The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-03 00:00:00

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The steam-transport Sir Robert Sale, No. 88, arrived
at Spithead yesterday morning from the Black Sea. She
left Malta on the 17th of May. On the 17th of June,
in lat. 39.32 N. long. 12.51, she spoke the bark Anglia,
and on the 27th, in lat. 49.5 N, long. 10.36, the Alfred,
from Calcutta for London. She brings home a few
Government stores. Her Majesty's yacht Victoria and
Albert was taken out of dock at Portsmouth at 4 a.m.
yesterday morning, since which time she has been re-
ceiving her furniture. She leaves for her trial cruise
this morning. The Fairy and Elfin are also getting their
final finish for the season in Portsmouth dockyard. TLIO
Myrmidon paddle steam-sloop was swung in Portsmouth
harbour yesterday, and had her compasses proved. Her
Majesty and suite are expected at Portsmouth, on
Thursday, on their way to Osborne.
The screw steam-transport Norman, No. 155, sailed
from Southampton last evening with 56 horses and 40
men of the 6th Dragoon Guards, under the command of
Captain Norbury.
Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Lysons, of the 23d (Welsh
Fusiliers), after escaping unhurt at Alma, Balaklava,
and Inkerman, was severely wounded in the engage-
ment of the 18th of June before tke Redan. Colonel
Lysons served throughout the Canadian rebellion in
1836-7, and was honourably mentioned in the despatches
of Colonel Gore at St. Denis, but he distinguished him-
self in a more prominent manner in 1842, on the occasion
when he was a reeked in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. He
swam ashore from the transport in which were embarked
a large detachment of troops, and was the means of sav-
ing the lives of all on board. They found themselves
on a desolate part of the coast, several hundred miles
from Quebec in the depth of winter. Lieut. Lysons vo-
lunteered to proceed there on foot for assistance, having
to traverse trackless forests over the snow. His com-
panions in misfortune scarcely expected relief sooner
than in 14 days. Their surprise and joy were great,
therefore, to find, within a week, a steamer from Quebec
reach them for their relief, with their gallant comrade
on board, who was soon after rewarded by a captaincy
without purchase. He has since served on the staff in
the West Indies, and has obtained his present rank
without purchase while serving in the Crimea.
The Pioneer and Lady Lambton, screw steam
trans-
ports, having completed loading with coals, ac., at Wool-
wich, have left for the Crimea.
The Alecto paddle steam-vessel has iesrgn°o7. at
thorough repair at Deptford dockyard, anudncl
Woolwich, to be fitted for active service. _
The Centaur, 6, paddle steam-vessel,
arrived from the Baltic, has been taken.m o the
w.htichreoKen.tly
William Dock, at Woolwich, to be examvd
Several batches of troops, amounting a o 655,
with 30 officers, arrived at Liverpool
regimentsvacanciesvarious now
in the Crimea. They will leave Liverpool by the next
transport sailing from thhaten town.t
On of the 11th Hussars, for
some time past stationed at
Exeter, left that city to
embark Saturday a
arkatPlymoutdethfaoc ther Crimea. They were about
90 in
previously arrived from Canterbury,
also took their departure on the same day.
,nu wmhoberb
ille . A small detachment of the 6th Ennis-
ad
On Saturday a draught of the 71st or Glasgow High-
landers, numbering about 200 rank and file, left the
Brootnielaw, Glasgow, by the Liverpool steamer Lynx,
for the Crimea. They were accompanied to the quay by
an immense number of sympathising friends and rela-
tives. The men were full of ardour and enthusiasm.
The troop of the Queen's Bays, at Longford, has been
ordered to move to Athy. Lieutenant-Colonel Trench
is in command.

