The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-17 00:00:00

Naval

,elligence.

THE NAVY.

VALETTA, Aug. 10.—There has been no naval
rnovetne ats here since the departure of the last mail,
except 'the departure of her Majesty's gunboat Pro-
Cris, 3,. Lieut.-Commander the Hon. J. B, Vivian, on
the 4% inst., for Gibraltar, after making good re-
pairs, and the departure of the Magicienne, 16,
Cape, W. Armytage, on the 7th inst., with a mail for
the Commander-in-Chief at the Pima. The only
sMps of war in port are the Hibernia, receiving ship
(bearing the flag of Rear-Admiral T. Austin, C. 8.),
Commander R. B. Harvey ; the Medina, Capt. T. A.
B. Sprott, C.B. ; the Cossack, 20, Capt. W. R. Rol-
land ; the Malacca, 17, Capt. G. J. Napier; the Sur-
prise, 4, Commander W. H. Whyte ; the Boxer, ten-
der to the Hibernia ; and the Growler, tender to the
Medina. The Cossack is still in dock undergoing
repairs, The Malacca will not have to go to England
us expected. According to the last accounts from
Greece received here, the ships had been sent about
in all directions in consequence of
anticipated dis-
turbances, but, unfortunately, nothing took place.
The Queen, 76, Capt. C. F. Hillyar, had been sent
up to Corfu from the Pirmas to fetch military in-
valids bound for England, and is expected shortly
at Malta on her way home. The Pcebe, 35, Capt.
T. D. A. Fortescue, is also expected from Beyrout,
after touching at different points in the East, in-
cluding Alexandria. Her Majesty's despatch vessel
Psyche, 2, Lieut.. Commander R. Sterne, after con-
veying Mr. Alison, her Majesty's Minister at
Teheran, from Constantinople to Poti, will return to
Malta for mail service between this island and the
Pirmus. The Caradoc, 2, Lieut.-Commander E. H.
Wilkinson, has gone up to Constantinople, to take
her place. Capt. F. W. Hutton, 23d Royal Welsh
Fusiliers, left on Sunday to join:the Curragh Camp,
to which he has been appointed Brigade-Major, in
place of Capt. Vigors, who rejoins his regiment.
Capt. Hutton has passed the Staff College.
His Grace the Duke of Somerset early on Friday
morning commenced a survey of Devonport dock-
yard, which was completed between two and 3 in
the afternoon. The building slips here present just
now a very untoward appearance. No.l has the sloop
Bittern, 4,669 tons, 150 horse power, about kth built;
nothing has been done to her for a long time, and
there are no orders to proceed. No. 2 is vacant.
The Cynthia was proposed to be built there, and
some portions of her timbers have been a long time
in the yard prepared. In No. 3is the Robust, 81,
3,716 tons, 800-horse power, 21 parts of which are
built. The work on her was suspended some time
since. In No. 4is the later, 36, 11 built. She will
probably be taken down again. No. 5 slip, from
which the Ocean was launched, is unoccupied. In the
basin is the screw steam frigate Aurora, 29, 2,558
tons, 400 horse power, fitting for the first division
of the steam reserve. Her topmasts are fidded,
the lower rigging is over her mastheads, she may
be ready in October. Their Lordships did not go on
board this frigate, but they visited the screw steam
sloop Royalist, 11, 669 tons, 150 horse power, a
new ship, which is undergoing alterations and
being newly coppered in No. 4 dock, which is 219 ft.
6in. long. The copper first put on was very infe-
rior. She is fitting for the first division of steam
reserve. In the north dock, No. 5 (263 ft. 4in long),
is the gunvessel Goshawk and the hoy Arthur, be-
longing to the Victualling Department. It is pro-
bable that, in consequence of the great size of mo-
dern built ships, the Lords of the Admiralty may
give directions for increasing the lengths of docks
Nos. 4 and 5. It is stated that their Lordships have
approved of a plan for the erection on the east side
of the rope house of an iron reservoir for storing
water, to be 100 ft. high. The power of the engine
which drives the wheels in the rope house can be
applied to pumping water into this reservoir.
While surveying the smithery the Duke of Somer-
