The Sun.
London, England, 1845-10-23 00:00:00

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

PORTSMOUTH, Oct. 21.—This being the 40th anniversary
of the battle of Trafalgar, the Victory, 104, Captain G. Mou-
bray, was dressed in wreaths to commemorate the event. Gar-
lands capped the jack staff, main, fore, and mizen trucks, and
the ensign staff, the " main brace" was " spliced," and mirth
and jollity prevailed on board.
Captain Moubray was at the battle of Trafalgar senior
lieutenant of the Polyphemus, and gave a dinner to a select
party of officers on board the Victory, some of whom had
shared with him the honoars of that ever-memorable day.

The memory of the departed hero was drunk in silence.
The officers' wives and relatives were invited, and a ball ter-
minated the festivities of the day.
The St. Vincent, 120, Captain Rowley, late flag-ship of
the experimental squadron, returned to Spithead this morn-
ing, where she brought up and saluted the flag of the Com-
mander-in-Chief. The St. Vincent's term of commission
having nearly expired, she will be paid off and re-commis-
sioned by Captain Sir Richard Grant, Flag-Captain to Sir
Charles Ogle. It is expected, however, that ultimately one
of the new 120 gun ships at this port will carry the chief flag,
and the St. Vincent take the place of the Victory as ordinary
guardship. Her performances in the late trial sailings have
caused considerable surprise, as upon the cruise last year
with the Caledonia, Queen, and Albion, she did wonders in
beating, by " long chalks," her competitors, and that under
circumstances of every disadvantage, and most particularly
that drawback to every ship's speed, a very foul bottom.
How it is she has behaved so differently in the late trials is
therefore perplexing, as she underwent an entire refit below
and aloft.

The Vanguard, 80, Captain Willes, has completed the re-
pair of defects, and is re-trimming in the basin. It is ex-
pected she will not leave this port before Friday.
The President, 50, Captain Stanley, flag of Rear-Admiral
Dacres, appointed to succeed Rear-Admiral the Hon. J.
Percy in the command-in-chief on the Cape station, begins
to look very handsome. She is painted, and will bend sails
in afew days.

The Trafalgar, 120, Captain Martin, arrived this morning
soon after the St. Vincent. She proceeds to the Nore as flag-
ship of Vice-Admiral Sir E. D. King, Commander-in-Chief.
The Kingfisher, 12, Commander Brown, is nearly ready
for sea. She will bend sails in a day or two, and drop out to
Spithead, whence she proceeds to the coast of Africa.
The Hecate steam-sloop, Commander West, was spoken
with 15th August, on the Line, cruising in long. 10 W.
The Nautilus, 10, Lieutenant-Commander 3/Donnell, is or-
dered to be docked, to repair some damages to her rudder, &c.
PLYMOUTH, Ocr. 20.—Her Majesty's steamer Rattler ar-
rived here during the night from Portsmouth.
Yesterday Rear• Admiral Sir S. Pym, G.C.8., struck his
flag (red at the mizen) as Admiral of the Fleet, on board her
Majesty's ship St. Vincent, 120, Captain R. F. Rowley.
This morning Admiral Sir John West hoisted his flag (blue
at the main) as Port. Admiral, on board her Majesty's ship
Queen, 110, Captain Sir Baldwin Walker. At nine in the
forenoon the red flag, for unloading gunpowder, was hoisted
on board the 4ame ship.

At ten o'clo,.k her ill,jesty's ship St. Vincent got under
weigh in the Sound, and with three topsails and foresail
sailed through the Eastern Channel outside. She hove to at
the back of the breakwater, where she was signalled by her
Majesty's ship TrefAgar, 120, Captain Martin. At twelve,
with a fresh northwester, she bore away for the eastward.
At two o'clock the Trafalgar weighed anchor, and also
sailed to the eastward ; her destination is supposed to be
Portsmouth.

The two-deckers, Canopus, 84, Captain Moresby, C. 8.,
Albion, 92, Captain N. Lockyer, Rodney, 92, Captain Col-
lier, and Superb, 80, Captain Corry, will shortly go to sPa
for a six weeks' cruise, and will most likely visit the Me
diterranean. Captain Moresby, of the Canopus, is appointed
Commodore.

