The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-27 00:00:00

A letter from Valetta, dated April 22, says :
" Her Majesty's screw line-of-battle ship Edgar
89, Capt. the Hon. F. A. Foley, bearing the flag of
Rear-Admiral S. C. Dacres, C. 8., which came in
from Corfu on Thursday last, continued her voyage
to England yesterday, where Admiral Dacres will
tike the command of the Channel Fleet. The fol-
lowing supernumeraries proceeded by the Edgar
tssist.-Sarg. Clarke, 22d Regiment, Lieut.W. C'.
Shnckhurgb, 11 N., Lieut. R. H. Harris, R.N.,
Lieut. A. P. M. Lake, R.N , Mr. W. Pratt, Mr. T.
W. Hancon, Mr. Derrick, 50 invalids, five tine-ex-
perienced soldiers, and 1 woman. The Shannon,
35, Capt. 0. J, Jones, also arrived on the 10th inst.
from Corfu, and is still in port with the St. George,
86, Commander E. H. L. Ray (temporarily com-
manding in the absence of Capt. the Hon. F. Eger-
ton, on leave), the Magicienne, 16, Lieut. White
(temporary); the Icarus, 11, Commander N. Sal-
mon, V.C. ; the Medina, 4, Capt. T. A. B. Spratt,
C.B. ; and the Hibernia, (receiving-ship bear-
ing the flag of Rear-Admiral A. J. Cod-
rington, C. 8.); and her tenders Boxer and Growler.
The St. George will leave in a day or two for Na-
ples to relieve the Meeanee, and send her to Malta
to refit. Her Majesty's screw line-of-battle sht
Queen, 74, Capt. C. F. Hillyar, left Malta on the
16th for the Piraeus; and the despatch vessel Cara-
doe, 2, Lieut. E. Wilkinson, left the same day for
Corfu. Rear-Admiral H. T. Austin, C. 8., is expected
out here by the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
steamer Poona, on the 29th inst., from Southampton,
to relieve Rear-Admiral H. I. Codrington, C. 8., in
the superintendence of the Naval Arsenal. The let-
ler with his Staff will proceed home in the Poona,
on her return voyage from Alexandria, about the
7th proximo. A letter from Athens of the 17th, re-
ceived to-day, says that the Pelican, Commander P.
Brook, had gone to Suda Bay, and was expected
back shortly. The Liffey, 39, Capt. G, Parker, and
the Foxhound gunboat, were at the Piraeus. The
Liffey, on being relieved by the Queen, was to pro-
ceed to Corfu, and take the place of the Trafalgar,
72, Capt. the Hon. T. Bailie, which would then re-
turn to Malta. Capt. the Hon. A. Hobart, of the
Foxhound, had left for England, via Constantinople
and the Danube. On the 21st inst., at 2 p.m., tele-
graphic communication was established between the
Commander-in-Chief's office at Valetta and the office
of the Admiral Superintendent of the dockyard, by
means of a subterranean cable across the Great Har-
bour and a submarine line passing through Strada
Levante, Strada Mercanti, and Strada Mezzodi. A
letter from Corfu of the 13th April says that the
Trafalgar and Shannon shifted the Ist battalion, 9th
Foot, to the Southern Islands on the 11th inst., and
brought up the 2d battalion, 4th, which was imme-
diately marched into the citadel. The embarkation
and disembarkation of the troops were conducted by
the navy, under the eye of Rear-Admiral Dacres,
and reflected the greatest credit on all concerned."
Orders have been received at Devonport to put
into commission, with a complement of 450 officers
and men, the screw steam frigate Liverpool, 39,
now in the first-class steam reserve fully rigged,
and further orders are expected for placing in com-
mission other ships of inferior rating.
There has been a rumour at Portsmouth during
the past week that the iron-clad squadron at pre-
sent in commission is about to be despatched to
Bermuda to strengthen the squadron under the
command of Vice-Admiral Milne. There appear,
however, to be several reasons why this course should
not be adopted.
Rear-Admiral Robert Spencer Robinson, Con-
troller of the Navy, inspected the ships in progress
of building in Devonport dockyard on Friday.
The old sailing ship Thunderer, 84, was towed
on Saturday from her moorings in Hamoaze into
the basin of the Devonport dockyard, where she
will be cleared out and prepared for a target ship
in.place of the Powerful at Portsmouth.
Her Majesty's steam corvette Archer,Capt.By the-
sea, V.C., returned from her trial trip on Friday to
Greenhithe to adjust compasses, and is ordered to
sail this morning for her station on the West Coast
of Africa, calling on her way down Channel at
Portsmouth to disembark a number of second class
lads from the flagship at Woolwich. Her crew
consists of 195 meu and boys ; her engines are of
202-horse power, and her burden is 973 tons. She
has an armament of 13 guns on the quarter-deck—
namely, eight 32-pounder smooth bores, four 20-
pounder and one 110-pounder Armstrong, and two
field-guns, eonsistirg of one 12-pounder Armstrong,
with field carriage and limber, and one 6-pounder
brass smooth bore, for short practice, with elevating
carriage. She has been thoroughly renovated a
Woolwich.

