The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-24 00:00:00

Naval and Military Intelligence.

VALETTA, Oct. 17.—Her Majesty's screw corvette
Racer, 11, Commander L. Brine, which left Malta
on the Bth of September, with despatches for Vice-
Admiral Smart, returned on the night of the 12th
inst. She arrived at Leghorn under steam on the
12th of September, in quarantine, but, not finding
the fleet there, weighed and proceeded to Spezzia.
Having communicated, under quarantine restrictions,
she ascertained that the fleet had sailed a few hours
previously for Leghorn, and accordingly made sail
after it. Arriving there the next morning, she found
the wooden ships of the fleet—Victoria, Gibraltar,
Orlando, and Chanticleer—at anchor in the roads,
and the Psyche inside the Mole. While performing
her period of quarantine the Racer had the misfor-
tune to lose her surgeon, Dr. M'Clure, very sud-
denly, from disease of the heart. The body was
landed in the Lazaretto, and a day or two after-
wards, on the Racer completing her term of quaran-
tine, it was removed to the English cemetery, and
interred the following day (September 21) with the
usual honours. Several Italian officers joined in
the procession. The Surprise, gun-vessel, having
arrived at Leghorn from Malta with despatches, and
the Chanticleer, 17, having sailed for Malta with
the mails, the Victoria, Gibraltar, and Orlando
weighed anchor at 2 p.m. for Castellamare, the Psyche
following next day. The Racer then proceeded
to Genoa in search of deserters, and having received
four men belonging to the Victoria and Chanticleer
who had been picked up by the Italian authorities,
she made sail on the 29th to join the fleet, and on
Oct. sth fell in with the wooden and ironclad squa-
drons, under the command of Vice-Admiral Smart
and Rear-Admiral Yelverton, exercising off Capri.
The Victoria, Gibraltar, and Phoebe (the last vessel
having been relieved at Patras by the Magicienne)
proceeded into Castellamare, the Surprise also arriv-
ing there about 4 in the afternoon from Leghorn.
The latter ship, after communicating with the Com-
mander-in-Chief, steamed out to the Racer, and
made over to her the despatches for Rear-Admiral
Kellett and orders to proceed to Malta under sail.
The Surprise left the following day for Malta, the
Orlando having sailed at the same time as the Racer
for this island on her way to England to be paid off.
All three ships have since arrived here, as well as the
Enterprise, 4, ironclad, which left Castellamare on
the 2d. The Racer, having filled up with stores for
the fleet, left Malta again on the 16th, taking also
with her despatches for the Commander-in-Chief,
and the Enterprise left to-day to join Rear-Admiral
Yelverton and the ironclads at Palermo. Leaving
Palermo about Oct. 21st, Admiral Yelverton, with
the ships under his command, was to sail for Augusta,
a port between Catania and Syracuse. The ultimate
movements of the fleet will depend on the sanitary
reports from Malta, but it is not expected it will re-
turn to its winter quarters until November. Admiral
Smart, with the wooden ships, is at present in the Bay
of Naples. The Tyrian was riding out her quarantine
at Nisida, at the other end of the bay. There were
reports of brigands being in the neighbourhood of
Castellamare, and it was not considered quite safe to
wander far from the town except in large parties
armed. The fleet has been throughout the summer
remarkably healthy, and continues to be so. Lieut. R.
N. Stopford, who was promoted from the Caledonia,
has been reappointed to that ship as lieutenant. Dr
Roche has received the promotion consequent on the
death of Dr. M'Clure. The surveying ship Hydra had
arrived at Z ante from thePirceus. She was expected to
leave for Navarino on the 7th of October to recom-
mence surveying. A letter from the Cossack, 20,
at Beyrout, says :—" We spent a most miserable
summer this year in consequence of the cholera, not
being allowed to land anywhere except at out-of-
the-way villages, and being kept at sea we only
anchor off this place on mail days. We hope in a

