The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-20 00:00:00

WOOLWICH-FRIDAY.

The Atbol troop-ship; Mr. Pearn, Master Commander,
came alongside the wharf wall at Woolwich Dockyard, yes-
terday, to take on board the baggage of Captain Lake's
c.anpany of the sth battalion Royal Artillery, under orders
for Leith Fort, North Britain. The company was relieved
yesterday morning from field battery duty, by Captain
Flude's company, 7th battalion, and assembled at twelve
o'clock in heavy marching order, on the guard mounting
parade, with Brigade Major Cuppage's company, 9th batta-
lion, recently returned from Devonport, for the inspection of
Lieutenant-General Lord Bloomfield, G.C.B. and G.C.H.,
Commandant of the Garrison. His Lordship, attended by
Major Armstrong, Acting Brigade-Major, Major Smith,
Captain and Adjutant Ormsby, and Captain and Adjutant
Maclean, inspected the men very minutely, and expressed
himself highly pleased with their clean and soldierlike ap-
pearance. Captain Lake's company embarked at the Wool-
wich Dockyard, at one o'clock r.m. to-day, in the Athol
troop-ship, for Leith.
Barretto, Junior, hired freight-ship, which left Woolwich
on the 28th of August last, with Major Anderson's company
and Capt. Stanway's company, both of the Ist battalion of the
Royal Artillery, for Halifax, Nova Scotia, arrived at their
destination on the 28th September, and the vessel was ex-
pected to sail on the sth of October, on her return to head-
quarters at Woolwich with Major Lock's and Capt. Mee's
companies of the Bth battalion.
The Avon steam-vessel, Commander Denham, F.S.A.,
fitting here for service at the Bight of Benin and coast of
Africa, is not to be engaged in the pursuit and capture of
slave-vessels, although she is well armed, in case of being at-
tacked. Her employment is to be entirely devoted to the
survey of a large portion of the coast of Africa, where so
many British steamers and ships of war are now employed
in putting down the slave trade at its principal sources.
The Avon being about to be employed on particular surveying
service in a part of the world in the great majority of cases
fatal to European constitutions, has been prepared for the
special service in which she is to be engaged, with every
care and precaution that the aid or art of man can suggest
for the convenience, comfort, and preservation of the health
of her officers and crew. She is fitted with iron water bulk-
heads between the engine-room and the other parts of the
vessel, and around and in the roofing of the deck cabins.
The cabins, and the parts of the vessel appropriated to the
crew, are supplied with prostrate and shower-baths, adapted
to these places, to afford ample opportunities of ablution to
promote health, and to add to the comfort of the officers and
crew and relieve the sick. The meat safes are protected from
insects and high temperature by similar means. Eight
boats had been provided for the Avon, two of which are
whale-boats, and fitted as life-boats, and every one of the
"eight boats fitted with awnings and Redpath's cooking appa-
'tutus, with complete canteens down to the minutia of salt-
spoons, for the comfort of detached parties, whether in the
boats or marquees they carry with them. The Lords of the
Admiralty have also been pleased to allow separate patent
galleykfor cooking the officers' and ships company's provi-
sions on deck, thereby diminishing the bulk of cooking
duties, and Additional in the vessel, had the whole cookiin2
been perforated betwixt the decks. The peculiar
service on .which the Avon is to be employed i
traversing the hitherto unexplored part of the ,Bight of Benin
induced Commander Denham to take every precaution fur
the safety of the crew and vessel; and from the experienc:
he had obtained while-engaged in surveying on the British
coast, he applied to their Lordships and obtained thirty-one
of Porter's anchors, of sorts adapted to the vessel and the
boats, and they have been tested and stowed, after being
separated into three parts, as ballast in the hold; and so sa-
tisfied does he feel of their value, that he has-notqaken, nor
will he take, any other description on board during his
voyage. She also carries a stock of Warlick's patent fuei,
which it is anticipated will stand the test of being stowed in
small compass, and not be affected by a high temperature.
One thousand tons of the same fuel proceeds by the Avon to
Accra for her especial use. On entering the private cabins
of this vessel this morning, they were as pure and sweet as
the best rooms of private residences could be, owing to the
windows being open all night, and merely protected by the
wire-gauze ventilators.
The Ardent steam-vessel, Commander J. Russell (b), ar-
rived at Woolwich yesterday evening from Ascension and
Portsmouth, all well. Lieutenant Charles R. Johnson, who
went out in -the Eclair, but was transferred .to the Ardent,
has returned in the latter vessel in excellent health.
The crew of the Growler are permitted to have commu-
nication with the shore to receive necessaries and fresh
water, but not to go out at the gate, or mix with the per-
sons employed in the dockyard. No new cases have oc-
curred, or any symptoms tending to create alarm, yet every
precaution is very properly taken to prevent the chance of
danger. The two persons of the crew who had been ill
some time before the arrival of the vessel, but were wil-
-1 sidered convalescent, have had a relapse, their constitu-
tions having been impaired when employed on the coast oi
Africa.

MANCHESTER. AND SOUTHAMPTON RAILWAY.—The
The holders of shares in the Andover Canal Company (who
invested their capital in that unprofitable concern about 65
years ago, and never yet received a farthing return for the
outlay,) have now a fair prospect of obtaining a return of a
small portion of their sunken capital, it having been agreed
to dispose of the canal to the Manchester and Southampton
Railway Company for 30,000/., of which sum 10,000/. is to be
paid down as a deposit in January next.—Hampshire Adver-
tiser.