRENCH AND ENGLISH NAVIES.

TO THE EDITOR OF TIIE MORNING CHRONICLE.

Sir,—As no naval officer will probably condescend
to the easy task of refuting the shallow boasting of
the National, I, though a landsman, and therefore,
perhaps, imp-Lr congressu, will undertake to question
its hopes and deny its facts, not by reasoning on what
the French navy may do, yet has never done ; but by
submitting to the French public—can they submit to
so mortifying an undertaking?—the perusal cf two
boarding exploits, achieved within their own ports, in
the face of their own blockaded fleets, by a frigate and
a sloop of war—exploits without parrallel in the whole
Of their naval records. I extract them from the works
of the most impartial of our historians, Mr. James,
who has obtained from Dupin himself, the jealous
advocate of French honour, the praise of fairness to
our adversaries. If the writer can find anything
parallel to them, or if he can deny or extenuate them,
I submit to a nonsuit, and I will not seek a new trial,
by appealing to the crowded catalogue of similar
daring with which our history teems in every sound
and sea, each creek and bay.
On the 7th of July, 1800, four French frigates,
lying in Dunkirk harbour, were attacked bya squad-
ron of small English frigates and sloops of war. The
Dart, of only 30 guns, ran alongside of the Desiree,
of 38 ; Lieutenant Af'Dermott, at the head of the
seaman and marines, boarded on the forecastle, and
carried all before him, though severely wounded. The
Desiri!e's cables being cut, and the French crew a
second time repulsed, she was carried over the banks,
which could not have been passed half an hour later.
The English lost but 10 men killed and wounded—
the French 100, including all her officers. Captain
Inman, the commodore, sent all the prisoners, who
were dreadfully wounded, on shore, and was thanked
for his humanity by Captain Castagnier. The three
other frigates escaped by running away.
The second boarding exploit was, if possible, still
more daring, as it was performed in the sight of the
combined fleets of France and Spain, in Camaret Bay,
near Brest. The French 20-gun ship corvette Chev-
rette was discovered at anchor, under heavy batte-
ries, a position considered perfectly secure. The cor.
vette had taken on board men to the number of 339,
including soldiers,_ had her arms and ammunition on
deck, and loaded her guns almost up to the muzzles
with grape-shot. In token of defiance she had dis-
played a large French ensign, above an English one.
Nine boats hastened to the attack, but five of them
went in chase of another vessel, and only four re-
mained for this desperate service, and they contained
but 180 men. Nevertheless, after a furious resistance,
the corvette was carried against three-fold numbers.
The victors lost 11 killed, and 57 wounded; the
French, 92 seamen and soldiers killed, 162 wounded.
Whenever the French navy can show actions such
as these, it will be time to talk of their glorious vic-
tories, glorious defeats, the terror of their " arines
blanches"—Lot not till then.
Your most obedient servant, P.
Brookes's, St. James's-street, August 18.
P.S.—ln the war between 1793 and 1802, the
French navy sustained a loss of not less than 74 line-
of-battle ships, either taken or destroyed by us, to-
gether with 160 frigates, mounting about_ 12,000
pieces of cannon, taking no account of smaller ves.
sels, gun-boats, &c.,

NEW GAME.—We have already shown that larks
are classed in France as game, and we now find that
sparrows are within the same category. Two cases have
just been brought before the tribunal of ViHeft-Finch°, in
which the delinquents were each fined 50f., the minimum
of the penalties—one for having eight of these birds, and
the other twelve, in his possession,