The Orlando, 40, 1,000-horse power, Capt. G. G.
Randolph, arrived at the Nore on Saturday from
the North American station, and saluted the flag
of Vice- Admiral Sir W. J. H. Johnstone, comman-
der-in-chief. She is to be docked at Chatham, to
undergo a thorough overhaul and repair. The
Orlando being the largest frigate in the service, and
her draught of water very great, it will be neces-
sary for her to unship her guus, powder, coals, and
other heavy stores, before arriving in Chatham har-
bour.

_____
The subscriptions to the Orpheus Fund at Ports-
mouth already amounts to considerably upwards of
£4OO, of which about £6O was subscribed at the
meeting of the inhab:tants, presided over by the
Mayor, on Thursday evening. The committee have
issued a notice at once to pay all the allotments for
the present month. Printed forms to be filled up
by the applicants are obtainable on application to
the secretary of the fund, Mr. Kirkham, Royal Naval
College, Portsmouth.

The following appointments have been made at
the Admiralty:—C. Bawden, master in command,
to the Supply; W. L. Wright, paymaster, to the
Leander ; W. E. P. Saer, assist.-paymaster, to the
Warrior; H. H. Wyatt, assist.-paymaster, to the
Curaeoa ; Derisley Martin, assist.-paymaster, to the
Leander; W. E. Boxer, clerk, to the Curacoa, as
supernumerary; W. A. Stevens, clerk, to the Royal
Adelaide, as supernumerary; and H. Williams,
clerk, to the Leander; Capt. R. Lambert, to the
Liverpool; Commander C. I. Bullook, to the Fisgartdo;
Lieut. H. St. John de Robeck to be Flag Lieut. to
Rear-Admiral Yelverten, C. 8.; Lieut.n
to the Blenheim ; Lieut.
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the Curc(!oa ; LewisJe J. Potter,a, .o.
ittioonal, to the Rattlesnake; and 11.
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C. W. Gibson, assist.-clerk, to the Victory.

The Aluppra scrTewliEtroAcpitshliYp: Commander Mad-
den
.
,arrived at Portsmouth on Saturday with a de-
tachment of the 73d Regiment on board, from Thib..
lin. The troops wcro landed and sent on by
special train from the dockyard to Farnborough
station, whence they marched into camp at Alder-
shott and joined headquarters.
The Army Sanitary Commissioners on the occa-
sion of their visit to the hospitals, barracks, and
other Government buildings at Chatham, a fow days
since, approved of the proposal for the conversion
of the buildings at Fort Pitt into a hospital for the
whole of the troops of the garrison, including the
Royal Artillery, the Royal Engineer
ns,ianvds
daltili
depots battalions ofinfantry.
The
Melville
the Royal Marines will continue to occupye t fhr or eme