The Sun.
London, England, 1864-04-13 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligenoe.

THE NAVY.
VALETTA,ApriI B.—The work of clearing out Corfa
and the other islands of ordnance stor les continues
to be carried on with the greatest activity, bat no
precise date has yet been mentioned w hen the com-
plete evacuation of the seven islands w ill take place.
The ;Pelican, 17, Commander Comber; Icarus, 11,
Acting-Commander Boger ; Liffey, 35 ; Capt. G.
Parker, and Magicienne, 16, Capt. W. Armytage,
have all arrived here within the last few days,
heavily laden with powder and munitions of war,
and barrack stores of every description, and after
discharging will most likely return for fresh cargoes
of a similar kind. They experienced very bad
weather on their passage down. The Liffey will
have to undergo repairs, having injured her rudder.
The Icarus, when off Sicily, was obliged for a time
to stop steaming and proceed under sail alone,
owing to the heavy sea and her being so deeply
laden. The Fox, 2, screw storeship, Staff-Com-
mander T. C. Pullen, left on Wednesday for Corfu
to embark stores, and the Foxhound, 4, Commander
W. Anderson, is daily expected here from that
island, with a large quantity of powder, shot, and
shell. The martello tower was blown up at Vido
o a the 30th ult. It is said to have been one of the
most effective explosions which have occurred.
The whole tower rose in a mass several feet, then
the lower part flew out in every direction, and the
remainder fell in innumerable fragments, much of
the clay foundations being carried away by the
force of the exploding mines into the sea. 6,4001 b.
of powder were used in this explosion. The Keep,
Fort George, and a large covered way, and other
works at Vido have still to be destroyed. Nothing
c‘f Fort Abraham remains, bat the exterior of Fort
N euf and other works on the island of Corfa are
untouched, and it is believed will be allowed
to remain ; most of these (except Fort) being
of ancient construction, and useless for
purposes of defence against modern artillery. In
one of the explosions on the 29th the second serious
accident occurred, a stone having fallen on a cor-
petal's leg above the ankle, and damaged it so much
that it had to be amputated the same night. The
Orlando, 46, the commanding officer of which, Capt.
G. G. Randolph, is superintending the embarcation
of stores, is before leaving Corfa to try her guns
against the Maitland Tower, and the Royal Artil-
lery have received orders to make a similar experi-
ment. The Royal Engineers expect to quit the place
by the middle of April, by which time they hope to
have completed the demolition of all the works that
are to be destroyed. It is said to be the intention
of the King to proceed in Admiral Yelverton's flag-
ship (the Revenge, 73) to take formal possession,
and this will probably occur about the last week in
April. The Gibraltar, 81, Capt. J. C. Prevost, left
Malta on the 6th inst. for the Piraeus, to relieve the
iron clad "ship Resistance, 16, Capt. W. C. Chamber-
ia;ti, ordered to this island. Letters from Corfu
mention that the weather has been very bad there
lately. On the 28th it blew a violent equinoctial
gale, which obliged some of the men of war to get
up steam and strike lower yards and topmasts. It
did not clear up till the 31st, when the vessels ready
to leave for Malta were enabled to take their depar-
ture. During the gale the Growler, steam tender,
met with an accident by running into the Magi-
cienne, carrying away her foreyard and mizen-
mast, and causing some damage to the latter
vessel. Her Majesty's surveying steamer Firefly,
Lieut.-Commander G. R. Wilkinson, left Malta on
the sth inst. for Marsala. Her orders are to com-
plete the survey of the channel between that part
of Sicily and the opposite coast of Tunis, all of
which region, being under volcanic influences, it is
very important should be carefully surveyed. The
Sultan's steam yacht Talia, Capt. D. N. Comyn
(an officer of the Royal Naval Reserve), arrived
here from Woolwich and Gibraltar on the 3d inst.,
and left on the following day for Constantinople.
She made a rapid passage oat of only eight days
and a half, including a stay of 24 hours at Gibral-
tar, from which latter place she made the run in
three days and four hours. The Austrian frigate
Canto Dandolo, Capt. Baron Sternech, continued
her voyage on Sunday last for Pola. Her Majesty's
despatch vessel Caradoc, Lieut.-Commander E.Wil-
kinson, will leave port in a few days for Constan-
tinople; and the Weser, 6, Commander Johnstone,
has been ordered to Malta. Dr, Trower, Bishop of
Gibraltar,will proceed to Constantinople in the Ca-
radoc, for the purpose of holding a confirmation.
On Monday a naval court martial, composed of
Capt. J. Falford, of the Formidable, 84, president ;
Capt. W. K. Hall, C. 8., Cumberland, 70; Capt. Sir
F. L. M'Clintock, Aurora, 35 ; Cspt. the Hon. G.
1). Keane, Cumberland, 70 ; and Capt. J. Corbett,
Scout, 21, assembled on board the Formidable, flag-
ship of Vice-Admiral Sir C. Talbot, K.C.8., Com-
mander in Chief at Chatham and the Nore, for the
trial of Mr. E. E. Nicholson, assist.-paymaster of
her Majesty's screw steamer Bombay, 67, 400 horse
power, Capt. C. A. Campbell, on the charge of hav-
ing on March 30 last been drunk on board the said
ship and incapable of discharging his duty. Capt.
C. A. Campbell prosecuted, and Mr. Knight, of the
firm of Essell, Knight, and Arnold, Crown solici-
tors, Rochester, officiated asDeputy Judge Advocate
and conducted the case, At the close of the exa-
mination of the witnesses for the prosecution the
prisoner handed in a written defence ; he also pro-
duced to the Court six certificates from officers under
whom he has served, but he called no witnesses.
The Court, after deliberating for a short time, found
the prisoner guilty, and sentenced him to forfeit
three years of his seniority and to be severely repri.
manded.
The Irresistible, 68, 400 horse power, Captain J.
B. Dickson, late of the Dauntless, 31, fitting for the
Coastguard service, is at moorings in the Medway,
where she is receiving the remainder of her stores
on board, in readiness to proceed to sea. Sho is
intended to be stationed in Southampton Water.
The screw steamship Nile, 90, Capt. Barnard,
recently returned from the North American station,
which left Portsmouth on Saturday, arrived in Ply-
mouth Sound on Sunday morning. On Monday
she discharged her powder and shell, and was to be
placed alongside the jetty at the Devonport Dock-
yard, to be dismantled, preparatory to paying off
her crew. She will then be placed in the third
division of the steam reserve at Devonport, but it
is not improbable that she may be stationed in some
port on the Coastguard service, in substitution of a
lesser ship.

