The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-11 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

VALETTA, January 3, 1864.—There have been
no arrivals lately of despatch boats from Greece or
the lonian islands, but the English merchant steamer
Palestine came in on Wednesday last from Corfu
with news from that island to the 28th ult. The
work of dismantling the fortifications at Vido, prior
to destroying them altogether, commenced on the
day preceding her departure, and was going on
when she left. Already orders had been received
for some of the regiments to hold themselves in
readiness for departure—the Ist and 2d battalions
of the 9th Regiment for Gibraltar, and the 4th Re-
giment for Malta. The destination of the 6th Regi-
ment is not yet known, but it will probably be sent
home in the Tamar transport, expected from Eng-
land. A portion of the Royal Artillery and Royal
Engineers are to be sent to England, and the rest
to Malta. Her Majesty's screw line-of-battle ship
Trafalgar, 70, Capt. T. Mason, leaves for Corfu on
Monday with provisions for the Orlando, 40, Capt.
G. G. Randolph, and will return in 15 days, when,
the report here is, she will go on to Gibraltar to
meet the Royal Oak ironclad, Capt, F. A. Camp-
bell, ordered to the Mediterranean. A seaman of
the Trafalgar was tried yesterday, on board the
Hibernia, for drunkenness and insubordinate con-
duct, and was sentenced to four months' hard labour
in Corradino Prison. This is the only case of the
kind resulting from the Christmas festivities, which
speaks highly for the discipline of the fleet. The
Magicienne, 16, Captain W. Armytage, was sud-
denly ordered off on Sunday last, and put to
sea in rather heavy weather for Gibraltar. The
object of her departure is believed to have refer-
ence to Sir Moses Montefiore's mission to Morocco
for the protection of the Jews in that country. She
is to return to Malta. Dr. Trower, Bishop of Gibral-
tar, proceeded by her to visit his see. The Cossack,
20, Capt. W. R. Rolland, returned on Thursday
last from a visit to the coast of Barbary. She ar-
rived at Tunis on the 24th ult., after a fair passage
under steam as far as Gozo, off whieh island she
had' some target practice, and then proceeded the
rest of the way under sail, passing the Racoon,
bound for Malta, on the morning of the 22d. After
communicating with the consulate, she left for
Malta on the 29th, and arrived here without call-
ing at Tripoli, as it was first intended she should do.
The Egyptian screw frigate Brahimi, Capt. Mus-
tapha Bey, which left this on the 27th ult. for
Marseilles, to embark horses and mules for the
Pasha, put back on the 29th, having, on reaching
the offing of Favignana, suffered some damage to
her machinery. After making the necessary re-
pairs she left again on the 31st. This vessel, it
may be remembered, got ashore when under another
commander, on the Munsciar Reef, which stretches
out to some distance on the south-east side of this
island. It is proposed to place a buoy or beacon on
this rock, for the better protection of foreign vessels
against accidents, but it is very much doubted

whether such a measure might not more likely lead
ships into danger than keep them from it, as any
such beacon would be very liable to be washed
away in the heavy sea that breaks over the place in
bad weather. It was on this dangerous shoal that
the English ship of war Alexandria, 74 guns, was
greatly damaged in 1799. The Prussian war