TIDAL HARimUit Co NIMMISSION.
LANCASTER.
The first place vi.iited in England was Lancaster, at which
town Mr. Godson M.P., and Captain Washington, R.N.,
two of the Commissioners, sat on Monday last.
The meeting was held in the Borough Court, and was very
numerously attended by the inhabitants.
The examinations continued from 10 o'clock in the morn-
ing until 5 o'clock in the afternoon. The inquiry embraced
two objects: first, the improvement of the port; and se-
condly, the beet mode of expending the 10,0001. paid by the
Lancaster and Carlisle Railway Company for leave from the
Admiralty to place the piers of their bridge near the town in
the bed of the river.
Mr. Walker, Secretary to the Quay Commissioners,
who are the conservators of the river; Mr. John Brockbank,
a shipowner • Mr. E. Dawson, a land proprietor; Dr. James
Johnson; dr. Richard Gerrard, a pilot; and Mr. Alexander
Kennedy, master of the steam-vessel trading between Liver-
pool and Lancaster, were examined on the first point.
We have not room for the details. It may be suffi-
cient to state, that it transpired that the conservators
are 17, and have but one person amongst them who ever
sailed a vessel"; that they never attempted to improve the
navigation of the river except by having a survey made by
Mr. Stevenson, whose highest estimate was 15,0001., and
lowest 7,000/., upon which they never acted ; that they
receive about 1,200/. a year„ but are of course in debt,
which has been reduced to 4,000/. ; that the river Lune
might be improved, as Mr. Stevenson had recommended, so
as to make it two feet deeper all the way from the sea to
the quay below the railway bridge ; that the freshes in the
river are very great, but that they are impeded by weirs, &c. ;
that several lights and many buoys are wanted ; and that a
dredging-machine is absolutely necessary. On the second
point there was a great diversity of opinion, Mr. T. Higgin
insisting that the 10,0001. should be laid out in dredging the
river ; Mr. E. Sharpe, in impounding the river, so as to
make a basin in it for the ships, to be brought from the pro-
jected dock at Poulton by a ship canal, to lie in. Several pro-
jects were also brought to the notice of the Commissioners :-1.
Adock at Poulton, in Morecombe Bay, with a ship canal of
three miles to Lancaster quays. 2. A dock at Thorn Bush,
at the entrance of the Lune, with a railway to the Lancaster.
and Preston Railway. 3. A railway from Fleetwood to Lan-
caster. 4. A railway from Yorkshire, called the North-
Western Railway. i. A railway from Newcastle to Lan-
caster ; and 6, the York and Lancaster Railway. It seems
that the railway speculators, having monopolised the carry-
ing trade on land, are determined now to seize upon the
ports, and destroy the coasting trade. Irrespective of all rail-
way speculations, we think that the Lords of the Admiralty
are likely to expend the 10,000/. in buying a dredging ma-
chine, and employing it according to Mr. Stevenson's plan.
and in placing lights, beacons, and buoys in the Grange
Channel of Morecombe Bay and in the parts adjacent, and
after that is done, it is to be hoped that the conservators of
the river will keep the river in that improved state.
FLEETWOOD.
The two Commissioners visited this port, which is a sub-
port under Preston, on the 14th of October, and examined
Mr. S. liurridge, the receiver of the dues ; Mr. Head, the
ha.ffionr-master ; Mr. S. P. Bidder, the resident engineer ;
Mr. Robert Gerrard, a pilot •, Mr. A. M'Neiledge, the master
of a steam-vessel trading between Belfast and Fleetwood ;
and Nlr. Kemp, the secretary to the Company.
It appeared that the port is under the management of the
Preston and Fleetwood Railway Company; that a dividend
is now paid out of the combined profits of the railway and
the port; that the river Wyre is constantly dredged, and
that there will be ten feet of water from the lighthouse to
the wharf; that the Wyre lighthouse, built on Mitchell's
screw piles, is not only of the greatest benefit to this ports
but to Lancaster and to all mariners passing along the coast.;
that the wharfs are very commodious, having thirteen cranes
upon them; and that a dock is about to be built.
It seems that this port cannot be made fit at all times for
the entrance of sailing vessels, the channel being only 200
feet wide at ordinary low spring tides, but there are two
steam tugs kept to assist them. There were complaints of
the Wakey light, which takes more time (five minutes in
the revolution) than any other light in the kingdom; also
that another beacon and some more buoys are wanted. The
dues paid are remarkably low, and there is no difference in
the dues levied on foreign and home vessels. A vessel can
be brought into the Wyre one hour and a half sooner than
into the Lune.
There are several projects for railways. One from Fleet-
wood to Lancaster, and another from Knot-end to Clithero..,
with a direct line to Leeds.
On the whole, this new port gives great promise of being
a very excellent steam-vessel harbour.

THE LATE SHIPWRECKS AT WICK.—The Britisi
Fishery Society have incurred penalties to the amount of 7004,
bynot having a life-boat at Wick, as required by Act of Parlia.
ment. This sum will be demanded for behoof of the survivirg
sufferers.-• Aberdeen Herald.