The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-07 00:00:00

fend ; bnt in justice to him it must be added that, after
all, it was not his doing that he went on straight to his
doom without stopping at Scutari, for, by the evidence
of one of the few survivors, it appears that he was
peremptorily ordered on by Admiral Boxei:, ae indeed
had been reported, in the first instance, by Mr. Reade.
The Duke of Newcastle directed his Commissioners
to inquire into two other charges—one, that a great
number of bedsteads had been sent in one ship to
Seotari, while the legs had gone in another to
Bals,klava. The answer to this charge is " not proven,"
inasmuch as it appears the Ordnance lightermen and
others concerned in transferring the bedsteads and legs
from the barges to the ships can't say whether they pro-
portioned the packages or not. They were putting the
whole into one ship, when all would have been right,
but suddenly they were ordered to stop, and take in
some immense iron cylinders, which took up the rest of
the tonnage and space. The remainder of the cargo
went in another ship, but whether, say, 467 bedsteads
and 467 sets of legs in one ship, and 533 bedsteads and
as many sets of legs in another, they do not know ; and,
as neither complaint nor receipt has reached any public
department at home, it is impossible to say whether all
11 right or all very wrong. This looks a very slovenly
way of doing business, considering the admirable system
of checks one continually hears of; for it is evident that
if the Ordnance lightermen bad dropped half the bed-
steads, legs and all, by the way at some wholesale
dealer's in marine stores, nobody would have been a bit
the wiser, and a commission of inquiry would only have
given the same verdict as this does. The remaining
charge was, that besides the medical stores foundered in
the Prince, another supply was carried on to BalakiaTa
under the above-mentionel iron ;cylinders, Here again
the Commissioners urge the antecedent improbability of
such a position for the stores, and the certainty that
they would have been pounded to atoms. The question,
however, is one of evidence, which is only weakened
when it is backed by the argument of probability. If it
is meant to be proved that the medical stores were
really accessible, and that the captain had no ex-
cuse for carrying them on to Ba'aklava, as it ap-
pears ho did, our readers shall judge for them-
selves from the following passage in the report :
"It is clear, by reference to the sketch of the
hold (vide Appendix, No. 3), that had the position of the
stores at A been known to the captain and officers, a
ready and easy access to them might have been obtained
without the removal or disturbance of any heavy stores,
either by outting scuttles at A through the deck, or
through the bulkhead, which had been temporarily
erected for the protection of the cylinders; but, in con-
sequence of the captain and chief mate having been both
removed before the sailing of the vessel, it is more than
probable that their successors were unacquainted with
the manner in which she was stowed, and that much
more time was therefore consumed in getting at the
stores than was at all necessary." As neither the cap-
tainj nor the mate knew where the stores were that
seems to settle the question ; but, even in the case of the
most exact knowledge, it appears they had only the
choice of breaking through the deck or through a bulk-
head, that is, a cross partition of the hold. Why, as
much as that could have been said even if the stores had
been actually at the bottom of the ship under the cylin-
ders ; for the captain had only to cut a hole through
the bottom, and the medicll stores would have come
out of their own accord. And this the Duke of Ne.n-
castle and Mr. Elerbeit would have U 3 consider "entirely
satisfactory ?"

THE VIENNA CONGRESS.
( Front the Morning Post of this day.)

We have no doubt but that M. Drouyn de l'iluys is
by this time at Vienna, and we are informed by a tele-
graphic despatch of the arrival of Aali Paella. The
Turkish plenipotentiary, Arif Effendi, who has hitherto
represented Turkey at the Congres4, is unable t ) speak
any but his own language. The arrival of the Minister
for Foreign Affairs of Turkey, who is a statesman of
great distinction, well acquainted with the politics and
languages of Europe, and who has represented the Porte
both at this Court and in Paris, is thus an event of some
importance.
The Congress will, therefore meet on Monday in full
complement, and, if Prince Gortschakoff's instructions
have arrived, will proceed without delay to the discus-
sion of the terms of the third point ; and we shall shortly
know whether the difficulties which arose with regard
to the limitation of the Russian naval power have been
cleared away, or whether they are insuperable—whether
the pride of Russia will now yield, or will dare new
contests.

It is understood that the Porte, with the caution 1
which has distinguished its diplomacy in the whole of
the Eastern difficulty, has confided to Aali Pacha powers
only ad referendum. That is, he can accept nothing
definitive without referring to Constantinople for the
special authorisation of the Porte.
This proceeding, however, only causes delay in the
process of acceptation of terms, but not in the rupture
of negotiations, if such be destined to be the result of the
deliberations at Vienna.

Prussia, as we have always predicated, has been com-
pletely excluded from the Congress by her own ill con-
duct, of which almost every day gives further proofs.
The Russian party is still all-powerful at Berlin, and
continually urges the King to side more and more openly
with Russia. ,Vre do not think he will do this ; for the
selfish and short-sighted dread of war, which has rc-
strained the Court of Berlin from joining England
and France, will prevent it from openly adhering to
Russia.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

Some stir was occasioned in Portsmouth dockyard on
Thursday evening, in consequence of a telegraphic re-
port having reached the authorities, stating that the
Duke of Wellington, flagship of the Baltic fleet, had met
with an accident on her pAssage to the Downs, and was
expected to return to Spithead to repair the damages.

