The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-29 00:00:00

BELGIUM.

The Belgian Senate on Thursday elected the Prince
de Ligne its president, by 41 votes to 6, given to
Count de Renesse.
The budget of Belgium for 1853, which has just
been distributed to the Chambers, estimates the re-
ceipts at 121,849,250 f., and the expenses at only
117,662,724 f. 41c. The war budget figures in the
expenses for 26,787,000 f.
A royal decree of the King of Holland of the 24th,
enacts that the postal treaty recently concluded with
Belgium shall be carried into effect.

MALTA.
We have letters from Malta of the 22d inst
On Wednesday, the 17,h, Admiral Sir William
Barker, Bart., G.C.13., left the Admiralty House, to
proceed on board the Queen. At three o'clock,
accompanied by some of his personal friends, and his
staff, he proceeded, after having partaken of a dejeuner
a /a fourchette at the residence of Lieutenant
Colonel Warde, R A., to the Custom House, where a
guard of honour, supplied by the Maltese Fenciblee,
wan drawn up to receive him. Here also Lieutenant-
General Ellice and his staff, Colonel Warde several
staff officers, the veteran Ruggiero Settimo, his secre-
tary, and many friends, assembled to bid farewell to
the Commander-in-Chief of the naval forces.
To them Sir William Parker addressed himself ex-
pressing the gratification he had ever experienced
from the manner in which the heads of departments
had seconded his views, and from the courtesies he
hid" always met with from the public in Malta. The
admiral then embarked, under a salute of 14 guns,
from Fort St. Anggele, the ships in port manning
their yards. At eleven A.M. on the following morn-
ing a signal from the Queen was made to the ships
(`spiteful steam-sloop excepted) to strike the blue
ensign and hoist the red one ; thus giving up the
command to Rear-Admiral Dundas. An hour after,
towed out by the Scourge, the Queen left port on her
route to England.
Sir William in the fleet was highly unpopular ;
wedded to opinions of the old school, it was difficult
to adapt his views to the wants of the day. In Malta
he was, however, as popular as his warmest friends
could desire. Ever courteous, ever hospitable, ever
provident, he had the interests of commerce warmly
at heart, and his pride seemed to be to afford any as-
sistance at his command when circumstances called it
forth.
The Scourge has gone to survey Graham's Shoal,
which, if report is to be depended upon, has been
rising since Lord Kerr last reported upon it. She
returned yesterday.
The Spiteful has left port for Gibraltar, where she
is reported to relieve the Janus.
The Hercules troop-ship, sent out to take the place
of the old Ceylon, has gone homewards, manned by a
portion of the Queen's crew. She has on board seve-
ral invalids.
The island is in a state of considerable excitement,
to-day being fixed upon for the third reading of the
Militia Bill in the Council. As it is proposed, the
measure is unpopular, not, it is believed, from the
Maltese lacking the courage to defend themselves if
attacked, but on account of the provisoes to deprive
them of their civil liberties and privileges if they do
not go out when called on. In a word, the measure
has been proposed and carried before the people knew
of it, and has been badly timed.
Two volunteer corps, the one a rifle, have been set
on foot, and will perhaps ere long be organized.
The military are being taught the use of hand
grenades 4 2-5 inches, by Lieut.-Colonel Huey,
"Ph Light Infantry.
On Saturday
033 tons, L night the English brig James Ray,
master, arrived in port with his
crew, eleven in gnumber, in his long boat.
It appears
that the brig hit Trieste on the 12th
instant with a
cottou for Liverpool ofsin, Morocco leather, and
weather fresh. On the 19th
she sprung a leak early,eropi ew_hich gained rapidly, the.
crew constantly
?te dr at_
were
ee pumps,rues. and 11
endeavours to free Thea
pumps became shortly af;er w
and the captain, finding
aonhokhed by the grain,.
hopes of saving
hie ship gone, determined on abandoning her.
Into e lang-hoat a
He put small quantity of
water and prov 161") his papers and chronometer, and
embarking his crew, stayed by the unlucky brig for
an hour d, when she went own. The
accident hap-
pened off Mount Etna, about 175 miles
distant from
Malta. From the moment they embarked till in sight
of the island, they saw no ship- The sailors, with the
humane feeling which Tie often shown, Would
not
allow a parrot to perish, but took it with them, and it
is now alive in Malts.

CAPT A F
IN STOPORD.
(Front the liurtsmouil4 and slat
al Gautte of
Saturday.)
We see it stated in the daily papers of Y that
C Vein the Hen. Mentsgn Stopford, otetshteertY endon,
goo a aLain to the Waterloo at Sheerness, as Itig,-(91)1.31i;
to Vice-Admiral the Hoe. J. Percy, Poet-Admirat
at the Nero station! le this shuffi) really got :g
to he telerated by the Duke of Northumberland
If eh, we shall begin to think that his Grace is not
so sharp-sighted as WO jatlgi,d him, or that a large
ateniint of inflnenee " from without" has been brought to
undermine his Grace's better judgment. How many
changes has this shore-hugging Captain rung out of the
Baring Admiralty since he was appointed last for sea
serviee? Let us see. On the 26th of July, 1850,
he was appointed to commission the Trafalgar, 120; he
fitted her nut, and when she was about putting to sea a
member of Captain Stopford's family fell ill, and he
went ashore, tranafering the command of her to Captain
Geeville, who had lately p'dcl off another ship! Captain
Grerille took the Trafalgar to the Mediterranean,
sad retains the command of her. On the sth
;iit August, 1851, Captain the Honourable Montagu
atlford was appointed to commission the Waterloo,
120,eee Sheerness; he fitted her out for the flag cf Rear-
'"."'rat pandas until she was nearly ready for the re-
ception of the Admiral, when the French cock began
to crow and frightened the Lords of the Admiralty,
who substituted the Britannia, 120, at this
port, for the Waterloo, lest the name of that
ship should get her aides
battered in and her flag in-
sulted by the overpe4
French squadron in the
Mediterranean: thereureninBfTlein Stoptord was trans-
ferred to the London, 02,
at Sheerness (tiro flag-ship),
went
while Captain Mundy on with the fitting of the
Waterloo, to take the flag from the London; and now
we are told Captain Sto2:ord is abou: k tokayo the Lon-
don for the Waterloo, UePtain bluntly returning to the
former again!
Now this is, without exception, one of the most " art-
fill dodges" to gain sea time at overxpe of less in-
4, served his time" in tie' '
fluentially named officers we heard of. When
Captain Stopford has is lone-
shore manner, it is rumoured Captain Charles Elen'
(another lucky name in die navy), the late courteous
private secretary to Sir Francis FA
—aring, will slide
into his berth, the senior ses Lord of the present
Admiralty being a relative of the Eden family by mar-
riage! A pretty hash up of naval patronage truly ! Can
the Duke of Northumberland—a ED3C of honour, and
sailor cuttiog"
--ebe aware of this " shuffling and to win
the pale of " sea time" by the party who have so long,