The Sun.
London, England, 1855-06-04 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The St. George, 120, Captain Eyres, C. 8., was in-
spected at Spithead on Saturday by Vice-Admiral Sir
Thomas Cochrane, K.C.8., the. Commander-in-Chief of
Portsmouth. it is supposed she will speedily sail on
particular. The Royal Victoria and Albert, Captain
the Hon. Joseph Dunman, is so far advanced that steam
was got up alongside Portsmouth dockyard on Satur-
day and the engines worked, but it is not intended to
test her speed until the vessel is coppered ; for this pur
pose she will be docked on Wednesday or Thursday in
the new dock just completed.
By the Madrid, which arrived at Southampton yester-
day with the Peninsular mails, we have the following
items of naval and military intelligence from Gibraltar :
—5B mules, for the service of the Land Transport in
the East, were embarked at Gibraltar on the 19th
of May, on board the British hired brig George Ann,
in charge of a superintendent, who has an overseer
and eighteen grooms to take care of the animals. The
brig left in the course of the day for Scltari. The loss
of horses which was reported to have taken place on
board the Royal Mail Company's steam-ship Medway,
on transport service, by the arrival of the Australian, is
confirmed by the Madrid. It appears that the Medway
encountered in the Bay of Biscay a most tremendous
gale of wind, which lasted from 5 p.m. of the 13th ult.
until 8 p.m. of the 14th, making the vessel pitch fear-
fully, unfastening a number of the horse-boxes and up-
setting the horses, whereby the greatest confusion en-
sued, the animals kicking each other to death, and caus-
ing the loss of 65 out of 210 that were shipped on board,
besides seriously injuring 15 others, which were obliged
to be landed at Gibraltar. Previous to the Medway
leaving Gibraltar, 12 horses and 54 mules were em-
barked for the purpose of filling up the vacant room.
On the 21st ult. the Prince of Wales steamer, with 40
navvies, who are returning from Balaklava to England,
and the Crimean Railway Company's steamer left Gib-
raltar for London and Plymouth. The Spanish steamer
Independiente, which left Gibraltar on the 17th of
April, with horses for the East, returned on the
20th ult. Her Majesty's steamp-tug Redpole, five days
and ten hours from Plymouth, arrived at Gibraltar, en
route to Constantinople, on the 23d ult. The Europa,
with Government stores from London, arrived out at
Gibraltar on the same day. The British transport ship
Lancashire Witch, 25 days from London and 10 from
Plymouth, for Constantinople, arrived out on the 24th.
The Indipendiente (Spanish) steamer was preparing to
make another trip to Constantinople. She is undergoing
an overhaul in her engine department, prior to taking
in a number of horses and mules from Gibraltar for the
use of the Land Transport Service in the East. The
Cantacria, Spanish paddlewheel steamer, has been char-
tered by Government for the purpose of conveying shot,
shell, and ammunition from the garrison at Gibraltar to
Balaklava, for the use of the British army in the East.
We are requested to correct an error in the letter
published last Monday from her Majesty's steam gun-
boat Weser, the accident to which in the Dardanelles
was so fully described therein. In the 36th line it is
stated, "the commander would not' land until," &c. ;
whereas, it should have appeared " could not land," &c.
Rear-Admiral Martin struck his flag on board the St.
Vincent, at Portsmouth, on Saturday, and went on
leave of absence. He is expected to return to-day.
The Russian brig Phoenix, of Dam), from Revel for
Stockholm, laden with barley, was 'brought into Yar-
mouth harbour: on Wednesday morning, in charge of
the mate of the Viper, by which vessel she was captured
off Libau. Only one sailor was on board the Phoenix
at the time she was captured, the master, mate, and re-
mainder of the craw having escaped.
The Austrian ship Pelestrina, of 520 tons, Captain G.
Rana, from Venice, with hemp, commenced discharging
in Devonport dockyard on the 19th of May. On Fri•
day afternoon there remained about 30 tons. On Satur-
day morning, when one of the first bales was cut open
purposewfoerrethfoeundin i
t. of
rThis being weighed,
fact created
considerable apprehension, and Mr. Gard, the Master
three re thee Lucifer receiving
-matches store
Ropemaker, communicated at once with the Master-
Attendant, Mr. Brown, who promptly stopped the dis-
charge, closed the hatches, and under instructions from
Admiral-Superintendent Plumridge, hauled the ship
from the dockyard basin into the stream in Harnoaze.
Several matches of similar kind were found in the cabin,
the cook-house, and in possession •of the crew, by the
police, and one or two more were discovered by Mr.
Gard in the store. The remainder of the cargo will be
put into barges. The hemp is made up in the country,
in bales of 4 cwt. each, about 5i feet long by 2:1 girth,
enclosed in wrappers and corded. The wrappers aro so
coarse that any hard substance of the size of a match
would be readily admitted between the threads. Mr.
Schofield, the contractor, supposes that when the steve-
lore and his men stowed the cargo at Venice they
dropped the matches, and very negligently omitted to
pick them up again. Every precaution is taken by the
authorities to prevent accidents through ships discharg-
ing ignitable cargoes at the dockyard. All the cooking
is done at an assigned place, and no fire, not even for the
smoking of tobacco, is allowed on board, neither.are the
crew permitted to have a thoroughfare through the
arsenal.

Sanspareil, 71, screw, Capt. Woodford Williams, is
having her boilers, &c., fitted in the basin at Reyham.
Nore,
She will be taken into dock again as soon as these are
campleted, to further repair damages sustained in the
bombardment of the forts of Sebastopol.
Agincourt, 72, Capt. A. Lowe, commissioned at
Devonport, as a training-ship fur newly-raised men,
having been found too defective for the service, the
Indus, 78, is to be fitted in her place.
theflag Retribution,
A dm
2i
Admiral
l pit. a d dL. l e ,
Baines, Capt.
is Fisher,atthe Big
with the following block ships:—
Russell, 64, Captain Francis Scott.
Hawke, Captain Erasmus Ommanney.
Hastings, Captain James C. Caffin.
Pembroke, Captain George H. Seymour.
Cornwallis, Captain George C. Wellesley.
The Retribution saluted the admiral yesterday morn-
ing, which was returned.
The Horatio, 24, screw, Capt.icbrane, is still lying
at the moorings abreast of Sheerness dockyard ; mecha-
nics are still working at her. She has had her compasses