The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-03 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

the Marlborough, 131, was taken into the steam basin
at Portsmouth yesterday, ready for &eking. It is not
apii,arent that she has sustained any irjury. TheKilling-
worth, screw steam transport, No. 189, an ived at Spit-
head from Constantinople, Malta, and Gibraltar yesterday,
in ballast. She left Malta July Id, and Gibraltar July 24.
The Timandra sailing transport, No. 51, went into Port-
mouth harbour yesterday, from Spithead, to land her in-
valids, women, and children, whom she brought home flom
Corfu. The Europa, steam-transport, sailed from Ports-
mouth yesterday morning for Liverpool. requiring to be
docked before again proceeding to the Etat. Tee Marley
Hill and Killingworth, screw steam-transports, left Ports-
mouth yesterday afternoon for the eastward. The Dee,
naval steam-transport, hauled into the steam basin. at
Portsmouth yesterday to land boilers for the Marlborough.
The paddlewheel steam-vessel Pluto, 4, arrived at Ply-
mouth yesterday from the Coast of Africa. Her dates
from sierra Leone, June 1, and Goree, June 26, are anti-
cipated by the mail-packet Retriever.
The Britoznart, 8, Commander Albert Heseltine, on a
cruise, has appointed to call at Sierra Leone on the 16th
of July, when she would probably receive orders to return
home.

The screw steam gun-vessel Teazer, 3, is gone to Ascen-
sion to be repaired.
The paddle-wheel steam-vessel Myrmidon, 3, Lieutenant
Commander Edward Maunsell, arrived at Madeira on the
20th of July, bound for Sierra Leone.
The detachment of the 31st Regiment left in Plymouth
Citadel, 73 rank and file, and three officers, under coin-
maud of Lieutenant Pearson, is appointed to leave on
Monday for Liverpool, where it will embark for the
Crimea.

The General Screw Company's steam-ship Jason, trans-
port No. 84, having embarked the whole of her troops and
horses, hauled out of the Southampton docks into the
liver yesterday afternoon. It was not expected that she
would sail for the Crimea until to=day.
The amount of steam-shipping at Southampton continues
very great. During the past month the graving docks
have been busily engaged in providing accommodation for
steam vessels of the heaviest burden. As a proof of this
the following ships have been docked at that port
during July :—Atrato, paddle, 3,466 tons burden ;
Derwent, paddle, 794; Madrid, paddle, 479; Tamar, pad-
dle, 1,961; Magdalena, paddle, 2,944 ; Himalaya, screw,
3,438 ; Victoria, screw, 1,878 ; Jason, screw, 2,668 ; Al-
hambra, screw, 720 ; Australian, screw, 1,392. The Atrato
was undocked and the Himalaya docked in one tide ; the
latter vessel, which had just arrived from Spithead as the
Atrato was floating out, steaming direct into the large
graving dock. In three hours from her entering she was
perfectly dry. This is the largest amount of tonnage in
and out of a graving dock in one tide which is known-
-6,901 tons. After the Himalaya had completed her re-
pairs, three ships were docked in 24 hours, the united
burden of which amounted to 5,426 tons. The graving
docks are still occupied, and there are seven large vessels
waiting for their turn. Among them is the fine East In-
dian sailing ship Flerefordshire, of 1,800 tons burden,
which is lying at Southampton for the purpose of being
newly coppered and caulked.
The Glutton, 14 guns, screw steam floating battery,
Captain Arthur Cumming, and the Meteor, 34 guns, screw
steam floating battery, Captain F. B. B. Seymour, left
Sheerness yesterday for the Black Sea, and are to call at
Portsmouth for Admiralty orders. The Ithadamanthus will
follow them with their guns. Both floating batteries are
ordered to anchor in the Downs for a tide or two in a part
of the roadstead where they will get the cross tide and run
of the sea, to prove their sea-going qualities previously to
their departure. The entrance to the Gull Stream is named
for an anchorage. Both these ships are fully manned.
The Trafalgar, 120 guns, has been put out of the fitting
basin at Sheerness, and the Phaeton, 50 guns, arrived yes-
terday from the Saltpan Reach, was taken into the fitting
basin to be brought forward as a screw steam-frigate for
immediate commission.

The Horatio, 8 guns, screw steam-frigate, Captain the
Hon. A. A. Cochrane, C 8., left Sheerness at 7.45 p.m. on
Wednesday, anchored at the Nore, and at 5.30 a.m. yes-
terday left for Heligoland. She takes with her Sappers
and Miners for duty there. She proceeds from Heligoland
to Portsmouth, there to receive Admiralty orders on par-
ticular service.

The Caradoc, 2, ion paddle-wheel steam-vessel of 350-
horse power, Commander S. H. Derriman, borne on the
books of the Royal Albert, wade her number on demand,
passing up Sea Reach yesterday at 8.45 p.m., from the
Mediterranean, with despatches fur the Admiralty from
the Crimea.

Commander Charles G. Phillips has taken up his com-
mission and joined the Urgent, screw steam-transport,
which vessel is to be at Sheerness on the 10th instant, for
particular service.
The Alban, 4 guns, paddle-wheel steam-vessel, Lieut.-
Commander W. E. Fisher, left Sheerness yesterday for
Heligoland.
Capt. Wickland and his chief mate, late of the Russian
barque Odessa, taken at Hull, have been released from the
Devonshire, at Sheerness. An order has arrived there that
any Russian merchant seamen, now prisoners on board the
Devonshire, can receive their liberty if they volunteer and
are accepted to serve on board of any vessels except Rus-
sian property.