fortnight to be able to land here, as cholera is fast

disappearing. The Phoebe, we hear, is to relieve us
by the middle of October. The only thing that has
kept alive is our theatricals, which we have every
week, and the officers, as well as the men perform."
From Patras I have received accounts to October 10.
H.M.S. Magicienne is in port, and likely to remain
a few days longer. Lieut.-Col. Mitford returned to
Malta on Saturday by the Tanjore from Marseilles.
Capt. Wilson, Capt. Bowden, Capt. Nickham, Capt.
Swann, Capt. Butler, and Major Clary arrived on
the following day, by the Delta, from Southampton.
The following passengers left by the Poonah for
Southampton :—Major Tyacke, 22d Regiment, and
wife ; Major Hamilton, Major Scott, and Mr. Gore.
The Turkish war steamers Brousse and Ismir left
on the 13th inst. for Gibraltar. The Rev. Loftus
Graham, 8.A., chaplain of H.M.S. Orlando, has
been placed under arrest by Capt. Dickson for, it is
said, disobedience of orders in a matter relating to
his clerical duties. On arrival here, however, on
communication with Rear-Admiral Kellett, ho was
allowed the liberty of going on shore, and the case
has been referred to the Commander-in-Chief.

The Basilisk, 6, paddle-sloop, 1,031 tons, 400-
horse power, Capt. Hewett, V.C., sailed from Spit-
head yesterday morning for China.
The Royal Sovereign, 5, turret ship, Captain A.
Herbert, steamed out of Portsmouth harbour yes-
terday, and anchored at Spithead for experimental
gunnery practice.

The screw frigate Bristol, 39, 600 horse power,
flagship of Commodore Geoffrey T. Hornby, fitting
for senior officer's ships on the West Coast of Africa,
received on board yesterday the remainder of her
crew and Royal Marines from the Royal Naval Bar-
racks, previously to the vessel leaving the steam basin
and taking up moorings in the Medway. The work
of fitting this frigate is being pushed forward as
rapidly as possible by the hands, assisted by the
dockyard workmen; but it is probable that fully a
fortnight will elapse before she will be in readiness

to take her departure from the Nore. Her War
Department stores have been sent on board from the

ordnance-wharf, Chatham, together with her guns,
rifles, solid and hollow shot, &c. Although the

Bristol was attached to the first division of the

Steam Reserve when commissioned, the work of re-

fitting her has occupied several weeks, in conse-

quence of it having been necessary to make con-

siderable alterations in her internal fittings, with
the two-fold object of adapting her for a flag-officer's
ship, with the requisite offices, cabins, &c., and at

the same time giving her the accommodation re-

quired by vessels intended for a lengthened period
_ _

of service on the West Coast of Africa.

The work of dismantling the screw sloop Zebra,
17, 250 horse-power, Commander Charles G. Lind-

say, preparatory to her being put out of commission,
and pail off into the third division of the Cha thain
Steam Reserve, is being carried out in the great
basin of the dockyard, where a number of the riggers
and other dockyard workmen are assisting the crew
in the work, in consequence of the number of hands
hating been so reduced by deaths and sickness.
During the time the Zebra has been in commission,
a period of three years and a half, she has been em-
ployed in the suppression of the slave trade on the
West Coast of AfriCa, and succeeded in capturing
no fewer than five vessels engaged in the traffic. Just
before quitting Sierra Leone fever broke out on
board, and in a short time she had 100 of her offi-

cers and crew on the sick list, and on the arrival of
the vessel at the Nore it was found that so many of
her crew were suffering from sickness and debility
that a number of the hands from the dockyard were

placed on board to assist in the work of dismantling

the ship. Besides losing several of her crew she has
lost her surgeon, assistant-surgeon, and master dur-
ing the time she has been in commission. The

Zebra is expected to be paid off on the 30th inst.
The 2d Infantry Brigade at Aldershott, under
the command of Brigadier-Gen. Adams, C. 8., and
consisting of the 13th (Prince Albert's) Light In-
fantry, under Col. Lord Mark Kerr ; the 63d Regi-
ment, under Col. W. F. Carter ; and the 29th
Company of the Royal Engineers, under Col. Stock-
ley, was inspected on Monday week by Lieut.-Gen.
the llon. Sir J. Y. Scarlett, commanding the Alder-

shott Division. The troops, after marching past,
were put through the usual exercises, and acquitted
themselves to the entire satisfaction of the Lieute-

nant-General.

THE TEA TRADE, Oct. 23.—The deliveries in
London estimated for the week Were 1,246,4111 b., which is
an increaso of 1,3301 b. as compared with the previous state-