A. large hody of troops, comprising detachments from

Sir George Back was the first witness examined.
He said he was tolerably well acquainted with the
Arctic regions, having passed 13 years there. He
gave great credit to Captain McClure for the per-
severance he evinced in pushing his vessel, amidst im-
mense difficulties, through a sea encumbered with
ice, where a ship had never been before. His pas.
sage through the Prince of Wales' Strait with his
vessel showed immense firmness and great judgment
upon his part. Still more glorious, in his opinion, was
Capt. McClure's successful attempt to go all along the
west side of Baring's Island, where the ship was neces-
sarily exposed to all the masses of ice which drifted down
from the north, and came with such force against the
shore. His own experience among the ice, in the Terror,
in the same part of the Arctic regions, and his knowledge
of the jeopardy is which a ship was constantly placed in
there by the pressure and upheaving of the ice, led him
to believe that he could scarcely sufficiently admire the
courage and intrepidity of Capt. McClure and his officers
in exposing themselves to such dangers—dangers which
they knew must be encountered before success could be
achieved. The credit of discovering a North-west Pas-
sage was also solely and entirely due to Capt. McClure.
Capt. McClure attempted the passage by the south-east
corner of Baring Island first, but did not succeed ; he
then returned to the south extreme of the island, went
westwards, then northwards, and then sailed to the east.
The Chairman—Was it possible for him to have gone
on with his vessel ?—That would depend entirely upon
the state of the ice. Had he been accompanied by a
steam-vessel it is perhaps not saying too much to assert
that he would have got the ship through, but not having
any steam power he could not possibly accomplish that
feat.

By Capt. £cobell—Captain M'Clure has at length
cleared up the doubt which has so long prevailed as to
the existence of a North-west Passage. Captain Collin-
son is unquestionably second after Captain M'Clure as
regards this discovery. His ship, when in the Prince
of Wales' Strait, was a little to the north of Captain
M'Clure, but he failed in trying to get round to the
westward.

By the Chairman—There is not the least doubt in
the world that Captain M'Clure discovered the North-
west Passage.
Captain Kellett said be had wintered twice in the
Arctic Seas, and had made three summer voyages to
Behring's Straits. His first acquaintance with the
Arctic regions commenced in 1848. There could be
no question that Captain M'Clure had a priority
of claim to the discovery. Captain Collinson followed
Captain M'Clure within a period of twenty days,
but neither party was aware of that fact at the time ;
it was ascertained afterwards by a reference to Captain
M'Clure's own records. Geographically speaking, he
considered that Capt. INl`Ciure had solved the problem
of the North-west Passage.
By Mr. Gordon—Do you think if Capt. M'Clure bad
been furnished with steam power he would have been
able to make the passage not only in person, but with
his ship ?—I do not think that any vessel, with any
power, could have gone through the channel by the
west.

By Admiral Walcott—From the position he was :u,
I do not consider that Capt. Collinson could have ac-
complished the North-west Passage. Supposing Capt.
M'Clura had not made the pssage, the credit of
achieving it might have been a marded to Capt. Col-
linson.

By Capt. Scobell--When Capt. M'Clure found he
could not get through the Prince of Wales' Strait, it
was an unparalleled performance going round the island
with the whole weight of ice upon him. The coast was
of such a nature that. it the ice had come against his
ship, not a man of his party would have been saved, yet
he remained upon that coast for about six weeks with-
out meeting with any accident. When I was ordered
to desert my ship the crew were perfectly healthy, and
I had quite sufficient rrovisions to last me while I
brought her out.
The committee then adjourned until this day.

THE NEW JUDGE.--The Freeman's Journal, referring
to the new appointment on the English bench, says :
Mr.lles, Q.C., who has the reputation of being one
of the ablest and soundest lawyers at the English bar,
is son of the late Dr. Willes, of Cork, and was educated
in Trinity College, Dublin. Mr. Willes will be the
second Irishman who, within the last few years, has
been elevated to the English bench, the other being Mr.
Baron Martin, son-in-law of Chief Baron Pollock.
TROUT FISHING ON THE TWEED INTERDIGTED.—A
public meeting of the inhabitants of Melrose and vici-
nity was held on the evening of Monday, for the purpose
of raising funds to meet the expenses of an action of in-
terdict against Mr. A. Scott, for trout fishing in the
river Tweed.