G; screw transport Sovereign arrived off Woolwich
Arsenal yesterday, and is embarking about 200 tons of
shot and shell for the Black Sea. She is to complete her
cargo with light stores.
The Union, sailing transport, has taken in 1,800 barrels
of powder at Woolwich, and a quantity of shot and shells,
and is only waiting Admiralty orders to sail for the same
destination. The Medina, sailing transport, is also nearly
ready for sea with a similar freight.
Captain Riddell's field battery, and a working party of
about 80 men, with 150 horses, went down to Greenhithe
yesterday morning from Woolwich, under the superintend-
ence of Colonel Anderson.

The following'appointments were made yesterday at the
A d in iralty :
Capt. T. Harvey, to the Havannah; Commander Julian
F. Slight, to the Sanspareil ; Commander R. J. Otway, to
the Siren ; Commander R. Phillips, to the Alecto ; J. B.
Jackson, paymaster, to the Waterloo ; J. W. Colverd, as-
sistant paymaster, to the Saturn ; J. H. F. Alston, assist-
ant clerk, to the Conway.

THE EARTHQUAKE IN SWITZERLAND.

( From the Journal de Geneve.)
SION, VALAIS, JULY 27.

I send you some fresh details which I have just col-
lected with respect to the cataEtrophe of St. Nicolas
and Viege.
The 26th has been a yet more terrible day than the
25th—not that the shocks of earthquake have been
stronger, but that all the houses, being cracked and
ready to fall, were unable to resist any new shocks.
At 10 o'clock I was at Graeber:, sitting on a rock, and
talking with two peasants, when, all at once, our seat
was violently agitated ; we were thrown to the earth,
and at the same moment 13 barns fell in, the spire of
the church was completely demolished, and an enor-
mous rock —known in the district by the name
of " Kalchenzug"—bounding from the top of the mou n-
tail], precipitated itself with a horrible crash into Viege,
surrounded by a cloud of pebbly dust, which rolled
onwards with the impetuosity of an avalanche.
From Glachen I went to St. Nicolas by the wooden
bridge. Notwithstanding the reiterated warnings of the
inhabitants, I determined to penetrate into the village,
in order that I might be able myself to judge of the
extent of the disaster.

All the houses had fallen one upon the other, and at
the very moment that I quitted the village (a quarter
past one p.m.) a fresh shock occurred, which completely
levelled the little inn called La Croix F4dtirale."
The only houses which now stand at St. Nicolas are
the priest's house and the house of the notary, M.Binner.
All the rest is one heap of ruins, and the wretched in-
habitants of this village, collected together in a large
field near the river, are encamped in the open air. It is
heartbreaking to witness the despairing sadness of the
men, who have just seen the destruction of the houses
which sheltered them yesterday, and of the women, sur-
rounded by their children, who can do nothing but weep
over this overwhelming calamity.
Between a quarter past 1 o'clock and 5 I have felt six
shocks of earthquake at St. Nicolas—viz., at a quarter
past 1, at 10 minutes past 2, at 14 minutes past 2,
at half-past 2, at 40 minutes past 3, and at 40 minutes
past 4. At 5 o'clock I resumed the road to Viege by
the right bank of the river, in order to avoid the storm
of stones which never stopped falling. On the road the
shocks continued, but I must admit that I did not care

to note them very accurately, being in a hurry to arrive
at Stalden.

On the r-ad I met the curd of St. Nicolas, without
s hat, and in great pain. A stone had struck him on
the head and another on the knees. He was creeping
along with difficulty, but we were obliged to pursue our
journef separately, for it was impossible to stop. The
road was entirely covered with crevices, crumbled walls,
enormous blocks of stone, and at every instant the noise
of something cracking was renewed.

I have at last arrived at Stalden. Nobody is in the
village ; everybody has fled. Almost all the stone
houses have been shaken down. The wooden structures
have resisted better.

At half-past six I set out for Viege, but at 200 yards
from Stalden the road was impassable. I was obliged
to go, as best I could, by the side of the bill.
With respect to Vibge you know what has taken
place. Yesterday, at 10 o'clock in the evening, there
was a fresh shock as strong as those which preceded it.
As at Stalden and St. Nicolas, there are no inhabitants
in this little town. They are encamped in the open air.
At three o'clock in the morning I had fortunately re-
turned to Sion from my perilous excursion.
At Zermatt, Tesch, and Randa there has been no mis-
chief. At Torbel the roof of the church is driven in, as
in the two churches of Vibge ; the same thing has hap-
pened at Hurbucken. No news from any other quarter.
The wounded guide* has been brought back to Vibge.
It is believed that his leg is not broken. I saw at St.
Nicolas a woman who was suffering agonies—a beam in
falling had broken her arm, and they were onthe_ipont
of amputating it, but without any hope of saving her.
Such was the situation yesterday. You see bow dis-
astrous it is, and what a depth of compassion inuascta.b ae.
felt for so many honest people struck down by
I
mity hitherto unheard of in these districts.

* This evidently refers to something mentioned in a
previous letter.

RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.

ASSENT TO RAILWAY
RBolyLail, ROYAL
bills received the assent
the Dearness
namely, Valley ; East
akeirt (Extension to Dover) : Oxford, Worcester, and
Wolverhampton (Improvements and Branches) ; Severn
The fdealyloswaigng,
—rail way
the total num-
ber ; and Somerset Central—ma,kin
ber of railway acts passed this session 71, including 20
for the incorporation of new railway companies.

ROSCREA. AND NENAGH.
It appears that the baronies through which this line
is proposed to be constructed have agreed to guarantee
a certain rate of interest on its cost. The line is to form
a junction with the Great Southern and Western Rail-
way, and to be worked by that company when com-
pleted. The rate on the baronies for the purpose of the
guarantee is not to exceed 20. in the pound.