set witnessed the mode for bending iron plates, in-
vented by Mr. Mattison, one of the workmen.
From the dockyard they proceeded to Keyham, and
went on beard the iron plated frigate Prince Con-
sort. In the course of the afternoon they inspected
the iron troop ship Adventure in No. 1 dock, and
the process of bending the Ocean's plates in the
great quadrangle. While in tie steam factory they
were raised from the ground to the first floor by the
hydraulic elevating platform. The most important
engineering work in connection withKeyham steam
yard is that for the extension of the North or tidal
basin into the waste ground, and for the construc-
tion of a boat basin in place of the old powder ma-
gazine basin. The North basin, which occupies
about five acres, is about 500 ft. long ; when com-
pleted it will be 833 ft. long, 447 ft. wide, and 41ft.
deep from coping level. The river, or Hamoaze wall
enclosing the boat basin strikes off at an obtuse angle
from the west wall of the North basin. The length
of the boat basin will be 300 ft. by a mean width of
90ft. The wharf between the boat basin and the
North basin will be 30ft. wide above. The entrance
to the boat basin will be 30ft. wide. The area of the
North basin, when completed, will be somewhat over
nine acres, and the length of the new sea wall 470 ft.
A new entrance, 80ft. wide, will be constructed at
the north end of the North basin, to communicate
with any works which may afterwards be con-
structed. The outer facing of the north wall is
completed, and blocks of wrought granite for the
inner face are on the ground. It is understood that
the contract will be completed by Mr. Jackson in
three years. Shortly after 4 o'clock, the Duke of
Somerset, Admiral Eden, Captain Drummond, and
Mr. Stansfeld, accompanied by Admiral Stewart
and Captain Hall, landed from the steam yacht
Princess Alice at the breakwater, where they were
received by Commander Aylen, the harbour-master,
and Mr. Neville, the superintendent of the works,
who explained to them a proposition for forming a
new landing place at the centre jetty. There are
now only 100 men employed on the breakwater and
the Government quarries at Preston. They are
occupied in placing a granite buttress at the foot of
the work, the foundation being at the level of low
water of the lowest spring tides. The buttress con-
sists of three courses of granite dovetailed horizon-
tally and vertically. The progress is necessarily
slow, as the work can only be done for four or five
days at each spring tide. Between August, 1862,
and August, 1863, 788 lineal feet have been laid, and
there remains 324 feet to complete the work. The
weight of stone deposited since last August is 9,800
tons, making a total, since the first stone was laid,
on the 12th of August, 1812, of 3,940,200 tons. Be-
fore departing their lordships took a cursory view of
the progress of the works in connection with the
foundation of the elliptical fort constructing on that
Part of the Shovel Rock which is immediately inside
the breakwater, Mr. Hutton, the resident engineer,
anti
^rintston, the representative of the con-
traato,fir'
were ,i, were on the staging. At the time the divers
under more teat" water, setting the foundation course,
all the biotthree-fourths of which is laid. Nearly
went at Lair for the remainder are ready for ship-
ships went into From the breakwater their lord-
Fort, and tilen aaysand Bay, to view Picklecombe
ing they were t_t:vued to Hamoaze. In the even-
Marine BarrnekaPi
seem at the ball at the Royal
Asylum. favour of the Female Orphan
After Sir F.
spected the boysG
en s''Y land Admiral Eden had in-
moaze on Wednesday, uatd the Implacable in Ha-
,
theri
manship, gunnery, rifle, audit
,nt Gus drills, sea-
school, they expressed their
cutlass
Plealt; and also at
at finding
them in such a satisfactory state.
of this ship is 400. There are at ;:les:olPlement
vacancies which can be readily filled t Only five
, as the boys
y and none run away When ashore
are very
leave. On Thursday next the officers and bay —oil
B take
their annual excursion up the River Tamar,