steamers Preussischer Adler (corvette) and Blitz
and Basilisk (gunboats) continued their route home-
wards on Wednesday last, after filling up with coal
and making some necessary repairs. The Swedish
screw frigate Vanadis, 22, Capt. F. Haverman,
which arrived on the 25th ult., from the Baltic, on
her way to Naples, is still in port, and will not
leave for a few days. Her Majeety's s crew line-of
battle ship St. George, Capt. the Hon. F. Eger-
ton, is awaiting the arrival of the ironclad Resis-
tance, Captain Chamberlain, from England. First-
Lieut. Alston, of the former ship, left for England
last week, via Marseilles, o❑ his promotion to the
rank of Commander. The Meeanee, 60, Capt. G.
Wodehouse, is looked for here shortly from Athens,
where there are the Revenge, 73 (searing the flag
of Rear-Admiral H. R. Yelverton, C. 8.), Capt. the
Hon. F. A. Foley ; the Gibraltar, 81, Capt. J. C.
Prevost ; the Icarus, 11, Capt. N. Salmon, V.C. ;
the Foxhound, 4, Commander W. H. Anderson ;
and the Trident, 3, Commander C. J. Balfour, with
the tender Boxer. On the western coast of Greece
and the lonian Islands there are the Orlando, 46,
Capt. G. G. Randolph, the Wanderer, 4, Commander
M. C. Seymour, and the Surprise, 4, Commander
W. H. Whyte. The Caradoc, despatch vessel, 2,
Lieut.-Commander E. Wilkinson, is at Messina,
awaiting the arrival of Sir Henry Bulwer. The
Liffey, 35, Capt. G. Parker, and the Pelican, 17,
Commander Comber, are on the coast of Syria. The
Weser, 6, Commander A. Johnstone, and the Cocka-
trice, 2, Lieut.-Commander R. M. Gillson, are on
the Constantinople and Danube station. The Pro-
cris, 2, Lieat—Commander the Hon. J. B. Vivian, is
at Gibraltar; and the Racoon, 22, Capt. Count
Gleichen, and the Psyche, 2, despatch vessel, Lieut.-
Commander R. Sterne, have left for Alexandria to
a wait the arrival of Lady Elgin and suite. In Malta
harbour we have the Marlborough, 121 (bearing the
flag of the Vice-Admiral Commander-in-Chief R.
Smart, K.H.), Capt. C. Fellowes ; the Hibernia re-
ceiving-ship (bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral H.
Austin, C. 8.), Commander R. B. Harvey; the
Trafalgar,' 70, Capt. T. Mason ; the St. George,
86, Capt. the Hon. F, Egerton ; the Phoebe, 35,
Commander W. B. Grant (temporary, this ship
will be ready for sea about the 20th inst.); the
Cossack, 20, Capt. W. R. Rolland (lying in
Sliema Creek) ; the Chanticleer, 17, Capt. C.
Stirling (her new commander is expected out
shortly from England); the Hydra, 3, surveying ship,
Commander A. Mansell (Staff Commander J.
Stokes, of this vessel, leaves to-day for England on
leave) ; the Firefly, 3, surveying ship, Lieut.-Com-
mander G. R. Wilkinsoa (Mr. F. Skead, master of
this vessel, will be invalided, and is likely to go
home in the Trafalgar); and the tender Growler.
The following persons have arrived here during the
week :—Major Hickie and Mrs, Hickie, Captain
Smith, Captain Owens, Admiral Sir R. and Lady
Stopford, Capt. Hoseason, R.N., Capt. Goff, and
Capt. Pritchard, R.M. Sir A. Slade and Lady Slade
were among the passengers per Poouah from South-
ampton for Malta. Deputy Inspector General A.
Armstrong, M.D., in charge of the naval hospital at
Malta, left by the Aunis on Sunday last for Eng-
land, via Messina. Dr. Burke has assumed charge
of the hospital in his absence. By the Valetta,
arrived to-night from Alexandria, we learn that the
Racoon was lying to off that port waiting for fav-
ourable weather to enter.
On Saturday royal salutes were fired from the
guns of her Majesty's ship Victory, the flagship of
the Port Admiral and Commander-in-Chief at Ports-
mouth and the Channel Islands, and from the guns
of the saluting battery on the King's Bastion of the
garrison, in honour of the birth of the Royal Prince.
The announcement was received with the utmost
enthusiasm throughout the port and garrison.
Similar salutes were fired at the other dockyards.
It was yesterday stated at Chatham that on the
return of the Channel Fleet the vessels composing
the squadron will assemble at Spithead, and after-
wards proceed to one of the eastern ports, where
they will await further orders. It is probable that
the ships will rendezvous in the Downs.
The Lyra, 9 guns, 60 horse power, screw cor-
vette, Commander Parr, made her final trial of
speed, praparatory to sailing on foreign service, on
Saturday at the measured mile in Stokes Bay,
under the superintendence of the officers of the
Steam Reserve and steam factory, realising a speed
of 71 knots. She is expected to sail for Madeira
and the Cape of Good Hope this day or early to-

morrow.
The Adventure, screw troopship, Commander
Cnrme, was undocked from the Warrior dock at
Portsmouth on Saturday, after completing the ex-
amination of her valves and the coating of her bot-
tom with the so-called preservative and anti-fouling

composition,
The Orontes, screw steamship, Capt. H. W. Hire,
at Portsmouth, is ordered to he fitted with the patent
Lumley rudder. Past experiments at Portsmouth
with her Majesty's ships have fully and satisfac-
torily demonstrated the value of this invention.
Admiralty instructions were issued on Saturday
at Woolwich to bring forward her Majesty's screw
steam cc-vette Niger for early commission. She