Her Majesty's iron ship Buffalo, having returned
to DeptTord Dockyard after a three months' trip,
was yesterday inspected by divers for the exami-
nation of Leeteh's preservative glass sheathing
applied to a portion of her bottom. The result was
highly satisfactory, and appeared fully to realise
the anticipation of the inventor, as the surface of
the sheathing was then as free from any incum-
brance as when first laid on.

The following appointments were made yesterday
at the Admiralty :—Capt. F. Martin to the Archer,
vice Bythesea, V.C., invalided; Hildebrand W. H.
Stevens, nominated to a naval cadetship ; and John
N. Mercer, midshipman to the Hecate.

THE ARMY.
The coloneley of the 68th Regiment has become
vacant by the death of Lieutenant-General Robert
Christepher Mansel, K.H., who died on Friday last,
after a long illness, at Sandgate, Kent, in his 76th
year. The deceased served with the 10th Regiment
in the Mediterranean, and subsequently with the
531 in the Peninsula. lie was present at the
battle of Toulouse, where he was severely wounded.
On attaining the rank of Lieut.-Colonel in 1826 he
went on half-pay. The deceased General was ap
poin • ted Colonel of the 68th (Durham) Regiment of
Foot in Jane, 1837. In 1832 he was made a
Knight of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order,
and had received the war medal and one clasp for
Toulouse. His commissions bore date as follow :
Ensica Jan. 29, 1807 ; Lieutenant Jan. 27, 1808 ;
Captain Jeb. 4, 1813; Brevet-Major July 5, 1821;
Major June 9, 1825 ; Lieut.-Col. June 10, 1826 ;
Colonel Nov. 23, 1841 ; Abior-Gen. Nov. 11, 1851 ;
and Lieut.-Gen, Oct. 26, 1858.
The funeral of tho late Col. Charles Bingham,
who died at Brighton on Wednesday last, took place
Yesterday. He was interred in the old parish church.
yard of Plunastead village, near Ilrool wich, with the
full military honours due to his rank as Adjutant of
the Royal Artillery.