The Clio, 20, screw corvette, arrived at Spithead
OD Saturday, from Rio de Janeiro, whence she Bailed
on the 27th of June. Yesterday morning she Bailed
from Spithead for Sheerness to dismantle and pay
out of commission. On the 2d of July, in lat, 26 26
S., long. 37 50, the Clio saw a large ship on fire and
nearly burnt to the water's edge, and afterwards
during the same day spoke the Confederate steamer
Alabama, which had captured and fired the ship.
The Orontes screw troopship, Capt. H. Hire, sailed
from Portsmouth on Saturday for the Mediter-
ranean with detachments and supernumeraries.

of Major-Gen. Russell, returned to camp on Friday
the 14th, the command in the meantime—owing to
the temporary leave of Gen. Russell—having been
assumed by Major-Gen. Hodge, C. 8., commanding
the Cavalry Brigade. On Monday last we traced
the proceedings of the column from the time of their
departure from camp to the previous Saturday. We
now resume the narrative. On Sunday the men at-
tended Divine service, and the temporary camping
ground was visited by a large number of strangers.
On Monday the column marched out to Selborne,
about six miles distant. On 'Tuesday the 24th Regi-
ment and the U battery, Royal Horse Artillery,
quitted the column and returned to quarters at
Aldershott. On Wednesday, at 8 a.m., when the
men were engaged in a variety of pursuits about
the camp, an alarm was suddenly sounded. In an
instant every man returned to his tent, and in seven
minutes all had fully dressed, armed, and formed
up—a celerity highly creditable to the spirit of the
men and the training which they have undergone.
The whole force then marched out several miles in
skirmishing order and executed several movements
with great efficiency. On Friday th?, column left
Woolmer at about a quarter to 7 in the morn-
ing and arrived in Aldershott at half past 10, the
2d battalion 60th Rifles leading the van at a
smart pace well on to four miles an hour.
The 60th, on theirreturn, took up their old quarters
in the West Block Permanent Barracks. The 3d
Regiment took up position in D, G, and H lines,
North Camp; and the 6th Carabineers and 13th
Hussars encamped on Cove-common. On Saturday,
the Bth inst., the second flying column quitted Al-
dershot for Sandhurst, as briefly recorded in The
Sun of Monday last. It consisted of the Ist (Royal)
Dragoons, the B Battery 4th Brigade Royal Artil-
lery, and the 59th, 73d, and 87th Regiments, and
was under the command of Brigadier-General
Bates. The column marched from the North
Camp, at 7 o'clock a.m., in the direction of Farn-
borough, where they crossed the South-Western
Railway-bridge, and advanced along the level road
to Sandhurst. The column halted for a short in-
terval at about midway between Aldershot and
Sandhurst, and arrived at the latter place shortly
before noon. Skirting the Staff and Cadet Col-
leges and passing along a narrow road, the troops
soon found themselves on a large open space at a
considerable elevation above the surrounding coun-
try. Here tents were pitched, the troops taking up
positions in the following order,—the artillery and
cavalry were in the centre facing the north, the 59th
Regiment ou the right, the 73d and 87th Regiments
on the left, the Military Train a little in the rear,
and, also in the rear, and on an eminence command-
ing a view of the entire encampment, was the tent
of the General in command. On Sunday the men
formed for church parade, one of the camp chap-
lains officiating. On Monday they turned out for
a field-day, and marched to Blackwater-common,
where a variety of interesting manoeuvres were gone
through. An enemy was supposed to be march-
ing on the camp from the direction of Odiham ;
lines of skirmishers were thrown out, supported
by artillery; and the infantry forming up in
columns of regiments, and deploying into line,
effectually checked the advance of the enemy. The
cavalry then charged to the front and pursued the
retreating foe ; and after a variety of other interest-
ing and well-executed movements the engagement
was terminated by a rattling volley from the artil-
lery and infantry, which completely routed the in
vaders and drove them back discomfited and dis-
ordered. In the afternoon of the same day, after
the troops had returned to Sandhurst, the whole of
the encampment was inspected by Lieut.-Gen. Sir
J. L. Pennefather and Staff. On Tuesday morning
the infantry went through the operations of strik-
ing and pitching tents, which they accomplished
with praiseworthy celerity; and in the afternoon the
infantry sent out outlying pickets, while the cavalry
threw out vedettes, penetrating five or six miles into
the surrounding country. On Wednesday the Royal
Dragoons returned to Aldershott, taking up the
quarters in the East Cavalry Permanent Barracks,
recently erected by the 12th Lancers. On Thurs-
day and Friday active field operations were again
resumed, and the troops are under orders to return
to Aldershot to-day, to encamp on Cove-common.
On Friday the G battery, Royal Horse Artillery,
under the command of Major Newton, and the 13
battery, Royal Artillery, under Captain Byrne, lett
Aldershot, the former for. Woolwich and the latter
for Shorticliffe. On Saturday the 76th Regiment,
under Colonel Brewster, removed from the quarters
recently occupied by them in the permanent bar
racks, to Cove-common, where they are now sta,
tioned under canvass.

THE MOORS,

(From the Scotsman of Friday.)

