The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-30 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE

RETURNS CALLED FOR BY LORD INGESTRE
AND SIR CHARLES NAPIER.
The returns called for by Lord Ingestre and Sir Charles
Napier, of various particulars connected with the construction,
comparative expense, and capacity of various ships of war, have
just been promulgated ; but are, strange to say, tvholly oh-
authenticated by the name of any public ()Maar whale-akar.
Excepting, therefore; that they contain misstatements of the
most flagraat description, intended to account for and excuse
the gross blunders and jobbing of the Navy Office, we should
have been at a less to conceive with what department they
could have originated. it will, however, be seen that whilst
they enormously understate the expense of the surveyor's
ships, and of their repair, they as grossly exaggerate the cost of
the ships of other constructors. We believe we may safely
affirm that details more deliberately intended to mislead than
these returns have never issued from any department of the
public service. Not only are the expenses of the construction
and repair of the ships of the Surveyor of the Navy very in-
correctly stated, but remarks are introduced, designed to ac-
count for the immense sums svhich have been squandered upon
them, which are far more applicable to the cases ofrival ships which
have been produced at an infinitely smaller cost, although the price
of materials and labour when they were built was 40 per cent.
more than they are now. As, however, we propose to examine
these returns seriatim hereafter, we shall content ourselves for
the present with pdinting out the following sample of the dis-
honesty of the details of which they are composed. Among
the many fine vessels of war which have been broken up at the
suggestion of Sir William Symonds because they were—like
the Barham—formidable rivals to his own productions, may
be mentioned the Tremendous. This ship was surveyed in
1843, when the expense of repairing her was estimated at
31,9871., and but for the interference of Sir George Cockburn,
she would actually have been broken up. A new survey of her
having been ordered, however, it was estimated that, at the cost
of 20,000/., she might be converted into a fifty-gun frigate, but
at a cost of half that sum she has been rendered one of the
finest ships of that class in the service. It is to be hoped that
the Admiralty will institute a rigid inquiry into the statements
of which these returns are composed, and put a stop to the
further concoction of such replies to the inquiries of the House
of Commons.
THE " 13Locx" Smrs.—Our daily contemporaries, misled
by a paragraph in an obscure weekly newspaper, have an-
nounced that it is the intention of the Admiralty to convert
sixteen line-of-battle ships, and ten frigates, into what they
absurdly denominate " block ships," and ene morning journal
even goes st, far as to take credit for having advised the Board
to that which they decided u.,on doing, so soon as the failure of
the experiment in the Penelope had bean fully ascertained, and
the " advanced ships" had been completed. The Admiralty,
however, have not yet defined their plan, and it is premature
at this moment to say anything on the subject. But this mach
may be stated : the Admiralty have snlieitedfrom several engineer-
ing firms particulars respecting machinery, such as weight of
engines, the space they will occupy, and the power requisite
to propel a line-of-battle ship, and also a frigate, with given
armaments and a prescribed quantity of stores on board, at a
certain speed. •On being furnished with those data, it is most
probable their Lordships will select, perhaps, six old line-of-
battle ships and half a dozen frigates as port guard ships, and
will then call for tenders for the screw machinery for them.
The port guard ships when finished will be jury rigged, heavily
aimed, and will then have complements of officers and men as-
signed to them. One reason for converting old ships to this
purpose is, that they can be fitted in one-fourth less time than
it will take to build new ships, an I they will be applying them
to some useful purpose. We believe the only other step taken
beyond asking the information of the engineers is merely
that of having instructed the Surveyor of the Navy to propose
one of the smallest class line-of-battle ships and one of the
second or third class frigates for each port.—Herald.
Admiral Sir George Cockburn, Captain the Hon. William
Gordon, and the lion. H. T. L. Corry, the Secretary, have
returned to the Admiralty, from their annual visit of inspection
to Pembroke Dockyard.
THE RETIREMENT.—The list of captains who have notified
their desire to accept of the proposed retirement now amounts
to about 140, including four holding good•service pensions and
eight Companions of the Bath.
THE COMMAND-IN-CHIEF AT PORTSMOUTH.—There is
no longer any doubt that the declining health of the Gallant
and much-respected Admiral, Sir Charles Rowley, Bart., will
occasion his speedy retirement from the command-in-chief at
Portsmouth ; and it is very probable that Admiral of the Blue,
Sir Charles Ogle Bart., will be appointed to succeed Sir
Charles Rowley in the course of next month. The latter Gal-
lant Officer is at present residing at Brighton. He was ap-
pointed to the Portsmouth command in December, 1842. It is
generally believed that Captain Sir Richard Grant will be the
flag captain, and that the present respected Secretary, Richard
Haigh, Esq., will continue in that office on the appointment of
the new port admiral.
THE NEW IRON STEAII•SLOOP MEGARA.—The contract
for building the illegwra first class steam-sloop, of 1,297 tons, to
have engines of 56U-borse power, and to be propelled by the
screw, by Messrs. Fairburn and Son, of Millwall, has been
completed, and the vessel is to be built with the greatest
dispatch.
THE PEGASUS IRON STEAM-SLOOP.—Messrs. Scott and
Sinclair's contract for building the Pegasus, second class steam-
sloop, to be propelled by the screw, of 1,280 tons, to have en-
gines of 560-horse power, has been signed.

PROMOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS.

THE HEROINE COMMISSIONED.-Commander, Charles Ed-
monds (1841), has been appointed to command the Heroine, 6,
brig, refitted at Devonport, for further service on the coast of
Africa. He was a lieutenant twelve years, and was promoted
when first lieutenant of the Curacoa.

Commander Joseph Martin Mottley (1843), was yesterday
appointed to the President, 50, flag-ship of Rear Admiral
Lures.

Lieutenant Francis Philip Egerton (1836), first of the Agin-
court, 72, was appointed by Rear- Admiral Sir T. Cochrane,
the Commander-in-Chief of China and the East Indies, to the
command of the Hazard, 18, sloop, vacant by the death of
Commander Bell. The Admiralty have promoted Lieutenant
Egerton to the rank of commander, and have confirmed his
appointment. The gallant commander of the Hazard, David
Robertson, who, as First Lieutenant, assumed the command of
the Hazard, but since promoted for his conduct in the affair at
New Zealand, will be invalided.

Lieutenants F. Marten (1844), to the President ; Macleod
Cockraft (1844), to the Excellent; W. H. Haswell, on pro-
motion, to the Vernon.

Master James T. Russell (1837), to the President.
Surgeon William H. B. Jones, M.D. (1837), to the President.
Mr. John Edwards, surgeon, of 1809, of the William and
Mary yacht, has been placed on the retired list, creating a
vacancy in that vessel.
Chaplain and Naval Instructor, the Rev. Arthur Browne
(1841), to the Crocodile (not yet joined).
Paymaster and Purser Will►a►n Benge Basden (1805), from
the packet service at Dover, to the President.
Mates S. H. Henderson, and T. B. Hannam, to the Excel-
lent ; W. H. Connolly, from the Comet.
Second Master W. C. Payne, to the President.
Assistant Surgeons, James Rae (b 1841), to the Meteor;
J. I. W. Roberts 1835), and John Cockin (1841), to the Pre-
sident.

Naval Cadets C. Montagu and T. Bishop, to the President.
Master's Assistants Bunett and Williamson, to the Presi-
dent.

Carpenter James Pink, from the Victory to the Excellent.
Lieutenants John M. D. Smith, first of the Penelope steam-
frigate, and Augustus C. May, first of the Lame sloop, have
arrived home invalided from the coast of Africa.

Mr. Peter Cullen, surgeon of 1793, on the retired list, died
at Sheerness on the 23d instant, aged 76. Mr. Cullen had a
pension of 801. per annum as retired surgeon of convicts.

COWES, ISLE OF WIGHT.
(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.).

Cows.

AUG.' 19.