The Echo steam-tug was put in requisition, and a num-
ber of shipwrights were at once sent out in her to look
out for the Duke, but she did not arrive, and the tug
returned to harbour after dark. At daylight yesterday
morning she left harbour again in search of the flag-ship,
and proceeded five miles beyond the Nab, hut saw nothing
of the object of her search ; she fell in, however, with
something that gave a clue to the reported disaster ; this
was a fine American ship, the George Hurlbut, Captain
Post, from Antwerp for New York, with emigrants; she
bad lost bowsprit, foremast, head, cutwater, and port
anchor, bows stove in, &c., having been in collision en
Welnesclay night, at 10 30, with a large English man-of-
war, 10 miles W.S.W, of &achy Head, supposed to Le
one of t'm line-of-hatt4 ships of the Baltic fleet, but the
touch was so imperceptible, and the damage so instanta-
neous, that no shock was felt below, and, the night
being dark and thick, neither ship hailed or made out
the other until close in contact. • The merchantman was
towed into Portsmouth harbour yestee-Jay, and a hulk
applied for to the Admira'.-Superintendent by Lloyd's
agents, in which to berth the emigrants while the ship
is being repaired ; meanwhile a full report of the depo-
sitions of the officers on board has been sent to the Ad-
mir dty. _ _ _ _ . .

The Geyser, 6, paddle-sloop, and the Ruby gun-boat
left Spithes..d on Thursday evening to join the fleet.
Rear-Admiral Baynes struck his flag at sunset on
Thursday night on board the Retribution steam-frigate,
and went on leave.

The hired paddle-wheel steam-vessel Sea Nymph,
Captain Tallen, No. 118, arrived at Plymouth yester-
day. She sailed from Constantinople on the 16th of
March, and arrived at Malta the 20th and left on the
22d ; reached Gibraltar on the 29th, and sailed there-
from on the 30th. Between Malta and 'the Straits she
encountered a severe gale from the westward, and since
leaving the Mediterranean has experienced strong
northerly gales, accompanied with heavy seas. From
Constantinople she conveyed to Malta the Hon. Captain
Yelverton and other military officers, and she has
brought home from Constantinople Lieutenant-Colonel
Deverell, 19th Regiment ; Captain Brown, of the 41st ;
Mr. Thompson, Commissariat Department ; and from
Malta, Lieutenant Waldev, 46th ; Lieutenant Borton,
9th ; and Lieutenant Adjutant Bannot, of the 63d, all
invalided from the Crimea. The Sea Nymph is ordered
to Deptford.
The hired transport Victor, Captain Rose, No. 193,
with the staff of General Vivian, bound to the Black
See, will be detained at Plymouth until Wednesday or
Thursday next. A new piston is being made for one of
her engines.
The sailing transport Mary Ann, at Plymouth, was
discharged yesterday from the Government service. Her
spars are defective.
The screw steam-ship Lady Alice Lambton, Captain
Abel, of Wisbech, in the employ of the Crimean Railway
Expedition, which conveyed to the Black Sea the first
shipload of navvies, arrived at Plymouth yesterday morn-
ing. She left Balaklava March sth, reached Constan
tinople on the Bth, left the 15th. called at Malta on the
20th, and sailed therefrom on the 21st ; arrived at Gib-
raltar on the 30th, and left on the 31st. She }Flags
cabin passengers—Mrs. Colley, Mrs. Newton, Lieute-
nant Millar, R.N., and Mr. Cavannah, in the service of
the Railway Expedition ; Fore cabin—Richard Pace,
.Tames Devine, Jacob Perkins, James Cook, George
Parr, and Charles Quirk, invalided seamen from the
screw steam-ship Hesperus ; John Downham, invalided
navvy, from the Wildfire ; Thomas Freak, Andrew
Rogers, and Richard Vinall, discharged navvies ;
George Crane, and William Norris, engineers, from
the paddle-wheel steam-boat Cumberland, belonging
to the North of Europe Company, and five seamen
paid off from the tug-boat Express, which has been
sold. On the 30th of March, thirty miles east
Of the Rock of Gibraltar, spoke the brig Express,
of Hull, from Rio Janeiro for Marseilles. On the sth
inst., in the Channel, passed the Antoinette, of Amster-
dam, from London, with passengers for Sydney ; all well.
The Sardinian screw steam-ship Vittoria Emanuelle,
Capt. Pittaluga, in the employ of the French Govern-
ment as a transport, has completed her repairs at Ply-
mouth. She hauled out of Keybam Dock, and went
into Plymouth Sound on Wednesday evening) and on
Thursday sailed at 5 a.m. for Marseilles.
The Royal Mail Company's steam-ship Parana, Capt.
Elliston, left Southampton yesterday for Marseilles.
This vessel has been chartered by the French Govern•
ment for the conveyance of cavalry to the Black Sea.
The whole of the forward cabins on her main deck have