FORFARSHIRE.—The morning of the twelfth was
most auspicious for sportsmen on the moors and
hills in this county and the eastern district of Perth-
shire, which marches with it. A good fall of rain
on the previous evening served not only to make
walking comfortable by laying the dust, but also
caused the scent to lie strong and full. So far as
can yet be ascertained the sport has been excel-
lent, and promises to continue so. Birds are pleni-
ful and strong on the wing, and there are
also hares in abundance. On most of the shootings
in this county the gentlemen neither began early
in the morning nor continued late in the afternoon,
yet several very good bags were made on the
first day of the season. Major Young's success
at Invermark was extraordinary. At Invermark
the Earl of Dalhousie killed 26 brace after one
o'clock; Colonel Ramsay, 44; Major Young, 125;
Colonel Dundas, 34; Admiral Ramsay, 6; Provost
Guthrie, of Brechin, 5; and Major Douglas (a
veteran sportsman, who has shot at Invermark for
many years), 12; a number of hares also falling be-
fore the guns of the party. At Gannochy, Captain
Peareth had 60 brace, and two gentlemen who
were with him for some home hours killed 37 brace.
At Gleneffock, Mr. Price Edwards and Mr. Bram-
ley-Moore, M.P., had 35 brace and 10 hares, shoot-
ing only during a part of the day. At Balnaboth,
above Kirriemuir, Mr. H. Birkbeck and party
(3 guns) killed 351 brace in two hours. At Bal-
namoon, Mr. Hunt had 34 brace and 2 hares. On
Lethnot, the Hon. C. Carnegie, M.P., and Captain
the Hon. John Carnegie had 60 brace. Already a
considerable number of game-boxes have been for-
warded to the south from Alyth, Kirriemuir, and
Brechin.

CRIEFF.—The accounts that have reached us in
regard to the sport on all the moors in this neigh-
bourhood, on the opening day, far exceeds what
was anticipated in regard to the abundance of
grouse and other descriptions of game. In conse-
quence of the fine weather on Wednesday after-
noon sportsmen generally were successful in killing
immense quantities of grouse, and long before
evening set in they were completely tired of inces-
sant firing. On the Amulree range Mr. Knowles
and party, consisting of four guns, bagged
120 brace of grouse, beside a few snipe. On
the hill of Monzie Sir Hugh Hume Campbell,
Bart., killed to his own gun, in the course of a few
hours, 381 brace of grouse. On the Glenturret moors
Messrs. George Lnmsden and Muir shot about 70
brace of grouse. On the Loch Kennard range his
Royal Highness the Maharajah Dhuleep Singh
bagged the extraordinary number of 133 brace of
grouse, three hares,and one snipe. On the A uchna7

free moors Mr. Lascelles killed in three hours 25
brace of grouse. The Hon. A. C. Durdas shot at
Corriemuckloch 26 brace of grouse. General Sir
I. Simpson and another gun killed at Dunira 25
brace, and Mr. P. Gunnis and a friend shot at Con-
nachan 70 brace of grouse. The sport was also ex-
cellent on the moors of Drummond Castle, Loch-
eurnhead, Aberuchill, &c., and the success of
containi
ngsportsmen from four to eight brace of grouse each,
Thursdaym
Prosecuting the Crieff railway station to the south on
and clear for
Tphreorather on Thursday was bright
the shooting wassport on the moors, and
as successful as on Wed-
neAsdtraym. fully
TERARDER,The eather was beautiful on
Thursday, and exceedingvil
felt. The result of
heart of the
very warm, and no wind Zaarafildl.
Wednesday's shooting brightened The day was
hour on Thursday
sportsman, and from an early
morning the guns were heard on most of the moors,

and freest Power in Gerr'iany, to extend some part
of her own greatness and freedom to the remainder
of the German people.
ATHEN2EIIM —Having tailed in laying a wire in
the restless trough of the Rea Sea, but having on
our hands the duty of completing our lines of com-
munication with Bombay and Calcutta, we are now
about to adventure money and hope on the rival
route of the Persian Gulf. The temptations offered
by this line through Asia Minor are so great, that
nearly all eastern travellers, and many of our best
engineers have long been in favour of making the
valleys of the Euphrates and Tigris our main roads
of communication with India. It may sound very
strange in ears accustomed to the tales of the
Three Ladies to hear that telegraphic communica-
tion is even now open between London and Bag-
dad. But this is true. The Turks, who are not so
far behind other nations as some men dream, have
laid down a line of wires from Scutari, on the Bos-
phorus, by way of Diarhekir, on the upper reach
of the Tigris, and the rich valley which once held
the cities of Assyrian empire, down to Bagdad, the
chief seat of oriental romance. There our Indian
land lines will commence; one running due south,
through a wild Arab country, for about NO miles,
to the head of the Gulf; a second proceeding through
Ispahan and Shiraz to Bushire; each joining t he sub-
marine cable in the Persian Gulf. From Bushire the
wires will catch at Cape Mussendom in Arabia, and
thence at Gwadel, a bold headland on the Beloo
chistan coast. From Gwadel to the most western
station of British India, Kurrachee, in Scinde, a
telegraph is already made. Of course, from Kurra-
chee the whole empire can be reached in a few
minutes. Next year, it is hoped that the whole
line will be open ; in which case it will be possible
for a man to ask a question in London and receive
an answer from Calcutta on the same day.

MURDER IN WOLVERHAMPTON.

