The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-08 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

VALETTA, March 3.—Her Majesty's paddlewheel
sloop Trident, 3, Commander Balbour, left Malta a
few weeks since for Messina, and having been re-
called by telegraph returned here on the 27th ult.
A melancholy accident occurred while she was at
Messina. Her small-arm men were on shore firing
at a target on the ground used for that purpose by
the troops of the garrison, and which, at the request
of Commander Balfour, had been lent to him for
rifle practice. The target was placed against one of
the butts, 16 feet high and 60 long, and every pre-
caution taken against accident. A corporal of Ma-
rines was stationed behind the butt with a red flag
to indicate danger, and whenever he displayed the
flag firing ceased. Unhappily a Calabrese water-
man, who was passing in a boat with several of his
companions, was hit by a stray ball, which passed
through his thigh and lodged in his abdomen, caus-
ing almost instant death. On the circumstance
being reported to Commander Balfour, he immedi-
ately despatched the surgeon of the ship, accom-
panied by another officer, to Galico, an inland vil-
lage, to which the deceased belonged, situated about
nine miles from Reggio: The English officers were
very well received by the authorities, who caused
the body, which had already been interred, to be
exhumed, to satisfy the surgeon of the truth of the
statement made, and an Enfield bullet, which had
been extracted from the wound, and was in the pos-
session of the Syndic, was also shown him. The
accident is to be the more regretted, as the unfortu-
nate man has left a widow with seven young chil-
dren, the eldest of whom is only 12 years old. A
subscription was raised among the officers and
clew for her present wants, the proceeds of which
were presented to her by the surgeon, with the pro-
mise of future assistance. It is to be hoped the Go-
vernment will give the poor woman a small pen-
sion. Her Majesty's screw line-of-battle ship Marl-
borough, Capt. W. H. Stewart, which has been at
Syracuse for a few days past, has also been recalled
by telegraph ; she re-entered this port on the 28th
ult., and re-hoisted the flag of the Commander-in-
Chief, which had been transferred to the Queen, 86,
Capt. C. Hillyar. The vessel last mentioned is under
orders to proceed on the 6th inst. to Corfu, to take
the place of the Neptune, 89, Capt. Hornby, which
was to have left for Malta on the Ist inst. The
Queen will take stores for the Victor Emmanuel,
89, Capt. Clifford, and Doris, 3, Capt. Sir F. L.
APClintock. Since the payment of the different
ships' companies, there have been several attempts
at desertion on the part of seamen to American
merchant vessels in port. In all cases, however, the
runaways have been captured and taken back to
their ships. Her Majesty's screw line-of-battle ship
Algiers, 89, Capt. Rice, left port yesterday under
steam for Naples, to relieve the Exmouth, 89, which
vessel has been ordered to this port for the purpose
9f removing to hospital several of the crew suffering
from smallpox, This disease has prevailed on board
to an alarming extent. Smallpox has also been
prevalent in this island during the last 12 months.
The ships, however, have hitherto escaped its con-
tagion. The screw gunboat Surprise, 4, Commander
W. H. Whyte, was suddenly ordered off on the 26th
ult. to Patras, it being apprehended that the dis-
turbances in Greece may extend to that place and
its neighbourhood, where there are British subjects
and property. Accounts from Corfu to the 14th
ult. state that the Queen's yacht Osborne, on her
arrival there from Malta, proceeded the same day
for Venice to embark the Prince of Wales. Gen.
Sir J. Inglis, the new commander of the forces, had
arrived at Corfu, and Sir George Buller had left on
return to England via Ancona.