The Sun.
London, England, 1863-12-24 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

THE NAVY.
VALETTA, Dec. 17.—The naval Commander.in-
Chief, Vice-Admiral Robert Smart, has taken up
his residence in Valetta for the winter, and a consi-
derable number of line-of-battle ships, frigates, and

small craft belonging to the fleet under his com-

mand are is the harbour. There is likelihood of some
changes occurring shortly among the ships here, as
'intelligence was received a few-days ago, rather un-
expectedly, that the St. George, 86, Capt. the Hon.
F. Egerton, and the Trafalgar, 70, Capt. T. Mason,
aro to go home, to be replaced by the iron-clads
Resistance, 18, Capt. W. C. Chamberlain, and Royal
Oak, 50, Capt. F. Campbell, from England. A
Court of Inquiry, consisting of Capt. C. Fellowes,
commanding the Marlborough, and Capt. the Hon.
F. Egerton, commanding the St. George, was held
last week on board the Cossack, 20, Capt. W. R.

.•
Rolland, to ascertain the cause of that vessel getting
ashore at Ayas, in the Gulf of Iskanderoon, some
short time back. It appears that, owing to the
darkness of the night and threatening weather, the
high land of Cape Khanzir could not be seen. The
officers were at their posts and the lead was going
at the time the vessel touched on a sandy spit that
runs out of the Gulf. She was soon got off again

without having suffered any damage, and it will not
be necessary for her to be docked, as was at first ex-
pected. No blame was found to attach to the captain
or officers. The Cossack left Beyrout on the 25th

November, after being relieved by the Liffey, 35,
G. Parker, which arrived there on the 22d from
Corfu. The Pelican, 17, Commander Comber, was

also at Beyrout, having arrived there from
Athens on the 17th of November. When off
Lanaka, in the island of Cyprus, on the 6th 01
November, the Cossack observed the Austrian
Lloyds' packet Europa on shore. She had a large
quantity of water in her hold, and had been aground
three days. Men were sent on board to pump
her out, which, with the assistance of a portion of
the crew of the French frigate Imperueuse, and by
working night and day, was successfully acorn-
plished, and she was towed into the anchorage of
Lanaka. Had it not been for timely help thus
afforded, the Europa must have been totally
wrecked. The cargo was nearly all spoilt, and she

had on board a large sum of money in specie, shipped
for Beyrout. Before the Cossack left Cyprus, an
Austrian gunboat and a steamer, which had been
telegraphed for, arrived to render assistance to the

stranded vessel. On the 11th inst. a court martial
was held on board the Hibernia, in Malta harbour,

to try John Chapel, second class boatswain of the
Cossack, for being drunk and unfit for duty. The
Court consisted of Capt. T. Mason, of the Trafalgar,
president ; Capt. C. Fellowes, of the Marlborough ;
Capt. the Hon. F. Egerton, of the St. Gorge;
Capt. T. A. B. Spratt, C. 8,, of the Hydra ; and
Capt. IV. Armytage, of the Magicienne ; Mr. Har-
rington H. Jones, secretary to the Commander-in-
Chief, officiating as judge-advocate. The Court
found the prisoner guilty, but, in consideration of
the good testimonials produced, only sentenced him
to be placed at the bottom of the list of his class, and
to be dismissed his ship. It is expected the Cossack
will leave some time next week for Tripoli, and pro-
bably Tunis, to visit the consulates on the coast of
Barbary. Capt. C. Fellowes and Capt the Hon. F.
Egerton also held an inquiry on board the surveying
ship Firefly, for the purpose of ascertaining the
cause of that ship touching on a rock, not laid down
in. her charts, during her late survey of the Corfu

channel, and coast of Albania. Theproceedirgs were
merely formal, and the commander and officers were
of course exonerated from all blame. The Firefly
has performed a very important and extensive survey
during the last few months of that part of the
lonian waters, which is very incorrectly given in
the published charts, it never having been properly
surveyed, She has carefully examined and ad-
justed a long line of coast, and discovered five or six
dangerous sunken rocks previously unknown. It
was while taking soundings in going to an anchor-
age that she touched slightly on the Osprey Rock,
given in the latest charts, but which charts had not
been issued to the Firefly. Some of the rocks re-
cently discovered by this vessel lie in a sea which
was sailed over a year or two ago by the greater
part of Vice-Admiral Sir William Fanshawe Mar-
tin's fleet, and nobody on board at the time was
conscious of the proximity of danger. This survey
is to be resumed at the commencement of next
spring. Yesterday Capt. Spratt gave over the com-
mand of the Hydra, which had returned on the 10th
inst. from Tripoli, to Commander Mansell, of the
Wilkin-
son, First Lieut. of the Hydra, took the command
ship
same Firefly,
eof
wdhayie,hilnasttteeardo Lieut. G. R. f
Commander Mansell.
While at Tripoli the opportunity was taken by
Capt. Spratt of ascertaining by chronometrical
lace and Malta, as
reck-
oning, and by signals exchanged, tthhreouegxhactht
casion with Alex-
differ-
for the guid-
ancegeh
nra tele-
graph
bees
eof longitude
witho
ndgoidone
Commander
doenb between
t wp er
ee
thatoaunss eolpcl
ac Tia
prt
ofa
Spratt
andpsrha this hsli
as
i di
enterings
downan island. At
seavntedhr
ae
lqr
buoysuitting Tripoli, and
of the Pasha,
made suggestions which, if adopted, would at a
very small expense render the harbour a safe
anchorage in all weathers. Captain Spratt leaves
to-day in the Euxine for Marseilles and England.
He retires at his own request, after an honourable
and useful service of 32 years on the survey of the
Levant and Mediterranean. The surveying tender
Growler, Staff Commander J. Stokes, returned on
the 11th inst. from surveying the Skerki Rocks.
The result of her labours proves that the statement
madebyaTunisian captain of an island having
been thrown up there must have been founded on
some mistake or misconception—perhaps the ap-
pearance of a mirage, as there is no such islan
on the spot indicated; nor does there appear to
have been any disturbance 0.7 upheaving of Keith's
Reef, the nearest shoal to Skeoki, to indicate any
recent volcanic eruption. her Majesty's frigate
Magicienne, 16, Capt. W. Armytage, was suddenly
ordered to sea on the night of the 11th inst., to
tow in the French packet Vatican, which had
broken down near Cape Passaro, and had tele-
graphed for assistance. The Magicienne returned
with her charge on the evening of the following
day, and the Vatican has since left for Messina and
Marseilles in tow of the French steamer Indus,
which had been telegraphed for. The Turkish
frigate Taif, Capt. Selim Bey, Which ran in here to
escape the violence of a gale at Tripoli, left ou re-
turn on Friday last, taking with her as passengers
Y
Mr. Goon of the Malta and Alexandria Telegraph,
to replace Mr. Smyth, who arrived at Malta per
Hydra, and Mr. Stacey, superintendent of the Ben •
ghaei Station. Mrs, Tufnel!, Miss Goetling, and