THAMES HAVEN RATLWAY.—A special meeting of
this company was held yesterday at the London Tavern,
to consider the propriety of confirming the sale and.
transfer of the railway and other works to the London,
Tilbury, and Southend Railway Company; Mr. J. D.
Lowden in the chair. The chairman explained the ob-
ject of the meeting, and that the company would receive
one 101. share of the London and Tilbury Company fe.r
every 2 shares of the Thames Haven Company. This
would be at the rate of 41. per share. The shareholders
would have the option of receiving the amount in shares,
bearing 6 per cent. interest, or in cash. A vote of
thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.
THB MAILS.—SOUTHAMPTON, July 2.—The Royal
Mail Company's steam-ship La Plata, Captain Weller,
left this afternoon with the usual monthly West India,
Mexican, and Pacific mails, 53 passengers (among whom
are the Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Turner, Ensign Tarte, and
Assistant-Surgeon Skues), 43,7811. in specie, 5,0001.
value in jewellery, 2,5101. ditto quicksilver, and a full
general cargo. The Tay, Captain Moir, with the next
homeward portion of the West India and Pacific mails,
is due on the 16th inst. The Solent, Captain Jellicho,
with the monthly mails from Buenos Ayres. Rio de
Janeiro, Bahia, Pernambuco, St. Vincent's, Teneriffe,
Madeira, and Lisbon, is expected about the 13th inst.
The Peninsular and Oriental Company's new screw
steam-ship Alhambra, Captain Christian, arrived at
Southampton this afternoon. The customary trial
trip will take place to-morrow, and the vessel will
immediately be prepared to convey the next Peninsular
mails on the 7th inst. The Tagus, Captain Joy, with
the homeward portion of the Peninsular mail, is expected
to-morrow night. The Sultan, Captain Burney, with.
the India, China, and Peninsular mails, leaves on the
4th, and the Enable, Captain Weeks, with the home-
ward portion, is looked for on the 6th inst. The United.
States mail steam-ship Arago, Captain Lines, leaves
Cowes on Wednesday for New York with the French
and English mails, passengers, and merchandise.
EAST INDIA REVENUES. Yesterday a return was
issued of an account exhibiting in sterling money the
gross and net revenues of India for the year ending the
30th April, 1853, from which it appears that the total
income amounted to 26,821,0381., and the expenditure
to 26,396,7811., showing an excess of income over ex-
penditure of 424,2571. The land revenue of the
;yteare
venue The
produced 16,922,8511. ; the customs, 1,362,6471.01731. the
sale
the charges in India,
in-
cluding the cost of salt and opium, amountedamounted to
o
u4,p100n4,1t5b6e1.
revenues, The totalnoefitehdei
ng districttbe claimseb
archarges
eaen
of
f celdemandsiee.
4526,96in,917e574981;i1. incurred in England,
debt, on
tileigu,2d9ia:3s73o42ln3a
st4e6d,aBg
against
In.ls
te,
including
the latter sum including 634,0701. as dvidends to pro-
prietors Stock,ibe t andtlaBlsl3l,
7 ,SOOL interest
the res
value
on
e
cash balances in India
pthuebl3icOthfuAnds,
pril,o
on that day, amounted to
the
Hetee of
Bond
dt
17,665,3771., of which sum 14,427,3141. remained in the
treasuries in India, and 2,210,357/, in the Treasury in
aentdetaetekhoimeetboen
England. The stocks in the public funds standing in
the Company's name, and valued at the market • prices
on the 30th April, 1853, amounted to 1,027,7061.
THE RIVER
TYNE.—An enormous blue-book of more
than 500 pages contains the report of the commissioners
appointed to inquire into the present state of the river
Tyne. The commissioners, looking at the evidence ad-
duced and the opinions of professional men—considering
also all the circumstances of the present state of the
river, and the extent of private commercial establish-
ments and public docks formed on its shores, and weigh-
ing the advantages and disadvantages of one uniform
system, report their opinion in favour of the construction
of full-tide walls carried continuously along well-defined
river lines, similar to those laid down by Mr. Rennie in -
1813 between Newcastle-bridge and Shields, which have
not been materially departed from in the various plans
proposed subsequently by different engineers, and which
have been approximately adhered to by the engineer of
the Conservancy Commissioners. On the whole the
works which have been constructed appear to the com-
missioners consistent with the future adoption of the
plan of full-tide walls. Subject to certain qualifications,
they are of opinion that the encroachment on the tidal
waters of the Tyne by jetties, embankments, and other
works on the banks thereof have not injured the navi-
gation, and will not counteract the plans for removing
the sandbanks at the mouth of the rivar, or otherwise
injure the navigation of that important river. The com-
missioners deprecate a continuance of the differences and
disputes which have hitherto prevailed in the Tyne Im-
provement Commission, and hope that petty local Jea-
lousies and animosities between Newcastle and Shields
will be buried in oblivion. The minutes of evidence
occupy the bulk of the volume before us.