In Bilston-street, Wolverhampton, there is a
wide court known as No. 4 Court, or the " bar-
racks," in which are about eight houses on either
side tenanted at 2s. 3d. a week. In one of these
there came to live some five weeks since a young
man and woman, who seemed to obtain a liveli-
hood by making and vending skewers of iron wire.
The woman appeared to be most active in the
calling, but she never made herself very sociable
with her neighbours, and was observed to be very
careful, when she desired only to go to the other
end of the court, to lock her door. On the evening
of Monday, now nearly a month ago, the woman
locked the house door, and told a next door neigh-
bour that she was going out, and if any one calied
they were to be told that she was gone into the
country. A few days after her departure a re-
spectable-looking woman came from Willenhall, a
neighbouring township, and inquired for Mr. Wil-
liamson, her son, who was alleged to be the tenant
of the house, and who had passed for the husband
of the woman referred to. The message left by the
woman was delivered, and old Mrs. Williamson's
desired that her son should be told to write to his
mother, as she wished to hear from him. Whether
or not the woman who made the inquiries was the
person she alleged herself to be has not yet tran-
spired. Since that time the shutters of the front
room of the house on the ground floor remained
closed, and the window of the front room upstairs
has been darkened by a thin muslin curtain and a
coarse petticoat. Very offensive odours have for
several days past annoyed the tenants right and
left of the closed house—bat this was in each case
attributed to some local cause in the respective
houses arising oat of domestic arrangements, and
little suspicion seems to have been excited that the
cause was in the house which, lay between the two
in which the annoyance was most experienced. The
landlord called for his rent, but notwithstanding
the long absence of his tenants did not take steps
to enter the house, believing from the appearance
of the woman (to whom, and not the man,
he let the house) that his tenants were
respectable people for their sphere, and that
they would be home after harvest time. Yesterday
morning, however, the neighbour with whom the
message had been delivered by the woman tenant
became uncomfortably inquisitive, and expressing
a wish to a neighbour named Mary Lee that she
should like to know what furniture was left in the
house, Lee procured a key and opened the door.
On entering, a strong stench seemed stirred by the
air. Accompanied by a neighbour, another woman
named Smith, she went upstairs. There the stench
became so strong that she exclaimed, "There is
some one dead in this house." Proceeding a step or
two further, she saw in the front room that which
made her call out, " Good God! come and see what-
ever it is." Mrs. Smith ran up stairs, but to do so
it required great moral courage on her part, so ex-
ceedingly offensive was the effluvium. On the floor
of the room lay a mattress, and upon it there was
stretched, covered over with a sheet and coverlet,
what was evidently the corpse of an adult human
being, Mrs. Lees, approaching to the foot of the
bed, pulled off with some difficulty the quilt and
sheet, for a portion of them was wrapped round and
tucked under the head of the corpse. When the
coverlet was drawn off, a scene indescribably repul-
sive lay before the searchers. On the mattress lay
the blackened and decomposed body of a man
literally swarming with and partially eaten by
maggots. The body was blackened, not with decay
alone, and the sheets and mattress was discoloured,
not simply by the progress of decomposition, but by
what appeared to be hot gas tar poured upon it
during life. With this, upon the sheets, upon the
mattress, and upon the floor around, blood was in-
termixed, and it was also found apart from the tar.
One eye had been gouged out, and it lay upon the
cheek, only slightly connected with its former posi-
tion. The nose was broken, the jaw supposed
to was
to be broken, one lip was cut, a thumb was broken,
and there seemed to be an incised wound on the
thigh and upou another portion of the body near to
that limb. The murdered man wore, as he lay in bed,
only a shirt and waistcoat; and there is no doubt
that some hand must have tended him after he was
unable to do anything for himself. This is clear
from the manner in which his head was covered
with the bedclothes. These were fastened over the
face, tight enough to secure suffocation if death had
not previously taken place. To remove this cover-
ing so much force had to be applied by the woman
Lee that when the coverlet came off the face and
head, the hair of the corpse came away with it; and
its colour convinced the woman that the deceased
was the young man Williamson, who had passed
for the husband of the woman who lived with him,
but who left the house on the occasion and under
circumstances already described, and who had no
since been seen.

At the inquest which was held before the inquiry
commenced a woman present volunteered a state.
ment to the effect, that some time since she had
known the deceased by the name of Bill, and she
now remembered the name to be William Williams.
She was able to identify him by his trouseas, which
on one occasion she bad mended. His mother lived

at Portobello, a small town near Wolverhampton.
A letter addressed to him had once been left at her

house, and she had known him when he lived in

Birmingham. He was not married, but he lived